The California sunshine’s not quite so bright for three sisterswho get dumped in the same week… fine, she’s crumbling inside, desperate for him to come to his senses and for life to go back to normal.
Zennie’s breakup is no big loss. Although the world insists she pair up, she’d rather be surfing. So agreeing to be the surrogate for her best friend is a no-brainer—after all, she has an available womb and no other attachments to worry about. Except…when everyone else, including her big sister, thinks she’s making a huge mistake, being pregnant is a lot lonelier—and more complicated—than she imagined.
Never the tallest, thinnest or prettiest sister, Ali is used to being overlooked, but when her fiancé sends his disapproving brother to call off the wedding, it’s a new low. And yet Daniel continues to turn up “for support,” making Ali wonder if maybe—for once—someone sees her in a way no one ever has.
But side by side by side, these sisters will start over and rebuild their lives with all the affection, charm and laugh-out-loud humor that is classic Susan Mallery.
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This is the story of three very different sisters, all experiencing break-ups in the same week. Each handles it in their own way and we follow along as they deal with the loss, pain and recovery, and are brought together by the closeness of being sisters. I was not a fan of Finola in the beginning but felt I understood her better by the end of the story. This was not my favorite Susan Mallery book but it is well written and definitely worth the read.
Three sisters experience a letdown the same weekend…what are the chances.
I usually read a Susan Mallery book straight through, but not this one—it took 4 days. Three interesting sisters each experience rough days after their unforeseen letdown along with minimal support, especially from the parents…sigh. However, the conclusion of the story has the sun shining on each sister, yay! Good story, but not one of her best, in my opinion.
Full disclosure: I was provided a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.
It was an interesting book that caught, and kept my attention. The interesting progression of the story line was well developed and had a good conclusion. Though Mallery has a habit of taking one item, here the woe is me I’m never “seen” and forgotton, and dragging it on and on. She needs to develop some mechanism that captures the idea without beating a dead horse. Regardless, I enjoyed the book.
Once I started this book, I read straight thru the night. I thought that the three sisters, Finola and Zennie and Ali would act/react one way…and of course, I had NO idea where this story would take them! From the very first chapter, all about Finola and her unraveling life, California Girls grabs you and you just hang on. She is a morning talk show host in LA and her marriage, career, and life fall apart on live TV. Let me say that Ms. Mallery really wrote Finola’s guest (in chapter one) so I reallllllllllllllllly wanted to slap her upside the head. Nasty person, imho. Wow!
For Zennie’s, her world is turned upside down when she agrees to help a friend (simply stated by me; well-written by the author). She starts to question her place in her family, with her friends, and her own judgment. Really deep.
And Ali…beautiful Ali! Of all three sisters, she considers herself the least of her three sisters – less of brains, less of personality, and less of looks. For me, she had the purest of souls. And she has her own “trauma” to deal with and it will both break your heart and warm your soul to read about it.
I have to say, the sisters’ stories turned out very differently than I had imagined. Good thing I’m not an author because I couldn’t even begin to some up with the twists and turns. The raison d’etre for these three women, and the men in their lives, will keep your interest and attention long after you finish reading. And their mom…good heart but whoa. She would make me crazy! Her character fits in the story but I’m still shakin’ my head.
Great read, kept me reading well into the early morning hours, and I think it will stay with me for a long time.
I’m usually a fast reader…that gal who becomes absorbed in the story and just cannot put the book down…and one of my favorite contemporary authors is Susan Mallery. So, imagine my surprise when I was not only able, but sometimes willing, to put down California Girls and take a break from the drama of Ali, Zennie and Finola’s lives and turmoil.
I found myself wishing that each of their stories had been it’s own book, as we have seen with past Mallery series that have centered on different family members in each read. Unfortunately, that might also not have worked for me, as I really did not enjoy Finola’s part of the book. Maybe if she has had her own story and not just a third of this one, her character might have been a little more fleshed out for my taste.
While Zennie’s part was okay, here too I compared it to other full length books that featured a surrogate storyline and wished for more…more story, more something…I can’t out my finger on what I think it needed. For me.
Now Ali, I enjoyed the most. I felt the most empathy towards her, I loved Daniel and their relationship more than any other part of the book. Maybe because it triggered my favorite trope, friends to lovers…I’m not sure. But I definitely would have liked the two of them to have their own, longer story.
California Girls was a 3.75 star read for me, which seems low since many of Mallery’s former reads rank higher in my book. It wasn’t horrible, I’d still recommend it to people who are fans of the author. But if it was a new fan, I honestly would probably steer them in another direction.
I liked this book. It’s a nice story about three sisters, who each have a very different life path. I always think it’s fun when the main characters are related, because it brings that family dynamic into the story. I wanted to strangle one sister, hug one sister, and sit down with the other for a nice long chat over coffee. As always it’s a nice entertaining read.
I love when books are not your typical feel good story, but also address how families work (and don’t always work) together. This book is a story about 3 sisters and how their childhood dynamics are carried over into their adult relationship as sisters. Each sister faces challenges and deals with it often based on how they dealt with things when they were kids, all the while not knowing how their sisters felt about things happening in their own childhoods. Susan Mallery understands the way families work. I really enjoyed how each sister grew throughout the story.
What a light and wonderful story of 3 sisters who are figuring things out after they all have similar aspects of their lives change the same week. I found myself wanting to stick more with each sister, especially Ali, and wanted a little more time of them interacting together, but it was a great story of family, sisterhood and new beginnings. With a Susan Mallery book you are never disappointed.
Three sisters are dumped the same day in three very different ways. This book is an emotional roller coaster. I was happy, teary, and angry all within pages of each other. Susan’s storytelling can pull you through the wringer and land on the other side with a satisfying ending. Finola’s story was tough dealing with a cheating husband. I adored Ali’s and Zennie’s stories – all the feels. I highly recommend this book – definitely one of her best yet.
As I read/finished California Girls several tried and true ideas resonated with me:
– the idea that people come into your life for a reason/season
– when one door closes, other opens
– what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.
3 sisters, 3 break ups, 1 week. Seems crazy, right? But, that’s the premise here and watching Finola, Zennie, and Ali deal with their relationships was both raw and realistic. I could easily see parts of myself in each of the sisters and related to their struggles and appreciate their emotional evolutions.
For me, it seemed that Finola and Ali both went through the relationship crucible to come out stronger versions of the person she had been before. It seemed that both ended up where she needed to be making the journey worth it. Zennie’s “break up” was less dramatic, but sent her on a journey of her own that would fundamentally change who she was.
California Girls is well written and thought provoking. I think it applies/has lessons for anyone who is/was/wants to be in any kind of relationship.
The only drawback for me – and this is strictly preference- was the fact that some of the non romantic relationships were left unresolved. We had glimpses of the sisters working on their relationship and I would have appreciated more of that.
A family of complex sisters. What better way to make a story ever changing and entertaining! Susan had written another heartfelt story about family dynamics and the relationships between sisters and parents. These three sisters couldn’t be more different yet they each have their own connections to one another. Sometimes you find love when you are least expecting it! What a unique and wonderful story this is!
I received an ARC from the author for an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was promised or received for this review
Susan Mallery has outdone herself in her heart warming new book California Girls. Go on a journey where three sisters are all dumped in a single weekend. Emotions run rampant and span everything from hurt to anger and confusion. Not only do the sisters have to examine their romantic relationship status, they also examine their roles in the lives of their parents and friends. I felt like I was right there experiencing everything with the sisters, the laughter, the tears and the heart wrenching emotion of relationships that have run their course and the butterflies of new love. California Girls is a must read.
This story of three very different sisters that are all dumped at the same time in very different ways with very different reactions starts off slow, but eventually warms into a story of three sisters that rise above and end up on paths that completely change their lives. While this isn’t a 100% “love conquers all” story, it is a realistic journey into overcoming adversity and ending up better than you might ever have thought.
I especially liked youngest sister, Ali, who is invisible compared to her public persona oldest sister and more free spirited middle sister. This is what leads her to accept a relationship that doesn’t give her what she deserves…all because she feels “less than.” Watching her learn her strength and turn that into her best life was my favorite part of the book.
This is a really good story with lots of feels. Happy, sad, funny – it has it all. The three sisters are as different as night and day but find themselves with one unique similarity – they all get dumped in the same week! As they navigate their way through their breakups, they learn a lot about themselves and find out that they have more in common than they ever realized. It’s a really good read and I highly recommend it.
Sisters Finola, Zennie and Ali couldn’t be more different but they all have 0ne thing in common.
All three had their relationships crumble within days of each other. How they deal and try to move forward is what makes this a fantastic look into what happens next.
It is easy to sympathize with each sister while not always agreeing with their perceptions of themselves. Hard to put down and sad when it was finished – a definite must read!
I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book.
I’m going to start by saying that in my opinion Susan Mallery’s Women’s Fiction is her best work. Yes I liked Fool’s Gold, come on how can you not? Happily Inc. is another winner, but in her women’s fiction she truly owns my heart. She can write gut wrenching stories delivered with a side of laughter that will always keep you entertained, and that is exactly what I look for when I head into a book.
Yes this book deals with three sisters. All very different personalities but also very much the same. They grew up together, in the same house but all have such different ideas about their childhoods. In reading the book you figure out how this plays into who these ladies have become, even if they don’t see it right away.
Everyone before me has introduced the sisters so I am just going to jump in. Finola, the oldest. I hated her, (not really hate but close) lol. She had the most self centered personality. She couldn’t be to blame for any part in her marriage falling apart, of course not. Not just for her marriage issues either, things that happened with her sisters, things she said. Her dad called her and asked her something, he asked why, why did Nigel do this now, why did he do it. I thought that was a great way to handle it. She needed to see that to stop her suffering and start either fixing it or move on. Until then, she would be the poor pitiful victim she was being. She wanted everyone to see her as poor poor Finola, and yes it was a horrible thing for Nigel to do, and the way he told her was horrible as well, but in reality, most marriages end due to both parties breakdowns of it. I was so happy when she started to open her eyes and see the world the way it was. At least her part of it. She did the right thing in the end, so kudos to her.
Zennie, the different one. I loved Zennie. She had to have her sh*t together to be able to put up with her mother’s crap on dating and grandchildren. She was happy in her own skin with her job, her friends and most of the time her family. She didn’t need a man to feel complete, or children. So she dated to just kind of show up. Appease people. Her mother even set up on a blind date with a lesbian, and what happened, they became friends, how awesome is this character. Yes she was sort of dumped by Clark but it wasn’t a thing anyways, right. So Zennie decides to become a surrogate for her friends Bernie and Hayes, Bernie had cancer and now due to the treatments she can’t have children. So, Zennie will do ivf. She goes to the doctor for her physical and they find out she is ovulating, they decide to try that day, it works. She becomes pregnant right away. The pregnancy is hilarious. But someone from Zennie’s past shows up to help her out and stays through labor. It ends up giving her second thoughts about not needing to be 2 people. She seems to want a relationship now. Secretly, I think he planned it this way all along. 🙂
Ali, poor Ali. Dumped by the brother of the man she was supposed to marry weeks before her wedding. Her loser of a fiance’ didn’t have it in him to do it himself, or help pay the cost of the cancellations, or anything else for that matter. Then she remembers she had given up her apartment since she was moving in with the loser when they got married. So she would be homeless since her apartment has already been rented and she can’t find a place she can afford on her own. The loser’s brother steps up to help Ali with all the wedding stuff and they become friends. But after a while she is starting to feel more. The thing she doesn’t know is Daniel has loved her for 2 years, he is just taking his time in hopes this will work out. Their relationship gets stronger while Ali discovers many differents things about herself, her lost relationship and her new one. All her changes are for the better and make her a stronger, happier Ali.
I have touched on a bit of everything without saying much to be honest. You need to read the book. I didn’t say anything about their mom, that is a whole other ball game you need to read on your own. Susan, once again, a fabulous book, thank you.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
This book is complex and surprising. It is about three sisters who are living through challenging times. They have friends to support them and by the end of the book they have each other as well. It is thought provoking, humorous, sweet, and complex. The characters are so well done that you will want to read it once through to comprehend the story and then read it again to pick out all the details you missed over the first time.
I am not a big fan of the women’s relationship novels as I don’t feel these very talented authors have sufficient time to develop the relationships fully as in a stand-alone novel. And the switching from one character to another is confusing, exhausting, and sometimes awkward. That said, this was a good read. I especially liked Ali’s story and would love to see this expanded alone, more fully developed. Wanted to wrap my arms around Zennie and tell her all would be fine and not to be guided by so many other opinions. Finola – well, that girl needs counseling.
As always, I enjoyed this Susan Mallery book. Three sisters each get “dumped” by the men in their lives. Each sisters journey to healing and their next life chapter is interesting and uplifting with a surprise, or two, thrown in. The surprise twists makes for enjoyable reading. The characters and situations are reality and the author handled them with honesty and love.
California Girls by Susan Mallery.
Fiona, Ali and Zennie are three sisters who all get broken up with on the same day.
Fiona finds out her husband is cheating, Ali finds out her fiancé no longer wants to get married and Zennie is broken up with after a second date. Reading about their struggles as they come to terms with things and then move on made for a very good book. It shows the feeling of being the most important sister or at least thinking you are, it shows the camadarie of sisterhood and it shows the love of sisters. Ali finds love with Daniel, Zennie finds love with Clark and Fiona gets a divorce and moves to New York. I really enjoyed the way this book was written and recommend to anyone looking for a good book about sisters.