Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley

June 24th, 2015 Kimberly Review 57 Comments

24th Jun
Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley
Her Sister's Shoes
by Ashley Farley
Genres: Women's Fiction
Source: Author
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry and packed with Southern charm and memorable characters, Her Sister’s Shoes is the story of three sisters—Samantha, Jackie, and Faith—who struggle to balance the demands of career and family while remaining true to themselves. Samantha Sweeney has always been the glue that holds her family together, their go-to girl for love and support. When an ATV accident leaves her teenage son in a wheelchair, she loses her carefully constructed self-control. In the after-gloom of her dreaded fiftieth birthday and the discovery of her husband’s infidelity, Jackie realizes she must reconnect with her former self to find the happiness she needs to move forward. Faith lacks the courage to stand up to her abusive husband. She turns to her sisters for help, placing all their lives at risk. In the midst of their individual challenges, the Sweeney sisters must cope with their mother’s mental decline. Is Lovie in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, or is her odd behavior normal for a woman her age? No one, including Lovie, understands her obsession with a rusty key she wears around her neck.

Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley set in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, introduces us to the Sweeney sisters, their families and a world of trouble. It explores the power of healing and the strength of family. Farley mixed in a little suspense, mystery and a budding romance as we get to know Faith, Sam, Jackie and their mother Lovie.

Coffee dates with Her Sister’s Shoes

  • First date: The Sweeney sisters Sam, Jackie and Faith are preparing for the grand reopening of their seaside seafood store. Originally opened by their mother Lovie, vacationers make a point of stopping for their fresh seafood. Sam is worried about the new décor even as thoughts turn to her son who is recovering from an ATV accident that has left him in a wheelchair. Faith has her own share of problems and Jackie is too wrapped up in herself to notice her world is crumbling around her. They are all worried about their mother who has been behaving oddly. Farley easily allows the reader to slip in as we get to know this realistic family.
  • Second date: I love that these sisters are far from perfect and Farley begins peeling back their layers and exposing their secrets. Sam’s marriage is far from a fairytale story; her husband is out of work and drinking. As things spiral out of control, she must lean on her siblings for help. Jackie’s world begins to crumble and she is ready to place all the blame on her husband. Sam is barely holding it together. She is the glue of the family, the strong one and the stress is beginning to show. Meanwhile Lovie is franticly trying to discover what the old key around her neck unlocks. There is a lot happening with the sisters and Farley does a good job of allowing us to view events as they unfold. At times, each of the sisters made me angry and I cringed at their interactions. Why is it that we sometimes treat the ones we love the worst? Tension begins to build as Faith’s problems place them all in danger and Jackie discovers what really matters. Secondary characters offer support, shed light and added interest to the story. We see the begins of romance, but this novel focuses on the siblings themselves,
  • Third date: My last date with Her Sister’s Shoes had me flipping the pages, revelations; personal discovery and danger had me caught up. All of the threads come together and we see resolution to many of their problems including the mystery with Lovie. It all wrapped up neatly and readers will either be thrilled or feel it was too convenient. Nevertheless, I was happy to see closure and appreciate the growth each character experienced and the strengthening of family.

Caffeinated thoughts on my dates with Her Sister’s Shoes: I enjoyed meeting the Sweeny sisters and seeing the growth each experienced. The title is so fitting. You don’t really know what life is like for someone else until you have walked in his/her shoes.

 

*I work as a virtual assistant for this author and received this novel for free but this hasn’t influenced my opinion. 

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

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57 Responses to “Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley”

  1. Jorie

    Hallo, Hallo Kimberly!

    Thank you for dropping by my review tonight! I love winding back through the tour routes to see what others have felt about the same books we’ve read together. I did not want the story to end too soon. Like you, I appreciated spending time with the sisters and allowing the style of how Farley told her story to wash through me in order to understand the layers in which she stitched the sisters together. She’s definitely an author who knows how to not only evoke ambiance out of her stories but to root the reader so viscerally to the evolving revelations as to make you want to consume all of the words in one sitting!

    Blessed our paths crossed on this tour, and perhaps they shall cross again!
    Happy readings!

    ps: I *love!* coffee, myself even if I’m a BIG tea drinker! lol

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I think they were strongest when they worked together and I loved the setting. Thanks for coming by to read my thoughts on it Jorie. I am sure our paths will cross again. Earl Tea is good, but coffee is my weakness 🙂

  2. Olivia

    I remember reading your review of another book from this author. Since then I have bought one of her books although I do have yet to read it. I am hoping to love it, just as you have loved this one even with all those dates!

  3. Naomi

    Sounds like these sisters have plenty of drama in their lives! Nice review Kimberly!

  7. Melissa (Books and Things)

    Oh with these books it is all about the ending for me. It has to wrap up well and really give me closure. Sounds like it achieves that well here. Hm… might have to add this one to the large wishlist.

  8. Elizabeth

    I have read about this on a few sites but wasn’t sure if it might be depressing. You make it sound poignant and interesting.

  9. Ramona

    I love sibling stories! Especially if they’re multi-layered like this one 🙂 This is definitely going on my list.

  12. Maureen Beatrice

    This book sounds really great. Since I’m an only child, I love reading books about siblings.. and this story about sisters really sounds awesome. I definitely want to read this book. 😀

  13. Trish

    Like you said I loved peeling back the layers and even though I was maddened at times too, that’s a great sign as it meant we cared about the sisters 🙂

  14. Danni Mae

    I love the three-person viewpoint where they’ll all acting out their separate stories! I feel like very few books do that- or maybe I’ve just had trouble finding them. The last one I’ve read was There’s Cake in my Future and I adored it! Thanks for the find!

  15. Heidi

    I like family books, and I love that this is set in the South. Sounds like a nice read for summer.

  18. Kathy

    I saw this one out there in bookland and, of course, the “Southern Low Country” ALWAYS screams for me to read it. I keep bumping and bumping books to the top of my reading pile, this one included.

  21. Jenny

    I will definitely be on of the readers whose thrilled with the way everything wraps up, I love when all the threads are tied together in the end and I’m not left wondering about anything. I like answers Kim!

  23. Katherine

    I really enjoyed this one! I’m pretty sure I finished the last half in one sitting because I just had to find out what happened next

  24. Grace

    Glad you enjoyed this one! I really liked it and thought the strong focus on the family was wonderful. Great review!

  25. Red Iza

    Abused women are a dark and tough subject, not easily understood by everybody – you don’t understand the mental manipulation until you’ve experienced it or know someone who has. Great review, Kim 😉

  26. Lindy

    I love when the author peel’s back the characters layers. I’m glad that there was character growth and resolution. I hope the sisters started treating each other better. The secrets and danger aspect of the story had me intrigued… Great Review Kim 🙂

  28. Melliane

    Oh it’s fun to follow a family like that. It’s the first time I hear about this one (you’re good to make me discover books), but it sounds nice! I’m intrigued.