"Sisterhood Everlasting" by Ann Brashares

I'm choosing to start this blog with a book that took me completely by surprise.  I read the first Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book shortly after its release.  I remember waiting for it to come in at the library and snatching it up when it finally became available.  I also remember finishing it on a plane ride back to New Mexico (I can’t remember where I was coming from, but I remember reading it).  I quickly fell in love with the characters Tibby, Bridget, Lena, and Carmen (I think Carmen’s my favorite, but I change favorites in all things book related often) and bought each of the following three books on or right after their respective release dates.  Of course I was thrilled to find out that there was going to be another installment in the series.  I lucked out and was able to get a brand new copy fairly cheap (this is the part of the blog where I weep because Borders is going out of business and the nearest bookstore is now three hours away instead of one) and started reading it soon after returning home.

I could barely put the book down!  The first four books are relatively happy books, with the four girls learning how to maintain their friendship even when they are apart.  In Sisterhood Everlasting, three of the girls must learn to cope after a sudden death of the fourth (doing my best to avoid spoilers.  If you are very anti-spoiler, you may want to continue onto another blog, just in case).  I read the entire book in disbelief.  Now don’t get me wrong.  I didn’t dislike this book.  I just went into it expecting one type of story and receiving another.  I recommend this book to all fans of Ann Brashares, but I do suggest that younger readers think about waiting a few years (it is classified as an adult book after all).  In addition, readers who have not read the first four books about the Sisterhood may enjoy it as well.  I felt that Brashares gave just enough back-story to tell who these girls are, but that a lack of knowledge in details covered in previous books would not leave readers confused.  Overall, I think that this is a great book and will be reading it again in the future.

Happy Reading!
-Melly