Starred review from January 30, 2017
Brashares (the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series) traces the tangled threads that connect two households in this moving novel set in and around New York City. Before Ray’s parents met, his mother was married to a man named Robert. That marriage ended in a bitter divorce, but one good thing came out of it: Ray’s older half-
sisters, Emma, Mattie, and Quinn. Remarried, Robert has another daughter Ray’s age, Sasha, whom Ray has never met. Ray often wonders about Sasha when he stays at the Hamptons summer house both families share; he and Sasha stay in the same bedroom during the weeks their respective families are there. Then one eventful summer when Emma gets engaged and Mattie discovers a buried family secret, Ray finally meets Sasha and there’s an instant mutual attraction. Both funny and tragic, this sharply observed drama recognizes the complexity of split families trying to heal and the ill effects of longstanding grudges. Brashares’s masterful orchestration of plot, multidimensional characters, and intriguing subplots will delight her fans and newcomers alike. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, William Morris Endeavor.