I loved this book. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thriller, drama, love story or mystery. It was a captivating thriller I did not want to put down. There were plenty of twists and turns throughout the book.

I enjoyed the authors writing style. I especially liked the main character, Sylvie.

Several times I did not agree with the actions of one of the characters. As I continued to read, the author had a way of explaining the situation and making it believable.
Once the characters secrets are revealed the actions of the characters make more sense.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

Book blurb...
In this spellbinding and suspenseful debut, a young woman haunted by the past returns home to care for her ailing mother and begins to dig deeper into her sister’s unsolved murder.

Sixteen years ago, Sylvie’s sister Persephone never came home. Out too late with the boyfriend she was forbidden to see, Persephone was missing for three days before her body was found—and years later, her murder remains unsolved.

In the present day, Sylvie returns home to care for her estranged mother, Annie, as she undergoes treatment for cancer. Prone to unexplained “Dark Days” even before Persephone’s death, Annie’s once-close bond with Sylvie dissolved in the weeks after their loss, making for an uncomfortable reunion all these years later. Worse, Persephone’s former boyfriend, Ben, is now a nurse at the cancer center where Annie is being treated. Sylvie’s always believed Ben was responsible for the murder—but she carries her own guilt about that night, guilt that traps her in the past while the world goes on around her.

As she navigates the complicated relationship with her mother, Sylvie begins to uncover the secrets that fill their house—and what really happened the night Persephone died. As it turns out, the truth will set you free, once you can bear to look at it.

The Winter Sister is a mesmerizing portrayal of the complex bond between sisters, between mothers and daughters alike, and forces us to ask ourselves—how well do we know the people we love most?

My Thoughts…

A thought provoking novel, I was reminded how much heartache comes from the secrets we choose to keep.

Whilst not particularly fast-paced, the plot compelled me to keep reading and I did enjoy Sylvie’s journey as she searched for answers to her sisters death years earlier.

Unfortunately, and it’s a very personal comment, but I had a lot of trouble with the writer's choice of name - Persephone. I respect the detail author’s work so hard to include so I am a careful reader. I do not skim. For this reason, I stumbled over the name Persephone, which seemed to be on every second Kindle page! Perhaps the name is very dear to the author. But if it was chosen because it was different/uncommon (and some authors seem to look for the unusual) it did impact on my enjoyment. I ended up calling her Percy, which probably annoyed me more, but I simply couldn’t get my tongue around Persephone that many times.

Thank you for the opportunity to read The Winter Sister. I would definitely recommend this book.

First I'd like to thank Netgalley and Touchstone for a copy of this book to review for my honest opinion.

Sylvie is haunted by the death of her sister, Persephone, sixteen years ago. Sylvie tries to hide herself in art and tattooing over the years but the loss of her job sends her home to take care of her ailing mother. While accompanying her mother to her weekly chemo appointments, Sylvie comes face-to-face with Ben, her sister's boyfriend at her death. Sylvie has long imagined Ben to be her sister's killer, after all he was the last one to see Persephone alive according to the police. What follows is Sylvie's quest to find out what happened to her sister and who is killer her.

This is a debut that I'm glad to say did not have an unreliable narrator. I did find the twists and turns to be fairly predictable and maybe that is because I do read a lot of thrillers. It was a quick read and I imagine as the summer months get closer, more people will reach for it to join them as a "beach read". Although I consider the story predictable I did enjoy the storytelling of Megan Collins and look forward to what she writes in the future.

I read this book in less than 2 days, while taking care of my twin toddlers. I haven't read a book that fast for several years. I usually allow myself only a few minutes a day to read, but I decided to practice some self-care the last few days, and that consisted of reading in bed when my twins were down for naps. This was the perfect book for that.

It was a great page-turner. I was desperate to keep reading and to find out all the secrets. I was surprised by the twist. I'm usually pretty good with spotting them, but not this time.

I enjoyed it immensely.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

This book is part family drama, part thriller - and the atmosphere is perfect: a small New England town with plenty of secrets, with Sylvie returning to care for her ailing mother.

Sylvie’s sister, Persephone, left to see her boyfriend 16 years ago before being found dead out in the snow. No one ever found the person who killed her. Now, Sylvie, still struggling to come to terms with Persephone’s death and her mother’s breakdown afterward, is called upon to care for her mother, who is suffering from cancer. With her sister’s shadow everywhere, she is determined to figure out what happened that night and put her demons to rest, once and for all.

Sylvie was an interesting character, because she was both frustrating and relatable. She was messed up, but I can’t imagine that anyone would be “OK” after what she went through. She was also struggling to decide what she was going to do with her life next and what relationships she should value and maintain, which is something everyone goes through. I liked her.

My major issue with the book is that I completely figured out what was happening before the end. It was fairly obvious, even the “big twists,” thrown in there. That’s not exactly a dealbreaker, but it does cast a bit of a shadow over the reading experience.

However, the storyline about Sylvie dealing with her mother and her mother’s illness was good, and definitely made the book worth reading.

Overall, I liked this book, but I wish some of the great suspense and atmosphere had led to a more intense and unpredictable storyline. But I still recommend it for fans of thrillers.

A decent read although not really any surprises. I didn't care for some of the characters and was not totally pleased with the way Sylvie flip flops at the end. It kept me entertained enough to read it, but is not very memorable.


**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

If you are looking for a good domestic thriller, a compelling character study full of twists with a cold case to be solved and a very very complicated mother-daughter relationship, then THE WINTER SISTER is right novel for you. I read it in less than two days and I loved every page of it.

The death of Persephone didn’t only mean that Sylvie lost her older sister, but she also lost her mother who, unable to deal with her grief, started loving alcohol much more than her own daughter. Sixteen years later, Sylvie is still dealing with grief and guilt over her sister’s death and an almost inexistent relationship with her mother. An artist working as a tattooist, Sylvie still doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life, but when her mother gets cancer she has no choice but to go back home and take care of her. Will the chance encounter with Ben, Persephone’s former boyfriend, and her mother finally getting sober finally help Sylvie figure out what really happened to her sister?

THE WINTER SISTER is not only the story of an unsolved murder, it’s especially the story of the bond between two sisters, the story of the complicated relationship between mother and daughter, the story of a family with secrets and jealousies. The characters are realistic and well-developed and the intricate family dynamics, the author’s beautiful writing, and the atmospheric setting kept me completely engrossed in the novel.

THE WINTER SISTER is a compulsive and engaging debut novel that completely took me by surprise and I am already looking forward to whatever the author writes next.

All in all I really liked this book. It was well written and I found my self easily purecommend Thehe storyline was easy to follow. The book was a liitle predictable at times but still a very good read. I would recommendT Winter Sister and plan to follow the author.

Received an ARC but didn’t get around to it until after its publication date.

I don’t usually mind guessing the ending early on but I think it started to get a little melodramatic halfway through and that kind of tampered down the suspense.

I really liked the plot and the description of this story. It did start really intense and interesting. However I did find some slow and boring parts in the middle, then picked back up in the end. I didn't expect the ending. Throughout the whole book I thought it was the mother that killed her, not the father. I did enjoy it but needed more in the middle part of the book. Thank you.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

When a publicist contacted me about this book and offered me an e-ARC to read, I was REALLY excited to check it out. It sounded totally up my alley and that cover!!!!!

And while it mainly was up my alley- there was also some things that about drove me batty. Caution: Read ahead at your own risk…



What I Liked:

The cover. I REALLY loved it and I REALLY wish that I had gotten a hard copy since it would look so great bookstagrammed.

The mystery. Missing girl stories are kinda my jam. I usually find them filled with drama and secrets and lots of red herrings. This did not disappoint.

The details in the story about mother/daughter relationships. Megan Collins writes a pretty good mystery, but the depth she goes into the characters, particularly the differences in the relationships between Sylvie ,Persephone, and their mom- well, it’s a lot of food for thought.



What I didn’t love:

The mom. Listen, she had a lot of baggage. A lot of reasons for acting the way she acted. And yet, I really sometimes wanted to strangle her. Like if I could work some sympathy up for her, she’d ruin it by being so…… well mean is the nicest way to word it. Plus, the more I found out about her secrets- well… she was fully drawn out character, but she was weak. And the reason why was she weak drove me nuts.



Bottom line: For me, this was def readable- even with the problems I had with some of the book. Come for the mystery, stay for the study on the relationships between moms and daughters.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

I gave this a few chances and just could not get into it. I made it around 130 pages and found it to be predictable and I just wasn’t connecting with the characters which always causes me to lose interest. Won’t be fully reviewing anywhere else since I didn’t finish and don’t think that’s fair but I greatly appreciate the opportunity

I loved this book. I enjoy story where 'cold cases" are being solved and how new clues come up. Well crafted characters and an ending I wasn't expecting

From my blog: Always With a Book:

I love when I discover debut authors...no matter how they come to my attention. I had been seeing this book and this author's name around Instagram and was quite intrigued...plus that cover - it's just so eye-catching with the pop of red. I knew it was a book I wanted to read and was thrilled when the publisher reached out to me...it was definitely a great read!

A book about family secrets, lies and betrayals is always something I am eager to get my hands on and this one completely lived up to those expectations. It's a character-driven story that I felt just pulled me in right from the start. Almost right away you find out this family is dysfunctional and then when tragedy strikes, you really see just how bad it is. And you also are already privy to the fact that this family does a really good job of keeping things from each other. We don't necessarily learn what is being kept secret, but we know there are secrets.

This book walks the line between just a family learning to overcome their guilt and grief and that of a story about obsession and revenge. There are some moments that become quite tense as the secrets start spilling out and there are also some tender family moments that get a bit emotional at times. The story becomes quite addicting as you become just as eager as Sylvie to find out what happened to her sister. You might not necessarily like or connect with any of the characters - and I certainly did not - but you can't help but become consumed with this book. The characters are complicated and become more so as the story moves forward.

This is one of those books where the content and the atmosphere really kept me glued to the pages. It's a dark story that does touch on abuse, though that is certainly not the focus of the story. I found myself completely invested in the story and wanted to see how it all played out. I know I will definitely be keeping an eye out for this author's future books - as a debut novel, this one was pretty darn good!

Sylvie is the younger sister and one night she makes a decision that affects her for the rest of her life. Her older sister Persephone doesn't come home one night and days later is found murdered. It is now many years later and Sylvie is returning home to take care of her mother as she battles cancer and in returning home she decides to really figure out what happened to her sister all those years ago.

I always love a book where the main character goes back home and in that revisits things from the past and finds the truth. I loved watching Sylvie follow the clues and I was completely satisfied with the resolution - always a big thing for me in a mystery book.

I loved this dysfunctional family. It was a lot of drama, but never felt like too much. There were a few times where I wanted to smack someone into honesty or maybe roll my eyes, but what is fiction without a little drama!

I don't want to spoil but I was distracted a bit because I swear that the thing that Sylvie finds guilt in was also in a recent book I had read. I still can't figure out what book used the same device, but I swear I had read those exact words before - if you have read this book have you read that before? Sorry to be vague, trying to stay away from spoilers!

I liked this one. I was impressed to find out after finishing it was a debut and it makes me excited to see if Megan Collins has more up her sleeve!

What an atmospheric book! The plor grabbed my attention from the start. The characters were well developed and I was engaged by their stories, the writing was taut and the conclusion very satisfying. Recommended!

Sylvie's sister was murdered sixteen years ago, and the murderer has never been brought to justice. Forced to return to her hometown by her estranged mother's cancer diagnosis, Sylvie finds herself brought back into contact with her sister's ex-boyfriend, who she always believed guilty of the crime. But Sylvie is dealing with guilt of her own, and her presence begins to bring out dangerous secrets from the past.

Sylvie is a very compelling character you can't help but feel for, and Collins explores her family dynamics and drama in a very realistic and sometimes heartbreaking way. This book feels real, like it could be a real case I was reading articles about.

The mystery is very suspenseful, and I did not guess who the murderer was at all. I love when a book can surprise me like that.

I did call one of the major twists about halfway through, which did lessen the surprise and suspense somewhat, though it did not lessen my enjoyment of the book.

I would recommend this book. It's compelling, well-written, and the mystery is mixed really well with an exploration of the dynamics of troubled and broken families.

Persephone’s murder changed everything. Sylvie had been helping Persephone sneak out at night, and then painting over the bruises her boyfriend Ben inflicted so their mother wouldn’t notice, felt horribly guilty for locking their bedroom window on the night Persephone went missing. Annie, her mother, determined to block out her memories of the past, became an alcoholic, eventually losing custody of Sylvie. Jill, Annie’s sister, devoted her life to caring for Sylvie and Annie as well as her own family.

Several years later, at Jill’s request, Sylvie reluctantly returns home to care for Annie, who was battling esophageal cancer. The murder is still unsolved, the house is still decorated with the murals Sylvie painted as a child, and Annie is no longer the mother Sylvie remembers.

This book is packed with enough secrets to last several lifetimes, along with love and loyalty shown between sisters over two generations. Though the storyline is familiar, there were several twists and a few interesting characters that I appreciated reading about.

This was a very exciting and thrilling read. Sylvie, the main character has recently been laid off and has returned home to care for her mother, Annie who has cancer. The reader quickly learns that 16 years previously Sylvie's sister was brutally murdered and found 3 days later in the snow. Persephone's murderer was never found. Sylvie becomes obsessed with trying to discover who her sister's killer is.
This is a novel where you slowly learn that every character has something to hide. This novel was so very well-written and the characters were so extremely well developed that I was shocked to find out that this is a debut for Collins. 4 stars!

The Winter Sister
By
Megan Collins

What it's all about...

Sylvie and her sister Persephone have secrets...secrets that they keep from their dark and often depressed mother. The secrets involve a boy that Annie...the mom...doesn’t want Persephone to see but that Persephone cannot stay away from.
When Persephone is found murdered...Sylvie’s life is forever changed.


My thoughts after reading this book...

This book was a tad questionable for me from the beginning. I didn’t like Annie. Sylvie was a mess and only Annie’s sister Jill kept this family together. Jill even stepped in as Jill’s guardian and helped her get through high school and college. But as I read deeper and deeper into this book...I understood the characters much more. I still didn’t like them but I at least understood them.


What I loved best...

Sylvie stays away from her mom for years but has to come home when her mom has cancer. Annie remains gruff and mean and there are far too many secrets about Persephone and about Annie, too. Sylvie always believed that Ben...her sister’s boyfriend...was responsible for her sister’s murder...so running into him was not anything she planned. In fact running into him was her unraveling...until the real truth was revealed.


What potential readers might want to know...

This book is about secrets that have been kept for far too long. It wasn’t a happy joyful book but rather an exploration of how some people deal with relationships and deep debilitating pain . Readers who appreciate this kind of book should enjoy this one.


I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Edelweiss. It was my choice to read and review it.