Lily Meade’s debut novel, “The Shadow Sister,” is a gripping thriller about a missing teen who is not the same when she returns.

When Sutton goes missing, it’s the worst thing that has ever happened to her younger sister Casey. As she tries to help her family find her sister, Casey struggles to keep her emotions—in particular her anger—under control. Sutton had a reputation for being perfect: the popular cheerleader with a devoted boyfriend and the sky as her future’s limit. But people only look for missing Black—and half-Black—girls when they believe they’re helping to save an angel. That’s why Casey can’t tell the truth about Sutton, that she always manipulated everyone around her and even stole a beloved family heirloom from Casey.

To everyone’s relief, Sutton reappears, but she isn’t the same. In Addition to remembering nothing about her old life, there’s one thing unsettling about how she acts now. What happened? As Casey unravels the mystery surrounding Sutton’s disappearance, she begins to learn more about her and starts to realize that she never really knew her sister at all.

“Shadow Sister” was a powerful story about familial bonds and generational trauma. The plot was interesting and had twists and turns that kept me on my toes the whole time. I particularly enjoyed how the chapters switched POVs between Casey and Sutton, showing experiences from their perspective. The addition of two unreliable narrators added to the mystery surrounding Sutton’s disappearance.

My only complaint about “Shadow Sister” is that the ending felt rushed. It felt like at least one chapter was missing, or at least several pages. It ends during a scene, which was disappointing since I wanted to see how it was resolved.

Despite the ending, “Shadow Sister” was a terrific debut novel that tackled some difficult topics regarding race, generational trauma experienced by the descendants of enslaved peoples, and familial bonds.

Loved the world building and character development in this book! A great pick for the classroom library.

This book isn't a genre I usually read but I wanted to give it a shot -- also that cover is STUNNING!! Not sure why I went out of my comfort zone. This book was good but it wasn't great. I don't think the writing was anything special. Overall a 3 stars for me, It took too long to get into the book, if only the whole book was as exciting as the end.

Well…WELL! The Shadow Sister is not at all what I expected. This book is so intense from page one, with Casey and her family doing all they can to get people to care about finding her sister, Sutton. This is immediately latching onto ideas of what kind of girls and people media and society cares about when they go missing, and doesn’t pull away from the systemic racism that means Black people are often blamed for their trauma and experiences. I really loved the complex narration of seeing both Sutton and Casey’s perspective of their tense, strained relationship. And that final third! I had a feeling hoodoo was going to play a part, but I did not expect where it ended up going. This is such an intense-in-a-good-way book and I cannot wait to see what Lily Meade will write next. Just, so full of healing and complex histories and how much history shapes us into who we are and become.

I feel like this book was a bit all over the place. It had good plot points and some passages really stuck with me, but it didn’t feel as cohesive as I was hoping for. I felt like some plot points were sorta left hanging.

I really enjoyed this book! It was intriguing from the beginning and the jumps from present to past and back felt seamless. I definitely didn’t see the twist that was coming!

While this read is not for me, it’s perfect if you love brooding, suspenseful psychological thrillers with a thoughtful touch of supernatural elements and a nice helping of unreliable narrators.

The story touches on some heavy topics like grief, trauma, and how healing can take place.

I feel like I need to read a cozy, lighthearted fantasy after this.

Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary copy of this ebook. I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.

This was a bit of a different genre for me but I enjoyed this book.
Will definitely try to read more like it!

This was a great horror novel for YA readers!! When I was growing up, there was not a lot of horror for kids my age in my opinion… and that’s how I ended up reading Stephen King’s IT in the 8th grade. This book however is good! It has plenty of creepiness without having extremely graphic scenes.

I especially appreciate that this author wrote about Black experiences, as young people need to be able to have representation in literature.

I honestly don’t know what I expected with this book, but I was amazed by it. I was not familiar with the authors work until I came across the tweet that immediately made me want to read the book when I saw the pitch. This Shadow Sister was such a thrilling and shocking read, but that’s only twists and turns I didn’t expect I truly would recommend this.

This is definitely a story for fans of a certain teenage sleuth. I enjoyed the way this story showcases sisterly resentments and how sibling relationships are often more complicated than the siblings can even describe.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ability to read this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. Meade hooks you into this suspense inducing thriller. Casey is helping her family search for her sister Sutton yet you get an inside look at the animosity and sibling relationship these two have had in the past. There is light brought to the lack of media attention brought to black girls who go missing. Lucky for Casey's family there are connections in access to resources to help find Sutton but that doesn't stop Casey from wondering a questioning the world around her. Plot twists and a suspenseful ending keep the reader glued.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

Casey's sister Sutton goes missing and miraculously returns but she's not the same. No one knows what happened while she was away. This was a great debut novel with a jaw dropping ending! I do wish it went a bit further to show how it was resolved, but I really loved it. I hope this author writes more. I will definitely read it vb

"I'm happy to be the shadow sister, invisible until necessary, forgotten by choice."

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for an ARC of The Shadow Sister in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadow Sister follows Casey, a young girl, who is searching for her older sister, Sutton, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. When Sutton suddenly reappears, Casey isn't too quick to start warming back up to her sister, as their relationship wasn't so great before Sutton disappeared. As the days go by and Sutton tries to readjust, Casey slowly picks up on behaviors that may mean that Sutton did not come back as the same person. What really happened when Sutton disappeared?

The Shadow Sister was nothing like anything I had ever read before. The sibling relationship between Sutton and Casey is actually super realistic. Most authors tend to gloss over how much siblings actually argue and by the end of the book, I actually believed that both sisters were going to put in genuine effort to repair their relationship and come back to one another.

Something that made this book super interesting and unique to me was that there were almost three different storylines happening including the present-day centering around Casey and what is happening during the search for Sutton, flashbacks to different events that occurred before Sutton disappeared, and the family legacy. I spent a lot of the book wondering how all of the storylines were going to come together by the end of the book and to my surprise, they came together to a masterful degree. I also loved that the ending left a lot to the reader's imagination as to what would've happened after the end of the story.

Overall, I would give this book 5/5 stars! I loved every moment and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA thrillers/mystery books.

Impressive debut! I was captivated by this YA family-drama mystery-thriller with a touch of magical realism that explores intergenerational trauma and healing!

I instantly fell in love with the main protagonist, Casey. How could you not with an opening line of, "My sister is a bitch, but that doesn't mean I want her dead." She has a sassy personality that is easily relatable.

From the first chapter we get into the nitty gritty and we learn first sentence Casey’s sentiments about her sister. I honestly had no idea where this story was going until the final chapters. Like I was very surprised because what?! Like any mystery, you are trying to figure out what happened and who did what. But I was not prepared for what was to come. I was wrong on all accounts and that usually never happens.

Recommended! Looking froward to reading more from this author!

It's complicated! Casey has to deal with her feelings towards her sister throughout this book. They had taken sibling rivalry to a new level. Then Sutton is gone, disappeared. What happened to her? So many feelings to compartmentalize. Then Sutton is found, but has no memory of what happened and she now likes Casey and only trusts her. The family dynamics and background are interesting. This book is intense and will leave you with a lot of questions about what the future holds.

This book is utmost a book about sisterhood, complicated and real. It was intense and a quick read because it sucks you in. I think it’s a dang good debut book. I can’t wait to see what Meade comes up with next

The Shadow Sister is an absolutely brilliant YA debut! Lily Meade has brought her characters to life. Casey and Sutton are sisters with a complicated and complex relationship. The way that Ms. Meade wrote this story to have flashback scenes was both wonderful and complex at points but quite powerful.

This is a perfect read for young adults and not so young adults who enjoy the thriller/mystery genre. It has dynamic characters, an engaging storyline, some tension, and an ending that most will enjoy.

This one really surprised me. As I was reading, I kept thinking how bratty the sisters were, but I really wanted to know what happened to Sutton, and what happened in their relationship to make them change. I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the focus on the family and their ancestors and heritage, and the racial issues.