Sister Acts by Sharon Adelman Reyes – A Moving Story of Sisterhood, Secrets, and Survival
“Four sisters. Four clashing personalities. One family secret that changes everything.”
Sister Acts by Sharon Adelman Reyes is a heartfelt work of women’s contemporary fiction that delves deep into the messy, magnificent bonds between sisters. When their mother dies suddenly, four women with clashing personalities must confront jealousy, resentment, and decades of unspoken truth. What begins as a story of grief becomes a powerful exploration of identity, forgiveness, and the ties that both hold us together and tear us apart.
At once tender, witty, and piercingly real, Sister Acts spans generations and geographies — from the suburbs of Oregon to the heart of Mexico and the music halls of Nashville — capturing the universal struggle to find belonging within one’s own family. Keep reading for a special guest post from the author and my full review of this rich, emotionally layered debut novel.
👇 Keep scrolling for the giveaway.
📝 All About the Book
Sister Acts: A Novel
By Sharon Adelman Reyes
Published by Lake Grove Press on August 2025
Genres: Adult Fiction 18+, Women's Fiction
Pages: 448
Source: iRead Book Tours, Kindle UnlimitedFour sisters. Four clashing personalities. Four different ways of living in the world.
Sister Acts explores the impact of loss on three generations of one family –- in particular, the degree to which, to paraphrase Phyllis Chesler, women are capable of inhumanity toward other women. At times heartbreaking and at times hilarious, the novel illuminates the resilience that can come from knowing one’s roots and the estrangement that can result from trying to escape them.
Sophie Malinsky’s sudden death leaves her Left-wing Jewish family in disarray. Rather than bringing her young daughters closer, the loss creates a tangle of jealousies and recriminations. Rose, the eldest, recognizing their father’s limitations, at first tries to become a surrogate mother for her three sisters. But they resent her efforts, each one channeling – or repressing – her grief in a different way.
In the absence of Sophie’s love and guidance, two sisters lose their way. Naomi moves to Mexico and tries to shed her Jewish identity. Betti ends up in Nashville pursuing a dream, never realized, of stardom as a rockabilly musician. A fourth sister, Marla, strives for dominance from an early age. Her jealousy of Rose leads to a toxic rivalry that persists well into middle age, affecting their own daughters as well.
Lurking behind the conflicts is a family secret that Sophie had planned, but failed, to reveal. Decades later, when Rose finally uncovers it, the Malinskys’ saga finally comes into sharp focus.
📚 Where to Find Sister Acts
Available on Amazon
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Also available at:
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✨ My Thoughts on Sister Acts✨
Sister Acts by Sharon Adelman Reyes is an intimate, multi-layered portrait of four sisters whose relationships are shaped by grief, rivalry, and the weight of family secrets. From the very first pages, I was drawn into this complex, believable world — one where love and resentment coexist, and where forgiveness is a long, winding road rather than a single act.
What stood out most to me was how deeply the story understands the emotional geography of sisterhood. Rose’s sense of duty, Marla’s simmering competitiveness, Betti’s restless ambition, and Naomi’s search for identity all feel lived-in and authentic. Reyes doesn’t paint these women in broad strokes — she lets them be flawed, funny, and heartbreakingly human. Their differences aren’t just personality quirks; they’re survival strategies, born from loss and longing.
I also appreciated the subtle humor threaded through even the darkest moments. It keeps the novel from feeling heavy, instead grounding it in the messy, contradictory rhythms of real life. The pacing allows the story to unfold across decades, giving each sister her own arc of reckoning and reconciliation. And when the long-buried family secret finally comes to light, it’s both surprising and inevitable — the kind of revelation that redefines everything that came before it.
Sister Acts will resonate with readers who enjoy emotionally rich fiction about family, identity, and the ways we inherit not just our ancestors’ stories but their silences, too. Sharon Adelman Reyes writes with empathy and insight, making this debut one to remember.
⭐ Review at a Glance
| Genre: | Women’s Contemporary Fiction, Family Saga |
| Setting: | Multi-generational story spanning Oregon, Mexico, and Nashville |
| Length: | 448 pages |
| Content Rating: | PG – Mild language, mild romantic scenes (kissing only) |
| My Rating: | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5) |
| Quick Take: | A beautifully written exploration of sisterhood, loss, and redemption — layered, poignant, and full of truth. |
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review represents my honest and unbiased opinion.
🖋️ Guest Post from Sharon Adelman Reyes
One of my favorite parts of every book tour is giving the author a chance to speak directly to readers. Today, Sharon Adelman Reyes shares the inspiration behind Sister Acts — a story that took shape over many years and was influenced by some of her favorite writers. In this thoughtful guest post, she reflects on how authors like Ann Patchett, Lisa See, Hope Edelman, and Phyllis Chesler helped shape her understanding of relationships, loss, and what it means to tell women’s stories with honesty and heart.
Let’s hear from Sharon in her own words…
My novel Sister Acts was long in the making, inspired not only by my interest in relationships (and how they can go wrong), but also by several writers who share that same fascination.
Ann Patchett is one of my favorite novelists due to her focus on interactions among families, friends, colleagues, and even complete strangers. No matter the setting or situation – which vary widely between works like Bel Canto and The Dutch House – her characters and their reactions have always struck me as genuine and believable. Meanwhile, Lisa See’s exploration of female relationships in books like The Island of Sea Women quickly caught my attention. Although set in times and locales quite different from my own, her character-driven novels made me consider how similar we humans are, notwithstanding enormous cultural differences.
There were also two important works of non-fiction that helped to shape the themes in Sister Acts: Hope Edelman’s Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss, and Phyliss Chesler’s Woman’s Inhumanity to Woman. Edelman and Chessler, in essence, provided me with the evidence and analysis I needed to validate the content of my book. Patchett and See contributed valuable insights into character.
🌿Meet the Author
Sharon Adelman Reyes is a writer, editor, and equestrienne living in Oregon, on the slopes of an extinct volcano with a view of an active one. Drawing from her long career in multicultural education, she has published numerous works exploring human connection and communication across cultures. Sister Acts is her debut novel, a deeply personal and layered exploration of family, identity, and the ties that both bind and divide us.
Sharon’s writing is inspired by authors such as Ann Patchett and Lisa See, who share her fascination with relationships—especially how they can fracture and heal over time. Her fiction blends sharp observation, compassion, and humor, capturing the complex ways women navigate loss, rivalry, and renewal.
Connect with Sharon Adelman Reyes:
Goodreads | Amazon
✍️Closing Notes
Thank you for joining me for today’s stop on the Sister Acts iRead Book Tour. Sharon Adelman Reyes’s debut novel is a rich, emotional journey through the complicated terrain of sisterhood — one that lingers long after the final page. If you enjoy character-driven stories about family, forgiveness, and the strength it takes to face the truth, this one belongs on your reading list.
Don’t forget to visit the other tour hosts for more reviews, excerpts, and special features — plus your chance to win the author-Signed copy of Sister Acts by Sharon Adelman Reyes! You’ll find the full schedule and entry link below.
Many thanks to iRead Book Tours for the opportunity to read and share this beautiful story, and to Sharon Adelman Reyes for her thoughtful guest post and unforgettable cast of characters.
Have you ever read a novel that perfectly captured the ups and downs of your own family relationships?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
🎁 Giveaway!
Enter below for your chance to win Author-Signed copy of SISTER ACTS by Sharon Adelman Reyes! Be sure to follow the tour for more chances at every stop.
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Enter the SISTER ACTS Book Tour Giveaway
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📚 Click to View the Full Tour Schedule
October 27
Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Working Mommy Journal – book spotlight / giveaway
@adriftinfictionalworld – book review
@bearyintobooks * – book review / giveaway
October 28
@Leannebookstagram – book review
@anjiscape * – book review / giveaway
October 30
@riri_reading * – book review / giveaway
@bookscape__ * – book review / giveaway
October 31
Book Corner News and Reviews – book review / giveaway
November 3–7
@this.human.reads * – book review / giveaway
@ablueboxfullofbooks * – book review / giveaway
China Sorrows – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / guest post / giveaway
@bubbleswrapherbooks * – book review / giveaway
@acourtofspinesnpages * – book review / giveaway
From the TBR Pile – book spotlight / giveaway
November 8–12
@readsandmusic * – book review
@onemorechap * – book review
@onlyforthebooks * – book review / giveaway
Hall Ways Blog – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
@reader_ceygo * – book review / giveaway
@review_thick_and_thin – book review / giveaway
@jilljemmett * – book review / giveaway
@michellegodardricher * – book review / giveaway
November 13–14
@nessasbookreviews * – book review / giveaway
FUONLYKNEW – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
@kiv_coffeeandpages * – book review / giveaway
November 17–21
Novels Alive – book review / giveaway
Liese's Blog – book spotlight
@Mama_Coffee_Books_Cardigans * – book review
Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
@nissa_the.bookworm * – book review / giveaway
Happily Managing a Household of Boys – book review / giveaway
@just_another_mother_with_books * – book review / giveaway
@respecka * – book review / giveaway
@lizzies.reading.recs * – book review / giveaway
@my_fair_fiction * – book review / giveaway
📌 Quick Book Tour Recap:
Book Title: SISTER ACTS by Sharon Adelman Reyes
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 448 pages
Genre: Women's Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Lake Grove Press
Release date: August 2025
Tour dates: Oct 27 to Nov 21, 2025
Content Rating: PG: Very mild profanity, mild romantic scene with some kissing.
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This sounds like a wonderful read. I love the cover art.
[…] Sister Acts by Sharon Adelman Reyes — Four sisters. Four clashing personalities. One family secret that changes everything. This heartfelt story explores grief, rivalry, and the long road to forgiveness. (iRead Book Tour Review & Guest Post) […]
This looks like a great read. Thanks for sharing.