Book Review: Slippers in the Oven

By Sara Steven

And you thought you have family drama.

In Slippers in the Oven, Ann and Emma are estranged sisters who find themselves at the funeral of their dead husband. Yes, you read that correctly. Ann, a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother had been married to Henry for many years before he decided to leave her for her sister, Emma, the wild one. Emma feels it’s time to bury the hatchet, proposing a two-week ocean cruise where they’ll be forced to communicate and get to know each other again. Her hope is for reconciliation and a better understanding as to why everything had played out the way it had with Henry.

They really have nothing in common (other than a deceased husband). Ann is meek and selective, quiet and shy. Much more reserved than her older sister Emma, who had never been married before Henry, has no children, and has worked in the corporate world for most of her adult life. Loud and vivacious, she’s almost always the center of attention, yet in Emma’s mind, Ann is the one who seems to steal the spotlight at any given moment just by being awkward and bordering a bit on clumsy. People find her most endearing, something Emma yearns for, and Ann wishes she could be more outgoing just like her big sister.

Along with these two strong female leads are a sprinkling of nutty characters they find on the cruise ship. It’s never a dull moment at the dinner table seated next to Gloria, the habitual cruiser who has sailed seventeen times and counting, or Denny, a woman who never shows up to a meal without dressing to impress first, complete with sequins. The men on the ship are even more hysterical, like Reg who Emma has deemed “follicularly challenged” or Norman, the man who sweeps Ann off her feet during a ballroom dance lesson yet can’t seem to speak above a whisper.

We get flashbacks of the past and childhood memories for Ann and Emma, delving deeper into the story of why these two never felt they could get along, leading up to the moment where Emma practically stole Henry from Ann. I'm reminded of something a friend once told me: “A long trip will make or break a relationship.” With pivotal moments as haphazard and choppy as their ocean cruise, it makes you wonder if the time these sisters are spending together will completely break their sisterhood. Will they ever be able to trust in one another again?"

Thanks to Authoramp for the book in exchange for an honest review.