Books like The hurricane sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank

Ashley Waters and Mary Beth Smythe have been inseparable since their first day at The College of Charleston. Now 23, the duo lives rent‑free in Ashley’s parents’ beachfront home on Sullivans Island. Ashley works as a gallery assistant and dreams of becoming an artist, while Mary Beth, a talented cook hailing from Tennessee, is a caterer searching for a teaching position. Despite their ambitions, the girls’ parents offer little support, forcing them to consider a lucrative idea: turning the first floor of the house into a venue for exclusive soirées. With no permission from their cautious parents, Ashley and Mary Beth press ahead, all while their family dynamics grow tense. Clayton, a high‑flying investment banker with a frequent Manhattan residencies, and his wife Liz, who suspects him of infidelity, add to the household strain. Ashley’s brother Ivy, a gay man with a wealthy and Asian life partner, and Maisie, Liz’s centenarian mother, further complicate the picture. As a looming hurricane threatens the Lowcountry, the sisters and their family must confront hidden grievances, strong bonds, and unexpected transformations that shape the future of their friendship and their lives.

First publish date: 2014