Operations Manager Yira Massey recommends All My Sisters and Me by Sheryl Lister.
If you’re looking for a wholesome story that centers around love, family and friendship, I recommend All My Sisters and Me by Sheryl Lister. This is a book about four tall, dark and handsome brothers raised in a good and loving home, and the four sisters-in-law trying to learn to love and get along with each other and find their place in the family.
Papa Aaron loves his wife and isn’t afraid to show it. Mama Yvonne, the matriarch of the family, loves her husband and sons dearly and loves to go above and beyond in the kitchen during family gatherings. To have her sons marry and bring daughters into her life to complete the Bradley family is her dream.
When Giselle meets her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Kamryn, there’s immediate tension between the two. On the other hand, Kamryn and Taylor, who also just met each other seem to have immediately formed a friendship. Chanel has fallen in love with the family she always wished she had but is weary of the friction between Giselle and Kamryn. She’s had enough family drama in her life and has no desire to be pulled into more drama. Giselle has always felt like she doesn’t belong and constantly battles feelings of inadequacy. The two women try to keep the peace by avoiding each other when possible.
I found myself able to relate to each woman in various instances throughout the story.
How many times have we drawn assumptions of someone we don’t know anything about solely by the way they act, talk, or looked at you? How many times have we let situations escalate because we didn’t address the problem immediately and respectfully, and instead let the emotions and misunderstanding fester?
Have you ever sabotaged or almost sabotaged a relationship because you held on to preconceived notions that had no merit?
There are lessons to be learned in this story; that no matter where you come from, where you are in life, your past or bad experiences, you have the choice and the power to rise above the pain and disappointments.
You can learn to let go of insecurities and self-doubt, to grow and become a better person, and allow joy and love into your life again after heartbreak.
Family and relationships are complex. Good and meaningful relationships take work, patience, and the willingness to have open and honest communications. To build good, respectful, loving and lasting relationships, one must be willing to have difficult conversations sometimes and accept and be candid when wrong.
Of course, that is often easier said than done.
Find it in our collection here.
All My Sisters and Me is the December 2, 2026, title for the Library’s Book Club.
