Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Stuck in the Middle-Virginia Smith

Stuck in the Middle
Virginia Smith
Revell, Feb 2008, $13.99
ISBN 9780800732325

Joan Sanderson loves her sisters, but also is jealous of both them. Her older sibling Allie has started her own family and her younger sibling Tori has had early career success. Instead Joan feels STUCK IN THE MIDDLE of her sisters as a failure since her boyfriend dumped her and her job stinks.

However, moving next door is a young woman’s fantasy: a single hunk doctor. To her surprise, he is very religious, which gets her thinking about her lapsed beliefs. As she struggles to provide quality care to her elderly grandmother, Joan reassesses her feelings of abandonment that she blamed on her mother although her father was the one who left. With Allie as her ally and Tori as her rival, Joan tries to get the hunk next door to notice her, but at what cost to who she is.

The first of the Sister to Sister trilogy is a warm relationship drama as the three sisters seem real especially their sibling rivalries. The story line starts a bit slow to allow the audience to understand each of the sisters, but especially the star the middle child Joan. Fans have fully developed siblings who behave in a consistent manner, which leads to a fine inspirational chick lit tale that focuses on being one’s self when relating with others especially loved ones.

Harriet Klausner

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