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Which End Is Up?

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"YOU SHOULD NEVER LOOK DOWN ON A SISTER--EXCEPT TO PICK HER UP."

Grace Campisi had lived her whole life according to plan, but her sister Perry--aka "The Screwup"--was more of a live-for-the-moment kind of girl. Which could explain how she showed up nine months pregnant, sans husband, boyfriend or money. The question was, what was Grace, her type A attorney sister (on the partner track), going to do about it?

What, indeed, as it fast became clear to Grace that Perry was not cut out for motherhood--especially when she ran off, leaving a six-week-old baby girl behind. So in order to stick to her plan, Grace could either A) track down her wayward sister, or B) put her niece up for adoption.

Or C)...formulate a new plan?

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First published October 1, 2006

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About the author

Patricia Kay

134 books67 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

This author has also written under the names Ann Patrick and Trisha Alexander

Patricia Ann Kay was born on 7 March 1937 in a small town in northeastern Ohio, USA, where she raised along with three younger sisters. She considers herself a very lucky woman. The family didn’t have a lot of money, but she says that didn’t matter, because what they did have was worth more than money — a happy home. Her parents had a good marriage and they doted on their four daughters. That upbringing is reflected in the stories she writes. As readers all over the world have discovered, her books are filled with warmth and love of family.

Pat has lived in upstate New York, Northern Alabama, Southern California, and Stockholm (Sweden), and since 1969, in Houston, Texas with her husband. She says that no matter where she’s lived, she’s found that people everywhere are the same and want the same things: love and committed relationships. The marriage has three terrific grown children. They currently share their home with two longhaired cats, and a backyard filled with squirrels, birds, and other critters. Her hobbies and other interests include reading, walking for exercise, going to the movies and the theater, swimming, and traveling.

In 1990, Pat sold her first romance novel to Silhouette. Since then, more than four million copies of her novels have been published in eighteen different countries. Today, Patricia Kay, alias Ann Patrick and Trisha Alexander, is an USA Today bestselling author of 50 novels of romance and women's fiction.

Most people have a completely wrong idea of what writers do all day. Do you want to know what Pat's typical day is like? Click here to find out!

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5 stars
423 (35%)
4 stars
375 (31%)
3 stars
291 (24%)
2 stars
95 (7%)
1 star
23 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
Profile Image for Gail.
Author 25 books216 followers
January 9, 2011
A story of sisters--Grace is the main character, though younger sister Perry is prominent. Grace was 16 when the sister was born, so is more maternal toward her than sisterly. Anyway, Perry is a perennial screwup and shows up nearly ready to deliver a baby. Grace is a high powered attorney who's put her whole focus on her work after her fiance died before they married, back when they were in grad school. Perry's appearance, and her baby, create the major focus of the book. I liked the book, but I thought too much of it was focused on Grace trying to cope with the turmoil Perry has created. Too much on the "falling apart" and not enough on the rebuilding of her life. Liked it, but could have liked it better.
Profile Image for Katie.
381 reviews1 follower
December 6, 2017
I thought this would be about sisters and the bonds between them. Each chapter starts with a quote about sisterhood. However, Grace and Perry really don't seem close at all. They barely communicate. They seem to just tolerate each other. They both harbor a lot of resentment towards each other. There is no evidence that they share any sort of sisterly bond. The ending of the book is rushed and poorly written. The way the book treats the issue of domestic violence is downright offensive.
Profile Image for Mary Manson.
354 reviews1 follower
April 9, 2019
Wonderful Book......

I truly enjoyed this book! I do caution you to have tissues handy. Ms. Kay does a wonderful job writing this book. I feel like the characters are all personal friends of mine - she gives such detailed characteristics that I feel like I know every single one of them. She also did a masterful job in writing about sisters. I have four sisters of my own and the relationship and issues Ms. Kay wrote about are spot on!!
Profile Image for Jacqueline Lichtenberg.
Author 68 books93 followers
December 29, 2017
Cozy And Edgy At The Same Time

This is the story of a high powered NY Lawyer who has her personal values rearranged by the arrival of a baby — that is not even hers.

The turning points and decision points are worked out in smooth, insightful and skillful show-don’t-tell. Writers who aspire to the Cozy genres should study how briefly but deeply these major turning points are narrated. A less skilled writer could have made this novel seem more like a comic book than a novel by skipping just a few scenes.

This novel focuses closely on the dimension of parenthood which is usually absent from action or action-adventure. I would like to see this writer’s style used in a galactic military Science Fiction Romance.
Profile Image for Joy Rayle.
140 reviews1 follower
October 27, 2018
Heart renderings galore!

Patricia has provided her readers with a novel keeping reality in mind. Oh yeah, you have a good girl, you have a bad girl. You have Mom's favorite and the one who has spent her adult life trying to be good enough in her mother's eyes. The scenario plays out looking like everyone wins. But our author drew us up with a challenge which left everything in question. You won't regret this book. One thing I was put off by (had nothing whatsoever to do with Patricia providing a great novel) was a publishing issue. Whenever a word was emphasized in conversations, the emphasized word was run into the next word. I found that to be distracting and annoying.
340 reviews3 followers
December 7, 2017
This book had potential, but it fell short for me. The writing wasn't strong enough and the editing was terrible. (I read the ebook version.) Practically every sentence that had an italicized word in it was also missing a space. It was very frustrating to read with so many mistakes.

At first this book reminded me of Baby Boom, the old movie with Diane Keaton in it. But then it deviated, which was good. But I also just didn't feel like this was a cohesive book. It could have been good with some rewriting, but it missed the mark as it is.
Profile Image for Patty.
1,927 reviews6 followers
December 14, 2017
Storyline was totally predictable. I was reading it on my Kindle and it was done at 77%. The rest was devoted to "plugging" the author's other books. Snooze-fest.
85 reviews
April 16, 2019
Patricia Kay gave me characters that were brought to life. I cared about them. They became real. I've run into people like Grace and Perry and can see some of myself in them, as well.
Perry can be frustrating with her destructive behavior, however, I've met people like Perry who seem to sabotage themselves because they somehow feel they're not good enough to succeed. Often they are extremely talented people. That's what makes it even more frustrating.
Grace originally had priorities that really didn't make her happy. She seemed successful in all the ways she felt others expected her to be. It was telling when she spoke of her true feelings about her New York boyfriend.
My one criticism is that the epilogue didn't seem to have enough background to warrant what happened. I would have liked to have seen that fleshed out a little more.
It was hard for me to put the book down. The difficulties the characters went through kept me turning the pages to find how they would solve them.
The behavior of the battered women is also something I've seen. The fear of leaving, the excuses for the abusive spouse, the enabling. It can be frustrating when dealing with someone in that position because those of us not there keep wondering why the victim doesn't just leave and tell the abuser to shove it. Abusers seem to know just who to trap and they start out usually putting the victim on a pedestal that the victim keeps trying to reach again. That's part of how the abuser tricks the victim into thinking they are responsible for their own abuse. All in all, I'd read this author again.
Profile Image for Debbie Lesley.
501 reviews12 followers
May 24, 2019
Family Ties

It is interesting how some people will do anything for a family member even when it can change their own life drastically. This is what happened with Grace’s younger sister, the wild child, shows up at her door very pregnant. Of course, because she is family, Grace takes her in. The younger sister, Perry, has no plans as to what she will do with the baby....where she will live, how she will support herself....she has not seen doctors throughout her pregnancy and is basically a total mess.

SPOILER ALERT

Grace gives up everything she has works for in her life, including her savings, in order to care for baby Emily. Her life changes drastically which must be so hard for a person who is used to having everything under control. Proves you do not need to be a biological parent to go through the overwhelming emotions that can come with motherhood.

A move to Florida brings about life changes....life runs on a different schedule once Grace is out of NYC. She discovers new work and a love she never thought she could find with baby Emily. But all the while, Perry is in the background struggling to find a better life for herself. Her wild ways catch up with her which brings about a domino effect of events which change things for all involved.

I didn’t want to think things would go the way they did which brings heartbreak to all. I won’t share the ending but life does get better and Emily is loved by so very many people. And many of those people have discovered a love that changed their lives in positive ways.
Profile Image for Jennifer Lara.
1,131 reviews4 followers
December 1, 2019
Which End Is Up? by Patricia Kay is the story of Grace Campisi, a New York lawyer who is about to have her life turned upside down. Her sister, Perry, shows up at her apartment, pregnant and needing a place to stay. Reluctantly, she allows her sister to stay. She soon delivers a baby girl she names Emily Grace. It quickly becomes apparent that Perry has no idea what she is doing and in an act of desperation, leaves baby Emily with her sister and runs to join her deadbeat boyfriend in Vegas. Grace is left to figure out how to take care of Emily and pursue her dreams of making partner at her law firm. When faced with tough choices, will Grace put her dreams ahead of her niece or will she find a new life and new dreams with Emily?
Which End is Up? is a story that you think you know where it is heading as you read. Oh no! The book did not go the way I thought it would. Grace is a typical older sister who feels she is always cleaning up after her wayward sister who has no faults in their mother’s eyes. She also learns that life has a funny way of turning out for the better in ways you could never have imagined or planned. Filled with family drama, old tensions and self-discovery, it is a beautiful, heartbreaking and tear-jerking story. You will cry at certain points and laugh and smile at others. I highly recommend Which End is Up?!

Which End is Up?
is available in paperback and eBook.
Profile Image for Sandra Lopez.
Author 3 books347 followers
November 23, 2020
At 42, Grace loved her job, her lover, and her apartment. The last thing she expected was to take in her pregnant sister. We’re talking two sisters that couldn’t be more different—Grace was self-sufficient and thought about every course of her actions, while Perry was a screw up with bad judgement.


For Grace, kids were never part of the plan. Looking to be a partner in the firm, Grace couldn’t take care of her sister and her baby. Always the professional. Always with the tough heart and go-getter attitude.

Life with a newborn and a depressed sister was putting a severe strain on her single life, career, and money. As the older sister, she must take care of everything. And, OMG, after everything she did for Perry, the baby gets abandoned at her office?!

It was tough juggling work and a baby. I felt for Grace in all of it as she was failing miserably, but she fell hard for Emily. Can Grace give her up? Or would she simply love her forever?

This was a good story up until you get to all the legality and court procedures in the second part of the book. At that point, you wonder IS THE END NEAR? I also didn’t get the title either. Which end is up?



By the end, I was already bored with it.
Profile Image for Gwen S..
835 reviews15 followers
January 14, 2018
Grace’s Circuitous Path to Happiness! 3*****

Grace Campisi, an up and coming partner in a NYC prestigious legal firm, was thrown a curve ball when her younger, nine month, pregnant sister, Perry, showed up, delivered Emily, then proceeded to abandon her baby on her busy, legal shark of a sister. Losing her partnership due to new baby commitments, she quit, picked up and move to Florida near her mother and Aunt Mutt. She legally adopted Emily after setting up her own legal practice in FL specializing in spousal abuse cases, wills, and seniors issues. Her bliss is short lived as Johnny, Emily’s un-named dad, claims her. All ended HEA!

The characters are well written, and the family dynamics between Grace, her mom, Stella, and Perry showed insight into Perry’s flighty, confidence-less personality, but not the underlying cause, apart from parental over indulgence. The novel broaches topics of spousal abuse, several other unhealthy relationships, and the choices/ decisions women make in their life. Great life quotes at the beginning of each chapter, reflecting the chapter’s contents. Quick read with loads of religious overtones and platitudes!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Carol.
375 reviews5 followers
November 29, 2019
I’m giving this book 3 stars only because it did manage to keep me engaged until the end.

However, there was a lot not to like about it. First, how are we supposed to believe that a high-powered New York City attorney who is referred to as “the shark“ lets both her wayward sister and her critical mother push her around all the time?

And then the book ended rather abruptly with a tragedy from which the main character bounced back absurdly quickly. Finally, there was a brief epilogue that provided an over-the-top fairytale ending with several elements that made no logical sense given everything that happened previously in the work. It’s almost as if the author finish the book and thought, “I can’t leave it like that I need to make it all better. No matter how far I have to stretch to do so.”
Profile Image for Sandy.
2,492 reviews11 followers
December 4, 2017
Fantastic story

Grab the tissue, but don't miss this great book. Very touching story which is realistic in showing that everything does not always go the way we would hop, but that doesn't mean you can't find happiness. I got a copy that had mistakes that I would hope were problems with the digital file. Word run together, but I only took away one star because the story itself was good.
Profile Image for D Call.
666 reviews29 followers
April 18, 2019
Lousy story poorly told

SPOILERS

I didn't experience one happy emotion while reading this book. Grace lets Perry, her coworkers, her mom walk all over her, and she's in her mid-40s and a NYC hotshot attorney? And talk about a completely contrived "happy ending." I don't recommend this book to anyone.

Stand alone book.

Contains no sex scenes (though alluded to), few swear words, and violence (shooting).
1 review
April 23, 2019
I have 4 sisters that I love very much. This made me smile, laugh , I got mad, frustrated and cried for Grace's heartbreak. It is not the happiest book I have ever read, but it is real.

I was so upset to find myself crying so hard, then realized each of us have the power to turn a situation that is horribly hard into something positive and adapt to make good come out of it. Patricia May wrote an amazing book. I am so thankful to have read it.
Profile Image for Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams.
2,705 reviews5 followers
November 29, 2017
Which End is up?

When Grace's sister, Perry, show up at her apartment, Grace known trouble will follower. Perry was pregnant and did not know who the father was. When the baby was born, Perry did not want the baby. Now she has a baby and no job. Grace move to Florida near her mother and aunt. Life is great until Emily's father show up. Great family story.
51 reviews11 followers
April 12, 2019
Not Bad

But not great. The word that comes to mind is "slight." It's very surface. The scene towards the end was designed to make the reader cry. The characters weren't fully developed, not deep down.
I did enjoy reading it, but it was kind of a Twinkie book, overly sweet with no real substance.
The best parts were the quotes about sisters sprinkled through the book.
Profile Image for Debbie Odachowski.
491 reviews
April 13, 2019
Great story

I really loved this book. Love for ones family is such a strong emotion and Ms. Kay shows how that love can make some very important life changes that effect all those around you. Being a sister myself I can see how Perry's life choices effected her sister Grace more than she could ever know. You will cry so I want you to have Kleenex ready! Enjoy!
Profile Image for Danielle Brown.
136 reviews
July 5, 2019
Quick fun summer book

I bought this book randomly from bookhub. I didn't plan on reading anytime soon, but I left the other book I was reading at home and needed something to read while at lunch. I quickly got into the story. Great quick read. Makes you think about relationships with siblings and life choucesr.
Profile Image for Doris Books.
208 reviews
March 19, 2018
Got to admit was a little bit disappointed with the book. The ending seemed to rush to quickly. I thought I still had 20+% of the book still to read on my kindle and that just turned out to be chapters or praise written by other books of the author.
Profile Image for Kathy.
1,689 reviews5 followers
January 1, 2018
A study of the relationship between sisters is nicely done when Perry leaves her baby with her sister and disappears. Grace changes her whole life so that she can keep the baby. The book pulls at your emotions and makes you feel as Grace feels during this roller coaster ride.
1,292 reviews1 follower
May 29, 2018
Life takes strange turns

Grace has her life planned out, partner in her law firm and a nice relationship with her lover. Then her pregnant, unmarried sister arrives needing help. A few weeks later she leaves the baby and disappears. Grace has to decide what to do now.
Profile Image for Holly .
19 reviews
October 7, 2018
Sister love survives all

A great read about a sister's unconditional love and forgiveness. How family can share the good, the bad, and the ugly and still come out intact as a family.
549 reviews1 follower
December 16, 2018
Enjoyed this story until near the end. I felt as though the author was tired of her story idea and was quickly wrapping it up but without securing a number of loose ends. It ended without being complete is my opinion. I give it a rating of four because at no point did I want to stop reading.
Profile Image for caroljordan.
191 reviews
April 8, 2019
She is mine

I really enjoyed this book. Giving birth does not make you a mother. I felt so sorry when the judge sided with the birth father. It was really a fluke that exposed the baby. Enjoy reading Patricia Kay.
863 reviews7 followers
April 12, 2019
A study in human nature. Sisters can be very close and helpful to each other. What happens when one comes to you with what to her is an insurmountable problem. Do you change your whole life only to find a year later that your heart is torn out. Very entertaining read.
23 reviews
April 12, 2019
An enjoyable read

This was an well written , interesting and thought provoking book. Loved the title and the subject matter and the characters. I especially liked the sister quotations.
Profile Image for Jacki Prettyman.
251 reviews
April 19, 2019
Unexpected

Years and smiles, unexpected challenges and endings. I really didn't know how the story would turn out until the last 2-3 pages. So glad I read it though. Babies will certainly turn your life upside down and love comes when you least expect it.
95 reviews
April 19, 2019
Which end is up?

Sisters can be such a pain, but we love them anyway. This is my first book by Patricia Kay and it was such a heartwarming story. I really enjoyed reading it. I will be reading more of her books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews

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