The Promise Girls is a well-written, albeit predictable story of three girls who were born and raised up to be artistic geniuses by their overbearing mother, Minerva. As it turns out, not much of anything is as it seems.

Set in Seattle, we follow each of the girls on their journey through life that has been derailed since Minerva's meltdown on live television some years early. After the girls, who were removed from Minerva's care following this event, age out of foster care, they migrate together and are trying to sort out their lives.

Following a devastating accident where Meg, the middle Promise sister, loses her memory, the entire family comes together, including Minerva. Through a few minor turns in the story, including where Hal, a documentarian who has come to film the sisters as a "where are they now" project, all ends neatly in a perfect little bow. For me, that was the book's downfall; I'm more into grit and reality.

You will enjoy this easy-to-read novel written by a very well-respected author. ( )

This book had a lot of heart and a lot of spunk and really drew me in.
 
I envisioned this to be a simple but unspectacular read and was surprised by how deeply I felt towards the characters and the extent to which they enveloped me.
 
The plot contained a little bit of a mystery, some strings that hadn't previously been pulled together that eventually came out in a very satisfying way. This increased my intrigue while reading and really kept my interest peaked.
 
Meg suffers from memory loss in her car accident. Usually this medical condition is extremely gimmicky, but Bostwick did a fabulous job of making this poignant and relevant. I loved seeing the way that she was able to revaluate her life and develop new relationships with her daughter and her husband.
 
The documentary that Hal creates adds another lens to the book that really works. Again, this could have been gimmicky, but the layer this contributed was immensely satisfying and I loved viewing the way that he created things.
 
The family dynamics of the book were gorgeous. All the characters were very different, normal but extremely quirky. They were rational and made decisions that for them made sense and I felt like by the end these people were friends I would have in real life--kind of all over the place, but spirited and alive. From the two teenagers and their teenage angst to motherly Joanie and sporadic Avery, I really fell in love with them all.
 
This book was absolutely adorable and I recommend it highly. Definitely going to look for more of Bostwick's books.
 
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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The Promise Girls by Marie Bostwick is an uplifting book of healing and forgiveness.

The Promise girls are three daughters of a domineering mother, Minerva, who pushed the girls to reach-and exceed-their artist potential. Oldest daughter Joanie was a piano playing child prodigy who deliberately sabotaged Minerva's publicity tour during their appearance on a talk show. Now twenty years later, the sisters are closer than ever but other than youngest sister, Avery, they remain estranged from their mom.

Joanie is a never married single mom to sixteen year old Walt and works from home. Middle sister Meg is happily married to Asher and mother of a teenage daughter, sixteen year old Trina. Meg eventually gave up painting to help run Asher's construction business but she is not exactly happy when she is involved in a serious car accident which leaves her with amnesia. Twenty-five year old Avery flits from one job to another and is happiest when she dons her mermaid persona for children's parties. After discovering how much money Meg owes for her hospital bills, the three girls reluctantly agree to star in Hal Seeger's upcoming documentary. Will the documentary help Joanie, Meg and Avery come to terms with their painful past? Or will the shocking revelations destroy their family?

Throughout the course of the novel, the sisters are forced to confront their unresolved issues from their dysfunctional childhood. Joanie has not touched a piano in years and her lucrative sewing career fulfills her creative outlet. Up until recently, Meg has been deliriously happy but in the weeks leading up to her accident, she has become emotionally and physically distant from Asher and her relationship with Trina is also a bit troubled. Avery comes across as somewhat flighty but there is much more to her than meets the eye. Of the three sisters, she undergoes the biggest transformation since she has struggling to fit her niche.

The sisters are very close but this does not mean they are not harboring secrets from one another. Joanie and Meg are quite older than Avery so their mother's influence on their individual "genius" talents was much more in depth. They also more scarred by their childhoods but Joanie in particular is haunted by the events that her actions set in motion. All three sisters agree that Minerva is toxic, but Avery is much more forgiving of her mother's mistakes and missteps than Meg and Joanie. Will they feel betrayed when Avery reveals the depth of her relationship with their mother? Or will Meg and Joanie understand why she feels compelled to maintain contact with her? And will the sisters be able to forgive each other when long held secrets are finally uncovered? And what will happen when Minerva confesses the truth about the past?

The Promise Girls is an incredibly heartwarming novel about a family who unexpectedly gets the opportunity to make peace with their pasts. The growth of the characters is phenomenal and occurs at a realistic pace. The novel's conclusion is a little rushed and the resolution of Minerva's part of the storyline does not ring true. Despite the somewhat unsatisfactory ending, readers of contemporary women's fiction will enjoy this newest release from Marie Bostwick.
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Ever since I read my first Marie Bostwick book and liked her writing style, I've always had high expectations for whatever of hers I can get my hands on, and have yet to be disappointed. Her characters are always engaging, funny, quirky, and relatable. She really does quite the story telling for The Promise Girls, with a good job of adding twists and turns along the way. There was so much information to be unpacked, little-by-little, that I couldn't put the book down.

The Promise Girls is a story of 3 sisters Joanie, Meg, and Avery whose last name is Promise. It's their story of what happens after their one moment of fame gone wrong as "child prodigies" changes the course of their lives on national tv and they go on to do very different things than would have been expected for girls who were supposed to be a musician (Joanie), painter (Meg), and writer (Avery). Now, Joanie is now a single mom who sews costumes for a living; Meg has a troubled relationship with her husband and daughter, plus financial woes; and Avery can't seem to hold down a job because she's such a free spirit. And when a documentary film-maker who has somewhat of an obsession with what happened on tv all those years ago wants them to feature in one of his latest endeavors, the girls are no more willing to entertain him than they are seeing their estranged mother. It was a good read and I was kept in suspense until the very end. ( )

I started reading The Promise Girls and soon found that reading about Joanie, Meg, Avery and their lives, along with Minerva, their Mother just grabbed me emotionally. I couldn't put it down till I had finished reading it! The characters are endearing, engaging and humanly flawed. The plot is rich, captivating and full drama, love, joy, strife, angst and more drama. I was on an emotional roller-coaster ride throughout this whole story; who could ask for more?!

The Promise Girls is absolutely spellbinding!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Kensington Books, Ms. Bostwick and Netgalley
for the opportunity to read and review this book. ( )