The Sunset Sisters- Book Review #TheSunsetSisters #CeceliaLyra

Hey all, just finished reading the Sunset Sisters by Cecelia Lyra, her debut book. Check it out!

Two sisters. A surprising inheritance. A summer that changes everything.

As children, half-sisters Cassie and Julie were nearly inseparable, bonded through happy, lazy summers playing barefoot in the surf and sleeping out on the porch of their grandmother’s Hamptons beach house. Though from wildly different backgrounds, each magical summer the girls were as close as only best friends, accomplices, sisters can be. But they haven’t spoken in nearly fifteen years—not since the funeral of Cassie’s mother—and now there is only resentment and painful memories between them.

Successful and self-contained, Cassie is shocked to learn the requirements of their Nana’s will—that she and Julie spend one final summer together in the Hamptons house in order to inherit. Cassie agrees reluctantly, she needs an excuse to leave Boston and give the growing rumors about her personal life a chance to die down.

And for Julie, who is discovering too late the cracks in her marriage, it is the chance to repair at least one damaged relationship. But for the two sisters to regain what they had, they will have to finally confront what happened the night Cassie lost her mother. With their Nana’s wisdom guiding the way, could this summer bring painful discoveries, and a new direction, for both sisters?

An emotional and riveting novel full of family drama and dark secrets. Perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner.

No. of pages:- 384 pages

Date Published:- June 2020

Genre:- Women’s Fiction/Literary Fiction

The Sunset Sisters is an emotional story between two estranged half sisters, Cassie and Julie Meyers. Their grandmother, whom they affectionately called her as Nana dies and leaves them a will–Nana’s house to them. However there is one condition–the two sisters have to live under one roof for one month before they both can inherit the house. Cassie and Julie, who share the same father used to be close as sisters but after Cassie’s mother dies, Cassie stop talking to Julie and the two didn’t talk to each other for fourteen years until now. This story is all about the bond between the two sisters and how the two sister eventually come closer together.

Here are the things I liked about the book.

• The writing was so good and it was UNPUTDOWNABLE!!! I couldn’t really put the book down and stayed up all night to finish off the book!
• The story is told from the perspectives of Julie and Cassie, so the writer will know what each of the sisters think about each other.
• Many of the characters in this book are likable–and you can see how the characteristics between the two sisters are different. Julie is somewhat a dreamer, imaginative and is easily forgiving and friendlier unlike her half sister, Cassie, who is somewhat less forgiving. The two also share a different sort of relationship with their father as well–Cassie labels her father as a violent and manipulative person while Julie remembers him as a doting parent though in the end, she sees the true colors of her father. Julie is also very loyal and is trying hard to build her relationship with her sister Cassie. Cassie on the other hand doesn’t want to though in the end, the two sisters bond with each other.
• It’s also interesting to get an insight of what their relationship with each other was like before they had a fall out and I also like how the author in the end explained the whole scenario of why Cassie was not talking to Julie
• This book was truly emotional, gripping and will take your heart. The situation was very realistic and you can actually feel all those emotions that Julie is going through being the “other woman’s” child and actually understand Cassie’s anger towards Julie and her mother, inadvertently blaming them for her mother’s suicide. The author’s writing was incredible. Each chapter became more and more interesting and will hypnotize the reader into the pages.
• I also like how the author manage to outline the lives that Julie and Cassie is going through–Julie is having an unsuccessful marriage with Patrick who seems to control her and eventually falling in love with their neighbor Craig and Cassie’s relationship with a married man, Daniel.
• I also like the ending, how in the end, the two sisters bond each other.

Overall, this book is an emotional gripping and heartwrenching book, that will keep you hooked into the story and you will not want to put this book down. Worth five stars!