4 out of 4 stars
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“Friendship is a great gift, one that should never be taken for granted.”
A passion for fly fishing is what brings the women of The Reel Sisters together, but it is the laughter and memories that keep them coming back for more. Rose, Amanda, Sophie, and Veronica are excited to have a girl`s weekend up at Rose’s cabin. They plan to keep the red wine flowing and the conversations going while they indulge in their favorite pastime—fishing! While anxiously awaiting the perfect catch, the women are horrified to see a nude young woman being pulled downstream! After rescuing this poor woman, and making sure she’s stable and unharmed, they learn the shockingly hilarious reason for her predicament. The woman, Melody, shows an interest in fly fishing and quickly becomes a permanent fixture in the group.
As the story unfolds, readers become acquainted with each character, and how they fit into the diverse group. While their individual lives differ significantly from one another, the commonality is that each woman has an obstacle to overcome. Readers are invited into their world as the friends grapple with self-identity, tragedy, and life-changing revelations.
The Reel Sisters by Michelle Cummings was written in a way that enabled readers to become equally familiar with all five characters. Each chapter was written in the first person, and alternated between the women. I enjoyed reading the history surrounding each character and about how their lives connected.
Reading The Reel Sisters was like wrapping myself in a cozy blanket; I wanted the warmth to last forever. The book repeatedly pulled on my heart-strings and made me laugh. The story was about friendship; it was about women building each other up rather than tearing each other down.
One of my favorite things about The Reel Sisters was the author’s ability to make me giggle. She created characters with a great sense of humor; they took great pleasure in playing tricks on one another and engaging in sarcastic banter. Between Melody’s indecent exposure and Veronica’s “socrifice” story, these women had me in stitches.
The Reel Sisters wasn’t all fun and games; the book covered some weighty topics such as the plight of being a military wife. Amanda’s husband, Mike, was stationed in Afghanistan for a year which meant that while he was away, she was a single mother with a full-time job. The author did an excellent job of conveying Amanda’s feelings of frustration and sadness. To the outside world, she appeared stoic, but she was screaming inside. The only contact she had with Mike was through Skype, which was bittersweet; she loved seeing his face, but it was a constant reminder that he wasn’t at home. Amanda described her inner turmoil as she ended a call with her husband. She said, “It’s pretty routine for me to shut my laptop after a Skype call and burst into tears. I stay as strong as I can while he can see me, but as soon as the laptop is shut, the flood of emotions comes surging out of my body.”
Overall I adored The Reel Sisters; the only thing I found irritating was trying to keep track of which character was narrating. I often found myself having to flip back to the beginning of the chapter to find out. With there being five main characters, I think the book would have been better if it was written in the third person.
The book was flawlessly written with no errors, and I chose to give it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I would recommend The Reel Sisters to female readers who enjoy books about friendship. The book contains some fishing terminology, but it is not exhaustive. For readers that love fishing or want to acquire more knowledge about it, this book is for you!
I would not recommend The Reel Sisters to young readers as it does contain some profanity that is not suitable for younger audiences. I would also discourage readers who have recently lost a loved one from picking up this book as it may trigger extreme feelings of sadness.
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The Reel Sisters
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