Little Sister by Isabel Ashdown, what a ride! I waited a day before I wanted to write this review, I wanted to mull over and see how the story settled in my mind because I can’t say that I’ve read a book like this before, and I’ve read a lot a books. This one gives you so many clues, you instantly form an opinion, think you know what’s going on, then you read the next chapter and all that information is not valid anymore. This is a creepy book, so many lies and so many different things happen, everyone has their own secrets. The chapters are narrated by several different characters, Jess and Emily being the main ones, James and Chloe are also involved. Jess and Emily are sisters, they have been estranged for many years, but the circumstances for this estrangement is shrouded in mystery. When you think one of them is not as bad as you thought, then you find out she is worse than you could believe she could have been. The good one is possibly the wicked one.
The ending, I could hear spooky music in my head when it ended. I was going to go with 4****’s as I was reading, but today, after having time to think about the whole story, it has gone up to 5*****’s. This is a really good book, I would highly recommend, nothing is as it seems to be, because no-one tells the truth, do they… easier to not trust anyone. Sometimes people will only tell you what they think you want to hear.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book Little Sister was so outstandingly brilliant.

I was totally lost within the story from start to finish, it was gripping, addictively good and literally had me sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what would happen next. There was a fair few moments when I gasped at what I was reading and a lot of oh my gods, really or wow didn't see that coming. It was a real page turner and just when you think you know what is going to happen next, you get the unexpected.

I was truly impressed by the storyplot of this book, was all so very cleverly done and I thought the characters were really well written and highly executed, they were all so detailed, in-depth and completely believeable

I loved that the story was set in Isle of Wight, it turned out to be the perfect setting for this book.

I can't recommend this book enough, it is a must read for 2018. You will not be disappointed.

Little Sister is a great book. I couldn't put to down. Kept drawing me in deeper and deeper; until the very end. Drama & Mystery.
Would recommend to anyone

Another book about sisters! This looks perfectly creepy and a little scary too. Little Sister by Isabel Ashdown features lies, secrets, and twists. What better combination for a thriller? This one is on my To-Read list and I can’t wait to get started.

It was just that way when Jess and her older sister, Emily, were children. Born barely a year apart, they were deeply entwined, complementing each other in their differences. When Jess felt awkward and shy, Emily, the consummate big sister, was happy to take the lead.

After a long estrangement, they’ve become close again. Jess moves into the comfortable Isle of Wight home Emily shares with her husband, step-daughter, and toddler. Any misgivings about the past are swept away and forgotten.

And then, on New Year’s Eve, little Daisy disappears while in Jess’s care.

Jess is in shock, unable to remember what happened. Emily, traumatized, watches helplessly as her life unravels. But as the search intensifies and the police detective’s questions grow more pointed, a different picture emerges. Behind the image of a seemingly happy family—Daisy’s doting teenage sister, Chloe, loving father and husband, James, and siblings Emily and Jess—there are devastating deceptions and long-ago choices that can never be unmade. And underlying everything is the story of what really happened to drive Emily and Jess apart years ago.



This story is getting rave reviews and I am so anxious to read it! Due out on June 26th, you can read it very soon!

Eh. I think I need to move on from all the family dramas back to the good old serial killers. All the unreliable character plots are getting tired and the loss of memory - ugh, please stop.

There was a lot to this story. I did finish it. It wasn’t bad it just wasn’t good either. The ending didn’t help it.

Again, it could be that I have just had my fill of these psychological thrillers. Please give it a try and see if it may be for you as others have liked it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a free copy in exchange for a review.

Little Sister is set on the Isle of Wight with Emily her sister Jess who has just moved in with her and James Emily,s husband the main characters.It is told from both sisters view point with flashbacks into both their past lives,being billed as a thriller with plenty of twists and turns i found the book just a little bit drawn out and quite predictable even up to the very end.It never really gets going for me and the whole book just seemed to slow to maintain any tension at all.Not for me i'm afraid.

well done psychological suspense that starts off with a bang when young Daisy disappears and then explores the issues between two sisters with a complicated back story. Jess and Emily both have secrets (no surprise there) but it's the impact of those that propels the book. Emily's husband James and his daughter Chloe are intriguing and fleshed out supporting characters. Loved the Isle of Wight setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a good beach or travel book- it's plot driven and you'll find yourself turning pages quickly.

First and foremost I’d like to thank NetGalley & Kensington Books for the ARC of Little Sister by Isabel Ashdown. I will not give any spoilers. I got through this book fairly quickly as it was a quick read for me. I enjoyed the characters and the plot of the story. It was a good thriller book. If you are looking for a good read I would rescind this book to you. Overall I did enjoy it.

Baby Daisy has been taken from her own cot - while being babysat by her aunt Jessica. Her parents Emily and James have gone out for the evening and Emilys sister is home looking after her niece. When Emily and James return home they find Jessica passed out with blood on her. James' daughter from a previous marriage also lives with them. Daisy's disappearance starts to unearth the families secrets and lies in an attempt to find the baby.

This was a fast paced book with a lot of characters that are hiding things from each other. I enjoyed it but it was not overly

Thank to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

A shocking novel with a satisfying ending.. I'll be watching for more from this author in the future.

"At some point in the life of every single human being who walks this Earth, they will construct a lie, whether large or small. No one is without sin when it comes to the art of lying."

After a sixteen-year separation, sisters Jessica (Jess) and Emily are reunited at their Mother’s funeral. Jess even moves into her sister's home (with her sister's husband James and his teenage daughter Chloe) to help take care of her sister's daughter Daisy. Everything seems to be going well and everyone in the home appears to be happy as the arrangement works for them - until the unthinkable happens - Daisy goes missing while Jess is babysitting.

When Emily and James return from a New Year’s Eve party, they find Daisy is missing and Jess lying on the floor covered in blood. Jess has a medical condition which can cause her to pass out for one to two minutes. What happened in those minutes? Naturally the police will question everyone and through the course of the investigations some truths and lies come out.

Just when I thought I had this book figured out, a secret came out or a lie was uncovered. It soon became clear that everyone in this book had secrets. Another title for this book could have been "Secrets and Lies family style" Seriously! What I thought I knew turned out to be a lie or a half truth. Why so many secrets? Who has something to hide? Who doesn't have something to hide? Where is Daisy? Why have the sisters not spoken in sixteen-years?

The premise of this book sounded so good and there are some great parts to this book. Having said that, there were also parts that seemed to drag which caused the book to feel slow at times. I wanted things to hurry up and at other times in the book, I found the pacing to be spot on. This book does have some clever twists and turns. Plus, there are some revelations which show that one of the sisters is not as nice as she appears to be at the beginning of the book.

I didn't mind knowing what happened to Daisy before the end of the book, I found that it worked for this story. As I mentioned above, there are other twists and turns which keep this book interesting. I would have rated this book higher had it not been for the various parts of the book which seemed slow.

I do look forward to reading more books by this Author in the future. I did enjoy this book, I just wished it had more editing or a faster pace throughout.


Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Even though you learn “whodunnit” about halfway through the book this was still an enjoyable mystery that held my attention. Solid 3.5 stars so I’ll round up.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

I would like to thank Kensington Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Little Sister’ written by Isabel Ashdown in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Sisters Emily and Jess haven’t been in contact for sixteen years and when they meet at their mother’s funeral Emily invites Jess to live as part of her family and work as Nanny to baby Daisy. On New Year’s Eve Jess is alone with Daisy while Emily and husband James are at a party, and James fifteen-year-old daughter Chloe is out with friends. When they return home at 2am they find Jess unconscious and baby Daisy missing. Is Jess to blame for Daily’s disappearance as everything was fine until she arrived? Has Daisy been abducted or is she dead?
‘Little Sister’ is a tense and gripping psychological thriller of what happens when a baby traumatically disappears. It’s been well-written with a clever plot, has twists and turns, and interesting characters who have their own secrets. It’s full of suspense and has all the ingredients needed to keep the reader captivated throughout. It concludes with a surprising ending which rounded things off nicely for me.

This book was great!! A psychological thriller that grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let go! So many twists and turns. Secrets, lies, deception and sibling rivalry. Easy to read and kept me engaged throughout. Should highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I didn't care for this book and I could not connect to the characters at all. I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest reviews.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for this ARC! I love psychological thrillers and I really have a fondness for ones that are set in England. I am just a sucker for a good British novel and this one is perfect. This novel really had everything I could ever want in a thriller. From the first line I was hooked. Jess, who has been long estranged from her sister Emily is reunited at her Mother's funeral. After the sisters reunite Emily asks Jess to move in with her, her husband James,her teenage step-daughter Chloe and her little baby girl Daisy. It seems Em has gone back to work and is in desperate need of a nanny. Perhaps Jess would be interested n taking the job? Jess jumps at the chance to be a part of her sister's life.
What happens then becomes a nightmare. On New Year's Eve as James and Emily are at a party and Chloe is out as well so Jess is home alone with baby Daisy only to have her go missing. What takes place after drives the story. Told from various views we see that family secrets don't ever stay hidden. That old wounds have a very hard time healing and that people are never what you really thought and hoped that they would be. This is one of my tops books that I have read this year so far. Pick it up! You will not be disappointed.

Emily and Jessica are sisters only a year apart but have been estranged from one another for the last 16 years because of something terrible that happened in their past.

Then their mother dies and Emily is surprised to see Jess in the pew of the church for the funeral. Surely 16 years is a long time and Emily and Jess reconcile their differences and become sisters once again. So much so that Jess moves into Emily's home where she lives with her boyfriend James, his
15 yr old daughter Chloe from his first marriage, and their precious daughter together, Daisy. Emily having only recently been back to work cherishes the help Jess lends around the house and in taking care of Daisy.

On New Years Eve Emily and James go to a friends house for a party leaving Daisy in the care of Jess for the evening. Upon arriving home Emily finds Jess unconscious on the floor and Daisy is missing. What happened to Daisy? Jess can't remember a thing due to a medical condition. From here we become privy to a lot of lies and secrets until we finally uncover the truth in what actually happened to Daisy.

This is one of those books where I think had it been about 100 pages shorter I would have enjoyed it more. It became too slow and just dragged on. Emily, she is one horrible woman and I became annoyed with her chapters upon chapters of endless self pity so much so that I started to do the skim.

Isabel Ashdown does show talent and some of the twists I thought were good. Even though this wasn't a huge win for me I can safely say that I will read more of her work.

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Books for proving me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Will publish review to Amazon on publication day 6.26.18

I am a sucker for disfunctional families (because I come from one) Sister Emily and Jess have been estranged for about 16 years. Jess is babysitting emily's baby daughter and the baby goes missing. As most books now, its told from both point of views. There is a great plot twist about halfway thru and there are dark secrets all around.

This was a very good book! Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

The story is about two sisters Emily and Jess, who were very close while growing up. Hardly an year apart in age, they made sure to look after and complement each other. But as years passed, their relationship somehow fell part, and are now estranged. Less do we know, that the reasons for them moving apart, is far more dangerous than just a sisters fight!

Now, Jess moves in with Emily in the nice neighborhood of Isle of wight, along with Emily's husband and their family. Just as they were beginning to get close again, relishing their childhood memories (good ones of course!), things start to fall apart. Again! 

Jess babysits Daisy, who mysteriously disappears that night, and Jess simply cannot recollect what happened (She had passed out, when they found her). But Emily knows something more than she says, doesn't she? Does she feel helpless as she watches her sister suffer? Is she trustable, the good big sister? Only, this doesn't stop here at the present. It goes way back to THAT night, which led to the sister's story that drove them apart. Nobody can be trusted, behind the perfect looking family that hides the long buried lies and secrets of the past.

The story shifts between the characters, as they speak their point of view. That's where we get to see the author's crafted writing, who paints contrast in between the characters. Already gripped to the novel, I expect more unexpected twists through the plot, that I can't wait to unveil.

Little Sister is about deception. The theme centered around trust. This story starts not knowing anything about any of these characters. You basically assume everyone is happy and loving. Not until Daisy disappears are these characters exposed of their faults and flaws.

We are introduced to sisters: Emily and Jess. These sisters were close growing up. But for the last sixteen years there was no communication between them. Something happened when Jess was seventeen that caused a riff in their relationship.
Emily is currently married to James. They have a one year old little girl name Daisy. They also have a fifteen year old daughter name Chloe from James previous marriage.
Jess and Emily are reunited after sixteen years, putting aside past mistakes. Jess moves in with Emily and her family taking care of baby Daisy so Emily can return to work. While in Jess’s care baby Daisy disappears.
Every character is under the microscope being watched and questioned regarding the events of New Year’s Eve. Eventually the detectives unsurfaced lies told and the secrets come tumbling out.

A backstory was carefully squeezed in with the present. A missing gap of sixteen years between Emily and Jess allows for many interpretations and suspicions. I got lured easily into the lies not even certain if I could believe the truth. With all these secrets there’s no way to predict the direction of the story. Every turn of events is met with unexpected shock. I loved all the bombshells of truths dumped periodically in the story. One minute a character is reminiscing about the past and the next a golden nugget of truth is revealed shocking the hell out of me. In one monumental moment every lie told had a domino effect of circumstances that fell upon each and every character. My mind conjured up all kinds of who-done it scenarios. With the introduction of more characters the possibilities were endless.

I enjoyed hating parts of Emily’s character. A villain brings entertainment into a story. Emily started off as the wife and mother who had it all, loving husband, a baby girl, and a step daughter. Then in the blink of an eye one circumstance rocked their fragile family structure. Detectives came in with suspecting eyes picking apart each family member with a fine tooth comb exposing hidden secrets that may have been forever buried.

Characters: Emily and Jess, Chloe, Daisy, and James.
Daisy’s disappearance triggers the truth serum.
All the secrets and lies are exposed upon investigation.
Hurt, betrayal, and jealousy cloud judgment.

Daisy’s disappearance was not the premise of this story, but it was the trigger of multiple events that cast of slew of secrets and lies to unfold. Meanwhile, while Daisy’s disappearance takes a backseat to more pressing concerns of which are the two sisters and there backstory it’s a sad discovery as to who really took Daisy. My favorite part in these types of stories is solving the crime, but when an author has the power to change the direction of the story by introducing characters out of thin air my task as a crime solver is done and over with.
I appreciated the time spent getting to know more about the sisterly dynamics and what brought about the distance and no contact, yet at times I felt it was too much. I needed some direction as to where the author was going with these sisters. It seemed too much was going on. The magic slipped away getting lost in the land of confusion. Once the story concluded I pondered many things about these sisters and wondered what the true intentions really were between them all.