Emilie Richards

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The story moved along at a decent pace, the characters were great, it was a delightful read. However, I only gave this book four stars because I felt the second half of the book was just way too long. I felt like it could have been about a third of the length it was and we still would have gotten all the pertinent information.

Our characters are all very strong-willed women. One of them doesn’t seem as strong-willed, but she finds her way and finds her backbone along the way. I enjoyed the interactions between the women and between the men in their lives for the most part. I’m not big on conflict, so of course those pieces weren’t so fun, but strong-willed women make some of the best characters in the world because they know what they want and they go for it with no punches pulled and no holds barred.

The setting descriptions were enough that I was able to imagine the places where the story took place and weren’t too overdone. I’m not always easy to please in this area, so it was nice to see these done well.

As I said above, the pace in the first half of the book was great. We moved along steadily and yet we weren’t moving along so fast that we missed important details. However, I really felt like the second half of the book dragged on and on. I felt that the second half could’ve been cut down to even a third of its original size and we still would have had enough details about the custody struggle.

The overall writing style is good. The prose flows well from section to section, chapter to chapter. I still recommend this book for those who like to read women’s fiction. Perhaps your view on the second half of the book will vary from mine!

… (altro)

Wow, where to begin? This book is one of the best novels that I have in awhile! I'm an avid reader and average 2-3 books per week. "When We Were Sisters" follows the complicated lives of Cecilia and Robin who met in foster care, and were able to stay together as they moved through the foster care system. Now grown up with lives of their own, Cecilia is a world renowned singer/songwriter and Robin is married with children and a still photographer with talent that has yet to be pursued. Due to an accident that almost takes her life, Robin and Cecilia reconnect and so their story continues. Emilie Richards did an outstanding job of creating an intriguing plot, complicated and interesting characters and settings that keep the reader entranced. "When We Were Sisters" makes the reader realize that sometimes, blood is not necessarily thicker than water. I definitely recommend this read!… (altro)