I'm between a 2 ½ and 3 stars with this one, so I guess I'll just round up. Having read and enjoyed all of Sandie Jones' previous books, I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of her new book. Let me start by saying that I thoroughly enjoy this author's writing style. The Half Sister is a twisty family drama filled with secrets galore.

However, I found the pace of this book to be rather slow and it took me a long time to actually want to pick it back up and get into the book. Maybe because I'm a mystery/thriller junkie, I've come to be able to predict how a lot of these stories will end, and it was no different with this one. If you're new to this genre, you might find it a more enjoyable read than I did.

Overall, not my favorite book from this author, but that definitely will not stop me from reading her future work.

A special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Half Sister by Sandie Jones was just ok for me. I was expecting more of a mystery/thriller but I would classify as family drama. Not a lot of likable characters to connect to and pretty predictable. It was entertaining though and I kept with it to the end. I would rate 3.5 but can't go quite to a 4 so marking the 3.

What do you do when someone who says they’re a half sister shows up....and begins to take over? Part thriller, part horror, this is a read in one sitting story!

The Half Sister by Sandie Jones was one of my most anticipated read of the summer. I have read both The Other Woman and The First Mistake and could not wait to dive into more Sandie Jones and her phenomenal writing. I love how Sandie Jones has this creepy factor to her writing. You know some elements of her plots are not adding up but you just can't put your finger on what.

The Half Sister is no exception. The subtle twists and turns of the plot are shocking and the ending is definitely unpredictable. However, this one took me a really long time to get in to the story and even then I wasn't that hooked. The plot moved so slow in the beginning that it was hard for me to stick with it. The characters are a bit over the top unlikable and I don't know....I just couldn't deal.

Would I recommend it? Yes, of course. It is a good solid thriller and those who love a slow burner will definitely enjoy.

Thank you Minotaur Books for the advance copy!!

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What a fun, twisted and wild ride. When a sister decides to submit her DNA on a genealogy site she gets more than she bargained for. 🧬
Lauren and Kate are sisters with very little in common. Lauren is a mom to three small children in a seemingly perfect marriage to Simon. Kate and her husband Matt are journalist who live a vastly different life and have no children.
🧬 Lauren is the sister who submits her DNA. Jess shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her half-sister. Lauren, Kate and their mom are shocked when this young women show up out of the blue. Their father has passed and questions soon arise.
🧬
Is it possible Jess is their sister? Is she a con artist? Who knows what? Is their mom hiding something?

A "lost" child comes knocking on your door, she's your half sister. When a young woman bearing a DNA match to two sisters shows up, she claims she's their father's illicit daughter. This is not an original story line these days...it happens all too often to be considered unique. BUT, in the hands of a truly original author like Sandie Jones, this story has a few surprises that definitely classify it as a unique thriller! Questions, who , what, where, when and why bring some answers that you really would not expect. This is a great read!

Sandie Jones once again delivers an edge-of-your-seat, twisty suspense with The Half Sister! Lauren and Kate lost their father unexpectedly 10 months ago, and have been struggling to recover as a family ever since. While they attempt to support their grieving mother, Lauren finds herself stuck in a controlling and loveless marriage while Kate struggles to conceive the child her and her husband have been dreaming of for years. Then, all of a sudden, a knock at the door of the family home will change everyone's lives forever. When Jess walks in and declares herself their half-sister, Lauren and Kate don't know what to do. The two sisters already have a strained relationship and this definitely isn't bringing them closer, as one is convinced their father was an adulterer and the other can't imagine their father as anything other than the hero she always thought he was. Communication struggles, family secrets, and a past that threatens to take over all of their lives begins to pull this family in completely different directions. Readers will find this a fast-paced story with plenty of the twists we've come to expect from Sandie Jones to keep them turning the pages.

Thoughts: While this wasn't my favorite title by Sandie Jones (The Other Woman still haunts me!), I did like all of the plot twists that kept the story moving. It was easy to binge-read and I appreciated being totally wrong about where things were going even though I really thought I had it figured out at one point. There was one plot point that rubbed me the wrong way at first, which led to one particular ending being a little too neat for me, but overall I enjoyed the book and I look forward to reading Jones' next work!

Oh my goodness! Sandie Jones has written another edge-of-your-seat book about family drama, secrets, infidelity, genetics, and the search for truth. There were twists and turns that has the reader gasping in shock.

I enjoyed the back-and-forth perspectives by sisters, Kate and Lauren. It was interesting to see how their perspectives were based on misconceptions. It's amazing how a person assumes their view is the only accurate one! Is putting your DNA out there to see what potential relatives might exist in your history...or present...something you should give serious consideration to before submitting it for all to be able to have access?

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Sandie Jones hits it out of the park again. I loved every interwoven moment of this family story filled with mystery and misery. The main characters' personalities were fulfilling and intricate. I only wish we would have seen what was truly discovered about "the other sister" when the epilogue came. The Half Sister is a quick and fast-paced read. Enjoy!

With each book we get from the divine Sandie, the more intense they are! I read The Half Sister in about a day. I couldn’t put this book down.
In my mind I figured it out, then I was wrong , then I thought I had it again... nope. Such a talented author!
The characters were very well developed and I felt I knew them personally. Thank you NetGalley and thank you Sandie Jones!

This family drama deals with secrets and trust, and how we don’t always know everything about the people we think are closest to us. The alternating perspectives make it tricky to know which characters to trust.

#sandiejones has written another compelling novel with a lot of twists and surprises.

The Half Sister focuses on how families keep secrets from one another. One day a woman shows up looking for her biological father. Little does she know that he recently passed away and the family had no idea she even existed. This book unravels the family's lives.

First line: Kate sees the familiar nameplate on Dr. Williams’ office door and feels a knot in her stomach.

Summary: Kate and Lauren are sisters who recently lost their dad but each of them has a different idea of who the man actually was. Kate idolized him. Lauren’s relationship was more distant. Then one night at a family dinner a woman shows up who claims to be their father’s daughter. Everyone is shocked by the revelation but none more than Kate. She is determined to prove that Jess is a liar. Lauren is more accepting of her which leads to even more discord in the family. As Kate looks deeper into Jess’s story she finds that not everything is as simple as Jess claims.

My Thoughts: This book kept me reading! I kept telling myself just one more chapter. One more chapter. I loved the different viewpoints. I liked that each woman was completely different from each other. It made the story more interesting because of the conflict. Little clues and hints appeared throughout. Some were red herrings. Others were not. I flew through this book with my heart pounding waiting for the ending.

I do have to say though that some of the stuff seemed a little farfetched. There were some overreactions and wild theories from the characters. I rolled my eyes a few times because it got a little dramatic but it did not stop me from reading it. I was pleased with the ending. I would highly recommend this for fans of thrillers and fast paced novels.

FYI: Great for fans of Ruth Ware and Shari Lapena.

Another fun read by this author!
One day twenty four year old Jess interrupts a family dinner with sisters Kate and Lauren and their mom.
She claims to be their half sister, with deceased father Harry also being her father. She has DNA results from online.
Lauren accepts her into the family, but reporter Kate is suspicious and she and her mother Rose know there is no way she is also Harry's daughter.
Kate begins to investigate and the cracks in the family begin to show and secrets come to light.
This domestic suspense novel was a light, fast and entertaining read.
Thank you Minotaur Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

i was given this ARC by netgalley and publisher.
i have never read anything by this author but i know for sure she is going to be on the top of my list of authors to watch out for
great book and read with twists, turns and mystery.

I've read previous books by Sandie Jones, and thoroughly enjoyed them. I didn't like this one quite as well. I felt the ending was a little flat, even though the second half was better than the first. I did still like it, however, and would recommend it.

Spoiler free review!
This book is full of family drama. A girl arrives out of nowhere to announce that she is a long lost half sister to a dead father.
This was was okay. Slow to start and slow to pick up but the second half was pretty good.

This was a new author for me. Enjoyable read, fast paced with twists. Characters were interesting and developed well thru the story. The infertility testing and emotion toll was spot on. Family dynamics were understandable. I enjoyed the writing and the story flowed easily for me. Look forward to reading the author’s previous books!

Timely book regarding DNA, cold cases and finding relatives. Sisters Kate and Lauren are jealous of what each other has, not realizing the other feels this way. Kate is missing her deceased loving father, Lauren’s memories are not as kind. The journey that Lauren put them on can destroy a family or make the sisters closer than ever.

Thanks to Ms. Jones, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

Very suspenseful book. It turned out to be what I didnt expect, in a good way. Had great characters and the storyline was pretty great. There were a couple parts that seemed predictable to me but other than that, it was a very enjoyable read.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sisters Kate and Lauren and their mom Rose have been dealing with great loss in their lives. First, the matriarch of their family, their dad and husband, died suddenly leaving terrible grief in the close knit family. Kate has been desperately trying to get pregnant through IVF with her husband Matt. This is their last shot. Lauren, who has three children with her husband Simon is beginning to realize her life is miserable. Unbeknownst to her family, Simon is verbally and physically abusing her.

But, during their weekly Sunday dinner, a knock at the door will create a chaos no one could ever see coming. A girl who introduces herself as Jess is looking for her father. She claims to be his daughter.

Kate who idolized her father knows Jess is lying. Lauren whose relationship with hem was strained at best welcomes Jess with open arms. Rose is just speechless. And then each of their worlds begin to explode.

Kate, a journalist by trade begins to investigate Jess’ claim. She uncovers untruths, deceptions and malice. Lauren on the other hand embraces Jess and agrees to assist her in finding out who her mother could be. Rose will have no part of this circus. She loved her husband and he loved them all, end of story.

Then Kate and Lauren begin to remember a time years before then they heard bits of conversations and perhaps saw things which at the time meant nothing. When Kate begins questioning her mother, she shuts her down, which only makes Kate more suspicious. DID something happen years ago? What is Rose not saying? Was their father not the person they thought he was? Could Jess really be telling the truth? What family secrets have been buried and what will happen if and when they are exposed? Will their family survive?

Sandie Jones, author of the best-selling book The Other Woman has once again written a cat and mouse thriller with so much suspense that it allows the reader to just go along for the psychological chilling ride and wait for the stunning conclusion.

My thanks to #NetGalley #MinotaurBooks #SandieJones #TheHalfSister for the advanced copy.