The Favorite Sister is a stand alone thriller following the lives of two sisters and the cast of a reality show, "Goal Diggers."

There is plenty of drama to keep readers entertained and trying to entangle who said what to who, who is sleeping with who, who is doing what to stay relevant.

A huge nod to the Desperate Housewives series of reality tv takes the reader behind the scenes of what it is actually like to be a part of the cast. Alliances and friendships only last as long as a commercial break. Half fiction, half treatise on what feminism is today and the inequality of what is expected and required. A very interesting read.

This is the perfect summer read! Suspenseful, thought-provoking, successfully and freshly skewers reality show tropes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for gifting me with an ARC of The Favorite Sister.

I was beyond excited to receive an early review copy of Jessica Knoll's sophomore novel. As a die hard fan of reality TV and contemporary fiction, this book should have been an absolute winner. I am sorry to say, it was just mediocre.

Two sisters are part of a cast of five women who agree to share their daily lives on television as they promote their brand and cause. Of course, these women are not interested in sharing ANYTHING! Everyone has an angle, and each craves the most airtime even if that means lying. cheating, backstabbing and yes murdering to get that coveted top spot.

Jessica Knoll is quick with the snark, and her writing is clever, biting , sharp and so relevant for today. My problem was with the editing of this book. It was confusing in the beginning to separate the multiple points of view and recognize and identify with all the various characters. There were timelines shifting in middle of a page and often too much dialogue. The plot was thin and I found the twists common. The surprise element was overall basic & dull. It may be my expectations were raised as I really enjoyed Ms. Knoll's first book.

If you like Desperate Housewives or Real Housewives of wherever, you'll love this. I wasn't that into the "show" part of it since I've never been into either of those shows but I loved the thriller/whodunit aspect. I never really figured out how Brett died until it was actually revealed. I guessed the killer a couple of times but Jessica Knoll does an awesome job of keeping you second guessing and making you change your mind. What I really enjoyed though, is reading the Q and A's with Jessica at the end. This book is so much more than it seems.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Written in a style that leaves little breadcrumbs to the biggest mystery, The Favorite Sister kept me reading because I needed to find out why Brett died. This story centers around a group of women on a reality show, including Brett, the breakout star, and Kelly, her sister and newcomer to the show. The novel is written in alternating views from alternating times - pre and post-death - as the reader tries to figure out what is real and what is “reality.” Most interesting to me was the lies that each character has to live with in order to be a star, which serves as a reminder that no one is as happy as they seem on screen. I would recommend this book to those who enjoyed Knoll’s “The Luckiest Girl Alive”or anyone who loves to read “behind the scenes” articles about reality television.

I really expected a 5 star, just because of the dramatic premise, but unfortunately I just could not give it that. I rated it on the higher side, but would give it a more 3.5 star. It started out with so much spunk, but it just didn't get to the pulling you in and making you hold your breathe place I love my thrillers to take me. I still would recommend and definitely admit it kept me reading to find out who killed Bret.

The Favorite Sister follows the cast of Goal Diggers, a reality TV show about women who've achieved success in the business world. Picture your favorite guilty pleasure reality TV show where women are the front and center (did somebody say Real Housewives?) and you're close to the stars of Goal Diggers. You find out early on that Brett, the fan favorite, was murdered. The book details the events that lead up to Brett's demise, which coincidentally begin when Brett's sister, Kelly, joins in for taping.

Lies, drama, cattiness, backstabbing - it's a wonder the cast of Goal Diggers could keep any of their stories straight. I liked the twists and turns of The Favorite Sister, however at the beginning I found I was a little confused with the different players involved. There are strong messages in the book relating to the various struggles that women face, but I felt at times it got a little too preachy and some of the cast's actions were slightly maddening - particularly Stephanie, Brett, and Kelly because they seemed so aware of the struggles women deal with. This was a good read, but I personally enjoyed The Luckiest Girl alive a bit more.

This was a good twisty murder mystery. It had me guessing and changing my mind over and over in my head. It was full of nasty characters who one could learn to adore.
It is a book based on a reality tv show from behind the scenes after one of the main characters has died.
I found it took a little to get this story started and to get my characters straight. But overall I enjoyed the different POV's of each character and the final half of this book was all "full speed ahead!".
A great psychological murder mystery for the modern age!

I have tried to read this book several times but I honestly could not get through it. The characters were very superficial and unsympathetic. Though I enjoyed THE LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD, I simply couldn’t relate to this group of characters. Perhaps it might be enjoyed by a younger demographic.

Kardashian & Real Housewives drama mixed with murder – what’s not to love with a storyline like that?

What I liked:

All of the characters are success stories. They did not have everything handed to them. I enjoyed reading about how each female persevered to get where they are today. I enjoyed the inside look at a reality show – Most reality shows are scripted and fake, and this plot definitely supports that theory. The book has a lot of character diversity! It has people that are black, white, and every color in between, old, young, every kind of sexual orientation imaginable, and different economic backgrounds. This book reflects the complicated relationships of sisters – the highs and lows, the good and bad, the loyalty, love, support, and friendship – and how it can change minute by minute.

What I didn’t like:

The many POVs got me confused on who was narrating. I kept going back to the beginning of the chapters to remind myself who was narrating. I couldn’t keep them straight. The voices were not as distinctive as they could have been. There were so many characters narrating this story that it only provided a small glimpse into the person before it switched to another character’s viewpoint. I didn’t like any of the characters. I think that this was the author’s intent, and she certainly succeeded in this, but hey, I need someone to root for. This book was long, and many times it went overboard on feminism topics.

If you like watching reality shows on Bravo and E! and relish the drama, cat fights, tears, and backstabbing of these shows, you will enjoy this book!

So as I read; I realized- damn I need to read the first book! Story of my life! However, if you are like me and read this first, it's still a fab read that doesn't disappoint! It's like Big Brother in a book but it's really not, it's about women and triumph, cattyness and all things that make a girl a girl! Oh snap, did i forget to mention death? Yes - always, sadly a good read when someone dies; you will continue to wonder- what happened to Brett? You are hooked from the first chapter! Kudos for this read! Loved but now I must read the first book to get the back story!

Again, thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Shuster for this amazing read!!

The Favorite Sister is a dramatic and humorous story about successful women on a reality tv show and what they will do to stay on top. The story follows a reality tv show about self-made women focusing on their careers called Goal Diggers. The Goal Diggers are Stephanie a best-selling author, Jen a creator of vegan food line, Lauren the founder of dating app, and Brett the owner of the SPOKE spinning studios. Brett’s older sister and business partner Kelly along with Kelly’s 12 year old daughter Layla are new additions to the cast. Stephanie’s new memoir is a huge success, but she had a falling out with her best friend Brett, her husband has a wandering eye, and as the oldest on the show at 34 (gasp!) she worries she will be cut. Lauren was forced to step down from being the CEO due to her drinking and drug use and she believes one of the Goal Diggers sent Page 6 the video that exposed her substance abuse. Jen pretends to be someone different on camera, her mother favors Brett over her, and her secret relationship ended leaving her heartbroken. Brett has come into money from SPOKE and is engaged to her lawyer girlfriend, Arch, but is worried the truth behind her fight with Stephanie will come out. Kelly is a single mother who manages all the business aspects behind SPOKE and she would like some recognition for her work. At the start of the story, the show has wrapped and we learn that one of the Goal Diggers has been murdered. Then the following chapters take place before, during, and after the filming of the show leading up to the murder. Feeling in constant competition to be relevant on the show and in their endeavors, each of Goal Diggers has been telling lies, keeping secrets, forming alliances and backstabbing each other. As the story progresses, all their lies and secrets come out building up to the shocking conclusion.
The story has a fair pace and well-written characters. The story does keep you mostly interested, but could slow when one of narrators when off on a tangent. The story is told in first person alternating between Brett and Stephanie with a few chapters narrated by Kelly. The story centers around Brett and Stephanie and we learn the most about them. I would have liked a couple chapters told by Jen and Lauren to be able to get their perspectives and understand the motives behind their actions. Besides Layla, the characters are not really likable, but that is probably true of any reality tv show. Also characters are hard to keep track of at the beginning before we are fully introduced to them, but they are easier to follow as the story goes on. Brett is self centered, braggy, and nasty to Kelly. A good thing about Brett is that she had strong body positivity despite being treated as the fat girl her whole life. Stephanie is funnier, but she could be a snob and she was obsessed with her age (34 is not old). She was stressed about her secrets, her age, and has always felt out place being a black girl adopted by a rich white family. Lauren is always drinking or on drugs, playing the dumb girl. Jen is really uptight and a total fake. She not only fakes being a hippie, she also fakes being a vegan. A true vegan would never ever eat meat, dairy, or eggs for any reason. The author is very inaccurate about the vegan diet, if Jen was on balanced vegan diet she would not have her health issues, her hair would be shiny and healthy, and she would be a healthy weight, not super thin. Jen was never on a vegan diet and calling her juice cleanses or anorexia a vegan diet is very wrong and narrowminded. Kelly is the most down to earth one, trying to better her life, run and expand SPOKE without going bankrupt, and raise her daughter. Although we get to read with happened with the murder, the scenes are not gory. The sex scenes are not very graphic or overly descriptive. The author does raise intriguing points about how women are defined, how women act toward one another, how society always pits women against each other, and what we are willing to do for fame and fortune. The ending is not a cliffhanger, we learn who the murderer is and how. Fans of Luckiest Girl Alive, Big Little Lies, Pretty Little Liars, and the tv series Unreal would enjoy this book. I liked the book aside from the author’s annoying errors on veganism. I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Favorite Sister

I can’t tell you how excited I was for this book release. So you can imagine the squeals of joy when I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book opens with present day questions about a murder. A group of powerful women from different backgrounds on a reality show. One ends up dead. Personally, I love when a book starts in the middle and I have to put the pieces together.

I grew up in the age of “The Real World”. You know, when reality TV brought up questions about diversity, culture and socioeconomic status. This book tapped into that vein for me.

While the start was fast, the first half of the book dragged. There were so many characters that I had to take notes to keep track. However, I stuck with it and about the 50-60% mark, a switch flipped and I was right there in Morocco with the cast and crew of Gold Diggers. It’s incredibly rare that I do this, but I read the second half of the book in one night. I was even more surprised by this because the first half took soooo long for me to get through. I’ll say that not all of it was necessary and I’d like to see some trim there, but the ending (multiple twists!) was well worth it!

Fast pace and keep-you-guessing. While I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a good thriller, fans of Housewives-style reality shows will find a special pleasure in the “behind the scenes” stories this book offers. The reflections on feminism told through this reality-show lens are especially thought provoking.

I really enjoyed The Luckiest Girl Alive, but this one I couldn't get in to. After 120 pages I had to call it quits unfortunately. Maybe it just wasn't the right time? I'll give it another shot later.

I was a huge fan of The Luckiest Girl Alive, and had my doubt that the author could deliver another book on the same level of excellence. And to be completely honest, when I heard that the storyline had to do with reality show personalities, I began to expect the worst. I am happy to say, however, that I was drawn into the story, could not put down the book, and LOVED all the twists and turns!!! There is nothing better than having an unpredictable story line, and The Favorite Sister provided just that! This is definitely something that you should only begin reading when you have several hours to devote to it, because you cannot put it down once you start reading it!

We know from the first paragraph that Brett is dead, but we don't know what happened to her or why. What follows is the slow unraveling of five ambitious women as they film a season of their reality show, tension ratcheting up until the confrontation that will leave Brett dead. This is an intense, page-turning book about ambition, friendship, and jealousy, and I'm still thinking about it days later! Highly recommend.

Buckle your seat belts, it's going to be a wild ride.

That's really all the advice I can give you when it comes to The Favorite Sister. That, and if you are the mood for a fast paced novel filled to the brim with drama and characters you love to hate - pick this book up now.

Set in world of reality TV, The Favorite Sister tells the story of five young high powered business women chronicling their lives for the cameras. The producers want you to think this is a serious documentary of how power players are made but as they enter their fourth season, Goal Diggers has begun to skew closer to Real Housewives meets Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Backstabbing, bitching, and secrets are what follow these women around and as the stress, jealousy and vitriol between the main players continues to grow there is no way for this season to end in disaster. It's really just a question of how bad will the shock waves get?

While this novel is totally bingeable in a 'I can't look away from this trainwreck' entertainment value, perhaps what is most interesting of all is the way it tackles some very timely and important topics such a feminism, women's rights and the role of media. Knoll laces this novel with quotes and statements that make you pause and consider the larger story. Is this a beachy consumable women's fiction novel, or is this piece of fiction creating a satire of our society today and it's role/effect on women? Either way, both ways...I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read this book in advance. Unfortunately, I did not finish this title. I really wanted to like it, the plot seemed right up my alley. I didn't care for the author's writing style though. I found the different view points very confusing. I would definitely give this author another try but this one just wasn't for me.

I was unable to get into this one too much conflict and going back and forth.