Book Review: The Sunshine Sisters By Jane Green

THE SUNSHINE SISTERS

By: Jane Green

Published: June 6, 2017

Publisher: Berkley

Fiction/Women's Fiction



Jane Green is a leading author for those looking for laughter, a bit of drama, and a touch of romance. She is the Queen of women's fiction and has a loyal group of readers. I read her latest, FALLING, as well as her recent cookbook, GOOD TASTE, and enjoyed them both although I was a bit miffed by the ending in FALLING. I am always a sucker for sister stories since I am one of three and this one truly piqued my interest.

Three daughters have grown up under the neglected mothering of Ronni Sunshine, the narcissistic movie star who only had time for her children when she was wanting to show them off or when she was ill and needed them to cater to her needs. As the story flashes back to some of those awful situations of neglect and poor parenting, you begin to see the reasons why all three daughters, now in adulthood, rarely speak to their mother or each other.

Nell is the tomboy of the group and ends up running a farm not too far from home. Meredith ingested all of her mother's criticism as well as all the snack food in sight and ran off to London to get as far away from critical eyes as possible. Lizzy, the baby and most like her mother, is ambitious and famous in her own right as a chef, hosting New York City's popular supper clubs. All three have bitter feelings about their past and have avoided rehashing old wounds with their mom or sisters until they each receive a phone call demanding they come home immediately. As they learn of their mother's illness, each sister handles the news in different ways and begins to reconnect in pieces with each other.

The development of characters is one of Green's talents and she easily gets me wrapped up in the stories of each of these women. She creates these characters with identities we love to hate, then empathize with, and eventually understand their reasons behind the choices they made in life. But, unfortunately, the storyline doesn't offer much excitement for the reader due to its predictability. I didn't have the emotional attachment to any of the characters that I normally would in a story like this. I could find parts of each character to identify with and commiserate about my own poor choices from the past, but I never felt emotionally connected to them. As you move to the final third of the book you can see their "Aha" moments appear on the page while watching these women leave the shell that has been protecting them from hurt. Each of the daughters learns something about themselves through these final moments with their mom and you leave the novel feeling happy for them. Even though most of this novel is full of family drama and sadness, there is a bit of redemption of character when Ronni shares private conversations with each of her daughters. You may not ever like her or her daughters, but you will know, behind all the anger and sadness, there was still love.

Jane Green - source

Jane Green is a bestselling author of popular novels. She has been featured in People, Newsweek, USA Today, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in Connecticut with her family. For more, visit her website, HERE. 

To purchase a copy of THE SUNSHINE SISTERS, click the photo below:





Thanks to the publisher for sending an ecopy of this book for the purpose of this review. If you choose to purchase this book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com.

Cookbook Review: Good Taste By Jane Green

GOOD TASTE
Simple, Delicious Recipes for Family and Friends

By: Jane Green

Published: October 4, 2016

Publisher: Berkley/NAL

Non-Fiction/Cookbook

There is no doubt that Jane Green is a talented author. She has written numerous widely-popular novels including her latest, FALLING, that I reviewed HERE. But besides writing best-selling novels, Jane Green loves food. While leafing through the pages of her cookbook and salivating over the recipes and photos, you realize that she also loves the experience of making the food and sharing it with her family and friends.

Jane Green truly loves gathering with her friends and family and the best way to do that is through food. She takes great pleasure in making food and enjoying it with her friends and family, hosting parties, brunches, and intimate gatherings. She is good at it and you can tell by reading the pages of her book.

Green begins with recipes for the "Beginnings..." including soups, breads, and appetizers, The "Middles...." remind me of the best of comfort foods with a flair towards Indian and Middle Eastern dishes. Dishes like Asian Orange Chicken, Maple Pork Chops, and Shephard's Pie are all on my list to try.

Finally, she closes out the book with the "Endings..." that will fix that sugar craving. Warm Chocolate and Banana Cake, as well as, the Lemon and Almond Cake Tart have made my mouth water just looking at the photos. Actually, I should mention the photos because they are gorgeous. There are photos of her lavish home, photos of every recipe, and pictures of Jane cooking in her kitchen or setting up for a party. There is no doubt that she loves cooking and entertaining and this book embodies that.

I can't review a cookbook without trying a recipe or two from it. I knew I wanted to try a couple of the recipes right away and got the ingredients. First I tried the Sweet Corn and Chili Soup and it was a hit. It went together pretty quickly....the most time consuming was chopping the onions and celery. I don't have a handheld blender so I couldn't puree the soup, but we liked it just fine without that step. The red pepper flakes gave the soup some heat and it was filling. Of course, the guys were missing the meat but still liked it enough. I could easily add chicken, bacon, or sausage to this and make it heartier.  Next up to try is the Warm Chocolate and Banana Cake. YUM!

SWEET CORN AND CHILI SOUP

1 medium white onion, chopped
2 TBS butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 medium red chili or dried chili flakes to taste (I used 1 -2 tsp red pepper flakes)
1 bag frozen corn kernels
1-quart vegetable stock
salt and pepper
1/2 cup half-and-half

In a large pan, soften the onions in butter, add garlic after 1 minute and celery 1 minute later. Cook gently for around 5 minutes until soft. Add chili pepper/flakes, frozen corn, and vegetable stock. season well with salt and pepper.

Bring to boil, then cover and turn down to simmer for half an hour.

Take off heat, puree soup with a handheld blender. Add half-and-half at the end and garnish with slices of red chili/flakes or kernels of roasted corn.

Jane Green - source

Jane Green is a bestselling author of many popular novels. She has been featured in People, Newsweek, USA Today, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in Connecticut with her family. 
For more information, connect with Jane at Facebook.com/AuthorJaneGreen.

To purchase a copy of GOOD TASTE, click the photo below:

I will be linking up this review with Beth Fish Reads and other bloggers for her regular feature, Weekend Cooking.  This linkup is open to anyone with food related posts including book reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, gadgets, restaurant reviews, or fun food posts. Grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. To see all the Weekend Cooking posts, click HERE. 


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Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this novel for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to purchase the book thorugh the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com. 

Book Review: Falling By Jane Green

FALLING: A Love Story

By: Jane Green

Published: July 19, 2016

Publisher: Berkley

Fiction/Romance



Romance novels aren't usually my first choice, but sometimes it is nice to work in a lighter read. After reading the premise of this one, I thought this one might be a bit different. It isn't your typical love story. It's not overly gushy and there are no R-rated scenes that will make you blush. But, as in most love stories, love happens quickly and obstacles are easily conquered. I have heard many readers rave about Jane Green's stories, and this is my first of hers. I can see why readers praise her skilled storytelling. But, will it convince me to read more of her novels? Maybe. It seems even Green's biggest fans are split on FALLING, either loving it or hating it. It seems to have all the hallmarks of a winning novel: likable characters with in-depth and real situations, believable circumstances, and a few mishaps to keep you rooting for them along the way. I was easily wrapped up in the lives of Green's characters. She gets you involved in the character's individual story first so that you are more likely to root for them as their love story evolves. She makes you feel like you would be best friends with them and want to live in their community.  Then as the relationship begins, you feel emotionally involved in the choices they make.

Emma left her stuffy British family behind and became a banker, living the ritzy life in NYC. Now in her late 30's she is tired and uninspired and wants to do something more creative with her life. She moves to Westport, Connecticut, hoping to start her own interior design business. When she finds the perfect home to rent, she never expects to find a landlord she can't stop thinking about. Dominic, born and raised in Westport, loves doing odd handyman jobs, working as a bartender, and most of all, raising his young son. Dominic and Emma soon become friends and begin working together for Emma's design business. Neither one of them was looking for a serious relationship, but one begins to bloom between them. Unfortunately, it isn't without hiccups and Emma begins to wonder if all the drama and hassle of loving someone is really worth it.

There are many different kinds of love shared in this story. There is the love between Emma and Dominic as the reader watches them go from friends to dating to falling in love.  There is the love between Dominic and his son, Jesse. Dominic takes his role as full-time parent very seriously and the love between him and his son is evident on the pages. Emma and Jesse begin to care for each other as Jesse begins to trust her and even helps her get a pet. But there are times when Jesse becomes angry that Emma has invaded his life with his dad. Green delicately handles the balance of a single parent's dating life and how it can impact a young child. There is also the love each set of parents has for their adult child. Both sets are quite vocal about what they hope for their child and Emma and Dominic struggle with trying to please their parents along with following their heart. Both Emma and Dominic want a different life than the one they were raised in, and the reader will find their parents' dysfunctional relationships add a quirky, yet comedic relief to the story.

Emma and Dominic are easy to root for and you hope they can find a way to love each other through the obstacles.  Many of the obstacles are quickly tidied up, and I expected some of that. What I wasn't expecting was the life-changing event towards the end of the novel. Without giving anything away, this event totally changed the scope of the novel for me. I wasn't prepared and even though I appreciate the author's use of surprise, this was harsh. It hurt and maybe that is what Green was going for. But, it also made me mad and left me feeling empty when the novel finished. I was glad that a few pieces of the story ended positively, but this love story didn't end the way I had hoped. Maybe that makes it more real for the reader and less of an escape from reality. But, sometimes we want that happy ending and not the harshness of the real world when we read.

Jane Green - source

Jane Green is a bestselling author of many popular novels. She has been featured in People, Newsweek, USA Today, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in Connecticut with her family. 
For more information, connect with Jane at Facebook.com/AuthorJaneGreen.

To purchase a copy of FALLING, click the photo below:




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Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this novel for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way for this review. If you choose to purchase this book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com.