I would recommend this story to all thriller lovers. This book took me by surprise. It kept me interested throughout the story and I needed to see what was going to happen. I truly enjoyed the pacing of the story and the well-written characters.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book. Becky's estranged mother, Selma, has died with a secret. When she was eight her mother left the family to write and live in a cave. On her deathbed she informs Becky she has a sister. The story is told in two time frames and from two POVs. Selma's story is told in flashback and Becky's search for her sister. I enjoyed Selma's heartbreaking story and Becky's journey. The end was wonderful. The writing was good and it was an easy quick read. Enjoy

Written in alternating POVs, this story kept me turning the pages throughout. The descriptions and the caves are so intriguing. The last 20% or so left me shocked at the twists & turns! A great read!

I hate giving bad reviews but I found this book to slow and depressing to even finish reading. It didn't have a lot to captivate me. I wasn't a fan of going back to the past and present it was a bit annoying. That unfortunately is my honest review.

From the first few pages of this book, I knew I was going to enjoy it because of the quality of the writing. The two characters - Selma and Becky - were both intriguing for different reasons. Becky, in particular, was a warm and likeable character and I found myself rooting for her in her quest.

The plot twisted and turned down different paths and I was completely sideswiped by the twists! I also loved all the caving details because they gave the book a lot of extra depth (no pun intended!)

This is the first book I have read from this author, but it definitely won't be my last. Loved it.

An emotional storyline. Made more emotional for me having read it shortly after my own mother passed away. A tough One but it most definitely tugs hard at the heart strings. Definitely recommend. Thanks Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book.

This is my first book by this author and I highly recommend it. The writing is excellent, fast paced and well crafted to the plot. The characters are all interesting and add to the story. I love that the author used alternating times and characters to tell the story. I was entranced and found it compelling and exciting. I could not put it down I highly recommend this book. Thank you for the ARC.

The lost Sister is a story with lots of plot twists. I read very late because it was impossible to put down. I really liked it.

This is my first book by Tracy Buchanan. It was an imaginative, yet unlikely story, but a compelling read. I felt connected to the characters and how they fared throughout the story. I was able to envision the beach front caves, the cold, damp living conditions and the demons the main character “Selma” faced. The back half of the book, I could barely put down. The ending of the story was a emotional conclusion of a well written book.

See my review on goodreads.com

This is one book I've been hearing a lot about recently, and I can't wait to complete it. It's a fast paced, highly addictive plot with tons of twists and turns throughout the book. This is NOT a dense subject, but definitely bound to fetch high level of emotions!

This was the first book I have read by Tracy Buchanan but after reading the description of the book I couldn’t wait to read it. When I got the chance to take part in a Book Blast for this book I was thrilled.

This book is written in alternating points of view. Parts are written from the point of view of Selma the mother and parts are written from the point of view of Becky the daughter. When Becky was just a young girl her mother met another man and decided to leave the family home, leaving Becky and her husband to move into a cave with this new man and several other people. Becky was devastated and hasn’t forgiven her mother for her choices. What kind of mother just up and abandons their family and their child? Especially to live in a cave?

As Becky reunites with her mother many years later her mother reveals a major secret to Becky. A big secret she has kept quiet for years.

I was hooked on this book from the very beginning. It was very well written in a way that keeps the interest of the reader and leaves you wanting read more to see what happens next. The pages were turning themselves and it was so hard to put down.

I enjoyed reading about the main characters and you cant help but empathize with the main character and mother in the book. At times I found myself confused and angry with her for her choices and her actions but as you read more you get a sense and understanding of why she made the choices she did and get to understand her a bit more.

The book has a lot of shocking twists and turns with a big oh my shocker moment near the end that will catch you by surprise.

I loved this book and it was a great read. The pace was steady going and I didn’t find any slow parts in the book which I love. Once you begin reading you are hooked as you want to know what will happen next.

If you haven’t read this book yet be sure to check it out. It is a fabulous read that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat the whole way through.

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and Tracy Buchanan for the free ARC of this book to read and review. It was a pleasure to take part in the blog blast.

Tracy Buchanan is a gifted storyteller and kept me captivated from the first page. Becky and Selma were both written about in a way that allowed the reader to empathize with both women.

Kent, UK - 1991

Selma and Mike Rhys and their daughter Becky, age 8, live in Queensbay. While Mike would love for them to have another baby, Selma does not. She is the author of one well-received novel but has yet to publish a second one. The pressure to produce another book is getting to her.

When an unknown man appears on the beach and saves a young boy from drowning, people wonder who he is, including Selma. The beach has many chalk caves some of which house groups of people. The man Selma saw is called Idris. He lives in a cave with various other people. Selma goes to see him and the cave and decides to join them and live there. In doing so, her husband, Mike, sees to it that she cannot have custody of Becky.

2018

Becky is grown and is a veterinarian. She is very happy with her single life. One day her phone rings and it’s her mother, Selma, whom she has not talked to in 10 years. Selma tells her she is dying and wants to see her. Still living with the hurt and anger from her mother’s desertion of her, she relents and agrees to see her. As she is dying, she tells Becky that she has a sister. Now, Becky is determined to find out what happened to the girl. Thus begins a journey to several countries where people still live in caves. She has some hints where her sister might be, but it is a difficult puzzle.

This story didn’t grab me as much as it may have others because I cannot imagine living in a cave. How can one totally relax and have “good vibes” when they are physically uncomfortable? So, I didn’t buy that. I think Becky is the only sane character in the book. It’s amazing how the author was able to create these dysfunctional characters. That’s the talent here. It’s a story to sit to read when you have time to spend just leisurely reading because it is a lengthy book. I’m sure many readers will like it though.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

4 Salty Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was my very first book by Tracy Buchanan, but it will not be my last... I found this book a compelling read filled with colorful characters and beautiful descriptions... I was drawn in by the very first scene in this book... a loving mother (or so it seemed) a drowning boy, a strange man who appears to be walking on water, where in the world was this book headed???

This book was told from two different perspectives and two different timelines... becky in present time and her motherSelma in the early 1990s... Becky was abandoned by her mother when she was eight years old... Selma abandon her husband and daughter to live in a cave with other creative types in order to overcome her writers block.... over 20 years later when Selma is on her deathbed she reaches out to her daughter wanting to reunite... becky is hesitant, but chooses to see her mother and her mother‘s last words to her are” you have a sister.” Becky now needs to decide whether or not she wants to believe this woman who has done nothing but let her down for the past few decades and try to locate her long-lost sister... her journey leads her to meet many people that knew her mother and this allows her to get to know her mother a bit better, but will she find her sister?

I really felt for Becky, I can’t even imagine being abandoned by my mother, and as a mother I cannot imagine abandoning my children... I had a really hard time with Selma I just did not like her, even as I got to know her better and her motivations and reasons... still I could not justify what she did to Becky... I found her to be very selfish and manipulative... although I did find the Cave dwelling terribly interesting, do people really live in caves? It sounds like something I would not want to do!(Note to self google this later)

The last 20% of this book was mindbending so many twists that I had no warning about! It really brought light to a lot of things and answered a lot of questions I had... well played Tracy Buchanan!

Absolutely recommend when you are in the mood for a family drama with some pretty amazing twists...

*** many thanks too Bookouture for my copy of this intriguing book ***

PS: the stars are salty because Selma made me salty, LOL

The start of this story was a bit difficult to get into as I found it hard to believe a mother of an 8 year old child would pack her things and move into a cave down the road abandoning everything she loved. BUT...
It didn't take long for me to get sucked in as Tracy Buchanan began weaving together the story of a troubled woman, her past and how the people in her life are all connected to her life story. I felt strongly, at times that Selma was a selfish,troubled person who struggled to prioritize her life and used the cave as an escape from her problems. As I got to "know" her, my level of understanding for her choices grew.
I'm so glad I continued reading this story because WOW, what a shocking ending! I literally gasped and pointed frantically at my kindle in awe of how the plot unfolded! (Which is kind of funny considering my husband was sitting next to me and thought I lost it)! Lol 
Anyway, Tracy Buchanan's story "The Lost Sister" was a very fast paced read. We look forward to reading more of her work and would recommend this one! 
Thank you Bookouture, Netgalley, and Tracy Buchanan for this chance to read an Advanced Reader Copy of "The Lost Sister" as well as the chance to be a part of the Blog Blast!!!

It is Kent, UK in 1991. Selma left her husband, and as a result, her young daughter Becky. She felt trapped in her life and was drawn to an enigmatic man named Idris and his unusual life with others who lived in a cave on the beach. The story quickly jumps to 2002 when Becky receives a phone call from estranged Selma. Selma is dying, and in fact, dies almost as soon as Becky finds out how ill she is. Moments before dying, her mother states that "both of them", both Becky and her sister, have always been in her thoughts.

Becky embarks on an incredible journey to find her lost sister. She traveled to the very caves that took her mother away from her in hopes of finding the sister she never knew she had. She starts to acquire clues, especially when it comes to Idris, the man who took her mother's heart, and apparently, her sister.

Sometimes when I read a story, one timeline draws me closer than the other. Not so in this book. Both Selma's and Becky's stories were equally intriguing. Another thing about this book surprised me. I prefer third-person narration. It took me literally to reading 46% in the book before I realized that part of it was told in first-person narrative. That is how drawn to the book I was. I just happened to read a particular phrase, and then it dawned on me that I was reading in that particular narrative. Excellent writing skills indeed.

The Lost Sister had a very imaginative storyline. I cannot fathom how Tracy Buchanan came up with it! I literally could put this book down. It was truly tragic, incredibly so. The conclusion is incredibly heartbreaking. Over and over again in the story I was shocked and saddened. Tracy Buchanan did a fabulous job of grabbing my emotions from the very start, and towards the end I had to put the book down more than once to grasp what I was reading. I yelled out at least three times in this amazing book. The Lost Sister is one that will be with me for a long time to come. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Many thanks to Bookoture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for exchange for my honest opinion.

Hmm. Becky's mom Selma has been living in a cave (!) for years- ever since she followed Idris, who is very strange in my opinion , after watching him save a child. Mom and daughter have been estranged but now Selma is dying, wants to return to the cave, and tells Becky she has a sister. This is a dual time line novel, with the earlier story being Selma's and the later Becky dealing with all of it. It's interesting, a little odd, and highly readable. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is classic Buchanan territory.

Don't peek at the end and spoil the amazing twist for yourself.

There are two main POVs in the book. On her deathbed, Selma tells her daughter, Becky, that she has a sibling. Where's the child now? Gradually, as the two POVs come together, we discover the truth of the missing child.

Couldn't put it down!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Both parents are important in your life, but a mother's love is different. What if she suddenly decides to leave? The least you can say is that it has a big inpact on your future. When she discloses a big secret on her dying day, your world is suddenly upside down again. You simply have to find out what happend, don't you ...?

I can't really describe what feelings the cover evokes in me, but it certainly made me want to read the book.
I liked the way the story was built. A mixture of the present and the past with Becky as main character in the first and her mother in the latter part.
Some segments were a bit to detailed for me, but nevertheless I was still intrigued. The more the story comes to an end, the more you are picked up by a whirlewind of emotions and revelations that leave you gobsmacked.

Thank you, Tracy Buchanan, Bookouture and Netgalley.

I know I am in the minority here but I am on the fence with this book. The book started off slow for me and a few times I almost put it down, but I pushed through and it rose up to three stars. Becky was a strong character and was well-written. However I felt the story - and the back and forth time breaks- could have been a little tighter in places and it tended to wander a bit. Near the end the story picked up and I was actually anxious for the ending.

Thank you Netgalley for this book..