The Sisterhood of Unlikely Friends is a fantastic, heartwarming read. I’m honestly don’t read much at all that isn’t romance, but this is Sara Brunsvold and any story in her hands is worth a look.

While I’m not much of a non romance reader, I do love a good starting over story. Jess Becker moves to the city in order to leave her past mistakes behind and start anew. The move is entirely her choice – she’s got a new, data entry job she can do from home. But home doesn’t feel great anymore.

Then, this naturally shy, barely getting by, introvert starts making friends, even when she’s not trying. At all. Slowly, this book lets us glimpse (I’m going to mix the metaphors and I do so unapologetically), a wallflower emerging from her chrysalis. Not as a social butterly, but as something far more beuatiful. A compassionate and generous friend.

Just as a new and rich normal settles in, Jess receives some life altering news. the readers gets to watch her decide whether to lean on her new community or run away to her former life.

Among the things I loved, were the ways the author showed us Jess’ new life through her eyes, without telling us how things were changing. Her use of description is masterful, conveying more than just the aesthetics of each setting, but also Jess’ response to them. The characterisation is spot on, and the sporitual contenst felt authentic and raw, instead of idealised.

Finally, I loved that there wasn’t a neat and tidy ending with a bow around it. Rather, the reader is presented with a beginning and left to imagine for ourselves how all the threads worked out. Not in a things left hanging way. Rather in a life is messy and we don’t usually reach full destinations, kind of way.

I received a copy of The Sisterhood of Unlikely Friends from the publisher via NetGalley, the opinions are my own.