The Lucky Sisters (Rachael Johns, Penguin)

Rachael Johns (The Patterson Girls, The Greatest Gift) delivers one of her most heartfelt and emotionally layered novels yet in The Lucky Sisters, a story marking a confident shift beyond the romances she’s known for. Twin sisters Nora and Stevie Lucky were adopted at birth. Though close, they’ve led very different lives: Stevie is a fun-loving and free-spirited single mother, managing a charity shop and raising her daughter, Cherry; Nora, by contrast, is more reserved and disciplined – she never had children and now runs a successful Perth restaurant with her husband. As their 50th birthday approaches and their adoptive mother passes away, the sisters decide it’s time to search for their biological parents. What they discover shakes their sense of identity and forces them to re-evaluate everything they thought they knew – about themselves, each other and the lives they want to lead. The Lucky Sisters is an absorbing, detail-rich novel that rewards patient reading. The pacing is deliberate, allowing room for emotional depth, layered characterisation and satisfying revelations – perfect for readers who love getting lost in a big, immersive story. Johns’ trademark warmth and knack for crafting lovable, true-to-life characters make this a good choice for those who enjoyed Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment or Kerryn Mayne’s Joy Moody Is Out of Time, or those drawn to stories that reflect on the fragility of life and the enduring strength of family. 

Books+Publishing reviewer: Jess Lomas is reviews editor for Books+Publishing. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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