From Sandie Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hello Sunshine Book Club pick The Other Woman, comes The Half Sister; a compelling new domestic suspense novel about a family who is forever changed when a stranger arrives at their door. Meet the half sister, and unravel the ties that blind us. THE TRUTH Sisters Kate and Lauren meet for Sunday lunch every week without fail, … and Lauren meet for Sunday lunch every week without fail, especially after the loss of their father.
THE LIE
But a knock at the door is about to change everything. A young woman by the name of Jess holds a note with the results of a DNA test, claiming to be their half sister.
THE UNTHINKABLE
As the fallout starts, it’s clear that they are all hiding secrets, and perhaps this family isn’t as perfect as it appears.
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A fast paced psychological thriller that kept me guessing back and forth on what was the truth. Different stories kept throwing me off. I always enjoy Sandie Jones books. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC
I really enjoy how Sandie Jones builds up the suspense in her books and makes me want to keep reading. This book was no exception, but I have to say that the build up is a slow one and did not get fast-paced until about halfway through the book. The plot is one that is not totally original, with a DNA test producing a previously unknown sibling. Lauren did the DNA test and Jess showed up on her doorstep. Kate doesn’t accept Jess at all and Rose, the mom, is totally flabbergasted at the thought that her husband’s reputation will be dragged through the mud. Lauren was a likable character, but very weak personally. She didn’t know how to say “no” to anyone and that did not endear her to me. Kate was a strong minded journalist who is determined to find out the truth about who Jess is. This is one of those tales with the moral of “be careful what you wish for.” I enjoyed the twists and the clues that were dropped along the way. I was able to figure out the ending long before it actually ended, but it was really entertaining so I continued to read. Fans of Sandie Jones, domestic drama and mystery/suspense will enjoy this book.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Oh my goodness! Sandie Jones has written another edge-of-your-seat book about family drama, secrets, infidelity, genetics, and the search for truth. There were twists and turns that has the reader gasping in shock.
I enjoyed the back-and-forth perspectives by sisters, Kate and Lauren. It was interesting to see how their perspectives were based on misconceptions. It’s amazing how a person assumes their view is the only accurate one! Is putting your DNA out there to see what potential relatives might exist in your history…or present…something you should give serious consideration to before submitting it for all to be able to have access?
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Every Sunday sisters Kate and Lauren meet for lunch with their mother, Rose, a tradition that has become especially important since the death of Harry, the patriarch of the family, a year ago. A simple knock at the door one Sunday brings Jess into their lives, a woman claiming to be Harry’s daughter and their half sister. This startling news not only fully disrupts the sisters’ respective lives, but brings the cracks in their relationship to the surface, revealing just how fragile it really is. As Jess struggles to learn more about who she is and where she came from, Kate and Lauren must decide whether or not they believe that Jess is who she says she is, and what they are willing to risk to prove it. u2063u2063u2063u2063
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I really liked that the action of the novel was told through the eyes of multiple characters; I enjoy experiencing the narrative from multiple perspectives so that I can get a more complete picture of what is happening and the motivations possessed by the different players, especially in a novel like The Half Sister. The cliffhangers at the end of some of the chapters, along with the little closing comments made by various characters, kept me hooked and turning the page, wanting to know what would happen, what climax the novel was headed towards, and what truths would be revealed. I really liked the ending of the novel–I did not anticipate, at all, the direction the novel would take at its conclusion–but there were other subplots that almost seemed unresolved and forgotten about. One thing, or shall I say person, that I disliked was Kate; I felt like she was too self-absorbed and lacked empathy, often wearing blinders which could make her very cruel at times. I much preferred Lauren; she lacked some confidence, but I felt as though she was an honest person with her heart in the right place. u2063u2063u2063u2063
Thank you to BookishFirst, Minotaur Books, Goodreads, and Sandie Jones for an advanced readers’ edition (and e-galley) of The Half Sister, given in exchange for an honest review.
People go to great lengths to hide secrets.
“The Half Sister” is about a family in crises. On the surface, everything seems to be at least satisfactory if not wonderful. Rose has adjusted to life without her late husband Harry; daughter Lauren, husband Simon, and children seem content while daughter Kate and husband Matt are progressing with infertility treatments to create their own family. All are enjoying a family get together when a woman appears at the door, and nothing will be the same again. The woman, Jess, claims to be Harry’s daughter.
The story unfolds in first person narratives by Kate and Lauren, and each chapter identifies the speaker. It soon becomes clear that that Jess is not the only secret this family has hidden. There are many actions from the past that creep into the present and must be settled or controlled. People have gone to great lengths to keep these secrets, but they are hidden no longer. The family is unraveling emotionally, and day by day, life becomes more complicated and confrontational. They soon learn that when the dig around they discover things that they did not want to find.
Jones created a complex and dynamic family; their relationships, experiences, and reflections make a compelling and emotionally charged story. I received a review copy of “The Half Sister“ from Sandie Jones, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan. This is a story rich in entanglements and moral challenges that together make an engrossing book.
This is the second book I have read by this author. While I truly enjoyed this one a lot, it was not a thriller and should not be in that genre. It was a family drama story that delves into some pretty deep issues at times. One being murder. One being DNA. One being spousal abuse. One being adoption and the foster care system. A touch on abortion also. This book has a lot going on and is a very good one to read.
Two sisters who have a bit of a rocky relationship, Kate and Lauren, have Sunday dinner with their mother each week. They dad died of a heart attack ten months prior and is a big part of this story. This day while the two sisters and one’s husband are at their mother, Rose’s, home a young woman, Jess, comes looking for their father. She says that through DNA she knows he is her father also and she only wants to meet him.
You will get to know a lot about Kate and Lauren. What Kate and her husband go through to have a baby. What Lauren is going through in her home-life having three children and a very crude, hateful, husband. Kate’s married to a wonderful man who dotes on her through thick and thin. Lauren is not so lucky. but neither sister really knows much about the other’s life inside their marriages. Lauren knows Jess via the DNA sight and knows things that Kate refuses to believe.
This is a very intense story about a family. What a mother will do to keep this family together. To keep secrets buried. To keep herself from facing some hard truths. These characters are likable with the exception to Simon, Lauren’s husband, who you will love to hate. What all of these women go through to get to the truth will keep you turning pages to find out. What happened 22 years ago that can possibly change everyone’s life.
The ending is perfect too even though I did figure it out. This is a very well written story and was quite enjoyable in many ways. It had the family drama that you may like. It had the love of a good marriage that we all like and it had some surprises thrown in that keep you wanting more. A page turner for sure.
Thank you #NetGalley, #SandieJones, #StMartin’sPress for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.
I gave it 4 stars and highly recommend it.
This story is the most riveting and suspenseful I have ever read!! I have read all of Sandie’s book so far and this has the most twists and turns in a book and will keep you on your toes the entire time, who is Jess, is Rose the mom, is Harry the dad, is Lauren the mom, is Kate even a sister, who is Julia … so many wonderful turns it will make your head spin in a good way! Well done Sandie and keep them coming!!
I read an excerpt of this on BookishFirst.com and I was hooked. Unknown alleged 3rd sister shows up a year after their father dies? Sign me up!
I’m surprised that the Goodreads rating isn’t higher because I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read that had me hooked and I could not stop reading until I found out what happened. Sandie Jones strikes the perfect balance of giving the readers enough information to keep us hooked but withholding enough to keep us surprised. The end of the book is fast-paced and full of surprises, making this the perfect summer beach read.
I thought this was a really good thriller/mystery and would definitely recommend it. The Half Sister explores family relationships and how the family that seems perfect on the outside can be hiding some pretty big secrets, which is always a subject about which I like to read.
Suspenseful
This book has all the great elements of a good domestic thriller. Secrets, betrayal, lies, tangled family dynamics, and shocking twists… all of it!
It’s barely been a year since Kate and Lauren’s father passed, and they, along with their mother, still struggle with it, albeit in different ways. Not as close as they once were, each sister had a different relationship with their father. For Kate, it’s as if the person who loved her most in the world had been ripped away. For Lauren, her contentious relationship with him makes the aftermath of his death confusing for her. And Rose, their mother, seems lost without him. And then a girl shows up during their weekly lunch, claiming to be Kate and Lauren’s half sister, the daughter of their father. A match made on a DNA website has just turned their lives upside-down.
Admittedly, the first half of the book was a little slow, told from the shifting perspectives of the two sisters. There was a lot of emphasis on their relationship, probably a bit more than necessary. But a part of that I did enjoy was in the development of their very different relationships with each of their parents, and with each other. Kate had been very close to her father but far less so with her mother. It was hard for her to believe that their father could have had a child with another woman. But it wasn’t a big leap for her to wonder if this mysterious new half sister could be the her mother’s daughter. But Lauren hadn’t been close to her father for a long time, and she never doubted that her father was responsible. Already far from close, these differing perspectives began to drive the sisters even farther apart.
The story really began to unfold in the second half, and I loved the twists and turns as the secrets began to be uncovered. All in all, I enjoyed the story.
My recommendation: While I did feel the pacing was off for part of the story, the last half really made up for that. This is a good domestic thriller with lots of secrets to be discovered!
3.5/5’s
Those do-it-yourself DNA tests have become very popular. In fact, I’ve had one sitting on my dresser for months…just begging to be submitted. I think I’ll finally take the plunge, and hope I don’t find myself in a sticky situation like the family in this story!
Jess knows how to ruin a family get together! She knocks on the door, interrupting a family meal and shocking everyone when she claims to be the half-sister of Kate of Lauren.
It all started when Lauren submitted a DNA sample. And she’s quite receptive to the news of having a new sister. Doesn’t doubt Jess for one second. Kate isn’t taking the news so well. She’s adamant that Jess is lying, and determined to uncover the truth.
I didn’t care for either sister. Lauren was meek and a total pushover. While Kate was quite the opposite. She refused to consider facts that were right in front of her face and put her father on a pedestal, deeming him perfect.
This was my first Sandie Jones novel and I was hoping for more. It was good, just not great. Some readers seem to be more impressed with her other novels, so I’m not giving up!
Thank you to Edelweiss, Sandie Jones and Minotaur Books for this free digital ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion!
My Rating: 3.5 ’s (rounding down)
Published: June 16th 2020 by Minotaur Books
Pages: 320
Recommend: Yes
@realsandiejones @MinotaurBooks @weiss_squad
#FamilySuspense #NoRulesJustThrills #InExchangeForReview #BookReview #JustFinished
Last summer, I listened to and fell in love with The First Mistake by Sandie Jones, so when I found out about the upcoming release of The Half Sister, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. One thing that I have learned when it comes to Sandie Jones is that she knows how to write a compulsively addictive domestic thriller.
Following the passing of their father, sisters Lauren and Kate lunch with their mom Rose every Sunday. One particular Sunday lunch is interrupted when 22 year old girl Jess knocks on the door. Following the results of an online DNA ancestry kit, Jess claims to be their half sister. But, that can’t be right. Their dad would never cheat on his family. Or would he? As Lauren and Kate begin to learn more about Jess, skeletons come flying out of the closet in extraordinary fashion. Maybe their family wasn’t as picture perfect as they seemed.
The story alternates between Lauren’s and Kate’s POV. As far as characters go, I loved Lauren the most since she seemed to be the least devious/scheming. Don’t get me wrong, her skeleton closet is by no means clean, but Kate is a journalist and vulture. That being said, by the end, I couldn’t help but feel for Lauren, Kate, and even Jess. The three of them were really well developed and each of them had something that made them relatable even if their actions were a bit questionable.
In terms of the plot, it starts off with a bombshell as Jess quite literally falls into everyone’s laps. The story does lose a bit of steam as we learn the daily inner workings of Lauren’s and Kate’s lives, but by about half way through the book, the secret drain gets unplugged and I was in constant shock of all of the new revelations.
I would also like to say that Lauren’s husband Simon is a POS. He’s controlling and abusive (emotionally and physically). I wanted to shake the hell out of Lauren every time she explained away his behavior, but as someone who left an abusive relationship, I completely understood why she did. It was frustrating but eye-opening.
Overall, if you’re looking for a page-turning domestic thriller wrought with familial drama and secrets, look no further because you need The Half Sister!
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced listening copy for review. Thank you Minotaur Book and Bookish First for providing an advanced readers copy for review. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
The characters in this book were very developed. I grew to care about them, or hate them! I could not put this book down! It kept me guessing from the very beginning. Just when I thought I had it figured out something would happen and I’d think, Well, there goes that theory! So many twists and turns, several times I gasped out loud! That ending tho! I never saw it coming! The best kind of book is one that keeps you guessing and fools you in the end! Once you start this book, expect to get nothing else done. You will not be able to stop reading. When I woke up the next morning I had to reread the last chapter just to verify that I really read what I thought I’d read. I think that is the first time I’ve ever done that!
This was so suspenseful! I couldn’t stop wondering what would happen next. A woman shows up one day and tells sisters Kate and Lauren, and their mother that she is their half sister. They at first want nothing to do with her, but then she becomes involved in their lives. And then everyone begins to wonder who is telling the truth and who is keeping secrets about the past. Everyone becomes suspicious of the others and their relationships become strained. The story will twist around until the very last page.
With The Half Sister, author Sandie Jones has joined the ranks of novelists exploring the ramifications of DNA testing.
Lauren and Kate long had very different relationships with their father, a successful divorce attorney. Kate feels that Lauren treated him with contempt for many years prior to his unexpected death from a heart attack. The jealousy the sisters feel for each other is palpable. Lauren is envious of the successful career as a journalist Kate enjoys, interviewing celebrities and attending red carpet events like the Oscars. “Kate’s life just looks more exciting,” Rose reminds Lauren, assuring her that what she does — raising children and working as a midwife — “is far more worthwhile.” Lauren’s boyfriend, Justin, dumped her when she was seventeen years old, setting off a downward spiral into experimentation with drugs and men. When she stopped punished herself and regained control of her life, she married Simon, an obnoxious boor, and they have three beautiful young children in whose lives he takes no active role. Lauren loved Simon in the beginning, but he works only sporadically and has become increasingly jealous, controlling, and physically and verbally abusive. When a sudden opportunity to re-visit her choices and perhaps start a new chapter in her life presents itself, she explores the possibilities with great trepidation and guilt. She is not prepared for the truth she learns about what actually happened all those years ago and, more importantly, who was responsible for the events that derailed her dreams.
Kate and her husband, Matt, met when they were both reporters at the same newspaper, but when Kate began work at the newspaper’s rival they were free to pursue their relationship. They have kept their struggle with infertility a secret and, as the book opens, Kate has another embryo implanted, hoping that this time she will be able to carry the baby to term. However, she needs to keep her anxiety level in check and be cautious during the first critical weeks. The emotional upheaval brought on by the sudden arrival of Jess and her claim to be the younger daughter of Kate’s beloved father, Harry, are definitely an unwelcome complication in Kate’s life.
Kate refuses to believe that her father was unfaithful to her mother. But Rose’s reaction is surprising and it is clear she knows more than she is willing to divulge. When it is revealed that Lauren submitted her DNA to a website for analysis in order to learn more about the family’s heritage and ancestors, she insists that she merely wanted to bring the family together by widening their circle with other family members. Jess explains that she was put up for adoption as a baby and, not realizing he is dead, is hoping to meet the father she has never known. She too uploaded her DNA profile and was notified that she and Lauren are a match. Lauren also received the notification — three months earlier — and is legitimately shocked when Jess shows up, unannounced, at Rose’s house. She only expected to find distant relatives, but regrets having submitted her DNA because “all it’s served to do so far is to make people say things and hear things they weren’t ready for.”
Kate is convinced that Jess is not really their half-sister but is, rather, a scam artist looking for “any family” to attach herself to, perhaps for financial gain. And she interprets her mother’s distress as a reaction to painful news about her long marriage to the girls’ father. Lauren ponders why “everybody [is] conspiring against her, when all she ever wanted to do was bring her family closer together?” In an effort to clear her father’s good name and determine if Jess’s motives are indeed duplicitous, Kate employs her investigative skills to discover Jess’s real identity, learn about her background, and expose her as the fraud Kate believes her to be. Matt suggests that Jess has “somehow cooked the results.”
The Half Sister is an entertaining mystery and a drama about female family members. Jones explores the relationship between Lauren and Kate as details about their parents’ marriage come to light and Lauren struggles in her own troubled marriage. Regrets, resentments, and misunderstandings between the siblings surface, and force them to reevaluate the assumptions they have made over the years about each other’s lives and feelings. The depiction of the sisters’ complicated love and loyalty for each other, tinged with competition and grudges, is credible and poignant. Although deceased, Harry is a prominent character in the story. As the truth about past events comes to light, in part because the girls realize that they ascribed erroneous meanings to things they observed, Jones validates the girls’ perceptions that they were each raised by a very different men. Their experiences and relationships with the father they knew were divergent. Kate has kept Harry on a pedestal for thirty-four years. Lauren’s anger and bitterness toward Harry and his actions have fueled her choices for many years, but revelations about her pivotal seventeenth year cause her to reassess everything she assumed to be true. Jones also explores the mother-daughter relationships, which are as complex as those of sisters, although in a less intricate manner while deftly and touchingly depicting the girls’ reactions to what they learn about their mother.
Jones keeps the story moving at a quick pace as Kate zeroes in on the shocking truth about her father, her parents’ marriage, and Jess’s real identity. The Half Sister is clever, inventive, and full of surprises. Once all is revealed, Jones provides a satisfying and believable conclusion for characters with whom readers readily identify and relate.
The Half Sister is an entertaining family drama, told from the alternating perspectives of Kate and Lauren, that also serves as a cautionary tale. Yet again, readers who contemplating submitting their DNA to a third party for analysis would be wise to proceed guardedly lest they find themselves confronting relatives and family secrets that complicate their lives in unimaginable and unforeseen ways.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
What happens when a knock on the door changes everything?
Sisters Lauren and Kate have a lovely tradition of spending time with each other weekly over lunch with their mother Rose on Sundays. This particular Sunday, they receive a visit from a young woman named Jess who claims that she is their half sister following the results of an online DNA testing kit. Uploading the data, she is able to connect with Lauren. Kate working as a journalist is sceptic by nature and put her investigative skills into action, which uncovers family secrets long forgotten and thought buried and never to be unearthed.
I loved this book more than I thought I would. I guess I really like a page-turning domestic thrillers. I enjoyed learning about the characters, their spouses, their jobs and daily workings of their lives. The story alternates between Lauren’s and Kate’s POV which I enjoyed – Lauren the more insecure sister and Kate the stronger one of the two. The mystery element comes later as more secrets surface and a few clever plot twists added to the complex shocking revelation of the whodunnit element.
Overall, I really loved Sandie Jones’ writing and would definitely make it a goal to read her other books. She writes amazing characters and delves deep into the details of the plot which I really appreciated. I found the novel to be somewhat thrilling as the mystery of who Jess truly is, is revealed and that made for an exciting revelation that made this a page turner of a book.
This was an easy read that I would recommend for readers who love a great page-turner domestic thrillers.
I had previously read The First Mistake by Sandie Jones so was looking forward to reading this one. Sunday dinner with their Mom is a tradition that Kate and Lauren keep up even though things are not the same since their father died. A knock on the door one day upsets this seemingly normal routine because the woman at the door is holding a DNA test and claims she is their half-sister. One sister wants to believe that Jess any be indeed their half-sister and one sister is just as sure that Jess is a fraud. The investigation into the truth will reveal secrets that no one expected. A fast paced novel of suspense!
This was a new author for me. Enjoyable read, fast paced with twists. Characters were interesting and developed well thru the story. The infertility testing and emotion toll was spot on. Family dynamics were understandable. I enjoyed the writing and the story flowed easily for me. Look forward to reading the author’s previous books!
Timely book regarding DNA, cold cases and finding relatives. Sisters Kate and Lauren are jealous of what each other has, not realizing the other feels this way. Kate is missing her deceased loving father, Lauren’s memories are not as kind. The journey that Lauren put them on can destroy a family or make the sisters closer than ever.
Thanks to Ms. Jones, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
It all starts with a family dinner that is interrupted by Jess who is seeking her father. After this dinner, the reader embarks on a journey in which the truth is sought after and to find out if Jess is who she says she is. Sandie Jones has written another fast paced, family suspense that has you guessing and trying to solve the mystery with the characters. I enjoyed reading the story from the dual characters: Kate and Lauren. The dual voices gives the reader the opportunity to get to know both sisters, along with reminding them that we all have secrets.
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions in this review are my own.
What a story. I should have learned from past experience with a Sandie Jones story that what you see is not always what you get, but I got sucked in just like always. You think you’ve figured it out, you know what has happened, is happening and will happen. You think you’ve identified the heroes and the villains and can just coast along until the end. But then you realize these characters are so well developed and nuanced that you really don’t know them as well as you thought. So you really don’t understand what’s going on, and you certainly can’t predict the future.
The Half Sister is full of almost-likable people. This is another thing author Sandie Jones does oh so well. You sympathize with them, feel sorry for them, and at times are even bored with them, but then they act in a way that isn’t all that nice and you realize you don’t like them very much. As layers are peeled back and more and more is revealed your loyalty and allegiance shift back and forth.
Kate and Lauren are sisters. Lauren and her mother Rose are close and always have been, or so it seems to Kate. She was closer to her late father, and still misses him terrible. Kate thinks Lauren has the life Kate wants. Sure, her husband Simon is a bit of a jerk but she’s got those three beautiful children. Lauren thinks Kate’s life is the one to envy – successful in business, not tied down with kids, no money problems, living the easy life with her husband Matt. But Kate and Matt have been trying for what seems like forever to have a child. This is their last attempt. Their mother Rose almost fades into the background. Just another widow adjusting to life without her husband. And then Jess shows up claiming Harry was her father and demanding to be accepted into the family. And Lauren has a chance encounter with her old boyfriend Justin. So how could anything be the same from that point on?
I was quite annoyed with most of the characters initially. Everyone seemed to be lying, hiding something, mean-spirited, with a hidden agenda and not caring who they hurt in their attempt to get what they want or feel they deserve. And then I realized that was author Sandie Jones’ whole point – there is so much going on under the surface and behind the scenes that I was soon riveted, couldn’t stop reading.
A Sandie Jones book is not a book you pick up, read a couple of chapters, and put down and walk away for a day or so, and The Half Sister fits the mold. Plan to spend some time because once you start you’re hooked. You’ll be sad and angry and happy and wary and confused. But always unable to put it down, unable to stop turning pages as fast as you can. And satisfied with the ending.
Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of The Half Sister for my hones review. All opinions are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it without hesitation.