2.5/5

I didn’t review this one publicly because I wasn’t a fan but I did feature it on Instagram.

The Half Sister was fine - a predictable family drama that won’t stick with me. Kate and Lauren are sisters who both secretly envy the other’s life. One week at a family lunch with their mother, Jess shows up claiming to be their half sister.

I came into this book expecting a thriller with twists and a plot to keep me guessing. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like I got anything that was really different from other books I’ve read.

Thank you to Minotaur and Netgalley for my advance reading copy.

the Half Sister was full of unexpected twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. I loved the family dynamics, especially the relationship between Lauren and Kate---they were flawed and real and relatable. Overall, another great thriller by Sandie Jones!

When Lauren uploads her DNA to an ancestry site, she's surprised (or not) to learn that she has a half-sister. Meeting this half-sister upends her relationship with her mother and sister, and nearly jeopardizes her children's lives. A quick and engaging read with interesting characters.

The half sister is a domestic thriller. It portrays the life of a family dealing with the death of their father and the discovery of their half sister. This was a great read. It is a slow read and is not very strong in the mystery aspect. It discusses the impact of secrets on a family and how it affects two sisters to learn that their father was a different man than they thought. The mystery started towards the end of the book and revolved around their half sister and their father's relationship to her and her mother.
I enjoyed this book and thought it was a great read. I thought the ending was appropriate . However, I wish there was more detail on the sister's reaction to their discovery of the relationship between their mother , father and the half sister;s mother. People who are looking for a fast paced , extremely shocking mystery and thriller may not appreciate this book.

THE TRUTH

Sisters Kate and Lauren meet for Sunday lunch every week without fail, especially after the loss of their father.

THE LIE

But a knock at the door is about to change everything. A young woman by the name of Jess holds a note with the results of a DNA test, claiming to be their half sister.

THE UNTHINKABLE

As the fallout starts, it's clear that they are all hiding secrets, and perhaps this family isn't as perfect as it appears.

This was a fantastic story by one of my favorite authors.
There were so many twists and turns.

Well written and perfectly paced made for a great read.

This is a twisted family drama that is full of secrets! This was a page turner! A girl shows up claiming to be a long lost sister! This will bring out deep, dark secrets that the family wanted to stay in the past.

Definitely a slow starter of a book. Wasn't a bad story but it was missing something.
Kate and Lauren spend a lot of time together. One day a woman Jess shows up and claims she is their half sister. That causes a lot of emotions to blow up and play out.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

Loved this plot driven book that is full of twists and turns! It all begins with Jess claiming to be the half sister because of a DNA test and how two sister grapple with the reality and truth to it on whether they believe it. This author does not disappoint.

Sooooooo good! I flew through this thriller in a couple of hours and it kept me guessing through the very last page (don't peek!). Sandie Jones novels are always amazing and this tale of family facades did not disappoint!

Thank you so much @Minotaur_Books & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 16 June 2020)

Trigger Warning: Domestic abuse

SYNOPSIS | Kate & Lauren are sisters who are leading very different lives, but meet every Sunday at their mum's house for a family get together even those these meetings are often fraught after their father passed away 10 months ago. One of their visits is interrupted by a young woman called Jess who arrives in the middle of dinner and claims to be their half-sister.

WHAT I LIKED:
- alternating perspectives between Kate & Lauren
- the writing was engaging enough for me to continue reading

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- the ending
- more of a domestic drama than a mystery/thriller
- the "these sisters are polar opposites" trope
- the lack of communication between characters & the revealing things in itty bitty chunks

I could not put this book down! It kept me guessing from the very beginning. Just when I thought I had it figured out something would happen and I'd think, Well, there goes that theory! So many twists and turns, several times I gasped out loud! That ending tho! I never saw it coming! The best kind of book is one that keeps you guessing and fools you in the end! Once you start this book, expect to get nothing else done. You will not be able to stop reading. When I woke up the next morning I had to reread the last chapter just to verify that I really read what I thought I'd read.

The Half Sister is my least favorite book written by Sandie Jones. I'm hoping it's just a bit of a rut I'm in lately with thrillers. Well written as always but this story just didn't connect with me nor did the characters. I do think that the cover of this book was very well done.

This definitely wasn’t my favorite Sandie Jones book. I’ve absolutely loved her other too but, unfortunately, this one just fell short for me.

This was a relatively quick & easy read, but it dragged on for me and felt confusing. I felt like there were so many different characters and angles that I started getting mixed up and not even really caring if I totally understood what was going on.

I will still definitely read anything Sandie releases in the future but I’d say skip this one and pick up The First Mistake instead!

Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. The story itself was well written and engaging, but the ending ruined it for me. I get where the author was going with the big reveal in the final paragraph, but it was clumsily handled and fell very flat for me.
This was a three star read until the very end, at which point I had to knock another star off. All of this being said, I will definitely read whatever she comes out with next.
I did enjoy this book more than her last one though.

This book started off slow until you hit the fourth chapter then it took off!! After that I could not put down!

Two sisters are having lunch with their mom when a doorbell rings. It is a young lady, Jess, who is looking for their father who passed away. Jess drops a bombshell on the sisters (Lauren and Kate) that she is their half sister. Lauren believes her, Kate cannot believe her father could ever do wrong and Rose (the mother) seems to clam up. The sisters begin to investigate and remember events in the past that may have hinted at a half sister. It brings back not so happy memories. Both sisters gain empathy for one another as they understand one another’s lives are not as perfect as they seem. An excellent book that kept me engaged!

The Half Sister is more of a family drama than a psychological thriller. The plot revolves around the relationship of sisters Kate and Lauren, and their contrasting respective relationships they each have with their set of parents. The arrival at a Sunday family luncheon of a young woman named Jess who claims to be their half-sister further creates upheaval in the sisters' relationships. I found the story somewhat predictable with too many coincidences. However, the story did pick up in the last 40-50 pages. A multitude of family secrets are revealed and domestic relationships are reevaluated. Overall the novel was entertaining but not the usual suspenseful tale I was expecting from Sandie Jones.

When a long lost half sister arrives, what are you supposed to do?
Another good novel from Sandie Jones!
Full review on Goodreads.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this was a book that just didn't hold my interest and I was unable to finish it. I know many readers enjoy books by Sandie Jones but after a few tries, I think they may just not be for me.