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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sticking closely to my theme of reading psychological fiction as of late, I was absolutely thrilled to receive an ARC of The Sister by debut author Louise Jensen, published by Bookouture, in exchange for an honest review. The first thing that drew me to this book was the absolutely blooming incredible cover- I know they say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and generally speaking, that’s all well and good but you can’t say that this one isn’t an absolute delight to look at!
Now, we all know that I’m an absolute fiend for a good psychological thriller and because I’m reading more and more of them, I’m getting more and more picky over whether I enjoy them or not. I’ll start by saying that I thought this one by Louise Jensen was incredibly good and I’m absolutely blown away by the fact that this is a debut novel. Let me tell you now: if my debut novel is anywhere near as good as this one, I’ll be over the moon.
The story is based around a girl, Grace, who lives with her boyfriend shortly after the sudden death of her best friend. We aren’t told, at first, how her best friend has died, nor are we sure whether or not her death is homicide. We are aware though, that before her death, Charlie admitted to doing something pretty horrendous and Grace is absolutely obsessed with the idea of finding out what it is. Eventually, we are introduced to Anna, Charlie’s half-sister, and from this point onwards everything seems to go horribly wrong.
I was hooked on the story from the word go and I was SO curious not only to find out the secret that Charlie had died keeping, but also to find out the secret that Grace herself was holding onto. These two mysteries are the ones that keep the story so interesting all the way through: it’s pretty obvious from the word go who the perpetrator of the modern day disasters that are being thrown Grace’s way, with the exception of a few twists and turns here and there. I enjoyed the characterisation and the switch between the present day and the past especially. I felt incredibly sorry for Grace and really connected with her character. I have to say that I actually felt quite anxious reading certain scenes, particularly since I was reading them at night. I took special care in making sure my doors and windows were tightly locked before going to bed, I’ll tell you that for nothing! I’d definitely recommend this one to anyone who likes crime/thrillers, but you’ll have to wait a little bit as it’s not released until July!
4/5.
Now, we all know that I’m an absolute fiend for a good psychological thriller and because I’m reading more and more of them, I’m getting more and more picky over whether I enjoy them or not. I’ll start by saying that I thought this one by Louise Jensen was incredibly good and I’m absolutely blown away by the fact that this is a debut novel. Let me tell you now: if my debut novel is anywhere near as good as this one, I’ll be over the moon.
The story is based around a girl, Grace, who lives with her boyfriend shortly after the sudden death of her best friend. We aren’t told, at first, how her best friend has died, nor are we sure whether or not her death is homicide. We are aware though, that before her death, Charlie admitted to doing something pretty horrendous and Grace is absolutely obsessed with the idea of finding out what it is. Eventually, we are introduced to Anna, Charlie’s half-sister, and from this point onwards everything seems to go horribly wrong.
I was hooked on the story from the word go and I was SO curious not only to find out the secret that Charlie had died keeping, but also to find out the secret that Grace herself was holding onto. These two mysteries are the ones that keep the story so interesting all the way through: it’s pretty obvious from the word go who the perpetrator of the modern day disasters that are being thrown Grace’s way, with the exception of a few twists and turns here and there. I enjoyed the characterisation and the switch between the present day and the past especially. I felt incredibly sorry for Grace and really connected with her character. I have to say that I actually felt quite anxious reading certain scenes, particularly since I was reading them at night. I took special care in making sure my doors and windows were tightly locked before going to bed, I’ll tell you that for nothing! I’d definitely recommend this one to anyone who likes crime/thrillers, but you’ll have to wait a little bit as it’s not released until July!
4/5.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Finished reading: July 12th 2016
“We all have to carry the consequences of our own actions, no matter how heavy they are. I know that better than anyone.”
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
Spoiler
I decided to read The Sister after a recommendation and I'm glad it turned out to be just as good as I was promised it was going to be. This debut by Louise Jensen is without doubt a psychological thriller at its best: an intriguing plot that switches back and forth between past and present, unreliable characters and many plot twists that will mess with your mind. The fact that there are so many flashbacks can be a bit confusing and in the beginning it's hard to get a proper grasp of what is going on, but in the end it only adds to the whole mystery around Grace and Charlie. The story is well written and the character development is excellent. I can't say I actually liked the characters, but they fitted their role perfectly and felt 'real'. The main character Grace is a bit naive and I saw part of the big 'revelation' coming from a mile away, but most of the plot twists did manage to surprise me. If you are looking for a good psychological thriller and don't mind flashbacks and unreliable characters, make sure to check out The Sister!
Grace hasn't been the same since her best friend suddenly left town six years ago, let alone when Charlie suddenly died four months ago. She is still haunted by Charlie's last words and decides to open an old memory box they had buried when they were teenagers. And it turns out that Grace didn't know her best friend that well after all... Grace decides to try and fulfill one of Charlie's last wishes and find her father. Her husband Dan helps her set up some pages that might help locate him, and then suddenly a girl steps forward claiming to be Charlie's sister. Anna looks a lot like Charlie, and Grace believes she has found something she thought she had lost when Charlie died. But is Anna really who she claims to be? And why is Dan acting so strange? Grace life seems to be turning slowly into a big mess and she cannot deny the feeling that someone is following her. What is really going on?
Even though the flashbacks can get a bit confusing at times, I still ended up really enjoying The Sister. The story is fast-paced, well written and the characters were both unreliable and felt 'real', making it quite easy to connect to the story. Not everything in the plot was a surprise and I kind of wish that Grace would have been less trusting, but I guess The Sister does do an excellent job of showing what might happen if you trust the people around you blindly. Without doubt a great psychological thriller!
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
I found this somewhat predictable, but if you haven't read a lot of thrillers it would be good.
The Sister has a few twists that I definitely wasn’t expecting but definitely enjoyed. Overall, kept me wanting to keep going, needing to know what happened next. The narrator was fantastic
Readable enough psycho thriller, but quite a lot of flaws in the plot making it very implausible. Also, the opening scenario was extremely strong out for no real reason which was a bit annoying.
3.5 stars
A nice fast read. I enjoyed the characters and the story overall.
Nothing new though, and after about 50% you see most twists coming, but for a debut novel a great start.
A nice fast read. I enjoyed the characters and the story overall.
Nothing new though, and after about 50% you see most twists coming, but for a debut novel a great start.