Secret Sisters Book Reviews

Secret Sisters by Joy Callaway Book Summary

A nineteenth-century student at a Midwestern college fights to establish the first sorority in this novel by the author of The Fifth Avenue Artists Society.

Illinois, 1881: Whitsitt College sophomore Beth Carrington has two goals to fulfill by the time she graduates: obtain a medical degree, and establish a women’s fraternity, Beta Xi Beta, that will help young women like herself to connect with and support one another while attending the male-dominated Whitsitt.

Neither is an easy task. The sole female student in the physicians’ program, Beth is constantly called out by her professors and peers for having the audacity not to concentrate on a more “fitting” subject like secretarial studies. Meanwhile, secret organizations are off-limits, and simply by crowding together in a dank basement room and creating a sense of camaraderie, she and her small group of fraternity sisters risk expulsion.

In order to have the fraternity recognized, she knows she needs help. She turns to the most powerful student on campus: senior Grant Richardson, Iota Gamma fraternity president and the scion of a Whitsitt family—a man she’s only acquainted with because of her longstanding friendship with his fraternity brother Will Buchannan. Staunchly traditional, Grant doesn’t see the purpose of this women’s organization, but captivated by Beth, he agrees to give her a helping hand. What she doesn’t know is how many will stop at nothing to keep her burgeoning organization out of the record books—and who she can actually trust along the way.

As Beth fights for her beloved Beta Xi Beta to be recognized, she will uncover deep secrets about the college and those who surround her, and will have to put both love and friendship on the line so that history can be made.

Praise for Secret Sisters

“A shining example of the power of persistent women united in their aim to reshape history. . . . Callaway has done a beautiful job bringing to light this little-known story of America’s first women’s fraternity and so much more.” —Sarah McCoy, New York Times–bestselling author of The Baker’s Daughter and The Mapmaker’s Children

“An elegant book with enormous heart. . . . You’ll fly through this perfect summer read, and fall in love with the sisters of Beta Xi Beta.” —Karin Tanabe, author of The Gilded Years

“This compulsive, feminist read is a rich drama. . . . The atmosphere of the era feels authentic and draws readers into college life while immersing them in the characters’ experiences.” —RT Book Reviews

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Secret Sisters (Joy Callaway) Book Reviews 2024

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