Grace and Maddy are sister and the two couldn't be anymore different. Maddy is an introvert hidden by her sisters shadow, she spends most of her time writing in her journal. Grace is an extrovert and athlete who has tons of friends. The two are off on a class trip that happens every year for kids of a certain age. What happens on the class trip stays on the class trip. When both sisters go missing on the trip then Grace is found alive everyone wants answers. Grace has amnesia though she doesn't have a clue to what happened but she wants too. Grace starts following the clues she finds in hopes of figuring out just what went wrong on that faithful night. Will Grace regain her memories and remember what transpired with her sister and herself?

This book is a great introduction to the thriller genre for young adults. It was twisty and surprising without being too scary. Thank you Net Galley for the chance to read an early copy!

It’s spring of their senior year, and sisters Grace and Maddy are set to enjoy their class trip, graduate, and head off to college. Only that isn’t what happens. Secrets are revealed. Lies are spread. Relationships are broken. Someone doesn’t come back from the trip, and no one seems to be able to share what actually happened up at the lake cabin. Told in alternating voices of the sisters in both past and present, the puzzle pieces of that fateful week slowly come together in this mystery thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Recommended for readers who enjoy authors Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm glad I had the opportunity to listen to the author talk about it before I read it. Well planted clues and a great twist. Two sisters go on a school trip and only one comes home. Told in two PVs going back and forth between the past and present, Silent Sister is a fun, twisty YA that will keep you engaged until the very end. Davidhizar's debut novel was so engaging I couldn't put it down. Can't wait to see what else she has in store.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Random House Children's in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, all of the teens in this story treat each other horribly, not just Grace and Maddy. Do better people! But overall, I enjoyed the read. I thought the back and forth between the present and the trip really built the story up to its conclusion.

I found it unbelievable that no one used the girls' names when speaking about them or to them...that's just not realistic. I'm not sure if we, the readers, are supposed to be surprised that Maddy is the surviving sister and not Grace, but I found the clues left along the way to be obvious. Maybe they're supposed to be?

3.5/5

"I could change my looks. I could learn about makeup or curl my hair, but I didn't know how to change me. Because I didn't know what was wrong with me."

This was a suspenseful story of sisterly love and jealousy, identity, and the inherent loneliness of teenhood wrapped up with a mystery. During a senior sabbatical, two sisters go missing and only one is found but she can't remember anything from that week.

I enjoyed the structure of the story and thought it was really effective. The chapters alternate between amnesiac Grace in the present trying to piece together what happened during her absent week and the still missing Maddy during the Sabbatical leading up to the night they disappeared. Leaving off on cliffhangers in both timelines each chapter made this book very hard to put down! A creative addition were Maddy's poems after each of her chapters that gave further insight to her state of mind.

I figured out the mystery 30% into the book, which made things a bit anticlimactic for me. I usually don't figure things out, so I'm not sure if I was just really on it this read or if the hints were too obvious. It did give me additional insight to how clever the author was, however, as I got to see the clues continuing to be laid out.

I didn't really relate to any of the characters, but I think that's probably just because I'm not the target audience. When I was a lonely teenager this might have hit more, so I can't really hold this against the book.

Overall, this was a quick read with a good pace, a fun mystery, and messages about identity that teens will probably relate to.

This was a fun little psychological mystery/thriller. I'm a huge fan of unreliable narrators, and I think it makes the twists more challenging. I also really liked the sisters, Grace and Maddy, and how supportive their parents were.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I enjoyed trying to figure out what happened and I love that it wasn't easy. My students who love A Good Girl's Guide to Murder are going to love this one as well.

A class trip called Sabbatical goes wrong. Grace and Maddy, sisters go together and yet Grace is the only one who returned and has fuzzy memories including no memories at all leading up to the tragedy and thus the mystery unfolds. What happened?

It's a twisty psychological thriller with plenty of issues to go around including taking a look at the relationship between Grace and Maddy. The twists were a bit expected especially with the concept of the story so I wasn't too surprised, however teen readers each the conflict between them and the larger issues of school/friendships/relationships up so I know this will be popular.

This one started off strong. Both POVs were interesting. It then got bogged down my exposition and repetitive narrative to the point of becoming confusing. Throughout though, I still wanted to know Edgar happened that harrowing night.

I didn’t see the twist coming and kind of want to go back and re-read this one again just to see the breadcrumbs throughout. Even with a surprising twist the ending felt a bit underwhelming.

I liked the concept and some of the plot points. I would have enjoyed it to carry more of a punch and for it to have not included so many similar scenes. The redundancy impacted the flow.

I’d still recommend it to fans of mystery novels.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I thought this was fantastic. I really liked the plot with both sisters and all their secrets. The topics about their roles in high school and society expectations were relevant! Really great!

Highlights:
✨Sister dynamics: The story portrays Irish twins with an unspoken sibling rivalry, pitting the socially popular athlete against the introverted, awkward poet. There's so much depth to unpack—this would spark an engaging book club discussion.
✨Mixed media: I loved the beautiful poetry and journal entries seamlessly woven throughout the story. They provide valuable insight into the sisters' internal thoughts and add to the story's realism.
✨Mental Health rep: Davidhizar approaches the mental health rep with care. She demonstrates the complexity of emotions like jealousy, guilt, and grief. Through therapy, she shows that teens can work through these emotions. However, she also highlights that if these emotions are left unchecked, they can lead to destructive behaviors.
✨Narration: Karissa Vacker skillfully portrays the sisters, Maddie and Grace, delivering a brilliant performance in handling the dual POV. Her portrayal allows the listener to distinguish between the two characters easily. If you're familiar with Karissa Vacker's work, you know she consistently delivers a suspenseful narration that will keep you hanging on every word.

Overall, I really loved this terrific debut! The story is very fast-paced; I binged it for over two days. Fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus will enjoy this one.

4.5 stars

When I really love a book, it's always hard for me to put into words why I loved it so much. I've recently started doing reviews in the form of reasons why I love a book and I'm going to do that today with Silent Sister. I will say that Silent Sister is amazing and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves mysteries and thrillers. So here are four reasons why I loved Silent Sister! I can't say too much, because I always feel you need to know as little as possible when reading mysteries.

1. Dual Timeline
Silent Sister is told in then and now. Grace and Maddy go missing during a school trip and Grace is found injured, but Maddy is still missing. I enjoyed seeing the story play out by getting the days that lead up to them going missing and Grace dealing with the aftermath of everything. It slowly gives us the story and definitely had me trying to figure out what was going on.

2. The Reveal
I have to say I had a theory at the beginning of the book, and I was almost right. While I normally don't like being right when it comes to books like Silent Sister, it really worked. I felt it was different than a lot of other books I've read. The reveal hit me in all the feels and I have to say I teared up a few times while reading. During the story there are also a few other twists and reveals that definitely get you thinking, but everything comes together so well at the end.

3. The Writing
Megan's writing had me hooked from the start and kept me hooked. This story left me guessing, but also had me so invested in these characters. I'm always impressed when an author can make me feel things. I really hope we get more stories from this author, because I need more after Silent Sister.

4. It's Not Just a Mystery
Silent Sister is more than just a mystery. This story deals with grief, guilt, finding yourself, friendships, family, and so much more. Lives can be messy and so can relationships with family and friends, but also even with yourself. Your teenage years have you discovering a lot and finding your place in this world. I feel that this story added to that in a really great way.

My review will also be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on August 29th.

Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar is a tense psychological thriller that explores the dark complexities of sisterhood and memory. When sisters Grace and Maddy go missing during a class trip, only Grace returns—injured and with no memory of the event, but with Maddy’s blood on her clothes. As suspicion falls on her, Grace must piece together what happened, using Maddy’s journal and navigating the secrets of her classmates.

The novel shines in its portrayal of the fragile bond between the sisters, with Grace’s journey uncovering hidden truths about Maddy—and herself. The fast-paced plot keeps you on edge, with twists that lead to a shocking conclusion. Davidhizar delivers a gripping, character-driven mystery that is both emotionally engaging and full of suspense.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought the story was great and easy to read! It was fast paced, I loved the dual POV of the sisters and the present day, versus the past. I felt like the twists were great and age appropriate. I really like that there wasn’t anything super ‘steamy’ so it was a good age appropriate book, I would honestly even recommend to my 5th graders! I did think the end was a little messy and kept dragging on but I liked that result and felt like it was good for a YA!

The premise was great and the writing was very easy to follow! The MC were two sisters, Grace and Maddy. Grace is the present POV and Maddy is the past POV, so very easy to follow. The twist towards the end was unexpected, but interesting. I would recommend this book to others!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

For a debut novel, I do think this was a decent start for the author. I liked how there was exploration into the dynamic of the sisters and there were some nice thriller elements. I do think that it fell a little flat for me when it came to the mystery parts at sometimes because it could be a bit predictable. Overall, it was a nice story.

Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar is a gripping psychological thriller that kept me hooked from the first page. The dynamic between Grace and Maddy, two sisters with contrasting personalities, adds depth to the story, as Grace fights to uncover the truth about what happened on their fateful class trip. The suspense builds steadily, and the use of Maddy’s journal as a tool for Grace to unravel the mystery is both clever and haunting.

While some plot points felt a bit predictable, the tension and emotional stakes kept me engaged. Davidhizar skillfully explores themes of sisterhood, guilt, and the hidden secrets that can define relationships. This is a solid, compelling read for fans of twisty, character-driven thrillers.

The synopsis gives the wrong impression. At the same time the "twist" was so predictable that I kept hoping it wasn't true. The characters were all pretty unlikable-entitled, spoiled, and unreal. I don't know how the YA crowd will read this. But a good YA book appeals to all readers but is just geared toward people of older ages. It is well written. I didn't get that here.

The book was hard to believe; if that was the point, then OK. The "silent sister" was a hard character to read. I think I am the wrong audience for this book, as I've seen a lot of reviews say that actual YAs will enjoy this. I"ll leave this for them!