Casey's sister, Sutton, has gone missing. This is the most difficult thing that Casey's family has experienced. However, Casey has a rather complicated relationship with her sister. One of the things making Casey feel even worse is that prior to her disappearance, Sutton took a family heirloom that Casey inherited from their grandmother. While her parents are selling the narrative that Sutton is a wonderful young woman, Casey's feelings are far more complicated since she knows her sister isn't the upstanding person her parents are desperately trying to portray to the press. But the ugly truth is a missing Black girl, or biracial girl, won't gain sympathy from the public without positive PR. When Sutton is found, Casey has mixed feelings. Casey is convinced that the doctors are wrong. Sutton doesn't have amnesia related to her trauma, she is sure that Sutton is faking amnesia. As the days of Sutton's return unfold, Casey starts to notice more things about Sutton's behaviors that are bothering her. Finally, Casey does believe that Sutton isn't faking, but now there is another missing Black girl, on top of two others who went missing shortly before Sutton did. Can Casey and Sutton mend their relationship enough to uncover who has been kidnapping Black girls in their community? This was an immediately engaging story that kept me hooked until the end.

Thank you to the publisher for this arc in return for a honest review!

Two sister who despise each other, generational curses, missing black girls, and a biracial couple. This book has a lot going on but I love it! Super short and releases in June 2023.

Overall I wasn’t sure what to rate this book because it was a slow burn (emphasis on slow). I understand why though! Essentially that’s how a mystery works, keeps your mind on edge and collecting clues. When you think you have the answer everything changes.

Ultimately it really through me for a loop In the end. I had no idea that it would turn out the way it did. Not so much as the answer to who done it but the overall outcome. Absolutely loved the ending! My ancestors loved that ending!

Overall rating: 3.9/5
Plot:3/5
Suspense:3/5
Ending:4.5/5

This was a fun, spooky read that dealt with themes of racism, sisterhood, and heritage. I follow Lily on Twitter, so I had heard about her book and was interested in reading it. I really liked the complicated dynamic between Casey and Sutton that is only heightened when Sutton mysteriously returns. Their relationship seemed very accurate to that of a real sister relationship.
There was a lot going on in this book and it did kind of jump around. There was the mystery of Sutton's disappearance, the ongoing conflict about their grandmother's bracelet, their mother's political image, Sutton's coach, and the stories their father told Casey about their ancestors. All of these plotlines made the book a little hard to follow and hard to be fully interested in any one plot point. The reveal of what was happening to Sutton was really creepy and unsettling; I think that was done really well.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

Lily Meade did a a wonderful job with the storytelling! I loved the layers to the family dynamic, especially the relationship between Casey and Sutton. I was so curious about what happened to Sutton and the twists kept me going. This was a really good mystery and a fantastic debut. I can't wait for more from this author!

A thrilling debut with a speculative twist! I flew through this one in two sittings, since I was way too curious about what happened to Sutton to wait!

The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade is a wonderful debut!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was well written and very well paced.
The setting was atmospheric. The plot was engaging and fun. The characters were well developed and intriguing which I couldn't get enough of.
A compelling YA thriller that I personally thought Lily Meade did an absolute amazing job!
I'm excited for her next book!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not great at reading author's notes, but
I really think everyone should read these.
I read this book in one day, and what a way
to start the year!
On it's face, this book is about two sisters, but
I loved the black history that was integrated, and
the ever present fight for someone, anyone, to
care about the black girls and women that
go missing everyday.
This book had some One of the Good Ones
Vibes, but that ending... I can't say I saw
that coming.
Thank you to #Netgalley and @sourcebooksfire
Pub date June 23, 202

Casey is furious that her perfect older sister Sutton is missing. Not because she misses her, but it is causing conflict between her parents. Sutton was cruel to Casey but everyone thought she was perfect. One day Sutton reappears but something is different. She is kind and wants to spend time with her, sonething she wouldn't normally do. This leads her to look deeper into what happend to Sutton. The deeper she looks into it, the more she questions everything. It's a solid book with Black girl magic and magical realism.

Lily Meade has a great way of telling a story, it was what I was hoping for from the description. Lily Meade does a great job in telling the story and weaving the tale. The cover was what drew me in and I'm so glad I read this. It had a great concept and I loved the two sisters. I'm glad I got to read this and go on this journey.

"It finally stopped raining after three days of unseasonable downpour, but I’m still cold this morning. It has nothing to do with the sheen still glistening on the perfectly paved streets of our cul-de-sac, nor with my thin layers. Romeo stops in a patch of grass to give a full-body shake that almost lifts his tiny feet from the ground. I bend to scratch behind his ears. It’s an apology of sorts. I haven’t been the best adventure buddy this morning."

The Shadow Sister is a masterful piece of storytelling. A heartpounding thriller with just a smidge of magic, it had me inhaling the entire book as fast as I could. It takes the small details seriously, and I found myself awed with the way details were handled. Truly incredible.

Black girl magic, interesting magic systems and culture talks... i was obsessed with this one i read it in one setting! Totally hit the mark for me and I hope to read more in the future.