The Trouble with Sister Francis by Matt Coyne review – A gorgeous story you won’t forget
Uplifting, heartbreaking and laugh-out-loud funny, this is one of the best books I’ve ever read.
The Trouble with Sister Francis by Matt Coyne: Key details
- Publish date: 27 August 2026
- Genre: General fiction
- Publisher: Wildfire
- Available formats: Hardback, audio and ebook
- Series/standalone: Standalone
- Length: 448 pages
Blurb: Sister Francis is an unlikely nun. She’s sixty, sweary, drives like a lunatic and smokes like a stacked chimney . . . and she runs the Blessed Assumption Boys Club.
Richie, Bennett, Kenny and Stan are four best friends from the Whittle council estate with little to do but get up to no good. After a run-in with local bullies, they discover the crumbling, forgotten club and find themselves in the company of the most remarkable person they will ever meet.
Set against early 1980s Britain, THE TROUBLE WITH SISTER FRANCIS is a funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story of unlikely heroes, quiet rebellions, fierce loyalty and unexpected hope. And at the centre of it all lies a long-forgotten journal that might just change everything.
The Trouble With Sister Francis by Matt Coyne: The review
I went into The Trouble With Sister Francis knowing very little, other than the knowledge that some of my friends had absolutely loved it. Now I’ve read it, it’s easy to see why: not only is it steeped in emotion from beginning to end, it’s also one of the funniest books I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Matt Coyne’s prose is effortless and unforgettable; it’s genuine, humorous and steeped in Northern English charm that comes through on every page.
The world he’s created – one that takes us back to the 1980s – is one you’ll wholeheartedly become a part of, with your own nostalgia and childhood memories mixing into the trials and tribulations of the main characters here.
Largely taking place over the course of one summer, The Trouble With Sister Francis follows primary-school aged Richie, Bennett, Kenny and Stan. Growing up on a Yorkshire housing estate, their days are spent running from bullies, hanging out on the local park and plotting how to make a few pence. That is, until they encounter Sister Francis and her plan to resurrect a Boys’ Club at the local church.
‘Bible stuff’ does not appeal to any of the boys, but they go along anyway – and what they end up finding is a summer that changes their lives in one way or another. A coming-of-age story about dealing with adversity, friendship, family and finding your tribe, there’s absolutely so much to love here.
Coyne has recreated an era so beautifully that, honestly, it’s hard to fathom Richie and his friends don’t exist beyond the pages of this book. With a secondary narrative thread dating back to the Second World War, too, it’s a story rich with history, and the level of detail and care within these pages is second to none.
This is the type of book that, instantly, you know is something special, and I will be thinking about it for months, if not years, to come. Thank you, Matt, for writing something so profoundly brilliant. My only complaint is that it had to come to an end! I’ll hold those boys, and Sister Francis, close to my heart for a long time.
Is The Trouble with Sister Francis for you?
- FOR FANS OF: Stories full of heart and packed with humour
- EXPECT: 80s pop culture references, the words “ASS VIRGIN” in bold letters on the very front page, genuinely laugh-out-loud moments
- READ IF YOU LIKE: Jennie Godfrey
With thanks to publisher, Wildfire, for providing a copy of the book for the purposes of this review.
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