No one knows you better than a sister—your dreams, your fears, your mistakes, and all your secrets. It was just that way when Jess and her older sister, Emily, were children. Born barely a year apart, they were deeply entwined, complementing each other in their differences. When Jess felt awkward and shy, Emily, the consummate big sister, was happy to take the lead. After a long estrangement, … After a long estrangement, they’ve become close again. Jess moves into the comfortable Isle of Wight home Emily shares with her husband, step-daughter, and toddler. Any misgivings about the past are swept away and forgotten.
And then, on New Year’s Eve, little Daisy disappears while in Jess’s care.
Jess is in shock, unable to remember what happened. Emily, traumatized, watches helplessly as her life unravels. But as the search intensifies and the police detective’s questions grow more pointed, a different picture emerges. Behind the image of a seemingly happy family there are devastating deceptions and long-ago choices that can never be unmade. And underlying everything is the story of what really happened to drive Emily and Jess apart years ago . . .
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A missing baby girl, a marriage ravaged by mistrust, a sibling rivalry with a very dark heart: Little Sister had me gripped from start to finish.
Great read. Worth every minute.
Great read – highly recommend!
I didn’t like any of these characters.
It was pretty good but the last few pages spoiled the whole thing.
This book felt like a balloon slowly letting it’s air out. It had so much going for it at the beginning and then slowly fell flat. Little Sister by Isabel Ashdown was a drawn out let down of a book. It’s only saving grace, was the characters!
This book starts off with a massive twist. Sisters Jess and Emily have finally reunited after sixteen years of estrangement. One evening while Jess is watching Emily’s daughter, Daisy, she is kidnapped. But by whom and why? Jess has absolutely no memories of what happened during the night, only waking up to find Emily’s daughter is gone. She has a medical condition which can cause her to pass out for one to two minutes. But what happened in those minutes? Questions and accusations start to swirl. Is Jess lying and who is truly guilty and at fault? The police start to question everyone and through the course of the investigations truths and lies come out.
My major issue with this book was the pace. It really seemed to drag at parts for me. Ashdown had set the beginning up with so much potential but it then started to drag. Some parts picked up and I eagerly waited for the twists and turns, but those too were placed in strange parts.
I guess the premise of the book is what drew me in. I really thought the lies and secrets would be so twist worthy. But they all rather fell flat for me. It became predictable with who was lying, what the lie was and why they needed to lie. I got to the point where I had more questions about other aspects of the book that I’d rather find out, then the secrets that kept coming from the author.
The one aspect that I really liked, was the unreliable characters. Ashdown did a fantastic jobs with making the reader believe one character over the other and as more secrets and lies were revealed, you’re sitting there wondering why you believe one over the other. I was like a yo-yo going back and forth between them, not knowing who to trust and who was lying.
Little Sister by Isabel Ashdown is a dark, disturbing psychological thriller. While the pace was lacking, the dysfunctional family, buried secrets and lies with the characters is what made this book enjoyable. There is one final twist in the end, but it wasn’t enough to make me sit on the edge of my seat over. If you’re looking for an unsettling and gripping read, Little Sister by Isabel Ashdown could be the book for you!
Read my full review here: https://bit.ly/2PGJ8hp
I really enjoyed this book. It was a page turner and had some unexpected twists even for me, who usually figures things out in the first chapter or two. The characters were interesting and multidimensional. The only reason that I didn’t give it five stars, was that it seemed like it was dragged out a bit, and it could have been shortened by about 50 pages without losing anything. Still, an above average read for those who like psychological thrillers.
Little Sister by Isabel Ashdown
Twisted is the first word that came to mind when I finished the books. The story, characters, family, relationship…all…twisted…
Sisters should be friends but are they? Can you trust your sister? What about your husband and your friends – are they trustworthy? And, what about yourself? What about the things you tell yourself and others – are they honest and true and how does your “truth” synch with that of those around you? All of those things came to mind as I wondered just how two women who are sisters could end up as they did in this story.
I have to say that the storytelling style was not my favorite flipping from one character to another with three eventual viewpoints and within a segment the past and present were often mentioned in a haphazard way. At first I almost put it down but persevered and did finish the story but…did I like any of the characters? Nope…not really. Could I relate to any of the characters? Not really. Would I read another book by this author? Perhaps. I am not sure if “like” is a term one can use to describe this book. It did make me think and say, “Oh my!” a few times but…it was truly TWISTED.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.
3-4 Stars