The Almost Archer Sisters

July 21, 2008
There were never such devoted sisters, or ones so hilariously and heartbreakingly conflicted about loyalty and love as the ones in Gabriele’s brisk second novel (Tempting Faith DiNapoli
). Thoughtful, married-mom Georgie “Peachy” Archer and big-city-girl Beth, her older sister, grow up on a Canadian farm with their hairdressing, Vietnam draft–dodging dad, Lou, and share the pain of their mom’s suicide. But that’s where the similarities end—until the sisters swap lives for a weekend. Walking in Beth’s shoes around New York City, Peachy meets Beth’s discreet doorman, snarky friends and disapproving ex-boyfriend, and gets a crash course in understanding what her brash sister’s really about. Here is a charming, smart and honest story of two sisters who learn to embrace the lives they have. Gabriele’s writing is sharp and her heart is pure gold. This honest tale of passionate, mixed-up and forgiving families is hard to put down.

Starred review from September 15, 2008
Georgia "Peachy" Archer feels like she has always lived in the shadow of her older sister; Beth's glamorous life in New York City is worlds away from Peachy's life on the family farm with her husband and two sons, one of whom suffers from epilepsy. When Beth goes through a bad breakup, she sets up a fake online-dating profile with Peachy's picture to secretly pump her ex for information about her faults. But when Peachy stumbles across an intimate moment between her sister and her husband during Beth's visit to the farm, it's Peachy who decides to bring Beth's personal ad to life, with far-reaching consequences. She heads to New York to meet with Beth's ex under the fake ID, leaving Beth to live a slice of her life for a weekend. This strong follow-up to "Tempting Faith DiNapoli" is sharply funny and deeply emotional. Gabriele covers a lot of raw emotional ground, including alcoholism, suicide, draft dodging, infidelity, motherhood, and sisterhood, with a firm yet forgiving touch. A welcome addition to women's fiction, this uplifting novel about the power of family and forgiveness is highly recommended for all public libraries.Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2008
The author of Tempting Faith DiNapoli (2002) returns with this appealing tale of sisterly discord. Peachy Archer has always lived a much more conventional life than her daring sister, Beth. While Beth moved to New York after high school to make it big as a TV personality, Peachy stayed behind and married Beths high-school sweetheart, Beau. Now a mother of two, Peachy spends much of the time caring for her boys, Sam and Jake, and fretting over Sams dangerous epilepsy, which causes him to have seizures almost daily. Beth finally convinces Peachy to come visit her in New York for a weekend, but on the eve of the trip, Peachy catches Beth and Beau in the midst of a passionate coupling. Infuriated, Peachy resolves to go to New York alone with one mission in mind: to seduce her sisters handsome ex-boyfriend, a lawyer named Marcus, a scheme Beth herself inadvertently set in motion. A likable heroine and intriguing family history distinguish this tale of adult sibling rivalry.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)