Blue Sisters

The three Blue sisters are exceptional-and exceptionally different. Avery, the eldest and a recovering heroin addict turned strait-laced lawyer, lives with her wife in London; Bonnie, a former boxer, works as a bouncer in Los Angeles following a devastating defeat; and Lucky, the youngest, models in Paris while trying to outrun her hard-partying ways. They also had a fourth sister, Nicky, whose unexpected death left the family reeling. A year later, as they each navigate grief, addiction, and ambition, they find they must return to New York to stop the sale of the apartment they were raised in.

But coming home is never as easy as it seems. As the sisters reckon with the disappointments of their childhood and the loss of the only person who held them together, they realize that the greatest secrets they've been keeping might not have been from one another but from themselves.

Imbued with Coco Mellors's signature combination of humor and heart, Blue Sisters is a story of what it takes to keep living after loss-and, ultimately, to fall in love with life again.

From the publisher

1. When the novel opens, the Blue sisters are all living different lives in disparate cities. How does the loss of Nicky impact each of the sisters differently?

2. Discuss the line: "A sister is not a friend." What do you think the author means by that? Do you have siblings? If so, would you consider your sibling a friend?

3. Discuss the role of addiction in the book. How does it shape the sisters' choices and actions Have you ever struggled with addiction or been close to someone who has?

4. How does the author depict grief and the process of healing in the story? Which sister's journey resonated with you the most?

5. What do you think the New York City apartment meant to each sister? What do you think it symbolized for Nicky?

6. Each Blue sister has their own romantic encounters and frustrations. Whose romantic story line did you find the most frustrating, and which did you find the most satisfying?

7. When the sisters reunite, they realize that they had very different understandings of Nicky. What were you the most surprised to learn about Nicky and why?

8. The Blue sisters have a complicated relationship with their parents, and their mother plays a small but pivotal role in the novel. How do the sisters' parental relationships affect their own feelings about motherhood?

9. Discuss the ending of the book. Were you satisfied with how the sisters' stories were resolved? What were you hoping for each sister?

10. Which sister did you identify with the most? Explain why.

Book Club Talking Points:
This book is a real conversation starter. It's all about three sisters dealing with their lives after the death of their father - so it's messy and real. Although it tackles some heavy topics, such as grief and addiction, it does so in a way that feels incredibly relatable and human, so everyone in your group will want to share their own stories as well as feelings about family.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY - Three estranged siblings return to their family home in New York after their beloved sister's death in this "deeply nuanced and compelling" (Vogue) novel, from the acclaimed author of Cleopatra and Frankenstein.

"A beautiful portrait of grief and the world-shaping bond sisters share."-Real Simple

A VOGUE AND HARPER'S BAZAAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

"In lush, cozy prose, Mellors guides us into the lives of Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky Blue, reuniting to clean out their childhood apartment in New York City on the first anniversary of their sister Nicky's death. . . . She is . . . able to capture the ferality, stickiness, and beauty of both sisterhood and grief."-The New York Times

"This intricate portrait of a family of sisters is deeply nuanced and compelling, a family drama with intimate psychological portraits within it."-Vogue

"Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors paints a beautiful portrait of grief and the world-shaping bond sisters share."-Real Simple

"If you loved Little Women or Ann Napolitano's Hello Beautiful, consider putting Coco Mellors's Blue Sisters at the top of your reading list. . . . Expect bingeable, alternating chapters and a well-rounded perspective on grief, addiction, and complicated family dynamics."-The Skimm

"Sparkling with wit, shot through with longing, Blue Sisters is a beautiful novel, both dazzlingly joyful and achingly sad."-Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street

"In Blue Sisters, grief is rendered with gorgeous particularity. Coco Mellors writes about the special language endemic to family and troubles the idea of home."-Raven Leilani, New York Times bestselling author of Luster

"With great sensitivity to language and psychology, Mellors offers an immersive portrait of three young women as they search one another and their contexts for antidotes to complex afflictions. The result is a stunning exploration of sisterhood and grief, addiction and recovery, pain and pleasure. At once contemporary and timeless, Blue Sisters is captivating."-Tess Gunty, National Book Award-winning author of The Rabbit Hutch

"Suspended between the high of escapism and the slap of reality, the story of Avery, Bonnie, Nicky, and Lucky is a healing balm to lost souls. Blue Sisters will unearth tenderness and heartache from spectacular depths within you, giving new dimensions to the word blue."-Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming

"Coco Mellors has the unique gift of making the picturesque, almost Wes Anderson-chic Blue sisters feel viscerally real, and it is a pleasure to be in their world even as they struggle with difficult things: grief, addiction, and generational trauma. In prose that is at times transcendently beautiful, Mellors has painted a portrait of sisterhood in all its pettiness and messiness and beauty and grace. It's stunning."-Rufi Thorpe, author of The Knockout Queen, a PEN/Faulkner Award finalist

"I never imagined a novel about grief could leave me feeling so warm. Coco Mellors has crafted a richly textured tale of love, loss, and addiction in all its complexities. When I made it to the final page, I had tears in my eyes."-Isabel Kaplan, bestselling author of NSFW

"A stunning sibling story for fans of Emma Straub and Lily King."-Library Journal

"Mellors delves into sibling drama with this frank and soulful offering . . .This story of addiction and grief will resonate with readers."-Publishers Weekly Auth