Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Ava and her brother grew up in a haunted mansion but when their mother mysteriously died, they moved away to live with a relative. Now they are all grown up, and Ava yearns to discover what really happened o their mother. She moves back into Blackworh Mansion to unravel the past, but is her mind unraveling as well?

This was a decent read. I figured out most of the twists almost immediately, so there were no real gasp-worthy moments, but it wasn't a bad read. I would say this one will make a great summer read because it's not hard to follow and it's easy to devour in a sitting or two.

This book is a mystery written by an ingenious author who has written a cannot put down novel. I wanted to see what would happen next. So many red herrings through me off...I kept guessing incorrectly. Some of the characters are likable...others just NOT. A mysterious old mansion with a ghost. A plethora of characters who are so different with their secrets...secrets abound in this book. Can anyone be trusted? Are the memories real or fiction? What happened to the mom and dad? Murder? Poison? This book is not one for the reader who wants a cozy mystery. This reads almost like Agatha Christie except it is not written in a linear timeline. Don't miss this book which was sent to me by Netgalley for review.

Shadow Sister by Lindsay Marcott is a likable thriller full of ghosts, stalkers, and murders. It's planned release is for October of 2022. Just in time for spooky season!

Synopsis: 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.

My thoughts: Shadow Sister kept me reading, even though I found it predictable. Foreshadowing is an excellent literary tool, but I felt like it was less shadowing and more a flashing neon sign. Perhaps the authors intent was never to keep things hidden until the big reveal, but I think it would have kept me on the edge of my seat a little more.

Ava’s story is filled with mystery, grief, adventure, love and the people that make it a great book. Nice to find something interesting/absorbing that fulfills all the things I love best about reading.

Haunted, haunted and more haunted. Deliciously so.

Ava and James grow up in a haunted house. It’s cool…until it’s not. Until it takes their mother and part of her childhood and somehow dumps a weird sister-in-law on her doorstep. Then, it’s just frightening.

I really enjoyed Lindsay Marcott’s last book, Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost. Her name is what drew me to reading this book. Then I read the synopsis and well, I’m a sucker for a good ghost story. This didn’t disappoint.

Shadow Sister has all the gothic horror feels. Creepy mansion with a dark history. Some strange characters, like Ava’s father and sister-in-law. Blackwood Mansion is written very much like a character on its own in this story. It lives and breathes and seems to move with the story with as much flesh and blood as the human people (and just as strange).

What worked well for me:
• Gothic ghost story
• Great atmosphere. Spooky and dark. It was hard to imagine the sun shining on this mansion at all. It always felt stormy.
• Good backstory for the characters. Nice bit of growth for Ava and James.
• Decent ending and nice wrap up.
• Loved the multiple points of view. It was woven nicely so I didn’t feel lost at all.

What didn’t work for me:
• It was a little predictable. I knew who “dun it” pretty quickly.
• The history of the mansion didn’t seem to really play into the events that happened in Ava’s family.

Overall, this was a nice read. It’s a fast read so the pace is really good and you’re not left lingering too long in one place which it good. If you like gothic ghost stories, I would recommend this one!

I loved this book so much more than I thought it would. I did not see THAT twist coming but it was GOOD. The setting was perfect, creepy house, unsolved murders, different timelines, different POVs. The last couple of chapters felt a little rushed, and at times the characters said things that were just too far-fetched, but it made for a good story.

Shadow sister is the chilling story of a young woman who returns to her haunted childhood home to unravel the deadly mysteries of her family’s past. DAMN. FABULOUS!… Had me gasping in shock many times!

honestly i have not read a book better than this one..the story wow .thank you to the author and her wonderful ..my bestfriend is obviously going to love this book ..looking forawrd to reading more of her books

I devoured Shadow Sister from start to finish! I honestly couldn't put it down! I never got the chance to read her highly acclaimed novel, Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost, but I will be now! This is the perfect, haunting read for October!

If you like mystery and disguise, you’ll love this book! Ava is into photographing scenes that are ghostly and bizarre. She makes the decision to move to her homestead, Blackworth Mansion where her mother had died under mysterious circumstances when she and her brother James were children. James falls in love with Sarah and quickly decides that he and his new wife will also return to Blackworth Mansion. The storyline jumps back and forth between when they were children and their lives currently. The past becomes intertwined with the present and you have to wonder, who is really “ invisible” and who among them is who they say they are.

When I wasn’t reading this book, I was thinking about it. It was a wonderful thriller with simple writing (which is a good thing.) I think the characters were well thought out but didn’t go overboard with descriptions to make it confusing. I wasn’t usually wondering who the characters were, as there were many to keep track of, except for one person. But the details in the book led to who they were eventually. The twists in this story weren’t too predictable and I only put things together during the end of the book, which was the goal. I thought this book was a fun, yet chilling, read!

Over all a fun read, twist and creative. Would work wonderfully as movie! There were a few parts that were slow to read. I would recommend it to those that loved family mysteries

Siblings, Ava and Jamie, live in Blackworth Mansion with their eccentric mother and abusive father. After hearing footsteps and creaks in the floor that can't be explained, they quickly realize Blackwork Mansion is haunted by a ghost they name Cinderella. After their mother sees Cinderella and the siblings break into the servant's quarters, bad things happen. Jamie falls out of a window and loses vision in one of his eyes and their mom dies very suspiciously. Years later, the past comes back to haunt Ava and Jamie when Ava moves back into the home and Jamie elopes with a student from the college he works at.

I was not surprised that I liked this book. It has haunted mansions, eccentric mothers, secrets, secrets, and more secrets. There seems to be a mystery around each corner and something is always happening. I liked how the book jumps from the present time to the past (more often toward the end of the book) and pulls the whole story together. Some parts are predictable but others just pop up and I was surprised that I didn't see them coming.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This author is one of the most underrated thriller/mystery authors, in my opinion, so I was thrilled to be given an advanced copy of Shadow Sister. Set in chilly, eerie northern California, Ava returns to her childhood home of Blackworth Mansion to try and piece together the mystery of her mother's death years prior and get some closure. This book alternates between different character POVs and past a present - I truly couldn't wait to see what happened next.

Really interesting premise, and just the right amount of spook, intrigue, and mystery for me. Definitely recommend this and Marcott's other books!

I have to be honest and say that I predicted the plot twist about 30% into the book. However, the story was very compelling, which made me want to keep going. It was perfectly paced and had great character development. I really enjoyed it despite its predictability. I think readers of Lisa Jewell will definitely like Shadow Sister!

WOW! This book was an absolute whirlwind. Every time I thought i could predict what would happen, the author took another plot twist. Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC!

This was one of those reads that didn’t need any thought involved. It was perfect as I am on vacation and just wanted a nice pool read.

Ava has decided to move back to her childhood home to confront her demons. Her mom left the estate to her and her brother Jamie, a professor of psychology, who wants nothing to do with it and has just recently married a student of his! Let’s take a few steps back …their mother died at an early age but Ava is certain her mother died in suspicious circumstances. Oh and maybe the house is haunted by a ghost who as a child Ava named Cinderella……

Told by multiple POV’s we visit the past and present. I must say I preferred Didi’s storyline and saw the twist a mile away…well most of it.

What I liked: I just went with the flow and wanted to see how it all came out in end. Super easy read and didn’t have to think. Is it weird I liked Didi?

What I didn’t like: Cinderella!!!!!! Maybe it is fitting I’m vacationing at Disney World but so much could have been explored there to make it more atmospheric.. it just seemed like an afterthought to throw it in .

I do like this author but feel it’s more of a pool read. Thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for my advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

I really wanted to like this one but it was a big nope in the end. The first 1/4 of the book I was in it! Crazy characters, creepy house, a little haunting - bring it on! Except that was it. At the beginning I guessed the scenario out and thought well maybe this is what they want me to think and the end will be a fabulous tadaaaa. Nope, I was right and the end was a fabulous you knew all along. Ugh. It also felt a bit stuffy for me. The dialogue didn’t feel American, it felt overly sophisticated when it was to be casual conversation.

Ava and her brother Jamie grew up in a haunted mansion. Her mother was artsy and loved but she died mysteriously. Ava has come back home seventeen years later to try and figure out exactly what happened. Was it murder? Was it natural causes or an accident? Meanwhile, her brother starts acting weird and meets a new mystery girl and everything happens quickly. It goes back and forth between the past and present which I found kind of ruined the story for me from the point of views we got.

Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

As with her previous book,Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost, Lindsay creates an atmospheric and haunting book that leaves chills running down your spine. It’s set on the California coastline at the beautiful Blackwood mansion. Even tho the story is told thru multiple POV, you grow and care about each character even if they are flawed. This novel has layer upon layers of plot lines and right when you think you have discovered them all, another comes again.

The plot is about Ava and Jamie who grew up at the mysterious and haunting mansion with their parents and a ghost called Cinderella. Avas mother tragically dies and she wonders if the ghost had something to do with it. Years later Ava decides to go back and find out what really happened to her mother. The ghosts of the past both figurative and literal make her realize she didn’t know so much about her past.

This is a must read for mystery lovers and will keep you guessing through the entire book. I highly recommend it

On the California coastline, in the middle of sand paths and forest, is a beautiful Blackwood Mansion. The residents are an interesting family and they even have their own ghost- Cinderella. After the sudden death of Christina, the artistic mum, the mansion is unoccupied.
The story takes place seventeen years later, when Christina's daughter Ava decides to move in. She is trying to make peace with her demons and resolve the mystery surrounding her mother's death.


The story is written in 3 viewpoints- Ava's, Sarah's and Didi's.
Ava's is trying to find clues about what really happened that day that her mother died.
Sarah is Ava's new sister-in-law (freshly married to Ava's brother Jamie) and she is fascinated with the mansion and wishes to become one of the family.
Didi's story is set back in the past, when she worked in a mansion as a maid and spent her time with Christina.


The premise of the story is packed with mystery, chills and action.
And here's me, not experiencing any of those spooky chills that the haunted mansion should give me.
The story was interesting but it didn't grab me.
I did notice some inconsistencies in the writing- at first mention of Jamie, he and Ava don't seem like they are very present in each other's lives but she later states that they have always been really close.

I do think that the author has an appealing style of writing and hope to read more (new) work from her.


Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an eArc :)