The perfect read for all us Real Housewives fans. What a unique set of imperfect women taking us through their drama filled lives one issue at a time. I loved how the book was told from all their perspectives. A fun read

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review this book before it was released because I loved Jessica Knoll's previous novel - The Luckiest Girl Alive. While I found The Favorite Sister difficult to get into originally, the ending far made up for the slow start.

While the initial storyline did not draw me in immediately, once the background had been laid for all of the characters, I was immersed in the world of The Diggers. The story was told from multiple perspectives and in multiple timelines, but each chapter was clearly noted to prevent confusion. By the time the murderous events began to unfold, I was thoroughly invested in the book and stayed up far too late to finish it in that sitting. Jessica Knoll really knows how to pack a punch in her twists because I never see the true story coming!

I loved this book at times, and other times it was a little hard to follow... I think there was a bit too much jumping around from current to past.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I was a big fan of Luckiest Girl Alive, so I was really excited for this title. Sadly, it left a lot to be desired. First off, the characters are nearly impossible to tell apart. Two of them- Lauren and Jen- are practically indistinguishable from each other. And the entire cast of characters is so unlikeable. I mean, no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I did give it two stars because I do enjoy Knoll's writing style, and I liked some of the snarky, reality TV scenes.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/36967019-the-favorite-sister

Quite a few characters that I thought were not necessary, which left the ending not as surprising as I expected. Loved he whole idea of the book, the look at the characters thru each other’s eyes, not necessarily how they were perceived at the beginning.

The Favorite Sister was full of backstabbing and cattiness that you usually see on TV. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down. However, even I was not prepared for all of the plot twists that were waiting.

While I'm not typically a fan of reality TV or Housewives (except for The Bachelor and Bachelorette which just make me glad I'm not in my 20's anymore), I really enjoyed this novel. Yes, it was hard to get into as the alternating points of view had me trying to figure out who was who for the first few chapters. And it isn't a quick read by any means, but I had loved her first novel so much that I knew I had to give it a chance. And I'm so glad I did! It's not your typical thriller. It's more like Mean Girls on steroids meets sometimes-conniving twenty-something young entrepreneurs whose ache for fame supersedes their desires to "make a difference" in the world. So lots of backstabbing (in the name of good TV) and petty jealousies arise when these five women are pitted against each other on reality show, Goal Diggers. What brilliance remains is the way women often treat each other in the attempt to be "real" and compassionate, believing that "their" charity or cause is somehow more deserving than the next one. Yes, we need to celebrate women, yes, we need to stand together with a united front; Knoll exposes the barriers that often come between well-meaning women in contemporary society. The result is a roller-coaster ride with relationships jeopardized at every turn and some very relevant commentary about what lengths people will go to in order to assure fame.

Wow! The number of twists in this book had my head spinning! Jessica Knoll brings us a wonderful but terrifying portrayal of the dark side of sisterhood, leaving the reader wondering if the drama we see on Reality TV is actually less twisted than the truth. I found this novel absolutely captivating! Jessica’s use of alternating narrators kept me on my toes—I didn’t know who to trust or believe. Once I thought I had the dynamics and characters figured out, the narrator would change and everything I thought I knew was turned over.

I have followed Jessica Knoll’s work since her days at Cosmopolitan Magazine, when she wrote her Josie stories. From there, I followed her blog as she kept Josie alive. Though I liked the Josie stories, it was really when she began writing about Elizabeth that I saw what is so special about Jessica as a writer. She writes damaged characters so well; I hate them, I love them, they break my heart, and then somehow they redeem themselves. Sometimes I want to cover my eyes as they are on paths to destruction. Other times I cheer as they show their human side. More than anything, she writes characters who are so dynamic, which makes them feel real.

She excels at writing the woman who seems so enviable on the outside, only to find out how damaged they are from events in their life. When I read The Favorite Sister, I had no clue who to side with. But that is the point, right? It’s ok to love all of the characters, or to hate all of them. It’s ok to side with one, and then two chapters later side with the other. At times I loved all of the characters, and at other times I hated them all. But ultimately, there wasn’t a moment reading this book where I didn’t feel something. That is so important.

The story is about two sisters. But the story is also about four sisters. There are two biological sisters—Brett and Kelly. And then there are the sisters formed through a shared experience—Brett, Lauren, Jen, and Stephanie. Brett, Lauren, Jen, and Stephanie are the only remaining cast members from the original cast of a reality show called Goal Diggers—a show about women in their late 20s/early 30s who own their own businesses and are doing incredible things.

As the novel opens, we are at the end of filming of Season 4, and someone has died during filming. One of the original 4 sisters. Then we move back in time to before Season 4 is filmed, and Brett’s sister and business partner Kelly is joining the cast. But Kelly can’t possibly be prepared for the toxic world these seasoned reality show veterans exist in. They know how to work the system, they know how to interpret how production is manipulating them, and they know when to go with it and when to work against it. Most importantly, they know how to hide the truth—from production, from the public, and most importantly, from themselves. But at what point does the person they are for the show, become who they actually are?

One thing I loved about this story was the concept of sisterhood. As all women know, there are sisters you have from your family connections, but there are also the sisters you find in life. And really, these sisterhood connections aren’t so different. Sisters protect one another from outside forces, but despite the love between sisters, there are few dynamics more impacted by competition than sisterhood. We see this play out in the novel, both between biological sisters Brett and Kelly, and between the four original sisters of the show.

I also enjoyed the setting being in this reality television world. It’s so easy to see the contestants as dysfunctional, but when you really dig deeper, it makes you wonder how much of that is caused by these people making money off of their backs, while manipulating them into torpedoing their own lives. Who is to blame, then? The people who want to do it in the first place? The production company for treating people as pawns? Or the public, for making this a lucrative industry? In the novel, we see four women who have already sold their soul to reality television. But then we also have Kelly, who is at the beginning of her contract. Kelly’s progression through the book is fascinating to watch. Will she be able to resist the seductive pull of fame and power? Or will she become another casualty?

Stephanie was a truly magnificent character as well. Stephanie is a woman of color and a famous writer. But she grew up adopted in a white, wealthy neighborhood. Hearing Stephanie’s experience—how her skin color was almost more impactful on her life because of the privilege she grew up with and the absence of other people of color—was really a thought-provoking aspect of this book.

I think from reading some other early reviews, it is easy to see this book as shallow, because on the surface it is about murder and reality tv. But as you read it, and as you really put thought into the characters and what they are telling you—the lies, the truths, the vulnerabilities—this book really is the perfect mix of salacious and deep. It hooked me because of the drama, but it got into my head because of the love and the tragedy and the characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, to Jessica Knoll, and to Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. So well written. I found this book unputdownable!!

Very interesting premise with unique characters. Excellent beach read for fans of the Bachelor and Unreal. I found this book to be an improvement over Jessica Knoll's debut, with more mature writing and nuanced characters.

It took me a little bit to get into the book, there are a lot of characters and descriptions and I had a hard time figuring the who's and what's at first, that being said once i got into the book a little further I did enjoy it and wanted to see what was going to happen next, there were some twists that I never saw coming.

I was beyond excited to get an advanced kindle copy of this book but I had to struggle through this book and was so disappointed. I think because I loved this author’s first book so much, I had all the faith and trust that this one would be just as good, if not better and I was so let down. There are multiple main characters in this story which can be done well, but this was just confusing and the voices jumped around and as the reader it was never clear who was narrating and who was having discussions with whom. I wouldn’t suggest reading this one unless you are in for a challenge and like to puzzle out what is going on with the characters dialogue. This book is not out to the general public yet, but I do hope more changes and editing are severely taken under consideration before it does.

I had a really hard time with this one and that makes me sad. I just couldn't connect

I hated this book. I couldn’t even finish the second chapter. I have no idea where this book is going but I’m not wasting another minute on it.

This was a DNF for me. There was just too much info dumping, no connection with any of the characters and a storyline that went nowhere.

This is a tongue-in-cheek look at stereotypes portrayed on reality TV written in the same bitter, compelling voice as LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE. Though we know what’s going to happen in the end right from the beginning, the journey is wild, at once deliciously bitter, hopeful, and heartbreaking.

Let’s be clear. This book is not a murder mystery, although there is a murder and a mystery. This book is about the makings of a reality show and just how sick and twisted that can get. I found the characters almost wholly unlike able and yet still wanted to read about them. It was a mediocre ending to a book I’d been enjoying. If the ending has been tightened up a bit in editing, it would have been better.

This book was not for me, and I should have realized it earlier but I was curious. It was far too much like The Real Housewives series which I dislike. But the story was well written and I am sure I would have liked it more if I enjoyed those sort of shows in real life.

Ugh. I don't know why I thought this book might be better than "Luckiest Girl Alive." This was just not my cup of tea. I found it confusing to keep up with, I found the characters totally unlikable, and then ending? As bad as the first book. I don't recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley, who provided an advance e-book copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest book review. The Favorite Sister, is a book about sibling rivalry, and the rivalry between a number of women who are on the reality tv show, Goal Diggers. The show is about young, successful women, and the women on the show will do anything to stay on the cast of the show. Every year, someone leaves and someone new begins their journey on the next season. Brett is the golden child on the show. She has been on the show from the beginning and wants to be on the show for as long as possible. When a slot opens, she offers her sister as a possible new member. Even though Brett knows she won’t be cast... or will she? What would happen if you put siblings together, stir the pot and watch it boil. This book will tell you that, and a whole lot more about 5 women on a reality tv show. There are many twists and turns... and I found my head spinning trying to keep track of them all. I found that it became harder and harder to have any empathy for the characters, as they were so rediculous with the things they did to each other and often to themselves, as well. While it was hard to get into the story, I did eventually get caught up in wanting to know what happens. I just didn’t care much, once I knew.