I will admit, I found this book difficult to read - and not due to the writing, which was exceptional. While the description discussed the main character having an eating disorder, I did not know to what detail the topic would be explored and to what graphic extent. I found it emotionally draining at times to hear about the world through Sam's eyes.

On the other hand, I longed for the rest of her flashback story to play out because I had to know - what was the crime? What was going on with her relationship with her sister? her mom? her dad?

Now I will say some of the big bombshells that were dropped were predictable to me, but it could be due to the sheer volume of books in this genre I've read lately. Others were not as predictable which made for an interesting adventure as the reader.

I felt that the format of telling the past through therapy sessions was very effective and interesting as a reader of this book.

Overall - it's dark and twisted and a different from other books you've read lately.

Dark... Twisted... Thrilling!!!

Ruth Dugdall has a new fan in me! She is definitely not afraid to take on uncomfortable, controversial, or dark subject matter - writing it with such ease.

My Sister and Other Liars is a powerful, emotional, and brilliant psychological thriller about a family's dark, deep, and twisted secret. Dugdall takes us back and forth between present and the past telling the story of Sam and her sister Jena's horrific tale of lies, pain, anorexia, and a heart-breaking crime. Buckle up because this novel will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride until the very last page!

This is a fantastic and well-researched book that I highly recommend!

I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Hard to put this book down once I got into it. The ending is so good and very disturbing. This has to be one of my favorite books. A girls sister is attacked and she is telling her story from an anorexia hospital of how she found her sisters attacker. I found it better than Girl On A Train and Gone Girl.

I have been a huge fan of Ruth Dugdall since reading Humber Boy B & had to then read her earlier Cate Austin books. I was really excited to find out she's written a 'stand alone' book- & what a book!

On Sam's 16th birthday her father gives her his old camera. Her older sister storms off in a rage as it had been previously given to her. When Sam rushes after her, she witnesses Jena being viciously attacked -although she doesn't know by whom. Jena can't remember it and Sam sets out to help her remember.

The search for the truth literally eats Sam up & results in her being hospitalised with severe anorexia. As the story goes on we find out that she is there as part of a court decision and for her to be released she has to face the events that have brought her there.

This book is not an easy read but an gripping one. The stories of the girls in the 'Ana' ward are heart-breaking. There is a lot more to Sam's story that it seems at first. As to the truth- my theories were frequently proved wrong.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read this well researched and engrossing book.

I felt that this book was an accurate portrayal of the impact of eating disordersas well understanding the mindset of individuals experiencing difficulties with this. I did guess the ending relatively early but that didn't not detract from the overall enjoyment of the book.

Anorexia – destructive control over one’s body. In life, when someone feels helpless and desperate, the drug of choice may be starvation. Drastically limiting what they eat may be the only sense of control they feel. And perhaps silence the demons.
"Empty body, blank mind”
Jena leaves home following a disagreement with her family. When her sister Sam finds her, Jena is bleeding heavily with her head smashed against a rock. Sam takes it upon herself to find out who is responsible for this attack on her sister. Losing touch with reality during the search, Sam slowly descends into full-blown anorexia, punishing herself through starvation. The guilt of the family fight with her sister has totally consumed her.
"The smell made my stomach growl with anticipation. It still didn't understand that I was in charge."
The book is told from Sam's perspective in a facility specializing in eating disorders. She begins opening up about the tragedy that led to her sister’s attack with her therapist, Clive. Gradually unlocking the secrets of that day. Told as flashbacks during her sessions, it’s clear and easy to follow along. You’re able to flow back and forth between the timelines seamlessly, without losing your place.
As the story unfolds, you are pulled in ever deeper, and this book becomes hard to put down. Little pieces of the puzzle are cleverly spread along the way to draw you in, but nothing is revealed until the end. You are kept guessing throughout and pointing the blame at everyone! I recommend this one!
"You must remember to forget"

Thank you to NetGalley, Ruth Dugdall and Thomas & Mercer.

To be posted on Goodreads under Kaceey 5/21/17 - 5/22/17.

Thank you netgalley. Im ashamed to say that this is the first book by Ruth Dugdall Ive read but it definitely wont be the last. definitely one i wont forget.

What a terribly moving look into one family's deep, dark dysfunction. Dugdall presents an elegant back and forth between present and future in telling Sam's tragic tale of pain, crime, and illness. She pulls the reader in slowly, every chapter deepening the mystery of Sam's mind. Nothing is given away too quickly, leaving us wondering until the very last page how the story both began and ended.

Dugdall gives a thorough perspective on the mindset of anorexia as an illness, making Sam both victim and victor at the same time. She writes characters with equally troubled minds and pasts, but makes no two of them exactly alike. She also presents a clear understanding of family systems, and the impact secrets can have on every member. The reader is on a perpetual roller coaster of loving and then hating the same characters, over and over again. They are real people, with real flaws, who can be both likable and villainous.

This is a good, long story that's worth investing some quality time in reading. It's definitely not a pick it up and plow through it kind of tale; rather, it's a story that will have you wondering, thinking, studying and sympathizing. Find your hammock and a big cup of coffee and prepare to settle in.

Sam is a 17 year old girl who is in a secure unit being treated for anorexia, 18 months previously her older sister Jena had been attacked and left for dead. Sam feels that no one seems to care about the attack on Jena and decides to take matters into her own hands to find out who attacked her sister.

Over the period of the month of January, she talks to the head of the unit about all the things that happened pertaining to Jena’s attack and the aftermath. Sam realises she has to look into herself to try to work out the cause for her anorexia.

This is an excellent book, the way the author deals with the subject of anorexia is enlightening, I guessed part of the story but the ultimate twist came as a total shock. A dark compulsive read, although this was a harrowing story it was very well written and I would recommend it.

4.5 stars

Dark and twisty, a great read!

It's clear that there is no subject matter that this author is afraid to tackle, and you will find plenty of them in this one read alone.

The key players here are Jenna and Samantha (Sam)-2 sisters who are years apart, but have a bond that defies this age gap. Chapter one opens with Sam, 17 years old and in the hospital being treated for anorexia. The mood is quickly set, as Dugdall paints a grim and disturbing picture of how desperately Sam and her fellow patients are determined to control their bodies. Even if it means their death....

Flashback to months earlier and Jena is introduced. She is also in a hospital, but for different reasons. Jena was brutally attacked and left for dead, and has minimal memories of the event.
But Sam was there. She was the one who ran to her aid when she fell. She held her head until the ambulance came. The one thing she couldn't do though was identify the attacker, as she never saw their face.

What follows is a slow and steady build up to that fateful day, and all that transpired before hand to make it happen. Added to this mystery is the present day struggles of Sam. This journey was both sad and beautiful. Dugdall takes the reader inside her mind-sharing her fears, her anger, her compassion, and her determination to control at least one thing in her life, however misguided it may be.

My emotions were all over the place with this one, and while I did figure some things out that allowed me feel oh so smart, there were plenty of surprises left that had me wondering how I missed the clues.

Why not 5 stars? I felt the pace was a bit slow throughout, especially in the first half of the book. But once it does get going, strap yourself in, because it doesn't let up until that last word is written.

ARC provided by NetGalley

In MY SISTER AND OTHER LIARS, Ruth Dugdall gives us a gripping tale of a family in crisis. Sam is wasting away in a hospital ward for anorexic girls, praying for death by starvation. She worries about her sister, who suffered a traumatic brain injury the year before, but Sam does not want to see her or any other member of her family. The doctor in charge of the anorexic unit compels Sam to face her demons by threatening to force-feed her. It is only by giving up her secrets that Sam can heal, and she has secrets aplenty. Dugdall gives us a great protagonist and a story full of surprises. I look forward to her next book.

When I first started reading this I wasn't sure to what to make of it and it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It opens up with a young girl who is battling anorexia and seems to have been admitted to a mental health hospital for treatment of the condition. My problem though was the author, at first, seemed to have her characters so in love with the disorder it was being described in these 'beautiful', ethereal phrases. I almost stopped reading because it was so difficult to read about these girls starving themselves and having it described like it was the most elegant act one can do.

Thankfully I kept with it and I was glad because I began to understand the reason Dugdall wrote the way she did regarding anorexia is because she was showing the mindset people who have this disorder actually have regarding their mental illness. The psychological aspects she brought up, the reasons the girls have for what they do, the type of treatment they undergo, all of it was described with so much accurate detail it was obvious the author spent a great deal of time trying to get this correct.

In the midst of learning about this disorder and why her main character is suffering you are also treated to a mystery of what happened to her sister and why. Eventually I was able to predict most of what was going to be the answers for the various mysteries that tie together but that didn't take away from the overall story. The conclusion was very poignant and was the best possible way to end this story.

The only part I'm still on the fence about is because Dugdall described how people with anorexia view their disorder I'd be concerned that a teenager who may be leaning towards this idea or in the throes will find encouragement within these characters. I would hope that the disorder's traumatizing side effects might change their mind and thankfully the author doesn't hold back on the debilitating things that can happen to a person's body when they choose to starve themselves.

It was definitely an eye opening experience to read this book and by the end I just wanted to hug Sam to tell her everything was going to be okay.

Seventeen year old Sam is anorexic and longs for her last long, deep sleep. In her mind it is what she deserves. Her therapist wants to help her gain her release from the secure unit where she was placed for rehabilitation by the courts under a mental health order. She is punishing herself by keeping schtum, starving herself and refusing to see the people who love her most, which is what she believes she must do to atone for her actions; her one great failure. She is mad, but she’s also bad, that is what she tells herself. It’s her fate and what is right for her to endure.
Her older sister Jena is also suffering. She has been attacked and left with a brain injury, unable to remember the horrors of that fateful night. But things do not add up in her mind and trying to forget is much better than trying to remember. Once so close and loving, now Sam will not answer Jen’s frantic letters. Their relationship once so perfect is fractured.
The day of Sam’s assessment is drawing nearer and nearer. She must face the past in order to be able to look into the future; her future, because lately she has been trying to sort out in her confused mind what happened to leave her so desperate for death. She must open up and confront her most deeply buried secrets. Unwittingly a friend in the unit has touched her heart and shown her that the future is worth fighting for and that she is strong and brave enough to reveal her story. Gradually day by day she confronts her demons and talks to her therapist who is desperate to save her. Bit by bit the picture is revealed until at last it is complete. It’s a race against time.
Someone close by knows the truth about Sam and Jena’s family. It’s a truth that can both save and destroy. Secrets, betrayals and actions from the past come once again under scrutiny, but it may be too late for Sam and Jena to reveal their shared past, even though they both want a bright new future. It will take courage to say the words, to break the silence.
'My Sister and Other Liars' is an intelligent and absorbing story about a family in crisis; actually broken down and strangled by the evils of their past. The storytelling is well paced and extremely compelling and is beautifully told, using exquisite language. The characters are skilfully developed and Ruth Dugdall had extensively researched her facts, adding further authority to the novel. With historic and unsolved crimes, justice must prevail but in order for this to happen the truth must be told in its entirety. I really enjoyed this novel and would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Thomas & Mercer for my copy, sent to me in return for an honest review. This is a very good read – a worthy 4.5* and a recommendation from me that this is a novel not to be missed. I’m a huge fan of this author and once again she has not disappointed.

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

Sam has been locked up in a hospital to keep her from killing herself. The seventeen year old is slowing starving herself to death, believing she has no right to live. Her feelings of self loathing began 18 months earlier, at the same time her older sister, Jena was viciously attacked. Bits and pieces of the story are revealed to readers in flashbacks that Sam has to the night her sister was attacked. What really happened will leave readers gasping. Dugdall always delivers in her thrillers, that are the very definition of page turners

Once in awhile you come across a gem of a read that you just know will stay with you. This book is one of those reads and even though weeks have passed since I finished this book, well OMFG – I cannot stop thinking about it!! Now THAT is what turns a great read, a bloody AWESOME read!!

This book is mainly set within the walls of Bartlett Hospital with flashbacks that take us back to Ipswich. The reader comes across several themes, including eating disorders, despair, (lack of) control, survival – both in the physical and emotional sense, trauma, secrets, betrayal and a search for the truth. There are some uncomfortable subject matters, but the author handles them with sensitivity as well as transparency so the reader feels the true impact of what is happening within the pages.

For me, the plot was definitely fast paced as I found myself wanting to spend every spare minute reading this book! I raced through it as the story unfolded! At the start, I had no clue where the story was going, but I was most certainly hooked! It was as if the reader is drawn down one path, only to be swiftly turned and lead down another. Absolutely superb!! This was also a highly emotive read. Triggering various emotions as each new aspect was handed to the reader – I was angry, curious, heartbroken, sad – jaysus, it was a whirlwind, I didn’t know whether I was coming or going…in a good way!!

Now for my favourite part: Characters!! This book was rich with characters, each of whom brought something to the story and moved it forward. I will only mention a few, as you really need to read them in the context of the story to understand their greatness and what they brought to the table! Sam Hoolihan was fascinating! She is the main character and the majority of the story is told from/through her perspective- whether in real time or flashbacks. On the exterior, she is sassy, strong, determined and clever- but inside she is struggling, very vulnerable and emotionally broken. She tries to gain control through her eating disorder – the only thing she feels she has total control over, and as a patient in Bartlett Hospital, we learn pieces of her trauma through the therapy she undergoes. She is one of those characters who niggles at you. At first, her bold, brash nature annoyed me- but once the layers are removed, she is a hero who we want to see win!

Sam’s sister, Jena and her parents have also suffered trauma- as Jena had been attacked and Sam had tried to piece together that mystery before she had been hospitalised. What we learn about them as a family, come from flashbacks Sam has as she had buried these thoughts as a coping mechanism. Sam’s mother is overly protective but weak in my opinion. Her father is just….odd. I did not take to either parents. Jena was an interesting character who started off as one thing, but ended up being something else altogether. I can’t say anymore about this without giving away spoilers…so I won’t.

The Campbell’s: Sonia, Douglas and Rob – what a total mess this lot were! Well Rob (the son) wasn’t so much, and he and Sam end up as each other’s emotional crutch. There were plenty of OMFG moments with this bunch, I bloody loved it!

Clive- Head of Bartlett hospital, reveals a whole HEAP of interesting OMFG moments throughout this book as he counsels Sam in an effort to help her piece together the puzzle. At first I thought he was a pompous and slightly uncaring arse, if I am honest. But as he pushes Sam, and we learn more about her stay in Bartlett – Jeez!! It totally blew me away as it was NOT what I expected at all.

I actually don’t think my review gives this book the justice it deserves. There is SO much I want to say, but to do so, would reveal some of the most interesting and fascinating twists that I did not see coming at all. And I don’t like giving spoilers, so all I can say is TRUST ME – you NEED to read this book! It is not often that I am completely caught off guard, and although aspects of the story, I had figured out- it wasn’t the full story and then the mind blowing metaphorical smack in the face when the revelations were unveiled in all their glory well WOW! WOW! WOW!

Although I have Ruth Dougdall’s other books on my TBR, this was the first book I have read by this author and most certainly will not be the last! Great chracterisation, a tight but complex and uncomfortable storyline and the sheer adrenaline rush when the twist were thrown at me from all angles, means I am most certainly HOOKED. Of course this stand-alone novel gets a HELL YEAH recommendation from me and will also sit nicely on my #TopReadsOf2017 list! I urge you to grab yourself a copy – don’t let me tell you what it is about, experience it for yourself!! You will not be disappointed!

I am a big Ruth Dugdall fan, not only have I had the pleasure of meeting her, when she was really lovely, but she also happens to be a very good author. Her characters are always interesting and realistic and the plots flow well.

So when I heard about her latest book coming out I really wanted to read it, and thankfully I was lucky enough to get an early copy.

In My Sister and Other Liars, Dugdall tackles a difficult subject and one that is hard to get right. Not only are the main characters teenagers, but they are teenagers with eating disorders. I have worked with teenagers with eating disorders and know how complicated they can be, but Dugdall has once again created great characters who are so accurate that I am sure that some of them must be based on real people.

The story revolves around Sam, she’s 17 and when we meet her she is a long term patient in an NHS unit for teenagers with an eating disorder. She is shut down and we know that she is hiding her story from the other patients, but we don’t know what her story is. As the book progresses Sam starts to tell what happened to one of the staff in the unit and we begin to find out what led to Sam being where she is now.

Not that long ago Sam was a happy teenager, with an older sister that she loved and, although she had some struggles with her parents she was doing ok. Until one day her sister, Jena is brutally attacked. Sam becomes determined to find out who her attacker was and in the process, she uncovers more about her family that she bargained for and her life is changed forever.

I really liked how the story of Sam developed over the book, and how she grew so much as she came to terms with what happened and what she did. I really don’t want to give too much away but if you like your books to have depth and a compelling storyline that keeps you guessing then My Sister and Other Liars is the book for you.

Thank you to Ruth Dugdall and her publishers, Thomas & Mercer, for a copy of My Sister and Other Liars via Netgalley.

On the Ana ward, anorexic Sam has no real reason to live, but as she slips toward the point of no return, memories come to the surface that can change her life.

Ooh, My Sister and Other Liars is a cracking read. It took me a while to appreciate just why the setting of a ward for anorexic girls had been chosen, but that is all part of the intelligent way the plot is constructed. Ruth Dugdall is forcing the reader to confront uncomfortable truths along with those, both girls and staff, on the ward. She explores so effectively how and why the girls there have made the decision to starve and it doesn’t always make for comfortable reading. In fact, it was the uncovering of this world about which I knew very little that made My Sister and Other Liars such a compelling read for me. I think Ruth Dugdall must have been meticulous in her research. I can’t really mention all the themes without spoiling the read but they build to create a read that goes beyond being merely an entertaining narrative into providing intelligent considerations.

I thought the plot was extremely good. I did work out the denouement, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment at all because the writing builds tension and there is no guarantee that Sam will uncover the truth she so craves and which is destroying her physically and emotionally. I found the atmosphere created was often claustrophobic and frequently brutal and I kept wanting to read just one more chapter so see what happened.

At the beginning I found Sam an unlikable character and she didn’t gain my empathy even though she had my sympathy. It took me a while to warm to her, but again it was the quality of the writing that drew me in and altered my perceptions until I was completely on her side.

A further aspect that deserves mention is the skilful way in which Ruth Dugdall creates a sense of place. I could picture the town, the ward, the Pleasure Park so clearly and yet the effect was subtle too so that it never felt contrived. I thought that aspect of the writing was so good.

I wouldn’t say I necessarily enjoyed reading My Sister and Other Liars, because of the disturbing nature of some of the themes and events, but I found it irresistible. It’s a really good thriller that I can recommend completely.

I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a big fan of Ruth Dugdall. Her writing is superb in that she has a unique way of drawing you in from the start.
I know I'm in for a fabulous read with a fabulous theme.

This is an author that will take a subject matter that others may find uncomfortable but compulsive reading for the reader.

We have Jenna who has been hospitalised due to not only her anorexia but her past. She's convinced she's bad.

There starts her long journey of not treating just the anorexia but the cause. It's an unsettling, emotional and sometimes angry frightening journey. She's got to tell her story.

Then there is her sister that was attacked and left with disabilities.

Behind this is Mum and Dad and a few other characters relevant.

I really was so dam close to thinking I knew the ending. So very close.
But The author just jumped one foot ahead of me. She tricked me. What a fabulous book, what a great way of taking a controversial subject matter and turning it into a compulsive read that just blew me away.

It's undoubtedly reached into my top 10 of this year.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for my copy via Net Galley