The Sunshine Girls by Molly Fader on December 6, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Family Life / Siblings, Fiction / Friendship, Fiction / Historical / General, Fiction / Women
Pages: 358
Format: Paperback
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The Sunshine Girls is another historical fiction that was a winner for me! It’s a story about friendship and takes place in the 60-70’s. This one had me hooked and I flew through this one. This goes back and forth thru time to tell the story.
In the present time frame, a famous movie star makes an appearance at the funeral of the mother of Clara and Abbie. The sisters had been estranged so they don’t immediately have a plan of action on how to handle it. Especially as this famous actress, Kitty Devereaux, approached the casket to place a handful of large, ugly, pink buttons inside it. Clara had just arrived moments before the funeral started. She flew in from Chicago where she worked as a corporate lawyer and resided with her partner, Vickie. Meanwhile, Abbie, who had married her high school sweetheart, raised two children, and remained in Greensboro near her childhood home, had to handle all the arrangements for their mother’s funeral. Although Clara and Abbie had been close in their youth, their relationship shifted when Clara left for college.
Clara surprised Abbie by announcing her departure immediately after the funeral. Abbie couldn’t fathom Clara’s absence from the luncheon she had organized or her reluctance to assist in preparing their parents’ house for sale.
The presence of Kitty Devereaux raised questions. Why was she at BettyKay’s funeral? Did she have a connection to Clara’s and Abbie’s mother? When Clara confronted Kitty, demanding an explanation for her attendance, Kitty revealed that Clara’s mother had been proud of her and regretted their last argument deeply. Clara was bewildered—how could Kitty have known about their dispute? If Kitty knew their mother, why had she never been introduced?
In the past, we learn that Betty Kay went to St Luke’s Nursing school. She shows up all alone to the school with no help from her parents just to get away from them. And surprise, her roommate that is assigned to her is Kitty. They didn’t hit it off at first, but then they became very close and their friendship lasted throughout the years. Jenny was another part of their group that also went to school with them and became part of their circle. We get to hear bits and pieces of all the women as they grow older. But why did Betty Kay keep her friendship with Kitty a secret?
In the weeks following the funeral, both in Greensboro and California, Kitty gradually unveiled her connection to Betty Kay and disclosed long-held secrets involving Betty Kay, Kitty, and even Jenny.
These characters were so well developed and I just couldn’t put this one down. I had to know what was going to happen. This was such an emotional rollercoaster of a book. I loved this one. This one reminds me of Fiona Davis and Kate Quinn. Fader has a way of making you feel part of the story. I highly recommend this one to fans of Historical Fiction.