The Winter Sister was a what really happened mystery, but also a family drama that almost felt more literary than thriller. Still kept me guessing (and being wrong) many times throughout the book.

It was okay. A little familiar on the trope, very similar to others in the genre. The writing was good, and the characters weren't entirely unlikable.

This writer’s work has gotten better with each book! This novel was entertaining and emotional, but the twist was easy to spot. I would recommend this to a reader newer to the genre rather than a more avid mystery/thriller reader.

I was sucked into the mystery of The Winter Sister! I'd seen a lot of my Goodreads friends read and rate this, so I'm glad I got around to knocking this one out. It's very quick paced and does a good job of keeping the tension up throughout the novel. I've got complicated feelings about the protagonist. I'm a firm believer that not all protagonists need to be likable, and they're often more interesting when they're not, but I didn't quite vibe with Sylvie the way I wanted to. That being said, The Winter Sister is a good, thrilling read, and I can see why so many of my Goodreads friends were all over it!

Thank you for letting me read The Winter Sister. I put this one off for awhile but glad I finally got to reading it! Some of this story was predictable and was expected but I still enjoyed the writing of this one and thought it was interesting even though it was a slow burn.

Murder mystery with intimate look at relationships in a family unit, as well as how grief affects people. Re-imagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter. Would be good for discussion in a book club setting.

When Sylvie had just started high school her sister went missing. After a three day search she was found, sadly it was too late. When her mother needs help dealing with her cancer treatment, Sylvie is enlisted to help drive her to appointments and take care of her. As she goes about her daily life she starts to think about her sisters murder and secrets come to light that will finally solve the case.

I love a thriller as much as the next person. But this one was severely predictable. I did enjoy it but I figured out every twist and turn chapters before they were revealed. I honestly started reading it and thought I had read it before. (It started out eerily similar to a YA novel called The Cheerleaders)

I ended up listening to a finished copy via audiobook and I loved this book so much. I found myself sad, angry, confused, and hopeful at various times while listening, and spent extra time driving just to stay in the car longer. Totally didn't see the ending coming, and very glad I got to read this!

There was definitely a reason this novel was chosen for Book of the Month status. Only the best atmospheric thrillers get to ride that train and this is for sure one of them.

The Winter Sister is a story that takes you through a crime that happened a long time ago, through the eyes of a little girl now turned adult. You are never quite sure who to trust while reading this book, and you will be so drawn in by the characters you'll find yourself frustrated, scared, and tense right alongside them. A great read.

While I love a good mystery-thriller and I was intrigued by the premise, I found myself midway and struggling to push through to the end. I thought the ending was a twist unexpected, which is rare because so many books of the same genre kind of play out in similar ways, but this did catch me by surprise which I enjoyed.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Winter Sister was so freaking good! From the very first page, I was hooked. Now I knew lots of people were reading this way before I even got the ARC.. but then once I got it, I sort of forgot about it as well. Oops?

Anyhoo, once I did dive into - I devoured this book. I love a good mystery book every now and then and this one sucked me in. After finding out that Persephone was murdered - I wanted to know how, why, who, when, and what. Probably more questions as well but just know that I was in it for the long haul.

Since this book is revolving around her death, well the family is in full on tension mode. Everyone is blaming someone for her death but not really trying to figure out how or why it all happened. There's a lot of twists and turns in this book. We get to see a bit from Ben's side and how he feels/carries such guilt for the entire situation.

This book was sad at times but so freaking interesting. I won't spoil how it ends but I definitely enjoyed the entire thing.

A great thriller for winter nights when you want to stay in for the evening, or wonderful for a summer night when you want to feel cool while being scared to death.

Will be recommending to library patrons in need of a thrilling literacy escape!

I honestly don't know if I liked this book or not. I usually love thrillers, but lately I've been feeling like I need to branch out more. The first half of this book felt a bit slow but I'm intrigued by stories that focus on relationships between sisters. Unfortunately, the book's twist went in the direction I really hoped it wouldn't and it felt cheap, and then the story kind of fell apart for me afterwards.

Sylvie is the younger sister and one night she makes a decision that affects her for the rest of her life. Her older sister Persephone doesn't come home one night and days later is found murdered. It is now many years later and Sylvie is returning home to take care of her mother as she battles cancer and in returning home she decides to really figure out what happened to her sister all those years ago.



I always love a book where the main character goes back home and in that revisits things from the past and finds the truth. I loved watching Sylvie follow the clues and I was completely satisfied with the resolution - always a big thing for me in a mystery book.

I loved this dysfunctional family. It was a lot of drama, but never felt like too much. There were a few times where I wanted to smack someone into honesty or maybe roll my eyes, but what is fiction without a little drama!

I don't want to spoil but I was distracted a bit because I swear that the thing that Sylvie finds guilt in was also in a recent book I had read. I still can't figure out what book used the same device, but I swear I had read those exact words before - if you have read this book have you read that before? Sorry to be vague, trying to stay away from spoilers!

I liked this one. I was impressed to find out after finishing it was a debut and it makes me excited to see if Megan Collins has more up her sleeve!

Right from the start, I enjoyed this book. It was easy to get into with the back story. I appreciated learning about the family dynamics between sisters, Sylvie and Persephone, as well as their individual relationships with their damaged mother. The plot continued to clip along into the present time, and I started to understand Sylvie’s desire to stay as far away from her hometown as possible, regardless of what was pulling her back and what answers she still desperately wanted. The novel could be considered a slow burn, with just enough happenings to make a reader want to continue. That hint of mystery which pulled me through the rest of the book; I needed to know who killed Persephone.

The relationships among the characters and the individual character’s internal struggles stood out to me. Each character had their own internal demons, plaguing them with guilt in the events that happened so many years ago. While the characters struggled internally, the murderer went undetected. It was the interconnected web of people that had me questioning everyone because any one of them could be guilty of the unsolved murder, but who truly had the motive to take the young teen’s life?

I found myself stuck between believing each character played their role, and thinking that each character couldn’t possibly have murdered anyone. Just as much as Sylvie experiences ups and downs thinking she knows who hurt her sister, I found myself jumping to accusations at every interaction with another character. During my struggle to pinpoint the motive, I found I was able to predict some major twists. I found myself able to piece together some of the key elements that lead to Persephone’s murder, and eventually made my own conclusions before the book revealed the truth to me.

Overall, I thought the book was enjoyable, just not the rollercoaster of a thriller that I am drawn to. Nonetheless, I recommend the book to those that like that slow burn mystery with some twists that cause you to think twice about which characters you trust.

What an atmospheric book! The plot grabbed my attention from the start. The characters were well developed and I was engaged by their stories, the writing was taut and the conclusion very satisfying. Recommended!

Sylvie is trying to find answers about what happened to her sister the night she was murdered. Sylvie also feels some guilt about the night and thinks she might have played a role by locking her sister out of the house that night. This story kept me interested. There were some surprises although not all were that surprising. I had my hunches from early on in the book and the story played out much like I thought it would. The book also delves into relationships between sisters and mothers and daughters.

The Winter Sister by Megan Collins is a riveting tale told over the course of two different time periods. The book begins with the unsolved murder of Sylvie's 16 year old sister, Persephone. This loss devastates Sylvie and her mother. The story fast forwards to 16 years later when Sylvie's presence is requested to care for her cancer-stricken mother. Sylvie must come to terms with how her mother treated her after Persephone's death as she also helps her mother deal with her cancer treatment. Sylvie becomes determined to solve her sister's murder and this leads to some earth-shattering discoveries. Read and enjoy!

This book jumps right into the heart of the story, with Persephone at the center. Even her name is strategically written in Goddess proportions. And then I realized I hadn’t even registered the main characters name after 50 pages in. “Justice was as flawed as any human; it was easily dodged and fooled.” It had me guessing at who the killer is from all angles ~ an entertaining & quick read that I didn’t want to put down or finish. I love the tattoo artist ~ I love the mom even more. Flaws and all. And then suddenly I’m crying for all of them. It’s all part of the crafting of this thriller and the life shattering impact one nights events can have.