A Sister's Promise (Karen Lenfestey) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

8. A Sister's Promise by Karen Lenfestey
    Topic/Prompt: a book with a family member's name in the title

Synopsis:

Kate Hopper can list a million reasons why she doesn’t have kids. No, more like reasons why she shouldn’t have kids: genetics, a dysfunctional family, and ultimately, the fear that she wasn’t cut out to be June Cleaver or Carol Brady or Claire Huxtable. TV moms always made it look so easy, but Kate knows better.
When Kate’s little sister, Joely, refuses a medical treatment because it will leave her infertile, Kate is willing to say anything to save her sister’s life—even promising to have a baby. Kate decides to keep her rash words a secret from her husband until she can figure out whether she really wants to be a mother. Especially since they agreed their marriage would remain childless.
A sister’s promise and a wife’s promise: Kate must break one. Should she risk everything she has for the unknown?

My Review:

Sisters share a special bond with each other that can't be broken. Although Kate and Joely are complete opposites, they will always be there for each other. After their mom died, Kate felt she had to take on the responsibility of taking on that role. It's some years later when Joely gets diagnosed with lupus. She refused to receive treatment unless Kate promises to have a child since the treatments will make her infertile. Joely is the sister who has always wanted to have children, while Kate has never seen herself fulfilling that role for several reasons. Without thinking about it and wanting her sister to get the care she needs, Kate agrees to have a child. Kate has a lot to think about as she has also made a promise with her husband that they wouldn't have children. 

Kate doesn't like to break a promise, but for the first time in her life, she has to with one of two people she loves the most. For Kate, it's a journey of self discovery while she decides if she wants to be a mother and then breaking the news to her husband. She doesn't take the decision lightly and she has to decide all the while dealing with work politics and dealing with the emotions of her sister's diagnosis.

For Joely, she goes through another journey through the emotions of dealing with and coming to terms with a terminal illness. There's no right way of trying to receive a medical diagnosis of any sort, especially if it's something that you'll have to live with for the rest of your life or a terminal illness. 

This is a story about the bond between sisters, confronting fears head on, and a family's reaction to Joely's lupus diagnosis, which includes their father. And just like any sisters, Kate and Joely didn't always agree with each other and the choices they made. No matter what, though, they were always brought back together. It really defined that family is everything and sometimes family is all you have. It brings about a reminder to treasure the time with your family because you never know how long you have with them. 

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~