This one ended up being a lot different than I was expecting and in a lot of good ways. I liked seeing a sister relationship that was more tense and complicated. In getting both Sutton and Casey’s POVs, we really saw the ways the sisters perceived each other much more clearly and how it affected their relationship, especially with Sutton being more light skinned than Casey and all the ways that came into their story. I really liked that Isaiah’s job as a black historian was a focus. I loved the scenes with he and Casey talked about their family history. There were a few things I didn’t think were as fleshed out or explained as well as they could have been. The bit of magical realism towards the end was really cool, but I would have liked more explanation as to why it happened and the history of it. The villain, I had a feeling about and I was actually excited that it was this person, but the reveal got wrapped up so quickly. I was hoping for more with that part of the story. Also, I would have liked an epilogue in this book or even just one more chapter to really finish out the story. The ending was VERY abrupt. Overall, I thought this was a really unique story that definitely kept my interest and makes me want to read more books by this author in the future.
Mini spoiler: the dog doesn’t die.
TW: missing girls, racism, mentions of slavery

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

So, I finished reading this late last night so I was too tired to put in a review. As I sit here today, not even 24 hours I think to myself- that was a pretty unremarkable book. I literally just had to go back and look at the last few pages to remind myself how it ended.
Now don’t get me wrong this wasn’t a horrible book. It had some interesting points, but it just wasn’t my jam.
I do thank NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A very good read, an amazing insight in the ancestry, traditions and beliefs of black people. The description and development of the characters was very well done. I certainly enjoyed the book. And I think that the topics it touches are extremely important.
My only issue with the book is that it fell short, I think it needed at least 50 or so more pages to finish it correctly. As it is, it felt rushed and underwhelming, especially the villain reveal. I guessed sooner but it still felt kind of flat.
But overall I think is a pretty good book. And I would totally recommend it

The Shadow Sister pulled me in with the beautiful cover but I stayed for the sisterly drama. I appreciated that the dialogue was written true to the characters and Lily Meade managed to create an accurate sister relationship. The suspense builds slowly and parts of this book created genuine fear! Lily Meade wrote a beautiful story about generational trauma, what makes a family, and how our lens/background changes our ability to approach situations impartially.

This would be a 3.5-4 star book for me only because portions were told instead of shown. Sections of dialogue specifically between the friends in the book felt forced compared to other portions of the book.

WHEN I TELL YOU I AM NOW A STAN. I reaaaally loved this book, both the context of sibling relationships, the lives of biracial children, and it even touched on real life issues, such as white privilege and lack of police help when it comes to saving those deemed worthy. Overall, I really enjoyed the point of view and all of the twists and turns, even when I started leaning in the direction of the correct ending, I was still on my toes until the very very end. The only reason it is four star instead of five is due to the pretty open ending. I wish it had given me an epilogue or something to wrap the story in a nice bow, giving justice to all, but I understand that may have not worked with the flow of the story.

Once I started this book, I could not put it down. I had to know what happened and I am so glad I was approved to read this because WOW is it GOOD! I highly recommend this book to anyone and EVERYONE!

I had 15 different endings and still didn’t see that one happening. The hate between these sisters was so real I felt the angst as I read each word on these pages. The story is definitely captivating, and a quick read. It has a relatively simple plot, yet somehow feels complex likely because of the subject matter as it relates to race, identity, and family relationships. The only issue I have is with how it ended. I wanted more. The build up as so strong and I felt like it I was owed more.

I would say it’s a solid read anywhere from young adult to mature adult. Voodoo is intertwined throughout the story, so if that is a trigger for you, I would say stay away.

*Some Spoilers Ahead*

First off let me start by saying that this kept me captivated. I finished this in two days, wanting to know what happened to Sutton. At first it's normal, missing sister suddenly returns with no memory and everyone except her younger sister is happy she's back. But then things get off kilter, she remembers nothing. Not her family, her bf, or her mean streak to her sister. I did think the thing with the cheer point was a bit on the nose, like he's cat as the fall guy. The one the author puts in to distract you from the real culprit and it does work, it's a good setup and there even was a good reason to his downfall(even though I felt like the author forget she wrote about him and then suddenly remembered he existed and had to tie up his loose end). With the actual villian, I do wish we could have seen some buildup even if it was only a little(although idk if that's entirely possible with the way the author used him so I'll drop it). I do wish the entire thing with how Sutton was able to stay with her family in the end even though she was the way she was, was a bit more touched up upon. It's just "oh it's because it's magic" like a Disney excuse. I wish it was explored a bit deeper. I do like the sections with the family history as well as the realistic way it goes for family members reporting their black and mixed daughters missing.

The Shadow Sister grabbed my interest from the first line, "My sister is a bitch, but that doesn't mean I want her dead." Lily Meade's writing kept the story interesting to the very end and made me anxious to return to it throughout the book. The novel is about a family whose two sisters do not get along - ever. The family is torn apart when Sutton goes missing, and Casey's world and emotions are in turmoil. She knows how manipulative Sutton is and wonders if she has created an elaborate hoax to get attention. Then Sutton is found and doesn't remember anything about her former life, and interestingly, the only person she recognizes and feels comfortable with is Casey. The characters are all well-developed. The reader feels the mother's pain at Sutton's rejection of her love, the father's powerlessness in the face of the extreme emotions of the other family members, and Casey's frustration at being forced to "babysit" her amnesiac sister, who she loathes. The sisters are exceptionally well portrayed. I don't know that I have read a book where the emotions of warring siblings are depicted so frankly. These emotions are told from both sisters' viewpoints, making them more provocative and realistic. There is a lovely sideline of the father's work as a Black historian. He and Casey have fascinating conversations about their family history back to when they were enslaved. Ms. Meade's writing is simple and easy to read yet contains depths of emotion. Young adults, as well as their parents, will relish this read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC.

Occasionally a book comes a long and digs into your soul. The Shadow Sister interweaves mystery, family dynamics, loss, and reunion into a beautiful tapestry. We start with trying to find missing Sutton, beloved daughter and despised sister. We then get to see what happens when she is found and what life looks like after. Only no one even Sutton knows what happens to her.

We spend the rest of the book trying to put the pieces together. You see despised sisters learning to rewrite their story, form a relationship and figure out where they stand. You get to discover family history and you get a glimpse at how strong family ties can be.

I absolutely encourage you to pick up this book. If you liked books like Ace of Spades, or Legendborn you’ll love this one too. 5/5 stars.

I was given an e-book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Sutton has gone missing, and Casey is doing her best to hide just how furious she is. They had a major argument before she disappeared and rarely got along. Casey is doing her best to play along with the perfect picture her parents are painting of Sutton even though she was manipulative and even stole an heirloom bracelet from Casey. So when Sutton miraculously reappears, Casey doesn’t know how to feel. Especially as Sutton just seems…wrong. And even scary. As Casey tries to uncover her sister’s secrets, she uncovers even more hidden truths that may just cost her everything she cares about.

Probably the strongest aspect of this book was the characters. They were written extremely well, even the secondary characters. I enjoyed how varied their backgrounds and motivations were, as well as how some of the secondary conflicts that arose were based off their personalities/backgrounds. And I honestly can’t even put into words how refreshing it was to read a POV from a girl who couldn’t stand her sister. It was written in a way that was relatable but still had some teen angst (not too much) and added a fascinating dynamic. I enjoyed how well the author incorporated both sides of the story so we could fully see why each sister thought the other was awful.

The resolution of the work was probably its weakest point. I wanted a bit more exploration of the ending, and more exploration of the antagonist. As it is, the villain felt too underdeveloped and cartoonish to be compelling or to offer a good explanation. The author also incorporated some subplots but didn’t fully flesh them out or resolve them, but that was a minor complaint for me. I quite enjoyed the magical realism aspect of the work and how the author incorporated it into their family’s history and traditional folklore.

As it is, this is a quick and easy read that would likely be highly enjoyable for YA readers. This was excellent for a debut novel, and I look forward to seeing what else the author writes. My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to read this work, which will be published 27 June 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Title: The Shadow Sister
By: Lily Meade

Genre:
Young Adult, Mystery, Magical

Red Flags:
Kidnapping


Recommended Ages:
High School

Summary:
Casey and Sutton are sisters who are opposites, one sister gets away with everything, while the other sister gets blamed for everything. Shortly after a sisterly fight, Sutton goes missing. Casey feels awful and the search to find Sutton begins…finally, once Sutton is found, she has no recollection of her past and is missing parts of her present. Regardless, Sutton needs Casey.

Review:
The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade is a young adult mystery, with elements of magic. While I quickly feel in love with the main character of Casey, I quickly feel in love with the beginning. However, I felt the plot was missing depth. As a book lover, I have read many young adult mysteries. I felt this novel was good in the beginning, but felt the author quickly rushed the ending, leaving me longing for more closure, and less predictability.

Thank you to Lily Meade, and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads
#lilymeade
#netgalley
#advancedreadereditions

Loved it! I only wish it didn’t end so quickly.

The sister rivalry was written very well and it was made even better by adding in Sutton’s POV every now and then.

Couldn’t put it down and would definitely recommend to other mystery lovers.

4.5 stars

This book single handedly got me out of a month long reading slump. I tried reading about 5 different books and couldn't get into any of them. I picked this up and read it in 3 days, which is very quick for me. When I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about it. It kept living in my head and I could not stop thinking about it. I ended up staying up way past my normal bedtime because I had to know how it ended. This is an amazing debut. I loved everything about this book. The characters, the writing, the twists and turns. If you need a page turner, look no further.

The main character is Casey and the book focuses a lot on her relationship with her sister, as well as the rest of her family. The sister dynamic was done extremely well. I could relate to some and understand where they were coming from with the rest. I adored reading about the parents and the grandma. They all felt so real and I'd love a whole book of them just living their lives.

The mystery/thriller elements of this book was also done very well. I had so many theories and I felt like we got a steady stream of information while never making anything to obvious. My heartrate went up quite a few times and I was genuinely worried for the characters.

So, why did I give this 4.5 stars and not 5 stars? The ending. I didn't mind how it wrapped up but it felt rushed. I wish there had been about 50 more pages to really explore the ending. I wish we would have gotten more closure on the other girls who went missing.

The author says that the book is ultimately about trauma and healing, which I completely agree with. There is a lot of talk about racism, generational trauma and black history.

Overall I highly recommend this book. If you like thrillers, mysteries and/or black history, read this! I will be purchasing my own copy when it releases (June 27, 2023) and I will be checking out Lily Meades future books.

A decent read. The main plot of the missing girls was interesting. However, the author tried to throw in so many different elements but they just didn't mesh well. The whole background research felt like an after thought. Then the book took on a supernatural aspect in the last few pages and it was completely out of left field. There was also no depth to the sisters' relationship. At tines, the story was very repetitive and I was just ready for it to be over.

Not bad. But there were several areas that need to be flushed out better.

Wow, I loved this. This story is a YA mystery/thriller that follows Casey, a high schooler whose sister Sutton has gone missing. Casey and Sutton did not have a good relationship and fought with each other before Sutton went missing. Sutton is found, and can't remember anything except for Casey. She has a completely changed behavior and now leans on Casey for help and support. Casey is suspicious that her sister is manipulating everyone and playing mind games, so she goes around trying to find out what happened to her sister.

The plot and characters kept me invested in this story, I had no idea what direction the story was going and what to expect, but the mystery kept me very intrigued. I loved the different elements in the book, like generational/religious trauma and family relationships and dynamics. Casey and Sutton were fascinating characters, and I was eager to learn more about their behaviors and feelings. I also appreciated how the author wove about black girls going missing and the racial aspects of the story. The ending was crazy, and I'm still confused about it, but there were definitely some magical/ancestral/generation forces at play.

I wish we had more closure at the end, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and you should read it if you like YA thrillers with good storytelling and characters. This book comes out on June 27th!!!!

I will purchase this book for my library. I liked that it incorporated African-American folklore which is different. I have read several books that incorporate African folklore but not a lot that have ties to African-American folklore. I think the relationship between sisters is very different than that between a brother & sister so the anger that the sisters held for each other was difficult for me to relate to. I definitely enjoyed the twist even if it was not a big surprise. I am giving it 3 stars just because my enjoyment & connection to the story but I can see other readers really liking it.

The Shadow Sister
By Lily Meade
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Seriously? If I could give this all the stars I would! Like, WOW!!!

These are words used to describe this book:
“Gripping and emotional, this YA speculative thriller follows the intertwined stories of two sisters after one disappears...then returns, changed in ways that trauma alone can't explain.”

It sounds amazing right? It was so much better than those words allow! The relationship between Casey and her sister Sutton, who has just returned from being missing, is strained to say the least. I loved the way their relationship was displayed through different time periods from both sides. Misconceptions and miscommunications cause a rift between siblings as it does for most siblings, but their reunification is hindered by Sutton’s disappearance. The depiction of trauma, not only from Sutton, but also the family left behind was so raw and real, I constantly had a knot in my stomach, having to periodically put my kindle down just to get my self reacclimated.

Casey and Sutton’s father was such an interesting character. His experience with the intergenerational trauma of learning his ancestors experiences during slavery and how they escaped it was impeccable. We carry the sins of those we descended from, whether they actions were justified or not.

The twist at the end is both surprising and not at the same time. The author wrote this so superbly that even while I was expecting some sort of twist, I was completely thrown when it actually happened.

10 out of 10 recommend pre-ordering this book before it’s June 27th release.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this Advanced Reading Copy. I chose this book for its absolutely beautiful cover, but then was sucked in immediately by the story. This is such an engaging young adult story and I know middle schoolers and high schoolers will devour this book as it has so many of their sought after favorites: everyday young adult life, mystery, super natural, historical fiction, romance, cheerleading, and drama.

Sutton and Casey are sisters who are constantly butting heads and arguing. They have different values, friendships, interests, and ways of communicating. Casey's world is flipped upside down when Sutton disappears and her family must participate in the search, juggle media attention, and navigate their complicated emotions about Sutton, a master manipulator, now being portrayed as a perfect, innocent young woman. However, what happens when Sutton mysteriously reappears, but remembers nothing except her "love" for Casey?

As a reader, I was in for a wild ride in which my spidey senses were tingling and moments of blood chilling fear. I had no idea that I would also be taken on a multigenerational historical expedition tracing the girls' family back to slavery. In addition, the story takes on young love, complicated friendships, differing religious views and family values, and pressures in youth sports.

I am very impressed and hope that there will be more from Lily Meade in the future.

The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade was given to me through Net Galley for an honest review. First, the cover of this thrilling, wonderous, and honest story is breath taking. Second, this review is my review, and my own opinion.
Each sibling relationship has it own unique rules, mannerisms, and you don’t mess with them, or else. Sutton and Casey are sisters, and like any type of sibling, they have their own bond that binds them together whether they realize it or not.
There are moments in their lives where they fight, bicker, but that is not all they do. When push comes to shove, they are there for one another when they need it the most.
Another reason why I liked The Shadow Sister is the hints of their family history, how honest it written, kept me entranced for wanting more.