The Sister Split

by Auriane Desombre

A pair of soon-to-be stepsisters creates a plan that will stop their parents from getting married--but they soon learn that matters of the heart can surprise you! This is a fresh sister story evocative of The Parent Trap with LGBTQ themes for the modern reader.

Autumn is looking forward to summer vacation. She and her best friend plan on going to all the best ice cream places their stomachs can handle--and in NYC, the possibilities can't get any sweeter.

Linnea is still not over the fact that her dad has found love after her parents' divorce. Luckily, she can take out all her feelings on the tennis courts for a winning summer.

But then Autumn and Linnea discover the news: their parents are getting married. Autumn will be moving to the suburbs to live with her soon-to-be stepdad and stepsister, which means kissing the fun summer with her best friend goodbye. For Linnea, she knows her dream of getting her parents back together is officially over.

Devastated, the two of them come up with an idea: if they can split up their parents, their lives can go back to normal. As Autumn and Linnea secretly try to sabotage everything from date nights to wedding planning, the two of them discover that having a sister is not the worst thing after all . . . but will they learn about love in a whole new way?

Genres: Middle Grade, Contemporary, LGBT, Queer, Graphic Novels, Childrens, Realistic Fiction

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 14, 2023

About the author

Auriane Desombre is a middle school teacher and author of love stories for teens and tweens. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her wife and daughter, their badly behaved dog, and an ever-growing collection of houseplants (most of which are pretty well behaved).

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Middle Grade book. There are so many great things in this middle grade book. I loved the characters in this book, and I loved seeing all the changes in the characters from the beginning to the ending. I felt the ending was so heartwarming, and it was so great. I felt that parts of this book were slow moving, and I still really enjoyed this book. I also wanted to add that I really love the cover of this book, and I think it fits the story so well. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Delacorte) or author (Auriane Desombre) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

[Auriane Desombre · Rating 5 out of 5]

idk I'm a fan

[Anaïs ⋆˚꩜｡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

3.5
I don't usually read middle grade novels, but when I saw that the author of I think I love you was releasing a book similar to The parent Trap with queer characters and with a beautiful cover, I didn't hesitate.

I had a good time with this book: it was a short read that allowed me to take a break between two more dense novels. Throughout my reading, I went through both laughter and tears, because the author has succeeded very well in balancing humor and emotion.

I think that, like me, many people will relate to how the main character Autumn reacts to the big changes she faces throughout the book: having to leave her hometown, seeing her mother remarry, having to share her life and family with her step-sister, but also realizing that the feelings she has for her best friend may be more than just friendly. The frustration she feels because her mother doesn't listen to her totally got me, and I loved that all the plans she makes to get her mother to call off her wedding are driven by a sincere sense of not feeling like she belongs in her family, something that I'm sure is the reality for many people who will feel understood by reading this book.

I would recommend this novel to all readers who are around the same age as the main character (12) because I probably would have enjoyed it even more if I had read it at that age.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review

[Karis Rogerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

cry count: 4

laugh count: i lost track

i love this book.

[Anniek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those middlegrade books I know I would have eaten up as a child and reread many MANY times. It's a fun, heartwarming story, and the main character feels like a real kid. The way she views what's happening around her makes sense for her age, even if as an adult you know better. But at the same time, as an adult, I felt for her, and I wanted the adults in her life to pay more attention to her emotional needs.

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super cute and great for middle-grade readers. I do hate when parents just spring on their kids that they're getting married and moving with a week's notice and just expect them to be fine with that and not complain or be sad. However, I really enjoyed Autumn's journey of accepting her new blended family and embracing her new sister. I do wish we had gotten some of Linnea's POV, but the story worked as it was with the focus on Autumn.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, a bit short but that was good, it meant I could read it in one night

BUT was Dana's gf named Lucy or Laurie?

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got to me. I bought into the angst, feelings of not being heard, and decisions made for you. Autumn is finishing sixth grade and has made all kinds of summer plans with her best friend. Instead her mother announces she is engaged and they are leaving her home in NYC and moving to Connecticut.

Future step-sister Linnea is welcoming to Autumn even excited to be sharing her room. The blurb in the book is mis-leading because Linnea has no plans of her parents getting back together. But Autumn wants things the way they were suppose to be. She sets on a plan of trying to break up her mom's new relationship before the planned wedding in August. The hijinks are realistic. As our the feelings. A lot of the problems could have been resolved with better advance communication by the mother like letting Autumn know she would be sharing a room, but this is Autumn’s story from her POV. You know Autumn is loved but she isn’t being heard or is being dismissed by a parent caught up in other changes.

I love the build up and bubbling over point. A mom listening and hearing. There is LGBTQ themes with Autumn realizing her feelings for her BF have crush overtones. One of Autumn's frustrations is not being able to talk to her mom about these confusing feelings. This is a very sweet middle graders (4th-8th) book. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Abby Filsinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desombre has done it again! Between the commentary on what it’s like to be in middle school, to complicated feelings about family and friends, this book will leave you laughing and crying, sometimes on the same page! It’s charming, funny , and has so much warmth in each chapter. You’ll fall in love with certain characters and get frustrated with others. Very good story all around! Thank you for another great read Auriane!!

[atria]

the parent trap is one of my fave movies and you're telling me we have a book inspired by it with QUEER characters?? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP!!

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book a whole lot.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Autumn is looking forward to a great summer in New York City, since she and her best friend Saskia are finally going to be allowed to roam around a bit. They have a long list of things to do, including checking out a large number of pizza and ice cream places. Unfortunately, these plans are scuttled when her mother announces that she and the man she has been dating for several years, Harrison (whom Autumn calls "Harristinks"), are getting married. As if that weren't bad enough, Autumn and her brother George, who is starting college soon, are expected to move to a "random town" in wilds of Connecticut and live with Harrison and his daughter, Linnea. Linnea is annoyingly quiet and nice to Autumn, making a welcome sign for their shared room and wanting to forge a relationship with her new sister. Autumn and Saskia formulate a plan to destroy her mother's relationship so that the family can move back to New York. This starts with Saskia calling the moving company and redirecting the truck, continues with attempts to ruin date nights, and includes daily annoyances like Autumn giving Harrison sugar instead of salt when he is cooking and ruining the food. None of these things seem to deter the couple, who continue planning the wedding even though Autumn tries to give her mother the most ridiculous dress in the bridal boutique. (N.B. This would not be hard. Wedding dresses in 2023 area almost all ridiculous.) Autumn misses Saskia desperately, and the two stay in countact, although Saskia continues to have a life and enjoy her summer with Autum, and even makes new friends. Autumn starts to realize, after hanging out with Linnea and her friends, that she might have a crush on Saskia. She seeks advice from an older teen, Dana, who has a girlfriend, but isn't sure how to tell her mother. After accidentally breaking Harrison's telescope, Autumn hears him telling her mother that they need to get rid of her, and the mother agrees. Will Autumn be able to stop the wedding in time?
Strengths: I loved that Harrison and Linnea are depicted in such a positive light, even when seen through Autumn's red haze of anger and disappointment. Linnea especially was great, and went out of her way to include Autumn with her friends, show her around town, and make her comfortable at home. The details about wedding planning will appeal to some readers. Autumn's relationship with Saskia is interesting; while there are a growing number of books where girls like other girls, I can't think of any where the crush in question is a best friend who reciprocates the feeling.
Weaknesses: The original The Parent Trap movie came out in 1961. While I'm sure young people have emotions similar to Autumn's when their parents want to get remarried, Autumn's actions are a bit disturbing. Redirecting the movers just puts the movers out more than anything.
What I really think: Readers who want stories about blended families and who enjoyed Palmer's Love You Like a Sister, Payne's The Thing About Leftovers, Homzie's Apple Pie Promises, and Knisley's Stepping Stones will enjoy this tale of a girl struggling with a new family situation. I preferred Zarr's A Song Called Home, but young readers will think Autumn's actions are more justified than I did.

[Shelby Wyllie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much love for this book and of course for the talented author. ilysm Auriane 💗

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet middle grade that deals with the messiness of remarriage/blended families. 3.5 stars rounded up.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read about two families trying to blend together.

Autumn doesn't realize she has a crush on her best friend, just when she is forced to move to the suburbs, that she misses her terribly.

It isn't until Linnea and her friends talk about what a crush is, that it occures to Autumn that that is what is going on.

And does she go and tell anyone? No, of course not. She decides the best way to get back to New York and her crush is to mess up her mother's relationship, so they won't get married.

It is kind of funny what she does, but I keep wanting to shake her and tell her she should talk to someone.

But the book did make me cry, so I give it an extra star. And having been in the same position, of realizing that what I felt was a crush on my best friend, it is something you often don't understand, so kudos for that.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Auriane Desombre’s middle grade debut is a reverse parent trap: what if two potential step-sisters worked together to break their parents up?

Autumn has lived with her mom and brother in New York City her whole life. She and her BFF Saskia finally get to explore the city just the two of them– well, a fifteen block radius of the city. They have the best summer ever planned.

Until Autumn’s mom changes everything with one announcement: she’s marrying her boyfriend and they’re all moving to Connecticut, where he and his daughter live.

Autumn doesn’t want to leave New York, but more importantly, she doesn’t want to leave Saskia. They do what any BFF’s would do: they plot and plan to get Autumn back to the city, and back to Saskia, by breaking up Autumn’s mom and her fiancé.


While Autumn sets out to breakup her mom’s relationship, Saskia is drifting further away. Saskia’s mention of a new friend has Autumn feeling replaced — and just desperate enough to loop her future stepsister, Linnea, into the plan.

Hijinks ensue. Moving truck mishaps, ruined dinners, date nights cut short, venue sabotage, cake tasting disasters– Autumn is one determined saboteur.

But an unexpected wrench is thrown in Autumn’s plans, one that distracts her with endless questions: what if her feelings are more than friendly? What if she has a crush on her BFF?

This book has such humor and heart. Autumn’s attempts to derail her mom’s relationship are laugh out loud funny, while her journey of self-discovery is tender and hopeful. Sister Split does an excellent job of handling big feelings delicately and with great care without shying away from difficult topics. Love, belonging, family, home– these themes are present throughout the novel, subtly supporting the plot.

The Sister Split is a fun book with a lot of heart and depth. Autumn’s new feelings cause plenty of introspection, but it is all balanced with action. This book makes for an excellent summer read!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Children’s publishing for an advanced digital copy such that I could share my honest opinions.

The Sister Split will be available March 14, 2023.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

My feelings for this book are complicated, but I ended up settling on four stars because I would ultimately recommend it!

Listen, my blood pressure was through the roof during a lot of this book because of how terribly Autumn was being treated, especially by her mum. Her mum does apologise to her eventually, but I think Autumn was owed so much more than this, in addition to an apology from Harrison (which we didn’t get), so the ending wasn’t as cathartic as I’d hoped. I also didn’t like how there seemed to be a greater push for Autumn to apologise for her behaviour than there was for her mum and Harrison to apologise for theirs, when they are the literal adults in this scenario and Autumn was acting out because of their terrible handling of the situation. I don’t think this aspect of the book was done poorly, but I do think it could have been done better.

Another criticism I had, which other reviewers share, is that the characters could have been more fleshed out. Reading this book via audio did bring some life to them, but they were kind of surface-level beyond Autumn and maybe her mum.

While I struggled with these two aspects, there was still plenty to love about this book. Firstly, I loved being able to fiercely relate to Autumn as a character. While it wasn’t my parents’ choice to move countries when I was a teen, I could still totally see myself in Autumn’s raw anger at being somewhere she didn’t belong, in her feeling completely out of place.

The evolution of Linnea and Autumn’s relationship was super sweet and one of my favourite parts. I love my sister to death, so seeing someone else get to adopt that kind of bond was so lovely, and so wholesome.

The absolute best part of the book was the queer rep. It made me so so happy to see Autumn’s journey, from identifying confusing thoughts and feelings, to finding a mentor, to the happy ending. Autumn is questioning throughout the book and remains unlabelled by choice at the end, as she still doesn’t know what word fits. I really liked this unlabelled rep as it’s important for readers to see that it’s okay if labels don’t fit now, or ever; that you can take your time with it and see how you go. It’s especially cool to see in middle-grade, and it is ultimately what bumped my rating into that four-star zone.

Rep: questioning MC, questioning LI, lesbian SC

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet. I read this for the Parent Trap vibes (what can I say—I'm a child of the 90s), but I appreciate the way The Sister Split avoided a lot of the clichés that come with the territory of stepsibling fiction: nobody is evil here; Autumn and Linnea have different personalities but make an effort with each other; Linnea's friends also make an effort with Autumn.

None of the characters are super fleshed-out here: Autumn likes exploring and doesn't apply herself particularly hard in school, but what else? Linnea plays tennis and rides a bike, but what else? Linnea's father loves his telescope, and Autumn's mother can't think about anything other than the wedding for most of the book (to the extent that I'm genuinely not sure if there was a practical reason for them to move to CT in early summer—affording a three-bedroom apartment in downtown Manhattan on an illustrator's salary sounds like no joke—or if she just wanted to and didn't consider that her kids might want more than a few days of warning to wrap up their lives). Autumn has an older brother, and he probably has one foot out the door anyway because he's about to start college, but at one point I legitimately forgot that he'd moved to CT with them.

Still, there are nice touches here, and I can imagine this going over well with fans of whatever the 2020s equivalent of The Parent Trap (or the 2020s equivalent of pre-downfall Lindsay Lohan) is.

[Manon the Malicious · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Autumn cannot wait for her summer vacation. She's made plans with her best friend since this year is the year they can finally go out and about on their own. Except, her mother has just decided that they were moving from Manhattan to the middle of nowhere cause she's now engaged to her boyfriend and she wants them to be a family. So Autumn makes a plan with her bff, a plan to break her mom and her boyfriend up and then tries to rope her future sister-in-law into helping.

I spent a lot of time being super angry while reading this. So it wasn't the best experience for me. I was really fuming through most of the book. I could hardly stand the mother, the people around but also the brother and sometimes the main character. The entire situation made me so angry the entire time, I couldn't properly enjoy this. It did have some good parts but I was too stuck and the first situation of it all.
Basically, this wasn't for me but I will still be on the lookout for books by this author because a lot of it had great potential.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read! It was a good break from the heavier books I read, but it was just slightly out of my age range that I would enjoy. I will 100% recommend this to my younger readers, as I think it'll be way more appropriate for them. I loved Autumn's story and watching her grow and learn. Life can be scary, especially with big changes like what Autumn was experiencing. I was very frustrated with the way Autumn's mom was handling her kids emotions. While it can be a very real experience for a lot of people, I kept getting so frustrated at how blind Sasha and Harrison were being during the whole change. They ignored their children's emotions, there wasn't any real talk with their kids and throughout the whole (and very VERY quick move/wedding process) they blatantly shut down their kids emotions and said "just be a family". I was so frustrated with how it was handled, but I loved the Parent Trap style story line. I overall really enjoyed the book, even if I'm not the biggest fan of the parents.

[Lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since becoming a Librarian who chooses to specialize my recs in kids/YA books, I'm attempting to get more into Middle Grade as its the one area I read the least. The Sister Split was a quick fun read and the perfect place to start. It's been compared as a modern retelling of The Parent Trap and it sort of is, but the other sign of the coin. It also had a lot of the qualities I loved from The Baby-Sitters Club books I used to inhale as a child. In fact, it could be a modern story from Kristy (inserts the I know what you are meme) with pieces of Dawn and maybe a little Stacy thrown in. The audiobook, narrated by Cassandra Morris, is fantastic.

[Kara Danvers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of had a hard time getting into this book because the premise wasn't exactly what I imagined, and the main character was a little hard to like at times. There were also parts where the reader was supposed to understand the jumps in logic a character was having, but it seemed a bit out of left field for me. I did like the ending and how everything wrapped up. It was a sweet finish to the book and a good lesson for Autumn to learn. the "romance" felt a little sprinkled in here and there, but it wasn't really relevant to the plot too much. Overall, it was cute but not really one to linger in the mind.

[Lys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

This is a super cute, super fun middle grade. I really enjoyed the authentic middle school voice and the hi-jinks Autumn gets herself into. It's hard to watch her mother brush aside Autumn's feelings but I also think that is very authentic to being a middle schooler. With a great cover, strong commercial hook, and a shorter page length, I see this being very popular.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cool book. I loved it. The author created such a genuine character in Autumn and the way she felt about moving to a new town. The situation in which a 12 year old envisions sabotaging her mother's wedding as a way to get back to living in her familiar neighborhood was so authentic in how a girl of that age would process changes that she didn't want happening to her life. She enlists Linnea, her soon to be stepsister in the mission to derail their parents from getting married. During this journey Autumn discovers more about herself. Before getting too far into the book I had thought that Linnea would reveal that she had had a crush on Autumn for some time and that Autumn would develop feelings for Linnea as they spent more time together. That would have opened up a whole can of worms and I actually liked what the author created better anyway. Like I said I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to preteens and older people alike. I give it 4 ½ stars.

[Maya Prasad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and sweet! It's sort of a reverse Parent Trap because the main character is trying to break up her mom & stepdad so she can move back to NY, where she and her best friend have big plans. The attempts to sabotage things are funny and you know she's going to get caught sooner or later so there's plenty of tension too. The relationships are all well drawn, as is the friendship that may turn out to be something more. Loved it!

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honour of reading an early copy of Auriane Desombre's middle grade novel and it was just perfection from beginning to end. This is a book that makes you want to hug all the characters, even when misguided mischief is getting the best of them--especially then. The book made me cry at least once, laugh out loud multiple times, and left me with a sunny hopefulness.

[Kirstyn (readwithkirstyn) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sister Split is a middle grade book that tackles some really complex topics while still making it somewhat lighthearted and fun. I loved the characters and found even the "bad" ones to be relatable. It was a slow moving story, but it was still very enjoyable and nothing felt like it was missing.

[Jenny Ashby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The description plays up a Parent Trap similarity way beyond what is actually there. One girl is really not having a big problem with the parents getting married and is just a sweetheart. So really, this is a story about the other girl trying to break up a perfectly loving couple while beginning to realize she might be having "more than friends" feelings about her best friend back home.

[Amberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was super cute!!!! I wish they made the moms arc a bit better, but it was super sweet! I liked how Autumns queerness wasn't central in the text but fundamental to everything she was going through: that's representation!!!!

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this read as a middle grade novel. It does a great job of showing what a queer tween might experience while they're still discovering their sexuality. It also has a great family dynamic portraying a step family coming together for the first time.