History YMMV / MySistersKeeper

* TheScrappy: Sara, for being an emotionally abusive mother towards Anna and a neglectful one towards Jesse.
* ShockingSwerve: [[spoiler: After winning the case, Anna is killed in a car accident and ends being brain dead. Her kidney is donated to Kate, rendering the whole thing pointless.]]
** Averted in the film. [[spoiler:Kate dies with dignity and Anna lives.]]

* InferredHolocaust: [[spoiler: While Sara's actions can only be understood by another parent (not justified, only understood). It doesn't undermine the fact that she had emotionally abused two of her children to save Kate. They may not be too forgiving of her abuse and ease of disowning them for something they had no control of. Sara neglected Jesse because his kidneys didn't match and went to court against Anna in an attempt to force her into donating her kidneys, which would half her lifespan and limit her future. Kate wanted to die with dignity and with Anna's death, she may not feel too happy about the circumstances and what Sara turned into. Not only that, Kate may not even stay in remission and with no Anna to help her, Kate might have a grimm future ahead of her. Brian also had to threaten Sara with a divorce so they can all have a family outing and temporally went into a drunk depression.]]

* HilariousInHindsight: A girl named Anna with an older sister who needs a lot of attention and care. [[{{Disney/Frozen}} Gee, that doesn't sound familiar at all.]]

* BrokenBase: Whether the book or the film's ending is better is a massive point of contention. The book ends with [[spoiler:Anna suddenly dying in a car accident, and Kate receiving her kidney]]. The film avoids this, [[spoiler:so Kate dies and Anna lives]]. Fans of the book's ending typically appreciate its themes about fragility and the randomness of life, as well as the fact that [[spoiler:Anna does end up saving Kate's life after all]]. This disappears in the film's ending. Detractors typically hate the book's ending for [[DiabolusExMachina coming out of nowhere]], being a WriterCopOut to [[DebateAndSwitch avoid answering the moral dilemma the book presents]], rendering a big portion of the book, namely [[spoiler:the ''entire'' main plot]] [[ShaggyDogStory pointless]] (especially after ''many'' of Jodi Picoult's later novels followed the exact same "introduce a thorny ethical issue and cop out of solving it with a sudden twist in the last few pages" structure, showing this wasn't just a one-off), and letting the [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]] and {{abusive|Parents}} [[spoiler:Sara]] [[TheBadGuyWins get her way]], while the film's ending has none of the aforementioned problems. Chances are that whatever side a person is on, they'll think one of the endings is great and the other ruins the story.

* BrokenBase: Whether the book or the film's ending is better is a massive point of contention. The book ends with [[spoiler:Anna suddenly dying in a car accident, and Kate receiving her kidney]]. The film avoids this, [[spoiler:so Kate dies and Anna lives]]. Fans of the book's ending typically appreciate its themes about fragility and the randomness of life, as well as the fact that [[spoiler:Anna does end up saving Kate's life after all]]. This disappears in the film's ending. Detractors typically hate the book's ending for [[DiabolusExMachina coming out of nowhere]], being a WriterCopOut to [[DebateAndSwitch avoid answering the moral dilemma the book presents]], rendering a big portion of the book, namely [[spoiler:the ''entire'' main plot]] [[ShaggyDogStory pointless]] (especially after ''many'' of Jodi Picoult's later novels followed the exact same "create a shaggy dog story by copping out of a thorny ethical issue" structure, showing this wasn't just a one-off), and letting the [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]] and {{abusive|Parents}} [[spoiler:Sara]] [[TheBadGuyWins get her way]], while the film's ending has none of the aforementioned problems. Chances are that whatever side a person is on, they'll think one of the endings is great and the other ruins the story.

* BrokenBase: Whether the book or the film's ending is better is a massive point of contention. The book ends with [[spoiler:Anna suddenly dying in a car accident, and Kate receiving her kidney]]. The film avoids this, [[spoiler:so Kate dies and Anna lives]]. Fans of the book's ending typically appreciate its themes about fragility and the randomness of life, as well as the fact that [[spoiler:Anna does end up saving Kate's life after all]]. This disappears in the film's ending. Detractors typically hate the book's ending for [[DiabolusExMachina coming out of nowhere]], being a WriterCopOut to [[DebateAndSwitch avoid answering the moral dilemma the book presents]], rendering a big portion of the book, namely [[spoiler:the ''entire'' main plot]] [[ShaggyDogStory pointless]], and letting the [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]] and {{abusive|Parents}} [[spoiler:Sara]] [[TheBadGuyWins get her way]], while the film's ending has none of the aforementioned problems. Chances are that whatever side a person is on, they'll think one of the endings is great and the other ruins the story.

* InferredHolocaust: [[spoiler: While Sara's actions can only be understood by another parent (not justified, only understood). It doesn't undermine the fact that she had emotionally abused two of her children to save Kate. They may not be too forgiving of her abuse and ease of disowning them for something they had no control of. Sara neglected Jesse because his kidneys didn't match and went to court against Anna in an attempt to force her into donating her kidneys, which would half her lifespan and limit her future. Kate wanted to die with dignity and with Anna's death, she may not feel too happy about the circumstances and what Sara turned into. Not only that, Kate may not even stay in remission. Brian also had to threaten Sara with a divorce so they can all have a family outing and temporally went into a drunk depression.]]

* InferredHolocaust: [[spoiler: While Sara's actions can only be understood by another parent (not justified, only understood). It doesn't undermine the fact that she had emotionally abused two of her children to save Kate. They may not be too forgiving of her abuse and ease of disowning them for something they had no control of. Sara neglected Jesse because his kidneys didn't match and went to court against Anna in an attempt to force her into donating her kidneys, which would half her lifespan and limit her future. Kate wanted to die with dignity and with Anna's death, she may not feel too happy about the circumstances and what Sara turned into. Not only that, Kate may not even stay in remission. Bryan also had to threaten Sara with a divorce so they can all have a family outing and temporally went into a drunk depression.]]

* {{Narm}}: The frequent useage of pop songs on the soundtrack.

* TheWoobie: Kate herself, through and through. Also, her sister, Anna. Even Jesse has moments of sympathy despite his actions,due to the mistreatment from his mother because he's not a match for Kate.

* TearJerker: In the movie, [[spoiler: Sara breaking down in front of Kate and Anna's narration telling us that Kate died that night.]]
** Jesse's motivations. [[spoiler: He was almost completely ignored after Kate was diagnosed and Anna was born because he wasn't a match for Kate, and ended up destroying things because he'd never been able to fix them.]]

* DiabolusExMachina / ShockingSwerve: [[spoiler: After winning the case, Anna is killed in a car accident and ends being brain dead. Her kidney is donated to Kate, rendering the whole thing pointless.]]
** Averted in the film. [[spoiler:Kate dies with dignity and Anna lives.]]

* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler: Sara gets her way in the book since Anna dies in a way that's perfect for her organs to be harvested for Kate, which was what she wanted from the start.]]

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap:
** Sara in the film is shown to be far more sympathetic, some of her abuse being toned down and ultimately getting a HeelFaceTurn [[spoiler: having to come to terms with Kate's death]].
** Likewise to those who view Anna as a SympatheticSue in the book, she's less like this in the film. With some of Sara's abuse toned down and [[spoiler: without her DeusAngstMachina death]], some of the Sueishness is downplayed. And since the film shows things from outside Anna's perspective, that helps too.

* CreatorsPet: Many readers have very, ''very'' limited patience for [[SympatheticSue Anna]] and how Picoult's bias for her bleeds all over the book. It's especially suspicious when it looks like many characters who are sympathetic to her plight, like her lawyer, ''sound almost exactly like her''.

* SympatheticSue: Anna is often considered as such, since the POV is way too blatantly on her favor and she's often few more than a mouthpiece for what some believe to be Picoult's personal grudges against motherhood as a whole.

* CreatorsPet - SympatheticSue: Many readers have very, ''very'' limited patience for Anna and how Picoult's bias for her bleeds all over the book. It's especially suspicious when it looks like many characters who are sympathetic to her plight, like her lawyer, ''sound almost exactly like her''.

** Likewise to those who view Anna as a Sympathetic Sue in the book, she's less like this in the film. With some of Sara's abuse toned down and [[spoiler: without her DeusAngstMachina death]], some of the Sueishness is downplayed. And since the film shows things from outside Anna's perspective, that helps too.

* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler: Sarah gets her way in the book since Anna dies in a way that's perfect for her organs to be harvested for Kate, which was what she wanted from the start.]]

* BrokenBase: Whether the book or the film's ending is better is a massive point of contention. The book ends with [[spoiler:Anna suddenly dying in a car accident, and Kate receiving her kidney]]. The film avoids this, [[spoiler:so Kate dies and Anna lives]]. Fans of the book's ending typically appreciate its themes about fragility and the randomness of life, as well as the fact that [[spoiler:Anna does end up saving Kate's life after all]]. This disappears in the film's ending. Detractors typically hate the book's ending for [[DiabolusExMachina coming out of nowhere]], being a WriterCopOut to [[DebateAndSwitch avoid answering the moral dilemma the book presents]], rendering a big portion of the book, namely [[spoiler:the ''entire'' main plot]] [[ShaggyDogStory pointless]], and letting the the [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]] and {{abusive|Parents}} [[spoiler:Sarah]] [[TheBadGuyWins get her way]], while the film's ending has none of the aforementioned problems. Chances are that whatever side a person is on, they'll think one of the endings is great and the other ruins the story.
* CreatorsPet - SympatheticSue: Many readers have very, ''very'' limited patience for Anna and how Picoult's bias for her bleeds all over the book. Specially suspicious when it looks like many characters who are sympathetic for her plight, like her lawyer, ''sound almost exactly like her''.

** It should be clarified that Sara's martyr complex toward Kate's illness borders into some disturbingly narcissistic areas at some points, often using her "maternal instinct" and suffering to justify behavior that is outright neglectful, if not emotionally manipulative. Of example -

*** In one scene after interviewing with Campbell over the lawsuit, Sara accuses outright that Anna has "signed her sister's death warrant" because of it.

* TheWoobie: Kate herself, through and through. Also, her sister, Anna. Even Jesse has moments of sympathy despite his actions due to the treatment from his mother all because he's not a match for Kate.
** JerkassWoobie: In the movie adaptation, even the {{wangst}}ing Sara gets her sympathetic moments when [[spoiler: she broke down by Kate's side as her dying daughter in her deathbed slowly passes away in the same night]]. Even in the novel there are glimmers of her showing remorse and awareness of the pain and estrangement she's caused her family, just she is too egomaniacal and adamant in her goal (which in fairness, is to save her cancer ridden daughter).

* TheScrappy: Sara, for being an emotionally abusive mother towards Anna.

* CreatorsPet - SympatheticSue: Many readers have very, 'very'' limited patience for Anna and how Picoult's bias for her bleeds all over the book. Specially suspicious when it looks like many characters who are sympathetic for her plight, like her lawyer, ''sound almost exactly like her''.

*** She repeatedly lies or dismisses Anna's decision to sue to both Campbell and various characters, saying that it's all a misunderstanding.

** JerkassWoobie: In the movie adaptation, even the {{wangst}}ing Sara gets her sympathetic moments when [[spoiler: she broke down by Kate's side as her dying daughter in her deathbed slowly passes away in the same night]].

* DiabolusExMachina / ShockingSwerve: After [[spoiler: winning the case, Anna is killed in a car accident and ends being brain dead. Her kidney is donated to Kate, rendering the whole thing pointless.]]

** Likewise to those who view Anna as a SympatheticSue in the book, she's less like this in the film. With some of Sara's abuse toned down and [[spoiler: without her DeusAngstMachina death]], some of the Sueishness is downplayed. And since the film shows things from outside Anna's perspective, that helps too.

* SympatheticSue: In the book, Anna is this to a T. It's even more glaring when almost any POV that doesn't come from her but is sympathetic to her plight '''sounds almost exactly like a mouthpiece of Anna''', including ''an adult male lawyer''. At times it's like a ''very'' bad fanfic written by a whiny teenager, rather than a book written by an adult woman.
* TearJerker: In the movie, [[spoiler: Sara breaking down in front of Kate and Anna's narration telling us that Kate died that night]]

* {{Wangst}}: Sara. A lot. All she ever talked about from when Kate was diagnosed to when Anna sued them was how sick Kate was. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] when her sister Zanne says, "You can't be a martyr all the time," and Sara mistakes her for saying "You can't be a mother all the time."

*** When Brian, the father, gives Anna the locket she pawns earlier in the book, Sara justifies shock at seeing him reward Anna's gift of marrow as (paraphrasing) "not occuring to her that suffering was worth rewarding, since they'd all been through so much of it." This is after she nearly refuses to see Anna after her operation (a very painful one, at that), claiming that she's too busy with Kate.

** JerkassWoobie: In the movie adaptation, even the {{wangst}}ing Sara gets her sympathetic moments when [[spoiler: she broke down by Kate's side as her dying daughter in her deathbed slowly passes away in the same night.]]

* SympatheticSue: In the book, Anna is this to a T. It's even more glaring when almost any POV that doesn't come from her but is sympathetic to her plight ''sounds almost exactly like a mouthpiece of Anna herself''. At times it's like a ''very'' bad fanfic written by a whiny teenager, rather than a book written by an adult woman.

* SympatheticSue: People who are less charitable to Anna accuse her of being this. It's not exactly helped by Jodi Picoult's narrative, since some people believe that her POV seeps into ''other'' characters and makes them few more than mouthpieces.