From the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids comes an emotional novel about two women facing the betrayals, heartbreaks, and refuge of true friendship.

Phoebe and Suze used to be closer than sisters. Growing up in a quiet and wildly beautiful coastal town in Oregon, they shared everything. Until the secrets they couldn’t share threatened their bond and complicated their lives.

Now, decades later, Suze, a famous actress desperate for safe haven following a brutal attack, is back in town. Phoebe, a successful illustrator and fabric designer, has discovered keeping a secret means she can’t let anyone get close, aside from her beloved granddaughter, Jasmine. As Jasmine’s move to London looms, Phoebe doesn’t know how to face the return of her old friend and all that’s still unsaid between them. Can the two women who’ve never confronted their past do it now when the choice is between healing and survival?

Heartfelt and layered, The Starfish Sisters is a moving story about the complicated nature of female friendship, the joys and heartbreaks of life, and the resiliency and power that women possess.

 
 

Praise for The Starfish Sisters

“Barbara O’Neal is at the top of her game. The Starfish Sisters is a gorgeous, heartfelt story about two lifelong friends who, now estranged, must battle their way back to each other after years of betrayals and jealousy and misunderstandings. Suze is a famous, world-traveling movie star who seems to have everything but love—while her former best friend, Phoebe, does art and nurtures the people around her. O’Neal has written a deeply harrowing, suspenseful, and ultimately loving book that explores the nature of women’s friendships and the lengths to which we all will go to protect those we love from danger. I read it far into the night, and, yes, I wept a few tears along the way.”
— Maddie Dawson, Washington Post bestselling author of Matchmaking for Beginners
“A gorgeous, perfectly woven story of a friendship of a lifetime, its demise and resurrection, The Starfish Sisters is a wonderful read. Two teenage girls meet on the coast of Oregon—Phoebe, who visits her grandmother each summer, a refugee of her parents’ difficult marriage, and Suze, who lives there year-round with her abusive, religious father. The girls are soul-mates, and one of the most rewarding things about this book was that message—family of choice and the immense power of female friendship. There’s a rift, of course, but Suze, now an iconic actor, returns to the coast after a brutal attack. Phoebe is there, waiting, helpful and hopeful that the closeness they once shared can be found again. An old flame, healing the scars of the past and present, and a message of hope make this book as soothing and welcome as a rainy day after a drought.”
— Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author of Look On the Bright Side
“Lyric and lovely, full of mature insights, complex loves, and breath-stealing sex. Barbara O’Neal never shies away from pain, but delivers a fully satisfying conclusion.”
— Virginia Kantra, New York Times bestselling author of Meg and Jo
 

For Book Clubs

Reading The Starfish Sisters in a book club? Get a list of book club questions here.

Book Club Questions