Annabel and Her Sisters

by Catherine Alliott

Sisters, Secrets, and Second A Heartfelt Story of Family, Love, and Hidden Truths


The charming and witty novel from the Queen of Romantic Comedy, Catherine Alliott

'Her writing is both intelligent and sparkling' MARIAN KEYES

--

Annabel loves her sisters.

But when their mother decides to sell her leafy London home and divide her time - and the money - between her three daughters, their bond is tested.

Strident Clarissa wants to restore her ramshackle farm.
Glamorous Ginnie, her stately country pile.
Only Annabel is questioning their mother’s motives for the move.

But her sisters are far more interested in why Annabel remains single -- even though the perfect man could be sitting right under her nose.

With their mother acting increasingly strangely, Annabel uncovers a long-hidden secret, one which could change everything she believed about her family history.

Will delving into the past risk the love of her sisters?

Or should she follow their advice and make finding love her priority?

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Chick Lit

366 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 17, 2025

About the author

Catherine has sold over 3 million bestselling novels worldwide and is translated into eighteen languages.

The first of these novels Catherine started under the desk when she worked as an advertising copywriter. She was duly fired. With time on her hands, she persevered with the novels, which happily flourished.

In the early days she produced a baby with each book - but after three - stuck to the writing as it was less painful.

She writes with her favorite pen in note books, either in the garden or on a sofa.

Home is a rural spot on the Hertfordshire border, which she shares with her family and a menagerie of horses, cows, chickens, and dogs, which at the last count totaled eighty-seven beating hearts, including her husband. Some of her household have walk-on parts in her novels, but only the chickens would probably recognize themselves.

All her novels are published by Penguin Random House internationally, and by No Shooz Publishing in America and will be available in the US in the Fall of 2017.

Reviews

[Rachel Galbraith · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok read, not overly exciting or as interesting as I thought it would be.

[Julia Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catherine Alliot's books are the literary equivalent of toast and jam, not any jam though, definitely from a farm shop and the toast is granary as there is plenty to chew over.
Familiar, sweet, and comforting.
Funny, sincere, and romantic, I enjoy her protagonists and the fact that they are 'age appropriate.'

[Agi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely. Adored it. Would love to live in Pammy, Lea's and Co. times... :D

[Mel Garraghan-Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family Dynamics

Oh I loved this story. It felt so relatable as a woman over 50.
Annabel is navigating widowhood 10 years after her husband died, and wondering about dating again.
Her sister Ginnie, a close bond shared with Annabel, feels bewildered by their older sister Clarissa but a huge family secret opens up a whole dimension to the family dynamics.

[Roisin Shanahan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes for the book but honestly it meandered, went nowhere and was complete rubbish. The main character Annabel thinks she is so protective of her mother and is shocked to discover her mother and her friends have secrets that she was not party to. She sets off to find out what her mother hasn't told her about her sister Clarissa and why she is so different to herself and her other sister Ginny.
Annabel goes around being amazed her mothers generation had fun, sex before marriage, shot gun weddings and even abortions. She herself is deciding between 2 men as her first date after so many years of widowhood after her husband died from a heart attack. She sets her heart on the vicar as opposed to the lovely builder and we have a stupid storyline of how the vicar may be a player before he reveals he wants to convert to Catholism. The whole storyline was batshit crazy.
It's almost like her publishers said give me a 400 page novel and the author just flung paint at a wall and said right that will do. I loved Catherine Alliott right from The Old Girls Network but if this is the level of tosh she is going to put out I am done reading her. I wish I had waited and got this from my local library rather than spending my money on it as it was not worth a penny

[Jess The Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Annabel's mother has decided to sell her house and live with her 3 daughters in rotation for 3 months at a time. However, Annabel is concerned that her mother won't have a stable base, and is also concerned that her mother will be bringing her 7 dogs with her everywhere she goes. Annabel also discovers that her mother has been housing a big family secret.

Annabel has been widowed for 10 years and has started to think that she should try dating again. She soon learns, that even when we get a little older, it can be complicated, and it can be difficult to sort through your feelings when you are getting to used to the different phases of your life.

This book is an easy read, something very calming. Don't expect big emotions, it's all about the stiff upper lip, with maybe a bit of a bottom lip wobble every now and again. It is thoughtful and quiet, but not as scandalous and riveting as I was hoping for.

Thank you to Penguin South Africa for the gifted copy of this book.

[Ailsa Britain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why I love Catherine Alliott books as much as I do as I have absolutely nothing in common with any of her characters, who are all called things like Minty and Lavinia and generally seem to be happily married to a spouse of the opposite gender (usually called something like Hugo who wears crushed raspberry corduroys) with 1 male and 1 female offspring, all of whom are doing terribly well in life courtesy of their very expensive private educations and family connections, living either in a £5M+ riverside house in the right part of London or on a smallholding where they are surrounded by dogs and horses, but really there is something very soothing about them and I need soothing at the moment so I enjoyed this one enormously.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn’t necessarily have chosen this book myself, it was recommended by Sarah and we don’t always enjoy the same read. However it was a happy, feel good (if slightly frothy) book that was similar in style/story to a Joanna Trollope novel, with a bit of Jilly Cooper Home Counties thrown in. I liked Annabelle - the main character - and it had a happy but not too saccharine ending that almost brought a tear to my eye.

[Tara Blais Davison · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quiet comfortable read about a blinkered existence that belied deeper stirrings.

… we found the same things funny…at dinner parties we’d catch each other’s eyes and dissolve into giggles…another thing we loved to do was potter…not play tennis or run or golf or garden, just chill …read the Sunday papers… pots of coffee would be brewed, which sort of rolled into G&Ts, maybe a stroll after lunch…laughing featured a lot.

“It was Ted, for god’s sake, Ted!”

[Sue Lilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a treat to curl up with this author’s books. The sisters were all different and the family secret was engaging. My only quibble is the cast of thousands – I found it hard to keep up with which child belonged to which sister and who all the “best friends” are. Even the seven dogs all had names and personalities. Having said all that, I really enjoyed it and was sorry when it ended.

[Margo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read all of her books, and this is my least favourite. With every year that passes and every new book she churns out, the humour and talent dies a bit. Her early books very funny and had plots that kept you reading. It's been a struggle to get half way through and I won't be finishing it. It's not remotely funny or engaging.

[Queen Bzyb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened as an audio book read by Bea Holland.

Good company on a long drive. Easy listening - warm, LOL funny at times, lovely family dynamics - enjoyable but nothing to rave about. The "family secret" isn't anything particularly shocking and dealt with in a rather saccharine way but definitely a feel good book.

[Goosegirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 shining stars. Really pleasant read. Pure escapism and what some may call a perfect 'beach read'. Goes down very easily, written with competence and fullness wit and an assortment of interesting and fun characters i came to care. Not very distinctive storyline, but pure entertainment for when you just need a cosy, funny story with characters it's nice to ne 'alongside '

[Jo Donnelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a well written, easy going read. I liked Annabel but couldn't relate to her priveleged family (Ginny and Clarissa!). The characterisation and development was good. I didn't like a storyline around the mother's dogs though. I did feel that the end of the book was a bit rushed.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book!! Catherine is in my top 3 favourite authors. I always want the life of the protagonist. Unfortunately this time I had. Just her situation. Very well written and explained emotions, etc that are all true when you find yourself in this position.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book with some tears and many chuckles and a group of characters and families that we’d all want to be part of.
A romance of a kind, but really it’s a story of three generations of people and their interactions and stories, all held together by Annabelle

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine Alliott is an author I have followed for years and was really happy to discover this one. A story with so many twists and turns, you think you’ve finally figured it out when another twist hits you. Loved it 🥰

[Val Cotton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this as much as Alliot’s other novels.
I felt it lacked the usual humour and the characters weren’t that likeable or very relatable either.
I enjoyed parts of it and found it a comfortable/comforting read - perfect bedtime reading.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

very enjoyable family saga

[Margaret Laird · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story line, that I could relate too. I thoroughly enjoyed it

[Carla Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lighthearted and wholly endearing.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but I'm not sure that I was particularly fond of the main character, whom I felt to be very judgemental and a tad naive. Perhaps thats how the author meant to portray her....

[Susan Leahy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have to love the charm and romance of a Catherine Alliott book. Sweeps you away with family intrigue and heartfelt relationship angst. And always the perfectly satisfying resolution in the end.

[D R Coles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

Such an unusual story. So many twists and turns. The main characters were around my daughter's ages so it made it very relevant and i'm 81.

[JoE · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It was pretty much exactly what I expected from Alliott. An easy, pleasant read. I do just wish that there was more effort put into proof reading/editing.

[Vicky Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous as always

[Kendra Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

Easy going book but still keeps the interest there. I’ve always liked Catherine alliott as an author so great to have a new book

[Kathy Buys · Rating 2 out of 5]

A gentle easy read with romance and happy ever afters

[Alison Tilleray · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful book nothing happens pretentious people just awful.
Only finished as it was the only book I traveled with.

[Aria 88]

Audiobook review

Awful narrator

DNF