Author: Susan Mallery
Hardcover: 400 Pages
Publisher: MIRA;
Publication Date: Original edition (February 11,
2020)
From the New York Times bestselling
author of California Girls comes an all new original
Blackberry Island novel told with Susan Mallery’s trademark humor and
charm. Sisters by Choice is a heartfelt tale of love, family
and the friendships that see us through.
Cousins by chance, sisters by choice…
After her cat toy empire goes up in flames, Sophie Lane
returns to Blackberry Island, determined to rebuild. Until small-town life
reveals a big problem: she can’t grow unless she learns to let go. If Sophie
relaxes her grip even a little, she might lose everything. Or she might finally
be free to reach for the happiness and love that have eluded her for so long.
Kristine has become defined by her relationship to others.
She’s a wife, a mom. As much as she adores her husband and sons, she wants
something for herself—a sweet little bakery just off the waterfront. She knew
changing the rules wouldn’t be easy, but she never imagined she might have to
choose between her marriage and her dreams.
Like the mainland on the horizon, Heather’s goals seem
beyond her grasp. Every time she manages to save for college, her mother has
another crisis. Can she break free, or will she be trapped in this tiny life
forever?
The distance between
Valencia, California, and Blackberry Island, Washington, was about 1,130 miles,
give or take, and Sophie could make the drive in two days.
She filled her car with
clothes, her laptop, two boxes of records she would need as she continued to
deal with the aftermath of the fire, along with a large tote bag overflowing
with pictures, blankets, a pet bed and a few treasured catnip mice and toys.
The movers would pack up everything else and deliver it in a week or so. She’d
sold her condo furnished, so she would only have to deal with twenty or thirty
boxes of personal things. In the meantime, she would get by with what she had.
It was, in fact, her new mantra.
Temporarily shutting down
CK Industries had been unexpectedly easy. She’d hired an order fulfillment
company to manage customer notification. Those who wanted to wait for replacement
orders could do so, those who wanted their money back received a prompt refund.
She’d offered to move key personnel with her to Blackberry Island and had
received exactly zero takers. Still too numb to be hurt by that, she’d written
letters of recommendation and offered generous severance packages, all the
while prepaying four months of health insurance for everyone.
Her only friends in the
area had been work-related and with no more work, they’d quickly faded away. In
the end, there’d been no one to see her off, so several weeks after the fire,
at seven on Friday morning, she fought her way to the freeway, then merged onto
I5 north.
Around ten, Kristine
called.
“Where are you?” her
cousin asked.
“North of the Grapevine.”
“You should have let me
fly down and drive up with you.”
“I’ll be fine. You have
eight kids to deal with. They would die without you.”
Kristine laughed. “It’s
three kids.”
“When I visit, it feels
like more.”
“That’s because they’re
loud.” Her humor faded. “You okay?”
“Never better.”
Especially if she didn’t count her broken heart and ragged spirit.
“You’re lying.”
“I am, but that’s okay.”
Kristine sighed. “I’m
glad you’re coming home. I’m worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I think the warehouse is
still for lease. I want you to see it the second you get here. This is
Blackberry Island. It’s not as if we have more than one warehouse. If you don’t
grab this one, you’re going to have to have your offices on the mainland, and
driving there every day would be a drag.”
Sophie felt her sense of
dazed sadness ease a little. “Already done.”
“What?”
“I signed the lease last
week.”
“Seriously?” Kristine’s
voice was a shriek. “But you haven’t seen it.”
“I know, but you said it
was great. Besides, you’re right. It’s not as if there are six warehouses to
choose from.”
“I said it was available,
but I don’t know what you need. Sophie, you signed a lease? What if you hate
it?”
“Then I’ll be mad at
you.” She smiled. “It’s fine. I’ll make it work. Really. Right now I just want
to be home.”
“You leased a warehouse
you’ve never seen. Sheesh. Next you’re going to tell me you rented a house,
sight unseen.”
“Technically, I saw
pictures online.”
“Sophie!”
“It’s just for a few
months, while I figure things out.”
“That’s insane,” Kristine
told her. “I will never understand you. Okay, focus on your driving. I can’t
wait for you to get here tomorrow. The boys are very excited to see you.”
“I’m excited to see them.
You have six, right?”
“Sophie!”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Purchase Links
About Susan Mallery
#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming,
humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives-family,
friendship, romance. She’s known for putting nuanced characters in emotional
situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books
have been translated into 28 languages.Susan lives in Washington with her
husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her at
SusanMallery.com.
Connect with Susan
Excerpt tour:
Monday, January 20th: The Lit Bitch
Tuesday, January 21st: Sincerely Karen Jo
Wednesday, January 22nd: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, January 23rd: Novel Gossip
Friday, January 24th: Book Reviews and More by Kathy
Monday, January 27th: Reading Reality
Tuesday, January 28th: Tar Heel Reader
Wednesday, January 29th: Living My Best Book Life
Thursday, January 30th: Jathan & Heather
Friday, January 31st: Audio Killed the Bookmark
Monday, February 3rd: Into the Hall of Books
Tuesday, February 4th: Lori’s Reading Corner
Wednesday, February 5th: Books & Spoons
Thursday, February 6th: What is That Book About
Thank you for featuring this! Sara @ TLC Book Tours
ReplyDelete