I enjoyed this mystery, although I was hoping for a little more action in the beginning. It was a slow burn, but by the end, there were great and surprising twists.

The Sisters Chase is about two sisters who are together and on their own due to their mother dying in a car accident. The oldest daughter, Mary, is eighteen years old and decides to take responsibility for her much younger sister Hannah and for herself. These two sisters" journey then begins. It is a struggle for them to survive both emotionally and fiscally. A motel that Mary thought would be worth a large sum of money is not really worth much at all. The things Mary does to protect and provide for Hannah and herself are both sad and remarkable at the same time. There was definitely a clear difference in social class between the girls and some of the other characters in the novel. I enjoyed reading this novel. It had a very unique and different plot. It is a story that you will remember and think about long after you stop reading it.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Sisters Chase. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Running a motel in a seaside village, Diane Chase has her hands full with her daughters Hannah and Mary. When a car accident claims Diane's life, Mary soon finds out that the motel is in the red. Fleeing with her small sister in tow, Mary embarks on a journey to better their lives. Will her schemes ultimately be Mary's downfall? Will her search for belonging end in heartache for the sisters Chase?

The author employs the writing style of moving back and forth through time, in order to reveal crucial parts of Mary's background. The problem is that the present timeline ends up being lackluster at best, as the author tries not to give away too much of the story. Mary comes off cold and calculating, with readers finding out too late the reasons behind her decisions. Parts of the story made no sense, especially when Mary pulls up stakes and runs despite her elaborate plans to get there. The ending wrapped up the book too neatly and I would have rather it ended without the reader knowing exactly what the future looked like for Hannah. Because of these reasons, I am hesitant to recommend The Sisters Chase to other readers.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

The hardscrabble Chase women—Mary, Hannah, and their mother Diane—have been eking out a living running a tiny seaside motel that has been in the family for generations, inviting trouble into their lives for just as long. Eighteen-year-old Mary Chase is a force of nature: passionate, beautiful, and free-spirited. Her much younger sister, Hannah, whom Mary affectionately calls “Bunny,” is imaginative, her head full of the stories of princesses and adventures that Mary tells to give her a safe emotional place in the middle of their troubled world.
But when Diane dies in a car accident, Mary discovers the motel is worth less than the back taxes they owe. With few options, Mary’s finely tuned instincts for survival kick in. As the sisters begin a cross-country journey in search of a better life, she will stop at nothing to protect Hannah. But Mary wants to protect herself, too, for the secrets she promised she would never tell—but now may be forced to reveal—hold the weight of unbearable loss.

...and 2 stars is being generous...

When the blurb says "Vivid and suspenseful", that is what I am expecting. All I got was telemovie-level, emotionally-overwrought rubbish. I have seen some reviews calling it worse than "Lifetime" - I am not sure there is a comparison in Australia, but I understand the sentiment perfectly.

This isn't a story about sisters hard done-by in life - it is a story about bad choices in men, and doing anything sexually to achieve an end. Seducing family members, sleeping with men for money and blackmail isn't my idea of good story-telling.

I will wait and see what the author puts forward next time, though...too soon to disregard her completely.


Paul
ARH

Very fast paced and very intriguing. I enjoyed how it kept me hooked and it was an original story. Nowadays so many books read the same. Highly recommend

And again her heart spasmed. If it had been a story Mary was telling, this would have been the culmination, the moment before all was set right again-the righteous recognized, the thrown secure, and prosperity befalling the kingdom.

A lyrical prose of two sisters that are bound together under tragedy and irony. Mary the eldest who is fierce and loyal as she takes care of younger sister Hannah after the tragic death of their mother Diane. You are introduced to Diane and her family as they work at motel by the beach. The relationship between mother and daughter is of protection. I found their relationship engaging and full of irony. Mary does not know who her father is but knows at a young age a man's weakness and strengths. She is cunning and manipulative when needed and it is usually due to her loyalty and the fierceness of whom she gives her heart to.

Diane sees the effect Mary has on men and goes to great lengths to keep her from her own sins. However, when tragedy strikes and she is killed, Mary now 18 and with great determination to keep her small family together takes Hannah now 4 on adventure. They visit her mother's cousin house with a purpose in mind. It is with this purpose, they go on to small town and by "chance" meet up with Mary's hope.

The relationship between sisters is of a unspeakable love and fierceness. Hannah adores her sister Mary and trusts her with compliancy of heart. Always wanting to hear the story of Princess Hannah and Princess Mary as they search for a home. The ironies of motherhood is one tragedy and of hope. With the expertise of the author's pen she leads her readers to the truth of Mary's loyalty, I was totally engaged with this one.

A Special Thank You to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This book kept pulling me in, and wouldn't let go. I really enjoyed it, and will definitely read more from this author.

As I was reading The Sisters Chase, I was thinking about how unique it was. It wasn’t a teen book, a mystery or a romance. I wasn’t sure how I would categorize it other than “fiction,” but usually fiction fits into some kind of sub-genre. Not this one!

Healy didn’t delve into the characters or why they did what they did too much. She simply reported the characters’ actions through her excellent writing skills. It was up to the reader to decide why they acted the way they did. Personally, I think that Mary was a sociopath or something. She did whatever she needed to in order to get what she wanted with no remorse, regret or concern about how her actions affected other people. The only time she seemed affected by anything was when she decided to leave for a new place to live. Whenever I read about Hannah, affectionally referred to as “Bunny” by Mary, I just wanted her to have a steadier life with less moving and more structure. Reading about the tie between Mary and Hannah was sweet, however.

Throughout the book, there were a few “twists.” They seemed more like character secrets rather than twists, really, but they really helped move the plot along. I saw some of them coming, but not in a bad way. Finally, I enjoyed the ending, which was a bit sad, but gave the reader closure on everything that happened.

This was better than her last book, but not without some major flaws. Parts of it read like a first draft and were in desperate need of editing. Overall, the last third was probably better than the rest of it.

Healy likes to use a lot of stage direction and describe her characters making odd gestures. As a result, we have detailed descriptions of Mary unlocking and opening doors. Mary slides keys into doorknobs (six times). Mary props open screens doors with her hip (twice). Sometimes we get sentences like this: “Then she pulled the handle of her door, pushed it open, and stepped out.”

Kurt Vonnegut said that “Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.” Lines like the one above only bog down the book with unnecessary words. I’ll bet 25 percent of this book could be cut out without affecting the story.

We’re also treated to lines like this:

Mary nodded. “Okay,” she said, with a single nod. (I think I get it, she nodded.)

And characters doing odd things like “sliding his free hand under his arm.” What is that supposed to indicate, even?

My favorite unnecessary line was probably that the girls “used the opportunity to bathe” whenever they rented a hotel room while on an extended road trip. I would hope that would go without saying. Girl, you been camping for two weeks. You nasty.

You know what? I know how keys and door handles work. I’m also going to assume that characters practice basic human hygiene, unless it’s relevant to their characterization to mention that they don’t. It makes me feel like Healy doesn’t know what to include in her scenes, so she just throws in a bunch of minutiae.

Despite all this, the book held my interest and I found myself thinking about the characters and their circumstances even when I wasn’t reading. FINE, Sarah Healy, I will RELUCTANTLY give you three stars for that. But this is your third book. You’re a professional. Get your act together. Go read some Alice Munro and learn how little stage direction you actually need to make a story impactful.

There are also some misused homophones and other errors in here (like “thrown” instead of “throne” and “gate” instead of “gait.”) I hope that’s just because this was an uncorrected ARC and that these errors were fixed in the final publication.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Holy moly this book! I found myself lost in this book, and searching for more time in the day to spend reading it. The story spans over several years, flipping between the current time, and memories from the character's past.

This story is incredibly well written, and I really connected with the characters. I would love to see this book as a series, or as a movie.

READ THIS BOOK!

I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

When Mary and Hannah's mother suddenly dies leaving them in debt, they set out on the road searching for a better life.

This is a weird little novel to rate, I would definitely recommend this book. Parts of it I really liked, Mary is a take action, wild spirited person who deeply loves her sister and will protect her at any cost. Yet, I wanted Mary to just grow up but she runs away (or towards?) who she is with no true regard of the consequences for others around her.

3.5☆ rounded up to 4☆

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of love, loss and survival. The Chase girls have seen a lot and survived a lot. Mary, the older sister, has had to do what she had to do to care for her younger sister after their mother dies. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't wait to see how things ended up for the Chase girls.

This book was so well done and so unexpected. The two sisters have a bond that won't be broken! Great writing, great story. Gripping and extremely fast paced.

This book will win awards! I loved it so much I may read it again. I felt nostalgical for the past and the things we won't experience again. This is my first book by this author but it will not be the last. Thank you for allowing me to read this ARC

The story of two sisters with a surprise ending you won't see coming.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I got into it right away and kept reading it until I was finished. An excellent read that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you like family stories with secrets, emotional reads and women's fiction, this is a book I would recommend.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

As a single mother, Diane Chase worked hard at the family motel and then at her second job to provide for Mary and Hannah Chase, born fourteen years apart. When she died, however, the hotel is worth less than its back taxes. The girls are essentially left homeless, and Mary goes to great lengths to protect Hannah while finding a place for them to live. She carries secrets with her, so if she feels threatened, she picks up and moves on. At first, Hannah goes along with it, but she soon grows tired and wants to settle down in one place without having to lie, cheat or steal.

This is a very nuanced look at Mary and Hannah. There are flashes of the past interwoven throughout the story, which start to flesh out what had happened to the girls and why Mary is so desperate to keep her secrets.

Mary is manipulative and has the need to constantly reinvent herself, while Hannah is grounded and wants the stability of a home and school. This puts them at odds, especially as Hannah gets older.

Mary isn't always very likable, but she is vividly described. While the choices she made weren't good ones, by the end of the book it made sense why she would have done it.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding the characters, which is a bit disappointing but adds to the real feeling for the characters. We never know why some people behave the way they do, or if suspicions we have are true or not. Mary always leaps to conclusions, because above all else she is a survivor. She cares about Hannah and she cares about herself, and that sense of devotion clearly comes across and left me haunted after finishing the book.

The Sister's Chase is a beautifully written, absorbing novel about family, friendship and loyalty in c.1980’s America. Sisters Mary and Hannah have lost their mum in a car accident and there starts a lift of responsibility for Mary in looking after young Hannah whilst making her own mistakes in life. She is, after all, only a young adult herself, but she has so much responsibility on her shoulders.

Mary is what I’d imagine to be a ‘marmite’ character - you’ll either like and/or respect her fierce protection of Hannah and the lengths she’ll go to, to try and keep their heads above water financially, or you’ll hate her for the way she treats other people. Either way, I personally thought her often controversial behaviour to make for a really interesting read and added an element of danger to the story – when will her often dodgy behaviour have its repercussions for both sisters?

The story jumps around back and forwards in time, with some of the story focussed on time when their mother Diane was still alive (and this goes some way to explaining why Mary is the way she is and offers more context to the story) and another narrative portraying the ‘present day’. It’s easy to tell which narrative we’re reading as the chapters are marked with dates, so this avoids any potential confusion that some readers tend to dislike with this kind of narrative structure.

This is a fairly easy read, though not simple in its writing style – the sentences flow really well and the slow reveal of certain ‘secrets’ and elements kept me intrigued whilst also stopping the story from feeling like it wasn’t going anywhere (something that I often really dislike; some parts of this novel felt like it started to go this way for me, but the author soon pulled it back beautifully).

The sisters’ story here is heart-warming at times and poignant at others; you sort of feel like you’re missing something, that something is a little skewed... the skill of Sarah Healey's writing means that, even in parts where it doesn't feel like you're really learning anything, you still want to keep reading.

Definitely recommended.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to both Netgalley and Sarah Healy for this opportunity.

This book was hard hitting because of its material, but one trigger I thought I would mention is mental illness and all around difficult situations/horrible people. This is not one for those seeking good and respectable characters.


You know that feeling when you read a book that contains such deep and morally gray characters that you can’t help but think of them days and days after completing their story? THIS IS ONE OF THOSE BOOKS FOR ME. I was captivated from start to finish.

The Sisters Chase follows Mary and Hannah Chase who end up turning to a life of living on the road without a steady home after their mother’s death. This story highlights the difficulties that come along with this lifestyle as well as the different encounters they have with others and how their meetings change the story entirely.

Starting off, I just want to say how much I loved these characters. Mary is closed off and cunning and sometimes felt like an unreliable narrator. She loves her sister with all her heart and will do just about anything to protect her/ give her a better life. While I sat in shock at certain things that Mary did or had to deal with, I still had a connection with her and really loved getting to see where her story went. I also found it very interesting to see Hannah grow up and how she reacts to the life she has been thrown into. This story is very dark and comes with some not so nice situations. I instantly knew that this would make a perfect movie- I got “Girl on the Train” vibes.

NOW, I won’t mention the twist because, hello, huge spoiler, but WOW. I had my guess but I was still surprised at the reveal and how well the story ended up tying together. I wanted MORE.

One of my all time favorite dark mysteries now. Definitely pick it up on its release date if you want to find out all the secrets of the Chase sisters.

This is one of those stories that has characters that are so well developed, and a story-line that is so engaging that to say anything negative about it feels like nitpicking. Unfortunately, my job as a reviewer is to provide my honest feedback on the novels I read so that others may make an informed decision on whether or not they wish to read a specific novel.

I very much enjoyed this novel, the brutal honesty of having to sink to levels you never thought you would in order to protect someone you care about was hard to read at times, but it dealt with difficult topics and situations head on. I do think the part that I am assuming was supposed to be "the big twist" could have been done in a different way. I had it figured out well before the halfway point of the story which was rather disappointing. I also wish that there would have been a scene of true confrontation with certain details that we didn't get. Sure, we got closure after the fact, but I would have liked to have seen the characters reactions and interactions while it was still a matter of importance.

Overall, I am sure this story may still appeal to those who enjoy a bit more angst with their stories.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

This is a beautifully written story of two sisters surviving on the run after the death of their mother.

Eighteen-year-old Mary is gorgeous and survives through hard work that isn’t always legal. She takes care of her four-year-old sister Hannah with fierce loyalty. Their travels take them from the East Coast through the Midwest to California.

The story is told by going back and forth in time from when Hannah was born to different times in Hannah and Mary’s life. In that way it’s a modern history of the late seventies through the eighties. At some points it seemed there was an undercurrent of something sinister—I genuinely worried about whether the sisters would be OK. The story is also tinged with sadness over missed opportunities. It’s wonderful, however, to read a novel about strong women like Mary and their neighbor, Alice, a woman who was unable to have children of her own. Alice—Mrs. Pool—seems like a pushover, but she’s strong and heroic in her own way.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Netgalley for this Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review.