This was an emotional read. Nadine is drifting in a lonely world without her mother and father's involvement, left to the machinations of her vindictive sister. When things begin to turn around for her, her sister cannot stand to see her successful and content and sets out to bring Nadine back down. Blood is thicker than water and it is hard to abandon they only family you have. Can Nadine get out from under her sister's manipulative ways and find a life she deserves or will she be stuck under her sister's shadow.

Oh my gosh this is the worst kind of story. Sisters put against each other? That is stupid. My sister and I are not . like that and portraying sister relationships like this is really annoying and stupid.

It was an okay read. it was exciting enough to finish.

Firstly, I truly loved the blurb done for NemeSIS that pulled me right in and got me downloaded it right off the ARC section from the galley. Honestly, it has been a while now that I've been reading the book and I just finished it. I know it has been out for a year and so but still I couldn't abandon a book, even if I didn't enjoyed it, without a review. Now that I have sometime to sort out my thoughts to review an ARC once again, I am glad to have this opportunity to do so.

I shall start with the plot. Basically, the whole book is just about sibling-relationship that needs to be fixed. The whole point of the book and beyond that, I don't think I have anything to say that truly captivated me to really thoroughly enjoy the book because it revolves around just the rivalry between Rachel and Nadine. Other than that is the old plain high school scenarios and love interests that seems a bit cliche as well but I can give it flirty and cute.

Ultimately, NemeSIS gave me the sense of having to actually see the point of being the responsible one because sibling-relationship has to be about teamwork and not destroying that little haven when the only family you have is your sibling. That is the message I like that this book emphasizes on throughout the story and to return the same kindness to our own siblings in our unique lovingly way.

I’ve come across many young adult books with a theme of bullying and they have all had much of a sameness.
For me, NemeSis stood out for the fact that the bullying came from within Nadine’s family; her elder sister who she adored and looked up to.

<i>”Rachel used to be the person I always wanted to be around. I worshiped her. For years.”</i>

I feel things like Nadine’s point plan to take action and change her life could be beneficial to teen readers with low self esteem. Changing your life starts with one small step.

I enjoyed following Nadine’s journey from hiding in the Library at lunchtime to making new friends and joining the hockey team.

The story is candidly told by Nadine with her don’t take yourself too seriously sense of humour. She quite often laughs at her own naivety when she falls for her sister’s antics.

Marshall’s story came across as very real, but maybe a little over dramatised, because I have lived this life of treading lightly around an older sister with undiagnosed mental illness. The story was all so shockingly close to home.

I received a review ERC from the publisher via Netgalley.

You would love this book if you have a sibling as you will relate to the feeling of the protagonist..
This book has got everything that a teenager is going through - Sibling rivalry, finding friendship, love, betrayal and finally sibling love..

The book is highly recommended if you are either a teenager or a parent of a teenager..

An interesting read that may have been a bit on the younger reader side than I had anticipated. It took me quite some time to get to NemeSIS -- other novels kept drawing my attention.

Whatever I was expecting when I first saw this book, it clearly wasn’t this.

I really, really thought that Rachel was a psychopath at first, with the way she treated Nadine. But she wasn’t. Also, I didn’t think this book would get so bloody, but it proved me wrong.

I think this book is alright for a book that is written in 1st person POV (if you’ve read my reviews before, you’ll know how I feel about 1st person POV). The narration is okay, and not that whiny. The book had a good start, kind of funny, but it gets a bit boring as you read. I think the only reason I continued reading was because of Cameron. I really loved Nadine and Cameron’s friendship.

As for the characters, I think Nadine is an okay character although I’m not sure if I like her. My feelings about her changes a lot of time so I’ll just stick with I’m “okay” with her. Cameron is adorable, and I absolutely adores him, but his twin not so much. Matthew’s a player and I don’t like that kind of person. The only redeeming quality about him is his protectiveness when it comes to his sister. As for Rachel, I don’t like her, I don’t hate her but I don’t quite know what I feel about her. I’m also disappointed that we didn’t dwell much deeper into whatever mental illness Rachel has or the reasons why she bullies Nadine so extremely.

To sum it up, this is a fast-paced book with a simple plot. If I was younger, maybe around 11 – 15 years old, I would really love this book. But I don’t think older teens would enjoy this much. While sure, it was funny, but it gets a bit boring with the way the information was given. It’s also a slow but fast-paced kind of book. Kind of like, the progress is slow, but if you blink, you’ll miss the climax. There wasn’t much, if at all, character development, and the plot was pretty straightforward. That is why I think middle grade readers or people who wants a non-complex quick read would enjoy this book.

I rate NemeSIS 3 / 5 stars.

I might seem harsh but this book was not written nicely. Everything felt very cliched. I don't know why. As much as I wanted to love it. It did not happen.

After I read the overview I first thought, that the cover might not fit the story. But while I've been reading I understood the sense behind this cover and I have to admit: It's PERFECT!

Susan Marshall's writing style is absolutely thrilling. She writes in a very fluid, spellbinding and emotional manner. There are no dull scenes at all and it didn't take long for me to completely get lost in this amazing book.

To be honest with you, I've been skeptical about this story before I started reading. There are so many books out there about teenagers in High School but not every author can pull it off. Susan Marshall though? She nailed it!!

The plot is perfectly worked through and there are no gaps or contradictions to find. The author didn't just describe the nice sides of a teenager life. No. She pointed out the bad sides, which are too often the reality.

Susan Marshall highlighted a rare topic in this story: Bullying. And she earned all my respect for it. She shows in her great story what could happen, if you don't speak up.
She created some stunning characters for this book. With some I instantly fell in love. Others? Not so much!

At first you meet Nadine - the main character in this book. She is a shadow of her former self. She has a shy and quiet personality, which leads to her being alone. No friends, no social life are waiting for her. Not only did I feel sorry for her, no. I felt connected to her. She's loving and caring. Even for the 'not so nice' people around her.

Then there is Rachel. She is Nadine's older sister and an absolute drama queen. She also is beautiful, smart and popular. But that's not enough. On top of it she's a bully. Whenever she can get Nadine in trouble, she does. Rachel uses Nadine as her personal mental punching bag and it seems always unpredictable to know what she plans next.

You will also meet Anne. She too is a very shy person, who hides in the library for lunch. Anne becomes Nadine's friend and she is the type of friend everyone wishes for. Yes she is shy and quiet but she also really cares and is absolutely lovely. She won my heart in a heartbeat.

When Nadine and Anne start to play field hockey together, they also meet Mei. She seems to be the complete opposite of them. She has a bubbly and loud personality but nonetheless they get along very well. For a little while at least because she will show her real, uncaring and ugly character.

If you want to know what exactly happens, join Nadine on her journey called life.
In my opinion this book should get as much as attention as possible. It is an absolutely thrilling and eye-opening read and for me it also definitely is a must-read.

This book carries a very important message: Don't let the bullies get any power, SPEAK UP!

A massive Thank You to the team of Blue Moon Publishers for the chance to read and review this great book!

Nemesis by susan Marshall.
Nadine is fifteen her mother and father have split up. Her life completely sucks right now. What can she do to turn her life around.
This was a slow but good read with good characters. I really felt for Nadine but I did not like her sister Rachel. I thought she was selfish. 4*. Netgalley and Digi writing.

A year since her dad left them, Nadine is ready to stop surviving and starting living again. The problem is, she has no idea how to do that. She lost all of her friends in the switch to high school (during survival mode) and has been eating lunch in the library ever since. All she knows is she needs to get a life, make some friends, and stop being so timid. Thank goodness there’s a new girl! And she’s shyer than Nadine. Maybe that’s her starting point…

One step at a time, often made up only in the moment it’s needed, Nadine faces her fears in order to get a life and at least one human friend. It reminds me of the goal-setting in Making the Team by Kelsey Blair but, while Making the Team has more mature friends telling Hannah how to reach her ultimate goal, Nadine figures it out for herself with all the mistakes, failures and successes that come with it.

For someone who has spent the last year hiding from the world and believing she’s friendless because she couldn’t figure out how to be cool in grade 9, Nadine certainly has an easy time building new relationships. It makes you wonder if the only problem was her own disposition the previous year, not her ability to understand how to fit in. Or perhaps Nadine just doesn’t care in the same way her classmates do. After all, the one guy to catch her attention doesn’t seem to care much about impressing others.

The ending is a little bit idealistic. Her heartbroken sister is worn out enough to listen to everything Nadine has learned about life and how she wants their relationship to improve. Nadine tells her how to make friends and that she believes Rachel needs to see a counsellor. Nadine falls asleep feeling great about things that night… but it really makes you wonder how Rachel will take all of this information when she’s less tired and sad and feeling more vengeful again. What new tortures might Nadine be facing after the closing pages of NemeSIS?

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. There has been no compensation and everything that follows is my own opinion.

Alright, the first thing that grabbed me was the cover. Look at that! Yes, the title is a bit corny, but I'm big on corny jokes. I can handle a bit of corn, because you know why? Corn makes popcorn and what's good with popcorn? A horror movie. What does the cover remind you of? A 70's or 80's horror flick.

Boom. I went there.

So . . . that and the blurb made me think that this book was going to be a messed up trip down family lane. Sure, the blurb doesn't hint at all that, but the subtlety of "what's going to happen" and the cover made me think something dark was going to happen. Maybe ending on a bittersweet note. Or a happy note where one sister is in a nice padded room and hugging it out.

Nope.

This book is one of those DJC (Don't Judge by the Cover) cases. This is a book about bullying. It's about stepping away from being alone and stepping back to living. It's about living, not surviving.

NemeSIS is a book I would have wanted to read back in 9th grade. During that time, I was going through a lot of bullying and self hate. I wasn't unpopular, but there was a dark part of me that just wanted it all to end. That I was worthless.

I still feel that way sometimes.

Nadine is a 10th grader who decides to make a change in her life. She develops steps towards a better life that ends in a quasi-uplifting manner. Her sister is messed up and does probably have a mental illness, but that isn't the point of the story. The point of the story is how Nadine works out all of her stress into something productive.

I personally would have wanted more about her sister's mental health problems. More of the darker stuff to show off the brighter stuff. It would have helped me understand why this was the lowest point for Nadine.

As such, it felt like a girl starving for friendship more than a girl starving to change her life.

The writing was well done. It was easy to get started and end the book, but I felt it is a book geared more to 8th or 9th graders. Anyone older would probably be wanting what I was hoping for.

All in all, I didn't dislike the book. I liked it. It had good points, such as Nadine's steps, but I wasn't completely immersed.

I really enjoyed this! It wasn't as dark as I was expecting from the title (is that a weird expectation?) but it was a really interesting story of sibling rivalry and bullying...

Spoilers


Rachel's prank with Nadine's hockey uniform absolutely shocked me!

I liked Nadine and it was really fun to watch her totally grow from this mousey loner eating lunch in the library, to a more confident girl with friends and a boyfriend and a starring role on her school's hockey team. Rachel was a complete and utter bitch, but then I wasn't too fond of boyfriend-stealing Mei either. Anne was great, would have liked to have gotten to know her a bit more too, as she went through the same sort of development as Nadine but we didn't see the ins as much as the outs of that.

One tiny editing niggle though, near the end when Nadine is on one of her dates with Cameron and they're talking about family stuff and growing up and he asked her something like, you play hockey? And like dude, she's on the same team as your sister and you've seen them play and like four days ago you were all in the hospital together when one of their teammates had her finger sliced off..! Pay attention bro!

I liked too how she got the guy but this wasn't just a boy-meets-girl generic romance, it's more a coming of age story and the boy was just one of the perks.

A very well written and fast paced young adult novel about a girl with divorced parents, a bullying sister and her wish to get a normal life. A great book I recommend to the younger readers.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley and Blue Moon Publishers!

There are a lot of emotions going on in this book. Of course, it deals with teenage girls who are sisters so how could it not? As the reader, the “outsider” if you will, there is so much to the family dynamic of Nadine, her sister Rachel, and their mom that Nadine herself cannot see while smack dab in the middle of it all. Nadine’s father moved to New York, leaving them all behind in Canada. Raising two high school age girls on her own for the first time while trying to start a new career that will support the family, it’s understandable how little the mom actually knows about what is going on in the home.

I’m no psychologist or psychiatrist, but I would hazard to guess that many young girls who have an actual chemical imbalance causing a mental health problem are not diagnosed or mis-diagnosed because of “hormones”. It’s so hard to know what is a normal outburst and when it’s over the top. Especially for busy parents that actually only spend an hour or two a day with their teens. Nadine is only 15 and the younger of the two sisters. She cannot be expected to know what is extreme behavior and what is her sister just being mean. It doesn’t help that, to spare her mom any more angst, she keeps mum about some significant events between the sisters. I don’t know how she lived in that house. I was on pins and needles through much of that book, so scared of what Rachel had in store for Nadine. I can only imagine this is how it truly is to live with someone with such extreme moods. I found those scenes between sisters, as well as Nadine’s thoughts on the interactions, very real.

In many ways this is a coming of age story. Nadine learns that she has to stand up for herself. She has to stop hiding from the world and truly live. When she starts taking the necessary steps to have a life, when she gets bold, good things happen along with the bad. She makes a great friend, she catches the eye of a wonderful boy, she gets a backbone. Rachel ramps up her evil ways during this transition of Nadine’s, but by learning to stick up for her friends she also learns to stick up for herself. It’s a great transformation to see.

One of the things I find extremely hard about reviewing an ARC is the grammar, spelling, and formatting. You can never know if these are things that are being caught by the editor and/or beta readers and being corrected before publication. I always hope that to be the case. It’s often hard for me to view a book separate from these issues since they can mess with the flow of the story. I have to say, although there were quite a few of these errors and it did mess with the story, I still really enjoyed this book. I’m going to assume they are fixed for publication and this book will be even more wonderful.

Without giving any spoilers, I want to say I appreciate the way the author ended this story. While quite a few things are resolved, there is no pretty bow on top making everything okay. It’s a real and honest ending to this chapter in Nadine’s life.

It's an average read. I liked the story, it has a good beginning and the middle but I felt that ending was anticlimactic. I think that's because of Rachel's character. I didn't understand her at all. Author handled it vaguely. There are only hints but it's hard to comprehend her behavior towards her younger sister. Especially because it is mentioned that they were friends once and then Rachel changed but when or why are not explained at all. I think that wasn't well-handled. There should be more explanation as to why she is bullying her sister in such a mean way. I might be wrong, of course, but I feel that's why ending didn't satisfy me.
Nadine is a teenager who is dealing with being invisible at school. She wants to have friends but she is too shy. Then she finds a friend in a new girl, Anne, who is facing the same problem as her. She has just started this school, thus, two become fast friends. Soon they're sharing lunch, join same sports team and having a good time together. Nadine's home life remains the same. Some days her sister is good to her at other she is mean. Her mother notices this but chalk it up to her divorce and girls' father moving away. Nadine also tries to overlook her sister's behavior and tries to be as invisible at home as possible.
All in all it was an ok book. There are many good parts which I enjoyed reading. Story also touches the sensitive issue of teen bullying and how it can be handled. I regret that I didn't enjoyed it as much as I could've if Rachel hadn't bothered me. ;)

This was not just a story about a mean sister, the sister was a schizophrenic psycho! One moment she was preparing a bubble bath to help her sister relax the next she has put a metal clip on her sisters nose while she is sleeping and leaves a note saying "Stop snoring bitch!". The picked upon sister takes a few deep breaths and continues to take the abuse.

Was not able to read anymore after 30%. Sorry but I like to read about strong assertive characters that will stand up for themselves.

As far as young adult books go, this wasn't a favorite. It was definitely geared more towards a younger audience (maybe between ages 13-16). As the title states, there is serious tension between sisters in NemeSIS. Nadine and Rachel are only 2 years apart and Nadine feels like she is following in her older sisters prettier and more confident shadow.

Nadine decided she was going to turn her life around and start making friends in high school rather than eating lunch in the school library and befriending a mouse who would eat her crumbs. Once she started with a life plan to improve her confidence and become something of herself, things started changing really quickly for her. New friends, a spot on the school's lacrosse team, and even a boy interest. But while things were improving for her social life, her relationship with her sister was seriously deteriorating.

As far as sisters go, Rachel was a true witch. Reading some of the horrible things she did make me pretty glad that I didn't have a vindictive older sister. She was a true enemy out to ruin Nadine's life and no one did anything about it. I found this part of the story truly heartbreaking and hard to swallow.

NemeSIS is a coming of age story for a 15 year old high school girl. She overcomes A LOT for any normal kid. I wouldn't wish some of her situations on any teenager. I mean - over the top. Do kid's really act this way?? I haven't quite decided if I would recommend this book to my teenage daughter yet.

**Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary e-copy of NemeSIS in exchange for my honest review**

Nadine, a shy fifteen-year-old, is bullied by her older sister Rachel. Nadine finally makes a friend, Anne, whose older twin brothers become the objects of the sisters' affections. But Rachel's volatile moods threaten to ruin Nadine's new-found happiness.

NetGalley lists NemeSIS as both middle grade and YA, though the story seems geared more toward middle school and tween girls. Less mature teens and who read at lower grade levels may also enjoy the story, though older teens will probably not. Susan Marshall's writing relies more on telling that showing. She uses a lot of words and excess, unnecessary detail to tell the story, which will probably lose the interest of middle grade readers and don't add anything to the story for older readers. The writing lacks personality and voice, which is Nadine's first person narrative and adds to a dullness of her character.

I appreciated that Marshall initially used AA's 12 Steps as Nadine's action plan to improve her life and that Nadine was proactive about bettering her situation.

None of the characters seemed particularly well developed. Rachel's possible mental illness (maybe bipolar) would have been better handled more directly. I thought Marshall could have done a much better job defining Rachel's problems and/or making her bullying more realistic. I also didn't like how the girls' mother colluded with Nadine about Rachel's behavior.

NemeSIS is a story that could have been improved by being more closely geared toward tweets or teens, because as written, it misses the mark for both groups. NemeSIS isn't a bad book, but has nothing special or unique about the story that feels memorable or would cause me to recommend it.