Book Review: Sisterchicks Down Under!

sisterchicks down underIt’s been 5 years since my last Sisterchicks adventure, so I decided it was time for another one.  Last time, it was Finland.  This time, New Zealand.  It’s quite honestly the cheapest vacation I’ve ever had.

I thought I’d be catching up with old friends.  But no, we were introduced to two new friends, Kathleen and Jill.  Kathleen happens to be my age, and she has moved to New Zealand with her husband whose filmmaking company will be on-location for 3 months.  Lonely and out of her element, Kathleen struggles to fit in with her new life.  Until she meets Jill.  The two of them hit it off at the Chocolate Fish Cafe, a local coffee shop, and soon are inseparable.

With unforgettable adventures that only girls can appreciate, these two friends take the Land Down Under by storm.  Sharing life together, they open up about love and loss, children and husbands, work and marriage and motherhood and shopping and decorating and the perfect cup of coffee.  Though the dialog seemed contrived and unrealistic at points, the storyline was tender and heartwarming, with enough unpredictability to keep me turning the pages.  Just like time spent with good friends, our visit was all too short, and I reached the back cover long before I was ready to say good-bye.

Farewell, Wellington.  Farewell, Jill and Kathleen and Tracy with her fancy truck named Bea.  Farewell, ill-fated garden gnome.  Farewell, Chocolate Fish and Dorothy with the beautiful red nails.  Though we’ve never met – and we never will, as you don’t truly exist – I know I’ll never forget you.