Good Sisters

Devlin Sisters #3

by Sinéad Moriarty, Emma Lowe (narrator), Alison McKenna (narrator)

Brought to you by Penguin.

After losing their beloved mother, the Devlin sisters need each other more than ever.

Single parent Louise is trying to help her fragile young daughter navigate life. So, when the nine-year-old insists on finding out who her father is, Louise organizes a sisters’ outing to track down her Italian one-night stand.

Meanwhile, due to her teenage sons’ sporting success, mother-of-four Julie is anointed Cook-Bottlewasher-and-Cheerleader-in-Chief for the rugby parents’ WhatsApp group. Worst. Job. Ever.

Finally, glamorous Sophie is determined that her daughter Jess won’t be boy-crazy and image-obsessed like she was. But when things go horribly wrong at a teen party, Sophie and her sisters are forced to take drastic measures to protect Jess’s future.

Squeezed from every side, Louise, Julie and Sophie want to be good sisters – but sometimes that’s easier said than done . . .

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit

Audible Audio

Published July 4, 2024

About the author

Sinéad was born and raised in Dublin where she grew up surrounded by books. Her mother is an author of children’s books. Growing up, Sinead says she was inspired by watching her mother writing at the kitchen table and then being published. From that moment on, her childhood dream was to write a novel.

After university, she went to live in Paris and then London. It was at the age of thirty, while working as a journalist in London that she began to write creatively in her spare time – after work, at lunch times … and, truth be told, during work hours.

After a couple of years toying with ideas, she joined a creative writing group and began to write The Baby Trail. The bitter-sweet comedy of a couple struggling to conceive hit a nerve in publishing circles. It was snapped up by Penguin Publishing in the UK and Ireland and has, to date, been translated into twenty languages.

Since writing The Baby Trail, Sinead has moved back to Dublin where she lives with her husband, two sons and baby girl.

Her second book A Perfect Match has been published worldwide. The US version of A Perfect Match is called The Right Fit. Her third novel – From Here to Maternity – is the third installment of the Emma Hamilton series. Her fourth book – In My Sister’s Shoes – is about two sisters who help save each other. Her fifth book has been published under two different titles: Whose Life Is It Anyway? in Ireland and Keeping it in the Family in the UK.

Her sixth book, Pieces of my Heart, about a family dealing with a terrible crisis, went straight in at number 1 in the Irish charts and was nominated for an Irish Book Award.

Her seventh book – Me and My Sisters – went straight in at number 1 in the Irish charts and was nominated for an Irish Book Award.

Her most recent novel Mad About You is the fourth novel in the Emma Hamilton Series.

Reviews

[Elaine and Tess the Springer. I won’t be on GR for a bit. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

A very good read that I got into right away because I already knew the family and their friends. It's a slow read that maybe went on a bit too long for me. I think the Devlin sisters series is now over from my point of view. I enjoyed the book but I'm glad it's finished.

[Jessicawallbank · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[Megan Jarvis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3rd holiday book! Very wholesome but was missing the twists and turns I like from a thriller. Lovely read though and the dynamics and relationships between the sisters was interesting to see how they evolved throughout. I also didn’t realise this was the 3rd book of 3, although can be read as a standalone.

[Sara Rasic · Rating 4 out of 5]

A typical 'happy end' book, but I liked it. It was nice reading about other people's family drama, not only your own.

[Kal Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predictable but good. 3.75
*I did accidentally miss reading the second book.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, the third in the Devlin Sisters series.

[Cara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book. The writing overall was juvenile and immature, and consistently repeated the same sentiments (e.g the elder sister being fierce and bossy, mellowing out when having children or some variation of the same sentences was repeated almost on every second page).

I was mustering through until I reached how the author was describing the sexual abuse of a minor, a 15 year old girl, within an intimate relationship she was having with a boy the same age as her. The 15 year old child had some drinks at a party, and her partner photographed her topless and then showed these photos to other boys. At this point, I decided the book barely deserved 1 star. The author clearly had done no prior research into the law or into the definition of what sexual abuse is within an intimate relationship and proceed to victim-blame and play down the entire situation. See quotes I flagged below:

“Not my beautiful Jess. A girls reputation was everything.” [Mother about 15 year old female victim]

“How could she let him take photos? And give him… oh, God… oral sex. How could you let this happen, Julie?” [Mother about 15 year old female victim]

“In fairness, Sophie, it’s not the boys’ fault or Julie’s,’ Gavin said softly. Jess got herself into this situation” [Adult uncle about 15 year old female victim].

“Even though my siblings had said poor Jess wasn’t to blame, I did blame her. I blamed her for getting drunk. I blamed her for going out with such a dickhead. I blamed her for going into a bedroom with him and taking her top off and…” [Mother about 15 year old female victim]

“You were drunk and you made a really bad decision, Jess, which is why I told you not to drink. Which is why I wanted you to come home with me that night” [Mother directly speaking to 15 year old victim, informing her for the first time of the intimate image abuse]

“I felt sorry for her, but I also wanted her to feel bad so she would never, ever do anything like that again. But she was still a kid, as Louise said, and we all do make mistakes.” [Mother about 15 year old female victim]

“Don’t you dare call yourself a slu*. You’re a 15 year old who made a bad decision. It doesn’t not make you a slu*” [Mother to 15 year old female victim]

The quotes evidence the narrative that to be sexually abused by a partner was a decision that a 15 year old girl under the influence of drink chose to make. The author clearly has not got a basic understanding of consent (in that as a 15 year old she could never consent to intimate imagery being taken and that once under influence of substances consent cannot be ascertained).

The rhetoric that the child was making a decision for her intimate partner to take a topless image of her and circulate it with other children was never corrected or resolved and very much treated as a behavioural issue for the 15 year old, a tarnish in the relationship between the mother and child. What the book describes is a common incident of sexual abuse and is illegal in Ireland under multitude of different laws. The narrative pushed that the victim “made a bad choice” “picked the wrong partner” and “drank” is a harmful rhetoric seen all too often by victims of intimate partner abuse. There could have been an opportunity to address this common problem for teenagers in a sensitive, abuse-informed and thought provoking manner, but it was gravely missed. I have never written a negative review but felt compelled due to the harmful rhetoric that is then absorbed by others who read this, even as a fiction novel.

[Devon Kelliher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had some heartwarming moments, but I found it quite boring and repetitive. I think it was way longer than it needed to be - the plot was very slow and nothing significant really happens. It just simply does not need to be 400 pages.

I found the dialogue to be cheesy and unrealistic - certain lines are repeated way too often throughout the book (e.g. Sophie is such a good stepmother, I hope Jack is appreciative, Clara is a different child, Louise became more warm after having Clara, the triplets were unruly, Gavin is a modern man) - etc, certain details like these are repeated over and over and each time they’re written as if it’s the first time in the book that the detail was mentioned. The writing is too simple - everything is spelled out for the reader and there is no critical thinking / analyzing needed. The way characters speak to each other just didn’t sound real or natural.

My favorite part of the book was probably the addition of Marco as a character - probably because it felt like the only time the scene changed and there was some excitement in the plot. Though even these scenes were a bit boring to me.

I found a lot of the characters unlikeable and irritating - including some family members. But the characters of Pippa and the intern (I forget her name) are basically caricatures - they were SO unlikeable and everything about their plots felt hyperbolic. It just didn’t feel realistic. Characters felt very 1 dimensional.

I powered through this book just for the sake of it but it’s the first one I’ve read all year where I seriously considered DNF’ing it.

I’ve been wanting to read The In Laws by this author so maybe I’ll give that a shot and see how it compares…

[Corinne Johnston · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF I didn't realise this was the third book about these sisters, and their mother, recently dead. I had a big problem with the veneration of this woman, who 15 years prior to her death at around 60, was too old and tired and fed up with her own now adult offspring, that she couldn't assist her daughter with TRIPLETS! and that she stopped her grandchildren coming to her home because of the havoc they'd create. I've seen this with friends who have daughters, and have trouble coping with little boys, but not to this extent. She sounded like a dreadful grandmother, choosing which children to preference. not for me.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this read. So quick and easy to read and full of many great characters. I liked a bit of each sister, they all had good and irritating points. Add in the rest of their families and all their dramas and it made for an entertaining read.
I did think that the love declarations and sobbing was a bit over the top, every chapter had them all sobbing and being over the top with professing love and adoration and admiration for each other. It was rather fake at times to be honest. No family is that hallmark!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the usual

I have loved the other books in this series and was excited to read about the sisters next adventures but this didn't quite do it for me. I found it quite repetitive in places & just lacked something but I'm sure others will love it.

[Joanne Hattersley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a list of favourite writers whose new books I wait for anxiously. Ms Moriarty is one of those. Ever since I picked up ‘The Baby Trail’ in 2004, I was hooked. The reason being that Ms Moriarty`s writing is real. I could relate to ‘The Baby Trail’ having navigated unsuccessfully the chance to have a child. ‘Good Sisters’ was equally relatable to me as in 2021, I lost my mum.
‘Good Sisters’ reintroduces you to the Devlin sisters who have recently lost their beloved mother. Life changes for them and teaches them just how much they need each other. Louise, single mum with an autistic child is forced to make life changing decisions. Julie, mother of four, finds herself front and centre in her son's school activities whilst navigating the path of grief. Sophie is focused on making sure her daughter doesn’t repeat mistakes she made, but also worrying how to navigate the mother/daughter relationship.
Ms. Moriarty skillfully weaves the tapestry of life's realities into her books. Her stories feature relatable characters navigating emotional depths and exploring life's myriad of challenges. Each book resonates with genuine situations, fostering a sense of belonging as if the author has walked alongside her readers. Moriarty's characters are crafted with remarkable detail, vividly coming to life with every page turn, their Dublin brogue echoing in the reader's mind.
This book is a testament to beautiful craftsmanship, showcasing impeccable writing. What I particularly admire about Ms. Moriarty's style is its simplicity—it doesn't strive to be more than it is. Everyday characters intersect with life's complexities, creating a wonderfully enriching experience for the reader.

[Nuri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of three sisters and a brother, dealing with the death of their mom, family issues, a child with autism and teenagers, stepchildren and the implications of patchwork families, a widowed dad and potential stepmothers, bullies at school and at work, including sexual exploitation (taking and spreading of naked pictures of a minor) and abuse of the “mental health” card. In that sense many topics that are relevant for families nowadays.

The characters were clearly defined as “the bossy big sister who always has an answer”, “the chaotic middle sister who is always late”, and “the high life young sister”, although thankfully there was some character development there, with Louise leaving her career, Julie having to take on a leading role in the rugby social group, and Sophie becoming more motherly

It was a predictable Happy End story though, and at times repetitive. When you’ve heard for the fifth time that “Louise has mellowed down when Clara came along” or how “Sophie had gone through a tough time and now she really wants her daughter not to make the same mistakes that she did”, it feels like a better job could have been done editing out those repetitions.

Another thing that bothered me, as a linguist, was the inconsistent way how Marco’s Italian accent and poor English was reflected in the book. At times his sentence structure was purposely poor and the author wrote “ees” and “‘ere” for “is” and “here”, at other times Marco had longer passages written in almost perfect English. It was just not consistent, and a better job could have been done dealing with it.

Overall captivating enough to read it to the end, but not enough high quality writing and story telling that I would recommend someone else to spend the time on it.

[Alva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh goodness, this was a smashing read! Not sure how many things got left undone while I lost myself in this captivating story of sisters, families, challenges. Coming from a large family of five girls and two boys, I could totally relate to the sibling connections, the sibling issues, the challenges of the next generation rising to test the mettle of the current. Totally loved the Dad in this. Such a beautiful portrayal of a grieving husband and father. I gobbled this one up in a couple of days. Sinead Moriarty - you've done it again. An absolute cracker of a novel.

[Manon Moreau · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve never read something more cliché in my life. It wasn’t just the story but the writing in itself felt quite superficial and lacked a good deal of depth as if an AI was behind it all and the book was just a collection of the easiest non sense ever. BUT still by reading it, the story became interesting to say the least. I’ve now realized that this book is the fourth addition to a known saga and being very curious as I am, I’m hesitating between reading the previous ones or putting this quite eye rolling indulged story behind myself ?

[Goosegirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just what I needed- yes it is what you could call an 'easy read', and doesn't strive to be edgy or dynamic, but it is well-written, has great, relatable characters, and an always highly involving story in which i was very invested.
Through the perspectives of three sisters, we as readers experience the trials and highs and lows of what it is like for many different women &/or mothers in current times in the Western world.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sinead Moriarty is one of my favourite authors and I was so excited to read this book. This is the third book in the Devlin sisters series. However, it can easily be read as a standalone. This book was an absolute joy to read. It was so nice to be back with the Devlin sisters and their brother Gavin and other family members. This would be a perfect beach read.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice enough read - I only found out half way through the book that its actually the third in a trilogy but it still reads well as a standalone.

I have to say though that the character of Sophie really got on my nerves - she came across as a moaner and a martyr and became incredibly irritating.

[Brendan Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine, but just fine.

Plot is interesting and kept me reading, but trite.

Characters are all very neat archetypes, and some of the dialog stretches what human beings actually say to each other. I enjoyed reading it but I won’t go out of my way to recommend it.

[Julie Homer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book although it is based around losing someone dear and showing how the family cope which I can relate too I have to say this really made me laugh and giggle so many times it was lovely brilliant 5*

[Ciara Keating · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book. It was different than I normally read but it such an easy read. The characters were very likeable and interesting. Would read another sinead moriarty book. Thought it would be a 5 star read but thought 4.5 was fairer after the end kinda dragged for me. Would recommend!

[Oonagh Considine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a grand read . One or two chapters made me have a few tears in my eyes . You still get sucked in the story line.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant! Laughed & cried

[Etain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light summer read
Bit complicated with all the step children etc
The Marion character was a bit much otherwise a light read.

[Gill Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this, a family drama about the Devlin sisters and the trials and tribulations of family life. It was funny and sad and I had tears at the end.

[Keryn Moriarty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bought this in Ireland because we have the same last name

Cute plot but the dialogue felt very elementary

[Abby Moriarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started out a bit slow and confusing with lots of characters but ended up being such a good book and a wonderful story!

[Kate Rossiter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Caroline Croezen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light hearted, great characters. A very enjoyable book.

[Lara McStay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a nothing book but I read it so fast during the blackout.