The Promise Girls

This book had a lot of heart and a lot of spunk and really drew me in.
 
I envisioned this to be a simple but unspectacular read and was surprised by how deeply I felt towards the characters and the extent to which they enveloped me.
 
The plot contained a little bit of a mystery, some strings that hadn't previously been pulled together that eventually came out in a very satisfying way. This increased my intrigue while reading and really kept my interest peaked.
 
Meg suffers from memory loss in her car accident. Usually this medical condition is extremely gimmicky, but Bostwick did a fabulous job of making this poignant and relevant. I loved seeing the way that she was able to revaluate her life and develop new relationships with her show more daughter and her husband.
 
The documentary that Hal creates adds another lens to the book that really works. Again, this could have been gimmicky, but the layer this contributed was immensely satisfying and I loved viewing the way that he created things.
 
The family dynamics of the book were gorgeous. All the characters were very different, normal but extremely quirky. They were rational and made decisions that for them made sense and I felt like by the end these people were friends I would have in real life--kind of all over the place, but spirited and alive. From the two teenagers and their teenage angst to motherly Joanie and sporadic Avery, I really fell in love with them all.
 
This book was absolutely adorable and I recommend it highly. Definitely going to look for more of Bostwick's books.
 
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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The Promise Girls by Marie Bostwick

Child prodigies crafted in the womb for greatness, promised success, prodded by their mother...perfectly planned…then…everything changed when one of the Promise girls decided to be not so perfect on live TV. Twenty years later the story picks up to tell us what the Promise sisters are up to and how they are getting along. One is married, one is a single parent and the third is a mermaid. All have issues to deal with from their childhood. None of them are doing what their mother pushed them toward. The catalyst of a major life threatening accident and the need for money encourages the sisters to do a documentary that will tell the world what happened to “The Promise Girls” once they became show more adults.

I was drawn into the story as I read and became invested in the outcome of each of the sisters. As revelations were made about what happened after the debacle on live TV and how it impacted each of the girls…I wished that their lives could have been different. Passion and promise are not the only things that create professional superstar status – there has to be drive and will and belief in oneself that the sisters seemed to lose at points in their lives. I will say that each thrived in her own way and that by the end of the book I felt that all three would eventually be able to enjoy their talents and gifts and realize the promise their lives held in store for the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC. This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars show less

The Promise Girls is the newest book by Marie Bostwick. The story begins in 1996 with Minerva Promise and her three girls on a national news talk show promoting her book. Joanie, Meg, and Avery were told the tour would only last three weeks but now it stretching out into months. Joanie knows she has to do something to stop it and take back their lives. But Joanie did not calculate how upset her mother would be with her and the repercussions. Twenty years later, the three girls are grown up and living in Seattle, Washington. None of the girls are living the careers their mother had planned for them. Meg has not been happy lately, and one day she receives out some very upsetting information. On the way to pick up her daughter, Trina, she show more receives a call from Minerva. Meg gets very upset and ends up running her car into a cement wall. Meg wakes up six days later without a memory of her family. The doctor believes her memory will return in time. In the meantime, medical bills have mounted up, and they need to find a way to pay them. Joanie decides she will agree to Hal Seeger’s request to make a documentary of their lives in exchange for the money the family needs for Meg’s medical expenses. All of them are reluctant to open up in front of the camera, but Hal is determined. Each sister discovers something about themselves and, ultimately, Minerva reveals the biggest secret of them all. While Meg’s accident was unfortunate, it just may be the best thing that has happened to the family. Join The Promise Girls on their journey of self-discovery.

The Promise Girls is well-written and easy to read. I liked the characters. I found them all likeable and relatable. I love the setting of Seattle, Washington. How can you not love a city that has ferry boats? I was entertained by Asher’s occupation as a tiny home builder. It is turning into such a big movement in our country, and I have not seen it included in a novel previously. I give The Promise Girls 4 out of 5 stars. The secrets that are revealed at the end of the book are not revelations. I believe most readers will figure out Joanie and Minerva’s confidences long before they are disclosed. It was interesting to read about each woman’s journey. I really like Joanie’s occupation as a creator of costumes for reenactors. I imagined Ichabod Crane (of the show Sleepy Hollow) would appreciate her services (his last seamstress was murdered). While I enjoyed The Promise Girls, I did not feel it is not up to the standard of Marie Bostwick’s Cobbled Court Quilt series which I really loved (such wonderful, endearing characters). The Promise Girls, though, is a pleasurable story and a great way to spend a rainy afternoon. show less

The Promise Girls is a well-written, albeit predictable story of three girls who were born and raised up to be artistic geniuses by their overbearing mother, Minerva. As it turns out, not much of anything is as it seems.

Set in Seattle, we follow each of the girls on their journey through life that has been derailed since Minerva's meltdown on live television some years early. After the girls, who were removed from Minerva's care following this event, age out of foster care, they migrate together and are trying to sort out their lives.

Following a devastating accident where Meg, the middle Promise sister, loses her memory, the entire family comes together, including Minerva. Through a few minor turns in the story, including where Hal, a show more documentarian who has come to film the sisters as a "where are they now" project, all ends neatly in a perfect little bow. For me, that was the book's downfall; I'm more into grit and reality.

You will enjoy this easy-to-read novel written by a very well-respected author. show less

The Promise Girls by Marie Bostwick is an uplifting book of healing and forgiveness.

The Promise girls are three daughters of a domineering mother, Minerva, who pushed the girls to reach-and exceed-their artist potential. Oldest daughter Joanie was a piano playing child prodigy who deliberately sabotaged Minerva's publicity tour during their appearance on a talk show. Now twenty years later, the sisters are closer than ever but other than youngest sister, Avery, they remain estranged from their mom.

Joanie is a never married single mom to sixteen year old Walt and works from home. Middle sister Meg is happily married to Asher and mother of a teenage daughter, sixteen year old Trina. Meg eventually gave up painting to help run Asher's show more construction business but she is not exactly happy when she is involved in a serious car accident which leaves her with amnesia. Twenty-five year old Avery flits from one job to another and is happiest when she dons her mermaid persona for children's parties. After discovering how much money Meg owes for her hospital bills, the three girls reluctantly agree to star in Hal Seeger's upcoming documentary. Will the documentary help Joanie, Meg and Avery come to terms with their painful past? Or will the shocking revelations destroy their family?

Throughout the course of the novel, the sisters are forced to confront their unresolved issues from their dysfunctional childhood. Joanie has not touched a piano in years and her lucrative sewing career fulfills her creative outlet. Up until recently, Meg has been deliriously happy but in the weeks leading up to her accident, she has become emotionally and physically distant from Asher and her relationship with Trina is also a bit troubled. Avery comes across as somewhat flighty but there is much more to her than meets the eye. Of the three sisters, she undergoes the biggest transformation since she has struggling to fit her niche.

The sisters are very close but this does not mean they are not harboring secrets from one another. Joanie and Meg are quite older than Avery so their mother's influence on their individual "genius" talents was much more in depth. They also more scarred by their childhoods but Joanie in particular is haunted by the events that her actions set in motion. All three sisters agree that Minerva is toxic, but Avery is much more forgiving of her mother's mistakes and missteps than Meg and Joanie. Will they feel betrayed when Avery reveals the depth of her relationship with their mother? Or will Meg and Joanie understand why she feels compelled to maintain contact with her? And will the sisters be able to forgive each other when long held secrets are finally uncovered? And what will happen when Minerva confesses the truth about the past?

The Promise Girls is an incredibly heartwarming novel about a family who unexpectedly gets the opportunity to make peace with their pasts. The growth of the characters is phenomenal and occurs at a realistic pace. The novel's conclusion is a little rushed and the resolution of Minerva's part of the storyline does not ring true. Despite the somewhat unsatisfactory ending, readers of contemporary women's fiction will enjoy this newest release from Marie Bostwick. show less

Ever since I read my first Marie Bostwick book and liked her writing style, I've always had high expectations for whatever of hers I can get my hands on, and have yet to be disappointed. Her characters are always engaging, funny, quirky, and relatable. She really does quite the story telling for The Promise Girls, with a good job of adding twists and turns along the way. There was so much information to be unpacked, little-by-little, that I couldn't put the book down.

The Promise Girls is a story of 3 sisters Joanie, Meg, and Avery whose last name is Promise. It's their story of what happens after their one moment of fame gone wrong as "child prodigies" changes the course of their lives on national tv and they go on to do very different show more things than would have been expected for girls who were supposed to be a musician (Joanie), painter (Meg), and writer (Avery). Now, Joanie is now a single mom who sews costumes for a living; Meg has a troubled relationship with her husband and daughter, plus financial woes; and Avery can't seem to hold down a job because she's such a free spirit. And when a documentary film-maker who has somewhat of an obsession with what happened on tv all those years ago wants them to feature in one of his latest endeavors, the girls are no more willing to entertain him than they are seeing their estranged mother. It was a good read and I was kept in suspense until the very end. show less

I started reading The Promise Girls and soon found that reading about Joanie, Meg, Avery and their lives, along with Minerva, their Mother just grabbed me emotionally. I couldn't put it down till I had finished reading it! The characters are endearing, engaging and humanly flawed. The plot is rich, captivating and full drama, love, joy, strife, angst and more drama. I was on an emotional roller-coaster ride throughout this whole story; who could ask for more?!

The Promise Girls is absolutely spellbinding!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Kensington Books, Ms. Bostwick and Netgalley
for the opportunity to read and review this book.