Where do I begin? I read this in less than 24 hours. I could not put it down. It's gripping, easy reading full of twists and turns and portrays the sister relationship accurately. 

Loved this book from start to finish.... great read. Thanks for the advanced copy. This felt like reading - The Ice Twins - all over again!! 

Will add to Summer reading blog recommendations.

I really loved My Husband's Wife when I read it last year. So much so that I have to admit I was a little scared that this latest offering would not stand up to my expectations. Soon after starting it, I realised that my fears were totally unfounded as I simply devoured this one too.
Alison and Kitty are the two survivors of a childhood accident in which one girl died. Although physically unharmed, Alison is still suffering psychologically but Kitty is in a care home, with limited mobility, no speech and little memory of what happened to her. Alison is an college art teacher and one day she spots a notice advertising a teacher-in-residence job in a prison. Still atoning for what happened she feels she has to take the job, well, that and she needs the money. Soon after starting, she begins to receive strange notes and feels someone is watching her. Kitty meanwhile is very frustrated as she can't voice her thoughts. She desperately wants to know what happened to her but is unable to vocalise her needs. What happens next is an extremely well plotted journey, peeling back the layers that have build up around our two main characters since the accident. We go back to their childhoods and see what happened in the build up. Back in the present, it becomes evident that what is happening now is connected back to that day. Will we ever get to the truth? And who needs it the most and what will they do to get it?
Well, this was the book that kept on giving. Just when I thought I had it all worked out, the author spun me around and set me off in another direction. Not without good cause I hasten to add as the characters were spinning quite a bit too. It was also quite original to me in nature and storyline. Something hard to achieve given the sheer volume of this genre book that I read. I found that very refreshing indeed. 
The two key locations in the book were also either very well researched or the author has personal experience, and I found both the prison and the care home to be very credible and interesting places. I especially loved Kitty's inner thoughts and really felt for her frustration in being able to communicate them, all attempts being misinterpreted as acting out. Alison was a little harder to get to know. I took a little time warming to her but definitely got there in the end. 
Pacing was also very good. I wouldn't say that this is a book that hits the ground running. It starts off at a gentle pace, most of the psychological stuff being cerebral rather than physical and the chapters set in the past are quite slow paced as they are mostly background and scene setting, albeit very important wrt to complementing and explaining what is happening in the present. Delivered in short punchy, sometime cliff-hanging chapters, this book was for me extremely hard to put down when my life insisted I do other things! 
In the acknowledgements, the author does admit to taking a few liberties with certain things that I myself also queried but as all taken were integral to the plot and more or less within the bounds of credibility I was well easily able to forgive her for them. Indeed, the subject matter did having me resorting to google to find out more. 
Aside from the main story, we also dove into both Kitty and Alison's lives. I definitely had my eyes opened by Kitty's day to day struggles and what happened to her along the way. I also really really want to try my hand at stained glass now too! I found that instead of distracting me from the storyline, their individual stories became integral in building up and defining their characters which, for me, meant that this was a very character driven book which, given the slower paced, more cerebral aspect of the psychological element, meant for a better overall read. 
All in all, an excellent read that ticked every box for me along the way and that left me totally satisfied at the end. That is, apart from a nagging yearning for her next book. I hope not to have to wait too long.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

**contains spoiler**
I am definitely in the minority for this book, as I wasn't able to enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

The book started off slowly, and then it picked up and started throwing all these twists, but some were simply unnecessary and even seemed a little forced to me. It took me some effort to finish the book.

I didn't particularly like any of the characters, and found it hard to empathise and connect with them. However, the fact that I often got annoyed with some of their behaviours probably means that they were believable and well constructed.

I found it pretty difficult to believe that they were able to lie about who was driving in Crispin's car that morning. I don't recall Crispin's mum being thrown out of the vehicle in the accident. And if that wasn't the case, it should be clear who was behind the wheel.

All in all, I wasn't able to engage with this book, and would not recommend it.

Blood Sisters is an intriguing narrative written from the point of view of two sisters. The novel starts well and draws the reader in, however, in my opinion the book seems to gradually lose its way. Although we would expect twists and turns in a novel of this genre the plot became rather incredulous. That said, characterisation was good. I particularly enjoyed hearing Kitty's point of view and witnessing her struggle to communicate so I did want to read to the end and find out what had actually happened on the day of the accident.

The narrative surrounds an accident that happened years ago. An accident that left one girl dead, another bound to a wheelchair and one who has no physical scar to show from the accident but she is constantly haunted by it all. 

Kitty and Alison are half-sisters who never got along when growing up and the accident only drives them further apart. Kitty is left with no memory of what happened and Alison is burdened with so much guilt that she cannot bring herself to visit her sister. 

On top of being bound to a wheelchair, Kitty’s speech was also affected by the accident. Due to the difficulty in trying to perceive what she was trying to say, she is taken to a center that caters to people with special needs by her mother who is unable to take care of her. 

Alison on the other hand is trying her hardest to keep everything from that day in the past. She is the only one who knows what happened but some secrets are better left buried. 

But what really happened that day? 

Who was responsible for the accident?

Why does Alison carry so much guilt? 

Jane Cory explores disability without the story being all about the disability of Kitty. You get inside her head and get to experience in some sense the thoughts of a person who can barely express what they need to. This was an interesting side of the story as she rights in the POV of Kitty. It almost felt like Room by Emma Donoghue in terms of unique POVs. 

I enjoyed this much more than I did her debut novel My Husband's Wife and I will definitely be picking up future books from this author.

I do enjoy a psychological thriller that goes into different difficult and complex situations, and feel this one does exactly that.

Based on secrets, lies and guilt the plot unfolds from the two sisters perspectives. Intertwining the present and past to reveal the impact and consequences of the actions and choices people make. The storyline contains so many twists and turns you don't know which directions you are going in, definitely one to read.

Thank you Jane Corry, Netgalley, and Penguin for allowing me to review this book.

I am reviewing Blood Sisters, by Jane Corry. Here's what I thought:

^^ Three little girls. One good. One bad. One dead.  

^^ This is a story of three parts, told by two different ladies, half sisters, Alison and Kitty, both of whom are living very different lives. Alison recently got a job in an men's open prison and Kitty has been living in a care home, disabled, unable to speak and with no memory of what happened to her. 

^^ After a series of "too good to be true" coincidences at the beginning, I thought to myself, early readers of this book are not going to like this, because a lot of what was happening appeared unbelievable and realistic. I almost stopped reading myself, but then decided against it as I wanted to see how it all panned out. After all, the author, Jane Corry is not stupid, there must be some trick up her sleeve, right? At least this is what I hoped... 

^^ I'm so glad I carried on, for not long after it all became clear and what on the surface seemed like a simple novel about sibling rivalry actually turned out to something much more complex and shocking. Just as I had suspected. It turned out to be a very well written, satisfying and most enjoyable read. Very cleverly thought out. 

Overall: Whether you can't get past the coincidences is something only you can decide, but I thoroughly enjoyed this, and the reasons behind it. Towards the end there was quite simply one twist after the other. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, I was proved wrong. Again. I thought about giving this four stars, because of the false start, but no, in my opinion it's still worthy of five!

Blood sisters invites you into the lives of Alison and Kitty who in their own way are dealing with the after effects of a childhood accident.
An okay book with a few twists and turns although not the best book I've read by Jane Corry.

This was an interesting read, with some mystery and thriller aspects but basically a family drama that stretched on for far too long. We follow two young women in the search for the truth, resolution and redemption. That's how I would summarize it. I enjoyed it, I was enjoying it but there came I point where I just wanted to get to the end already. Too many variables entered the pictured to give the mystery more depth but for me, didn't quite work.

This was my first contact with Jane Corry's writing and I must say I didn't anything to complain about in that respect. The introduction to characters, descriptions and interaction were very clear and concise. I found especially thrilling Kitty's point of view. Her train of thought really seemed like a little girl's and that's why I was a bit confused as to how old she really was, but that only proves that the writing was on point. Still I didn't connect with this as I had hoped! 
The story alternated between the two main characters introducing also a look into the past and present. This change in personality and also in time period didn't feel forced and was very easy to follow. I am grateful for that because sometimes novels that do flashback they don't do it in such a coherent way.

This is where things start to get complicated. Like I previously said the story takes part in the UK where we follow a couple of young women. An artsy and severely damaged woman who starts in a new place of work (certainly a unique place to work for her) and another deranged (ok yes, I might be overreaction, I just didn't like her at all) one living in a home for people who need special care. What's the connection? Well, a secret (better said, secrets) and naughty behaviour.
We pick up years after an accident happen which ended up affecting, in the worst ways, a lot of people. Alison starts trying to pick up pieces and trying to redeem herself. She gives the impression of being a fugitive because she has a very secretive and solitary life. When she meets someone new, and immediately starts in a new job she starts to get paranoid but lives goes by. As for Kitty. she is not as vegetative as she seems for the outer world but still her situation only made me feel sympathy for her at the beginning, because as the story progressed we really got to meet her and... let me just say, there wasn't much to safe there.
When this two characters finally come together, the mystery starts to unravel, slowly (too slowly). Let's just say everything doesn't come completely clear right until the last page. That's why I was so frustrated. I liked how the characters were introduced and how the story progressed but it was too slow-paced. Every time we were given some notion, some clue of what happened 15 years ago, something new came along and it just kept stretching and stretching until all of our players came together to unfold the truth. New things kept coming, new surprises, although most of them quite predictable (I guess first impression most of times are correct).
And that ending?? Well, that felt more like a history repeating itself, but with nicer and much less catastrophic results.
Overall this story had some good points and I can see the good intentions and potential. For me didn't make the final cut it could have and I think that might have been because the author tried to make the story extra complicated. If that was the case, well let's say it backfired.

We mainly follow the sun and the shadow or as you might know them Kitty and Alison.
Alison is sweet but not perfect. She is nothing like her young self. She was never as strong or as independent as she would have liked and after what she lost with the accident her life ended up taking a 180 degree turn. Ultimately she is good-hearted, or at least that's the image she  projects.
Kitty is a bossy drama queen that cannot get enough of herself. You might feel sad for her situation, of course, but other than that she doesn't do anything to gain any kind of sympathy from the reader. Yes, you discover that there something there, very well hidden, but still it wasn't enough for me to appreciate her.
Let's just say the family was a very complex one. A mother I didn't feel much for. I was sympathetic towards her but I just didn't care enough. The father/step father didn't have as much screen time as you would have hoped but he really did have importance.

A fantastic book that I sat up until 3am to finish reading as I was totally engrossed in the story of the two girls.
 Kitty is a fascinating person who the author has given a blow by blow account of how it must feel to be trapped inside one’s own body, unable to speak. Despite being such a Princess the reader cannot help feeling sorry for her and the actions she takes to try to be understood. Jane Corry has managed to make Kitty not just a person to pity but tells her life inside the care home with an incredible humour that makes the reader laugh out loud.
Alison, in sharp contrast, has a confusing personality from the start but yet is equally lovable and all the way through I was trying to sort her issues out. I have to say that although I did see a part of the ending I did not see it all.
The background characters are so well described that they were alive. I particularly loved the stories of Alison when she was artist in residence in the Open Prison as this really began to bring so much together. 
The title is made clear on more than one occasion and fits in well with the story. I loved the book and would certainly recommend this author to all my friends.

Well done Jane you have done it again, a brilliant book that kept me up all night, a fantastic, gripping read and I would highly recommend.  Please lets have another book as your style of writing is second to none.

Three girls walking to school, moments later one of them is dead and for the two survivors life will never be the same again.

This story is told across two timelines, 2001 when the accident happened and 2016 onwards to how Kitty and Alison are now dealing with what happened.  This is the first book I've read by this author and she certainly knows how to draw you in, the story does start off slow but once you get into it and get woven into the lies and deceit that is evident you are hooked.  There are many twists and surprises along the way but it's the final twist which leaves you with mouth open thinking 'no way'!

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by this author.  I would like to thank Penguin Books UK for approving me on Netgalley and will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Alison is an art teacher for adults at a local college struggling to makes end meet and hiding a secret about something that happened when she was eighteen.  Kitty is her younger sister who suffered catastrophic injuries in a car accident - she is now in a wheelchair and cannot speak.  Alison has now taken a job teaching art to prisoners in an open prison and is growing close to one of her adult evening classes.  Kitty has grown close to one of the other residents at her care home and is soon pregnant.  An incident at the prison leads Alison confessing to causing Kitty's injuries and ending up in prison herself but more revelations are revealed and technology helps Kitty remember what happened.  Even when you think that there are not other secrets to be discovered though the author sneaks one more in right at the end.  Fantastic read from start to finish - couldn't put it down.  Will be recommending it to friends and will look for more books by this author. 

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin and Jane Corry for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was so drawn into this book it was overwhelming I got completely lost in it and could not put it down .
It was a brilliant well written intense and gripping novel ,a real page turner .
I loved it definitely a 5 star for me

Real sisters are more important than blood sisters, aren't they??? 
3 people : 3 girls growing up to 2 women with an accident in their midst ; misstep or murder?? Why was a kid with learner's license allowed to drive a car?? Where are kids' mothers?? What really happened on that day?? The answers to all these questions is hidden in the pages of this book. 
This is the basic plot line told in alternate voices of two sisters, Allison and Kitty, in two different time lines; one is the present 2016-2017 and the other is the past 2001 and the days preceeding to that fateful day. One accident spoils the lives of three families and they deal with the aftermath for years to come, the secrets, the horrors hidden in a damaged brain, the truth. 
Two real sisters, but what really binds them : blood or past memories?? Guilt?? There is both love and envy... 
Allison, a straight A student heading for college, post accident, suddenly drops out and turns to art. She teaches an evening class in the college on stained glass making and joins an open prison as an art teacher for three days a week. She meets Clive and life appears smooth for her. But she is a cutter. Is cutting herself and going to jail to teach a class, a penance for her crime?? 
Kitty, her younger half sister, locked in her own brain, where impulses from the brain do not reach the body. She is stuck to a wheelchair with hidden memories, in a care home where nobody understands her. She cannot talk but her brain does not stop talking. She knows she must remember something but what?? Will she remember the past, remember the blood pact made with her friend and be loyal?? 
Every character introduced in the book has his/her own secret... Mother, Lilian's relationship with Alison's dad, Kitty's hate and fear of her own dad David, Alison's boyfriend-of-sorts Clive with his strange absences, prison inmates, Martin, Stefan, Kurt and how they connect to Alison in prison, Kitty's attraction to Johnny, and best friend Vanessa who shares her secret.
This is Jane Corry's second book. Her pace of writing is initially difficult to follow but the subsequent pages make it easy. She soon connects the dots to all the questions and the end is a grand finale. The plot builds up slowly rising in fervor. It is labeled as a psychological thriller, but I did not get that, there was no rush of adrenaline, it comes across more as a mystery. It didn't take me on a journey. I lost my connection to the characters, instead of being a part of story, I felt like a viewer of the story.
Jane Corry's first book, my husband's wife was fabulous.. This is a little offbeat in its reading. I would definitely read more of her books as the story line is always good but with a little lesser expectations. There is a quote from the book that I liked especially;
Love is close to hate when it comes to sisters, you're as close as two humans can be, you come from the same womb, the same background, even if you are poles apart mentally. That's why it hurts so much when your sister is unkind to you.

Although slow to start I stuck with this book and was pleasantly rewarded. A gripping read focused on the relationship between two sisters with many twists and turns.
Loved this book and would highly recommended - especially to anyone with a slightly spoilt younger sister!

Well, I really don't know where to start with this one. It's one of those reads that took a little to get into, but in the end it just keeps giving. Cleverly throughout, it takes you a bit of a rollercoaster ride emotionally. It didn't have me in floods of tears, but makes you stop and think. Well deserved 4.5 stars. I

Having read and enjoyed Jane Corry's previous novel "My Husband's Wife", I was eager to get my hands on this one. It was just as fast paced and chilling - I couldn't put it down. My only reasoning for giving it 3 out of 5 stars was because I didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked to but overall, this was a great read!

An intriguing  novel  of sibling  rivalry  and how  lies can  cause so  much damage. Starts  slowly but picks up pace with many twists,turns and red herrings  right to the very end.

I really expected to enjoy this book after enjoying Jane Corry's previous novel "My Husband's Wife" and for a lot of the book I was gripped by the story.  The story is told from two viewpoints, main character Alison who tries to live a private life and Kitty who is disabled and unable to speak to her carers.  I found this very interesting as Kitty tries to remember something that happened a long time ago but due to her brain damage cannot.    

The story is full of twists and turns and very well thought through but I did find one of the turns just a little too much of a coincidence and even though this is fiction it just did not ring true.  A real shame because I really expected to like this book.  Both ladies are coming to terms with an accident many years ago and their different attitudes and feelings are explored throughout the book.

The  story behind what actually happened in  the accident all those years ago is revealed and that was a turn in events I found I could support.  Unfortunately the twists and turns were just one too many for me to be able to score this book higher.