4 1/2 stars...my first four star read of 2019.

Sylvie's older sister, Persephone, snuck out to meet her boyfriend one night. Sylvie, tired of covering for her, locked the window to their room so Persephone could not get back in. When Persephone never came home and was found dead a few days later, guilt eats at Sylvie for her actions. Their mother, Annie, turns to alcohol and stops being a parent. Any relationship she had with her mother ceases to exist and Sylvie goes to stay with her aunt.

Fast forward sixteen years later...Persephone's murder has not been solved. Sylvie goes home to take care of her mother, who now has cancer. Sylvie starts to question everything again, as she was certain that it was Ben, the boyfriend, who was the killer.

I loved the family dynamics between Sylvie and Annie. They each had their secrets about what happened and guilt. It was so good the way everything unfolded and secrets revealed.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publish for an advanced copy of this book. The story of a girl who returns home to her mother after many years have passed and the mystery behind her sister's murder was very solid. I found the story engaging and written very well. There were a few twist and turn with this mystery, but overall the big twist I saw coming a mile away. I still wanted to see how this one went and how she tied this story up, which it did have a very strong ending. All in all this was a solid book for me.

I haven't been this engrossed by a book in a while. This book follows Sylvie as she goes back to care for her cancer stricken mother. Going back to her hometown will dredge up guilt regarding her sister's unsolved murder.

From start to finish I was interested in this. I just had to know what happened to Persephone. Not only do you get to find out just what happened to Persephone but you also find out other secrets.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the galley.

The difference between this being a 3 star review and a 4 was that I liked the storytelling. There were some twists, but predictability too. The characters were a bit soap opera like and the guilt of the women in the book was a bit much. Despite all of this, it was still an entertaining and enjoyable read. It’s not the best psychological thriller and def feels more YA than suspense or thriller, but it was still good. Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC of this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of The Winter Sister

Megan Collins has written a captivating narrative of that seizes the reader’s attention from page one. While the primary plot is the unknown circumstances surrounding the murder of a teenage girl, Persephone, which happened over a decade ago, the storyline offers the reader so much more. Collins provides a view into the internal and external conflicts of family dynamics, sibling bonds, and the complexities of those relationships. While this novel definitely has the feel of a suspense novel, the pace of the plot and dialogue draws too much clarification to the mystery. It was an overall good read with likable characters. 4 stars.

The Winter Sister is a bewitching thriller with surprises in nearly every chapter. Sylvie returns home to Spring Hill, Conn. to care for her alcoholic mother, Annie, who has cancer. Mother and daughter have been estranged since the unsolved murder of Sylvie’s 18-year-old sister, Persephone, 16 years earlier. The prime suspect, Persephone’s boyfriend, Ben, was quickly cleared by police after a short investigation. The three people who loved Persephone the most, Sylvie, Annie and Ben, confront each other as the truth slowly unwinds revealing the part each played in the events that led to Persephone’s murder. Full of long buried family secrets waiting to be uncovered, The Winter Sister is thoroughly entertaining. I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of this book.