Review: "Caroline's Sister" by Sheila O'Flanagan

Life comes easy for Caroline O'Shaughnessy. She has good looks that make those around her adore her. She's her father's favourite. When she gets pregnant the first time she sleeps with new boyfriend Damien, he marries her and they create a family together. Caroline's little sister Tess doesn't have it as easy. She lacks her sister's good looks and easy charm, and it seems that absolutely nothing comes easily for her.

When Tessa makes a monumental mistake one night she leaves Ireland and tries to make a new life for herself in London. Caroline, meanwhile, isn't having an easy time of anything at the moment. She's struggling to make her young marriage work and raising her children with little help. Suddenly it doesn't look so easy being Caroline.

I picked this book up at the recent "Friends of the Library" sale that I attended. Funnily enough, when I got home I realized that I had bought the same book, with a different cover, at the previous year's sale. Even more humourous is the fact that I realized when I was about halfway through the book that I had already read this one. Minus points for memorability.

Ultimately this one ended up being just okay for me. Perhaps it would have been better if I didn't remember what happened at the end of the book, but I did. The characters were well-done and both sisters were ones that I could root for, the ending was satisfying enough, but something about the book just didn't grab me. This doesn't discourage me from reading more from Sheila O'Flanagan (which is good, as I have two more by her on my TBR shelves), but this isn't one that I'll go out of my way to recommend. Caroline's Sister is great if you're looking for a light read, but don't expect it to stick with you in the long run.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Anyone looking for a light read
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, 2010 Chick Lit Challenge, RYOB Challenge 2010