WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING

 “Seltzer’s debut novel ends on a high note that will leave readers whistling.”
-Christian Science Monitor

“A rich and rollicking debut…”
—Boston Globe

“Full of fractured relationships, deceit, love and mystery, the page turner reads like a confessional full of music that readers can almost hear.”
—Chicago Tribune/Tribune content agency 

“Though the novel is at its heart a juicy family drama, it’s also a smart and convincing look at the music industry… Unlike too many authors of music-themed novels, Seltzer can write a credible lyric, one that makes you wish the novel had a soundtrack. The lyrics she includes move the plot forward in intriguing directions and reveal the inner lives of her characters.”
-Columbus Dispatch

“Lots of family drama, unexpected love stories and of course, music, make this pulse with life. It’s arguably better than Daisy Jones and The Six…“
—InStyle Australia

“This utterly addictive novel highlights the trials and tribulations women face in the music industry…”
-Woman’s Own

“Strap in for a very fun ride. Seltzer explores the music scene of two different times and asks what legacy means. The intergenerational relationships are creative and crafty while the scenes all feel alive. Reading this book was like being at a rock concert. It completely engulfed me while I read it.”
–Debutiful

“The author writes confidently about the music business… And the folk rock milieu, on- and offstage, is vividly drawn…An original, sometimes stirring story that would probably make an even better movie.”
—Kirkus

“Jour­nal­ist and cul­tur­al crit­ic Sarah Seltzer has writ­ten a remark­able debut nov­el that taps into her deep well of knowl­edge about fem­i­nism and rock his­to­ry. .. This inge­nious sto­ry weaves in fas­ci­nat­ing sub­plots as it explores the con­flict between being a moth­er and writ­ing great songs.”
-Jewish Book Council

“This is a story about the big stuff – life, death, career aspirations, sexual agency, parenting – but all are handled with a light enough touch to make this a debut to savor… Highly recommended.”
-New Pages

“The world of contemporary music…presents a captivating new milieu for Jewish fiction… Seltzer, an award-winning journalist, brings her experience and distinctive feminist voice… to both the Jewish and female aspects of her debut novel.”
-Hadassah Magazine

“Seltzer folds a distinctly Jewish style of domestic tragicomedy into a popular music novel with a feminist lens. It should appeal as an escape for fans of either genre…”
—Sydney Morning Herald

“A melodious debut novel …Seltzer eloquently weaves the exquisite pain of broken relationships and the yearning for finding the lost chord through into a colorful narrative that reveals the ways in which music can both shield us from our shortcomings and expose our vulnerability at the same time.”
-No Depression, “Best Music Books of 2024”

“By the end of Sarah Seltzer’s debut novel I could almost hear the music reverberating from the pages… Seltzer is adept at keeping readers hooked… a gorgeous novel that should be televised, if only for the soundtrack.”
-The JC

“Seltzer’s human-sized angles won me over. The two storylines form a powerful braid… I’m looking forward to what this writer does next.“
-Reading Jewish Fiction 

“THE SINGER SISTERS is a fine, emotionally resonant story about the ties that bind families together and the many ways in which mothers and daughters understand (and misunderstand) each other.”
-Bookreporter

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

“Quite possibly the best new fiction I’ve read this year…A musical family’s life in music complete with ups, downs, and sideways turns.”
-Facebook reviewer

“I was sucked in and truly experienced the rollercoaster of emotions that the characters felt. The vividly painted folk music scenes and characters from the 1960s and the alternative rock scene decades later added extra excitement to the story. I ended up reading the whole book over two days because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.”
—Amazon reviewer 

“This is a book you can really lose yourself in…The ending is truly masterful in a writerly way. “
—Amazon reviewer 

“Wow, just WOW. The Singer Sisters by Sarah Seltzer blew me away.  It’s a moving and emotional family drama. It is about creating art, your life, your legacy…. Seltzer’s writing had me captivated.”
—Goodreads reviewer

“It has a really gritty edge and the writing is phenomenal. There is a lot of drama in the family and you can see how well the author has carefully crafted a story so real and raw, you won’t be sorry you picked it up. “
—Goodreads reviewer

“I absolutely fell in love with The Singer Sisters…It was such a joy to listen to- catapulting me back to NY in the 90s, with so much color and depth. I did not want this beautiful story to end!!! Sarah’s storytelling is just perfect.”
-Audible.com reviewer

“This is a moving story that digs down deep into the stories behind song lyrics that hold the power to finally unite or drive a wedge that can never be closed. Fans of the tv show “This is Us” specifically the mom/daughter musical link will appreciate this as will readers of books centered around the children of famous parents.”
-Goodreads reviewer

“The Singer Sisters conveys the ever-changing world of the music industry, a woman’s place in the world, and thorny family dynamics. All characters, even minor ones, are written with richness and depth, making them all too human. Sarah Seltzer is a writer to watch out for. The Singer Sisters is a top 40 hit of a debut.”
-The Bookself blog review

“Not only is The Singer Sisters one of the best books of the year, but it is also one of the best debut novels that I have read in a long time. Seltzer’s writing is seamless, powerful, and moving. I was immediately sucked in… Do I recommend it? Absolutely. “
-WriterGurlNY blog review

WHAT OTHER WRITERS ARE SAYING

“It’s rare to find characters as richly rendered, a fictional world as expertly drawn, or a story as captivating. Like the best albums, The Singer Sisters is one you’ll finish and immediately want to start over from the first track.” —Diana Spechler, author of Who By Fire and Skinny 

“Tearing through the pages of The Singer Sisters was like flipping through a friend’s magnificent record collection and wanting to borrow every last one of them. Sarah Seltzer’s sweeping and tenderly crafted novel is a quilted history of American music that reminds us that the past can sing, if we’re listening.” 
—Emily Schultz, author of The Blondes and Sleeping With Friends 

“I devoured Sarah Seltzer’s debut novel The Singer Sisters as it swung between the 1960s folk scene and the 1990s alt rock scene. Seltzer spins a profound web, showing the complex intergenerational push and pull between mothers, daughters, sisters. Long kept secrets are revealed through songs and albums and mysterious strangers.”
 —Bethany Ball, author of The Pessimists

“Taking the reader from Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1960s to the casually misogynistic L.A. pop-rock world of the late 1990s and early 2000s,The Singer Sisters is a superb novel—inventive, original, and extremely intelligent. It is also fast-paced, absorbing and full of heart, with a well-drawn and appealing cast of characters whose fates the reader comes to care about deeply. I felt bereft when it was over.” 
—Adelle Waldman, author of The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.

“What a story: artists, sisters, daughters, mothers, rivals, guitars. The Singer Sisters is a totally fresh and original rock & roll saga of a family full of formidable, creative, unforgettable women. Seltzer writes about different music generations with an expert’s eye and a fan’s ear, nailing all the details of how songs become part of our lives, as the singers connect and clash over the years. She makes the whole novel flow like a brilliantly complex but heart-wrenching love song.” 
—Rob Sheffield, bestselling author of Love is a Mixtape and Dreaming the Beatles

“The Singer Sisters, which follows a multigenerational folk-rock family, is a breezy, compelling read with momentous questions at its core. What does it mean to be parented sufficiently—to be loved well? What is worth sacrificing for the sake of artistic ambition? Does the muse work on a timeframe, or will it wait? Ultimately, Seltzer presents an entrancing vision not of having it all at the same time, but of finding satisfaction, even triumph, anyway.”
 —Jessica Gross, author of Hysteria

“You’ll be drawn in by the music and the free-wheeling folk scene Seltzer so deftly and convincingly creates, but what will stay with you long after the novel’s end are the main characters—Judie, Emma, Sylvia and Rose—four vibrant women bound, and sometimes tormented by, their fierce ties.” 
—Kitty Zeldis, author of The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights

“An expertly-imagined family drama, suffused with hard truths, deep betrayal, and a most generous, surprisingly steadfast love.” 
—Elisa Albert, author of Human Blues

“In prose as musical as its subject matter, Sarah Seltzer takes us into an unforgettable family of singer-songwriters, exploring maternal ambivalence, the call of art, and the messy, vibrant, ever-changing state of family life. I was sad to reach the final page.”
 —Elizabeth Graver, author of Kantika 

“What a pleasure to read this book! A delightful journey through the folk and rock scenes from the 60s through the early aughts, told through the kaleidoscopic voices of one family. I loved dipping down into the early folk scenes of Cambridge and New York, the feminist rock of the 90s, the pop industry of the 2000s, and seeing how a family can be torn apart, and stitched back together, via the miracle of song.” 
—Robin MacArthur, author of Half Wild and Heart Spring Mountain

“I devoured The Singer Sisters in a day! Seltzer’s stellar writing is addictive and all-consuming and her characters felt so vividly real, I wished I could go and buy their albums afterwards. An engrossing, heartfelt story of family, secrets, and unforgettable women. I loved it.“
—Catherine Walsh, author of SNOWED IN

“Immersive, atmospheric, and absorbing, with three beautifully interwoven stories, The Singer Sisters somehow left me nostalgic for a time and place I’ve never experienced outside this wonderful novel.”
–Andrea Mara, No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of NO ONE SAW A THING

“My favourite read of the summer . . . Women are the beating heart of this book, and it’s a magnetic story about siblings, mothers and daughters; the things about each other we fail to see; and a yearning to be seen – all with the pulse of musical creativity driving it. It was one of those books that, when I finished it, I wished I could be friends with the characters.”
—Kristen Perrin, author of HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER

“A gloriously accomplished debut novel that reads like Sarah Seltzer has been crafting stories for decades. The Singer Sisters is a nuanced family drama disguised as a rock n roll tale of fame, fortune, and what it feels like to be a person who simply must create. Compulsory summer reading.“
—Laura Jane Williams, author of OUR STOP

WHAT BOOKSELLERS ARE SAYING

“I LOVED this melodic, joyful, and unpredictable family drama set amongst the music of the 60s and 90s. “

— Mary Cotton, Newtonville Books, Newton, MA

“As THE SINGER SISTERS moves between the ‘60s folk clubs and ‘90s music festivals, author Sarah Seltzer reveals the ups and downs of life for women artists in her rich portrayal of the four vibrant and talented women at the center of this captivating and poignant family drama.”

-Linda Kass, Gramercy Books, Bexley, OH

“With its vivid colors, playful graphics, and guitar motif, The Singer Sisters’ cover drew me in immediately; however, its story – full of family secrets – and its dynamic, complex characters, are what kept me reading. ..

Fans of 1960s folk music and 1990s alternative rock, this one will sing to you!

Dig family dramas with complicated mother-daughter relationships? Jump right in.

Fast-paced, smart, and heartfelt novels your thing? The Singer Sisters checks those boxes, too.”

—Jessica, the Brewster Bookstore, Cape Cod MA

“A very moving and entertaining multigenerational story that takes the power and promise of music seriously. Seltzer compassionately catalogues the tread and the wear the profession takes… her descriptions of the creative process, dynamics and relationships between bandmates and collaborators really strike the right chords.”

-Matthew, The Common Good, Ellenville NY

“A sprawling and rewarding multi-generational family epic ruminating on a musical legacy full of hope, loss, love, & resentment, with many disparate threads that come together in unexpected ways. Lots to explore, lots to love, with plenty of deep cuts and interesting analogues for the folk heads. “

— From Seth’s Picks, Carmichael’s, Louisville KY

The Singer Sisters!

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