The Sunshine Sisters

Decent women's fiction that includes too much in 350 pages: three estranged sisters, a narcissistic mother, flashbacks to childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, as well as numerous romances and heartbreaks. It all comes together in a few days when the dying mother calls the daughters to her side. Points for showing the tension between anger at the mother for all she failed to do and vestigial love that can't quite be obliterated. But giving each daughter a romantic challenge, plus making their peace with the mother, plus gradually reconciling with each other - the end result was just a little too rushed and shallow.

Recommended as a good beach read that doesn't require too much concentration.

I love how it feels when you find a book at the exact time you needed it. My maternal grandmother went into the hospital a few weeks ago and I've been trying to come to terms with the idea that we could lose her. As a result, reading about a reunion between three sisters and their own very sick mother struck me on a particularly personal note. It provided a strange way to escape my own reality without the burden of a dark and gloomy read. I can't explain how much I enjoyed this story about the incredibly selfish movie star Ronnie Sunshine and her three daughters Lizzy, Meredith and Nell. Each of their relationships were fully formed. I could sympathize with the push/pull that comes with being around the people who know you better than show more anyone else and the frustration of trying to maintain your adult identity.

I really loved the quote "It doesn't matter how many years go by, how grown-up we think we are, how much we presume we have changed or evolved, when we are back in our childhood homes, we become exactly who we have always been."

This book deserves to be a beach book and book club favorite, through Labor Day and Beyond. Refreshing and so entertaining. show less

Ronni Sunshine is a narcissistic self-absorbed actress who has managed to estrange her entire family. Her husband has divorced her, married and moved on. Her daughters have little contact with her and even less with each other.

Growing up, her girls had learned to read her moods and each had a different way of dealing with the need to run for cover and each left home as soon as they possibly could. Nell the oldest, lives closest, but only in terms of distance. She makes a new family for herself and her son and has been running a local farm since high school. Meredith, always not quite good enough in her mother’s eyes, has settled for a life in which she spends her time trying to convince everyone else that she is happy. The youngest, show more Lizzy, who is most like her mother, has become a successful celebrity chef. She selfishly balances her work life with her family life leaving both her husband and young son coming up on the short end of things quite often. When Ronni calls her girls home, they expect her usual drama and vitriol. What they find is that this time their mother actually is quite ill.

I found the story an enjoyable read. I admit that I was expecting a different kind of story based on the cover, which near as I can tell has very little to do with the story, except for showing the distance between the sisters. The characters are compelling and well fleshed out. After reading about the girls' childhood, even I had a bit of PTSD. Though in the end, I came to respect Ronni Sunshine, I was angry with her for most of the book for pushing her daughters into the unhappy lives they ended up in. While the ending was bittersweet, and when dealing with a terminal illness it can be no other way, I did find it to be a satisfying one. I can add Jane Green to my list of go-to authors.

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Ronni Sunshine has summoned her daughters home. The aging actress is ill, and she wants her daughters by her side. This, however, will be easier said than done, as her three children--Nell, Meredith, and Lizzy--are estranged, both from each other and their mother: the result of a traumatic childhood. Even Ronni will now readily admit she focused on her acting career and beauty rather than her daughters. Her constant belittlement and pressure on the girls made them turn on each other as well. Nell lives the closest to her mother, on a nearby farm, and her son River is in grad school. Middle child Meredith spent her childhood struggling with her weight, thanks to endless biting comments from Ronni; she fled to England and is now engaged. show more Youngest Lizzie escaped most of her mother's wrath and appears to be the "golden child": she's a successful chef and celebrity, with a TV show and line of related products, but her marriage and personal life aren't all that they seem. Frustrated by their mother's long history of hypochondria, the girls reluctantly return home, excepting to find her fine. However, it seems this time Ronni may be telling the truth: she's really sick. Can the Sunshine sisters set aside their differences? And can they ever forgive their mother?

In some ways, I'm not sure why I keep giving Jane Green books a chance. I liked [b:Summer Secrets|23245587|Summer Secrets|Jane Green|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426128094s/23245587.jpg|42788868] well-enough, but was really let down by [b:Saving Grace|21853667|Saving Grace|Jane Green|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415428645s/21853667.jpg|41125551] and [b:Falling|28110094|Falling|Jane Green|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1492239351s/28110094.jpg|48117895]. I was intrigued that in her acknowledgements, Green mentions that this is the first book in while where she's felt like herself. I went in hoping that this was true, but still wary, and truthfully, this wariness may have clouded some of my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Overall, this is a summery read, though it does deal with some serious subject matter. If you're looking for a book that will surprise you, this isn't it. Most of these plot points I saw coming from a few miles away; I predicted the majority of the twists and turns before they happened. And, truly, I think the ending is a foregone conclusion. Green relies a bit to heavily on some tropes, as well. Serious older sister? Check. Insecure middle sister? Check. Flighty younger sister? She's here, too, don't worry.

Still, this was a fun book--despite the dark topic at its core--and I found myself compelled to read through the second half in nearly one sitting. Despite some of the transparency of the characters, I was oddly invested in their lives. The novel starts out with a brief glimpse of Ronni summoning her daughters home, then goes back in the past, allowing us to learn about the Sunshine family via various snippets from the sisters at different points in time. In this way, we sort of catch up with the family fast-forward style--it's like a cheat sheet of sorts. It also allows us to get to know each sister a bit better and explore their relationship with their mother (and other sisters). It's easy to see how much influence Ronni had on their lives and how she shaped them into the women they are today.

The girls can certainly be frustrating at times. Poor, needy Meredith drove me nearly mad, with her insecurities and inability to stand up for herself. There's also a point in the book where Meredith magically cleans up after a party (everything is fixed) and later loses a large amount of weight (everything is fixed, again!). I would have liked to have seen a little more plot realism. It was also hard to see how anyone could be quite as big of a doormat as Meredith, even with her mother's influence. And, truly, Ronni is pretty bad. It's an interesting technique--learning how terrible of a mother she is after we're told in the beginning of the novel that she's sick. But, in this way, we're allowed to see how the sisters were alienated by their poor upbringing and how everyone has reached the point we are at today.

Eventually, we reach the present day, with the girls learning about their mother's illness and coming to grips with reality. And, Ronni, of course, must grapple with the kind of mother she was to her children. She's a surprisingly compelling character considering how awful she was to her children, so that's a testament to Green's characterization. To me, the novel picked up a bit more in the present day time period. There were still some silly, unbelievable moments, but I truly did find myself invested in Meredith, Nell, and Lizzy (and Ronni).

The book does wrap things up too easily, as I stated. It's often quite trite and cliche, so you have to go in prepared. Think Lifetime movie, wrapped up in a bow. Still, it's fun at times and certainly a quick read. Well-suited for the beach or a vacation.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!); it is available everywhere as of 06/06/2017.

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Ronni Sunshine was a famous B-list actress back in the day. For Ronni, being the center of attention came first, and the needs of her three daughters came last. As the years went by, the girls - Nell, Meredith, and Lizzy - became estranged from their narcissistic and often cruel mother, and unfortunately each other, too. Now Ronni is suffering from a terminal illness, and her last wishes are to reunite her daughters and make amends before it's too late.

The bright beachy cover of this book is a bit misleading. The story of the dysfunctional Sunshine family is pretty sad. The girls' lack of motherly affection in childhood shaped the troubled adults they became - one distant, one lacking self worth, and one spoiled and selfish. None of the show more characters where particularly likable, however, it's certainly understandable why they turned out the way they did.

This is my first Jane Green book, and I'm left with mixed feelings about it. The characters felt genuine, however some of the situations weren't realistic or were just too convenient. I did enjoy the author's storytelling, and though the subject matter was sad, the book was a quick and easy read. I especially enjoyed the bucolic Connecticut setting of Nell's farm.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

The Sunshine Sisters, Jane Green, author
Three sisters are summoned home by their mother with no explanation. She wants to give them some news. All three have been estranged, not only from their mother, but from each other. They have rarely returned home to Westport, CT, after they left, and they do not often communicate with each other. They wonder why their mother has reached out to them and wonder if it is just another one of her ploys to get attention.
Ronni Sunshine, their mother, was a famous actress. Nell, Meredith and Lizzy have all lived in her shadow in one way or another, throughout their lives. Ronni had little time for them as they grew up, neglecting them and her marriage, devoting herself to her work in order to further her show more career.
Each sister has a different personality which developed in response to the way in which their mother treated them and the way they reacted to her often cruel tirades and selfish needs. Lizzie is forceful and confident and would laugh, never letting her mother’s moods bother her. Nell would withdraw and show no emotion, when the moods were particularly unpleasant. Meredith would feel shame and blame herself when her mother harangued her. She lacked self confidence. She took the brunt of her mother’s rage.
How each daughter reacts to the call to return home to see their mother and how they interact with each other is the substance of the novel. It explores the relationship between parent and child, sibling and sibling and husband and wife. Relationships between partners of same and opposite sex, married and unmarried are unmasked and described in detail. How will they all get along when they suddenly find themselves thrown together in their family home, confronting the anger and jealousy they each harbored toward each other and their mother?
There are some humorous as well as some more serious touching moments as the story rolls out. The author presented several important issues and they were developed well. In addition, like most books today, the author seemed eager to subtly present her views on controversial issues through the types of characters she developed, the problems they faced, the careers they pursued, and the lifestyles they chose. At times, it felt a little contrived as it moved back and forth in time, revealing the family’s history and problems by exposing the memories of each character. However, it did keep me interested and was an enjoyable read. It is definitely more of the type of a book I would describe as chick lit or a companion to take with you on vacation. I especially enjoyed reading about some of the communities in the story which were suburban or bucolic and with which I am familiar. show less

The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green is a 2017 Berkley publication.

This book is the ideal beach read.

Ronni Sunshine was once a famous actress, defining the narcissist personality we so often associate with that occupation. But, she also has three daughters, Nell, Meredith, and Lizzy, all of whom couldn’t wait to get away from Ronni… and each other.

But, now they have all been summoned home by Ronni, who has been diagnosed with a fatal disease… for real this time. She only has a little time left to get her daughters back together in one place, and to apologize to them for being such a wretched mother, and hopefully receive their forgiveness, but she also needs their help to carry out one final, shocking request.

After years of show more estrangement from their mother, the girls gather together with all their resentments and baggage coming along for the ride. Can they make peace with their mother and mend their broken relationship with each other?

All of Ronni’s daughters bring high drama with them- Nell, a single mom, who has never been able to get over her first love, no matter how hard she tries to feel a connection and real passion with someone else.

Meredith took a dull job, has a boring boyfriend, and finds great comfort in food, while trying to make everyone else happy.

Lizzy, is the youngest, and the most like her mother. She’s a successful celebrity chef, with a husband and young son, but she is also having a long running affair, she can’t seem to withdraw from, having also inherited her mother's spoiled self-absorbtion.

Under the same roof, the sisters become catty, with their barely contained annoyance with each other simmering just underneath the surface. But, when they find out their mother is gravely ill, they each take stock of their lives, and find the courage to take risks, embrace their sisterhood, and commonality with each other, and embark on a new chapter in their lives.

The story got off to a slow start, for me, but I’m glad I stuck it out. The real turning point comes when a writer shows up at Ronni’s, hoping to do a documentary over her life. His presence allows the sisters to look back over their mother’s life, and helps them put their childhood’s in perspective.

Other than Ronni’s illness, the story is not too heavy, and there are several comical moments along the way, but the emotional levels stay on an even keel, so you won’t have to worry about doing the ugly cry sitting poolside.

But, mostly this is a story about three sisters who did not have a strong parental influence in their lives, because their mother was so caught up in her career, always trying to keep the attention on herself and was a real life drama queen, and father who chose his second family over them. They all endured some kind of side effect from their upbringing that influenced the decisions they made and the actions they took as adults, with disastrous results.

They now have the rare chance to change the course of their lives, to make peace with the past and with each other and enjoy the last, but best gift their mother ever gave them… each other.

Overall, this is a nice and easy read, with nice character growth, and a feel good ending. show less