The Sun Sister is another epic saga by Riley at just over 800 pages, but with a timely, astute, present tale and a fascinating, immersive, past tale the pages seem to turn themselves. It is truly hard to believe that this series is close to its end, and I think for every reader whether they’ve been a die-hard fan and read them all or merely a part-time connoisseur whose been swept away by only one or two the fact that there is only one more left to come is truly bittersweet.

The Sun Sister is the sixth book in The Seven Sisters series. This novel follows Electra and Cecily. In this novel, Electra is recovering from rehab and wants to start a better life.

In this series, Electra has never been my favorite sister in The Seven Sister series. She has always been very selfish, uncaring, and likes to start fights with the sisters. This novel tries to redeem her. However, she is still unlikable and often complains slot. Thus, I did not like the modern plot as well.

Instead, I loved Cecily and her story. She is a strong character. She made many sacrifices for the ones she loves. I found her to be one of the strongest characters in this novel. I could not help but wish for her to have a happy ending with her love.

Overall, this novel is about recovery, redemption, and finding one’s self. Aside from Electra, I found all the characters to be very likable, and it was a pleasure revisiting the other sisters again. I also loved how the novel took us from the lush safari of Kenya to Harlem, New York. I also loved the clues of Pa Salt, and look forward to his conclusion. Thus, this was an enjoyable but the weakest novel in The Seven Sisters series. For fans of the series, you must miss this book! Lucinda Riley is one of the world’s greatest writers!

I was not able to get interested in this book and I did not finish it. The characters and the plot were not able to catch or keep my attention.

The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley is the 6th book in the series. I have been waiting a long time for this one to come out and I was not disappointed. To me, it is not a standalone book and it all makes more sense if you start at the beginning. I love Riley's writing style and character building. I'm already looking forward to the next book!

2 stars! ⭐️⭐️

It absolutely PAINS me to give this book such a low rating. It hurts my heart because this book series has been some of my most enjoyable reading experiences. I have just adored the previous five books detailing where on the map each sister came from. This one, not so much.

In this installment we meet Electra - the drug addicted supermodel who is so annoying and entitled that it got to the point where I didn’t care where she came from. Between the present day in Manhattan to the backstory in Africa - it just didn’t hold my interest. The previous books had such better storylines and excitement.

This chore was 2300 pages on my OverDrive app and man did it drag. To say that it was too long is an understatement. I skimmed the last half because it was just so mind numbingly boring. I couldn’t wait to finish it.

Despite this one, I simply cannot wait to read the next book - the last one - in the series about the “missing” sister. I hope the author ends this with a bang. I have faith!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Lucinda Riley for my advanced copy to read and review.

Beautifully written piece of historical fiction. Entrancing and immersive; a story that is hard to put down. I plan to read more from this author. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

this was a great read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the time period. I enjoyed the previous books by Ms. Riley and I enjoyed this one.

The Sun Sister is the sixth epic story in the Seven Sisters series by the number one international bestseller Lucinda Riley.

To the outside world, Electra d'Apliese seems as though she is the woman who has everything: as one of the world's top models, she is beautiful, rich and famous. But beneath the veneer, and fuelled by the pressure of the life she leads, Electra's already tenuous control over her mental state has been rocked by the death of her father, Pa Salt, the elusive billionaire who adopted his six daughters as babies from around the globe. Struggling to cope, she turns to alcohol and drugs to ease the pain, and as those around her fear for her health, Electra receives a letter from a complete stranger who claims to be her grandmother . . .

In 1939, Cecily Huntley-Morgan arrives in Kenya from New York to nurse a broken heart. Staying with her godmother, a member of the infamous Happy Valley set, on the shores of beautiful Lake Naivasha, she meets Bill Forsythe, a notorious bachelor and cattle farmer with close connections to the proud Maasai tribe. When disaster strikes and war is imminent, Cecily decides she has no choice but to accept Bill’s proposal. Moving up into the Wanjohi Valley, and with Bill away, Cecily finds herself isolated and alone. Until she discovers a new-born baby abandoned in the woods next to her farmhouse...

Sweeping from the frenetic atmosphere of Manhattan to the magnificent wide-open plains of Africa, The Sun Sister is the sixth instalment in Lucinda Riley’s multi-million selling epic series, The Seven Sisters.

This is the sixth book in a series. It is beautifully written and wonderfully told. Just like the rest of the series this book has a great storyline and well written Characters.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Its 2008 and Electra is in new York. She is trying to remember when her father died. Electra is single now and trying to quit drugs and alcohol. I love the seven sisters series. I read the moon sister and loved it.

Electra is discovered as a model when she is a waitress in paris. Zed is a part of Electra's life for awhile which I found interesting . Zed was trouble for Tiggy. I loved reading about Electra's modeling career.

I really liked Mariam who was from Iran. I loved reading about Electra's addiction to drugs and alcohol.

It's 1939 and Cecily is in new York. Cecily decided to visit her godmother in Kenya which I loved.

I loved going back and forth between Electra and Cecily. Some of the rehab activities were boring but I liked Miles. The parts in Kenya with Cecily were my favorite. I liked reading about Stella and how Electra came to place

An epic novel by #Lucinda Riley is out, the latest installment in the # Seven Sisters series. This takes place between the dazzling streets of modern-day New York City and the breathtaking plains of 1940 colonial Kenya. The novel features top model Electra d’Aliese who seems to have it all.
When her father dies, she turns to alcohol and drugs to ease the pain. As friends and colleagues fear for her health, she receives a shocking letter from a stranger who claims to be her grandmother.........
Now you get the novel💜💜

Thank you,
#Netgalley, #Lucinda Riley and #Atria Books

This is such an awesome series. The story in this installment was atmospheric and compelling. I enjoyed the characters and reading about Kenya.
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the 6th book in this series about a group of adopted sisters unrelated by birth who, after their father’s death, each find out more about where they came from, each with a dual time period narrative usually focusing on a relative from several generations back. The present day story in this one is definitely the weakest of the series, as Electra is kind of an annoying character. Luckily the historical story, set mostly in Kenya in the 1930s and 40s, is a good one. Definitely not the best book in the series, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and looking forward to the seventh and final book whenever it is published.

The Sun Sister is the sixth installment from The Seven Sisters series. I have not read the other books in the series, but would love to catch up and see what happened previously. This one was a great. Four stars.

Electra was not a sister that I connected to, but I enjoyed that this book took place in NY and Africa, All of the Seven Sister books have dual timelines and many international locations that I love learning about. Electra seemed very childish at times and although I understand she was fighting some challenges (drinking, drugs, fitting in, etc) this wasn't my favorite book in the series.
I still have many questions about PaSalt and I did like that her older sisters were included in the book at points. I am looking forward to the final book in the series!

This is another satisfying book in The Seven Sisters series. I am amazed at how much research Lucinda Riley does in order to write the historical part of each of the books. She also does a great job in keeping me guessing about how Pa Salt lived, how he died, why he adopted these girls and the identity of the seventh sister.

I was introduced to the series with The Storm Sister which is the second book in the series. I was hooked and went back to read then first book and then continued with the rest of the series in order. Each book focuses on one of the six D’Aplièse who were adopted by Pa Salt and named after a star in Pleiades star cluster. There are seven stars but only six sisters, hence the mystery about who is the seventh sister and why didn't Pa Salt find her.

The Sun Sister is the story of Electra who is a famous model and also her family story that involves a woman from a rich New York family who makes her way to Kenya just before WW2. Cecily travels there to get away after her fiancé breaks up with her. Both the current story of Electra and the past story of Electra's birth family are told in this book. Electra was always described as fiery in the previous books in this series and did not seem close to the other sisters, so I was happy to see more of her personality, success and struggles revealed. I can't wait until the next book that hopefully gives me the answers to the life of the mysterious Pa Salt.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #TheSunSister #NetGalley

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Though it's a long book, I spent many hours reading it into the wee hours (which is my best compliment for a novel). This was the latest in a series of novels about seven sisters who were adopted by a wealthy man in Switzerland. Each of these novels tells the backstory of the sister's family of origin, along with their present-day story.

This novel focuses on a supermodel of African descent, living in New York City and struggling with drugs. The backstory focuses on a wealthy white young woman who goes off to Kenya to escape a failed romance right before World War II. How could these stories possibly connect? The author keeps you guessing up until the end. Both stories were compelling, interesting, and held my interest with well drawn characters and settings.

Highly recommended for summer beach reading!

I have truly enjoyed the Seven Sisters series and living through each sister. Through the last five books I have been transported around the world and through time. I’ve gotten to learn about different cultures in both the present and the past along with the struggles women have faced and stood up to throughout time.
Just like the previous Sisters’ books, The Sun Sister is a dual timeline story. Electra, the youngest of the sisters, starts off our story with her life as a top model who has lost control and numbs herself with drugs and alcohol due to the loss of her adoptive father. I won’t lie to you, Electra has popped up in the previous books in this series, and I was not a fan of hers, and this made me nervous about how I could possibly love this book as much as the other ones.

What made me absolutely love this book was Cecily telling the story of Electra’s ancestor, Stella. As you travel back in time, you get to learn about the beauty of Kenya during WWII and after, racial confrontations and battles in the United States, the forming of the NAACP, and the growth of former president Barack Obama. Cecily made many sacrifices along with other women of the time. These women were incredibly strong and worked hard to overcome racial inequity. Both timelines in this story use friendships, trust, and strong family bonds to keep hope alive.

You could read The Sun Sister as a stand-alone book and still fall in love with the story. However, you would be depriving yourself of all the adventures, tribulations and joys of the previous sisters in the series. So, if you have some free time or need more books to read, start this series at the beginning.

As with any Lucinda Riley novel, I could not set this book down. The characters are multilayered and heartfelt to where you will feel like you are truly living each moment with the character (I’ve cried during each book). Furthermore, the rich plotline pulls you in to the point that you are completely immersed in the time period through amazing and vivid details. I cannot wait for the next book in this amazing series (there better be one)!

I’ve really enjoyed the Seven Sisters series so far and have recommended it to many friends. However I can’t recommend The Sun Sister with the same wholehearted enthusiasm.

Elektra is the 6th sister and is an international model - but despite appearing to have it all on the outside she is painfully lonely and is addicted to drugs and alcohol, always needing to numb herself. After experiencing an overdose, she agrees to go to rehab.

While she was initially uninterested in finding anything about her family - her grandmother gets in touch and she decides to read Pa Salt’s letter and listen to her story. We are transported to the 1940s and a woman named Cecily who travels from New York to Kenya.

As we are used to by this point in the series - we follow both threads of Elektra in 2008 and Cecily from the 1940s on to learn how they are connected. The plot was interesting but I think the topic of race was not handled well. It seemed to be implying that racism is gone by 2008 and Elektra was so lucky to be living in a world where it was no longer an issue.

However as I read this there are protests throughout the US about police brutality and the death of George Floyd. It’s painfully clear that nothing has changed since the protest depicted in the book in the 1940s/1950s. Racism is still a huge problem in America and I wish this had been better handled in the present (2008) storyline.

I also felt Elektra’s addiction recovery wasn’t always handled the best way either. Being pushed into a situation she was saying was too much for her doesn’t feel right.

I am really disappointed - I wanted to love this book as much as I have the rest of the series and for the first half I thought I would.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a free copy to read and review.

This series is one of my absolute favorites. I adore the Seven Sisters and with each book I am always won over by the sister being featured. Some of the stories are better than others but it’s still an impressive series and never disappoints.

When this book arrived, it was massive. The ARC came in at just under 900 pages so easily the longest Seven Sisters book by far and since this is Electra’s story, I didn’t find it surprising at all.

I decided to start reading this one early to give myself a lot of time to finish it, but it turns out I only really needed about 6 days of aggressive reading to get it done.

Summary
Electra d’Aplièse is a woman who seems to have it all: as a top model, she has beauty, fame, and wealth. But beneath the glittery veneer, she’s cracking under the pressure of it all. The last straw comes when she finds out her father has died and she turns to alcohol and drugs to ease the pain. As friends and colleagues fear for her health, Electra receives a shocking letter from a complete stranger who claims to be her grandmother.

In 1939, Cecily Huntley-Morgan arrives fresh from New York to Lake Naivasha in Kenya for the exciting chance to stay with her godmother, the famous socialite Kiki Preston. But after a sheltered upbringing, she’s completely astounded by the hedonistic antics of the other ex-pats in the infamous Happy Valley set. Celia soon grows to love her stunning but complicated new home, and she even accepts a proposal of marriage from Bill Forsythe, an enigmatic older cattle farmer. After a shocking discovery and with war looming, Cecily feels isolated and alone. Until she meets a young woman in the woods and makes her a promise that will change the course of her life forever. (summary from Goodreads)

Review
Electra was by far my least favorite sister in the series thus far—without reading her story I already felt like I just didn’t like her and wouldn’t be able to relate to her at all. Which was exactly why I was looking forward to this story the absolute most. Riley does an excellent job at giving the readers a way of connecting or at least sympathizing with each sister in their own way and I knew before I even opened this one that Riley would do the same for Electra.

While I devoured this book in a short time and struggled to put it down because I was thinking about it, I don’t know that I loved it in the way that I hoped. Up until this point, the plots all came in strong when it came to romance—both the present day sister romances and the historical romances, except for this one. This was a different read than some of the other sister books.

I thought that the author did do justice to Electra’s story and history. I thought that her struggles with addiction were enough to be believable but not so deep that the book took a dark turn. I loved seeing how she reinvented herself after her rehab and I enjoyed some of the friends she made along the way. What I struggled with the most though was her relationship with Miles. For me it felt forced and unnecessary.

Electra grew so much by the end of the book but when it came to Miles I never felt any chemistry between them. I would rather have seen her become a big philanthropist and then meet someone like Miles with the sizzle that I have some to feel between the other sisters and their respective romances.

But this but was minor issue compared to Cecily’s story. I always felt like Cecily got the short end of the stick. She was used and discarded on a regular basis by the men in her life and to be honest even Stella seemed to use her. When she and Bill finally came together he was poised to be the hero of her life and then he just wasn’t. There was even less chemistry between Bill and Cecily than between Electra and Miles, and honestly by the end I was like—-ugh Bill just go already. He could have been such a romantic figure and their romance could truly have been so much better than it was—even if their story still ended the same, Bill could have brought so much more to the table.

So did I love this book, to be honest it wasn’t my favorite in the series but I did have a hard time putting it down. As with all of Riley’s Seven Sister’s books, I know I am going to get an exotic setting, an epic story of loss, love and emotion and it will be well written—and this book did deliver those things, but the romantic bits were definitely downplayed in this one and I don’t know if that’s because the message behind race and socioeconomics were meant to take center stage or if it was some other reason entirely.

I still adore this series and rate it way way way up there as a favorite but I just felt that this one didn’t bring some of the chemistry that the other books had. I am looking forward to the next book though I can tell you all that much! What a cliff hanger!

Book Info and Rating
Hardcover, 656 pages
Expected publication: May 19th 2020 by Atria Books (first published October 13th 2019)
ISBN 1982110643 (ISBN13: 9781982110642)
Free review copy provided by Atria Books, all opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: historical fiction