HallmarkPlus

‘Sisterhood, Inc.’ is about sibling bonding and embracing differences

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

Now streaming on Hallmark Plus, Sisterhood, Inc. embraces the nuances of siblings with the emphasis on being oneself.

Rachael Leigh Cook stars as Megan, a no-holes-barred corporate guru who has just been fired from the company she founded. Daniella Monet is Izzy, Megan’s younger sister who is about to turn 30 yet is still under the watchful thumb of their mother Lois (Judy Kain).

While Megan is tough, business minded, and very smart, Izzy is a free-spirited joyful young woman with no sense of style or any idea of what she will do with the rest of her life.

After Megan lectures Izzy telling her it’s time she moves out of their parents’ house and starts being an independent woman, Izzy decides to make the change. She asks Megan for help, which Megan does to the extreme.

Being the tough businesswoman she is, Megan puts together a “board of directors” to oversee all aspects of Izzy’s new life. Among the directors is Dominic (Leonidas Gulaptis), a psychology professor at the local college. 

Izzy welcomes the help of the board and Megan decides to take this concept to the next level and sell the idea to a technology guru. But while she is in negotiations and Izzy’s life is changing, things also change between the sisters. This is the first time in their lives the two have bonded and they both enjoy their sisterhood. 

Meanwhile, Dominic wonders if Megan is pushing her sister too hard and changing everything about her to the degree that although Izzy is becoming a successful and independent woman, she does not seem to be the happy woman he first met.

Izzy’s life is now structured, she had a good job, a nice wardrobe, and a successful yet domineering boyfriend. Her chaotic bohemian life of the past is gone. But she is not happy with her new life and Megan finally realizes that her sister just needs to be the person she is. What makes Megan happy is not necessarily what makes Izzy happy.

Izzy finally begins to turn her life around on her own terms and Megan finally begins to live her life without being completely structured. 

While the sisters have found their way back in each other’s lives Megan also finds her way into the arms of Dominic. After all, this is a Hallmark show, and with that you get happy endings all around.

Sisterhood, Inc. is now streaming on Hallmark Plus. 

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

Image courtesy Hallmark Media

‘Blind Date Book Club’ is about finding your place in life

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

This is a new year and people are making their resolutions. Many resolutions are to read more or to join a book club. There’s something comforting about actually holding a book and flipping the pages as opposed to looking at a screen and reading a digital book. Book clubs are also great places to exchange ideas and meet new people. 

Hallmark Channel’s popular stars Erin Krakow and Robert Buckley combine in a story about finding what it is that brings you joy and happiness. Blind Date Book Club is a fun story that is perfect for a wintry day.

Set in picturesque Nantucket, Meg (Krakow) has taken over her mother’s book store, Mimi’s Book Corner, after her mom passed away. She left her own real estate career to care for her mother’s dream. 

When her aunt wants to sell her own share of the store in which she is a silent partner, Meg is at a crossroads. Should she sell the whole store and go back to her old life or is she happier in Nantucket running the book store? 

Meg has created something fun and unique in the store. The “Blind Date with a Book Club” connects prospective couples while at the same time introducing them and the club to new books. Another interesting thing she comes up with is covering books and writing only a small blurb about the story so readers must discover the whole story for themselves and return to the club to discuss it. It’s a double-blind, so to speak – a blind book and a blind date. 

When bestselling author Graham Sterling (Buckley) hears about the store and the club, he decides to investigate. He has written a successful series of Young Adult novels but is anxious to spread his wings and write a historical romance. Unfortunately his publisher disagrees with that decisions and tries to point him back on the YA path where he has a loyal following.

Not deterred by his publisher, Graham self-publishes his new novel under a pseudonym and decides to have Meg and her book club review the book. This is risky and as soon as Meg discovers who the author is she wonders if they should go ahead with the reviews. 

While this is taking place, Meg and Graham form a close relationship. And yes, they do fall in love. But could Graham’s plot to have his new novel out in the public be the end of his new career. And also, if people find out Meg is promoting her boyfriend’s book could it be the end of the popular club?

The story comes to a climax when both Meg and Graham must decide in which direction they want their lives and careers to go. Should she sell the store or has her heart settled there with her books and clients? And Graham has an awakening about which direction his writing should go. 

Although this movie was released last spring, it is a nice way to start the new year. And it might even inspire viewers to search out a book club where they can meet new people and enjoy new books.

Blind Date Book Club streams on Hallmark+.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County and YouTube. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.