The Almost Sisters

This is my first Joshilyn Jackson book, which was recommended by Modern Mrs. Darcy's Anne Bogel. The novel THE ALMOST SISTERS has many moving parts, but they all fit together very nicely, and you can follow the story easily enough. It was the audible version read by Ms. Jackson and I absolutely fell in love with her accent by the end of the book.
There are some good twists, turns and secrets revealed. Some parts were easy to figure out and a bit predictable, but the characters—especially Leia, are well drawn and they kept me entertained and engaged until the end. There are funny moments in the book that I genuinely chuckled out loud at parts. I loved that Leia is a nerd and imperfect, I love that her perfect sister isn't as perfect as she appears, and her grandmother and Wattie could easily have stolen the book if Leia and Rachel weren't rendered so realistically.
The author portrays race and social class relationships in the south, both past and present, though I found Leia's nativity about racism still existing a bit of a character flaw, especially at the age of 38. Endings are always the big issue with me, but I liked how it ended. While neatly tied up, it was not unrealistic and more importantly it wasn't rushed. I only gave it 4 stars because while I really enjoyed it, it did not leave me totally wanting more and regretting that it was ending.
”The South I'd been born into was all sweet tea and decency and Jesus, and it was a real, true place. I had grown up inside it, because my family lived there.”

”The second South was always present, though, and in it decency was a thin, green cover over the rancid soil of our dark history. They were both always present, both truly present in every square inch.”