This was a nice tour around London and I liked the characters. I just wish that the author was more subtle with the religion. It seems so sudden and forced that it distracts and brings you out of the story. One minute the characters will be wandering around enjoying themselves then all of a sudden they're having deep thoughts or discussion on God and how wonderful it is that He brought them here and how happy they are to know Him. Then they'll pick up right where they left and start enjoying their trip again. It's bizarre and most times really doesn't fit. But aside from that these are enjoyable. ( )

I am an undeniable anglophile. Obviously there are many literary greats that hail from the UK (Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, the Brontës, etc.), but it’s not just the authors that leave me itching to cross the pond. I love the cranky bartenders at the pubs. I love the rolling hills in the countryside. I love the limitless new plays that cycle through the West End. I love double-decker buses, the Tate, cathedrals, day trips to sleepy villages, the Tube, Tower Bridge and posh politeness from strangers.

My Brit love boiled over when I lived in London. Instead of sating my thirst, it only cemented it. The first time I visited England I don’t know if I stopped smiling the whole trip, which probably made it painfully obvious that I was a tourist. I was only 19 and I flew into Heathrow by myself. I visited a friend who was living in London and then we traveled to Bath and Stonehenge for a few days.

I flew over to Ireland and wandered through that country on the same trip. Though I passionately loved the land of Guinness, it wasn’t quite the same devotion I felt for England. Two years later I managed to swing a semester in London, which made it officially my permanent home away from home.

All of that is to explain why Sisterchicks Go Brit!, a light read from one of my favorite authors when I was a preteen, was so much fun for me. It was a great reminder of all of the above. Gunn’s characters travel to England for the first time and just like me, they are smitten. I felt like I was reading about my own experience in many parts. They did so many of the things that I (and many tourists before me) did. They shopped in Portobello Road, saw Les Miserable, posed with Big Ben, traveled to Oxford to visit the Eagle and the Child pub (where the Inklings hung out!). The book itself isn’t life changing, it’s just a sweet walk down memory lane. ( )

If you are not familiar with the Sisterchicks series, each book follows a pair of women (the "sisterchicks") as they go off on an adventure that involves traveling to a faraway location--in this case England. Kellie and Liz are our sisterchicks and while the plot may be predictable it delivers plenty of feel good moments as the women bond over travel mishaps, food (in this case lots of tea, scones, and clotted cream), shared dreams and hopes, and a renewed walk with God. Kellie wants to start an interior design business with Liz her best friend. Liz isn't so sure, she thinks a business partnership might not be good for their friendship and she isn't sure that interior design is her dream. In fact her passion is for all things British, especially British literature, and it is this--along with a generous benefactor named Opal who becomes a part of the adventure--that finds them coming face to face with Liz's childhood crush--Big Ben. It's all good rollicking fun, with a bit of a faith lesson about trusting in God's direction thrown in.
If you are looking for the perfect light summer read, look no further. And be sure to try out the other Sisterchick books by Robin Jones Gunn--each one features different characters so there is no need to read them in any kind of order. Each adventure will take you to a different spot on the globe so they are perfect for the armchair traveler who likes to experience different locales through books.
And here's an extra tidbit of information that Kansas readers will appreciate--the sisterchicks travel to Olney, England which is famous for the pancake race they have every Shrove Tuesday. Do you know which Kansas town also participates in this tradition every year, racing against the participants in Olney? If you do, you will enjoy seeing this bit of trivia pop up in the book! ( )

Thought I'd try the series. It reads like a travelogue. ( )

NCLA Review - Sisterchicks are described as friends who share the deepest wonders of your heart, love you like a sister, and provide a reality check when you’re being a brat. Here Liz and Kellie capture the sense of travel, history and the fun of aging, all in a trip to Great Britain. It begins when 79 year old Opal tells Liz the gift of giving oneself permission to take risks is the dearest kindness that a woman can offer herself. Liz and Kellie share delightful adventures in Oxford. Their friendship grows as they realize their dreams and take new risks when they return to the United States. It is a contemporary setting of women experiencing God’s peace and guidance in their travels. Robin Jones Gunn is the award-winning author of the Glenbrooke, Christy Miller, and Sierra Jensen series’. Rating: 3 —BE ( )