Shadow Sister tries being a psychological thriller, horror story and a gothic thriller all at once but succeeds in none of these areas. The story begins with Sarah as she gets interested in Jamie, her new professor at the college she had been attending for the past months. And then we cut to Ava, Jamie's sister, who is still struggling in coping with her mother's death when she was a child. For the past few years, she has become increasingly convinced that her mother hadn't died of natural causes as declared then by the doctors.

And then we get to delve slowly into the mind of Didi, the girl who had an unhealthy obsession with Sarah in their high school and even tried to push her off a ledge to kill her. We are taken into the minds and psyche of these people in the current time and about 13 year previously, when Didi used to work in Ava, Jamie's dilapidated mansion house. The author takes us through a twisted maze of paranoia, mind-games, manipulation set in a very atmospheric place that just gave me the chills while reading about it

The book is a fairly entertaining read with a good narrative style and odd character sketches. The story is eerie and atmospheric enough to capture our attention; there are also some good scare moments. Almost all the characters in the story are emotionally damaged and twisted people and the author has given those people a solid background to explain the reason they are being the way they are. And their weirdness give a solid canvas to create the most twisted story a person can ever think of. However, for the same reasons, these characters get quite difficult to connect with as they seem quite unreal at times.

Despite the red-herrings and psychological elements of the story, I did see some of the twists coming. Still, I quite enjoyed the story and recommend this book for all those who like to read atmospheric thrillers containing chilling moments.

Ch 1-5

It's okay to not see Paris. I always dreamed it would be my favorite place in the world. See Paris syndrome.

I love that kittens heels are back in. Can't decide if they fit my style or not, but there's this pair by Inez I'm rather enamored of.

Not that they're in any way my style, but I'm always jealous of white people's family rings. I'd like a Victorian cluster. I'd never wear it, but you know.

I hate when people say adulting. Embarrassingly enough, it's generally millennials.

Mom died suspiciously. I'm quite curious about this thus far, which is good. I've had a slew of bad reads, as you well know.

CDs. Red Hot Chili Peppers. MySpace. The memories.

Mm. Sexy nerdy is exactly my type. Love me some horn-rimmed glasses. Help.

I would like to rent a bungalow in Santa Monica. How nice it is to be rich.

Ch 6-10

I don't know why the idea of a hand surgeon makes me laugh so much.

What is the name Darsh? Is this real life?

Coldplay at a beach party. How original.

Okay, Darsh's mom is Indian. I'm fine with his name if an Indian can confirm this is a name. But fairly certain his dad is white.

The old crush that's now an architect seems suspicious. Did I already say I find everyone suspicious?

Secret weddings are the best. Until they're not.

Ch 11-15

Is Didi really the villain? I don't trust Sarah. I don't trust anyone. Are the narrators reliable?

Well, well. Sarah is manipulative? Who knew? Oh, me.

Ava is dumb, but we've all been there.

People pretending to be other people. I wonder how much of that is going on.

Ch 16-20

I was promised a ghost. All I'm getting are creepy unsigned letters. Who is masquerading as mom?

I'm sure lots of people would like to live by the ocean, but they aren't rich. The things people say. Insane.

Ch 21-25

I'm sorry but in this day and age, you're telling me someone doesn't know who Frida Kahlo is? No way. Absolutely not.

Yes. Move your injured husband into the childhood home that he hates without asking him. He'll love that. It will go so well.

Everyone ironically calls Target Tarjhay. You're not special.

Did Didi kill mom or is that the red herring here? Or rather, a red herring.

Ch 26-30

Did Sarah purposefully donate to the school where James works? What does Thomas know about her?

I am trash for anything art deco.

Sarah needs to but tf out. That is not your house. You cannot reno it.

Damn. I’d marry an old man and put up with his stupid kids if he left me $45 million. Into that.

Ch 31-35

A body! In the gravel! Oh no!

Ooh, special tea.

What does Sarah have on Thomas? The plot thickens.

Ch 36-40

Sea cucumber is a choice.

Ava is on a slow descent into madness. Or is she being poisoned, too? What is happening?

If dad is dead, who has Ava been seeing?

CALLED IT

Ch 41-45

Maybe don’t fall for a man that literally buried someone you loved.

This was wild. I loved every second.

Nice creepy little read. Would recommend. I really liked the storyline. My only complaint is why are creepy mysteries always in an inherited mansion? Gets rather boring.

Ava has always questioned her mother's death. The doctors attributed it to a rare disease, but she remains convinced that it was something else. Maybe someone poisoned her mother there in the halls of the family mansion. Seventeen years have passed and she'd ready to find some answers. There are a lot of different characters and a lot of different motives, both in the past and present. Towards the end, my concern for the characters was making me actually uncomfortable. It's creepy and atmospheric and part of the Kindle Unlimited program.

I'm not sure what to say, it was certainly nothing that I expected. I expected specters galore, but no ghosts apart from the odd inference materialized., There is loads of atmosphere though, and while off to a slow start, it picked up.

I'm not sure how realistic this premise is, for one thing, I doubt I'd be quiet if a crazed woman covered in blood ran up to me on a stormy night and told me not to tell anyone. but who knows? Blackthorne House itself is wonderful, but a few of its past occupants were unspeakably awful.

A solid 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC.

Shadow Sister is a mystery thriller.
The story and plot were very interesting to me and it was
what kept me reading the book. I didn't really connect with
any of the characters. I really liked the different time lines
and seeing the different mysteries. Overall I thought that
the story was really good but I thought that it could have
been better and some parts could have been taken out of
the story.
Read if you like:
-mystery/thriller
-dual povs
-different timelines
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC
book in exchange for an honest review!

Spooky season is not over yet and you need to read this one for a haunted house murder mystery gone sideways. Ava goes home to her childhood haunted house to try to remember how her mother was murdered and along the way, shit hits the fan with her weird new sister in law. This book was fully developed and didn’t skim back on plot or characters, I couldn’t put it down until I figured out what was going on. While the twist was easy to guess that doesn’t take away from how fun and creative it was! Put this on your TBR for a bingeable thriller.
Pub Date: Oct 18th, 2022
Pages: 396 pages
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

It is a mystery thriller and I loved the strong start to the the story. Even as the eerie parts started to slowly wind down the more into the book I got, I was still impressed with the beginning pages. Definitely a beautiful yet haunted tale written.

Absolutely yes! I really enjoyed reading this novel. The characters were fun, it held my interest, and provided an escape from reality. I would definitely recommend!

A pretty good book. It is a mystery thriller. The story is good. I liked the atmosphere of this book. Pretty good for a one time read.

This one started off really strong. I loved the creepiness and the early scenes at the family’s haunted estate were chilling. It’s rare for a book to scare me, and the opening chapters did, to the point I couldn’t read at night anymore! Unfortunately, those horror elements tapered off and there was maybe too much going on as the novel progressed. The tension seemed to ebb and flow rather than steadily build. While readers do need a breather from the scares, it felt more like a total reset with different character POVs (including a flashback character). I was hoping for a solid haunting story — about a house and the people who came into its orbit — but that never fully crystallized. Marcott captures unsettling writing very well, I just wanted a lot more of it throughout, and more of a focus to follow. Ava’s chapters were by far the standout and I’d definitely highlight certain scenes for the writing alone.

Shadow Sister is a twisted thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Jamie tells his sister Ava that he thinks there is a way to break the trust and sell their ancestral home. Ava says she doesn't think they can and has decided to move back to the house to live. Ava believes the house is haunted and wants to face her fears by discovering the truth about how her mother died.

Jamie on the other hand has no desire to ever return to the house and is determined to sell. Jamie tells Ava he has just recently married a student of his. Sarah, Jamie's new wife reaches out to Ava and says that Jamie is missing. Sarah and Ava join forces to find Jamie.

This story is told from several points of view interspersed with the past. But in the telling of it people are acting out of character and we are only left with more questions. Sarah believes her mother was murdered and possibly by her father. She also believes her father is sending her emails and phone calls trying to get her to lose her mind. Jamie who never wanted to return to the house is now returning after having been found now recovering from a car accident. Sarah is weirdly ingratiating herself into her new family. All very odd, but the truth is more twisted than Jamie and Ava can imagine but will they survive in the process.

I liked this story but some of it was pretty predictable.

This one had so much potential! I feel like it was just very one dimensional and that there was so much that was left out. I wanted to dove more into the story of Cinderella and kept waiting for that to happen!

I truly thought that everyone in this book was either going insane or was fully insane from the beginning.

In Shadow Sister by Lindsay Marcott, this thriller will leave you biting your nails from beginning to end wondering who of the three women whose point of views we hear from in this book are telling the truth. They all have their own accounts of the same events and plainly, you can’t believe any of them.

That ending was one that I was personally not expecting and I cannot recommend this thriller enough! It was perfect for this time of year and will have you reaching for a cozy blanket and tea.

An extravagant and odd family with past trauma, revenge and secrets - this one has it all!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a thrilling and fun read, I loved guessing the twist and was actually right, which is always a nice surprise.

I felt like the main characters were relatable and their actions reasonable and making sense, but the secondary characters could have a bit more fleshing out done, but that’s just my opinion.

Overall, it truly was fun to read and I’ll be looking out for more novels from the author!

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

"If I could just see what I already knew— pull it out of the shadows of my mind— I’d have what I was looking for."

Ava grew up in Blackworth Mansion, a childhood home haunted by the ghost of a murdered girl seeking revenge. Her family always seemed to be cursed by this ghost, Cinderella, and Ava's mother had died mysteriously in the house. Seventeen years later, Ava moves back home determined to figure out the truth of what had happened on that fateful night. Shadowed in suspicions, she attempts to recreate forgotten memories using photography to unlock the secrets of her past.

As she recalls lost memories, Ava begins to uncover the truth hidden underneath layers of secrets and fears. Dark and gloomy with a chilling sense of foreshadowing, potential dangers arise and Ava must decide just how deep into the past she's willing to go. Who can Ava actually trust, if anyone? And is the ghost of Cinderella real and still in the house?

Interestingly, this book dealt with reactions to both physical and emotional trauma along with the scars that are inevitably left behind. Searching for a sense of home and belonging and the lengths people will go to avoid losing that further captured my attention. I liked the inclusion of poetry throughout. Ghosts and the power of invisibility added to the mystery. I also enjoyed the way photography was used to unveil secrets of the past that perhaps were better to remain hidden.

However, unlikable characters who played off each other's fears and were burdened by deep insecurities along with a repetitively described setting that seemed more depressing than frightening dampened my expectations of enjoying this book. I figured out the significant plot twist early and I found it difficult to become invested in the characters. Some parts of the story seemed unlikely to happen, testing the limits of what I could truly believe. The ending tried to bring things together and elicit justice but it occurred somewhat abruptly and I was left with several unanswered questions and disappointment in a story that had so much more potential overall.

** Special thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Available October 18, 2022. **

I love books set in creepy (not horror though) houses as settings. This was a very well developed creepy house. I guessed the twist almost from the first part of the book, but that didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book. I would definitely recommend this book to suspense lovers, and I will be looking for more from this author.

This is a beyond insane thriller but oh so good!!!!!! You will be captivated and will stay up reading this one late into the night!!!!!

This one just didn’t work for me. At almost 400 pages, it is way too long, it’s quite predicable and the storytelling kinda put me to sleep 😴. For thrillers, I really need something I can’t put down and this wasn’t it for me.it does seem to have some good reviews on #goodreads so may be worth a try for you

2.5 ⭐️

I'm devastated that this one didn't work for me! When I read the description, it reminded me a little bit of The Haunting of Hill House, which is one of my favorite shows of all time, but sadly I was not too fond of the execution of this.

For starters, I think the writing style isn't for me. It felt...too composed? Like it wasn't flowing naturally. The dialogue or narration doesn't read naturally or authentically but instead feels forced. There was also a lot of dialogue in general, which isn't something I usually enjoy. I prefer it when you have to deduce things for yourself, but the writing in this made it seem very surface-level and like you're getting told everything instead of figuring it out for yourself. It became incredibly tiring reading people talk after a while, and I think it slowed down the pacing for me and made it less enjoyable.

I also didn't feel as much tension or creep factor as I hoped, which I expect with a novel like this. I tend to decide how good a mystery/thriller is for me by how creeped out, nervous, or scared I feel, and this one didn’t make me feel any anticipation toward what was coming up next or the ending.

I’m disappointed this one didn’t work out for me. However, I still have hope that other readers will enjoy it!