My Review: I was too excited when this novel was presented to me.. not only because I am a big fan of Sandie Jones’ work, but it also happened to be one of my anticipated releases of the year! Thrillers are my absolute favorite! Give it an intriguing, mysterious cover, and BAM you got me!
The thing about this novel, the synopsis gives so much room for possibilities on the plot. I started reading, and I still had no idea what to expect.
We meet Kate, has a successful career, a happy marriage, but wants nothing more in the world than to have a baby. We meet her while she is undergoing IVF treatment, hoping that the last one, is THE one. Meanwhile her sister Lauren has 3 children of her own, and Kate feels like she’s in some way more deserving than her sister.
All these details have the potential for a dramatic story.. welp! THEN there’s a knock at the door, a visitor. Jess claims to be their half sister, daughter of their father who just recently passed away... but how can this be? Their mother Rose is in disbelief. They all have questions (of course I would be in shock myself) and they need answers.
That’s. Not. All.
You need a little extra to stir the pot? You know it! They all have secrets… lots of them. Secrets that may just fire up the drama! It was easiest for me not to trust ANYONE. Be the judge yourself, and find out what they all have to hide.
Happy Reading! ♡ Ellie

I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. I wouldn't go as far as to say this book was bad, it wasn't. But it also wasn't great.

What would you do if a girl showed up and claimed to be your late father's daughter? This story follows two sisters who embark on very different journeys when such a bombshell is dropped on their family. Kate, the journalist, sets out to prove that this stranger is out to get her family and can't possibly be telling the truth. Laura, the midwife, sets out to help her find her mom.

Secrets will be told. Lives will be shattered. But when it's all over will it turn out that Jess is exactly who she says she is? Or is there something more sinister at hand? And what exactly does she want from this family?

Honestly, I love a good domestic thriller and this one was no exception! Great characters (even though I didn't even like them much) and a twisty story all the way to the end! Thank you so much for letting me read and can't wait to share with my group!

This book is a great addition to the psychological thriller genre. It kept me guessing and I didn't want to put it down. There are so many twist and turns to keep the reader wondering what will happen next. This is the first book I've read by Sandie Jones, however I do own the kindle copy of The Other Woman and I can't wait to read it next.

In The Half Sister, we meet Lauren and Kate, two sisters that while close on the surface, couldn’t have less in common. Lauren is oldest. She’s the practical one. She’s a stay-at-home mom with three kids and a husband who no one really likes all that much, but one that they tolerate. One that she barely tolerates too.
Kate is a successful producer who has it all. She has the handsome husband and the career. But despite appearing like she has it all, what she really wants is what her sister has. Well, minus the douchebag husband. Everyone assumes that she doesn’t want children, but it’s all she really wants.
All of this aside, the real story is when their half sister walks into their house during Sunday dinner looking for her biological father–Lauren and Kate’s dad who passed away a year earlier.
From there, the sister’s relationship with eachother and their mother becomes increasingly strained as they all try to figure out who their half sister is, whether or not she’s telling the truth, and if her intentions are good…or evil?
The Half Sister, while in the “thriller” category is really much more of a domestic thriller, which I personally define as “something that could totally realistically happen in real life,” like to a neighbor or friend and it would seem crazy, but feels slightly less so on the page when we are expecting cray things to happen.
Still, there are some good twists and revelations, and a good book to pass the time with poolside or on the beach- if you can find one open! Special thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for a free e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out June 16. My review will appear on my blog, Women in Trouble Book Blog on June 10, 2020.

This was very enjoyable read for me. It was my first time reading a Sadie Jones book and certainly won’t be my last. I am especially grateful because I feel like the marketing is accurate for this one; it is definitely more of a domestic suspense book and not a thriller (which I think a lot of people were expecting). The basis of the story is very timely, with the arrest of the Golden State Killer found after decades using a genealogy website. I felt the family and personal dynamics were some very relatable, especially in the fact that we don’t always realize what we see as someone’s reality may not be their true reality. I do feel like the ending starts to get a little rushed and sloppy, starting around chapter 45ish. But I love the last chapter, the way the author brings everything to the truth. I love the short chapters. It made for an easy, fast paced read that I just didn’t want to put down.

Sisters Kate and Lauren are eating lunch together at their mother's house when the doorbell rings. There stands Jess, claiming to be their half-sister. This latest thriller by Sandie Jones is a little unbelievable at times, but it was still a fun and fast-paced read. Jones does a good job of distracting the reader with twists and turns, but I'm not sure the ending worked for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I read a book by this author in the past, and I was looking forward to seeing what she came up with next.

The author did a nice job with character development. I feel she really got to the heart of how each of these characters would behave. There's Lauren, the woman with an emotionally abusive husband, who stays with him even though he doesn't treat her well, and her sister, Kate, by all appearances a successful young writer who has a great husband, but longs for a child of her own. The two of them have grown apart over the years, and both of them feel that the other sister has the better life. Their father has passed away, and the mom, who is closer to Lauren than Kate, is trying to keep the family together.

Like I said, the characters development is definitely there. However, I have some very mixed feelings about the book because There are definitely a few times where the things that have happened don't completely make sense. While I'm not going to spell out why I feel this way, perhaps you'll see what I mean.

The ending has some definite twists that made my opinion waver all over the place, and I did find myself reading as much as I could because the tenseness of the book grabbed me and wouldn't let go.

Warning: cursing, sex.

3.5 ⭐️‘s
Another fast paced, good read by Jones. Not quite as good as her previous novels, but twisty and enjoyable nonetheless. When a family gets together for there regular Sunday dinner, things are really shaken up when a young women appears at the door claiming to be related. From there we follow the paths of two sisters who take two different stances on their new circumstances. Is Jess really there half sister, or a clever con artist that wants something from their family? This book had a great premise and a lot of potential, but it didn’t quite deliver as it should have. With some unrealistic family drama, it was a little bit over the top for me in places.

Though this was not my favorite Sandie Jones book, it was still pretty solid. The plot was unpredictable and the ending was not what I was expecting and truly made the novel. Not a bad read, but definitely not my favorite. 3.5/5

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for my review. I would like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is, I believe, Sandie Jones' 3rd book, and I did read her previous books, but didn't care for them very much. I think it is more the subject matter than the actual writing for me, as Ms Jones does paint a full picture of the characters and landmarks. Of the 3 I've read, I liked this one more than the others, as it had some nice twists and turns. I'm obviously in the minority here, though, as many of the other reviewers have rated this book 5 stars. So it's obviously more an issue with me than with the book.

I really enjoyed this story. It had me guessing and rethinking over and over. The only issue I had was the end seemed to be rushed and I would have liked more information on the past. Overall, a solid 4 star read for me.

I say it every time I read a book from this author, but her books are always so much fun to read. She always has a good plot, that takes you to somewhere you didn't know you were going.
This book follows two sisters, Kate and Lauren, and their mother Rose. One day as their families are sitting down for a meal together there is a knock on the door and their world changes forever. There is a woman at the door who says her name is Jess, and she is linked to their family through a DNA site, which shows that she is the biological child of Rose's late husband, Harry. This would then make her the half sister of Kate and Lauren. With all of them believing and feeling something different, this throws the whole family's lives into a tailspin, and it's all they can do to hold on as they all learn things that they never saw coming.
Another great read by this author!

I’ve been disappointed by a lot of thrillers lately but this one has restored my faith in my favorite genre!

The Half Sister follows Lauren, Kate, and their mother Rose. One Sunday during their weekly lunch together, a woman shows up on their mother’s doorstep looking for Harry, their father. Unbeknownst to her, Harry has been dead for almost a year. This girl, Jess, reveals that she is Harry’s daughter. This comes as a shock and threatens the family in more ways than one. Everyone has a secret to hide, some bigger than others, and some know more about Jess and her motives than they’re letting on.

This book is a wild ride that I couldn’t put down. I was completely invested the whole time and the story kept getting better and better. There were quite a few plot twists I didn’t see coming and so many secrets to reveal. The pacing was excellent, revealing just enough to keep the story going but not enough to make the final reveal obvious. I continually questioned who knew what and what was happening. You don’t know who to trust and that’s what makes this an excellent thriller.

If you’re looking for a fun domestic thriller to pick up this summer, centering around family drama and secrets, this is the one for you.

Thank you to @bookishfirst @minotaur_books and @netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book did not really work for me. I found the story to be predictable and one which we have heard many times over.
Also, I feel this was a family drama with a light mystery rather than a thriller. There were no heart-pounding moments or some great twists and turns.

The characters were difficult to identify with and a couple were just unlikeable. I feel they should have been more fleshed out. It felt that the characters were conveniently written to take the story in a certain way. And that did not work for me. I felt the story also had loopholes which I couldn't look past.

Thankfully the pace of the book is good and the author did not drag things out. I read this book very quickly. And I must add that although I did not love the book I did not hate it either. It was strictly okay.

Maybe this will work for people who are looking for a quick easy read with a light mystery thrown in.

I would give it a 2.5 rounded up to a 3.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

“ The Half Sister” by Sandie Jones is another twisty novel just the way I like them and she writes them. Two sisters who aren’t close but seem to come from a “ normal functioning “ family until their is a knock on the door at family dinner. You are quickly submerged into a page turner of twist wondering just who this girl at the door really is?


#julesbookshelf📚 #arc #june16 #sandiejones #thehalfsister #netgalley

You never know what happens when you submit DNA samples to those ancestor websites, but you might want to re-think it. Lauren wants to see if she has any long-lost relatives and finds out that she might have a half-sister that no one knows about. All kinds of trouble ensues and there is quite a bit of family drama. Overall, a good book by Jones and I enjoyed it very much.

If I’ve learned anything from this book, it’s that I’m a great liar. Not that that’s a good quality to have, but literally everyone is this book is keeping at least one major secret & when confronted, do not know how to lie even if their life depended on it. I actually found it kinda annoying how they handled those situations & just wanted to scream at them & ask why they didn’t have a better cover story😂

Character wise, I really liked Lauren. Even though I’m not a 38 y/o wife and mother of 3, I was really able to relate to her. I liked that Lauren finally stood up for herself & even went after what she wanted (even though I might’ve went about it a little differently.) Kate on the other hand, I could not stand. She was always so whiny & thought that everything revolved around her which bothered me.

I was a little hesitant to start this book due to some of the reviews I’ve read, but I loved Sandie Jones’s previous books so I decided to give this a try & I’m glad I did! The ‘problem’ was introduced right away & the rest of the story is basically the characters trying to put all the missing pieces together. I did like the book & the main reason I gave it 3/5 was because towards the end of the book, I just felt like so much information was thrown at me & it was difficult to make sense of everything.

This is the third book I’ve read by Sandie Jones and it was middle of the road for me. Kate and Lauren were interesting characters with unique voices and an interesting backstory. I always enjoy the main characters that Sandie Jones has in her books, Unfortunately, the book was illogical at times starting with the concept of how DNA testing actually works. It then got really twisty and a tiny bit confusing and I didn’t like the ending.

You’d think that I’d hate a book with so many flaws but Sandie Jones still manages to write an interesting book based mostly on her character development and writing style. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

Just when I thought I had this ending figured out, I soon learned I was very wrong! So much suspense that you simply have to read in one sitting! I have read all her books, and she never fails to amaze me!!