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sleeson's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Though Fiction, the hurt, grudges and anger the family have towards one another are relatable. The forgiveness in the story was a great reminder on how I can choose to forgive people who have hurt me. Mild swearing. No sexual content.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Cursing, and Death of parent
kelly_e's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Title: The Chicken Sisters
Author: K.J. Dell'Antonia
Genre: Women's Fiction
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: December 1, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Layered • Fun • Mouthwatering
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Welcome to Merinac, Kansas, home of Chicken Mimi's and Chicken Frannie's, two restaurants started by sisters, with a centuries old rivalry and a ton of history. On a whim, Amanda invites reality TV show 'Food Wars' to settle the debate once and for all, but she has no clue what she is in for. Amanda's big city sister, Mae, has no desire to step foot back in Kansas. But when her career implodes, and she catches wind of 'Food Wars' coming to town, she seizes the opportunity to step back into the limelight. The Chicken Sisters is a story of family, rivalry, and discovering ourselves.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I absolutely loved the premise for this book: family drama, chicken, small town vibes - sign me up! Although it took me a little bit to get settled in with this story, once I got going, I ended up enjoying the ride. At first glance it seemed like a light, fluffy read, yet there is quite a bit of depth to the characters and a whole host of complicated storylines scattered throughout. For instance, I really appreciated the mom's storyline. There's a little romance and a little humour coupled with a whole lot of family dysfunction and so much heart. The reality tv aspect was definitely an interesting choice, and helped expose all of the internal struggles faced by both Amanda and Mae. I connected with Amanda right away, given our shared widowhood, and was rooting for her the whole way through. It quite possibly could have been shorter, by avoiding a lot of miscommunication, but it may not have been as entertaining, and the historical aspect of the restaurants felt necessary and was my favourite aspect of the book, as I love discovering hidden gems when I travel.
At the end of the day, The Chicken Sisters is about the importance of family, and left me reflecting on my own life and craving some good 'ol fashion fried chicken.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who enjoy stories about sisters
• foodies
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"The spaces around us reflect the spaces inside us, and when those things don’t go together, that’s how we know we need to make a change."
Author: K.J. Dell'Antonia
Genre: Women's Fiction
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: December 1, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Layered • Fun • Mouthwatering
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Welcome to Merinac, Kansas, home of Chicken Mimi's and Chicken Frannie's, two restaurants started by sisters, with a centuries old rivalry and a ton of history. On a whim, Amanda invites reality TV show 'Food Wars' to settle the debate once and for all, but she has no clue what she is in for. Amanda's big city sister, Mae, has no desire to step foot back in Kansas. But when her career implodes, and she catches wind of 'Food Wars' coming to town, she seizes the opportunity to step back into the limelight. The Chicken Sisters is a story of family, rivalry, and discovering ourselves.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I absolutely loved the premise for this book: family drama, chicken, small town vibes - sign me up! Although it took me a little bit to get settled in with this story, once I got going, I ended up enjoying the ride. At first glance it seemed like a light, fluffy read, yet there is quite a bit of depth to the characters and a whole host of complicated storylines scattered throughout. For instance, I really appreciated the mom's storyline. There's a little romance and a little humour coupled with a whole lot of family dysfunction and so much heart. The reality tv aspect was definitely an interesting choice, and helped expose all of the internal struggles faced by both Amanda and Mae. I connected with Amanda right away, given our shared widowhood, and was rooting for her the whole way through. It quite possibly could have been shorter, by avoiding a lot of miscommunication, but it may not have been as entertaining, and the historical aspect of the restaurants felt necessary and was my favourite aspect of the book, as I love discovering hidden gems when I travel.
At the end of the day, The Chicken Sisters is about the importance of family, and left me reflecting on my own life and craving some good 'ol fashion fried chicken.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who enjoy stories about sisters
• foodies
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"The spaces around us reflect the spaces inside us, and when those things don’t go together, that’s how we know we need to make a change."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Mental illness
death of partnerjulieclair's review
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Realistic-feeling exploration of how a 100+ year family feud affects the lives of two current-day sisters and their families. Some interesting plot twists.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
amcghig's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Toxic relationship
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read this for book club, and for the first couple chapters I thought this was going to be a three star book at best. The characters were annoying, the set up seemed insipid, and yet somehow left enough room for everyone to be making bad life choices (but I just repeat myself about the annoying part)...
It really, really grew on me though. I liked the themes about family, and how difficult family can be, but difficult doesn't mean it has to be bad. I found I really related to some of the situations, even though the versions in the book were more extreme than in my own life. I loved how the book didn't paint either small town or city life as 'bad' or 'boring/shallow/etc', but did expose some bad reasons for choosing either/any type of life.
It really, really grew on me though. I liked the themes about family, and how difficult family can be, but difficult doesn't mean it has to be bad. I found I really related to some of the situations, even though the versions in the book were more extreme than in my own life. I loved how the book didn't paint either small town or city life as 'bad' or 'boring/shallow/etc', but did expose some bad reasons for choosing either/any type of life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual content, Death, and Car accident
ekmook's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
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