Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the digital Advanced Readers Copy of The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade. I was thrilled to have my request to read this book approved. I received it for free in exchange for my honest review.

Not knowing anything about Lily Meade prior to this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. At first, I found the story to be a little slow. I found all the characters, with the exception of the dad, to be unlikable. With that being said, I'm glad I stuck with it because approximately twenty percent of the way into the novel, it really started to pick up and piqued my interest. And, I had trouble putting it down.

Throughout the book, things the reader thought were true weren't necessarily true as things are revealed. It's hard to tell you what those things are without giving away major plot points. However, I will say that I thought the "bad guy" was one person until I got further into the story and began to suspect another person. The former was involved in something sketchy, but it wasn't what I thought it was going to be . . . thankfully. The latter ended up being the culprit behind all the missing girls.

I did have an inkling of what actually happened to Sutton but wasn't entirely sure until I finished the book. I loved the investigating that Casey did as well as how much researching of their family genealogy played into the story. Although there were some minor talk of magical elements throughout the story like Hoodoo, it wasn't until the very end that these things made a huge appearance. The author did a fabulous job of tying everything together. By the time I finished the story in the wee hours of the night, I had absolutely fallen in love with the story. The core characters of the story that I didn't like ended up redeeming themselves, and I ended up liking and caring about them.

Five out of five stars is what I give The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade. This debut novel is a fantastic story with a fabulous cover. I look forward to seeing what other stories Lily Meade brings us.

The cover piqued my interest. Its stunning. The story is a well done thriller/mystery. I enjoyed The Shadow Sister and will look for more from Lily Meade.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcefire for the advanced digital copy.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I first discovered Lily Meade thanks to Twitter, as she’s also a Swiftie like me, and in addition to the typical TS fandom stuff, she shared an awesome story about how Taylor (as Taylor does) donated money to her family during the pandemic to help pay their rent and otherwise keep them afloat. I was compelled to check out Meade’s debut as a result, and while The Shadow Sister has little to do with Taylor (although there are some fun veiled references), I applaud the marketing tactic and am rooting for my fellow Swiftie’s career to take off.
The book is also interesting in its own right. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I was immediately drawn into the intensely fraught family dynamics, with one sister lost and found, and the other grappling with her complex feelings about her sister. As the story unfolded, I enjoyed seeing the perspectives of both, Casey’s in the present and Sutton’s through flashbacks, exploring the differences between the two and how they sometimes took things out on each other. From Casey’s perspective, Sutton is/was popular and well-liked, and she’s always been jealous of that; however, Sutton’s life is much more complex than Casey is aware of, and she had her own complex feelings for Casey.
Their identity as biracial, half-Black girls plays a major role in their respective senses of self and their dynamics with each other, and while I can’t speak to the accuracy of that, there are some themes I recognized, like colorism. The plot concerning not only Sutton’s disappearance, but also the disappearances of other Black girls also highlights the way their disappearances aren’t given the same attention as those of their white counterparts. But while the story focuses on racial issues and trauma, I appreciate the ways it also highlights Black empowerment in subtle ways too, with the incorporation of rootwork and other cultural traditions, largely courtesy of their grandmother.
The mystery of what happened to Sutton gripped me, and I kept turning pages, hoping for answers. The reveal truly hit home, as the villain is truly symbolic of the current climate we live in right now on a truly frightening level.
This is a truly mesmerizing debut, and I can’t wait for whatever Lily Meade writes next! If you enjoy thrillers with speculative elements, I recommend checking this out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for giving me an ARC (eGalley) to review. Always excited to read new works!

What an amazing debut! The Shadow Sister was a page-turner for me. Meade clearly put a lot of heart, soul, and love into this novel, which shines through. With this being Meade's debut, I can't wait to see what else she puts out. As per her About Page on her website, I am patiently waiting for her to accomplish her career goal of a modern YA reboot of Scooby Doo. But still excited about her Untitled novel set to release in 2024! I will certainly be grabbing a copy of Meade's next novel.

What I Enjoyed
1. Meade has a solid voice that, for me, is reminiscent of YA novels I read when I was younger (see: 2010s, the height of YA novels like The Hunger Games.) The voice is consistent and is interesting from the first chapter. It immediately drew me into the story and left me wanting to read more.

2. There is something creepy about the plot without being graphic. The plot had a creepy element that kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt a rush of anxiety as the plot unfolded and more information was revealed. Meade leans heavily into the mystery/thriller aspects of the novel and it pays off. This aspect is what the book a page-turner for me.

3. In addition to the creepy mystery/thriller elements, the teasing of information without giving us too much information where we could figure out the ending right away is well done. There are many avenues that can be explored as to who and what is involved with Sutton's disappearance and strange reappearance, including the family's past, small-town religion, and a corrupt cheer coach. While it did become more clear the closer we got to the end as to what happened to Sutton, I had my suspicions open to all these avenues up until then. This is great because it left me wanting to read to the end while still giving me enough information to keep me intrigued.

4. I loved the ending as it was beautiful, touching, and satisfying. I found myself emotionally reacting to the last chapter and was deeply moved. Truly a gorgeous yet complex tale of sisterhood and family dealing with race issues in a small-town environment all while tackling the trauma and impact of losing and then reacclimating a lost family member.

How It Could Be Improved
1. While I enjoyed the multiple avenues (the family's past, small-town religion, and a corrupt cheer coach) I do wish these elements tied together a little bit more. They did connect with each other and that was made clear in the end, but I wish they intertwined a little more fluidly.

2. Adding on to the previous comment on multiple avenues, I do feel as if some ends as far as the avenues were concerned were left a little loose. I wish some of these avenues were wrapped up a little more definitively. The ending wrapped up a little quickly for such a slow tease of information, however, I thought the ending so beautiful that I didn't mind too much.

3. I wanted more!!! I wanted to see all the character's characterization more because I wanted to know more about each character. I wanted to see some wrap-up as to what happened afterward to all the characters. I don't know if this book needs a sequel but if Meade had any ideas for one, I would love to see more of these characters and explore more of this small-town environment. But this functions well as a standalone.

Overall this was a five-star read for me. The Shadow Sister is an impressive debut and left me emotional. I am excited to see what Meade has in store for us in 2024!

Summer books with atmospheric vibes are apparently my jam this year. This one sounded super interesting and I was excited to see where Meade was going to take the story.

Unfortunately, not as far as I would have liked. This was a hard one to rate because the book is good. It’s written well, the characters are believable, and the dialogue and relationships are excellent. However, it’s not exactly any of the things the summary said it would be the whole way through.

We see aspects of the thriller, the mystery, and the paranormal at different times with the focus on all of it coming together mostly at the beginning and the end. Everything in the middle, though, really becomes more slice of life than anything. It’s a gorgeous slice because it truly is easy to relate to and like Casey as a character and get frustrated with other characters or love them in their ways. They’re excellently developed and realistic people, which is necessary for the type of story it is and what Meade wanted it to be. The problem is that in developing those relationships, characters, and motives we lose the elements and space necessary to develop the mystery, plot, and magical realism promised in the premise.

With Casey so focused on what she thinks happened or is happening, we get amazing character consistency, but we also get halfway through the book without mention of the mystery after Sutton is found. Huge clues are mentioned once and nothing is done about them because the focus is focused too far inward. This works for a slice of life type book, but makes for a very slow thriller. Especially because the resolution was rushed to make up for everything that didn’t happen in the first part of the book. We’re also given insight to magic, family history, the importance of the bracelet Casey and Sutton are fighting over, and the mystery of the two other missing girls, but instead of fleshing out the connections and deepening the story, they’re brief flutters in Sutton’s and other characters offhand comments and reactions to things. They felt a little forgotten.

Another point I felt was a little forgotten was the police reaction to the missing Black girls. Meade had a poignant perspective with an important commentary, but it seemed more like a bead dropped into a spider’s web. Heavy enough to create a dip in the structure, but not enough to break through everything else. She had a strong foundation to truly comment on police activity in regards to the Black community and create discourse, but it didn’t travel or break through any of the other elements in the story.

The ending, though! While a bit rushed, I did love the way The Shadow Sister ends. It was meaningful and tied into the threads of what we had already without needing further explanation.

Definitely one to recommend because it was interesting, heartwarming, and the relationships were so well executed. Just don’t expect too much speculative thriller, more insight to a family healing from trauma.

My Thoughts:
Casey and Sutton are two sisters that are usually fighting but the day Sutton goes missing they had a big fight and Casey afraid to tell anyone about it. Then Sutton returns not knowing what happened to her and Casey thinks she not the same and acting strangely what happen to Sutton and where was she
This was easy read and I liked the way the author tired in the family history and heritage. I found this to be a well written YA thriller with a good plot and characters and one heck of a beautiful cover.
Thank you netgalley
Perfect for fans of:
Ace of Spades and House of Hollow
Emotional suspense
Speculative fiction, including Hoodoo
Diverse books featuring strong female leads
Sister stories with complex family dynamics

{3.25/5}

Casey’s sister, Sutton, is missing. But the police don’t seem overly interested in finding her, or either of the other missing black girls from the area. So when Sutton returns, it should be a miracle. Except, this Sutton is wrong. She looks like the right girl, but something’s off about her, and Casey is determined to figure out what it is.

While this book was a short read, it touched on a lot of topics. The complicated relationship between sisters, deep rooted family trauma and history, the hypocrisy of the church, how differently missing person cases are handled when the person missing is a person of color… Like I said, a lot of topics. Given that our narrator is 15 years old, the discussion walks a fine line between childhood and adult levels of awareness on these things, and it seems to have done so fairly well.

The narrative focuses predominately, at least at first, on the rocky relationship between Casey, our MC, and her sister. Casey loves her sister, very deep down, but she doesn’t like her. At all. Through alternating perspectives we get a glimpse into Sutton’s world and find that, as is so often the case, a lack of communication has compounded an otherwise straightforward issue.

The end of the book was a tad abrupt, but not unsatisfactory. There’s a lovely little twist that you probably won’t see coming, and ancestral power makes one hell of a last stand. The journey to that point was a little slow at times, but not uninteresting. Everyone starts to feel like a suspect, and there’s a small, lurking hint of dread somewhere in the background. A+ for subtle creepiness.

The whole book left me with a lot of thoughts that I don’t think I’ve quite sorted through yet, and I don’t know if I’m ever going to get them ironed out enough to put into words. It’s a good read if you’re into slow burn, creepy, mind game-type books, and with a young adult target audience I think it’s a good introduction to the horror/thriller genre without being as twisted and full-throttle terrifying as I would normally find in this sort of book.

#netgalleyarc This was so good. It had a slow start but it really hooked me after a few chapters. The flashbacks were important and didn’t bog down the story, which I think happens a lot. This was definitely the type of thriller that had you going “huh” and kept me hooked until the end.

A missing sister mystery?! Sign me up! I enjoyed the alternating chapters between the two sisters giving us a background on their thoughts. It's always a little creepy to me getting the one who disappeared point of view. It always leads up to the day he/she vanished. I also like how it tied into the other missing girls. With that said I had an idea of who was behind this, but I was not 100% certain until it was revealed.

The ending kind of lost me with the reasoning behind everything that happened. Overall it's a good story, but I was hoping for a different reasoning.

2.5 stars

I struggled with this book. It was unique in many ways, but the characters, even the villain, and the ending fell flat. Things just felt rushed. The reader is left to make many assumptions, which left the storyline feeling unfinished. I did like the African American family history angle.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC, in exchange for an honest opinion which is strictly my own.
First let me add to the consensus that "The Shadow Sister" grabs you right away with one of the most beautiful, perfectly realized covers I've seen this year.
And the book itself, a debut novel for author Lily Meade, made for a compelling, suspenseful and most urgently current read......particularly in its weaving in of black history and systemic racism.
In a biracial family of a black father and white mother, teen sisters Sutton and Casey's relationship has devolved into a toxic battleground. Casey's come to deeply resent what she feels is the family's favored treatment of her older sister, thought of as the perfect 'golden girl'.
Sutton disappears, touching off a wide but futile community search orchestrated by her desperate parents. (She's not the first black teen girl to missing.) But unlike the other missing girls she re-appears as mysteriously as she vanished. And Casey notices not only Sutton's memory of what happened to her is gone, but also her previously combative, self-centered personality.....as if her sister's been permanently altered (and somehow more humanized) by her unknown experience......
Lily Meade's expert, intuitive creation of the lifelong love-hate bond between these siblings held me in a tight grip from beginning to end. And the book's ability to blend in the growing suspense and chills of a thriller along with the heartrending legacy of the family's black ancestors left me even more impressed.
But while I was well on my way to a 5 star review, the final climactic chapter, top heavy with sudden, startling, jaw dropping reveals, became problematic on multiple levels. It came across to me like a very rushed, Hail Mary pass with an abrupt closeout guaranteed to leave a reader hungry for an epilogue. That climax packs a punch alright, swerving the book into a jarring, hairpin turn.......and hurled it into a completely different genre altogether. I guess you either go with it fully or just mutter, "Say what now?"
I cannot forget or deny, however, the brilliant use of character development and skillful writing that brings the story of these two sisters and their family to such vivid, relatable life. And combining this with all the tropes of an ominous thriller stands as quite an achievement. Even with its much worthy of discussion finish, it still came out as a 4 star page-turner for me.....and a fine introduction to a new author I'm eager to try again.

The Shadow Sister combines themes of sisterhood, racial identity, and mystery in a singular narrative that grips the reader from start to finish. Meade's nuanced characterization shines through as she explores the intricate dynamics of a complex family structure with genuine sensitivity and insight. Casey's journey, rife with a rich tapestry of emotions and revelations, is both heart-wrenching and empowering, as she navigates the intricate labyrinth of her missing sister's life. The exploration of the societal negligence towards missing Black and mixed-race girls adds a timely and thought-provoking layer to the story, thereby making it a crucial read. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the digital ARC!

Ahhhhh this was just such a great read. I just didn't want this book to end and I was sad to turn the last page. I'm so excited to see what's next from this author.

Casey and Surton are sisters and rarely get along. Sutton goes missing and everyone searches. Did her boyfriend have something to do with it? Then she mysteriously comes back but has no recollection of what happened.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The relationship between sixteen-year-old Casey and her older sister Sutton is not ideal. Constantly at each other’s throats and getting into conflict, the girls’ interactions take sibling rivalry to an intense and heartbreaking level. But now Sutton has gone missing, and the entire town of Willow Bend has been searching for her for an entire week. Finally, Sutton is found alive, but with no memory of anything from her past. Except, that is, for Casey. And as their family attempts to find a way back to the normalcy of their previous life, secrets emerge that prove that not everything is as it first appeared, and their genealogical past holds stronger roots than they ever could have imagined.

This story is riveting from the first pages as Casey quickly becomes a protagonist that is both flawed and accessible. She speaks in the first person, often interacting with others through text messages in addition to engaging in conversations in person. Though Casey is the primary character in the novel, Sutton appears as a secondary voice whose experiences are shared in the past tense. With each new chapter, developments are carefully revealed that help to connect the initially disparate pieces of this mysterious puzzle. What happened to Sutton—and the motive behind it—remains unclear through most of the novel, keeping readers on the edges of their seats as the narrative unfolds.

Casey’s life is anything but perfect despite the financial security her family enjoys. She is part of a mixed-race family, which can sometimes cause difficulty for all of them in the wider world. The interactions between the sisters are frequently unpleasant, causing readers to cringe at their choices and the relationship they share. But at least these moments are overt; myriad additional subversive challenges exist beneath the surface and cause much more damage than the conflict between the two sisters does on its own. This book is well written from the first moments, and it expertly presents Casey’s story in a way that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end. It is important to note that the intensity increases dramatically by the end, incorporating descriptions that are best suited to mature readers. This is a compelling and intensely engaging novel that is an excellent addition to library collections for young adults with an interest in mystery, genealogy, contemporary social issues, and family connection.

With two unreliable storytellers and a magical reunifying bracelet, the novel unwinds a tale of two sisters at odds with one another as one disappears and returns ‘changed.’ It moves predictably until the girls return to where the recovered girl was found. At that point, the story diverges from the rational to an alternate eye-rolling magical unreality that requires reading the author’s afterwards post script to accept. The post script adds credence to the conclusion and moves understanding of the plot to a new level. If you leave predictability behind and embrace the hoo doo, it is immensely moving. But isn’t that the purpose of reading a good novel? To expand your consciousness and understanding of the world in unprecedented fashion? For that reason, highly recommended.

The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade drew me in with its gorgeous cover. I went in not reading anything about it. I usually love a book with some magical realism in it, but I did not expect anything like what happened at the end of the book. I did not see it coming. Just to unrealistic for me. I also figured out who the bad person was early on.

The story is about two sisters who seem to hate each other but do they really? One goes missing which makes the other sister question her feelings for her. Maybe there is a somewhat theme of absence makes the heart grow fonder?!? The authors note was my favorite part of the book where she explains why she wrote the story and what she has experienced in her life. While I did not really enjoy this book I definitely think there is an audience for it. I would classify this as a YA book with some magical, voodoo in it.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an ARC or this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadow Sister follows Casey as she tries to assist her family in finding her sister and recovering from the aftershock of someone in their family missing. This story is a quick read and fairly bingeable – I really enjoyed the dialogue between Casey and her father who is a black historian as he shared stories from their family’s past and had her assist him with his genealogical research. I would have loved additional information surrounding Casey’s grandmother’s attempts at hoodoo with the bracelet and for this conversation to go much further in depth.

I felt the actual mystery in the book ending a bit anti-climactically and was fairly predictable. The book was recommended with “House of Hollow” vibes and while I felt that a tiny bit…it didn’t truly carry through in the creepy/other-worldly sense. Would recommend this book as more of a YA mystery with a rich family story.

3.5 stars - I can’t wait to see more from this author! And my, oh my the cover!!!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this e arc**

4.5/5*

‘My sister is a bitch but that doesn’t mean i want her dead’

I was expecting just a missing girl mystery aspect but reading this book, my expectations was met differently and though at some parts of the story it was up and down with the pacing of the story, i was definitely hooked in within a few chapters in. Both sisters Sutton and Casey while they have their own personalities with different interests and hobbies, it comes to show that no matter what, sometimes sisters help one another when it’s least expected especially when towards the end, i felt i guessed and at the same time didn’t expect what happened next to them. I was impressed at the author’s debut novel and looking forward to reading more works on the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a short/sweet read and I love the cover. I was interested in the beginning because of the synopsis and the fact it sounded pretty unique. This was actually a pretty textbook “girl goes missing and comes back different” story. Sutton and Casey are two opposites. They hate each other completely. The last thing Casey told Sutton was that she wished she was dead before she disappeared. Now after a few weeks of searching, she is back. Or is she? Sutton is different. Her dog is scared of her. The only person she remembers from before is Casey and she begins to attach herself to her sister. Casey isn’t used to Sutton caring about her so much. Casey begins to try to piece together the mystery of her sister’s disappearance and what happened to her while she was gone and why she isn’t the same coming back.

There were a few minor plot holes and a few “huh” moments near the end I had, but it was a still a very solid read. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and trying to understand what was going on with Sutton. I always appreciate a biracial MC because I relate way too much to what is going on with them. While I can’t relate to hating my sibling as much as these two do, I appreciate a dynamic that isn’t as explored as much and is common with teenagers.

My favorite character was Andrew, weirdly. He seemed like a solid BF and he and Sutton seemed to actually love and care about each other. She was willing to do very big things to help him and he was enraptured with her. I really loved their dynamic and hope it’s not over for them???

All in all I did enjoy this one. I liked the message of sibling relationships being hard to maintain but still loving each other no matter what, finding importance in your family history, and knowing who will have your back in the end.