The Marvelous Monroe Girls

The Marvelous Monroe Girls was a great story about sisters, Gabby, Emma and Margaret, who have grown up in the small town of Harbor Cove. While the girls had been extremely close when they were younger, the past few years find them growing apart a bit as things in their lives ebb and flow. When the sisters are searching for their mother's wedding dress, they find some old letters in the attic at their Grandmother's house. Realizing what the letters are, and given the odd way their Grandmother has been acting, Gabby sees an opening for how the three sisters could work together and grow closer once again. The letters indicate that their Grandmother has been harboring a secret for years and in order to "help" the girls plot in different ways depending on the situation. Gabby also enlists the help of her long-time best friend Jake. During all of this, will Gabby be forced to face her own feelings for Jake and his for her? This was a very sweet book and it reminded me of a Hallmark movie. I enjoy a good Hallmark movie, so that's a compliment! I'm interested to see what is going to happen with our remaining two sisters in this series - they could be great stories!

The Marvelous Monroe Girls by Shirley Jump is a lovey heartfelt book about family, love, and relationships. I enjoyed this book so much and loved the characters. Gabby, Margaret, and Emma are sisters who were once inseparable and are now drifting apart in adulthood. When they gather to look for their grandmother’s wedding dress to display in Gabby’s vintage clothes shop, they find a stash of their grandmother’s letters that helps to explain their grandmother. When they try to help their Grandmother, they also find themselves working together to help her, and they grow closer as they find out more about each other. When Gabby runs into her old friend Jake, her feelings for him grow and he seems as interested in her also. But Gabby has big problems with the vintage dress store and needs more help than she’s willing to ask for and she’s not ready to add a relationship to her already complicated life. I always enjoy books about sisters and The Marvelous Monroe Girls did not disappoint. The author does a great job with the complex relationship between these three sisters and I found those relationships realistic and relatable. The story is well-paced and we’re able to get a good understanding of each of these sisters’ lives and motivations. I highly recommend The Marvelous Monroe Girls to anyone who loves a book about complex sisterly relationships. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Marvelous Monroe Girls by Shirley Jump, book one in her Fortunes of Lost Lake series, is about family, friendship, and love that take place in the charming small town of Harbor Cove. Sisters Gabby, Margaret, and Emma were once inseparable and are now drifting apart in adulthood. After their mother unexpectedly passed away, their grandmother helped raise the sisters. Worried about their grandmother's odd behavior, Gabby tries to bring the sisters back together. Helping Gabby search the attic for a vintage dress, the sisters stumble upon letters to Dear Amelia, an advice column possibly written by their grandmother. Together they decide to use this as a way to get their grandmother out of her funk and feel needed again by working together behind the scenes, making sure her advice plays out. It’s also a way Gabby can ignore the problems in her life; a life that seems to be crumbling around her. As she ropes her childhood best friend, Jake, into her plans these two navigate jumping from best friends to dating; with Jake forcing her to face her true feelings for him after telling her how he feels. Gabby tries her best in all that she does, whether it is uniting her family, helping their small town by setting up a historical event to attract more visitors in the off-season, and help showcase their specialties; but is unable to figure out what or who is best for her. Gabby will need to learn to trust herself and let herself fall in love. Ms. Jump wrote a sweet and endearing love story that should not be missed. She provided a tale rich with emotions, attraction, chemistry, clever banter, good intentions, and a cast of secondary characters assisting Gabby and Jake admit their feelings and love for one another. I highly recommend The Marvelous Monroe Girls to other readers and I hope there is a follow-up book featuring the other sisters. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.