I’ve read a few of Sandie Jones’ novels and was happy to receive an ARC from Netgalley. I’d describe Jones’ style as delicious, like a layered strawberry shortcake; lots of sweet spots but with a dark center and more than one twisty surprise. She’s excellent at setting the scenes in households and gives the reader plenty of family backstory so the reader feels they know the characters. But do we, really? These ladies are still in mourning over their Dad’s death, then a long-lost sister appears literally on their doorstep, a product of an affair, discovered thanks to Ancestry.com. There are plenty of popular culture references to make the story seem fresh and hip, but there’s something old-fashioned about the sisters’ stories: one desperate to get pregnant, one straddled with 3 little ones and a buffoon of a husband, then a Mom who doesn’t want her husband’s reputation tarnished— these strains of the story seem a bit weather-worn. But Jones’ smooth style and banter between the characters make you want to move deeper into the story. And then come the plot twists and turns as we delve back into Jess and the father’s past, taking us further into the mystery and the doubts sprout. It helps that one of the sister’s is a journalist, so she works at digging into the truth, no matter how much it hurts everyone. It’s a punch ending, and will definitely satisfy the reader, especially those who love this genre. Bravo Sandie!

Tangled web of secrets and lies in a seemingly perfect family. When sisters Kate and Lauren, along with their mother Rose, are surprised by a young woman claiming to be the deceased patriarch’s daughter, Jess. While Lauren is eager to know her new sister, Kate is more suspicious. As Kate digs deeper into her new sister’s past, she discovers more chilling truths than she’s ready to face.
Really good read. Some parts drug a little, but all in all, I enjoyed it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a an honest review.

Unfortunately this book did not interest me. I made it to about 65% and decided to move on. The characters did not engage me & I realized I just didn't really care what happened.

What if one day, you were gathered with your family for Sunday lunch, and a stranger shows up at your door looking for your father? Claiming to be your half sister?
Sisters Kate and Lauren couldn't be more different. Each reacts differently to Jess's sudden appearance. And they each do digging of their own to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Thoughts:
For a domestic thriller this was a good/quick read. The drama of the novel really picked up towards the second half of the book, and at that point I flew through it. As a whole the story was fine, but the plot didn't seem super unique and didn't pack a punch.
I also found the ending slightly predictable. *Shrugs*

I love Sandie Jones and domestic suspense books! Her new novel, The Half Sister was another good and twisty story that I enjoyed. What would you do if a stranger appeared at your door claiming to be your half sister?! That's what happens to Kate and Lauren, and boy were they in for a shocking surprise! This book was filled with lies deceit, and deep dark secrets. It kept me guessing the whole time, and I will say I was surprised at the end. This book was well written and I would recommend reading it!

Kate, Lauren and their mother meet for lunch every Sunday-- but it's just not the same without their father, who recently passed away. On this particular Sunday, though, everything changes with the ring of a doorbell.

There's a woman on the porch who claims to be their father's daughter. Could it be true?

The devastating news causes the girls to rethink everything they knew about their father, cast suspicion on the "picture perfect" life their mother claims and dig into their memories for clues. Along the way, family secrets are revealed and you'll never guess the truth-- you'll just have to read until the very last page!

Sandie Jones does it again!
A DNA test reveals a half sister....a secret that could create a bigger chasm between to sisters, and a mother who "forgets" important conversations. This one is a real page-turner that will keep you up far too late into the night. Sandie Jones is a master and spinning twisted tale of half-truths and buried secrets. This one does not disappoint!
It seems all the Alexander women have a secret...an imperfect home life with a desire for more, infertility issues, and a husband with eyes for other women. When a secret Half-Sister shows up, the secrets begin to be revealed with the twists you expect from author Sandie Jones.
Actual Stars: 4.5

I liked this one. Sandie Jones is such a great writer and I have enjoyed others by Sandie. It was well written fast paced. I enjoyed the ending greatly!

Unfortunately I’m saying this was Meh. It took til 50%ish for anything remotely intriguing to happen and then it got a little steam only to fizzle out with a kinda predictable boring ending. I wasn’t super invested in any of the characters and it kinda felt like everything was quickly wrapped up in a tidy bow. I just wanted more.

Kate and Lauren are sisters who are at odds at times but love each other just the same. Kate seems closer to her father and Lauren appears closer to her mother. They never really knew why but it was just the way it was. Then, along comes a possible sister to Kate and Lauren. This story takes us through the lives of Kate and Lauren with their mother, Rose in the background, just existing and not doing much in the way of adding anything to their lives. Rose was fairly irritating to me as I continued to read this book. Just as soon as she would redeem herself, she would do something frustrating again.

Jess appears and claims to be a half sister to Kate and Lauren and the story takes off from there. Independent investigations are done by everyone to try and figure out who Jess is and how she possibly became a blood relative. The story is interesting enough and kept my interest throughout. Sandie Jones is a wonderful storyteller even when there are a few spots in the book that I wanted to just get past and to the real meat and potatoes.

I did end up figuring out the mystery about three quarters of the way through but it did not take away from the suspense and reading experience. Easy and fun read! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I always feel so appreciative for the opportunity to review new books.

Thank you NetGalley, the publishing house, and the author for allowing me a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars!
I really enjoy Sandie Jones!! And wow! Does this family have secrets or what!?!
There are secrets between sisters, secrets between spouses, secrets between the parents and the kids growing up. Someone ends this book waiting in jail for their trial. And I can almost guarantee you will not be able to guess who that person is until close to the end.
The whole time reading it I wanted to say over and over, "Just tell for god's sake!" I enjoyed that the author played off the older generation's need for secrecy and pride for the "family name" against the newer generation wanting to understand the past and not seeing anything healthy in keeping "secrets". And the involvement of DNA ancestry websites is a nice modern touch. Believable modern touch!
Thank you again!

What is this book about?
Kate, Lauren and Rose are at a family dinner when Jess shows up claiming to be a half sister to Kate and Lauren. Jess has a note with DNA results that state their late father is also her father. Lauren accepts it right away but Rose and Kate are skeptical. Kate begins to investigate and finds that someone is hiding a secret.

What did I think?
I didn’t really enjoy this book. I couldn’t connect to the characters at all. I mostly found them annoying and immature. I also found the reactions to the half sister showing up a little far fetched and unrealistic. I felt like this novel was more about family dynamics rather than a thriller. I wish I would have had more background on the Kate and Lauren and how their relationship fell apart. It said many times in the book that they were close at one time. One positive about the book is that the characters were developed well enough that I didn’t get confused when the story switched between points of view. My favorite part of the book was the last 30 or so pages when it felt more like a thriller because I was excited and engaged. I really wish the whole book had been like that.

This was a great book! It was well-written and kept me guessing until the end. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, it turned out that I had no idea. And then the end. The end! What?

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley. First of all let me say, read this book for the plot twists if nothing else folks!!! The Half Sister is a novel that explores the events a family endures once an infidelity comes to light. This is the short summary but expect drama and intrigue as you delve into sisters Kate and Lauren's reactions to learning of a possible half sister and the implications that this knowledge brings to their seemingly close knit family.
This was my first book by this author and their writing style flowed well, was easy to read and not overly detailed. I would recommend this for sure.

Sandie Jones is very quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors. Her suspenseful writing with satisfying twists is exactly what I am looking for in a great thriller.

Kate and Lauren are two very different sisters. Kate has a career and is married and trying to have a child. Lauren is married to a pompous ass named Simon who belittles her but they have three children together. Kate has always been a Daddy's girl; Lauren, Mommy's girl. But every Sunday they make it a point to go over to their Mom's house after their Dad's passing. One day, a girl named Jess knocks on the door and everyone is surprised as she says that she is Harry's (the girls' father) daughter and she is looking for him. As the mystery of who Jess is tears apart the members of the family, clues get unraveled one by one until the reader thinks there is an aha moment. I know I did. But alas, Ms. Jones does a fabulous job of detouring and then bringing you right back to where you started from in terms of guessing what really happened. The ending actually made me gasp. So, so satisfying.

This is a fantastically written story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sandie Jones, and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good domestic suspense story. It felt particularly relevant because of contemporary issues including DNA genetic testing. This will especially appeal to readers who like to peel away layers of misunderstandings and conflicts between adult family members. There are multiple secrets that the family members have kept that are slowly revealed.

I liked the style of the alternating chapter viewpoints between two sisters. I also enjoyed the English setting. Although there were times when I found the storyline dragged a bit, this kept me entertained overall.

I loved having the opportunity to read and review an ARC. This is an author whose previous books I have also enjoyed, and I am looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

The Half Sister is a psychological thriller that will have hooked until the end!

Sisters Kate and Lauren have a complicated relationship. Eight months after their father passes away, a young woman named Jess shows up saying she is their half-sister. Lauren believes Jess but Kate is skeptical. Will Jess bring their family closer together after their loss or will she threaten to tear their family apart? Who is telling the truth? What secrets are buried in their past?

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller. Sandie Jones delivers again with her latest suspense novel.

I absolutely loved The Other Woman and The First Mistake by Sandie Jones, so when I received an ARC of The Half Sister, thrilled is an understatement. We first meet Kate, a successful journalist, who is still grieving from the sudden death of her father ten months ago. Kate has an older sister, Lauren, a married mother of three, but they are not the closest of sisters. Kate was always the apple of her father's eye, while Lauren was closer with their mother, Rose. Every Sunday, Kate and Lauren, and their respective families, gather at Rose's home for Sunday lunch. Despite the palpable tension, Kate and Lauren keep up pretenses for their mother's sake. But on Sunday, a girl named Jess shows up at the house claiming to be their long lost half sister. Kate simply refuses to believe it, while Lauren gives the girl a chance to explain herself -- and what starts as a normal Sunday lunch will upend the entire family.

What I love most about Sandie Jones books it the way she writes her characters. I felt like I was able to truly connect to them and relate on a personal level. The Half Sister had the perfect amount of family drama, mystery and suspense. A great, great read for 2020!

I don’t know why I keep reading books by Sandie Jones. I was disappointed in her first two books, but hoped this one would be better. Unfortunately, my expectations were too high.

The plot was slow, boring, and way too detailed, plus, the science was wacky. There was no suspense buildup, and the twists didn’t feel surprising at all. I was not a fan of this book, but I could see it being an entertaining movie, despite the implausible plot and flawed science.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

In “The Half Sister”, two very different sisters, Kate and Lauren, are envious of one another’s life. Kate appears to be a strong-willed career woman, but has been struggling with failed IVF treatments as she and her husband Matt pursue a family. Lauren appears to have a perfect life with her husband, Simon, and three children, but she is extremely unhappy and fed up with the emotional abuse she endures from her husband. When a woman named Jess shows up claiming to be the daughter of women’s late father, the women begin to wonder who is lying or concealing information as they try to put the pieces together of this puzzling mystery.

The description of “The Half Sister” reminded me of a novel I read a few years ago, where a young women shows up claiming to be the long-lost daughter of a mother whose daughter was abducted as a baby. I was intrigued by the concept, and curious the direction the novel would go with this concept. The novel is told from the alternating points of view of sisters Kate and Lauren. I did not particularly connect to either of these characters, but I did enjoy the two separate points of views. The book is full of family drama, but I also felt some parts were slow and unnecessary to the story. Overall, the novel was average and a fairly quick read with a somewhat satisfying ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.