Book Talk: Names My Sisters Call Me by Megan Crane

Names My Sisters Call Me by Megan Crane

Released: April 2008
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Women's Fiction
Pages: 336

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Courtney, Norah, and Raine Cassel are as different as three sisters can be. Norah, the oldest, is a type A obsessive who hasn't forgiven Raine, the middle sister, for ruining her wedding day six years ago. Raine is Norah's opposite, a wild child/performance artist/follow-your-bliss hippie chick who ran off to California. The only thing the two have in common is their ability to drive Courtney, their youngest sister, crazy. 


When her longtime boyfriend proposes, Courtney decides it's finally time to call a truce and bring the three sisters together. After all, they're grown-ups now, right? But it turns out that family ghosts aren't easily defeated--and neither are first loves. Soon Courtney finds herself reexamining every choice she has made in the past six years--including the man she's about to marry--and the value of reconnecting with the sisters she knows she needs, in spite of everything.

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There's this certain selection of books in my bookworm heart that are deemed the highest of the high.  It's where the stories I love, characters that I can instantly click with get to go.  Names My Sisters Call Me is the newest edition to that collection.

Here's the thing about sisters, don't ever open your mouth unless it's your own. I know this because I am a sister.

 Wow. Wow. Wow. Did I ever love this book. Family dynamics are always a favorite, but this time the love story wasn't some secondary part. It was a true mix of life and all the steps it takes you. I loved every minute of it. I could relate to Courtney on so many levels, and it's why I had no problem almost hating her when I thought she was about to ruin something she couldn't even see. Newly engaged, all she wants is to bring her family who is pretty messed up in their own sense back together for her wedding to Lucas. What she doesn't expect is to find out the harsh reality of their feelings and let alone her own.

The sisters infuriated me and yet I understood them. First love, Matt freaking Cheney, who broke Courtney's heart when he took off six years ago might as well been the Devil, yet I secretly couldn't wait for him to show back in the story. We all know how those jerks of a first love go. The best person to tell you how entirely stupid you're being is always going to be your best friend.  In this case Verena was that friend, and boy is she hilarious! She reminds me of my own best friend who has no problem at all telling me how big of a jackass I'm being.

But all along there was Lucas. Strong, reasonable Lucas who has always seen Courtney for who she was. Sweet lord have mercy where can I find a Lucas for myself?! No, this isn't the type of story where the girl suddenly finds herself when she finds the guy. Or finds herself because she has TWO guys to deal with. The guy found her long ago, and it was really up to her to realize how her life should be. I easily found myself slipping into the story, being able to block out the world around me, and it hasn't been easy for me to do that in a while when it comes to books.  In some ways, I knew this story because I've made choices Courtney had made, and I was very pleased to see the end results of hers because it was very realistic.

It's official. Megan Crane is on my all-time favorite authors list. I envy her writing abilities like nobody's business and wish I had some of her talent.