I do enjoy rich people behaving badly, and there is a nice bit of that in this book, and the Hamptons setting is enjoyable. The tension in this one doesn't ramp up quite as early as I'd have liked, but it's a decent airplane or pool read that moves pretty quick.

Alex and Maddie are sisters but their mother always referred to them as twins. Maddie is the oldest of the two girls and they grew up without their father in the picture. Their mother was an alcoholic so unfortunately not a happy childhood. Maddie was waiting for her birthday cake and of course her mother failed to make her one and that is when the childhood tradition started with always meeting for Maddie’s birthday and eating pancakes. When Maddie didn’t show up Alex went looking for her. Her quest lead her to a family she was staying with and oh my that is when this book got really hard to put down.

I received this ARC for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Not The Perfect Novel

The opening chapters are an excellent set up for this novel. The reader is learning about a poor family, mother, father and two girls, Maddie (Madison) and Alex. The mother is beautiful and works at restaurant and often brings home leftovers. The father seemed to be a trucker. This introduction offered the reader solid descriptions of these four characters.

Fast forward to a sad scene when Alex is heartbroken. Her sister has not remembered her birthday. After a frantic search for Maddie, the scene changes to the wealthy Hamptons, a stark difference from the sisters’ lives. The mystery became convoluted and I was disappointed in the structure and general plot line. However, the character development was interesting and kept my interest. I was not enamored with the plot

My gratitude to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Perfect Sister is a thriller/mystery that begins with Alex who is desperately searching for her missing older sister.

Alex decides to travel to the Hamptons after she can't get in touch with her sister, Maddie. She’s determined to find out what is going on.

Alex meets Lily, the daughter of a well-known wealthy family that Maddie has been staying with. As Alex searches for answers in this small town, the mystery slowly starts to unravel. She finds there is so much more to the story than she ever thought possible.

This was a good summer read with multiple POVs, and past and present tense stories. I enjoyed the suspense throughout and the mystery of it all. The plot twist at the end was shocking!

The Perfect Sister is a thriller about a pair of sisters who have fallen out after the death of their mother. When the older sibling goes missing, the younger decides to put aside their argument and drive to the Hamptons to try to find her sister.
I liked this book all right. It was told from multiple POVs and time periods, but everything was clearly labeled so it was not confusing. For me, it felt like a slow read because we got background information on so many characters. It was necessary to further the plot, but it broke up the narrative. I would have given the novel a higher rating if the backstories had been incorporated better. As I read it though, it just felt out of place.

Set in the Hamptons, Alex's sister, Madison goes missing. Alex assembles clues leading to unexpected family connection with a rich, powerful, yet dysfunctional family.

This one was good but a bit too unrealistic toward the end. It had a bit too many twists at the end but it was an enjoyable thriller overall!

This is a fast-paced thriller that I couldn’t put down! Told from multiple perspectives but easy to follow. I loved the author’s suspenseful writing as well!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Stephanie DeCarolis for the ARC!

The Perfect Sister by Stephanie DeCarolis
✨ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💃🏼 Vibes: Civilian detective novel that encourages sisterly affection.
📕 If you like ______, you’ll like this: Revenge; Then She Was Gone; thrillers with a focus on sibling relationships
📖/🎧 Read Type: E-book (ARC | thank you to @netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantin, and Stephanie DeCarolis!)

Alex Walker sets out to find her older sister, Maddie, who vanishes after canceling her annual visit for Alex’s birthday. Alex's search leads her to the Hamptons and the Blackwell family, the last people to see Maddie. As Alex delves deeper, she uncovers a web of secrets hidden beneath the Blackwells' wealth and glamour, all while questioning how well she ever really knew her seemingly perfect sister.

I love a face paced thriller and this was 100% that girl. I usually enjoy a missing person story so I knew this would be up my alley, but this narrative added layers of intricacies of sisterly relationships and family secrets, which made it compulsively readable. The alternating perspectives between Maddie’s past, Alex, and various members of the Blackwell family each told separate story to weave together. I think if you read a lot of thrillers (👋) then the big reveal may be a bit predictable, but the overall journey is entertaining and suspenseful.

This is the perfect beach read and releases July 16! Don’t miss out!

This fast-paced thriller sucked me in right away! The story takes off when Alex discovers her sister, Maddie, has vanished.

Determined to find answers, Alex heads to Maddie's last known location and gets a bizarre proposition: a free place to stay in exchange for help with the search! Can you believe it?

The story unfolds from different viewpoints, which can be confusing, but it works here. It keeps you guessing who might be hiding secrets and what happened to Maddie. The author throws in some fantastic twists and turns that you'll never see coming!

This was my first book by this author, but it definitely won't be my last! If you're looking for a suspenseful page-turner with unexpected reveals, definitely pick this one up!

This review will be posted on July 16, 2024 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

This was fine. It was a decent mystery and this would make a great summer read. But it was just ok for me and someone who isn't me will likely enjoy this more than I did. However, and this is on me, I need to do a closer review of the detailed plot on @netgalley. Books about rich people behaving badly is a trope that drives me up the wall now. #ThePerfectSister Rating: 😐 / meh, it was ok
•
This book is scheduled for publication on July 16, 2024. Thank you Bantam @randomhouse for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Quote: "A watched pot never boils."

The Perfect Sister by Stephanie DeCarolis takes place in the Hamptons. Through multiple POVs, we journey to find Alex's missing sister Maddie. Maddie has stopped replying to Alex's texts after letting her know that she will not be able to see her on her birthday. This is the first time since Maddie has gone off to school that she will not be seeing her sister on her birthday. Maddie and Alex had a tough upbringing. Their mother was an alcoholic and their dad left. Through their dad's leaving and their mother's death, they vowed to always be there for each other no matter what. So, when Maddie stopped replying to messages, Alex knew something was wrong.

Quote: "Never forget how lucky you are to have a sister. Because that means that you'll never be alone in this world."

The search for Maddie lands Alex at Blackwell Manor. Blackwell Manor is home to James, Katherine, Lily, and Theo, all of which have their own point of view. Blackwell on the inside is definitely not what it appears to be on the outside. What has Alex just walked into?

Where is Maddie?
Do the Blackwells know more than they are saying?
How well to the Blackwells know each other?

Alex discovers proof that Maddie has been to Blackwells Manor. Will this proof lead her to Maddie?

The Perfect Sister comes with a twist! It involves lies, betrayal, and a mother trying to protect her child. This was a quick read with an interesting twist. Overall, The Perfect Sister by Stephanie DeCarolis is a solid story.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review The Perfect Sister by Stephanie DeCarolis.

A thought-provoking mystery/thriller where all major characters could be considered suspect in the disappearance of Alex's sister, Madison. As Alex makes her way to the Hamptons to find out what happened to her sister who hasn't been responding to her messages or calls, she has no idea of the spider-web she is about to enter. Asking questions of the locals brings her into the home of James and Catherine Blackwell, their children Lily and Theo. Chapters telling Madison's story from their own perspective, plus that of Madison, begin to show the reader that all is not what it appears to be. The twists and turns and story backgrounds entwine together until it all begins to unravel and puts Alex in danger, with an ending that brings it all together with a shocking conclusion. My rating would be a 4.5. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine, for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #ThePerfectSister

A novel of secrets and intrigue that kept me guessing throughout. I loved the atmospheric writing and the setting of the Hamptons. How far will one sister go to uncover the truth?
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

An intriguing suspenseful story. Two sisters, once so close, had a falling out. Maddie disappears one summer without any explanation while her younger sister is left to put the pieces together. Lots of characters involved in the disappearance of Maddie, so many possibilities, as the story slowly unfolds, so many secrets are revealed. Good pace, had me hooked for the whole ride.

This book kept jumping around and was rather hard to follow. I did not find the twists and turns to be very mystery/thriller like. I did not really enjoy the plot unfortunately.

The Perfect Sister by Stephanie Decarolis, The book is about two sisters Alex and Madison when the story starts we meet Alex who has put her life on hold to go in search of her missing sister Madison every year for Alex‘s birthday they always meet up eat pancakes and do some sisterly bonding but this year she didn’t even get a happy birthday text from her. The two were complete opposites where Madison was premed and always the popular girl, Alex stayed at home worked at a home repair store in dated her coworker Ben. Her search leads her to the Hamptons and her sisters last place of employment and then to the Blackwell mansion. This is where she meets Lily and her mom Catherine, because they live on the cliff and there’s a thunderstorm hitting they immediately take Alex in and confirm that yes they know Madison but that she left a few days ago. Something Alex takes in but doesn’t know if she absolutely believes it. When she goes to the local police station this is where she meets Chief Gilroy who doesn’t take her sister being missing as serious as she would like. But due to her association with the black wells he does take a police report soon however things only get more dangerous when she learns her sister‘s friend Becky is also missing. There is so much to the story that I cannot put a good brief summary together just know I was reluctant to read this book because it seem like the same old trope but I found Ms.De Carolus writing style to be so refreshing that this is a book I not only totally enjoyed but think it is a definite five star read. Alex is in a strange place with no one she knows no one she trust and feels those she meets that although kind are not people she should be trusting at all and then when she starts getting messages from her sisters phone telling her to leave the Blackwell home she can’t even trust that is even her sister and win the missing girl Becky is found dead it doesn’t look good for Maddie at all. I could go on and on this book is so good just know you should read it and write when you think you know what’s happening the story does a 360 with the total mic drop moment in an OMG but unlike other books that try to do this the story isn’t invented out of whole cloth but is deafly plotted to make for an authentic mystery that is OMG good! Oh I love this book! Trust me when I say poor Alex cannot trust anyone at all!#RandomHouseValentine, #NetGalley, #StephanieDecarolis, #ThePerfectSister,

This book could have been shorter. There is too much filler and not enough substance. I did like that just about every character was a viable suspect. This story has multiple POV which i do like. There are some good twists and I did not expect the ending. So while I found myself skimming some parts I am glad I finished reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, /Ballantine, and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed how this book provided multiple points of view as the mystery was shared with the reader. Multiple characters are unreliable so it can be hard to relate to them. The pacing at the end felt off, but it was still a good read.

If you enjoy rich people using influence and money to get their way with a dash of suspense, then this book is for you.

Thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for providing the ARC.

#APerfectSister #StephanieDeCarolis #ballatinebooks #suspense

The Perfect Sister was unputdownable! I read this fast paced story in one day. Told in dual timelines and multiple POVs, this story was twisty and unpredictable. Usually when stories have multiple POVs, I find them hard to follow, but The Perfect Sister flowed so well.

If you’re looking for a story that will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat, look no further than The Perfect Sister! It’s the perfect summer thriller. This was my first Stephanie DeCarolis book, and I will absolutely be reading her other books.

The Perfect Sister comes out July 16, 2024. Thank you to Random House/ Ballantine and Bantam for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.