2.5 stars. A quick, quirky read. Two sisters, one spoiled and beautiful, the other plain and protective. Both have suffered past trauma from their father which has caused a strong bond between them, Neither sister is particularly likable and I almost gave up on the book. I only finished it in order to give an honest review. Glad I did since as I kept reading, the story became a bit deeper and I had a better understanding of the dynamics between the two sisters and some sympathy for them. Not a great book but okay.

Korede, a nurse, spends too much time cleaning up her beautiful sister Ayoola's messes. Literally. Korede has helped Ayoola clean up blood and dispose of a body. More than once. Now Ayoola is starting up with Korede's crush, Tade, a doctor at her hospital. What is an elder sister to do when she is no one's favorite?

MStSK is a quick read, and though you expect to be surprised, you still are.

I like how the Nigerian author intentionally or accidentally trolls DJT:

"I realize I am a maga--a fool who has been taken advantage of."

I'm also intrigued by Braithwaite's educational credential. She has a degree in Creative Writing and Law from Kingston University. From her bio it looks like that's one department, which I wish was true, but it looks like they are separate. Regardless, that's a phat double major.

Korede, the older sister, has always come second to her younger sister, Ayoola. Ayoola is the beautiful one, which is all anyone ever sees. Korede has spent her life looking out for her sister, so when Ayoola calls to say that she has (once again) killed her boyfriend, Korede rushes to handle the issue. Aside from these incidents, Korede lives a fairly normal life. She works as a nurse, crushes on a doctor, Tade, at the hospital, and helps her mother mange the house. Everything in this separate life works out fine, until one day Ayoola decides to visit the hospital. Tade is immediately taken with her. Nervous for his fate and for her sister's freedom, Korede begins to struggle between doing what is right and her family loyalty.

My Sister, the Serial Killer is a bit of a wild ride. While this book is labeled as "humor," nothing about it struck me as particularly funny. It's definitely satirical and offers a lot of social commentary, but "darkly funny" isn't how I would describe it. More like a psychological family drama. Mostly it left me with a feeling of sadness at the end. However, the author's style and the interesting dynamic between the sisters makes this a great, quick read. Thanks to NetGalley and DoubleDay for the eARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book-it has everything you could want! Sisterhood, romantic relationships, and murder! The author has a way of character building that really makes you understand and empathize with the characters, and the setting was vibrant, rich, and different from what I expected (in the best sense). This debut title makes me clamor for more from this author. I cannot wait to talk this up at my library!

This is truly a breakout year for debut Nigerian authors.  First Tomi Adeyemi delivers the first book in a thrilling new YA fantasy series, and now Oyinkan Braithwaite brings to the table a wonderfully crafted family drama.

Despite its dark content, this book was an absolute delight.  I often found myself imagining how I would react in the situations Korede found herself in.  As someone with two younger sisters, I know how strong and complex the sibling bond can be.  To further complicate the relationship, Korede and Ayoola's bond is forged not only by love (more notably Korede's), but by shared trauma.  As Ayoola's lifelong protector, Korede shoulders the burden of saving Ayoola from the consequences of her crimes.  Ayoola herself is an interesting paradox because her exquisite beauty makes her both a victim and a perpetrator of extreme violence.

At times witty, and at times chilling, this book really had me questioning exactly how far I would go to protect the ones I love.

My Sister, The Serial Killer is probably one of the first mystery/thriller genre books I have read in years. The genre doesn't typically speak to my reading tastes. When this book started to cross my radar, I found myself intrigued, despite the genre placement. When I requested it through netgalley, I didn't even know if I'd finish it. Once I got into it, putting it down was impossible. The book is fast paced and the relationship between the sisters is fascinating. I love this take on "sisters forever" and look forward to telling everyone to read this. :)

This was a fast-paced story that made for a quick read. I enjoyed the Nigerian cultural elements that were woven in, and the strong-yet-quirky bond of the sisters. Strong and quirky did not make for likeable characters, however, and I felt like this book really lacked any decent characters at all.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this one early.

I've just finished reading My Sister, the Serial Killer and it was a terrific read. It's a short novel and I couldn't put it down. It's an interesting take on the serial killer trope - the reader is in the uncomfortable position of hoping no one is caught. The sister who is ostensibly doing the telling is very likable and plucky! One can't help but care about her, as she bears so much responsibility. She will stay with me for a while; actually, all the characters will as the author really brought them to life. Fascinating read and I hope Oyinkan Braithwaite has many more novels in store for us!

Told mostly in fragments and compulsively readable, this book instigates a strong sense of foreboding right from the start. It was everything I had expected but not gotten out of a much-hyped summer thriller, Something in the Water (by Catherine Steadman), and the writing is similar to and on par with Stay with Me (by Aboyami Adebayo) .
Couldn't put it down.

Korede is too often cleaning up her sister Ayoola’s messes, and for the 3rd time that mess is a dead suitor. Dark and cheeky, this short family drama is brutally honest in the complications of sisters and how the corruption of Nigerian policing usually allows beautiful Ayoola to slip through the cracks, until now.

this was a fast read that i enjoyed. i didn't really feel the "satire/darkly funny" vibe mentioned in the summary. not really a negative; it just didn't read that way to me. some of the ayoola & social media stuff was funny but mostly i just felt sad for korede. ayoola is a bratty sociopath, and korede is so downtrodden by her family and pretty much everyone that i sympathized with her. even when she was enabling her shitty sister and literally getting rid of bodies.

and i can always appreciate a not-really-happy ending.

This dark yet hilarious debut novel follows nurse Korede as she serves as a reluctant clean up crew for her sister's unfortunate habit of killing her boyfriends. Fans of Dexter will find much to enjoy here. At parts it's laugh out loud funny and other sections will make you just want to cry.

There is a nice meditation on the meaning of family and the nature of those ties that bind that underpins this dark comedy. The action takes place in Lagos, Nigeria so for me this was also a glimpse into an unfamiliar culture so that was very interesting too.

I was able to read an advanced copy through NetGalley and the book will be released in November.

Korede, the narrator, is a presumably ordinary person, although she never describes her own appearance. She has a stunningly beautiful younger sister, Ayoola, who seems to have the ability to wrap people around her little finger. "Ayoola looks like a Bratz doll and I resemble a voodoo figurine."

As the story opens, Korede, a nurse, is thoroughly cleaning up the blood and bleaching the bathroom where Ayoola has just stabbed her boyfriend to death. Korede helps hide the body, and as we later learn, this is not the first time. "Perhaps a normal person would be angry, but what I feel now is a pressing need to dispose of the body."

Korede is accustomed to having everyone succumb to her sister's charms. Her mother always takes Ayoola's side, and if Ayoola does wrong, Korede is blamed for it. Men fall all over themselves to get Ayoola's attention. At the hospital where she works, Korede has developed feelings for one of the doctors, but once he meets her sister, he is a goner--maybe literally.

This is a tense psychological drama about the relationship between sisters and how far one will go to protect the other, deserving or not. It covers similar ground to The Bad Seed and Justine Larbalestier's My Sister Rosa. It's a really quick read, which actually could have thrown in a few more details and been a little longer. However, the author is gifted at communicating a lot of description and character in a few well-chosen words. As a literary voice from Nigeria, it's interesting to Americans to see these universal themes coming from a different culture. I found Braithwaite's prose to be delightfully crafted, and actually stopped and admired her sentence construction in places.

It's a fun, quick read, and I will look for more from this author in future.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite is a thrilling suspense novel set in modern Nigeria and focuses on events surrounding Korede and her younger sister, Ayoola. Korede is a nurse with unrequited feelings for a young doctor at the hospital where she works. The drama begins when Korede’s younger and more physically attractive sister, Ayoola, catches Dr. Otomu’s eye and Korede is forced to choose between family and her chance to win the heart of the man she loves.

One of my favorite things about this novel was how quickly I was drawn into it. Braithwaite wastes no time setting up the inciting event - from page one, we are right there with Korede as she struggles to separate herself from her sister’s destructive habits. The story is further complicated by fragments of memories from Korede and Ayoola’s shared past, which adds emotional complexity to actions which would otherwise leave the reader scratching his or her head. While Ayoola is not a particularly sympathetic character, Korede is someone with whom the reader can relate. Whether it is because of her dedication to her job, her frustration with her immature sister, or her embarrassment at her mother’s meddling in their romantic lives, these are relatable traits. Korede gives us a brief glimpse of what any of us might become, if we had a sibling like Ayoola.

I have very little to criticize about this novel. It flows beautifully from beginning to end. Short chapters, rather than making me feel like I could take a break at any point, instead led me to read the entire novel in one sitting. I will happily recommend My Sister, the Serial Killer to any fans of the thriller or suspense genre, but particularly those with a love for convoluted family dramas.

I’m surprised by all the 5 star reviews on this. This is novella length and I really think the short length is harmful here to the author. Instead of banging out a short book, why not take more time to build something into the characters.? They feel sterile and one dimensional. I had zero emotional attachment to them.

Okay, this was a fun little read. It’s easy to speed through it, and considering the length, I think Braithwaite did an amazing job covering so many subjects with depth—sexism, abuse, corruption, and sisters who routinely murder their boyfriends but ya gotta support them no matter what, ‘cause family comes first. So relatable!

The plot was fast moving and engaging, even if it was predictable. I wish the story were longer, because while I thought most of the characters (even minor ones!) were fairly realized, I would’ve liked the story over all to be more fleshed out. Maybe some more descriptions of Lagos, or maybe some POV chapters from Ayoola? Just a little bit more for the reader to chew on.

Speaking of Ayoola, she was great in that villain role where you just hate her because she’s bad, but I wish she had been a bit more morally gray. Her motivations don’t totally make sense—I think the unspoken argument is that she’s a sociopath? So maybe that could have been explored. I liked that Korede wasn’t the angel to Ayoola’s devil, because they definitely share some of the same unnerving traits. In fact, Korede was even more frustrating than Ayoola at times. I’ll admit that I don’t quite understand Korede’s utmost commitment to protecting Ayoola at any cost—there is a moment in the story where Korede reflects upon how, as the older sister, she is responsible for any wrong that Ayoola commits. Is that a typical Nigerian sentiment or is that Korede being Korede?

The ending was a tad unsatisfying, and I don’t feel any closure at all. I’ll read whatever Braithwaite puts out next, though, because I think she’s off to a pretty interesting start here.

If you liked Dexter…

“Femi makes three, you know. Three, and they label you a serial killer.”

###

My phone lights up and I glance at it. Ayoola. It is the third time she has called, but I am not in the mood to talk to her. Maybe she is reaching out because she has sent another man to his grave prematurely, or maybe she wants to know if I can buy eggs on the way home. Either way, I’m not picking up.

###

The first time her sister Ayoola killed a man, Korede was certain that it was in self-defense. The third time around, Korede has her doubts. But, when summoned to the scene of the crime, Korede dutifully helps Ayoola scour the blood from the carpet and dispose of the body – because that’s what big sisters do, right? Take care of their younger siblings…even if they just so happen to be knife-wielding sociopaths.

But when Ayoola sets her sights on Tade Otumu, a kind and handsome doctor at the hospital where Korede works as a nurse, Korede is forced to choose sides. Will she save the object of her unrequited love, or stick by Ayoola’s side? Things get even crazier when “the patient in room 313” – a comatose man to whom Korede thought it would be safe to spill her guts – unexpectedly wakes up. What does he remember of her bizarre confessions, if anything? And just what is the story behind Ayoola’s weapon of choice?

At first glance, MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER is a gender- and race-bent version of DEXTER, set in Lagos, Nigera, and told from sister Deb’s POV. AND I AM SO HERE FOR IT. MY SISTER has a similar dark and twisted sense of humor that’s simply delightful. Like, Korede ought to do stand-up on her nights off.

Yet while the murdery stuff does propel the plot forward, at its core MY SISTER is a story about family (but then, so too is Dexter). This is a story about how surviving trauma and coming up and out of a horrific situation can bond people together for life. Doubly so if they already share the bond of sisterhood. Heaven help the dudebro who tries to get between them.

If you liked DEXTER (and especially if you loathed the series finale!), or even if you’re just looking for something a little unconventional and weird, definitely give MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER a try. It’s got short, punchy chapters (I was not surprised to read that Braithwaite was shortlisted as a top-ten spoken-word artist in the Eko Poetry Slam; each chapter feels a bit like a self-contained poem or stream-of-consciousness) and a wickedly clever vibe. This might just go down as one of my favorites of 2018.

The book begins with Ayoola and Korede disposing a body and cleaning up the blood as if they have done this before. The book continues with the sister's relationship and how they got to his point. Korede is caught between doing the right thing or protecting her sister. The story takes place in Nigeria so it was interesting to learn about about their traditions and how the corrupt police inadvertantly helped Ayoola get away with her crimes.. "Femi makes three, you know. Three, and they label you a serial killer." "There's something wrong with her...but you. What's your excuse?"

Don't let the title fool you, this is so much more than a book about a serial killer. In fact, the deaths are secondary to the "acceptable" violence that the men in this book use so casually against the women and the ways in which women hurt each other for a scrap of respect or autonomy.

I enjoyed this a lot! I don't normally read a lot of mystery/thrillers but I saw this on Netgalley and something about the title/cover just grabbed me. It was short and fast-paced but still had a fully-developed relationship between the two sisters, and a really dark sense of humor to it. The details about life in Lagos were interesting to me and set it apart from a lot of other mystery/thriller type books.

My thanks to Doubleday Books, and Netgalley for this arc.
I really thought I'd love this book. It had some fantastic reviews on Goodreads. Turns out I hated it. I'm one of those people who have to have somebody to like and root for. I couldn't abide the sister's in this book. One bemoans her fate, and the other is a selfish, spoiled serial killer. One cleans up her sister's messes...ach! To hell with it. The book sucked. The writing was well done, and I'd read something else by this author. But, I need to like someone!