TLC Book Tour & #Giveaway for Her Sister's Shoes by Ashley Farley

Her Sister’s Shoes

By Ashley Farley

Publisher:  Leisure Time Books

Release Date:  June 24, 2015

Genre:  Women’s Fiction

Length:  380 Pages

ISBN: 978-0986167218
ASIN: B00V6KN6FY

Buy Links:  Amazon | B&N

Proves the healing power of family . . .

Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry and packed with Southern charm and memorable characters,Her Sister’s Shoes is the story of three sisters—Samantha, Jackie, and Faith—who struggle to balance the demands of career and family while remaining true to themselves.

Samantha Sweeney has always been the glue that holds her family together, their go-to girl for love and support. When an ATV accident leaves her teenage son in a wheelchair, she loses her carefully constructed self-control.

In the after-gloom of her dreaded fiftieth birthday and the discovery of her husband’s infidelity, Jackie realizes she must reconnect with her former self to find the happiness she needs to move forward.

Faith lacks the courage to stand up to her abusive husband. She turns to her sisters for help, placing all their lives at risk.

In the midst of their individual challenges, the Sweeney sisters must cope with their mother’s mental decline. Is Lovie in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, or is her odd behavior normal for a woman her age? No one, including Lovie, understands her obsession with a rusty key she wears around her neck.

For fans of Dot Frank and Mary Alice Monroe, Her Sister’s Shoes is a contemporary women’s novel that explores and proves the healing power of family.

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About Ashley Farley

Ashley Farley is a book blogger at Chronicles and author of Saving Ben and Her Sister’s Shoes. She is a community volunteer in Richmond, Virginia, where she lives with her husband and two college-aged children.

Visit her website at www.ashleyfarley.net, connect with her on Facebook and Twitter, and friend her on Goodreads.

A fan of books set in South Carolina’s Low Country, I looked forward to reading Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley and was thrilled to discover what I consider to be a literary treasure.  What begins as a book about three sisters, their family business and their very different lives turns into a raw, honest look at what makes, breaks and brings together a modern American family.  Filled with colorful characters, good dialogue, plenty of southern charm and color, this is a book any lover of women’s fiction will want to pick up. 

Ms. Farley does a wonderful job developing the primary characters in this book; I easily connected with Jackie, Samantha “Sam”, and Faith, the three Sweeney sisters, as they try to balance their individual lives, hopes and families.  While the three women share some similarities due to their familial bond, it’s clear from the beginning that their personalities are very different and that in a way this summer, life has dealt all three of them a difficult hand.  A situation they all had a hand in making.  While I myself am the oldest of four daughters, I found myself connecting more with “Sam” than with Jackie, the oldest daughter.  Sam is daughter that is the most like her father and is definitely the glue that holds the family together as they go through this difficult time.

As each of the women deal with their personal issues; Jackie’s failing marriage, Sam’s son “Jamie” who is suffering from grief and survivor’s guilt due to a friend’s death, and Faith’s drunk, lazy, good for nothing husband who is becoming more dangerous for her and their daughter, they are forced to deal with their family’s seafood business and mother’s health concerns.  I loved how Sam and Faith, and even Jackie to an extent, were so involved with their mother.  They may not always have agreed on what needed to be done but they were clearly devoted to their families.

Ms. Farley also does a good job with the secondary characters; I especially enjoyed getting to know the three women’s children, Cooper, Sean, Jamie and “Bitsy” and their mom, Lovie.  While I didn’t admire Jackie’s husband, Bill, I did understand what drove a wedge in their marriage.  I completely hated Faith’s husband, Curtis, and kept hoping that he would disappear.  The remaining secondary characters, from the women’s friends and people in town were also well written and added plenty of color, emotional angst and depth to the story.

Ms. Farley’s writing was a joy to read.  Her voice as a writer is rich, warm and very easy to follow.  I found myself completely immersed in the world she created for her characters and in the characters themselves.  The story’s pace is moderate and enjoyable and as a reader I found myself completely engaged in what was taking place on the page.  Ms. Farley’s development of her characters emotions is well done and feels very genuine.  Her descriptions of life in the little town of Prospect, in the Low Country, is vivid and detailed, which helped me feel as if I was actually there.

Will the Sweeney sisters be able to figure out what is going on with their mother’s health before it’s too late?  Will they be able to help each other through the rough summer and be stronger for the challenges they face?  You’ll have to read Her Sister’s Shoes to find out, I loved it and gladly highly recommend it.

My Rating:  5 out of 5 Crowns and a Recommended Read.

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FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour for a fair and honest review from the publisher via NetGalley.  My review is my opinion of the reading material provided.