Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Top Ten Tuesday: We Are Family!

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

We Are Family!


I LOVE sibling stories, and I have read many wonderful books filled with siblings. Since I am a sister and have a sister, I want to talk about books that show us the ups and downs of having and being a sister.
Caraval
Stephanie Garber
Series: Carval, #1
Publisher: Flatiron Books

Tella and Scarlett dreamed of escaping their father's cruelty, and an invitation to Caraval was their ticket to freedom. Their dedication to each other was quite obvious, and when push came to shove, one was willing to risk her life to save the other.

Summer of Salt
Katrina Leno
Series: n/a
Publisher: HarperTeen

Georgina always referred to Mary as her best friend and her sister. Their bond began when shared a womb, and although they were very different from each other, they were extremely close. When trouble found Mary, Georgie fought to clear her name. These sisters were there to support each other.

The Last Summer of the Garrett Sisters
Jessica Spotswood
Series: n/a
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Being one of four sisters cannot be easy, and it's that dynamic which was explored in this book. These sisters are closer than close due to losing their parents when they were younger. The bond between them was unquestionable, and there were some fabulous scenes where that sisterly love just burst from the page.

Royals
Rachel Hawkins
Series: Royals, #1
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Daisy had the unfortunate luck of having one of those perfect sisters, and then this sister goes and gets engaged to a crowned prince. Though she was sometimes frustrated by the demands, Daisy did everything she could for her sister, because she loved her.

Nice Try Jane Sinner
Lianne Oelke
Series: n/a
Publisher: Clarion Books

I adored Jane and her sister, Carol. The mutual admiration they had for each other was obvious, and it was a lovely sisterly bond they shared. Carol was much more open about her feelings, but Jane gave a little here and there, and she eventually did something major, because she cared so much for Carol.

Always and Forever, Lara Jean
Jenny Han
Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #3
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

The Song sisters are my favorite sisters! After their mother's untimely death,  Margo took on a motherly role, and then Lara Jean stepped into her shoes, when Margo went to college. Their relationship had its ups and downs, and there was a lot of give and take, but there was a tremendous amount of love.

Now Is Everything
Amy Giles
Series: n/a
Publisher: HarperTeen

Hadley put everything on the line in order to save her little sister from the abuse she herself had suffered at the hands of their father. She was willing to go to any extreme to protect her, often putting herself in the line of fire to distract her father from her sister. That's some serious sisterly love.

Things I Should Have Known
Claire LaZebnik
Series: n/a
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Chloe sometimes struggled with feeling obligated to her sister, Ivy, but her affection for her sister was nothing less than genuine. Yes, she could get frustrated at times, but she was also fiercely protective of Ivy and eventually took the time to really understand her needs.

Labyrinth Lost
Zorida Córdova
Series: Brooklyn Brujas, #1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

I think it would be pretty awesome to share some magic with my sister, as Alex did with her's. These powerful witches are bound by their magic, but they also share a warm, familial love, & I really enjoyed the family dynamic.

Ramona Blue
Julie Murphy
Series: n/a
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Ramona was a top notch little sister. She lent support and care for Hattie at a time when she really needed it. That's what sisters do. They stand by you when you need them most.

This is me and my sister


Do you have any favorite books featuring sisters?
Let us know in the comments!

50 comments:

  1. Ramona Blue is a good one. I need to finish the Lara Jean series. Summer of Salt is another I need to get to. Love the collage of you and your sister!

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    1. The final LJ book was bittersweet, and I need more answers!! I had done that collage a while back for siblings' day, and thought, why not!

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  2. I love the pics of you and your sister! These are some great reads you have in your list.

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    1. Thanks! I have a thing for sibling stories, but was actually surprised how many of the YA books I have read star only children.

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  3. I still need to read a few of these, but I always love a good sibling story. Those pics of you and your sis are fantastic too. Thanks for sharing them :)

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    1. I was shocked that I haven't read more sister stories.

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  4. Oh man, Sam awesome take on the topic this week! Royals just makes me smile so much!

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    1. I don't really read novellas, so I had to do something this week. 😊

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  5. I haven't read any of these, lol. But I have some on my TBR I'm pretty excited about.
    Adorable pictures!

    Here's our TTT: http://jennreneeread.blogspot.com/2018/07/top-ten-tuesday-novellas.html

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    1. Yeah, we were pretty cute as kids. If nothing else, our clothing is entertaining

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  6. I love your photos! I have sisters, but I don’t read many sibling stories. (Maybe I subconsciously like to pretend that my sisters don’t exist, and sibling books remind me that they do.) Ramona Blue is on my TBR list. I’ve heard good things about it.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. Ha! Sisters can be good and bad, and most of this books explore both sides of that relationship, which I like.

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  7. I really loved the sisters in Laybrinth Lost, and I feel like you get to know them a bit better in Bruja Born. I do think it's great when books have sibling relationships, as I'm really close to mine. Love the photos of your sister and you. :)

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I have been terrible getting to sequels, but I am excited about Brujas

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  8. oh I'm so happy to see "Things I Should Have Known" and Brooklyn Brujas on this list! I ADORE those books! Book 2, Bruja Born is so good! and yes I love them because of the familiar relationships so awwwww

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    1. I have been hearing great things about Brujas. I have it. I just need to work it in my schedule

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  9. I love the Song sisters too! I love that you shared pics of your own family!

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    1. The Song sisters are my faves and fabulous and we need more of their stories

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  10. I haven't read any of these, but several sound very good. Cute pictures too! Here is our Top Ten Tuesday

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    1. I love sibling books, and I cannot resist pimping pics from when my sister and I was so cute.

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  11. I love sister stories as well. Yay for the Brooklyn Brujas and To All the Boys I've loved before series! Great topic.

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  12. Aww, I love the pictures of you and your sister! So cute! I love stories about siblings, sisters especially.

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    1. Oh, to be that young again! This topic made me realize, that I read a lot of stories with only children.

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  13. Fun topic! I have two sisters, each of whom is very different, so I'm always fascinated by the dynamics between sisters. A recent sister book that I liked is ALMOST SISTERS by Joshilyn Jackson.

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    1. I will have to check out Almost Sisters. I didn't include any adult books, but I have read quite a few great sister stories in that age range too.

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  14. Loved seeing your pictures with your sister at the end! And I do love how contemporary brings so many dynamic and great families. Royals had some great family moments, and I really need to get one more of these. Wonderful picks, Sam! :)

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    1. Royals was lots of fun, but I think Daisy grew to understand and appreciate her sister quite a bit over the course of the story.

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  15. Ahh loved seeing your photos of you and your sister. My sis and I have had our ups and downs, but we are always there for each other when it counts. Hmm... I am thinking about sister books, I really liked the Jenny Han series you mentioned, and I loved Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.

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    1. I am not familiar with Garden Spells, but it's part of a series, which is something I always enjoy, since we get to see our favorite characters again.

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  16. Aww I love this! Especially the photos of you and your sister- I was always so jealous of sisters, honestly! I looove the Lara Jean sister relationships, because they have their ups and downs but they love each other so much, it just seems really honest. And SO many of these are on my TBR and now I am more excited for them! Great list!

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    1. Han gave us a very realistic, but beautiful family dynamic with the Song sisters. I probably wouldn't have liked them as much, if they hadn't had those ups and downs.

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  17. It's nice to read books that really celebrate family and siblings. These all look very nice, but Caraval kinda stands out for me as I've been wanting to read that one for a while. The Last Summer of the Garrett Sisters looks nice too.

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    1. I know some hard-core fantasy readers had issues with it, but I really enjoyed Caraval, and my co-blogger thought the sequel was great too.

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  18. YES to Scarlett and Tella! I loved their relationship! I really need to read Labyrinth Lost.

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    1. I am a Bruja fan, and I heard the second book is even better

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  19. Maybe my memory is fading but I don't remember any books that I've read recently where there was a good family (by blood) relationship. Most of the novels I read usually feature people from different walks of life that because of their circumstances become a family of sorts. The one that comes to mind in that aspect is the Crossbreed Series By Dannika Dark (urban fantasy) :)

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    1. Friends as family is a topic I hope to do a list for, because many people are not lucky enough to be born into great families, but they are lucky enough to find great "families".

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  20. This is a perfect list! I would add Lara Jean and her sisters on any sibling list. I think that they are my favourite literary siblings, for sure. :)

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    1. I have yet to meet a fictional group of sisters, who surpassed them in my affection.

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  21. Oh, this is awesome, Sam! As someone who is an only child, I love family stories and positive sibling stories. I have The Royals on my TBR!

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    1. Royals is pure fun. I hope you get to read it.

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  22. I love sister stories too-the sister relationship at the heart of Caraval was one of the reasons I loved it so much!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/07/17/top-ten-tuesday-168/

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    1. I really need to read Legendary to get more of these sisters

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  23. I love books with siblings but that might just be because I have three siblings myself so seeing that representation whether it comes to love or hate gets to me every time. I got a review copy of Royals but it's an ebook in a format I can't read so I'm so sad about that :( I really want to read it! I also really want to read Caraval too!!

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    1. What format did they give you? I hate when I get pdfs, ascms, etc. I want mobis, but have installed apps on my Fire to reluctantly read other formats.

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  24. Caraval was a nice sister story. I haven't had the chance to read the others yet.

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    1. It was. I think the abuse they suffered together made their relationship even stronger.

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  25. I love this post idea, and the pictures of you and your sister are so lovely!! I don't have any siblings, but I too love books with great sibling-relationships. I Tella and Scarlett's bond, because they were desperate to protect each other, and so ever when they (khm, especially Tella) did things I disagreed with, it was impossible to get mad at them. I haven't read the rest, but quite a few are on my to-read list. :)

    Veronika @ The Regal Critiques

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    1. The whole save-your-sister thing definitely made Tella and Scarlett's story that much stronger for me. What says love more than risking your life for someone?

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