THE PLOT: ‘Sisterhood Everlasting’ by Ann Brashares is the final instalment of award-winning ‘The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants’ series. It’s 2011 and Tibby, Lena, Carmen and Bridget are on the cusp of turning thirty but are now living separate lives. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to an industry executive who cares more about image than his fiancée. Lena lives a quiet life teaching art in Rhode Island, still dreaming about her teenage love Kostos. Bridget is a San Francisco nomad who fears settling down. Although their friendship still exists on paper it’s one of missed calls and checking diaries. When Tibby, who has moved to Australia, reaches out to bring them all back together for a reunion, all of their lives change forever.

RATING: This adult novel is aimed at all of us who grew up loving the young-adult series. Published in 2012, it’s important to remember this was written before WhatsApp and Twitter and all of the other technology which makes keeping in touch with childhood friends easier. The central premise is about friendships falling by the wayside as you grow into adulthood, which I think is something all of us have experienced. That relatability really hooked me and I felt emotional as I imagined my own friendships like those in the novel. Even though I guessed the twists pretty early on, I loved getting to spend more time with these characters and follow them into adulthood. The whole book is very touching and sad, yet with an uplifting and satisfying ending.

GOOD BITS:  This book had me weeping, which is always a sign that I loved a book. My favourite character journey was Carmen’s, probably because she had the biggest arc as she found her true self beneath the glitz and glamour of fame. However, it’s worth noting that I did struggle to reconcile Carmen with the character in the books (probably because it’s so tied up with America Ferrara’s fantastic portrayal in the movies). I also enjoyed the exploration of Bridget’s psyche as the character who has been through the most tragedy in her life and who was always the least future/career-minded.

NOT SO GOOD BITS: I initially found it difficult to connect because the POV changes with a line break every couple of paragraphs but there isn’t a heading for each protagonist. This means that you never get to settle into what each character is experiencing due to the rapid head hopping. However, this difficulty connecting went away and the sections in each POV become longer. Additionally, I disliked the idea of Carmen being a ‘size 0’ and obsessed with her weight. I think this is reflective of when the book was published but Carmen being proud of her curves was so integral to the YA books, it was sad to read about this development. I also found Lena’s storyline a bit repetitive and she didn’t seem to have grown up very much.

OVERALL: Let’s be honest, this book is only going to appeal to fans of the original ‘The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants’. But, as a true stan, I am here to promote it. If you loved the original young adult books, I would highly recommend diving into this last adult instalment. However, I am warning you now – get the tissues ready!