The first book by this author was one of my favorite reads of last year so I was anticipating this one. It is just as good, although a different writing style (to me) and def a different take. It’s told through different points of view about an all women reality show. The book starts off after the death of the main character, then starting from the beginning. How she died and who was or wasn’t involved will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Jessica Knoll for the opportunity to read her new book. I was a big fan of Luckiest Girl Alive and was anxious to read this one. 3.5 stars.

This is the story of 5 women who take part in a NYC-based reality show called Goal Diggers. Touted to be different from the rest of the popular women-based reality shows, Goal Diggers shows that women can be powerful, successful, happy - all without the traditional life of being married and a mother. But is the reality of what is shown on TV the reality or is the show making real life the reality?

Very interesting premise and there are great messages in here about women being valued for more than their looks, how thin they are, and how well they marry. But it's also like watching reality TV - lots of behind-the-scenes fighting, staged fighting for the show, until those lines get really blurred. It's also a mystery - you know from the beginning that one of the women dies and you also know that the story being told is not the real one.

This is a guilty pleasure read - probably more enjoyable if you like the reality TV world, of which I'm not a big fan. Took me awhile to get into it but the last part of the book flew until you know the "real" story.

When it comes to reality shows, I have a few I like to watch, but for the most part I can take ‘em or leave ‘em. I’m not going to go crazy from not having watched a show. For me, the majority of the alleged “reality shows” are more fiction than fact.

Take, for instance, our story with these five women that each bring to life with a multitude of problems and issues for their reality show entitled Goal Diggers. The premise of their show is to promote women entrepreneurs. Well, the show does promote that and a whole host of other problems these women bring to the table.

Brett is the front-runner of Goal Diggers and the most hated, but manages to keep her life on track. She recently got engaged to her girlfriend and running a successful business with her elder sister, Kelly. The two of them have yet to outgrow their sibling rivalry, but in the end, someone isn’t going to make it.

As the reader begins to delve deeper into each of the women’s lives, it will soon become clear that they have a lot going on besides the businesses they run and operate. I have to say, I felt this story was entirely too long and too wordy for my tastes. There was so much detail and endless chatter between the characters that it became a struggle for me to decipher who exactly was doing the talking, and eventually, that turned into my not really caring. Overall, this wasn’t a bad read, but it wasn’t the most exciting or as promising as I’d expected it was going to be. If you’re accustomed to watching reality shows like the Real Housewives franchise, this book will be right up your alley.

I was late to the Luckiest Girl Alive game. It was so hyped and declared the next Gone Girl that I was reluctant to even bother. I ended up getting the audiobook from the library and was immediately captivated. I don't think it was like Gone Girl at all. Yes, there was a twist but it was much more psychological in nature than thriller. That being said, Jessica Knoll's latest book also felt very fresh to me! I was glad I read it cold, meaning that I didn't read the synopsis prior to diving in. I loved the characters and was immediately sucked in. I don't watch TV, and especially not reality TV, but this felt so real to me. Jessica Knoll has a real knack for getting inside a character's head and having them self-explain in a way that feels so real. I loved this one!

The Favorite Sister comes out next week on May 15, 2018, you can purchase HERE! I've loved both of Jessica Knoll's books and can't wait for more from her!

I can tell you what does not appeal to me. The very idea of motherhood feels like a hangman's noose around my neck. Just another set of hands, tugging at my hemline, a tinier voice hawing, but what about me? A baby is an emotional burden and I am emotionally burdened enough. I spent my childhood in service of my mother's anxiety, of pretending like it was unremarkable to be one of three black students in my graduating class. I've spent my marriage emotionally and financially supporting my husband's lazy ambitions to become the next Ryan Gosling. I've spent my life overprepared, overdressed, mostly sober, and voluntarily undersexed, because one clipped red light and I'm being dragged away in handcuffs from a beamer that couldn't possibly be mine.

I was very excited to read The Favorite Sister. I was a huge fan of Jessica Knoll's first book and I am a lover of reality TV, especially the Housewives series. I have to say after reading this, that I was a little disappointed. It took me 4 or 5 sittings to get through the book because I just wasn't captivated by the story until almost halfway through. The premise of the book, a show called The Goal Diggers, was great. Knoll's writing style was infused was sarcasm and humor, which I appreciated. The second half of the book was wonderful, but the first half left something to be desired.

This book had a crazy beginning and I lost interest in a lot of the fighting and all the characters. I got through it tho and ended up liking the words used by the author and found some parts funny. The end I thought was the best part. I don't normally read books like this and decided to give it a try. It took me a little while in to catch on with what was going on, I really thought I would stop a few times.

I'm glad I stuck with it. I really liked the ending. There are a lot of good reviews on other social media sites so I don't want to discourage you. Please don't go by my review, it just wasn't the book for me.


Thank you Simon and Schuster and Net Gallery for the opportunity.

Cherie'

The cover is beautiful

I enjoyed this book in several ways, but didn't find myself excited to pick it up and keep reading. I felt like it was longer than necessary and I would have liked to learn a little less about the main characters and a little more about the supporting characters. Overall, a pretty good plot, but I wasn't in love.

DNF. A big NOPE. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stand the way this book was written. I tried to finish it but couldn’t even get past 10%

The Favorite Sister follows women on a reality show.

Much in the style of the Real Housewives franchise on Bravo, it features women who are rich, beautiful, and catty. They each fill their stereotypical roles. The health fanatic, the lesbian, the African American, the free spirit, the mom.

Players are expected to stay in their own lanes, not straying too far from the role they’ve been cast to play. Producers text them leading tidbits about each other, reminding them to carry through their squabbles on camera for heightened drama.

We learn early on that one of the cast member, Brett, is dead. While the mystery unravels through the course of the book, we discover how she died through the women’s differing viewpoints. This is a clever trick from Knoll, Just when we think we have someone sized up as a horrible kook, the next chapter switches to her point of view and we see how badly she’s been misunderstood.

Knoll did an interview recently in which she lamented the phenomenon of women simultaneously lifting up and undercutting one another. One person’s success does not belittle another’s. We can all be fabulous at the same time.

Except, not really.

It’s as if there’s a limited space for success, both in life and on the fictional show. When Brett becomes the show’s breakout star, it undermines the work the others are doing. They want the limelight, the adulation.

Knoll is the author of 2015’s smash hit, Luckiest Girl Alive. A common refrain I’ve heard from readers of Luckiest Girl Alive: the book wasn’t very likable because the main character was so supremely unlikable.

It’s understandable. Even at the end, there’s still not a lot to like about Ani Fanelli. And readers of The Favorite Sister will feel much the same. All five of the main women are unlikable.

But isn’t it so much fun? Multilayered and dynamic, these aren’t the pleasing, make-nice people we’re used to. If all we had were flawless heroes and 100% evil protagonists, wouldn’t stories become boring?

I enjoyed Luckiest Girl Alive and The Favorite Sister alike, where women get to be messy and complicated and conflicted and flawed and so damn fascinating to spend time with.

I really tried to like this book and struggled big time.

It just didn't grab and keep my attention like my usually thriller/suspense reads. Sadly, I can't say that I'd recommend it however I am a firm believer in giving chances so if the description sounds interesting to you, give it a shot and hopefully you'll have better luck than I did.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley. It does not impact my review.

Despite not being a huge fan of Luckiest Girl Alive, I wanted to give Jessica Knoll another try. Unfortunately, I was even less impressed with The Favorite Sister.

At the beginning of my E-ARC copy of the book, there is a letter from the editor promising the following: “Ferociously paced, brilliantly plotted (just WAIT for the ending), twisty and whip smart…” “…so shocking, and so un-put-down-able…readers everywhere will be blown away.” I feel like absolutely none of that was true. The pacing was very slow (and the chapters were SO. LONG) and I was not shocked by one single thing that happened. I felt like there were plenty of clues that anybody who has read a book remotely similar would be able to predict all the “twists” before they were revealed.

The story is told from the point of view of three different women on the reality show Goal Diggers (heavily inspired by the Real Housewives franchise). I did like the reality tv angle and it was probably my favorite thing about the book. I felt like there was good character development for those three women, but the rest of the characters – including two other women on the show – could have been a little more fleshed out. All of them were awful, though. There was really nothing sympathetic or redeeming about these women. It was really hard to care about what happened to any of them. The only emotion I occasionally felt was disgust.

Overall, The Favorite Sister was just not for me. Though I liked the reality tv setting, the characters were just awful and the plot left a lot to be desired. I’m sure there will be people who will enjoy this, I just wasn’t one of them.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2 Stars

Thanks to Simon Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Normally I try to avoid reading reviews before starting a book, especially one that has so much buzz around it. Going into this one, you should know that it isn't a thriller. This is more of a drama with some mystery thrown into it! Something I'm very happy I knew before starting because there's nothing that can ruin a reading experience like having incorrect expectations! THE FAVORITE SISTER by Jessica Knoll exams the world of reality TV and the characters that we all secretly love and hate.

Let's meet the cast!

Brett is the favorite - she's 27 and incredibly successful thanks to her spin studio. Kelly is Brett's older sister and business partner isn't taken seriously by the other cast members (just holding on to little sister's success). Stephanie is a bestselling author of erotica novels, and there are plenty of rumors circulating around her personal life. Lauren is trying to make her comeback after her drinking got out of control, and finally, we have Jen. Jen has made her living and success from her popular vegan food line.

When you have five incredibly successful women together, tempers will flare, drama can ensue, but they weren't expecting the season to end in murder. The mystery element comes into play here, but I would definitely say the overall genre is a drama. This is also a character study and Knoll dives into the minds of these successful women and what makes them tick. I don't want to go into too much more detail with the mystery or the twists, just to completely avoid spoilers!

Overall, if you're wanting a good drama with some murder, then this will be the story for you! Remember, this isn't a thriller, so if you go into it expecting one, you'll probably leave a little disappointed. There's no denying that Jessica Knoll knows how to write and develop unique and intriguing characters. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

I give this 4/5 stars!

I have to admit, I almost DNF’d this book. A quarter of it I couldn’t get into. We are introduce to so many characters at once that it’s slightly confusing. It’s told from multiple POVs. It switches from the past and present which I actually liked. I love the whole vibe of it being a reality tv show. The drama and suspense kept me coming back. Even though I had a shaky start I’m happy I stuck with it.

Brett, Stephanie and Kelly are the true role models of mean girls. They will stop at nothing to stay on the show. Nothing. They do questionable things that makes you do a double take to make sure you read that right. It’s highly entertaining after the first 25%.

I loved Jessica’s first book, The Luckiest Girl Alive, and I had high expectations for this one. Sadly it didn’t hold up but I don’t regret reading it.

I'll let you in on my secret shame...I like trashy reality TV shows. 🙈The Real Housewives series are my guilty pleasure. Reading this book was exactly that- an entertaining, juicy, guilty pleasure. The Favorite Sister is about 5 successful women on a reality show called Goal Diggers. The book starts with one of the women in a confessional type of taping for the series, discussing the death of one of the cast mates (who also happens to be her sister). Then we cut to months prior as taping for the season starts and follow the women through the taping of the current season until we reach the climax, and death, of one of the cast mates. This is categorized as a thriller but I don't think this is the right category for it as it was not a true thriller. I enjoyed the peeks behind what it takes to film a reality show. This was a juicy, easy, light read. The ending was not what I was expecting and I didn't particularly care for it. For me, this was ⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Thank you @simonbooks for this advance reader in exchange for honest review.

I wanted to like this book but it just wasn’t in the cards for me. I love this author and have enjoyed her other book I just could not get into it. I found myself wandering around trying to find other things to do rather than read (which is def an oddity for me). I don’t want to sit here and bash the book so I am gonna stop my review here and let it go as it just wasn’t for me this time!

Still love the author!!!

No rating. DNF at 15%. I am a single millennial career woman and I feel like I should have been able to relate to at least one of the characters in this book. But I hated the characters. The kind that made me not care one bit about the plot and what happens to these people, which gave me zero motivation to continually pick this up.

Thank you anyway to the publisher for a free digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Much like Knoll's previous book, Luckiest Girl Alive, I had a lot of trouble connecting and sympathizing with the main character. At first I DNF'd this book but I decided to give it another chance. I'm glad I did because I do like a good mystery/thriller, however I still had issues with the pacing and lack of connection with the MC. I do still recommend this book if you're a fan of Knoll's previous works. I think this book just wasn't for me!

I finished this book today and I really enjoyed it. The characters are all well talked about and the plot stays strong the whole way through the book. Jessica knoll did a great job with this book. Very great thriller that will keep you wanting more and more.

The premis of this book sounded good. I had a difficult time relating to the characters and the story.

Although I am not a fan of scripted “reality” shows, I found the description of this book intriguing. Five women – Lauren, Stephanie, Jen, Brett, and Kelly (along with Kelly’s young daughter) – are the Goal Diggers of New York. The premise is that they are all besties and extremely supportive of each other’s successes, but the very real conflict is manufactured and manipulated behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish this book. I found nothing to relate to in these basically spoiled women, and I got very, very tired of the set-ups, the controlling behaviors, and the catfights on nearly every page. I kept putting it down and picking up and trying again, but this book just didn’t capture my attention.