Big & Lily, Lisa Roe (Review by Stacey Lorenson)

This was a fun, heart-tugging contemporary fiction novel about two sisters, Bridget and Lily Ackerman, escaping to rural Alaska for an adventure trip with completely different agendas. Bridget, aka Big, is a S.A.H.M, whose main job is COO and Micro Manager of her two grown children, her retired husband, her mother and Lily. Her self-appointed, full-time job requires sacrifice, judgement, defense protocols, and a full-scale dependency program. When Lily discovers her husband has been cheating on her, she begs Bridget to go with her on an Alaskan wilderness adventure. As the older sister, it was Bridgets’ job to support her Lily escape the biggest catastrophe of her life! As the Ackerman sisters experience the majestic beauty and tranquility of Alaska, they find space to confront hard questions about their relationship. The truth might bring them closer together or further apart. Big & Lily is a compilation of the best and worst things about sisterhood. I appreciated this wasn’t the typical sibling relationship. The added complexity of Bridget parenting her sister when they were just children themselves made the story more intense. As their fragile identities fall away, their underlying fears and insecurities are exposed, giving the storyline a wide variety of situations and topics readers can identify with. This sweet, humorous novel reminds readers that life does not have to be all or nothing. There is room for discovery, fun and growth in between the challenges along the way. You must want it for yourself as much as you want it for everyone else. Will Big & Lily’s precarious relationship survive the rugged, unpredictable Alaskan terrain? Will they be able to mend their bruised egos and Lily’s broken heart? Readers can find out 8/11/26 when Big & Lily becomes available!