4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. This was my first book by Lindsay Marcott and I really liked it! It had a creepy, gothic, suspenseful feel to it and it kept my interest from the beginning to end! I liked the writing style and the shorter chapters. I also enjoyed how it switched between Ava’s, Sarah’s and Didi’s perspectives.

As far as characters go, I liked Ava, Jamie and Thomas. I was not a fan of Sarah or Didi. Didi was just completely crazy (honestly, she was totally messed up😳). I also didn’t care for Christina too much either (Ava and Jamie’s mom). At times she was okay I guess, but there were so many things she did that really annoyed me.

The descriptions in the book were very well written. It gave me chills at times when it described the creepiness of Blackworth Mansion and “Cinderella” (the ghost).

The reason this wasn’t quite a 5 star book for me is because it was very predictable. I figured out the “twist” very early on but still enjoyed reading how the story unfolded. Although there was a part in there that I didn’t expect with Ava and Jamie’s dad so that’s was a nice little shocker.

Overall I did enjoy this one and do recommend picking up a copy when it’s released on October 18th. It’s a perfect book to read around Halloween time! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. Well this book was not at all what I was expecting, despite that possibly better for it, it's a chilling thriller, with an hint of a ghost story, it kept me on edge, I raced through to the end.

This is a truly creepy book. The whole family, including Ava, are crazy and dysfunctional. The dad will haunt my nightmares. Makes me really great full for my family!.

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again... is the Shadow Sister vibe but very different story and author voice.

I love books where the main character is forced to go back to the metaphorical or literal haunted mansion to confront the past. All day, every day I could read a variation of this plot line. Shadow Sister throws a crazed story into this beloved genre.

I don't know how to write this review because every line of the story is a potential spoiler. The book is high-stakes, fast moving, zany, evil characters with twisted motivations. It's just fun, the perfect vacation read.

The only real criticism I have is that the writing could have been tighter. There's a looseness that's difficult to describe. A severe edit in terms of strengthening verb choices or something like that, tighter language, would have elevated the book to the level of domestic thriller classic.

The author's plotting and character creation must have drained her because it's so well-thought out. I'll definitely read her future books because they're fun, really fun, and any author who adds a touch of magic realism to their story is an author I will read forever.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book. This is my honest review.

The premise was intriguing. A modern day gothic thriller. I sped through the first half of this book, However, by the latter half, I had guessed the ending. There were one or two minor plot twists but nothing exciting.

It's a fast read with good characters and not many surprises.

Whoa! Shadow Sister, by Lindsey Marcott, is one of those suspense novels that you really won't be able to put down! So, you're going to want to read this when you have your days off. All the lead characters were really interesting and well fleshed out. All the family drama makes this story, and the main character, fairly relatable.
The large mansion that Ava grew up in intrigued her and her brother's friends. But after their Mom became horribly ill, Blackworth Mansion seemed to lose any of its previous charm. Ava had never believed that her mom had suffered a natural illness before she died but no one listened to her.
Now it's several years later and Ava has decided to move back home. She's determined to learn exactly what or who killed her mother. But she seems to be dealing with a stalker and she has no idea who she can trust.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

A long book, but a fairly easy read. Overlapping story of a woman who returns home to find out what really happened to her mother and her father. It is also the story of her brother and his new wife, friends and crush from her childhood and the abused daughter of the cleaning woman who worked there. How their stories all overlap and interact was pretty interesting. I did guess the main twist. Unreliable narrators, a ghost named Cinderella and issues with drugs and alcohol also affect how the story is told 3.5

Nicely written story about siblings, their eccentric yet intriguing mother character, and the house they have returned home to in order to reckon with their past and what will happen in their future. The question lingers... who is there to trust when the brother's new wife comes to stay?

Growing up, Ava and James lived both in the shadow of their mysterious, possibly haunted, house, Blackworth Mansion, and their artistic and flighty mother, Christina, who died young, presumably from a neurological illness. Ava, convinced her mother was killed, returns to Blackworth Mansion 17 years after her mother’s death sent her and her brother fleeing, determined to face the ghosts of her past and get some answers. She is soon joined by James’ new wife, Sarah, a friendly but secretive woman whom Ava can’t quite put her finger on. What exactly happened at Blackworth Mansion all those years ago? And what is happening now?

The book is told from multiple points-of-view along two main timelines: the events leading up to Christina’s death, and the present day.

This book has a great atmosphere: it’s gothic thriller set in a maybe haunted house along the Northern California coast, starring the rich elite who can afford to live in isolated mansions and homes made of glass and steel overlooking the ocean on steep cliffs. It paint a vivid picture doesn’t it? The author does a great job with it, too! The central mystery, the two questions posited at the end of the book description above, really draw you in right from the beginning as things start to ramp up as the book goes on. And there are plenty of twists to keep you guessing, so nothing is set in stone until the very end!

Although I have to say, the one “big twist” is pretty obvious. I obviously won’t post it here, but it’s pretty easily guessed. But there’s more to the story in there, which means that even with guessing that one, there’s still plenty of surprise to be had.

Also, the characters were great. Each was deeply drawn and I enjoyed getting to know them. They were all complex and layered. The author does an excellent job bringing them to life.

Overall, this is a great book for anyone looking for a modern-day gothic thriller with some good twists and turns. I’d definitely recommend it!

This is the eerie, creepy story of a California haunted house — where Ava and Jamie grew up, where their mother died at a young age of “natural causes” when they were young teens, and where adult Ava wants to return to before it can be sold (a trust prevents it from sale until the 29 year old turns 33) in order to stage her own “horror film in a single still” photographic art. Jamie, now a psychology professor, also returns with new wife Sarah (a young widow), who seems to have a strange interest in Ava and the house. Then Jamie disappears.

There are three POVs: Ava and Sarah’s in the present, and Didi’s in the past— who was a teenager who stalked Sarah when Didi’s mom was a house cleaner for Ava’s mother. Of course, you’re going to wonder if one of them (or more) is an unreliable narrator and how their stories are going to converge in present day.

BTW, you will want to Google “Τιμωρία”

Lindsay Marcott did an incredible job with “Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost” and “Shadow Sister” will equally enthrall thriller fans. 5 stars!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Tawny, blue, sad and bloodshot, but no green ones. Christina, however, has golden eyes (not rare, impossible).
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The Monterey Peninsula has its own type of stormy haunted landscape. Ava’s brother Jamie is deformed by the “claws” of a juniper and Mom might have been poisoned by the plants she used in her paints.

Shadow Sister by Lindsay Marcott is a modern haunted house thriller about revenge. I read and really enjoyed Mrs. Rochester's Ghost from Marcott so I was excited to read this upcoming release.

Ava and Jamie were raised in Blackworth Mansion. It's a family house, haunted by a ghost of a murdered woman--the guest of a gin slinging family member from years past. Their father is a drunk, their mother is an artist and a wild spirit. In their youth, their mother, Christina tragically dies and they leave their home, never to return.

Except now...years later, Ava has decided to return home to confront her demons and to create HER art. Jamie is now a professor. Ava quickly realizes that the ghosts are still haunting her. Jamie calls with news, that he has gotten married and Sarah, his new wife, is eager to meet.

Then Ava and Sarah are thrown together because of an accident and trouble seems to follow. Ava deals with memories of her past - including her first crush reigniting, and disturbing developments at the mansion.

While I did have some of the "twists" figured out - I didn't have all of them. Like Marcott's previous work, I quite enjoyed Shadow Sister. She writes well thought out, full developed, adult characters. I really appreciate that about her writing--it's hard to find that sometimes. I'm excited to see what's next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ava grew up in a haunted mansion, envied by all her friends. But when her mother died mysteriously there, the thrills of Blackworth Mansion became nightmares. Ava never accepted that her mother perished from natural causes, but no one would believe her.
Seventeen years later, Ava returns home to unravel the truth of her mother’s death and her own demons quickly follow. Her estranged and vindictive father may be stalking her. Her secretive new sister-in-law lands on her doorstep with troubles of her own. And then there’s the strange girl who may or may not be haunting the grounds. Even Ava’s romance with her first crush is shadowed by her suspicions.
When Ava makes a terrifying discovery on the property, she must decide just how far into the past she’s willing to go. Some secrets can be deadly especially the ones Ava’s kept hidden in the dark.
Really gripping I couldn’t put it down really enjoyed this book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer
I just reviewed Shadow Sister by Lindsay Marcott. #ShadowSister #NetGalley

A great mystery surrounding a haunted house and haunted family.Told from multiple narrators, the plot was enthralling enough to keep reading until I found out what was actually happening.A quick read too! Love this type of book.Definitely recommend to gothic readers.

Told through the lens of Jamie's new wife, Sarah, and his sister, Ava we follow the story of what is believed to be how Jamie and Ava's mom died. In a multiple timelines we also see from Didi's pov of how things played out. Was it murder or did their mother die from a disease like they were led to believe. The plot twist wasn't what I expected but it also left me feeling underwhelmed. Over all this was a fun palate cleanser mystery for if you just need an entertaining fun read full of red hearings.

This was a great mystery/thriller. Following several narrators mixed things up and you never knew if you could trust what they were saying. The California haunted house and family made for an intriguing background for the story. I enjoyed this quick read and will check out other things by this author.

I quite enjoyed the different narrative voices and gaining a glimpse into the thoughts of the characters throughout. It was a little confusing to begin with but soon settled as the characters fleshed out. The story was somewhat predictable though and I guessed the ‘twist’ in the first 25% of the book. Some of the dialogue was clunky and some clichés used but generally a nice, easy ready. Would recommend to my older students.

Meet Ava, she grew up in Blackworth Mansion with her brother and eratic parents. In high school, Ava's mother died but she believe it was nefarious reasons, not natural causes. Years later she returns to the abandoned house to investigate the death and reflect upon her life. Along the way, her now professional brother has a new woman in his life that has connections to their childhood. Add in some ghostly and eery happening and Ava is surely over her head.
This is an enjoyable novel but might have too many events and characters to remain clear and straightforward. There is haunting, trauma, flashbacks, revenge, romance mysteries and so much more. It is still an enjoyable ride i you like a family thriller! #Thomas&Mercer #ThomasandMercer #LindsayMarcott #ShadowSister

Shadow Sister is a captivating thriller that really kept me guessing! I was hooked on the story from the very beginning, and I found the plot twists to be very surprising (and they also made sense). The switch between multiple POVs was executed well and it never felt confusing or unnecessary. I would say the main weak spot was the dialogue, which sometimes sounded a bit immature. However, this didn't impact the story for me at all and I would definitely recommend for any thriller fan!

I recently read Mrs. Rochchester’s Ghost and DEVOURED it. When I saw this was available to request I was so excited when the publisher granted my access.

Lindsay Marcott once again does not disappoint! She will be added to my fave author list.

You have a house haunted by horrible memories, and not to mention a ghost. There are so many twists and turns, you think you know the answers but do you really?! Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this eARC.