Maddie and Alex looked like twins but they aren’t. Maddie was the first baby. Then Alex was born a year later. When Alex’s birthday is forgotten by her parents, Maddie tells her that they will celebrate it. Maddie makes pancakes and tops the stack with an used pink candle. Maddie and Alex vow to always celebrate their birthdays together no matter where they are. Maddie ends up going to med school and Alex stays home taking care of their sick mother. When the mother dies, they have a quarrel and went their separate ways. When Alex birthday, she doesn’t hear from her sister. Three days after her birthday, she calls Maddie but no one answers the phone. Alex worries that something may have happened to her sister. Yet as she goes to the last address, she is no longer there. Maddie has moved to the Hamptons. Why? Even though Alex has found the latest home she was living at — she is no longer there as she has disappeared. What will Alex do? Will she find Maddie?

The author has written a novel that starts out slow but then grows faster in the sense that one wants to know more about the sisters’ relationship after their mother dies. It has several twists and turns. The suspense continues. I truly enjoy the story. It’s a suspenseful mystery.

This is a gripping, twisty thriller that kept me turning pages late into the night. The story pulls you in right away with family drama and secrets that slowly unravel in a way that feels relatable but also a bit shocking. It's one of those books where just when you think you know what's going on, something happens that makes you second-guess everything.

The characters were well-developed, especially the two sisters, and you can’t help but feel torn between rooting for them and questioning their motives. I couldn’t put it down because I just had to know what really happened! is exactly how I felt reading it. There are plenty of Wait, what? moments that had me on edge the entire time.

The only reason I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that a few of the twists felt a little predictable, but overall, it’s a suspenseful, enjoyable read that will definitely keep you hooked. If you love thrillers with complex family dynamics, this is a great pick!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a readers copy of this title. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
Alex is searching for her missing sister. Maddy moved away, leaving Alex to stay with their mother who had issues with alcohol and recently passed away. Maddy always spent Alex’s birthday with her but did not show up. Alex tracks her sister to a wealthy family’s estate, where the family professes that her sister has moved on, and they have no knowledge of her whereabouts. But is that really what happened? Join Alex on her search.
The story moves along at a nice pace and you will find yourself rooting for Alex in her search. Enjoy.

I liked this book. It was an enjoyable read. Stephanie DeCarolis is a great author. Loved this mystery and all the twists and turns.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I appreciated the character development, storyline and the authors attention to detail.

Reading challenge category - 2024 Flourish and Blotts: Charms - Repairo: Contains a repaired relationship (multiple in this book)

A little behind on my #Netgalley ARCS. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC ebook!

Alex and Maddie are sisters who have been mistaken for twins their whole life. When their mother dies, they have a falling out and Maddie goes missing in the Hamptons. Alex goes to the Hamptons to look for her and uncovers a more sinister situation happening among the 1% living there.

I found this book to be "meh" or "fine." There wasn't anything new, outstanding, or amazing in it. The story drug in places and was predicatble in others. I feel like some details were thrown in for no reason <spoiler> BDSM, sex houses, etc </spoiler> 2.5 stars, rounded up.

Told from multiple point of view, this is a missing woman mystery with tons of plot twists and an unexpected ending. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Kiersten Modglin. I saw the book is being turned into a film, and I can’t wait. It will translate perfectly to the screen.

Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance!

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
This is the first book I read of this author.. I absolutely loved this book. It was so good and the twists and turns were totally unexpected. Every time I thought I had things figured out,.the story took a different turn. The ending was a huge surprise...but an amazing one!
The characters were greatly developed and the protagonist was not too far in the foreground. I loved the different chapters written from different points of view. I
I will definitely keep looking and reading this author's other books! A 5 🌟 read for me!

INCREDIBLE story! 5 out of 5 highly recommend. What a wild ride. Told through multiple POVs, we get a glimpse of the wealthy, beautiful and elusive residents. Looks can be deceiving! One of the families, known as the Blackwells, offers their pool house to Maddie to live in. When her sister Alex tries to connect with her, her phone calls go unanswered. Maddie and Alex meet once a year in the Hamptons to celebrate Alex's birthday. She would never miss it unless...
I cannot give anything away, but this absolutely needs to be on your must read list.
Huge thank you to Stephanie DeCarolis, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group for this advanced copy.

Older sister Maddie has disappeared. When younger sister Alex goes looking for her she finds lots of mystery and intrigue at the Blackwell home, Maddie's last known place. Alex becomes involved, just as her sister did with the family and finds lots of mystery around the family and the disappearance of her sister. What did Maddie find out or know about the family that has caused her disappearance. Will Alex disappear as well? This is a really great mystery and one that will keep you turning the pages until its secret is revealed. Thanks to #NetGalley#ThePerfectSiser for the opportunity to read an review this book.

I wasn’t expecting the ending on this one. Had multiple twists throughout the novel. I wouldn’t classify it as anything earth shattering or anything but a quick read that had some thrills.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.

Alex and Maddie have always been super close sisters until their mom dies and they have a falling out. When Maddie misses Alex's birthday, something Alex knows she'd never do no matter what fights they've had, Alex heads to the Hamptons to look for her sister in the last place she knew she was. As Alex is taken in by the wealthy Blackwell family, the same ones Maddie was staying with, she begins to suspect that someone there knows what happened to her sister.

This book is full of twists and turns and kept me guessing.

I really liked the premise of this but the thought the execution was a little messy and drawn out. I enjoyed this for the first half but started losing interest because it just felt like nothing was happening. I wish the characters were a little better developed so I could resonate with them a bit more. The reveal just didn't land as hard as I was hoping. Overall, I thought this was okay but not one of my favorites. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Stephanie DeCarolis, and Bantam Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I definitely meant to write this review months ago!

After not hearing from her older sister Maddie for a period of time, Alex goes to the Hamptons to try to find her. Their relationship has been rough since before their mother died, but she knows something is wrong.
When Alex arrives and finds out that she has been living with a wealthy family, it seems that her sister may have had many secrets. She is invited to stay with the Blackwells while she continues her investigation and goes headfirst into discovering her sister's secret life.
But where is Maddie now and is her disappearance connected to the disappearance of another young local girl?

I really enjoyed this novel. It kept my attention and really had multiple twists. I was not expecting the ending but also was hoping for more. But still, I will rate this 4 stars and recommend to others!

The Perfect Sister was a fun mystery that kept me guessing. I wasn't sure who I could trust or what anyone was hiding but everyone felt shady! I really liked that there were so many different viewpoints and that we got to hear from most of the main characters. It was a great way to convey the story and give off red herrings.

The setting was great and I appreciated the details about the Hamptons. I liked being pulled into the world of wealth and power and I thought DeCarolis did a good job of intersecting that extreme with the people who serve and support them.

I listened to this book on audio and appreciated the use of various narrators. The energy and tone were great and kept the story exciting and entertaining.

There were certainly some moments where suspension of belief were necessary, but I liked how everything played out. It was fun and really well done.

Thank you to Ballantine/Bantam for the copy.

The Perfect Sister follows Alex, who, when she doesn’t hear from her sister, goes to the Hampton to find her. There she meets the Blackwell family, with whom Maddie had formed a connection. As she stays with the Blackwells herself, Alex quickly learns that the family is keeping secrets from her… and so are some of the friends she thought she could trust.

The atmosphere and setting of the book are well done, and Stephanie DeCarolis does a beautiful job with her descriptions of the oceans and cliffsides, but the storyline is far too melodramatic and soap-opera-esque to be realistic. This is a quick read for a summer escape, but too long-winded and with too many subplots to keep track - 2.5 stars, rounded to 3

Maddison is missing. Alex, her sister, has gone to look for her. Her last seen location was at Blackwell Manor. What was she doing here? This place is a mansion, and surely Maddison can not afford a room here
The Blackwells open their home and answer Alex's questions. They were sure Alex said she was leaving. And now they have offered Alex a place for the night. Besides, it is raining outside
Their adult children, Lilly and Theo, both seem kinda strange but harmless. The mom surely doesn't want Alex snooping around, and the father, James, is surely hiding something
Someone knows what happened to Maddie, and Alex isn't leaving until she gets some answers

Unfortunately, this one couldn't pull me in. There were a lot of narrations and the shocking moments fell flat for me.

I love books about the bonds of sisters and books where someone has to travel somewhere else This delivered. It was not the best book I've ever read but I have no regrets about the time spent reading it.

Alex has come to the Hamptons in search of her older sister, Maddie. Shortly after their mother’s funeral, Maddie left home and went to the Hamptons. Now no one has seen or heard from her in days. Before her disappearance, Maddie was residing in the Blackwell’s pool house. Alex goes there and finagles an invitation to stay in the pool house until she’s ready to leave. The novel, with many narrators telling their stories. Readers will find themselves reading just one chapter more. Thanks to Net Galley and Bantam Books for an ARC for an honest review.