Names My Sisters Call Me

by Megan Crane

A moving novel of sisterhood and finding yourself tells the story of a newly engaged woman who decides to use her engagement party as a way to reconcile her estranged sisters—much to their chagrin.

Courtney, Norah, and Raine Cassel are as different as three sisters can be. Norah, the oldest, is a type A obsessive who hasn't forgiven Raine, the middle sister, for ruining her wedding day six years ago. Raine is Norah's opposite, a wild child/performance artist/follow-your-bliss hippie chick who ran off to California. The only thing the two have in common is their ability to drive Courtney, their youngest sister, crazy.

When her longtime boyfriend proposes, Courtney decides it's finally time to call a truce and bring the three sisters together. After all, they're grown-ups now, right? But it turns out that family ghosts aren't easily defeated—and neither are first loves. Soon Courtney finds herself reexamining every choice she has made in the past six years—including the man she's about to marry—and the value of reconnecting with the sisters she knows she needs, in spite of everything.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Adult Fiction, Beach Reads, Womens Fiction, Book Club

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 2008

About the author

USA Today bestselling, multi-award-nominated, and critically-acclaimed author Megan Crane has written more than 150 books and shows no sign of slowing down. She publishes contemporary romance and paranormal romance as Megan Crane (and briefly M.M. Crane) with an extensive backlist of women’s fiction, rom-coms, chick lit, and young adult novels—among other things. She’s also won a large and loyal fanbase as Caitlin Crews with Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Dare, Harlequin Historical, and contemporary cowboy books. And for Midwestern small town coziness, found families, romance, and some paranormal scariness thrown in, Megan partners with Nicole Helm to publish as Hazel Beck.

Megan has a Masters and Ph.D. in English Literature, has taught creative writing classes in places like UCLA Extension’s prestigious Writers’ Program, and is always available to give workshops (or her opinion). She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her comic book artist husband, though, at any given time, she is likely to either be huddled in a coffee shop somewhere or off traveling the world. Preferably both.

You can find out more than you ever wanted to know about her at www.megancrane.com

Reviews

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Names My Sisters Call Me by Megan Crane was a bit sad, I found some moments to be a bit funny, when one of our main characters "slipped" on ice. I have never read a book by Megan Crane before, but I will definitely go back and read her other books at some point. The cover was so cute. This is the type of book that you pass on to your sisters and friends after you read it. This is a moving story about sisterhood and finding your true self in the toughest of times. I mean, what's not to love about a cover with lipstick, lip gloss, and chap stick on it? I found that the beginning of this book was a bit slow, but half way through it picks up pace and does get better. I also did find one of our main characters, Courtney to be somewhat petty, she does need to open her eyes some more, I mean she's about to marry the sweetest man, the man who truly cares about her, but she's so focused on her ex-boyfriend who ran away with her sister, therefore because I couldn't stand the pettiness I had to rate this book a four star.

Courtney, Raine, and Norah Cassel are as different as three sisters can be. Norah is the oldest, she is a type A obsessive, but Norah also stepped up to be a parent to Courtney when their mom was grieving the loss of their father. Raine, the middle sister, I guess you could say she's somewhat quirky, but she also ruined Norah's wedding day six years ago, Norah has never forgiven Raine for doing that. Raine just one day after the wedding just straight up left and moved to California with Matt Cheney. Courtney is the youngest sister. The only two things Norah and Raine have in common is the ability to drive Courtney crazy. One day Courtney and her longtime boyfriend, Lucas are walking to Norah's house for family dinner when Lucas made a scene of slipping on ice and proposes to Courtney right outside of Norah's house.

In these six years no one has spoken or been in contact with Raine after she left for California but their mom. When Lucas proposes, Courtney decides it's finally time to call a truce and bring the three sisters back together again. Courtney always looked up to Raine when she was younger. Matt and Courtney were secretly dating, so when Matt and Raine leave to California together Courtney is devastated. Courtney and Lucas decide to take a trip to California, Lucas goes for a business trip, and Courtney goes to seek out Raine and tell her about her engagement party. Raine decides to come back home only for Courtney, but Norah and Raine can't seem to let go and forgive each other about what happened six years ago. Every single time Raine and Norah are in distance with each other they can't stop arguing.

Raines comes back home to Pennsylvania. Norah just wants what's best for Courtney, Norah just wants her youngest sister to be happy, but she doesn't think having Raine back home and attending Courtney's wedding is such a good idea. Soon Courtney finds herself reexamining every choice she has made in the past six years, including the man she's about to marry, and the value of reconnecting with the sisters she knows she needs, now more than ever. I don't understand why Courtney is so hooked up on Matt Cheney when she's about to marry Lucas. I totally understand that she wants her sisters back together again, but I think she just needs to let go of Matt. I feel like Raine is a selfish, self absorbed drama queen who abandons her family just because she's a "free spirit", when really she's not.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most difficult thing about this book is that it's full of assholes. The main character Courtney, is engaged to a fantastic guy who adores her and yet she finds she has mixed feelings for her douchebag ex Matt. Her oldest sister Norah is an uptight, bossy know-it-all who is still upset about what happened at her wedding 6 YEARS AGO. The other sister Raine is a selfish, self-absorbed drama queen who abandons her family because she's a "free spirit". She's not, actually. Just an asshole. And Matt the ex is still a brooding, condescending tool who likes to play mind games.

I can handle one or two evil characters in a book because hey, that makes it more interesting. This story however had antagonists swarming all over the place. I was stressed out by a fictional family in a chick-lit novel. How does that happen?


What redeemed this book for me was that towards the end, Courtney finally decides to stop being a dimwitted doormat and stand up for herself, resulting in a slight break in the barrier between her sisters. While this book wasn't terrible, I was hoping for a little more light-hearted bantering rather than a full out brawl in almost every chapter. It does wrap up nicely in the end, but the path to get there made me need some Advil.

[Deena Ganz · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I occasionally enjoy light reading I have to say this book was much lighter than I had hoped. The plot had decent potential but the characters were very rough and unbelievable. The writing was painful and I only finished the book because I am cursed with curiosity and wanted to know how it ended. I felt it was very predictable and the character sketches were so stereo-typical that you had to stretch your imagination too far in order to enjoy the few semi-humorous scenes injected into the book. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Megan Crane has written another warm yet fun chick lit about love, family, and a women's identity.

Imagine getting engaged and wanting both your sisters to attend your engagement party...except that one has been estranged for six years since she ruined the other sister's wedding day and took off with your secret boyfriend. And when you decide to track her down, not only does she make you second guess all your accomplishments, but the fact that you see you ex makes you second guess your soon-to-be husband as well. Throw in an older sister who's a control freak, a mother who's been leading a double life, and a big dose of self-doubt because your father walked out before you were born... and you've set the stage for Megan Crane's latest novel. Oh, and don't forget a wonderful "modern Viking" of a fiance.

I definitely recommend this to all lovers of chick lit, romance, or just women's fiction.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, I had been looking forward to this book for a long time. When I finally got it in my hot little hands, I wasn't, exactly, disappointed. It wasn't a bad book. It just wasn't as good as I would have liked it to be. The only character that I really enjoyed was Lucas. I got the attraction to Matt, but not to the extent that the main character took it. I certainly did not get the Matt/Raine relationship and I thought Raine was the least developed of the characters. It wasn't just that I didn't get her (although I didn't) but she just seemed a little two dimensional compared to the two other sisters. And I call BS on the fact that no one realized Mom had a booyfriend. For FIFTEEN YEARS! Come on.

But, the story was warm and the pages turned quickly and easily. I stayed up late (way too late!) to finish it, and I felt all warm and squishy inside when it was over.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's another winner from Megan Crane (author of Frenemies, Everyone Else's Girl and English As A Second Language). This is the story of the Cassel girls: conservative, Type A Norah, free-spirit Raine and quiet baby of the family
Courtney. Six years previous to the start of the book, Raine "ruined" Norah's wedding and then disappeared--with Courtney's boyfriend. But time has healed at least Courtney's wounds enough that now that she's grown up and
about to get married herself, she wants her family back together. She hunts down her missing sister and finds that the past isn't as easy to make peace with as she thought.


This is an interesting study in family dynamics, love in many, many different forms as well as the choices we make for ourselves and the choices we allow others to make for us.

[Sherry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with a few of the other reviews....kept waiting for the protagonist to 'get a backbone'!
Found a few of the descriptions of people (and a certain City) to be generalizations and 'typical'...what the author thinks people want to hear, rather than giving a unique viewpoint of people or places.
Sorry to say, that I found the whole plot and premise predictable and somewhat boring.
I almost didn't finish it. Maybe I'm not a 'chick' anymore, and, therefore, 'chick lit' just doesn't appeal to me.

[Kerrilynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only got half-way through this book. I know I wanted some light reading, this is a bit much. I find the author's writing style somewhat flighty. The main character's relationship with her fiance is hard to digest. No one's relationship is that sticky-sweet... Maybe she is trying to accentuate the contrast between all the characters, but they seem more like caricatures of what they really are. I couldn't finish it.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've decided I like Megan Crane a lot. Reading her books is like spending time with a friend.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that appears outwardly as a light, easy way to pass a few hours, it gives the impression of being a beach read. But the plot, at its core, is about family dynamics, and more specifically, about the bonds of sisters. That phrase right there, "the bonds of sisters", would be enough to make me roll my eyes and ignore this book, trust me. But, if you have sisters that you love, that you have complicated relationships with (and really, if you have a sister and you don't have a complicated relationship with her, you need to write a book, because that is a thing of movies and fairy tales, right there), then you will like this book. Probably not love it, but like it.

Three sisters, as different as can be, are at odds after a lifetime of growing up with preconcienved notions about one another. They have projected certain personalities onto one another, assumed certain roles in the sisterly dynamics, have held onto grudges for years ago, and have all gone their own ways.

I have two sisters and I think of the three of us as polar opposites, if such a thign existed. I found myself identifying with one of the sisters more than the others, but also seeing myself in all of them and my own sisters as well. Nothing is as it seems in familial relationships, and this is a story about loving each other in spite of those faults and coming to terms with your own.

[Drea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. I enjoy the way Megan Crane writes. I do get a little frustrated with her characters, especially the main ones, because I want them to have more of a back bone. I know that I was a bit wishy washy when I was younger and then when going through the "horrible" relationship I was even worse because my self-esteem took a real beating, so I understand. It is just now that I've grown-up a bit and evolved or really begun to love myself again - ok, it's been about 7-8 years now, I grow stronger every day :-) I still want people to like me, but I will only take so much from them - even family - about me and my decisions.

Ok, back to the book. I think she writes a good book about family dynamics and how things in our lives as part of family shape us and how we react to the world and see it.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where to begin? Fist, let's start with the fact that I read way too much chick lit. But my excuse is that I always run out of books on hold and just have to grab whatever is on the shelf to occupy my time.


The protagonist is totally a huge weenie and I hated her. Grow some balls, sister! For goodness sakes, she was such a loser that she felt bad about having a chair in a symphony. Yeah, that is really a cop out career you got yourself there. Her boyfriend/fiance was only slightly less perfect than Jesus and was always lecturing her about how she should stand up for herself. Great, she is marrying her father, basically. Her sisters were loathsome and her mother ineffectual. Her bestie was a stand up comedian??? wth.



In sum, Lame.

[Kourtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Flat. That is the best way I can describe this book. About 99% of the story was just flat for me - no fireworks, no passion, no thrill that made me want to continue turning the pages. Just duty-bound for my book club challenge to finish the book. Towards the end it gets a bit more heated as Courtney finds her spine and begins to speak up, but the rest just was a monotoned narrative of a life that was unremarkable. When I read, I want to get away from the banal and feel excited, or scared, or thrilled - I don't want to feel as I do every other day going about my business. This one just missed the mark for me.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

there was a lot going on here for a book with so few central characters, but families can be complicated at the best of times, let alone when you have such different characters all fighting to find their own way of going through life.

None of the three sisters to me were particularly likeable, either too controlling, attention seeking, or a bit of a doormat.....

a few cliches along the way, but not a bad story

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant story. Courtney's boyfriend goes down on one knee and asks her to be his wife. She could never be happier. Everyone plans Coutney's wedding. What possibly could go wrong? Highly recommend this book.

[Ellenjsmellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

On vacation with my family and picked this one up for the ride. So far so good.

[Yuckamashe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I find myself thinking about it all the time. I feel like Megan Crane is my alter ego. I love the characters and her writing style.

[Berit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting family dramas.

[Sara Habein · Rating 1 out of 5]

The lipstick on the cover should’ve been my first clue. Or rather, the lipstick, lip gloss and Burt’s Bees-like lip balm because Oh-ho-ho isn’t it funny how women’s personalities are wrapped up in their make-up choices? Gee, thanks, cover artist, for being so insightful about my gender!

Let’s not judge the book by its cover – No, let’s judge it on all the other clichés written inside.

Because I was moving, I wanted to know whether or not to put this in the Goodwill box. I’d acquired the novel at a bookstore giveaway, and it’s an advance reading copy, meaning it was technically subject to change before the final version hit shelves sometime in 2008. For that reason, I did not want to judge the writing too harshly, feeling it was important to give the story a fair shake.

I tried, I really did. Then I’d read stuff like this:

I was given to understand from her tone that ‘tension’ was to San Franciscans what sloth was to East Coast types (i.e. anathema).

My, that’s a big literary word you used there. I really needed that parenthetical to make the proper comparison.

Names My Sisters Call Me is essentially three hundred pages of overplayed themes in a story that could’ve been interesting. Courtney Cassel is engaged to her longtime boyfriend Lucas, an announcement that is met by her family with ten minutes of congratulations followed by an hour of drama. Her oldest sister, Norah, is still fuming over the day that middle child, Raine, drunkenly ruined her wedding reception and then ran away to California. Norah and Raine are so different from each other (because of course they are). Norah is a domineering, Type A personality, while Raine is the “free-spirited” hippie artist. No one but their mother has talked to Raine in six years, and Norah wants to know if Courtney will “betray” her and invite Raine to the wedding.

Conveniently, Lucas has business in San Francisco, so Courtney tags along to see her sister. And even more conveniently — because this wouldn’t be a lipstick cover novel without engagement complications — she will also see her semi-secret ex-boyfriend, Matt Cheney. Matt is Raine’s best friend, and he ended his relationship with Courtney the night he ran off to California with her sister. They reunite, and yes, let the fireworks begin.

“Let the fireworks begin,” by the way, is one of the few overused phrases that I don’t think appeared in the book. By page 198, I decided to make note of all the platitudes within a single page:

-“not going to tiptoe around”
-“facing the music”
-“draw a line and be done with it”
-“everyone else is in an alternate dimension”
-“let bygones be bygones”
-“Raine gets a free pass”
-“This is the only family we have.”

One page. The thing is, I would be just fine with a light and fluffy family drama story every so often, if only I wasn’t continually distracted by the way it was presented. Normally while reading a book for review purposes, I’ll write down quotes that I enjoy as I go, thinking I might reference them later. This time, I had quotes paired with comments like “They’re not delightful neuroses — They’re raging insecurities,” and “God, thanks for spelling that out for me!”

The attitudes towards men, while at least a change from “I need a man to be complete!” chick-lit, still feel false. Even when her fiancee is being one of the few reasonable voices, Courtney’s reaction is straight out of a high school script:

“I thought you already doubted she’d forgive you for going to California in the first place," Lucas pointed out. "So if she’s already not going to forgive you, who cares?"

Stupid male logic. I didn’t dignify that with a response.

Jokes with Lucas usually revolve around the security of his manhood, and any sex is very loosely implied, to the point where I wasn’t even sure it had happened. It’s not as though I require my books to get all hot and steamy (though, hey, feel free), but ending a scene with a playful swat and then “no room to think about anything else,” doesn’t really make matters clear.

When it comes to Matt Cheney, Courtney becomes even more insecure, and she never fails to remind us again and again that he makes her feel like she did that night six years ago, or when she was 13 and still had an unrequited crush. Yes, we need this information, but please stop saying it every five pages.

Often the book attempts to be funny and fails, in the same way that bad comedians present jokes with “look how clever I am” smirks:

I was an old pro at worshiping the Porcelain Goddess.
[...:]
Trust Matt Cheney to bring out the worst in me.
Literally.

and

...even if my legs were pale enough to blind unsuspecting pedestrians.

Writing funny is hard, but even with my rusty skills, I know there are at least five different ways those bits could have been better. Again, I don’t know what all made it into the final manuscript, but I’m surprised that what I read made it into an advance reading copy. Shouldn’t an editor have scribbled all over this? Or are there really women who think these “insights” are original? No wait, I know there are. Just read the cover blurbs.

Another thing — Matt Cheney is almost always referred to by first and last name, as though he is a celebrity. Every character but Raine does it, which is weird, since he’s supposedly known them all since childhood. He is of course the brooding musician, all tattoos and leaning forlorn against doorways — so different from fiancee Lucas, who is so affable and works in internet securities.

Crane also has a habit of writing the same thing twice. She makes an assertion, then says it again, all within the same paragraph. My copy editor fingers started twitching for a pen after reading passages like this:

If I had pointed out how alike they were in this, right down to their matching fake smiles, they would never have believed me. But I saw how obvious it was they were sisters. The same, despite their differences.

Did we need those last two sentences? No.

Though this novel was filled with flaws both major and minor, some moments I understood. Courtney works as a cello player in the second Philadelphia Symphony, and as a former cello player and major music fan in general, I related to her passion. When she talked about how playing made her feel, I wished the whole story could be like that — an honest exploration rather than lame attempts to be witty. Instead, I’m afraid this book had to find a new home.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Courtney and her fiancee Lucas sit down to uncomfortable weekly dinners at her sister's house. Courtney, her sister Norah and her mom are a dysfunctional family, if there ever was one. Their other sister, Raine caused a huge ruckus at Norah's wedding ruining the day after which she and her good friend since childhood, Matt ran off. They haven't spoken in six years but during one of their tense dinners, Courtney discovers that her mom has been in contact with Raine during all this time. More than anything, Courtney would like to have her entire family healed and on speaking terms for her wedding. When Lucas has a work trip to San Francisco, Courtney goes with him so that she can look up her sister and start to mend the fences between them. When Raine decides to come back east and reunite with the family old wounds are reopened, secrets are revealed and Courtney learns things about herself and her family that would not have happened if Raine had not returned and Lucas had forced her to take a hard look at what was going on around her.

When I read a review of this book I was intrigued by the dynamics between the sisters and looked forward to reading the story. I found the plot to be an average one, hence the 3 star rating. The story was slow moving and did not call to me to return to find out what was going to happen next. Crane did create very believable characters, however, and did an outstanding job depicting a dysfunctional family. The mother in the story will make you cringe. You keep waiting for her to step up to the plate and quite living in another world where she appears to be on the outside looking in rather than as an active participant.

[Aishwariya Laxmi · Rating 2 out of 5]

#NamesMySistersCallMe by #MeganCrane is a book that has been on my list since 2010 or so. But now that I have finished it, I'm a little underwhelmed. What made me put this author on my TBR list and keep her on it for close to eight years? I found #EnglishAsASecondLanguage by the same author hilarious, but I was in my early thirties when I read it. I doubt if I would react to it the same way now. I certainly am not going to try to re-read it.

'Names my sisters call me' is an average book with stereotypical characters. It is the story of three sisters, one a 'free spirit', another a 'control freak' and the third a self-loathing cellist. The cellist gets engaged and then decides to bring about a family reunion. Her freespirited sister had created a scene at the control freak sister's wedding six years ago and took off with the cellist's boyfriend. After that they have remained estranged ever since. Over the course of the story, we find the cellist torn between her ex-boyfriend and her current fiancé, who seems to be the only decent person in the book.

She has a best friend who keeps warning her against the ex, and somehow in the end she has an epiphany when she "realises" that all her longing for her ex is 'coz her dad took off on them when she was a child in the womb. Also turns out her sisters are jealous of her.

This seemed to me like a book written by someone who has done Psychology 101 as an elective subject, who decided to put the most predictable issues into her book. Quite a yawn, but I persisted with it and finished the book. It's a very average read and hardly funny.

[Damini · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dove into this book because I needed a palette cleanser before moving back into my usual genre.

Why am I writing a review for a book I never intended to take seriously? No idea. That's how little thought out the plot seemed to be.

I'm glad I did so with this intention. There really are no other redeeming factors. It's a light book - in typical YA-for-adults fashion there really is no depth to the various epiphanies our protagonist seems to be getting. The feuds are very teenage-like, and I'm not even sure if the breakthrough that they all get is in fact even that shocking; it's being repeated since page one.

Go ahead if you want to read something that doesn't take much attention or intellect. The writing is fluid and a little enjoyable, but riddled with clichés.

[Keri Michaelis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because of the title. I grew up with three sisters and no brothers and I was curious to see how this story played out. Courtney is engaged and decides she wants to reconnect with her sister Raine, who she hasn’t seen or talked to in six years. Raine severed ties with the family when the girls’ older sister, Norah, got married. Raine blew up the reception with her speech and Norah could never forgive her. Raine runs off to San Francisco with her boyfriend, Matt, only turns out that Matt had been secretly dating Raine’s little sister, Courtney. Courtney’s heart is broken. It has taken six years to get over the love of her life. Or has she really gotten over him?

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book kept drawing me in all the way through. While it seemed that several of the scenes played out similarly I continued to want to know what happened with all the characters and their interactions with each other. The characters felt real and their strengths and failings felt genuine too. I found the story very relateable even without having sisters myself. I could very much relate to Courtney's situation with both her fiance and her ex-boyfriend. The ending felt real and the resolution realistic.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book kept drawing me in all the way through. While it seemed that several of the scenes played out similarly I continued to want to know what happened with all the characters and their interactions with each other. The characters felt real and their strengths and failings felt genuine too. I found the story very relateable even without having sisters myself. I could very much relate to Courtney's situation with both her fiance and her ex-boyfriend. The ending felt real and the resolution realistic.

[Sue Lauzon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was good but not spectacular. There was a lot going on in this book and when you threw in the emotional upheaval of 4 women (one mother and three sisters), a dead husband, a husband, a fiancée, an on again/off again boyfriend/ex-boyfriend (same guy to two of the sisters - lol) it made for somewhat of a hot mess of a situation. Can you say dysfunctional family?? Makes my family look like a walk in the park.....ok maybe not. I have a lot more sisters (and two brothers)!! LOL

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a light, easy-read (even for a chick-lit book). When the main character gets engaged to an awesome guy, she tries to mend her relationship with her sister(s) so her big happy family can all attend her engagement party together. There's a lot of growing up in this book for a woman who is already in her late 20s and I wish that the protagonist in this story got a backbone much sooner. I think it would've been a much more enjoyable story.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this 3.5. I really enjoy Megan Crane's writing and characters. The characters are believable and relatable, with faults you can understand. I enjoyed this book but Courtney and her sisters all had very cliched roles. There was also too much cello. Verena was my favorite character and not prominent enough.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another one of my .25/lb books and it was a pleasant surprise, especially since the last book I read by this author was a dud. My biggest knock on it though is that we don’t really get any real story between Raine and Matt and how Courtney played into that, it was very superficial. I did enjoy it otherwise.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you subtract 15 to 20 years from every sister in the family as well as the mother the whole story might’ve made more sense. These three girls were acting like pre-teenagers and the mother’s behavior wasn’t mature either. How else can you explain such self-centered behavior on the part of all of them?