Books Read: The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan

It’s not what’s under the Christmas tree, but who’s around it that matters most.

All Suzanne McBride wants for Christmas is her three daughters happy and at home. But when sisters Posy, Hannah and Beth return to their family home in the Scottish Highlands, old tensions and buried secrets start bubbling to the surface.

Suzanne is determined to create the perfect family Christmas, but the McBrides must all face the past and address some home truths before they can celebrate together . . .

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I'd like to thank Isabel Smith from HQ Stories for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour and for my copy of The Christmas Sisters to review.

It just wouldn't be Christmas without a gorgeous, festive read from Sarah Morgan and this year is no exception as she's back with an angst-filled story which reminds us of the importance of family.  It's been years since the McBride family were all together for Christmas so all Suzanne wants is for her three daughters back home together for the perfect Christmas but will her Christmas wish come true?

Right from the offset I was drawn into the family dynamics of the McBride family, the three sisters Hannah, Beth and Posy were polar opposites to one another but yet they have the most tragic of bonds to connect them.  They were very young when they lost their parents in a tragic accident and it was their mum's best friend Suzanne and her husband Stewart who stepped in and adopted them.

The opening scene with Suzanne's nightmare recalling the accident twenty-five years ago was so vivid and really set the scene, you could really sense her pain and the guilt she felt that she was the sole survivor and has lived to see the girls grow up into strong, independent women instead of their parents.  Christmas is such a bittersweet time of year for her, it's a time for family but it's also a painful reminder of what they have all lost. 

This story was very much character-driven with the women taking the lead as we followed them in the build up to what should be the most magical time of the year, but that's not to say that the men Stewart, Luke, Jason and Adam didn't play their part too.  Suzanne definitely got her wish at spending time with her daughters with the sudden early arrival of first Beth, and then Hannah, but it was soon clear that each of her daughters had something that was weighing deeply on their minds and she had to be patient and wait for them to open up and confide in either her, or to each other, as to what was going on. 

Add into the mix the innocence of young children in the form of Beth's daughters Ruby and Melly.  They brought such joyful exuberance and the magic of Christmas through a child's eye, as well as some light, comedic moments, in amongst the angst, when left in the company of their aunt Hannah who hasn't a clue how to entertain children.  I'm sure there are parents up and down the country nodding their heads as to how much mischief children can get up to in just a few minutes.   

There were traits in each of the sisters that I'm sure many of us could relate to, whether it's as a whole or a combination of the three.  Hannah is the guarded, workaholic who keeps everyone at arms length; Stay-at-home mum Beth loves her family but is ready to return to work, and then there's Posy who yearns for adventure but is afraid to leave the nest and upset her parents.  Personally I would say I'm most like Hannah but yet I'd love to be more like Posy. 

The Christmas Sisters was a heartwarming tale with some serious themes at its heart which makes for some bittersweet reading, but also brings with it a poignant reminder to tell those you love how much they mean to you as you never know when they'll no longer be around.