Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this story. There was a bit too much going on and the ending caught me off guard. It was thrilling in the sense that there was a lot of twists and turns, but overall the story didn’t stick with me.

Sister Dear by Author Hannah Mary McKinnon is a Mystery Thriller of a story primarily about two sisters that unknowingly share a father.

It starts off fairly interesting for me, but the storyline does become quite predictable, and I found it a little hard to want to finish. It just does not capture a real thrilling ending for my tastes

2.5 Stars

Thanks to NetGalley, HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing and the Author for my advanced copy to review

Eleanor has been at odds with her Mother and Sister all her life. It seemed like it was always 2 against one. Her Father was always in her corner but is in hospice dying. Just before he passes away Eleanor learns a secret that rocks her world.
This is a new author for me and this was a great story line. It is full of unexpected twists and turns. I would give this book 4 1/2*. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

An ARC of this novel was sent to me by NetGalley for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Amazing storyline and characters from the author- it is extremely well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

3.5 rounded up for great ending

This was a slow burn after a juicy first chapter. My heart bled for Eleanor. She had a wonderful (step)dad but her mom and sister were awful.

There was a bit of time where Eleanor pursues her new half sister, Victoria, with some dark intentions but this isn’t really her true vein. Eleanor, frustratingly, makes some poor decisions and self sabotages. She isn’t a strong person (and character) but with her history that’s not surprising.

Then everything unravels and it is something else! I won’t see much because it’s impossible to without a spoiler but it was a fun ending. So, so crazy... yeah, that was fun.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and HARLEQUIN - Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) for a copy in exchange for a review.

I read this one expecting a thriller and I’m having a hard time categorizing it, but it’s NOT that. The whole first half seems to be setting up the story, but there’s no real pay-off. A few twists at the end, but it just didn’t work for me.

Eleanor is having a rough week, her father dies, she’s mugged, and she overhears a conversation that throws her whole identity into question. That sounds like a great premise, but it just doesn’t develop. She’s soon chasing after her new family and envies their wealth and privilege. There’s a side story with a gorgeous neighbor, but again, just didn’t engage me as the reader.

I found the characters to be unlikeable and unrealistic. I found that Eleanor’s actions didn’t make a lot of sense to me. At any rate, just not my favorite read of this author. I really liked “The Neighbors” but I noted that “Her Secret Son” had a great premise and wasn’t executed well. Maybe this isn’t a good author for me.

Sorry!

This one did NOT work for me at all, and I was granted a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for a candid a review!

Eleanor had always been treated like an unwanted step child, by her biological mother...who always favored her half sister, Amy.

So when she finds out upon her beloved father’s passing that he was NOT actually her biological father, she goes in search of the one who is.

She discovers that she has another half sister, Victoria, who has been brought up in a life of privilege, and luxury, while she, Eleanor has gone unrecognized as another heir.

In three weeks time, Eleanor transforms herself, physically and mentally, going from Victim to Villain, and not caring who she hurts in the process. I didn’t like who she became, or how she treated her new Insta Love, Lewis.

So, how could I feel sympathetic for her when she was served her “just deserts”??

At 25% I thought about DNF
At 50% I really wanted to DNF
And, by 100% I wished I had DNF!

Yes, there ARE some twists you won’t see coming, but the drudgery of getting there, did not make it worth it for ME.

I cannot recommend this one.
But, if you read it, I do hope it works better for YOU!

Releasing on May 26, 2020

Sigh. I wish I could show my face after finishing this book last night.

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First off, it was incredibly slow moving. Oh my goodness. Plodding. But I saw someone referred to it as twisty and kept at it, waiting for delicious mind bending.

No. There was no mind bending. I saw the twist coming early on in the book, and kept hoping it was going to surprise me, but no.

And then the end?

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I am so annoyed.

Review copy provided by Net Galley.

If you asked me what is my favorite Hannah Mary McKinnon book I’d say every single one! I fell in love with her first book and couldn’t wait til the next and then the next and now I wait very very impatiently for any news on when the next book will drop! Sister Dear was all kinds of mind thrilling, creepy, edge of your seat til the last page book! I love when books lead you one way and then right to the end BOOM totally not the way you think it ends. I can’t say enough about how amazing this author is! Thank you Netgally for my ARC copy for my honest review. I can’t wait for others to get their hands on this book when it comes out!!🎉🎉

*4.5 stars

When Eleanor's father dies, she feels alone. She's not close to her mother nor her sister. Both aren't very nice to Eleanor and feels its best to cut them from her life. While her dad was dying she over hears something she wasn't meant to hear: that he wasn't her biological father. Looking for a family, she sets out to learn about her other family. Along the way, she changes......for better or worse? I found this to be addicting! I was rooting for Eleanor. In many ways, we were a lot alike. I was still rooting for her at the end. I honestly, felt bad for her. She got shit on a lot! I really wanted a different ending for her but maybe, someday, there will be a sequel?? This had many of the things you look for in a good mystery so I highly recommend!

**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

This was a really dark thriller that follows Eleanor through some pretty twisty stuff! There's a lot of shock value and wow moments, but I don't don't feel the actual characters and story were fleshed out deeply enough. Overall it was pretty good though.

Sister Dear started out feeling a bit like a chick-lit/romantic kind of book but then took a sharp turn into the domestic thriller vibe. When things really got rolling I was super into it and loved the fast paced, unexpected twists and turns. However, for me, it was a little bit to slow getting there - there was a lot of story build up. With that said, it was interesting to watch Eleanor's relationships develop and grow.

Eleanor has had a bit of a tumultuous family life. When she finds out, mere hours before his tragic death that her dad, whom was her closest ally in her family, wasn't actually her biological dad her life starts spiraling out of control. Eleanor is going to find a way to insert herself into her biological dad's family whether he's onboard or not. Things don't go exactly as she had planned.

I felt like there were just a couple of loose ends for me when all the dust settled at the end (noting major, just my own curiosity about a few background characters) but holy heck that ending was something else. It was intense and had me on the edge of my seat. Overall, I would recommend this one to those that like a twisty, domestic thrillers.

What a surprise! This book had twists that I never imagined. Loved it! Eleanor is very close to her father, but not at all close to her sister and mother. When he is on his deathbed, Eleanor finds out that he is not her biological father. She is able to find out her biological father's identity and yearns for a relationship with this side of the family. Unfortunately, everything doesn't go as smoothly as Eleanor had hoped. This was a great read!

This was an incredible novel that drew me in and never let go. I felt emotionally invested in the characters’ lives and couldn’t stop reading.

This was a fantastic domestic thriller! I loved the pace of this one, you could just see where things were going bad but I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen! I felt for Elenor, her life was going to crap and she just couldn’t handle it all until she finds out about her other family and then things start to change! @hannahmarymckinnon is the master of those wow endings that I can’t enough of! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ✨thank you to @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for my review copy🤍

I had a hard time connecting to the main character, which kept me from enjoying this book more. I like the fast pace and the twists and turns, but the ending felt like it was arranged purely for shock value. Overall, I'm sad to say this one wasn't a winner for me. If you love all twisty thrillers, this would be a good choice for you. Since thrillers aren't my #1 favorite genre I sort of expect more from them and SISTER DEAR didn't deliver. I enjoy thrillers like GIRL ON THE TRAIN and THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW whereas SISTER DEAR does not compare to those novels.

Hannah Mary McKinnon knows how to fool her readers and keep them guessing. This is my second novel by McKinnon and I am not sure which I loved more. But I will definitely be coming back for more!
Eleanor is a lonely girl who adores her father. One night she is attacked and misses being with him as he passes away and she is left to deal with the aftermath of her mother and sister, Amy. No one gets along and it is then she finds about her dad really isn't her dad. Suddenly so many things from her childhood make sense. Eleanor desperately wants to meet her father and half-sister. This is when things become very real and Eleanor finds herself right in the middle of her half-sister, Victoria's life. McKinnon keeps the suspense going. You will find yourself loving that Eleanor is getting a life of her own and seems to be finding herself amid the false pretense she had brought on. Victoria is the sweetest or is she??
I will be recommending this work to others and will continue to follow Hannah Mary McKinnon's work. I really enjoyed this book and could see this one coming with another book following this one. What does happen in 17 years from now with Eleanor? Special Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin books, and Hannah Mary McKinnon for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

#SisterDear #NetGalley

I’m in the minority with my 2 star rating but I just tried several times to get into this book but I’m sad to say I just cannot connect to any of the characters! Sorry to say but I gave up at 56% which is longer than I usually last on a book I’m not liking. I tried, I really did! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon is a shocking, surprising, dark, and twisty story!

When a young woman named Eleanor’s father dies, it devastates her. To make things worse, she learns that he wasn’t even her real father! What a double blow! How upsetting!

Of course, she goes looking for her real dad. What she discovers is a half-sister who is everything she is not and is living the life that should be Eleanors. Victoria has a perfect life, full of luxuries plus she’s rich and beautiful with a handsome husband. Its enough to make Eleanor seethe with anger- and a large dose of jealousy.

Synopsis:

When Eleanor Hardwicke’s beloved father dies, her world is further shattered by a gut-wrenching secret: the man she’s grieving isn’t really her dad. Eleanor was the product of an affair and her biological father is still out there, living blissfully with the family he chose. With her personal life spiraling, a desperate Eleanor seeks him out, leading her to uncover another branch on her family tree—an infuriatingly enviable half-sister.

Perfectly perfect Victoria has everything Eleanor could ever dream of. Loving childhood, luxury home, devoted husband. All of it stolen from Eleanor, who plans to take it back. After all, good sisters are supposed to share. And quiet little Eleanor has been waiting far too long for her turn to play.

Eleanor is such a flawed character, she’s insecure and damaged by her upbringing. She’s an interesting main character and I enjoyed Hannah Mary McKinnon’s writing. I know this is going to be a favorite of many readers when it comes out in May!

Coming out on May 26, pre-order here!