The Sister Season

by Jennifer Scott

From an award-winning young adult author comes a touching women’s fiction debut featuring three sisters who discover that coming home for the holidays isn’t as easy as it seems…
Sometimes coming home for the holidays isn’t as easy as it seems….

It’s December 21, and the Yancey sisters have been called home. When the girls were young, holidays at their family farm meant a tinsel-garnished tree, the scent of simmering food, and laughter ringing through the house. But as the years unfolded, family bonds fractured, and the three sisters scattered and settled into separate lives. Until now. The Yancey sisters are coming to spend the holidays with their mother. They’re also coming to bury their father.

Claire, the youngest, a free spirit who journeyed to California, returns first. Then comes Julia, the eldest, a college professor with a teenage son of her own. And finally there’s Maya, the middle child, who works so hard to be the perfect mother and wife.

During the sisters’ week together, old conflicts surface, new secrets emerge, and the limits and definitions of family are tested. And as the longest night of the year slips by and brightening days beckon, the sisters will have to answer one question: When you’re a sister, aren’t you a sister forever?

Genres: Fiction, Christmas, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Family, Sisters, Womens Fiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2013

Reviews

[Katdarling Darling]

I absolutely LOVED this book. Coming from a family with what seemingly would seem like a LOT of issues, this was real for me in so many ways. I was able to feel the feelings of all three daughters growing up with an abusive father, the grandson with suicidal issues and the wife who was severely abused... I really enjoyed how they all came together no matter what which is how family is.

I would recommend this book definitely!!

[Mari Rydings]

It took me several pages before I really synced with the rhythm of Sister Season. But once I did, I was hooked. When I cracked the spine, I anticipated a run-of-the-mill chick lit book full of the typical family strife and drama, with an ending that tied everything up nicely in a bright bow of sunshine and rainbows. I should have known better, having reading several of Jennifer Scott's YA lit books (writing as Jennifer Brown). Scott writes reality. Harsh, bald, bare bones reality. And Sister Season was no exception. Each character was exquisitely defined. The descriptive settings were detailed enough to let me create a mental movie, but not so detailed that I became bored. Scott deftly layered the problems, family interactions and secrets, and just as expertly peeled back those layers one by one. I found her characters' reactions to various situations authentic and human ... all the way to the end. And while she leaves the reader feeling hopeful for the Yancey family, she also leaves the reader with the familiar feeling that hope and reality - especially when it comes to family dysfunction - are two very different concepts.

[Allie]

DNF...yeah, this was a hard pass for me. I made it to about 50 pages before I was like, NOPE. I made a promise to myself a few months ago that if I sensed that I wouldn’t like a book, no matter how early or late I was into the story, I would trust my gut and put it down. I don’t think I’ll regret not reading this based on the low rating, but since it was on my bookshelf I figured it was worth a shot!

[Debby]

This book started off by appealing to the mystery reader inside of me. I knew partial details that eventually turned into a whole story of a family in pain. It is a. Christmas time book, and a story of how a family works through aches, pains, memories, betrayal, and humility all in the name of loving one person. It reminds me of the less often holiday stories, the true lives of people who have rough times and holiday seasons that aren't perfect. I enjoyed the way the author brought us into the story and kept us there to the end. An end that was very fulfilling. Well done!

[Shevanty R]

This book combined two of my favorite things: family drama and the holiday season! I went into this book thinking it was gonna be a cliché family differences/holiday get together kind of book, but OH MY GOD I was wrong! This book was twisted and much more dark than I thought. The story is told in multiple point's of view and literally everyone in the family had thier own shady secrets that they are hiding. It was a bit slow at the start but overall it wasn't that bad!

[Marie Christensen]

Family dynamics at its finest...well done!

[Peggy Bradley]

I enjoyed this quick read. It was not totally predictable while dealing with some tough issues. I'll look for Jennifer Scott on the shelf again!

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife]

We all have family strife in one form or another. Our family history forms who we are and what we do, consciously or subconsciously. I have issues with my family and so do you. The difference is how we handle them and who we become because of it.

This book is a shining star when it comes to family issues. Every person in this story has something they are hiding but they all agree on one thing; their father and husband was an abusive jerk that caused misery in many forms for them all and now they are supposed to be sad he is gone? Especially at Christmas when they all have different plans for the holiday and going home is the last thing the sisters want to do.

The author has crafted a story line that merges 3 sisters and their mom into their family home to mourn and deal with the passing of their father and husband. But they also bring with them their own family issues and drama that is bent on a collision course for them all. After all, it has been 10 years since they all were together. Each sister has a secret and the author does a brilliant job in telling the story in such a way that you feel like you are right there, experiencing all of the strife, uncomfortable feelings and dislike the sisters have bottled up inside.

This book is not written to be a sad story, and the author could have taken it that way as I expected it to be. But rather she shares a story that is insightful into the issues that many families deal with on a regular basis. Family is family and even within that, many members of family do not know their siblings at all. Those who appear the strongest often have a lot of pain within.

I love the way the author crafted this story. You get a bit of insight into each person with their intense feelings, plenty of drama and heart wrenching issues and along with hope at the end too. After all sisters are sisters always, in the end.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps]

Elise's abusive husband has just died and her three daughters are returning home to bury him and for Christmas: eldest Julia with her suicidal teenage son, middle daughter Maya with her philandering husband Bradley and two small children, and youngest Claire who allegedly slept with Brad eight years ago. Dysfunction reigns supreme as everyone is harboring secrets that will be revealed.

Normally, I love books about relationships with sisters, but this cast of characters was a bit one-dimensional, though not stereotypical. I give Jennifer Scott credit for having a truly unsympathetic cancer patient, not many writers are brave enough to go in that direction. As a cancer survivor I can attest that there are plenty of manipulative, angry, unlikable chemo patients (having cancer doesn't turn a person into a saint or take away their negative traits) so it was quite refreshing. THE SISTER SEASON gets an extra star for this aspect alone,

This is a reasonably readable novel, but one I'm sure will not stay with me. While the events take place around Xmas, it's not really a traditional holiday story and could be read year around.

[Cathy]

I thought the author brought out each personality whether well. Each person....and I do mean each person, except for the 2 youngest children, had their own set of problems they were dealing with. A very dysfunctional family if I've ever heard of one. It depressed me actually, but I wanted to see how the author would deal with each character. I definitely could have done without some of the language that was used. (Are they that uneducated they needed to keep using the same despicable language?) I know such dysfunction is apart of families. I'm sorry the mother didn't leave when the abuse first happened but that is what usually happens in abusive families. It's understandable why each daughter had problems. Abuse affects each generation if it is not stopped. Though the daughters were not physically abusive like their father, it still affected them and in turn affected their children. I was hoping for a little better outcome at the end, especially in regards to Eli and Maya and Bradley.

[Linda]

Do you have two sisters? I do. And, omigosh, the dynamics that Jennifer Scott writes about are right on! Now, I'm not saying that we grew in a family that is as dysfunctional as Elise and Robert's nor that we were like Julia, Maya and Claire. But - the nuances are so perfectly drawn - the queen bee, the perfectionist, the free spirit! Yes! Without adding spoilers, let me recast the story as the a reunion of all the sisters (in the same place at the same time) for their father's funeral. It is quite clear from the beginning that the father was a demon and that the sisters are not home to honor him. But the evolution of the family based upon his controlling, domineering personality and the seeming weakness of his wife make for a telling read. I will be suggesting this one for book club!

[Tiffany]

I picked this book up thinking I was going to get a Christmas story out of it. Sure it took place at Christmas, but I was not prepared for how depressing it was. Especially when, on the cover, it says "An uplifting story about...the redemptive power of familial love." Yeah right! Death, cheating, cancer, a suicidal teen (that doesn't stop being suicidal)? Sure the sisters start to bond again near the end, but this was nowhere near as uplifting as the blurb on the cover, the cover art, and the title make it out to be! Now, saying this, I did like it. It took me a few pages, a chapter or two really, to get into it, but once I did I didn't put it down until the end. But now I'm looking at the other Christmas-titled book on my shelf with distrust and wondering if it's going to be as depressing as this book was.

[Angie]

I thought this was a good book to read and our book club discussion made it all the better. I love reading books about sisters and I have three of them. But, we have no issues like these three girls had. It was interesting to read a book about abuse and how it effects the children. I have never been in any type of abusive relationship and I always wonder why the mom (in this case) doesn't get out...look how her kids turned out because she stayed in this relationship. They still have a long road ahead of them but it very interesting how the author unwound the story

[Suzanne Dean]

The writing draws you in and keeps you going until the end. Lots of dark storylines interwoven in this book and within this family that sometimes I almost felt I needed a break from. Overall I enjoyed the story and the way you get to see how families can both show love and be torn apart. The depth of the emotions shared especially in the teen boy Eli, was heartbreaking for me to read at times. I would definitely recommend it...

[Heather]

Very enjoyable and a quick read for me. It reminded me a little bit of the movie "This Is Where I Leave You". A good first holiday book of the season!

[Kayla]

I finally got around to finishing this one. It was pretty boring to start, but all of a sudden took off. I actually sat and read for 2 straight hours today to finish it.

Elise is excited her three daughters are finally coming home for a Christmas. Even though it's for her husband Robert's funeral. Robert was very abusive of his girls and Elise throughout the girls's entire lives. We do eventually figure out (although it's pretty obvious) that Robert had a heart attack and Elise just didn't call for an ambulance, and let him die.

Julia - "Queenie" - comes home with her teenage son Eli. Her second husband Tai is at home working on his paper or project or something. Eli's dad calls upset because Eli is suicidal and he blames Julia. Julia confides in Claire over cigarettes the first night they are home.

Maya is married to Bradley and has two kids - Molly and Will. She knows Bradley is unfaithful, and she believes he was unfaithful with Claire many years ago. She has breast cancer, but her kids, mom, and sisters don't know. She spends her time trying to be perfect thinking Bradley will stop sleeping with other women.

Claire is the youngest. She told her dad off one day when she was 18, then moved to California, and never saw him again. Michael has proposed to her, but she is scared getting married will mean he becomes abusive.

As the story culminates Maya kicks Bradley out. She sends him to Chicago. Claire and Maya have a heart to heart, and Claire tells her she has never been with Bradley. Molly comes screaming for Maya, and they both take off to the lake. Eli has saved Will after he fell into the frozen lake. Eli is still underwater. He initially wanted to kill himself in the lake, but Claire jumps in and saves him.

One year later Maya is giving Bradley one more chance. Claire is married to Michael. Julia has agreed to let Eli live with his dad. They are all back at Elise's for Christmas.

[LibraryCin]

3.5 stars

It’s Christmas and Elise’s three daughters are all coming home for the first time in a decade. Julia is the eldest and is bringing her 14-year old sullen son, Eli. Maya is the middle daughter and her husband and two kids come with her. Claire is the youngest and is on her own. Maya and Claire had a fight ten years ago and haven’t spoken since. They all have their own secrets. In fact, they haven’t actually come home for Christmas, but for the funeral of their abusive father.

I liked this. I loved the Christmas-y of it. It was frustrating that the sisters (particularly Maya and Claire… really Maya) wouldn’t even talk to Claire. Of course, all their secrets did come out with time. Some of the chapters were from Eli’s point of view, as he has his own issues.

[Sheila]

I gave this book a four star because the story line
was engaging however the end was disappointing
I was expecting something bigger or different.
However, I enjoyed the story very much.
Three Sisters very different and have secrets
from each other. They are coming for Christmas
to be with their mother and bury their father
but, their family is fractured and can they heal
the damage that they all have experienced.
The story takes you through their old conflicts,
secrets, and limits.
The story continues to take you through
the sisters relationships, can it be healed
and aren't they still sisters no matter
the fractures they have in their family?

[Cristina Reid]

wELL THIS HOrRENDOUS STORY OF ITS TIME the outbacks on a farm and what actually like where women considered in this marriage nothing and the brutal way the husband assaulted his girls and the wife, and her inability to change it.

Beware men carrying gifts as i was told this applies, as lovely young man but was a predator later in life, shocking revelations come out, and one is only glad that all find their way in the holiday at xmas and to bury the creature that was their father. This book made me shiver.

[Terri Davis]

Had I been able to just sit and read, I would have finished this one in a day. It’s a good mix of unresolved family issues, the unknown, and recognizing the effect one person’s situation can have on so many. I enjoyed that it was told from just about every viewpoint possible, helping the reader to better understand each character. Simple read, full of feels, the perfect book for some downtime reading.

[Sheri]

What a powerful read about a dysfunctional family that gathers over the holiday due to a death in the family - I don't want to give too much away. Three sisters haven't seen each other or been home in a while and each one has something serious going on in their lives. The book was so good I didn't want to put it down! Just a warning: this book does contain domestic violence situations and touches on suicide.

[Charleen Hird]

Fun and easy read that reveals the complexity of parallel lives lived estranged because of an abusive father. Each sister has her own demons and secrets, as does their mother. Through anger, distrust and near tragedy, they each begin to trust each other again.

It is a hopeful story that shows forgiveness and love.

[Linda Smatzny]

This book is about three sisters -Julia, Maya and Claire who have returned home for the funeral of their father. It is about secrets that people keep and how keeping secrets can hurt not only themselves but the people they are trying to protect. Each sister has a secret and trying to keep them is destroying the bounds of sisterhood. The book was an easy read.

[Cynthia]

I just couldn’t stand the thought that the mother would stand by and let her husband and the father of her children mentally and physically abuse them and never tell him to leave... the farm was hers ... she had a place to live. And then not help him in the end because she had had enough when she could have ended the abuse years ago

[Karen Malkin]

I liked how the author really described each character. Each family member had their own set of secrets and personal problems. It was not an uplifting book and I felt it dragged on and could of been shortened by about 50 pages. I give it 3 out of 5

[Kristy Willett]

I loved this book about sister’s and family healing. The elephant in the room was finally addressed! We have all dealt with the elephant in the room and I loved to see how this family could heal by facing the truth and moving forward.

[Amy Kraushaar]

3 sisters are called home to the family farm in Missouri with the death of their mean & abusive father. They had been estranged for the past 10 years due to misunderstandings & past hurts. Over the course of several days they find a way to forgive & support one another.

[Sandy]

2.5. Am easy read but somewhat predictable. The foreshadowing was so obvious I felt I knew what was coming long before the story unfolded.

[Marilyn Miles]

Good story about family issues at Christmas.

[Vicki Mee]

Depressing! Bad...