This is the kind of book you can pick up in the morning and finish by the afternoon.
I don't think I ever really put it down.

Yes, its fluffy and yes, its predictable. But that didn't make it any less enjoyable.

On his death bed Eleanor's beloved father reveals that he is not her father. Her biological father is a highly successful, married man that her mother had an affair with, and who wants nothing to do with Eleanor or her mom.
When Eleanor discovers that she has a half sister, Victoria, she is intrigued and inserts herself in Victoria's life.

Now the blurb will have you believe that Eleanor is a villain in this story... so that is what I was expecting, what I got was a total sad-sack.
Eleanor is a pitiful character.
From the opening pages we see her get trampled on by almost everyone she meets.
Her mom, her sister, strangers at a coffee shop, everyone.

Wow - all of the mysteries surrounding Eleanor’s relationship kept me enthralled in reading this novel.
The ending was one that I never saw coming and was literally shaking my head.
This was my first of Hannah Mary McKinnon’s books and I loved it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for fair and honest review

Sister Dear
Hannah Mary McKinnon
May 26, 2020

Eleanor Hardwicke trudged along the road to somewhere she didn’t want to go. The hospice where her father now resided was not far, but knowing the pain and sadness it brought to see him was nowhere she wanted to be. Eleanor loved her father, they were very close but his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer months before ate at her heart. He seemed worse each time she visited. They said months was his timeline although he seemed to quickly be fading away. As she approached his room, she heard voices and stopped to listen. Bruce Hardwicke was a good man and a great father but he had few friends that might visit. She heard the woman’s voice, her comment about Nellie gave her identity away. Sylvia was there. She rarely paid a visit but her discussion about their daughter was nothing Eleanor hadn’t heard many times before. Her mother did not like ‘Nellie’. Her younger sister Amy was the favorite and at this time Slyvia was asking for her ex-husband to leave his benefits to their youngest. The excuse Eleanor heard was that Bruce was her father in name only. It would be fair to leave Nellie out of the will. This took Eleanor by surprise, her parents had never given any hint that she was the child of someone else. Her anger brought attention to her presence in the hallway. The discussion was not calm as she entered. They both wanted to know what she had listened to. Sylvia felt it was not her business, Bruce on the other hand brought up that it was time she knew of her paternity. The quiet voices turned to anger, Bruce became upset and had trouble breathing. Eleanor ran from his room leaving her bag. She just wanted the security of her small apartment. no more lies, anger, sadness; just quiet.
Eleanor’s journey is nothing that I expected. I was drawn to McKinnon’s book as it is the June book selection for the Brenda Novak book group. It would be the first I had read by Ms. McKinnon and Novak’s selected monthly reads are always excellent. When NetGalley had Sister Dear as a selection of ARC books to choose from, I requested the publisher choose me to review it. I read this novel in 2 days. It was unbelievable in its ability to seize my attention and not let go. This is one novel that a good review might spoil Eleanor’s journey, a mystery that gives us answers that we never saw coming. Sister Dear is published by Harlequin Books and will be available to the public on May 26, 2020. Sister Dear is Hannah Mary McKinnon’s fourth book. I will be looking forward to reading her other works. It is not to be missed!

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Sister Dear

Author: Hannah Mary McKinnon

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 1/5

Publication Date: May 26, 2020

Genre: Thriller

Recommended Age: can’t recommend, DNF-ed

Publisher: MIRA

Pages: 384

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Beauty. Wealth. Success.

She’s got it all.

And it all should’ve been mine.

When Eleanor Hardwicke’s beloved father dies, her world is further shattered by a gut-wrenching secret: the man she’s grieving isn’t really her dad. Eleanor was the product of an affair and her biological father is still out there, living blissfully with the family he chose. With her personal life spiraling, a desperate Eleanor seeks him out, leading her to uncover another branch on her family tree—an infuriatingly enviable half sister.

Perfectly perfect Victoria has everything Eleanor could ever dream of. Loving childhood, luxury home, devoted husband. All of it stolen from Eleanor, who plans to take it back. After all, good sisters are supposed to share. And quiet little Eleanor has been waiting far too long for her turn to play.

Review: I had to DNF this book about 42% through it. The book is entirely through the eyes of the main character who has a lot of self esteem issues and its exhausting being in her brain for 400ish pages. It made me really upset to read about her self doubt and other issues and kinda made me start thinking the same things about myself, which wasn’t great for my mental health. The book also wasn’t what I thought it would be, which was disappointing, and the plot of the book isn’t that intriguing in my opinion. The book also isn’t suspenseful and what I thought would happen didn’t at all. The rest of the characters are also very bland and not exciting at all.

Verdict: It wasn’t for me.

I never, ever saw that coming!!

Special thanks to Hannah Mary McKinnon, Mira (Harlequin) and NetGalley for this seriously, twisted and thrilling thriller. This one arrives May 26 and you’d be doing yourself a favor by grabbing it!!

Eleanor is a quirky but, completely understandable woman. Her life has not been easy, Mom who prefers her sister and Dad who passes away. She’s practically alone so, when she finds out details about her other family, she finds a way to get into their lives. And there begins her troubles. Sister Dear is dark and so darn good!

I could not put this read down!! Pick it up on May 26 and let me know your thoughts!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Description Doesn't Match Story... Until It Does. I gotta admit, the most remarkable thing about this book for me was how WILDLY wrong the description was. Until it wasn't anymore, and suddenly the description fit perfectly. McKinnon does a remarkable job of seemingly writing one story, only to suddenly flip it and reveal that she had been writing a very different story all along. Very much recommended.

Wow!!!! Sister Dear grabs your attention from page 1 and doesn't let go! I could not put it down! Eveytime I turned the page I was surprised! This book will keep you guessing from beginning to the end!

Do you know how they say don't judge a book by its cover? I've also found that I should be wary of judging it by its description. Don't get me wrong, none of this book's description is false, but it made me think that this was going to head in one direction, while the author took me to a different place.
Eleanor Hardwicke has not had an easy life. Her mother and perfect younger sister belittle her at every opportunity and when her beloved father dies, she is left adrift. Finding out that he was not her biological father, Eleanor imagines starting over with a new family, her other family. Her father Stan wants nothing to do with her, but her sister Victoria might be another story. Stan gave Victoria every advantage that money could buy, the best schools, the best vacations, only the best for his little girl. This has enabled Victoria to lead a privileged life and become who she is today. Why shouldn't Eleanor have some part of this fairy tale life?
Eleanor can't believe her luck when she is hired by Victoria to design a business web site. There is one small problem though, Victoria has no idea that Eleanor is her half-sister, and Eleanor cannot bring herself to tell her the truth. You see Victoria likes her, she truly likes her, and Eleanor can't risk losing her. As Eleanor gets drawn deeper into Victoria's perfect world, the facade starts to crumble. But helping Victoria comes with a price, one that Eleanor never knew she would have to pay.
This was one twisted tale. Eleanor was so insecure when we met her, but Victoria's friendship makes her stronger and more confident, though not necessarily smarter. I saw some of the twists coming, but that still didn't prepare me for the explosive ending.

I have mixed feelings about this book. After reading so many thrillers for years, nothing can really surprise me anymore. The storyline wasn't anything groundbreaking, but that's just my opinion.

You know when you read a book and keep wondering why it is categorized as it is and then bam! That is this book! Creepy, twisted, perplexing and everything in between.

After the death of her father, Eleanor becomes even more devistated when she finds out her father is not actually her biological father. Once she sets out to find out the truths behind her family the yarn begins to unwind. While Eleanor has grown up in a very modest way with a mother and sister that can’t stand her, her father had another child who has grown up in a life of luxury. Just how far will she go to get answers and just how many secrets will be unveiled?

I have mixed feelings on this one. I loved certain aspects of the book but I found other parts to be very predictable. I enjoyed most of the story line but it took along time for the thriller part to come in to play. I would still give this a solid 3.5-4 stars because I really enjoyed the ending and appreciated the amount of thought that went into the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Books for the ARC of Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon. I previously read the Neighbors and was excited to read her newest book.

When Eleanor Hardwicke’s father passes away from Cancer, she learns that he is not her biological father, rather someone named Stanley Gallinger is. She yearns to find the man who conceived her to fill the hole in her heart. She has been mistreated by her mother and sister her whole life, and just wants to be loved. She soon is rejected by Stanley Gallinger as well. He is a very rich and powerful man who wishes to keep her a secret. Finding out that her half sister Victoria lives nearby, she finds a way to ingratiate herself into her life. She is determined to get what she needs from her family.

The is book is full of coincidences and most are very difficult to believe. Some are explained in the end, but I had a hard time believing that these things would really happen. It is a very slow moving thriller that lacks suspense. Eleanor is a very sad character and is so awfully mistreated. I did relate to her self defeatist attitude, but In the end, just couldn’t get behind the absurdity of the plot.

3/5 stars

Book: Sister Dear
Author: Hannah Mary McKinnon
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Mira Books, for sending me an ARC.

This one is a very difficult title to rate. On the one hand, I had a great time reading it. On the other, I found this story very annoying. I actually spent a good bit of the book wondering why this was marked as a thriller. The opening chapter makes it seem that way, but that’s about it. Most of the book reads like a normal fiction book. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; I just think it needs to be presented a little bit differently. The concept is a great idea, but it just could have been done a little bit better.

I love Eleanor. I think that she’s a great lead. She’s smart, independent, and a little bit self-conscious. She is the black sheep of her family. She is the one who doesn’t fit into her mother’s prefect world. Her father is really the one who holds her up. So, when he passes, her world is turned upside down. Then, she learns that he really isn’t her father. This is one thing that kind of bothered me. I get that Eleanor is upset and all, but this is the man who raised her and loved her. Isn’t that the very definition of a father? Maybe I’m just missing the mark here. Anyway, I like that Eleanor is independent and runs her own business. A lot of times in books like these, we get a female lead who just kind of does nothing. I don’t know how else to put it. Here we have a young woman who takes matters into her own hands-even if I don’t agree with everything that she does.

The writing was good and engaging. However, I would have liked to see more of the suspense element. It was good from a non-thriller angle, but, as a thriller, it was just missing that bang to bring it home. It needed that punch that it had at the end throughout the book. Without it, I fear a lot of readers will be lost. There was just something missing.

The plot should have been great. Like I said before, it just wasn’t done the best. Had this not been marketed as a thriller, I would have loved it. However, I was going into this book expecting a full on thriller and that just didn’t happen. If you take that part away, then, yes, we do have a solid plot. I actually like the idea of someone trying to get to know their family-even if the way it came about I don’t agree with. It’s something that never gets old for me. Had that been the sole focus of the book, I may have been able to give it a four star rating.

Anyway, what I’m saying is not to go into this one thinking you are going to get a full on thriller. It’s just not going to happen.
This book comes out on May 26, 2020.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/3fwsXtst_3w

Sooo good! This is a thriller but it’s very believable! I was shocked by the ending. I love this authors ability to make domestic thrillers.

WOW! That was a crazy ride, from beginning to end!

Initially, I was a tad bit annoyed. I've read a string of books lately with insecure main characters, and this was looking like more of the same. Additionally, there was a bit more romance than I prefer, but the resulting story more than makes up for these minor transgressions.

It took me less than 24 hours, from start to finish, to devour this book, and I have FIVE KIDS. Five very neglected children. Just kidding, they're all fed and fine, let me just do a quick head count... Yup, all present and accounted for, and the food the baby's eating off the floor looks like its from today.

Anyway, at the start you're plunged into a family full of strife, instant drama, crazy scandal, horrific events, and terrible tragedies. Literally, within the first 20 pages. It slows down, a little, only to thrust you head first into a never ending tornado of calamity and catastrophes until the end when it comes to a screeching halt and leaves you wondering what the hell happened. I couldn't believe the end, I still can't wrap my head around what happened.

Clear your schedule before you pick up this book because you will refuse to put it down until you're finished.

Sister Dear is a thrilling book with so many twists and turns. Eleanor has just lost her father when she finds out her father is not really her father. She sets out to meet her real father but he wants nothing to do with her. Eleanor discovers she has a sister and wants to get to know her but nothing is ever as it seems.

There is a lot of family drama in the book. Eleanor really is alone in the world when her father dies. Her mother and sister hate her and she does not really have any friends. She seeks out her sister to forge a bond but does not tell her sister their true relationship.

The book is a thriller because there are A LOT of unexpected things in the book. I don’t want to spoil anything but just when you think you have it figured out, another twist comes in.

3.5 STARS - Sister Dear is a story about secrets, jealousy and revenge and it's the latest book by British born but now Toronto-based author Hannah Mary McKinnon.

The book starts off slowly as we're introduced to its main character, Eleanor, a woman who has experienced great loss and learns of a long-held secret on her father's death bed. Oooo, right!? Family secrets and jealousy? Count me in! But the tension and suspense don't come into play until halfway through the book. This surprised me because, based on its blurb, it sounded like it was a suspense read but the blurb is misleading. Instead of an out-of-the-gate suspense read, Sister Dear has a strong character-driven Contemporary Fiction feel for the first half of the book where McKinnon gets the reader into the heart and mind of its main character.

As the story progresses, things fall into place and the tension rises as more characters are introduced, relationships become blurred and several red herrings are woven into the story. Over the course of the story I had named a few different culprits and kept rejigging my suspicions which kept things interesting!

Eleanor was, at times, a hard character to like but she has a LOT of baggage, so my heart often went out to her as she struggled to find her way. Her naivete and penchant for making silly decisions may endear her to some readers but possibly annoy others. The story is rounded out with an interesting cast of secondary characters and a few that readers, myself included, will looove to hate.

While I'm not a fan of slow burn reads, this Contemporary Fiction with a side of Domestic Thriller kept me intrigued. Even though I found the plot to be a bit predictable, this was a satisfying read that focuses on relevant issues of mental abuse, loss, rejection by loved ones and self-doubt.

When Eleanor's father is on his death bed, she overhears him and her mom talking that he isn't her biological father. After her father passes away, she is on a mission to find her real father. Eleanor finds out she has a half sister. She wants want her sister has! Sometimes what you wish for is not what you get!!! This book has so many twists and turns and gasp out loud moments I couldn't read fast enough! This is a fantastic thriller and the ending will totally shock you!!! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Dang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Evil sister indeed!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow I loved this story and all the twists and drama!!!!!!!!! A 5 star book in my opinion Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for my honest review

Wow! This story had me going one way and then POW! What a story. You just have to read it. You won't believe it. It's just unbelievable!

When Eleanor loses the only anchor she has in her life, her father, then finds that he was not her biological father, she loses the few good feelings she had about herself. With a mother that no one deserves, she goes looking for a family to call her own. What she finds is not what she expected. Eleanor has a half sister, Victoria, who had the life Eleanor feels should have been hers. Up to this point, the backstory and plot are well known and often explored. But here is where Hannah Mary McKinnon adds a definite twist with a couple of turns and gives us a thriller with a capital T. Moving from Eleanor's efforts to claim a piece of family life that she has always wanted and feels she deserves, to Victoria's thoughts on a less than desirable surprise sister, takes the reader on a trip that should require seat belts!!!! The suspense keeps building until the surprise at the end!!! You really need to read this book!