Beauty. Wealth. Success.She’s got it all.And it all should’ve been mine.When Eleanor Hardwicke’s beloved father dies, her world is further shattered by a gut-wrenching secret: the man she’s grieving isn’t really her dad. Eleanor was the product of an affair and her biological father is still out there, living blissfully with the family he chose. With her personal life spiraling, a desperate … chose. With her personal life spiraling, a desperate Eleanor seeks him out, leading her to uncover another branch on her family tree—an infuriatingly enviable half sister.
Perfectly perfect Victoria has everything Eleanor could ever dream of. Loving childhood, luxury home, devoted husband. All of it stolen from Eleanor, who plans to take it back. After all, good sisters are supposed to share. And quiet little Eleanor has been waiting far too long for her turn to play.
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Dark, twisty, compelling… Highly recommended!
Eleanor was a character I wanted to wrap my arms around. I felt like not only did she deserve a hug, but she needed a hug! She didn’t deserve the crappy way she was treated for every day of her life. I hate to sound so cliché but it wasn’t fair to her. It’s even worse to be treated so unjustly by your own mother, your own sister. I really found Eleanor to be a relatable female character. Her plethora of mental health struggles alone made her a character most women will relate too. Her constant struggle with self-esteem was a vicious cycle. I think her food issues made her a character a lot of women are going to understand. There can be such a love-hate relationship for women with their food.
Putting all of that aside, Sister Dear shows her struggle to maintain her mental health while trying to find those family relationships she has always dreamt of. She’s really had a tough go of it lately and it seems like anything that can go wrong, will, and does. We get to see Eleanor at her breaking point. Now I didn’t exactly feel like Sister Dear was a thriller or even suspenseful. I feel like it’s more of a psychological women’s fiction… is that a thing? It should be, because even though it wasn’t what I was expecting, I enjoyed it a lot. It was a quick story that was bursting at the seam with emotions and struggles.
I recommend Sister Dear if you like to dissect and think about the human mind, nature vs nurture and all those psychological aspects. I do, I have a degree in psychology after all. However, if you’re going into this thinking it’ll be a whirlwind thriller, I’m sorry to disappoint but it won’t be.
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… my opinions.
Eleanor Hardwicke is devastated. Her father is dying, her mother is unsympathetic, her sister can’t even be bothered to fly home and her world has just been completely rocked by the discovery he wasn’t even her biological father. When a mugging lands her in hospital and she loses her chance to say farewell, investigating her real father and his family seems to be a way to distract from her grief. Finding out her father is wealthy and she has a rich, beautiful sister with an apparently charmed life, Eleanor is like a kid with her nose pressed to the windowpane, staring in at the light and warmth of the life she never had.
Eleanor gets a bit obsessed and a bit too close, but honestly? If I’d been treated like that, I might well act in a similar way. Her intentions are good and even though she occasionally has thoughts about doing things that would clearly be over the line into wrong (selling her sister’s ring, messing up her business plans) she never actually acts on them. At the very beginning of the book, Eleanor (in whose first person perspective the whole story is told) TELLS the reader that she will be honest, and she absolutely is. She’s a completely reliable narrator.
The problem lies in that for almost all of the book, Eleanor had no idea what was actually going on, and that she was being played like a fiddle. I started to have my suspicions midway through that there were some deeper undercurrents, when a few things seemed a little out of place, but the sudden twist definitely caught me by surprise. I won’t spoil things, but suffice to say, there’s definitely a villain here, a true psychopath who turned Eleanor into nothing more than their unwitting tool. It’s clever and fascinating and the book ends in a dark place which is a bit of a gut punch and might be too much for some in these traumatic times – if you’re looking for a thriller where the Bad Folks get their comeuppance and the Good Folks get a happy ever after, this definitely isn’t it.
That said, I loved it, and I’m giving it five stars. I’ll definitely be looking for more books by this author in the future, too.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
SISTER DEAR by Hannah Mary McKinnon is a new psychological thriller that starts out more like a general women’s fiction story, but it is a slow burn that builds to a definite twisted thriller ending.
Eleanor Hardwick’s parents divorced when she was young. She was the apple of her father’s eye, but her mother constantly criticized her weight and looks which leads to extreme self-esteem issues and binge eating. Her father is dying of cancer and when she goes to visit her father in hospice, she overhears her mother and father arguing. She is shocked to learn the father who loved her is not her biological father.
Eleanor’s biological father is a multi-millionaire property mogul with a beautiful wife and beautiful daughter the same age as Eleanor. When her biological father rejects her, she is determined to become a part of her half-sister’s life. Victoria is not everything she appears to be and Eleanor is drawn into wanting to befriend her as much as wanting to take what she has.
I really felt for Eleanor. I felt Ms. McKinnon did a good job of portraying a woman with extremely low self-esteem and an eating disorder. The family dynamics in this story are dysfunctional and there are few likable characters, but they are all interesting. I especially felt for Eleanor when her father died and yet even as I empathized with her, she made some poor decisions that had me wondering about her overall character arc because she was more flawed than vindictive which was not what I was expecting. The plot is dark with some unexpected twists. The pace does not pick up speed until the last half of the book, but the shocking ending was worth the wait.
I can recommend this book as a different and dark women’s fiction story with a thriller’s ending.
Hannah Mary McKinnon strikes again, delivering another layered, complex protagonist and another fascinating twist ending. Every character had me suspicious and guessing; I knew this couldn’t go well for Eleanor, but I didn’t know how it was going to go wrong until the shocking twist that made me rethink everything I’d taken for granted. A taut, psychological suspense novel with a finely wrought protagonist, SISTER DEAR will have us all wondering how well we really know each other.
I may have ended up at a 4, but MAAAAN, Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon was so hard to rate! Based on how fast I read it, how addictive it was, and how it completely shocked me is a 5, but the end just made me want to rip my hair out in frustration.
Straight off the bat, my heart was breaking for Eleanor when her dad dies. Who knew I would start this book out in tears?! However that quickly turned into being obsessed with trying to figure out how everything was going to play out. I thought that the pace was really steady, but I would definitely call it a slow burn. The slow burn aspect did not stop me from reading it in 1 day though!
I saw some readers say they saw the big twist coming, but I am certainly not one of them. Sister Dear was twisty, shocking, and just plain out-of-this-world unbelievable. This is exactly how I like my thrillers, but if you are someone who wants a believable ending maybe pass on this one. I really connected with Eleanor and her body imagine issues, and I was happy about the way the author handled it and added it to the book. It made Eleanor more relatable for me, even if she does make some interesting decisions.
Sister Dear may be unrealistic, but it’s so much fun. Now where’s my follow up book?!
Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions and thoughts are my own.
Sister Dear was one unnerving read and one I happily recommend to readers of suspense and psychological thrillers.
Eleanor Hardwick is a hard character to spend time with. When her dad dies and she discovers that he wasn’t really her father, her life slowly begins to unravel. She’s been treated poorly by her mother and sister, so when she tries to ingratiate into the life of her newly exposed half-sister, I found myself almost rooting for her. She’s very alone and oddly sympathetic but she’s making decisions that are questionable. But she deserved the breaks that were coming her way; the much-needed work, the advancement of a romantic relationship, but Eleanor is so very out of line too and when the truth is exposed, her undoing is inevitable.
McKinnon delivers a story with a positively clever plot, with a twist that will leave you rocking. It left me anxious and hoping that we get another book so that vindication may take place. 4.5 stars and recommendation.
Wow! What a twisted story! I never saw that coming!
This was an intense story about Eleanor finding out she has a half sister. She has no relationship with her mother or sister so it’s only natural she would look to her other sister.
At times I wanted to shake Eleanor and make her see this wasn’t going to end well. It’s a page turner, definitely recommend! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy
This is certainly not my first Hannah Mary McKinnon book. I jumped at the chance to be on the Harlequin/MIRA blog tour for the new release just to get my hands on a copy. If you haven’t read any of her books, just know you are always in for a totally emotional story with a shocking twist at the end that leaves you reeling, and guess what….. McKinnon may have outdone herself here.
It’s a simple tale, Eleanor is brought up with a terrible childhood by a horrid mother (Eleanor is a total mess). When her father dies (the only person who ever cared about her) she finds out she is not even his real daughter. This poor girl goes off to find her real daddy who ends up being a pretty well off guy and he tells her to get lost and wants nothing to do with her. So then meek little Elle finds out she has a half-sister, Victoria, and she decides to befriend her, maybe become BFFs, that kind of thing, because Victoria is pretty well off herself, except without letting her know they are sisters. But things seem to take a twist we never see coming, and this family drama becomes a lot more of a twisted thriller, and at some point wonder to yourself who in this story is fooling who?
Fast paced and hard to put down, McKinnon does it again with her family based thrillers that pull all the punches right at the end. She knows just how to write her characters with enough depth that you become temporarily engrossed in their lives, and knocked out cold in the end when the punch lands you square in the face and you NEVER saw it coming. How McKinnon keeps imagining these brilliant 5 star reads is beyond me, but I’m all in lady, keep them coming! You cannot miss this one! This will keep you up all night turning the pages. Yes 5 stars! A must read.
Sister Dear is more domestic drama than thriller, at least for the first 60 to 70% or so. Then it ramps up little by little until things get completely crazy. Domestic dramas sometimes work for me and sometimes not, and I wasn’t really sure which way this one was going to go at first. But I found myself still turning pages despite that doubt, so it’s safe to say that while this one wasn’t the thriller I expected at first, Hannah Mary McKinnon certainly penned a compelling read. Eleanor brings out a lot of emotions, and I found myself feeling sorry for her, getting mad at her, grieving with her, and feeling happy with her only to make the circuit again and again. She is also one of the most frustrating characters I’ve read in some time. Of course, some of her actions and the reasons for them also make her an unreliable narrator, which is a bit overused in my opinion, but it works here. It’s not hard to understand why Eleanor would be the way she is. I will say that as things picked up and the race to the conclusion started, I did figure out what was going on, or at least the gist of it if not the details, but that didn’t diminish the big twist for me. It was still interesting seeing how it all played out. There is one extra twist at the end that felt like just a touch too much, but it does either leave things for a possible second book or leave the reader to wonder what if. All in all, an emotional read with a bit of thrill – I would say that readers of domestic dramas and domestic thrillers should enjoy this one.
Hannah Mary McKinnon, author of “Sister Dear” has written an intriguing, intense, edgy, and suspenseful novel. The genres for this novel are thriller, mystery, suspense, and fiction. The timeline is set in the author’s present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters and events. The author describes her characters as flawed, dysfunctional, complex, and complicated. There are betrayals, stalking, and deep secrets and lies that affect the characters.
Eleanor Hardwicke finds out at the hospice, just before her beloved father dies, that he is not her biological father. Eleanor has an estranged and dysfunctional relationship with the mother and her sister. Her mother has always favored the sister over Eleanor.
Eleanor does find out her biological father’s name and realizes that he has a daughter, Victoria, her age. Eleanor sees that Victoria is married, wealthy, and beautiful, and Eleanor knows what she wants. Eleanor becomes obsessed with her new family, especially her sister.
There is an OMG ending that I didn’t see coming, and totally was shocked! WOW!!! I would love to see Hannah Mary McKinnon write a sequel if possible. I would highly recommend reading this chilling thriller.
Wow – all of the mysteries surrounding Eleanor’s relationship kept me enthralled in reading this novel.
The ending was one that I never saw coming and was literally shaking my head.
This was my first of Hannah Mary McKinnon’s books and I loved it.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for fair and honest review
Description Doesn’t Match Story… Until It Does. I gotta admit, the most remarkable thing about this book for me was how WILDLY wrong the description was. Until it wasn’t anymore, and suddenly the description fit perfectly. McKinnon does a remarkable job of seemingly writing one story, only to suddenly flip it and reveal that she had been writing a very different story all along. Very much recommended.
When Eleanor’s father is on his death bed, she overhears him and her mom talking that he isn’t her biological father. After her father passes away, she is on a mission to find her real father. Eleanor finds out she has a half sister. She wants want her sister has! Sometimes what you wish for is not what you get!!! This book has so many twists and turns and gasp out loud moments I couldn’t read fast enough! This is a fantastic thriller and the ending will totally shock you!!! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.
SISTER DEAR by Hannah Mary McKinnon is a brilliant, breathless thriller that crackles with suspense and heart-thumping twists. I finished this absorbing, creepy and downright sinister novel in the wee hours of the night. And the ending…perfection! SISTER DEAR IS is McKinnon’s best book yet.
I read Sister Dear on my trip to Punta Cana and found myself looking for excuses to curl up on a beach chair, just so I could finish it. Eleanor is a sad creature and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her character unravel with jealousy and envy. This story will keep you on your toes. It’s fast-paced, twisty, and insidious… and I could not put it down.
In Sister Dear we meet Eleanor Hardwicke a freelance web designer. Eleanor is single with no male prospects on the horizon.
When we meet her in the hospital she is grieving for her father who is knocking on deaths door after being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. During one of her visits she overhears her parents talking how Eleanor was the product of an affair. It’s at this point where she discovers that Bruce isn’t her biological father. They argue when she confronts them wanting to know his name. That night he dies without her finding out who her biological father is.
Eventually she finds out that she has a half sister. A sister who is far nicer than her sister Amy. She sets out to befriend her. She follows Victoria growing with envy at how perfect her life appears with a luxury home, devoted husband, and a successful career.
On more than one occasion Eleanor bumps into her neighbor Stan at the mailboxes. Eleanor relies on her friendship with Stan reaching out to him regarding her situation with Victoria. The friendship quickly becomes more.
Just when it seems her personal life is spiraling out of control it seems to fall into place once she forms a quick friendship with Victoria.
Narrator- Lauren Ezzo provided a solo performance voicing all the characters. Eleanor’s character annoyed me with her wish washy ways of thinking. Lauren voiced her character just as it was written. Unfortunately, I just didn’t like Eleanor’s character. No matter how well Lauren performed her voice I had a difficult time listening to her whine.
Lauren Ezzo is a voiceover actor and award-winning Chicago actor. This is my first time listening to Lauren. I listened using iBooks app. iBooks offers great sound quality. This is an unabridged version. Normally I would follow with an ebook, but a good thriller doesn’t require the need of audiosync. A good thriller read by a good performer can stand on its own.
I appreciated Lauren’s dedication to perform this book bringing it life. This was the type f read where I prefer the audiobook over the ebook.
This one is marked as a thriller, psychological thriller, suspense, and domestic thriller. Yet the story didn’t set out this way. Eleanor’s character held envy, bitterness, and jealousy towards her half-sister. When she wasn’t being envious of her life she was extremely insecure about herself doubting and questioning her own abilities. Without Bruce offering her support she seemed to fall apart losing all her confidence. This made for a challenging listen. It became a pity party of excuses.
I wanted to like this story more especially after that stellar climatic conclusion, but the read up to that point was too much. There were moments I was rooting for her and moments when I felt sorry for her. There was too much toxicity in her character. She was a hot mess. I wanted her grow a backbone.
This was a slow burn domestic thriller building up to the climatic twisted ending. I struggled to find my footing in Sister Dear. I wasn’t expecting a story about Eleanor’s insecurities. I kept waiting for the suspense to begin. I had no idea it would take place at the very end. I’m realizing domestic thrillers are too slow for my liking. The slow pace building Eleanor’s character isn’t enough to propel the story in the direction I need to stay engaged.
I was kept on edge throughout the hook! Great reading!
Great book. Great character development. I never would have guessed the ending. Unforgettable novel.
Great book, packed full of twists. Hannah McKinnon doesn’t pull her punches. This is domestic noir/psychological suspense at its best. Fans of Cally Taylor or Sam Carrington will love it. A tale of a woman who finds out her presumed father actually isn’t and pursues her biological father to no end of trouble… I think you’ll love it. I certainly did. This is a writer to follow.