I really enjoyed this book set in Lagos. Korede is a nurse at a hospital and a clean freak and we meet her in the first chapter cleaning up after her beautiful sister Alooya has stabbed yet another beau. What can Korede do? she wants to protect her sister but her sister seems to have no conscience or even gratitude for all Korede does for her. Korede confides her woes to a coma patient who is not expected to recover. She carries a torch for a handsome, kind doctor at the hospital but one day Alooya surprsies Koreded at work and meets Korede's adored doctor who falls had over heels for Alooya's charms. What should Korede do? Warn him or go along with whatever her sister decides to do on impulse as always?

I liked the black humour of this tale. It's not a long book. Just a slim volume but it kept me turning the page. and I was sad when it ended sooner than I expected. I laso liked the descriptions and well observed mannerisms of Korede's work mates and life at the hospital. Different and enjoyable.

I was getting a bit bored of all the thrillers I've read recently, but I'm glad I picked this up! This is a fast paced short read full of dark humour and interesting characters. Absolutely loved it, I read it in one sitting. I particularly enjoyed the setting in Nigeria. I look forward to reading more from this talented author.

Yesterday I finished My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite and I loved it! It's about Korede and her sister Ayoola who keeps killing her boyfriends. It's a very fast read, it tells a dark story, but in a fun light way. I could have read 100 pages more about this sister duo and their lives. Excited to see what Oyinkan is writing next. Highly recommend this one.

A quirky insight into the unique relationship between sisters, and a dysfunctional Nigerian family with under currents of domestic violence. The book is a relatively quick, enjoyable read with an engaging plot which gives us a glimpse of Nigerian culture.

I started reading My Sister, the Serial Killer at 1pm. It’s now 4.30pm and I’ve just finished it.
I don’t believe I have ever read a whole novel (albeit, a short one) in this time.

Oyinkan Braithwaite knows how to write a flow of prose that lends itself to continuation. Darkly comedic in places, Korede’s sheer devotion to her younger sister is woven through the pages. Her obsessive-compulsive tendencies make her a natural port of call to clean up after Ayoola’s multiple murder scenes. At its heart, this is a tale of love without boundaries and the certainty that you would do anything for another, including aiding and abetting a serial killer.

And yet. Whilst the writing is clever and beautiful, I am left wanting. The younger sibling is painted as childlike, selfish and irresponsible - the world owes her and she can do now wrong. The elder comes across as a doormat, willing to blindly follow her sister wherever she may go. There are too many unanswered questions. How and why is Ayoola obsessed with murdering her lovers? What happened to the girls’ strict and viscous father? What becomes of Tade? And why does Ayoola carry her knife?

As an easy read, Braithwaite ticks many boxes here. But alas, the story lacks substance.

I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this take on sibling relationships and i don't mind if the main characters aren't always likeable. I found Ayoola fascinating and loved this dark story peppered with humour. I loved the authors writing and will definitely read her next book.

Korede’s younger sister is very beautiful. Her charms enslave people, even Korede. Such a sweet innocent face could surely never wield her father’s antique knife? One might believe it of ungainly, sensible Korede, but Ayoola? Surely not. She is too small, too delicate, too sweet.

As Korede marks off man number three in her notebook, she recognises that her sister, by definition, is now a serial killer. But what do we do to keep those we love from harm? What are we prepared to sacrifice to keep them from a life of imprisonment?

Korede’s family ties are stretched to the limit when Ayoola meets the Doctor Korede has already fallen in love with, and reveals him to be as shallow as all the other men chasing after the woman Ayoola seems to be on the surface.

Though Korede can confide in one man, Muhtar, a man in a coma and on the brink of death, she has no one else to talk to, not even her mother. She bears the brunt of her sister’s psychopathology alone.

As a nurse, Korede has an excellent knowledge of how to clean blood. She is good at keeping secrets. Aside from her sister’s murders, there is another family secret that may just be the route of Ayoola’s behaviour. The knife came from their deceased father. In the unfolding of the story of Ayoola’s murders we learn more of their father, how he behaved and how he might have died.

I really enjoyed this novel. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, My Sister, the Serial Killer is a thriller you can read in one sitting, delighting in the short chapters, the precise, clean prose, and the painful divisions of loyalties. Beating with a feminist heart, the novel explores the fickle nature of human desire and the strength of love born of responsibility. How mutable is morality when faced with the need to protect our loved ones? It’s a great read and leaves me keen to read whatever Oyinkan Braithwaite writes next.

Such an unusual quick read, superbly written and so dark. Will be recommending this to everyone! I was completely absorbed in the sisters’ relationship.

I loved this unique and gripping story of two very different sisters, Ayoola and Korede. I raced through the novel in a day as it was so tense and twisty I genuinely had no idea how it would end. The novel kept me guessing right until the final page and the ending did not disappoint. I'll be recommending this widely.

Humour and serial murder don't often go hand in hand but Oyinkan Braithwaite has pulled it off. This is the story of two sisters; the elder who strives to please and protect, the other beautiful but a little prone to ending her relationships abruptly.

Korede, a nurse and the saner of the two sisters, has fallen for a doctor colleague at work. Unfortunately for Korede her beautiful sister, with the unfortunately short relationship attention span, sets her sights on the young man. Should she warn the doctor about her sister's way with men or sit back and wait with the bleach and rubber gloves?

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Darkly funny, My Sister, The Serial Killer is possibly one of the most original books I’ve read. I loved the genuine language detail and expressions. What’s special about this book is that you know whodunnit, the question really is will she get away with it?

I loved My sister, the serial killer. It is unusual to ever read which shows living life when your sister is a serial killer! Loved both main characters and I'm hoping that Oyinkan Braithwaite is writing a sequel!

Silly and funny, this black comedy grabbed my attention from the start. Two sisters, one of whom has an unfortunate habit of doing away with her besotted suitors, the other bailing her out of some very awkward situations. Very dark comedy indeed.

A blackly comic novel about lies, love, Lagos, and how blood is thicker - and more difficult to get out of the carpet - than water.

"Femi makes three you know. Three and they label you a serial killer."

When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the fit doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other...

Well written book about two sisters Korede and Ayoola. Ayoola is a serial killer and Korede is her protector clearing up the mess she leaves. gradually the book gives you a fuller picture of their lives, it is both funny and dark at same time. Well written the book manages to bring humour to a dark tale.

As soon as I saw the intriguing title of the book and the beautiful cover, I knew i had to read it. And I'm so glad I did!

Korede and Ayoola are sisters. Korede is the older, sensible one and Ayoola is the pretty and reckless one. Sounds pretty ordinary so far, doesn't it. Except...Ayoola is a serial killer who likes killing her boyfriends and then calling her sister to come and help cleaning up.

"On their one-month anniversary, she stabbed him in the bathroom of his apartment. She didn't mean to, of course."

This was an entertaining read that I would describe as a black comedy. I think the book might appeal to a wide range of readers due its wit and great punch lines.

"How was your trip?
It was fine...except...he died."

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wickedly dark and clever story. It’s not the normal whodunnit type thriller - the title makes it very clear who did it! But the tension is built up through the relationship between Korede and Ayoola - really it’s about family and what they will do for each other. It’s also a really interesting insight into life in Lagos, Nigeria (not something I know anything about, other than through this book and the also amazing Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo).

I just wish it was longer - at only 200 pages this just isn’t enough time to delve into the sisters compelling back story and relationship, tantalisingly hinted at through some brief flashbacks.

(Thanks to the publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

'It was a shame to think that death would whittle away at his broad shoulders and concave abs, until he was nothing more than bone.'

I selected this book because the last few thrillers/crime novels I've read recently have been really disappointing. This novel doesn't have a 'big mystery', like a whodunit, and nor does it follow the Gone Girl/ Girl on a Train type of thriller plot that seems to have boomed lately. The focus is far narrower, and explores the relationship and dynamics between the two sisters at the centre of the story far more than the killings themselves, which I appreciated. I hoped that this style of novel would allow me to relate to the characters on a more emotional level, but honestly, I was left a bit disappointed. The story is really short, and at times I felt like I was reading a second or third draft of a novel in which only 50% of the scenes have been fleshed out. Because of this I didn't find any of the relationships (including familial) convincing, and when I was meant to be at the height of the plot I found I didn't really mind what the resolution of the novel was at all (it was also underwhelming). Additionally, I didn't understand how the side-plot with Muhtar was meant to support the story or provide another dimension to it.

Ultimately, I wanted to like this book way more than I did. I think that technically Braithwaite is a skilled writer, and I liked her style, but I think the story could have done with being double the length in order to considerably flesh out each scene. I'm not going to actively search out Braithwaite's work but nor would I dismiss reading more of it if given the opportunity.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for the advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

Wow this is different. They say blood is thicker than water and in this case it is true. Sisters in a house with a tyrannical father. He has to go, so the plan it. When they bury him the youngest daughter creeps into his study and takes the curved knife from the drawer - to protect herself. Well written book, free flowing and emotional.

I loved this novel and spent some happy time online, looking up the Nigerian fashions and foods which help to flesh out the setting of this frequently twisted and often touching story. The main characters are perhaps a little less fleshed-out than the setting, the sociopathic Ayoola especially, but the secondary cast is original, intriguing and well-drawn. Tade, Lagos' answer to McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy, is at once complex and cringingly obvious. Muhtar, Mohammed, Yinka, Femi the dead poet...all vividly portrayed and compelling. I would certainly read more from this author - beautifully written.

Fantastic book! Worthy of all the hype surrounding this book. Koredes sister is a serial killer- men fall for her beauty, and somehow end up dead at her hands- yet this is always self defence if you believe her. Korede always finds herself literally picking up the pieces for her sister, until her sister starts dating the one man Korede loves. A fast paced novel that I read in three days.