About the Book
-
Author:
- Amelia Diane Coombs
- Genres:
- Adult
- Contemporary
- Man-Woman Romance
- Mystery
- Voices:
- Cis Girl
- Straight
- White (Non-Specified)
Cover Story: Peekaboo
BFF Charm: Yay
Talky Talk: Angsty Whodunnit
Bonus Factors: Sisters, Murder Mystery, Awesome Parents
Relationship Status: See You When You Get Back
Content Warning: Drop Dead Sisters includes a scene of attempted rape/sexual assault, a murder, sisterly struggles, and memories of familial emotional trauma.
Cover Story: Peekaboo
I really like how this cover is part of the illustrated fad, but wholly unique. Although there is little detail in the women’s faces, it’s clear who’s who. And the bright orange juxtaposed with the bright blue is such a great color combination. (I’m not going to go off on a rant about my utter dislike of including “a novel” on the cover of novels, but this one’s in a terrible position. The book’s not titled Drop Dead A Novel Sisters.)
The true spectacularness of the design of this book is seen when you take the slipcover off the book, however. I mean:
😍
The Deal:
Remi Finch has distanced herself from her sisters for years. As the youngest, she never really connected with Eliana and Maeve, and as an adult she’s even more removed from the severe mother and CPA (Eiliana) and the flighty social media influencer (Maeve). Remi is fine with her life, even though she hasn’t had a date in over a year and kinda hates her job as a community manager for a video game.
So when her parents announce they’re planning a family camping trip for their 40th anniversary celebration, Remi has little interest in attending. But she’s willing to do a lot for her parents, and so she heads to the woods.
But her sisters aren’t the only thing she’s going to have to deal with while braving the outdoors, and when a dead body goes missing, the three women will do pretty much anything to keep their family safe—and unincarcerated.
BFF Charm: Yay
Remi is kind of prickly, and more than a little willing to blame others for her problems. She’s not entirely wrong to do so—her sisters weren’t very nice to her when she was growing up and her parents definitely played favorites—but she’s also too complacent with her own life and very afraid of any change that might rock the boat. All of that said, I liked her a lot and would definitely want to be friends, especially if I could be the kind of kick-in-the-butt friend she really needs. (But I 100% wanting to be at home with your dog and a good book. Kindred spirits for sure!)
Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Remi meets Hot Ranger Les as she’s entering the national park campground, but writes him off as just another hot dude she had a passing interaction with. But Leo keeps popping up, and he might be flirting with her … but can she have a real relationship with an authority figure when she’s actively attempting to hide a murder?
Talky Talk: Angsty Whodunnit
For a book about 20- to 30-year-old women, this book has angst levels that rival any YA. Coombs writes from experience, having two older sisters of her own (although she does remind her sisters that this book is a work of fiction), and she brings an entertaining levity to a story about a death that comes after an assault. A dead body goes missing not once, but twice; the sisters—none of whom have ever done anything remotely like covering up a murder—stumble through plans that are pulled from cursory Internet searches and pop culture media knowledge; and the rest of the family remains completely clueless (or so the sisters think) and intent on having a good time during the weekend, which includes drinking heavily and doing shrooms. (The Finch parents are very “alternative.”).
I also appreciate Coombs’s tact with dealing with the assault. Remi is a person who often berates herself into thinking she’s at fault with a wide variety of situations, but Coombs doesn’t let her main character get away with that crap thinking for long when it comes to being a victim.
Fuck being polite and kind to men who don’t deserve it.
Bonus Factor: Sisters
I would not want to be in any of the Finch sisters’ shoes, but I appreciated the reality of their relationship very much. They all have preconceived notions about each other’s lives that are not really based in reality. They’re not the greatest of friends, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t literally hide a dead body to protect one of their own. They are a little too honest with each other, verging on brutality, but none of them are perfect, and it takes two+ people to build a proper relationship. This book is the beginning of a new era of Finch sister connection, and they had to go through some pretty hot fire to get to the other side.
Bonus Factor: Murder Mystery
Eliana and Maeve rescue Remi from her attacker, who falls and hits his head on a firepit. But he seems to be OK, and when they threaten to call the cops, he runs into the forest. And even though the sisters hate the guy, they go after him to make sure he doesn’t need medical attention. And then find his body. What happened to him is a source of consternation, especially when their plans to “find him in Remi’s tent, dead” the morning after go awry when his body goes missing. A series of almost silly happenings come after, and it isn’t until the very end that it’s revealed that there actually was a murder and who the muderer was. The mystery kept me guessing the whole book, and the reveal was quite a surprise.
Bonus Factor: Awesome Parents
As I’ve mentioned above, the Finch parents are far from perfect. But they’d do pretty much anything for their daughters, which makes it easier to excuse some of their faults.
I make a contemplative noise, smooshing my pillow again. The older I’ve gotten, the easier it’s become for me to realize that my parents are just … people. They’re going through life for the first time, just like I am, and while I often wish I had more normal parents—parents who didn’t do shrooms or eschew modern psychiatry or send me long emails about my menses and iron levels, since the last time they saw me I looked a little pale—they aren’t bad parents. Or bad people.
As someone who’s recently become a parent myself, this really struck home.
Relationship Status: See You When You Get Back
I’m not a fan of camping, Book, and I’m especially not a fan of covering up a murder. (Have I ever done the latter? No. But one can assume.) So I might not want to go with you on your adventures in the wilderness, but I’d love to hang out once you’re back. And cleared of all suspicion.
Literary Matchmaking
Coombs’s young adult novel All Alone With You is also filled with witty dialogue and complex characters.
Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious series are also mysteries with great characters and a semi-wooded setting.
Jessi Kirby’s The Other Side of Lost is another pretty low-stakes discover yourself in the forest novel.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Mindy’s Book Studio, but got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. Drop Dead Sisters is available now.
