Review: Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

ISBN: 9780385521222
Source: Purchased
Series: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants #5
Release Date: January 1, 2011
Goodreads  |  Amazon
See my reviews for other books in this series

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

Despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness.
Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.

     REVIEW:

I was so super excited to read this book and find out what happened to four of my favorite fictional girls.... I must tell you... I must warn you - this book has left me traumatized and I will never think of the series the same again. I probably can't even re-read them at some later date. How am I going to let my future daughter(s) read them, knowing what they are getting into with book five?! Sigh...

I'm not saying it's bad. It isn't. It was actually pretty good. Except for the fact that I was basically crying the entire time and every time I even look at the cover let alone think about what actually happened I get that ache in my chest (you know, the one that normal people get for real tragedies and we nerds get for fictional characters?) and want to cry a little bit more.

I will say that I was not a fan of the fact that the book was literally depressing almost in its entirety. I think I might have cracked a smile somewhere within the last 50 pages, which was promptly replaced with tears again. It's hard to endure several hundred pages of depression and find something to enjoy about it. I also think that the same issue with the dialogue that I had in book four was present in this book also. It was a little awkward and stunted.

The book was a little long for my tastes and it dragged a bit in the middle, but I was completely committed to this series so I was also able to look past that and finish the whole damn thing in two days. The ending was a little too tidy for me, and thats something that I was not able to overlook, but I suppose I was satisfied nonetheless. I guess after five books, one of which rips your heart out and stomps on it repeatedly, the series is entitled to a tidy ending, bow and all.

Overall, I enjoyed the read and even with how depressing it was, it gives us a glimpse of the truth of growing up - that not all "grown ups" are living the happy lives they once thought they would. They lose touch with their friends and sometimes even with reality when they realize that things aren't quite going the way they expected. A touching and beautiful (yet incredibly sad) story about everlasting love and friendship, Sisterhood Everlasting was a decent ending to a series that will always hold a place in my bookish heart.

     RATING: ★★★ 1/2

Have any of you read this last installment? I know many people have read the first four but never made it around to this one. Let me give you this advice: If you wish to preserve the fond memories of the series as it stands, don't read this book. This book will change the way you look at the previous four. Maybe not in a bad way, but it kind of sets a sad overtone for it all and I can't quite look at it as happily as I would have before I read it. Even still, I'm glad to have closure and glad I read it.

I'd love to hear from you on this one! Have you read it? What did you think? If not, have you not read it because of things (like this review) that you've read about it? I'm interested in everyone's opinion of this one..

A.