Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Jessica Knoll for the ARC to review. I’ve read Jessica Knoll before and it was difficult getting through the book. I was hoping this would be a better read. Hiwevwr, this book was the same why. I was really disappointed, I couldn’t even finish the book.

I loved Jessica Knoll’s Luckiest Girl Alive sooo much, it was (and seriously still is) my all time favorite book! So I was extremely excited when I was giving The Favorite Sister!
The Favorite Sister is a thrilled based in my favorite setting……REALITY TV!!!! The show is called Goal Diggers, love that name and you will know why when you read this book ;) now the show is like the young professional Real Housewives! Now since it is all ladies the drama is THERE!!! Then you add a death!!

I had to think about this review for awhile after finishing the book. I liked the book, but I was confused. A lot. It jumped around within the different points of view—one minute we were present day and the next line was a flashback, then straight back to the present. I had to read several parts more than once to fully grasp the story.

I didn’t find any of the characters to be that enjoyable. I thought the book would be promoting women empowerment, but all the women were super catty to one another and didn’t terrible things. I don’t know if the author feels this is what women are like or if it’s just fiction, but it felt like the message and the evidence were conflicting.
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I also wondered what the backlash would be in light of the #metoo movement with the faked sexual assault angle. I didn’t enjoy that and thought it was tasteless, even for fiction.

This review sounds negative, I’m aware. I encourage you to try it for yourself and see what you think. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll is a thriller that is set in what’s become the new normal in America in the reality television circuit. The ladies in the story are cast mates in the show Goal Diggers. A bit of a take on a housewife drama type of show but opposite in the fact these women are young professionals.

The story begins by giving the reader a glimpse at present time in which it becomes apparent that Brett who had been the star of the show is dead and the question becomes what led to that event. So after that opening flash to gain interest the story jumps back to just before the taping of the latest season of Goal Diggers began.

Told by alternating between a few characters the book begins building the story of how Brett became the star and focusing on those around her. Brett’s sister Kelly wants nothing more than to join Brett into the spotlight, Stephanie and Brett used to be friends but now enemies, Jen and Brett never got along and now Kelly is befriending her. Chalked full of drama the story takes readers through the layers to find out just what happened.

After seeing reviews all over the spectrum for The Favorite Sister I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book and after finishing I feel I can see both sides. To me this was one that suffered a bit from the overly telling in too many places but also had a compelling story going on so I ended up a bit on the fence myself and rated right down the middle.

Being the first book I’ve read by this author I’m not sure if this is a reflection of her style of writing or just a reflection of this particular story but to me it could feel scattered and unfocused quite often. In the middle of a conversation between characters is not the time to switch to a few pages of info dumping on a totally different topic so the plot felt buried within. The setting felt spot on though giving a glimpse into the behind the scenes of “reality” television and of course it was intriguing to find out just what happened to Brett. If rating separately the plot got the high marks and the style the lower.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I really tried to like this book. The cover and description drew me in, as did the ebullient praise heaped on the first book. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me. That being said, I don’t think I am the target demographic for this novel. It’s well-written, I just didn’t enjoy the subject matter (reality TV stars) or the characters. I couldn’t finish it, because life’s too short to read books you don’t like. I appreciate the chance to check it out, but I think it belongs on someone else’s shelf.

I really enjoyed Jessica Knolls first novel Luckiest girl alive and went into this book having some high hopes that I just wish I didn't have because their two extremely opposites Jessicas writing is great and I really enjoy her style, but the beginning had me confused trying to keep things straight with all the characters and who was who ( I was reading a ecopy so maybe it would of been easier to have physical copy and go back .. . I picked this book despite my immediate turnoff by the reality show real housewives concept and was intrigued enough to finish it,,I didn't like any of the characters and couldn't connect to any of them.. Overall I would say this book was entertaining and a nice break from my usual reads and if you like housewives or shows like this, you will really enjoy this..Just not right topic for me..

This power to the women novel has a lot of secrets, lies, betrayals and enough unlikable characters to sink your teeth into.

Unfortunately this is one I just could not get into. I’ve read from others that they lived it, but this one went into the did not finish pile after reading through 30% of it and still not caring.

This book would be better if it was just about the competition of reality TV and the frenemies in a group of women. The murder "mystery" felt like an after thought. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36967019-the-favorite-sister?ac=1&from_search=true

"The Favorite Sister" is written by the author of "Luckiest Girl Alive", but is nothing like that novel. This book opens with a prologue in the present with Kelly Courtney preparing to be interviewed about the death of a fellow cast member on the New York City reality show called "Goal Diggers." The show is like a show out of the "Real Housewives" franchise, but focuses on young successful women in the business world. There are four other women in the cast of the show, but with the exception of few additional chapters narrated by Kelly, the remaining chapters occur in the past and are from the point of view of Kelly's sister and business partner, Brett, and successful author, Stephanie.

The book gets off to a slow start but then the pace picks up in later chapters, but I couldn't connect with the characters. Many books have unlikeable characters, but it was really hard to find anyone to root for in this book. All of the women have secrets, tells lies, and stir up trouble for the other women and will stop at nothing to keep their spot on the television show and remain relevant to the public. The prologue makes it clear that not everyone in the book is going to have a happy ending and I was intrigued to find out what really happened, but never dreamed that all of the women would be so despicable.

I was invested enough in the story that I wanted to know what really happened and I enjoyed some humor of the humor, so once the story got going, it was a quick read. However, even though the author touches on some important feminist issues, overall I felt depressed by the end of the book and not hopeful based on the lengths these women went through for publicity while hiding their true selves from the world and even the people they called their close friends.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Simon and Schuster. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I was surprised that I did not like this book as much as I expected. I found it took a long time to get into the book, and when I finally did, it was nearly over. In addition, the characters were hard to connect with. I don't think I would recommend this book.

I am a HUGE fan of the Real Housewives show on Bravo. Reading this book gave me insight into what and how the show is made. I know its supposed to be 'reality' but there is so much more that goes into it. This book had a very slow build up but by the second half I could not put it down. Every single character had so many twists and turns that I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride!
I thought that the author nailed the characters personas on the head with her descriptions and desperations.
Overall it was a good, quick read. I enjoyed it!

3.5 ⭐️

The Favorite Sister follows the story of a group of self made women that are the stars of the reality series, The Goal Diggers. Five successful women, all wanting to make a name for themselves, what could possibly go wrong? Bedsides, the murder of one of the women. Who killed her and why?!

In the beginning we are introduced to several women, these are some very competitive and some are even vicious about getting what they want. They are going to do whatever they can to make the fans love them. There is plenty of drama, backstabbing and lies to go around. But with all the different stories going on between all of them, I found it hard to keep up with who was who, and their particular stories and not really liking any of them. They were so awful to each other, just to get ahead. During the second half all that tension that was building from the start did come to a head. It was clear who the main instigators people were, and there were some pretty shocking things that were revealed, like who murdered one the cast.

The diversity that this had was something I liked, it brought up all the self awareness, self image and racism and abuse that women sometimes go through, even though at times it did come off a little preachy. I’m not much a reality t.v. girl, so I might not have been the intended target reader for this one. But the thing is, I just coudln’t stop reading, I wanted to see what happened with all the lies and betrayals that these women had going on and I really wanted to know who the murderer was and why they did it. And what they got out of it too. Did it get them ahead somehow or was it just plain jealous?

While this did have it’s up and downs for me but the fact that I just culdn’t put it down says a lot. I guess it turned out to be a pretty good read for me in the end. Fans of reality t.v. will certainly enjoy this one.

The Favorite Sister is a fresh mix of reality TV drama (think Real Housewives or even The Hills) mixed with a murder. If you hate reality TV or some of the "lighter" murder books, then this may not be the pick for you. It was a definite hit for me!

The Favorite Sister primarily switches between sisters Brett and Kelly as well as castmate Stephanie for the narrating. We find out early (this is not a spoiler - I promise!) that Brett dies sometime during the filming of the newest season of Goal Diggers. We know Kelly knows more than the police and TV viewers about what happened, but hasn't come clean for some reason. That is about all we know when the book opens and rewinds us back to before the filming of the season.

As the book progresses, the readers are slowly introduced to what exactly happened and what led to Brett's death (murder?). It also explores the complexities of female dynamics and what women do to stay on top. As a younger sister, I definitely enjoyed Jessica Knoll's exploration of Brett and Kelly's relationship. While this book is light and pokes fun at the female relationships (especially those portrayed on reality TV), it also tackles some pretty serious issues as well (eating disorders, body shaming, racism, sexism, etc).

I do need to add that this book has several narrators and I found it hard to keep them all straight for the entire reading. Many were a bit one-dimensional and none really had any character development to speak of. I was totally fine with this, as I wasn't really expecting that from this light and fun novel. I have to admit that I confused two of the characters (Jen and Lauren) for most of the novel, but don't really think that this affected up my overall enjoyment. The primary characters and narrators - Brett, Kelly and Stephanie - are easier to remember and identify with. These ladies are flawed, but aren't we all?

I enjoyed the fun of discovering what really happened in The Favorite Sister and I hope that you do, too! I would not classify this as a thriller (as the back of the ARC says), but rather a drama-filled, binge-worthy read! If you want a book to get lost in on a long flight or while hitting up the beach this summer, then look no further than The Favorite Sister! I'll definitely be passing my copy along to my sister to read as well!

Really intriguing premise, and I really appreciate the unique perspective. I didn't like Knoll's first book very much, but this one really blew me away. I very much enjoyed the concept of the "reality show gone haywire," and I think that this would make a great addition to a high school library with some reluctant readers in it. I didn't see the twists coming, either - overall I'd say it's a solid 8/10 and I'd recommend it highly.

Review: The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll 4.19.18

Reality television has been a guilty pleasure for years. Although I skipped “Survivor”, I was obsessed with the first few seasons of “Big Brother”. That led to “Project Runway”, and the HGTV onslaught, leading to Bravo’s “Flipping Out”. Bravo - the network that gave us the franchise that never ends - “The Real Housewives of <fill in the blank>.”

So a book set behind the scenes of a fictional “Housewives” should be catty, dramatic, and highly entertaining, right? Well, two and a half out of three ain’t that bad.

It’s difficult to say that you “liked” a book consisting solely of hateable characters with multilayered agendas. The books starts with a present-day interview being given by Kelly Courtney. But even in the first chapter, it is clear that the thoughts and words of these characters are two diametrically opposed things.

From there the novel alternates between two points of view - Brett (Kelly’s sister) and Stephanie (a member of the reality show cast). The show in question is called “Goal Diggers” (get it?) and allegedly focuses on female-created businesses. We find out early that Brett has died, but we don’t know how or why.

The first two thirds are part drama, part mystery, part social commentary. But it is the last third where Knoll really hits the stride. I won’t lie, it had me both captivated and repulsed. I refuse to divulge the ratio of each.

On the plus side, I did question myself along the way. Not to get on a soapbox or anything, but since reading this novel I’m completely off reality TV (cooking shows possibly excepted). As a social commentary, the novel is thought-provoking. Why do we watch these “actors”? Basically for the same reason that housewives in the fifties started watching daytime dramas. My parents often said they watched soaps so they felt better about their small dramas. I think perhaps we have now evolved into watching those that are supposedly wealthy take the mighty fall.

Would I recommend the novel? It depends on the reader. I wouldn’t call this a beach read. But if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t mind getting a bit of grit under your nails, give it a go. Just be careful how far you travel down the rabbit hole. For not everyone gets out alive.

Short Take: Infuriating. Depressing. Delicious.

*Note: I received a free advance copy of this book for review purposes.*

I think there’s something wrong with me, at least by society’s standards. You see, I’ve never watched any of the reality shows that The Favorite Sister seems to be modeled on. I have never kept up with a single Kardashian, and I have no idea who any of the Real Housewives are, or why there’s a show about cooking, cleaning, and wiping toddlers off (that’s housewife stuff, right?). I’m not trying to be snobby, I think I’ve amply demonstrated (many, many times) just how lowbrow my tastes really are, but the “women being nasty to each other in front of cameras” thing has never interested me.

So it was with a kind of anthropological fascination that I began Jessica Knoll’s newest book, The Favorite Sister, which is centered around the five women who make up the cast of a reality show called Goal Diggers. Diggers is supposed to be the anti-trash show, featuring women who are smart, business savvy, hip, young, and successful. Its mission statement is full of grandiose feminist ideals, in which the women support each other’s endeavors and celebrate their own successes instead of downplaying them.

So far, so good, right?

The problem, it turns out, is that awesome strong women getting along makes for boring TV, and probably boring reading. Which is why The Favorite Sister is so freakin’ good, but at the same time, so deeply upsetting.

There are two levels to The Favorite Sister. The first is the plot itself, which is FANTASTIC. The sisters are Brett and Kelly Courtney. Kelly was always the favorite, the golden child who received endless love and attention from their mother, and went on to become a single teenage mother to Layla, who is now twelve. Brett, on the other hand, went her own way. She founded a chain of spin gyms that also benefited charity, and was the first one cast on Goal Diggers.

It’s a really brilliant dynamic. Which sister had it worse - the one who was so smothered by parental adoration and demands that she never really became a functional adult, or the one who felt unloved her whole life, but went on to do great things? Clearly, that kind of dysfunction can be reality show gold, so a few seasons in, the producers added Kelly and Layla to the show.

The book opens with Kelly being interviewed about Brett’s murder, which is, of course, the huge central mystery. But there’s really so much more to everything. There’s also Stephanie, who wrote a best-selling memoir, and Jen, the Vegan Guru, and Lauren, the heavily alcoholic founder of a hot dating site. Toss in a couple of producers who just want to blow up the ratings and get lots of on-air drama and are willing to pull some nasty tricks to that end, and you have a deliciously twisted soap opera that I could NOT. Stop. Reading.

There’s another level to The Favorite Sister, however, and that’s the message that it sends. For all the feminist rhetoric spouted by the various characters, these women are exactly what the more awful corners of Reddit claim that all women are: they are shallow, catty, materialistic, status-obsessed, fighting over men, hurting each other for attention, lying about abuse, and turning every interaction into a zero sum game. There’s not a single speck of loyalty, caring, or any genuine support for anyone else, ever, at all, by any of them. Any seemingly kind gesture is for the benefit of the cameras or career only.

It’s horrifying, but not in a good “disembodied head floating around the room and cursing everyone” kind of way. I’m left wondering if Ms. Knoll meant for Favorite Sister to be kind of a satire, but it just doesn’t read that way.

Overall though, I couldn’t put this book down, and read through it in a single night, and now it’s three days later and I’m still obsessing over it. So I would say, read it, enjoy it, and don’t internalize a word of it.

The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS (and carbs. Lots of carbs.)

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll

Intriguing premise, 5 women on a reality show called Goal Diggers – right? Although I can’t bear to watch shows like Real Housewives or KUWTK, the fact that this was described as “Big Little Lies meets Real Housewives” made me somewhat optimistic that it might be a guilty pleasure kind of read – sort of like the book Bachelor Nation. With thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a copy of Jessica Knoll’s The Favorite Sister in return for my honest review, I apologetically confess that I couldn’t finish it.

Admittedly, my TBR pile is in double digits, and I am feeling some time pressure to get it together, but life is just too short to spend time reading something where you just can’t stand ANY of the characters, especially when one character is murdered and you realize you sort of wish more of them would meet the same fate.

Looking at some other reviews, I think this will be PERFECT for many readers. If I were still working in a public library, I know I would be able to recommend it wholeheartedly to lots of library patrons. Sort of how I used to say when people would ask me about the latest Danielle Steel book: “It’s VERY popular!”

So, for me this is a one star review. Just not for me, but as I said above, it will be great for lots of people.

My final rating for The Favorite Sister would be between a 4 and 4.5-stars. I really, really enjoyed this. It wasn't what I expected and it is not really the type of book I would normally pick up for myself but regardless, it was a blast to read. Since finishing, I have been thinking about how best to classify this one. We know the world loves to categorize things - as this book definitely points out! I wouldn't necessarily categorize it as a thriller if I were discussing it with friends. I found it more 'contemporary women's fiction' than 'thriller'. There is a dead character, you know that from the beginning and then the narrative fills in, taking you through the events leading up to that death; but I personally didn't feel it was psychologically suspenseful. It was a great character piece; the characters were full of it - ambition and snark galore!
In addition to very strong character development, I loved the overall writing style. It was very modern - full of current pop culture references and slang. I had never read a book that follows a cast of reality television stars...in fact, I don't even watch reality television. The author did a wonderful job of creating a fun and fast-paced novel that actually had a much deeper level of societal analysis; misogyny, feminism, women/women relationships - I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this! The way the author constructed the relationships of these women laid bare a common problem - we are raised, as women, within a society that forces us to view other females as a constant source of threat and competition - statistically, very few women succeed at the levels the characters in this story succeed - so if your friend is succeeding, does that mean there is no room for you too? Maybe I am reading too much into it but I felt this was an excellent expose on the current state of the feminist movement/status of women in American society!
My only negative, and it is a very small one, would be that I felt through the middle it dragged just a little bit. Besides that, the pacing on the front and back-end were both excellent. Thank you so much to the publisher for allowing me to read this book early and to share my thoughts on it. I am really looking forward to this book being released and to reading other people's opinions on it. I think it is going to be well received and I will definitely be recommending it to some friends!

I haven’t read Luckiest Girl Alive, but had heard great things so was drawn to pick up this one. I also have been loving mystery/thrillers lately so had high hopes for this.

The plot is based on a reality TV show, Goal Diggers, set in NYC, and we know at the outset that one of the stars of the show has been murdered. The story then goes back in time putting the pieces of the story together. I was totally sold on this blurb and thought it’d make a cracking story!

How wrong I was!

So much of the content of this book was just so so negative - awful descriptions of women laying into other women, gossiping, bitching, negative body image calls outs left, right and centre! It just kept getting worse, and I almost did not finish the book because of this.

The other really frustrating thing was I feel like the book is incorrectly described as a mystery/thriller - to me, there was a complete absence of this for the entire plot. Yes there was a murder. But until 90% into the story, there was nothing even remotely close to the genre for me. While the twists in the plot at the end were ok, I didn’t think they amounted to ‘thriller’ like at all.

Really disappointed with this one, but will perhaps give the authors earlier novel a try at a later date.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for my review copy of this book..