Cheri Paris Edwards

Running away from problems in California lands Sanita back in quiet Urbana, Illinois. Her family thought she was in school, but Sanita, or Jazz as she was known on the west coast, was leading a life that finally caught up with her. Safely back in the embrace of her family, she's prepared to put that life behind her and create a new beginning.

With a good ten years on her sister, Sanita, Carla was raised at a time when her parents didn't have much. So while Sanita had everything handed to her on a silver spoon, Carla has worked hard to get where she is. As the new principal of a charter school, Carla loves her job. She's won the respect of her students and most of the faculty, but there are a few teachers that would love to witness her downfall.

Bishop James Jefferson loves the Lord, the church and his family. If there were any way to remove the pesky Marcella Lewiston from the church, he'd love it even more. But Marcella was raised in Faith Community Church of Christ as a preacher's kid and she has no intention of leaving the church that her father helped steer for years. Marcella goes out of her way to keep Bishop Jefferson in his place and with this latest gossip she heard about his youngest daughter, she's sure that she has him just where she wants him.

What did you like about this book?
It was a fairly predictable read, which was fine for a lazy holiday weekend.

What didn't you like about this book?
I was slightly thrown because I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be Christian lit, but there was a liberal dosage of Bible verses thrown in, so I suppose it is. Yes, I know there was a pastor in the story, but does that necessarily qualify a book as Christian lit? At any rate, it felt very much like a Tyler Perry play on paper. If Tyler Perry is your thing, then this is the book for you.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I felt like the book really focused on Sanita, which was unfair to Carla. I thought, well maybe there was another book that focused on Carla and so the title The Other Sister was appropriate because we were now focusing on Sanita.

Due to her introverted ways, Carla was often the overlooked sister. On the flip side, Sanita was the black sheep in a family of "good, churchgoing people." I would say that since either sister could have been "the other sister," the focus should have been 50/50.… (mais)