A review by camiclarkbooks
The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I received a digital ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. 

Lily Meade’s debut novel, “The Shadow Sister,” is a gripping thriller about a missing teen who is not the same when she returns.  

When Sutton goes missing, it’s the worst thing that has ever happened to her younger sister Casey. As she tries to help her family find her sister, Casey struggles to keep her emotions—in particular her anger—under control. Sutton had a reputation for being perfect: the popular cheerleader with a devoted boyfriend and the sky as her future’s limit. But people only look for missing Black—and half-Black—girls when they believe they’re helping to save an angel. That’s why Casey can’t tell the truth about Sutton, that she always manipulated everyone around her and even stole a beloved family heirloom from Casey. 

To everyone’s relief, Sutton reappears, but she isn’t the same. In Addition to remembering nothing about her old life, there’s one thing unsettling about how she acts now. What happened? As Casey unravels the mystery surrounding Sutton’s disappearance, she begins to learn more about her and starts to realize that she never really knew her sister at all. 

“Shadow Sister” was a powerful story about familial bonds and generational trauma. The plot was interesting and had twists and turns that kept me on my toes the whole time. I particularly enjoyed how the chapters switched POVs between Casey and Sutton, showing experiences from their perspective. The addition of two unreliable narrators added to the mystery surrounding Sutton’s disappearance. 

My only complaint about “Shadow Sister” is that the ending felt rushed. It felt like at least one chapter was missing, or at least several pages. It ends during a scene, which was disappointing since I wanted to see how it was resolved. 

Despite the ending, “Shadow Sister” was a terrific debut novel that tackled some difficult topics regarding race, generational trauma experienced by the descendants of enslaved peoples, and familial bonds.
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