Nancy’s Review of Names My Sisters Call Me by Megan Crane

Names My Sisters Call Me is a novel about the dysfunctional relationships between the Cassel sisters. It tells the story of Courtney’s journey as she tries to bring her sisters, Raine and Norah, together after a falling out six years ago. Norah cannot forgive Raine for ruining Norah’s wedding and then running away to California. Courtney still cannot make sense of Raine’s actions either but knows she wants Raine at her own wedding to her fiancé, Lucas. She decides to accompany Lucas on a trip to San Francisco to find Raine and figure out why she never called or kept in touch at all over the years.

Courtney is a driven person who is a professional cellist with the Philadelphia Second Symphony Orchestra. She loves Lucas and loves Norah, despite Norah’s controlling behavior and harsh attitude. Even though Courtney’s life is seemingly going well, she has not been able to fill the void that Raine left when she disappeared. Also, she has not been able to forget about her first love, Matt, who left her to follow Raine to California. Courtney must confront the past to mend the present and bring her family back together. Has everything gone too far though? Will these sisters be able to reconnect despite their many differences?

The characters in Names My Sisters Call Me are humorous, engaging individuals. Crane captured the stark personality differences between the Cassel sisters but also incorporated some of their similarities. She did so with wit and charm, creating a dynamic between the sisters that is believable. It is likely that all readers have had an ex-boyfriend like Matt. He is the one who got away, should have gotten away, and needs to stay away for Courtney’s sake. Her relationship with him is confusing and complicated. As she develops her own identity, Courtney’s transformation throughout the book is refreshing and inspiring. Names My Sisters Call Me is worth reading for anyone who has sisters, has family issues, relationship issues, or just wants to dive into a well-written story about different kinds of love.

Crane is also the author of Frenemies, Everyone Else’s Girl, English as a Second Language, and forthcoming I Love the 80s. She contributed to anthologies It’s a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths About Life in Your Twenties and Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume. She also writes romance novels under the pen name Caitlin Crews. For more information, please visit
http://megancrane.com and http://www.caitlincrews.com.

Have you read any novels by Megan Crane? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section. Thanks!