Wow, I feel like I read a different book than the other people who reviewed this. To me, the story was endlessly boring, the characters were unlikable, and I cared nothing about them. Paige, the main character, is a marriage counselor, but her own marriage is a mess, and she seems quite incompetent. Not to mention the fact that there are clues scattered all around in plain sight regarding the secret that her husband is keeping from her, and she can't or doesn't want to figure it out. The bungled-up relationships of Paige, her sister Sloane, and their mother are muddy and barely explained. I was really disappointed because I read two other books by the same author, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. ( )

I feel like this book had all the workings of a perfect novel- suspense to keep you wondering what was Dave's secret, what was Sloane's story, with a few twists and turns that for me were unexpected but fit perfectly together with he story. I feel like I can't add much more without adding the spoiler title, but I really liked the way this book flowed and kept me engaged ( and up past my bedtime). ( )

4.5 stars.

The Never Never Sisters by L. Alison Heller is a very insightful and captivating journey of healing, forgiveness and self-discovery. It is also a thought-provoking novel about family relationships and how well we really know (or don't know) our loved ones.

At the outset of The Never Never Sisters, Paige Reinhardt's life is picture perfect. She is happily married with a successful career as a marriage counselor and she has a close relationship with her parents. But her world slowly careens out of control after her husband, Dave, is temporarily suspended and her sister Sloane comes back into their lives after a twenty year absence. Dave is very secretive about the reason for his suspension and Sloane remains evasive about her sudden desire to reconnect with her family. Paige's search for the truth leads to unexpected revelations that have surprising consequences for her various relationships.

Much of The Never Never Sisters is written in first person from Paige's point of view. She is a very likable character but due to her family's history, she is the good girl in the family. She does what is expected of her and although now in her early thirties, she continues to be very involved with her parents' lives. Much of her childhood is shrouded in secrecy with her parents refusing to discuss Sloane's addiction or disappearance. This pattern is repeated with Dave's suspension and Paige is content with his explanation until a breaking news story arouses her suspicions that he might somehow be involved in the emerging scandal.

Paige's relationship with Sloane is strained and it takes much of the novel to mend the rift between them. Communication is an issue for the sisters and this leads to erroneous assumptions and misconceptions on both sides. Sloane is impatient with Paige's lack of self-awareness and Paige is frustrated by Sloane's inability to forgive past mistakes.

For me, the most compelling part of The Never Never Sisters is the mystery surrounding Dave's suspension. Although she has a few misgivings about Dave's assertions that he does not know why he was suspended, Paige initially accepts his story at face value. But gradually, little things begin to raise warning flags and she is forced to confront her growing doubts that he is being completely honest with her.

The Never Never Sisters is a well-written and engaging novel that is quite riveting. Paige's growth as a character is phenomenal and it is incredibly gratifying watching her become more assertive and take charge of her life. She also becomes more reflective and introspective which helps her view her relationships more honestly and make some long overdue changes. L. Alison Heller does an excellent job keeping the story fresh and unique with a very surprising plot twist. All in all, a wonderful novel with appealing characters, a realistic storyline and a satisfying (and rather unexpected) ending. ( )

Don't let the smiling sisters on the cover fool you. This isn't a story where two sisters get together after a long time and bond so easily. There's a lot of turbulence when it comes to Paige and Sloane. Paige is facing an ordeal when Sloane announces that she's coming to see her family after twenty years of being away from their lives. It doesn't really faze Paige when her mother tells her because she has no real memories of her sister. She has always kept her in the back burner of her mind because whenever she used to mention her runaway sister Sloane, her parents would change the subject. That's a lot of the family dynamic in this story. If you don't talk about it, you don't have to deal with it. That's actually something I've seen in my own family at times. I wish we were more open and taking a sneak peek at what could happen if we don't well... let's say I never want to be in their position.

The Never Never Sisters is about trust, honesty, pain, secrets, and figuring out how to be a family. I enjoyed reading about all the characters. Paige had to deal with her husband Dave who was freaking out about his job. That unfolded unlike how I expected. I always like a surprise or two in my books so it was welcome. Sloane is an enigma of sorts. She's always really gloomy. I couldn't understand why she hates her mother so much until the secret was revealed. Although, I still didn't understand considering her past. I got to read about Paige and her mother Vanessa's POV which I really appreciated. I wanted to know the mother's perspective and how she was feeling now that her daughter was coming home again. She kind of has this facade about her that everything is okay, yet I found her to be incredibly vulnerable. It was interesting seeing that really you don't really know someone unless you are inside their head. There's so much we leave out when talking to people who are close to us, I just hope that I know my future husband more than Paige felt like she did.

Sloane really came to life when she was with Paige. It was really getting to me on how much she obviously cared for her sister. I'm so happy for Paige that she reached out even though there are some ideas that Paige doesn't really understand about her sister. Their bonding was full of ups and downs. I enjoyed exploring them with the sisters and seeing the end result. Everything isn't perfect with the lives of this family, but that's not how life is. The Never Never Sisters is a great example of how we need to be honest with ourselves and really get to know our loved ones because you never know what their secrets might reveal about them. ( )

L. Alison Heller’s THE NEVER NEVER SISTERS, a thought provoking story of addiction, marriage relationships, and family secrets---a powerful and poignant story of healing, reconciliation, forgiveness, healing, and discovering your true self.

Paige has a successful career as a marriage counselor with a loving husband Dave. She wants to spend some quality time with her lawyer husband and rents a cottage in the Hamptons for the summer weekends. However, her well laid plans, do not go as she planned. Her husband has been suspended and is working from home. He is secretive and strange, and Paige begins to question and suspect Dave is not being truthful, and could he be doing something illegal?

In the middle of her problems, her sister Sloane is scheduled for a visit after a twenty year absence. Paige cannot recall much about Sloane, except she abuses alcohol and drugs and started as a teen, prior to being sent to a rehab facility. It has been so long since Paige has seen her sister, she sometimes forgets she even has a sister.

As Paige begins going through items, she discovers the therapy journals her mother wrote when Sloane was sent to rehab. The mother, Vanessa’s journals reveal a different side of her mother---discovering Dave isn’t the only one with secrets. A complex woman, her daughters have no clue about the real person behind their mother.

The ongoing theme throughout the book deals with addiction—from different perspectives. Vanessa has feelings of guilt, as she feels Sloane’s problem is because of her side of the family. Vanessa’s father was an alcoholic, and well as Vanessa’s addiction. She refrains from telling her girls about their history of addiction.

As the drama unfolds between the relationships Dave/Page, and Sloane/Paige, Paige questions her life choices. A compelling, and powerful story written with humor, wit, suspense, and emotion. Paige discovers she may not know really know, those dearest to her, and over the summer may discover something about herself, along the way.

A mix of contemporary, family, and mystery---This was my first book by Heller, and look forward to reading more!
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