Avery and Tess Stone were close sisters once, but now that Avery is engaged to Bennett she can't seem to put aside the jealousy that Avery feels toward Tess. The reason? Bennett loved Tess first, but the relationship ended when Tess moved to New York City. Avery is certain she loves Bennett more than he loves her, but she feels in time he will love her as much as he loved Tess. When Tess's perfect life implodes, she returns home to San Francisco to try to figure out what to do next and to try to fix her relationship with her sister. To further complicate the situation, something was going on with their parents. An attractive offer has been made for their family-owned restaurant, where Avery also works. Would her parents sell? I LOVE YOU MORE, by Stacy Finz, is a multilayered story that takes readers into the core of a close-knit family. Because the story is told in the voices and perspectives of the sisters, readers will see that they are very different people. But nothing can change the fact that they are sisters. Can what they once had be restored? Told with both wit and sensitivity, this book is a pleasure to read. While the family faces many challenges and as serious situations arise, Avery and Tess have difficult decisions to make. What they learn about themselves, and each other, will surprise them both. The vivid descriptions of food and the San Francisco area add much to the story. I LOVE YOU MORE is a beautifully told and heartfelt story about the power of family and the place each member holds in it. Highly recommended.
In this thoughtful, intimate novel centered around a San Francisco family restaurant, two estranged sisters get a chance to rediscover their bond in the face of personal upheaval—if they can let go of the past and embrace new beginnings . . .
To an outsider, television morning anchor Tess Stone’s life looks like glossy perfection. Ambitious, beautiful, and married to a major league baseball player, Tess seems invincible—until an on-air catastrophe puts both her marriage and career in jeopardy. Retreating home to San Francisco from New York to take stock seems like the best move. But that involves a challenge of its own: confronting her sister, Avery.
Unlike Tess, Avery has pushed her own dreams aside in favor of running the family restaurant, Stones, dutifully adhering to her father’s unchanging menu of stick-to-your-ribs traditional fare. She has mixed feelings about her sister’s return. After all, Avery’s fiancé, Bennett, loved Tess first, and it’s impossible to shake her jealousy and dread—especially as Tess begins stealing attention left and right once more.
But while both sisters have been immersed in their own lives, their parents have been keeping secrets of their own. And the curveballs keep coming—throwing into question all their relationships, the restaurant’s future, and their long-held assumptions about love, family, and especially, each other . . .
© 2003-2026