Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Dorothy Koomson and Liane Moriarty, this is an uplifting and heartfelt novel from the author of The Memory Book, which was featured in the Richard & Judy book club 2014
Willow and Holly are identical twins. They are everything to each other. Holly calls Willow her rock, her soul mate, her other half. And Willow feels the same about Holly. They are alike in every respect except one - Willow is afraid on the inside. And all because of a secret - one that binds the sisters closely together and yet has meant their adult lives have taken two very different paths.
Willow often feels there are large parts of her missing, qualities she only knows she's lacking because she sees them in her sister. For a very long time Willow has felt separated from Holly by one terrible moment in time - a moment that meant Willow's life was never the same again. And when the past catches up with her, Willow realises it's finally time for her to face her fears, and - with Holly's help - learn to laugh out loud once more...
Rowan Coleman lives with her husband, and five children in a very full house in Hertfordshire. She juggles writing novels with raising her family which includes a very lively set of toddler twins whose main hobby is going in the opposite directions. When she gets the chance, Rowan enjoys sleeping, sitting and loves watching films; she is also attempting to learn how to bake.
Rowan would like to live every day as if she were starring in a musical, although her daughter no longer allows her to sing in public. Despite being dyslexic, Rowan loves writing, and The Memory Book is her eleventh novel. Others include The Accidental Mother, Lessons in Laughing Out Loud and the award-winning Dearest Rose, a novel which lead Rowan to become an active supporter of domestic abuse charity Refuge, donating 100% of royalties from the ebook publication of her novella, Woman Walks Into a Bar, to the charity. Rowan does not have time for ironing.
Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Random House Uk and Rowan Coleman for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.
You can find my review on both Goodreads and Amazon from today. On Goodreads under my name Karen Whittard and on Amazon under my name K.e.whittard.
A wonderfully uplifting and heartfelt book. This is the first I have read by Rowan Coleman but it certainly won't be the last.
Willow and Holly are identical twins. They are best friends, soul mates and each other's rock. They are both alike in every aspect except willow has a secret. It's one that sees the twins estranged from each other as adults. When the past catches up to Willow however it is Holly that she turns to for help. Because it is time to face her fear and tackle things head on but she can't do that alone.
It is a lovely story that shows show events can change someone's life drastically. It shows the power of family and friendship and how you don't have to face things on your own. It shows the power of owning up to events and facing your fears head on.
The characters in this book are wonderful and if is such s lovely unlifting read.
I enjoyed this book and I learned quite alot of new vocabularies but there are something missing in it.
Ok thing(s) that I enjoyed is the women. Willow, Holly, Chloe, India, Victoria and even Kayla are great. They are independent, courageous, kind, funny and some are vey good at their job. A special shout out for Victoria, I love her and her ruthless way of life (and ruining people that got in her clients way).
What I don't really like are the men, Imogene, the vintage stuff and how the problems are resolved. I don't like the men and I actually hope that Willow will end up single. The magic behind the vintage stuffs are not explained and the way Willow and her mother reconciled is too sudden for me. Anyway, I enjoyed the book but I don't think I will reread it again.
2.5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I’ve read and enjoyed several other Rowan Coleman books so I had high expectations of this. What a disappointment! The back cover promised a story of the relationship between twins, but one twin hardly features, except as a contrast (she is described as a ‘perfect’ size 8) to our ‘fat’ heroine. The main plot revolves round Willow discovering some fabulous shoes in a vintage shop and she miraculously becomes more attractive, wears a fur coat and loses weight without trying. I gave up halfway through. Silly, shallow nonsense.
'The Other Sister' felt very unlike the previous Rowan Coleman books I have read. After reading the first few chapters, having expected something else, I wasn't at all sure I was going to enjoy it; however, Rowan Coleman has not let me down before, and it wasn't that I didn't like the story - so on I read! What a good job I did! 'The Other Sister,' may be Willow, or it could be the character that she might have been if events hadn't happened the way they did. On the surface Willow presents as a hard-working, dependable, slightly quirky sort of character who has made some big mistakes in the past, but has moved on and made a life for herself. Divorced, living alone and buying increasingly bigger dress sizes(!) there are a few people in her life that Willow has time for; her boss, her beloved twin sister Holly and family, and her best friend Daniel being among the few. Into this predictable mix bursts Chloe, her ex-step-daughter, fifteen, pregnant and in need of help, followed quickly by Chloe's father who also happens to be Willow's very estranged ex-husband, Sam who evidently loves Chloe, but is desperately struggling with his difficult teenage daughter. Confused? So is Willow, who very much wants to do the right thing by both Chloe and Sam but is trying to work out what exactly the right thing is! As Chloe bursts into Willow's life, so she becomes the catalyst to the re-emergence of events from Willow's past, events that become slightly darker than we'd anticipated and which for Willow, still need closure before she can be truly happy! Or was Chloe the catalyst? There is a funny little piece in the book which involves a mysterious little shop tucked away in an alley, a pair of *a-mazing* shoes, a moth eaten fur coat and a token. Once Willow has purchased these items her life begins to change and we are left wondering if this is some sort of 'Mr Benn' moment (Google children's tv series from the 70s youngsters!) This scene for me is slightly jarring and in my opinion doesn't quite belong to the book - but that is entirely subjective of course. In general a really good read which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Loved the story This book has the power to shock you to the very core. There were so many unpredictable twists and turns. A spontaneous kind of humorous love story. But, really it's a book of its own unique genre: there is romance, comedy, family love and right in the middle: the aim to just be happy with what you have.
Willow and Holly, twins, alike in every way except body shape. Willow is ashamed for her 'fat' body, she feels undesirable, and undeserving of love. That quickly changes when a pair of shoes walk into her life, and soon she has a chance to make up for her terrible past, she has an opportunity to seek forgiveness.
Note, that my above synopsis is heavily condensed. I've left out all the gems that make this such an awesome read. This book will definitely garner smiles, muffled, barely contained laughter and an all-round fuzzy feeling you get after drinking a cup of warm tea (or your preferred beverage.) This book was definitely a favourite for me, I loved the idea of fate, coincidence, second chances, redemption. All in all, a lovely book. There's also a significant love triangle thrown into the mix- usually I'm not a huge fan of these since they are so rare in real life but, with Rowan Coleman's writing it actually seemed possible. I will definitely keep an eye out for Rowan's future books.
I really enjoyed this book. I like Rowan Coleman’s writing style. It’s easy and welcoming.
This book is about twin sisters Willow and Holly who have grown up to be very different people. Holly is the good daughter; she’s married with twin daughters and a big house by the sea. Willow is a voluptuous plus size (unlike her thin twin) who is divorced and living in a flat in London.
The book is about love and about how our past has a tendency to haunt our present. It’s about courage and making things right. Oh, and there’s a little bit of magic involved, too.
It’s a great, easy read that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. Really nice writing.
Willow and Holly are twins. Holly is married with twins herself and very happy. Willow is not married or a mother or happy. She has a job at a talent agency and works for a demanding boss. On her way back to the office from an errand she takes her usual route but this time end up in Bleeding Heart Yard. She has never been here before. She goes into a little shop to look at the shoes she has seen in the window. So begins her journey in finding her own worth. I have tried reading a book by this author before and didn't finish it. This book, however, I thoroughly enjoyed.
this book starts out very light hearted. On the purchase of the shoes I thought this is probably not a book for me but then I read on and was so pleased I did Willows life is totally shaped by a childhood secret. Slowly over the course of the book you discover how this has shaped all her relationships It's beautifully done the past does not have destroy the future but for that to happen you have to face it.
At first I thought I was probably wasting my time with this book because the first 10 chapters were just filled with unnecessary dialogue and all the characters seemed so shallow. I kept pushing though thanks to all of the reviews about this book on Goodreads. They kept talking about this "secret" and I'm not for one to miss out on anything. I would say give this book a try when you have the time. After page 207 though, I read everything in one sitting. With that said, I'm off to bed.
A surprise find. Didn’t expect much but thoroughly engaging. I felt for the characters and the theme was interesting with an element of magic thrown in but subtly as not to make it into a disney type chicklit. Child abuse can happen right under our nose, carried out by people who are supposed to look out for them. And we become complicit to the act when we turned a blind eye or when we put our trusts more on adults than kids.
Rowan Coleman has been a recent discovery for me and I am really enjoying her style off writing. This book had a magical air to it as Willow finds the shoes that give her the confidence to go after what she wants from life with a few serendipitous moments thrown in too. Everything worked out exactly the way I expected and wanted it to and Willow got her man and found love in the end. A lovely positive read.
A light and hearted easy read about family and love. Willow is an extremely relatable character with all her insecurities and it was exciting following her on her journey to rediscover herself and how she overcomes her problems. Plot-wise, it was rather straightforward without mind-blowing twists. However, the likeable characters and the occasional humour would keep you going until the end.
Just like the ordinary happy ending. Fairy tales based on traumatic story life. 'FTV banget'. Why? Because 'the girl' loved by three men at once. 'oh waw, warbiasaa' pufffht. It's most likely women's dream -.- loved by more than one man and the others are left behind, seeing a woman they could never have lives happily with another guy. Traumatic problem solved for good. Ciaoo!
An enjoyable read, about two sisters whose lives now differ in many ways. Willow sees herself as less attractive and less successful than her sister, but there's a childhood secret which explains why their paths diverged so much. Well written, and with certain magical element to it, this is a great read. Thanks to the publisher for a review copy.
This was a bday gift from a non-reader friend who knows how much i love to read. They said i got u this because its cover was pretty.
When i started reading it i was a bit unimpressed and thought it was going to be an easy read. However i was greatly mistaken this book has a lot of hidden themes that i think hit the nail on the head in this day.
Interesting read although the pace is a little slow. The story doesn’t dwell too closely on the sisterly relationship but there is a family secret which eventually gets revealed towards the end. Too much of the tale is spent on the protagonist trying to sort out her current problems - one brought on unwittingly by work and the other through her personal life.
Apart from the mystical element which I was not quite sure of and wondered why it was necessary and the obsession with weight and appearance which didn't sit quite comfortably with me, I really enjoyed this book. After struggling to read any fiction for ages it has given me my reading mojo back.
A good read from Rowan Coleman, whose books I've read before. The shocking secret is not really surprising when it is revealed. The ending is pleasant and overall makes for a nice story.
Interesting read and a take on child abuse. I did feel that the story was abit dragged on unnecessarily . I quite like the unexpected ending, of who the main character end up with.
Did you read the description of this book? Did it leave you intrigued and curious? It definitely did to me. This book is about Willow, talent agents PA who struggles with her love life, but when one day her ex stepdaughter shows up by her door, her life turns around making her realise what she wants from life. Willow is very interesting character, who has messed up mind, great confusion in her life and very low self esteem. Surprisingly that makes her quite relatable to common person. There were always secret mentioned which influenced why Willow is the way she is , but it was very well kept till the end of the book, and let me tell you one thing, that secret got me really disturbed, I was not expecting that. Other characters are quite interesting as well, but the book mainly concentrates about Willow and her problems. The book was written only from Willow’s perspective and did not portray the feelings and thoughts of other characters, which is a bit of a bummer, because I would not mind knowing what was going on in the stepdaughter’s and the men’s in her life minds. The story of this book is very well thought through and very interesting to read. There are lots of twists and turns with a hint of magic (or was it not?). One thing to point out though, the ending of the book is quite predictable, but it did not disappoint me. I think this book is a real treat and I would strongly recommend it. It is witty, beautiful, compelling but at the same time sorrowful. There are a lot of things going on in this book so it will not bore you.
The Other Sister has hidden depths to it, which completely took me by surprise. I could tell the story was leading up to something, and there had to be a reason why Willow and Holly, identical twins, seemed to be so different, but I just wasn't expecting what was revealed.
Willow on the whole doesn't tend to like people, she likes her sister and her best friend, but generally doesn't want to spend her days with anyone else. She lives alone, and has a job in a talent agency and has an ex husband plus ex-stepdaughter.
Over the course of just a few days Willow ends up sharing her house with a famous actress that is a client of the agency, needing a bolthole to lay low, and her ex-step daughter is suddenly back in her life too. What is seemingly the trigger of this is one day when Willow was heading back to the office, she accidently took a wrong turn, and found a shop that had the most magnificent pair of shoes in stock.
Whether you believe it or not, these shoes, plus some of the other things in this shop appear to have magical qualities, or at the very least life altering consequences, and from that moment Willow is suddenly more open to people than she has been for years, more attractive to men than she has been for a long time, and generally is liking her own reflection a lot more.
I loved the scenes involving Willow, India the actress and Chloe (the stepdaughter), and there are some great moments between the three of them. The trip to Hamleys brought a huge smile to my face as well as reminders of my own childhood.
As I have said there is far more to this story than I want to say, mainly as its far more fun to discover everything for yourself. What I will say is from the start I was interested in Willow's story, and as more threads and characters were introduced, I felt more and more involved and just wanted to help Willow change to become a more rounded person.
I've read quite a few of Rowan Coleman's books now, and I really enjoyed this one, it may not become a new favourite, but its still a lovely piece of writing, with warm hearted humour, as well as some far more serious subject matter too.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Ebury Press for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly.
This is another emotional read from Rowan Coleman about 2 Twin sisters Holly and Willow. Something happens to Willow when she is a 9 year old child that troubles her because her mother doesn't believe her she loses her self confidence which changes her life for the next 25 years. Willow is everything her sister isnt. Holly is married slim with children, Willow is a larger lady and is divorced from her ex husband Sam. Then one day, Willow comes across a shop she didn't know existed before and buys a pair of shoes. Since putting them on, her life changes for the better. She becomes more confident
This story tells us although bad things may have happened in life. It doesn't have to be like that for the rest of your life. If you have enough courage its never too late to turn your life around for the better.
I love Rowan books. Like all her other books they are well written. They make you laugh and also make you cry. and I love the meaning she has behind her stories.
Holly and Willow are twins but something happens to Willow when she is 9 which totally changes her and her personality. Holly thrives - she marries well and has her own twins whereas Willow gets divorced from her husband and leaves his daughter behind - the hardest thing she has ever done.
Willows personal life is a mess and she spends her whole life working until she wanders off her normal route one day and stumbles across a second hand shop with a pair of the most incredible shoes - all of a sudden her life feels different and she feels better about herself and when her now teenage pregnant stepdaughter turns up on her doorstep she is determined to help her.....even if it means contacting her ex husband!
A lovely story showing how events can totally change a person but lovely that her twin Holly was always there for her and willing to drop everything to come to her side