๐The Stepsisters by Susan Mallery tells the story of Daisy, Sage and Cassidy. Sage and Daisy were stepsisters who despise each other. They have nothing in common except for their half sister Cassidy. Sage and Cassidy were close, leaving Daisy out in the cold. Their relationship was further affected when Daisy and Cassidyโs dad divorced Sage and Cassidyโs mom.ย
Eighteen years have passed with no form of communication between the sisters. However, unforeseen circumstances will lead to a reunion forcing them to confront their issues. A situation which resulted in restoration of their relationship.ย
Throughout the story, Daisy portrayed an inner strength one could only admire. It could not have been easy. Welcoming back Sage and Cassidy into her life despite the way they treated her in the past, but she did it anyway. To know their return coincided with her husbandโs (Jordan) decision to leave the matrimonial home must have been a bitter pill to swallow. Especially given the history between Sage and Jordan.
I admired her willingness to fight for her marriage. Myย respect for her went up a notch at her willingness to acknowledge her role in the breakdown of her marriage. Although, I have to say I found her husband to be weak and pathetic. He took pleasure in playing the blame game. Also, his many attempts in making everything about him revealed his selfish nature. I wasnโt too fond of Sage and Cassidy in the initial stages, but they grew on me as the story progressed.ย
Each of the sisters went through a phase of acknowledgement, acceptance, healing, and forgiveness. They encountered many bumps on their journey through these phases. Their love for each other proved more powerful than any of these bumps.ย
The story captivated me and kept me entertained from start to finish. Drama and tension flowed from the pages. The Stepsisters proved to be a powerful read. It delivered an interesting story about sisterhood, family, love, healing, and forgiveness. Mallery did a wonderful job of capturing the intricacies of siblings, marriage, and blended families.ย ย
Overall. a wonderful story and one I recommend to fans of both the author and the genre.
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one
โMom, I think Iโm going to throw up.โ
Daisy Bosarge felt the fear that was universal in the parenting world when Krissa uttered those eight little words. Even more concerning was the fact that her son was already home with stomach flu.
Sheโd known better than to let her daughter go to school this morning, she thought ruefully, but Krissa had begged and Daisy had been late for work and it had just seemed easier to say yes. A decision that was getting ready to bite her in the butt as she drove as fast as she could, given the traffic on the road.
โTen more minutes,โ she said, glancing at her eight-year-old in the back seat. โWeโll be there in ten minutes.โ
โI donโt feel good.โ
โI know, sweetie. Iโm going to get you home.โ
At least cajoling her daughter was better than trying to avoid looking at the ominous Check Engine light that had popped on right before Daisy had arrived at the school to pick up her daughter. Yet another problem she didnโt have time to deal with.
Priorities, she told herself. Get Krissa home and in bed, look in on Ben, then make an appointment to take her Mercedes to the dealership. After that, she wouldโ
โMommy, Iโm going to throw up now!โ
Daisy held in a moan. She carefully checked her mirrors before pulling to the side of the road.
โJust a second,โ she murmured, knowing at this point there werenโt any words in the world that would keep the inevitable from happening.
Seconds later her day took yet another unfair turn as her daughter threw up all over herself, the back seat and the carpet. The smell and the sound of Krissa bursting into tears hit her at the same time.
She put on her flashers and raced around to the passenger side, where she helped her daughter out onto the sidewalk. Cars drove by so close, Daisy felt the whoosh of air as they passed. She kept hold of her daughter as she circled to the trunk, where she kept her emergency tote filled with paper towels, wipes and a shirt for each of her kids.
She cleaned off her daughterโs face, then reached for the hem of her T-shirt.
โLet me get this off you,โ she said. โI have a fresh one right here.โ
But Krissa stopped her, tugging the shirt back in place.
โNo!โ she shrieked, looking around frantically. โIโm outside. Someone will see.โ
Someone who? Krissa was eight and the car was between them and the traffic, with Daisy blocking their view.
โCan you change in the front seat?โ she asked, trying to sound reasonable, instead of close to losing it.
โNo.โ Tears spilled down her daughterโs flushed cheeks. โMommy, no!โ
The headache that had started a little before noon clicked up a level or two, with a steady pressure building right between her eyes. She ignored the pain and put her hand on her daughterโs forehead, feeling the heat there. Before she could figure out what to do, Krissa threw up again, this time down the front of Daisyโs scrubs and on her shoes.
Krissaโs tears increased and at that moment, Daisy really wanted to join in. Sheโd had a bad day at work, both her kids were sick, she was never getting the vomit smell out of her car and just because there wasnโt already enough crap in her life, her husband had moved out two days ago. To โgive them both space to think,โ as heโd phrased it.
In a text.
Jerk, she thought, feeling the familiar fury tinged with a hint of panic. Although the real word was closer to asshole than jerk. How could he have done that toโ
One step at a time, she told herself. First, she had to get Krissa home, then the car, thenโ
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a dark blue BMW slow as it drove past. She wanted to yell out something vulgar to the voyeur, but knew that would set a bad example, so she instead forced a smile.
โSweetie, let me clean the back seat so you can get in. You can change your shirt in there, and no one will see. All right?โ
Krissa nodded reluctantly.
Daisy planted her where she could see her, then cleaned up the mess as best she could. In the eighty-plus-degree weather that was spring in Los Angeles, the interior of the car was already heating up. The smell nearly made her gag. Blood she could handle just fine. Open up a body and she was okay with that, but this? A nightmare.
She finished her work and coaxed Krissa closer to the car only to notice the BMW driving by again, but with the sun hitting the side window, she couldnโt see who was driving.
Better to ignore them, she told herself, slipping off her daughterโs school uniform polo shirt and putting on a T-shirt with Elsa from Frozen on the front. Sadly she had nothing for herself to change into. She wiped up her pants and shoes and was about to try to buckle Krissa in when the BMW pulled up to the curb behind her car.
Daisy told herself not to panic, even as she wished for lethal training in some kind of karate. Or a can of pepper spray. Was that legal in Los Angeles? Before she could decide, the driverโs door opened and a tall, beautiful blonde woman stepped out.
Daisy silently ran through all the swear words she knew, created a few unique combinations, then wanted to know why God currently hated her because there was no other explanation for Sage Vitale to be walking toward her, looking as fabulous as only Sage could in skinny jeans and a flowy top that made her appear sexy and ethereal at the same time. Four-inch-heel boots completed the look. Daisy, on the other hand, had been up since four, hadnโt showered since yesterday and hey, the vomit.
Last sheโd heard, Sage was in Italy, married to a count. Because that was Sageโs life. Race car drivers and counts and being tall and skinny and beautiful. Daisy was smart and had a sparkling personality. It just wasnโt fair.
Sage looked from her to her daughter. โDaisy? I thought that was you when I drove by. Are you okay?โ
No. No, she wasnโt. Any idiot could see that. Her kid was obviously sick, Daisy had puke on her pants and shoes, so no. Not okay.
โWeโre fine,โ Daisy said, trying not to clench her teeth. Her dentist had told her that if she didnโt learn to relax, she was going to have to wear a mouth guard at night to stop herself from grinding her teeth. She felt her bedtime routine already lacked a certain sex appeal and she sure didnโt need a mouth guard adding to the problem.
โYou donโt seem fine,โ Sage said, her nose wrinkling, no doubt from the smell.
โWho are you?โ Krissa asked.
โIโm, um, Iโmโฆโ
โThis is Sage. Sheโs my stepsister.โ Or at least she had been, once.
Krissa rubbed her suddenly running nose. โSo youโre my aunt?โ
โNo,โ Daisy said firmly. โPlease buckle up so we can get home.โ
For once, Krissa didnโt complain or talk back. Instead she buckled her seat belt, twisting her head to keep looking at Sage. Daisy thought about warning her of the danger of that. Sage was like the sun and if you stared at her too long, there was permanent damage.
Later she would think about what quirk of fate had her former stepsister driving by at the exact moment she was at her lowest. LA had a population of what, eight million people? What were the odds? Although she supposed they did live close. Sort of. But still!
She forced a tight smile. โThank you for stopping. It was very kind.โ
โI couldnโt believe it was you, standing there on the side of the road,โ Sage admitted. โI knew you had kids, but seeing you with your daughterโฆ Itโs just strange.โ
โWe havenโt really kept in touch,โ Daisy said, inching toward her door.
โRight. We havenโt seen each other since your wedding.โ
Daisy stared at her stepsister. Really? Sage had gone there? โYes, my wedding twelve years ago, where you announced to everyone in the room that you were still in love with the man I was marrying. It was great.โ
Sage flushed. โIt wasnโt exactly like that.โ
Oh, yes it was, but Daisy didnโt want to stay and chitchat. โThanks again.โ She waved and ducked into her car.
โSheโs really pretty,โ Krissa said admiringly. โI like what sheโs wearing.โ
โItโs jeans and a shirt,โ Daisy snapped before she could stop herself. โSorry. Iโm tired. Letโs get you home.โ
In the rearview mirror she saw Sage get back in her car. Their eyes met briefly in the mirror, then Daisy focused her attention on starting her car. She pushed the button to engage the engineโฆand nothing happened. The dashboard lights came on, along with the red Check Engine light, but the engine stayed silent.
Daisy grabbed the steering wheel with both hands and tried not to scream. She didnโt want to scare her daughter and possibly herself by giving in to the crazy building up inside of her but why did this have to happen?
Someone knocked on her window. She rolled it down.
โYou okay?โ Sage asked.
โNot really. My car wonโt start.โ
โWant me to take you home?โ
Daisy thought about saying she would call an Uber or Lyft or something, but figured that fate was messing with her and she might as well simply surrender. The sooner she got through whatever hell this was, the sooner it would be over. Later, when the kids were in bed and she had showered, she would review her life and try to decide where sheโd messed up so much that she had to be punished. But for now, she had a sick kid and someone willing to give her a ride.
โThank you,โ she said through clenched teeth, looking into the beautiful green eyes of the one woman on the planet she hated more than anyone. โThat would be great.โ
Excerpted from The Stepsisters @ 2021 by Susan Mallery, Inc., used with permission by MIRA Books.
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She is a fabulous author and I want to read this one. Thanks Nadene
Yes she is and I do believe you would enjoy The Stepsisters.
It is always good when a book captivates you and keep you entertained until the end. Great review.
I agree, thanks
Wow, lots of emotional stuff and complications for these sisters. Sounds like a good take on some real life blended families and marriages.
Yes there was a lot of emotional stuff taking place.
I loved the excerpt. That sounds like a book that I might like. I will have to try and find time to read it at some point.
I hope you get the chance to read it.
I adore this author and have been looking forward to this one. Glad to see you like her too.
This my second time reading her work and I can why she is well liked.
Excellent review. I really loved this book and how things ended up working out.
Me too. It ended on a wonderful note.
Excellent review – glad you enjoyed!
Thanks Kate.
This sounds like a read that tugs on your heartstrings. Great review!
It does have some emotional scenes.
I haven’t read anything by Susan Mallery yet. I’ll have to add The Stepsisters to my TBR ๐ Great review!
Yes, you need to ad to your TBR. I am sure you would enjoy it.