24919359

Author: Ashley Farley 
Release Date:  24th June, 2015 (I received an ARC)
Series: None 
Genre: Contemporary Fiction | Relationships | Family
Edition: Kindle (mobi)
Pages: 
Publisher: Leisure Time Books
Source: Author (Thanks Ashley!)
Buy it here: Amazon

Blurb

Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry and packed with Southern charm and memorable characters, HER SISTER’S SHOES portrays three sisters—Samantha, Jackie, and Faith—who struggle to balance the demands of career and family while remaining true to themselves. Samantha Sweeney has always been the glue that holds her family together, their go-to girl for love and support. When an ATV accident leaves her teenage son in a wheelchair, she loses her carefully constructed self-control. In the after-gloom of her dreaded fiftieth birthday and the discovery of her husband’s infidelity, Jackie realizes she must reconnect with her former self to find the happiness she needs to move forward. Faith lacks the courage to stand up to her abusive husband. She turns to her sisters for help, placing all their lives at risk. In the midst of their individual challenges, the Sweeney sisters must cope with their mother’s mental decline. Is Lovie in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, or is her odd behavior normal for a woman her age? No one, including Lovie, understands her obsession with a rusty key she wears around her neck. For fans of Elin Hildebrand, HER SISTER’S SHOES is a contemporary women’s novel that explores and proves the healing power of family.

Rating

5-stars

Review

Plot/Story:

Her Sister’s Shoes is all about family and relationships. I fell in love with this book as soon as I started reading it. The plot is so simple yet interesting. It’s about how family is the only place where a person can really be safe and happy. In this book Ashley has beautifully depicted the importance of family and basic values in ones life. Inspite of the book covering a relatively intense subject, the book was not itself an intensive read. It was light as a feather and the intense meaning were successfully delivered with simple story-telling. I also loved the attention to small details; for instance, I was impressed by the use of three different shoes to depict each sister (right below the chapter title of each chapter.) It was really clever and cute. I want to say so much about this book but words are failing me to describe how really good this book is, so I’ll just say it in one line: read it to see how good this book really is.

Characters:

The three sisters have such contrasting personalities that it was really interesting to read about them. They feel so real that you’ll feel a connection with all three of them inspite of them being so different from each other. I love them so much that I can’t even pick one as my favourite. Her Sister’s Shoes is one of those rare books, in which even a character with a guest-appearance is really thought out. Right from the main characters to the big reporter and the female lawyer, every one feels like a real person. and that’s the beauty of this book. You feel like you’re actually reading about real people.

Romance:

As this was a book about relationships, there was no romance in particular, but a lot of love. Love between sisters, love between husband and wife, mother and son, cousins, old family friends and acquaintances in general. This book really made me feel happy, I don’t know why, but it did!

Writing:

In one word, Ashley’s writing is beautiful. It had a brilliant flow and the sentence building was so simple that reading this book felt like buttering a bread. There was an indescribable easiness about Ashley’s story-telling that I was lost in it completely. Maybe that’s what they call ‘magical writing.’

Beginning:

The book started off beautifully. It had the right amount of stuff that can make the readers feel that they are in for a great read. I was hooked from the beginning. The mere simplicity of the story made me turn page after page, and before I knew, I was half way through already!

Ending:

The ending was just perfect. The only thing I was dreading the entire time, while reading this book, was a sad ending, but Ashley had an amazing surprise at the end for everyone. It couldn’t have been better than this.

Blurb:

Precise! It gives a really good idea about what you can expect from this book.

Cover Art:

I absolutely love it

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: LOVIE AND OSCAR Sweeney had been providing vacationers to the South Carolina Coast with fresh-from-the-ocean seafood since opening their doors in May of 1959 – and little had changed since then.

Highlights: Ashley’s commendable story-telling and the plot itself.

Lowlights: None

Final Thoughts: You’ve got to READ this book!!!

Review by:

Heena Rathore P.

My name is Heena and I’m a freelance writer, blogger and a book-reviewer (and soon-to-be author.) I’m an introvert, thinker, neat freak (cleanliness OCD), hardcore idealist, fitness junkie, music fanatic, compulsive reader, self-assertive, opinionated, dog lover and an atheist. The Reading Bud is my brain-child and is a huge part of my life.

I love reading and reviewing. What started as a hobby has become my passion.