I really enjoyed this book as a whole.
I especially liked the characters, they all felt very well-rounded and real, and I enjoyed the split between Damian's and Mara's perspective. Mara's story really made you feel for her and I found her very likable, regardless of Damian's opinion of her.
The pacing was quite well done and the plot kept you engaged throughout the whole book, although I kept wishing for a shocking twist because most things which happened were a little predictable. I didn't mind that too much though because the atmosphere was still good and the plot twists were well set up and all tied together nicely.
The ending definitely really hooked me and I couldn't stop reading, and the switch to Mara's perspective was really nicely done, but I kept waiting for something unexpected to happen which never came, which was why I didn't love the ending as much as I could have. I felt like Mara's backstory could have been explained more and could have tied in more with the rest of the plot to make it seem a little more complete.
Overall this was well-done though, and definitely a really good thriller.

His Wife's Sister is a good read with a solid plot which captures your attention. The characters are strong and well fleshed out so you feel a connection with them. The only thing that could do with a bit of work is the ending, it felt at odds with the pace of the rest of the book,

Mara returns after been abducted 19 years ago. Mara is reunited with her sister Lucia, her husband Damien and 2 children. BUT life isn't so easy on return. From the beginning I didn't take to Damien. I found him so sly and he lacked any sympathy for Mara for what she had been through. He was very reluctant to give her the help and support she needed. Mara moves into the family home with them and things go from bad to worse for Damien. the book goes back and forward of issues between Mara and Damien and who Lucia believes, while mistakes from Damien's past catches up on him.

I was kept engaged throughout the book and read it in just over a day...I liked the short chapters which for me adds pace and keeps me engaged. I did like the story line however i felt the ending was a bit of a let-down. i felt it was a bit unrealistic at times. I did like the book; not love it and I feel that the ending let it down.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

An interesting concept where someone is returned from many years of being missing. We have all read about the real life cases and here is another fictional account. However, this is less about how they reintegrate into society - indeed Mara seems to do this relatively easily, but more about the relationships between the people left behind. It was easy to move your suspicions of the characters as the author ensures they are all acting in suspicious ways. I didn't find the ending particularly surprising although it was certainly action packed! I was interested in the undertones of Damien's behaviour which I thought could have been explored more.

A woman named Mara who went missing 19 years ago has reappeared and thrown her sister Lucia's family into chaos. Lucia is thrilled that she's back and is ready to put her life on hold to help Mara heal. Her husband Damian, however, is nowhere near as ready to offer his full support. He fears for the safety of his children and wife, and believes there is more to Mara's captivity and escape than she is admitting to. Mara isn't saying much about what happened which fuels Damian's continued unease even though Lucia has no doubt that Mara just needs time.

After Mara moves into their home there is a growing number of he said/she said situations between her and Damian where each of them has a completely different version of events. Lucia believes her sister most of the time, and when she doesn't, she makes excuses for Mara because of the trauma she suffered at the hands of her abductor. But is her faith in her sister jeopardizing her and her family? Damian believes so and will stop at nothing to show Lucia that there's more to Mara than anyone knows.

It's hard to explain my frustrations without giving much away, but I'll try. It seems like the author tries to lead us one way and then surprise us with a twist. But it's not surprising, as dark behavior is shown from the start. Are the readers not supposed to catch onto that? And most irritating is that the difference in those conflicting versions of events are never explained! There's absolutely no reason given for why one person recalls things completely different than the other, fully believing that they experienced something that never happened. It's not that they said something happened that didn't, it's that we were reading their narrative where those events happened the way they described. But apparently they didn't! You can't just expect readers to buy that. Blackouts, multiple personalities, etc. are actual reasons for these discrepancies to occur. Not just, oh they must be crazy and somehow had a skewed version of events. No.

With that out of the way, I otherwise thought it was a good read. But the unlikable characters and nonsensical behaviors just can't redeem it for me. It has the potential, if only the resolution worked better and the characters were relatable and developed beyond their surface traits. That would give the story the extra boost that it needs to leave the readers satisfied.

The story begins with return of an abducted woman after 19 years. How does this affect the family dynamics is the plot.

The beginning of the book is interspersed with chapters from the past. Everything seems to be going fine. But the finale feels like the author just abandoned the plot.

Damien's character arc was unexpected. But we cannot feel why he acted as such.

Finally this book is a page turner with not-so-good ending.

A fairly absorbing beach read, not too complicated & easy to follow. An interesting take on a well covered topic but I did the see twist coming & felt the characters a little wooden.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I have to say that the beginning of this book was really good and then it got kind of boring and the last half was really good. Lucia's sister was abducted from the tent that they were both sleeping in 19 years ago. Lucia did not wake up when Mara was taken. She receives a call from the police saying that they found her sister alive. Her sister was abducted and kept in a cellar and everything she did was controlled by the man who took her. When she is found, Lucia brings her home to stay with her and her husband, Damian, and their two kids. From this point on, alot of twists and really good.

2.5 stars, rounding down.

His Wife's Sister is an engaging psychological thriller about Mara Sitwell who is found wandering in the woods 19 years after being abducted from her yard. She is reunited with her sister, Lucia, who has long dealt with survivors guilt as Mara was taken that day, and not her. Damian, Lucia's husband, is the only person who suspects there is more to Mara's story than she is leading.

**SPOILERS BELOW**

The story unfolds from Damian's POV and that, for me, was the fatal flaw. Damian is a jealous, narcissist, controlling, scumbag, terrible husband. Hints are subtly dropped throughout the 1st half that something isn't right with Damian, but he's our only source of narration. The story could've been stronger if there were alternating POVs sooner than around the 80% mark where we see things from Mara's perspective.

The plot was riddled with unrealistic coincidences and plot holes. For example, we saw from Damian's perspective that Mara threw the water jug from across the room, that she was certainly in April's room, and that he did not hit her. But when we see it recalled from Mara's view, Damian is the one who threw the water, he came into her room at night not his accusation that she was in April's room, and he punched her. Sooooo what really happened? This was never cleared up and it bugged me.

Other plot conveniences that are highly unlikely is Damian going to the house where she was held captive and finding a picture left out in the open long after the cops had already cleared the house. He also conveniently found a key that the police overlooked. And why didn't Mara just tell the police the truth from the beginning? There was no harm to it. Her response of "I don't know, I just didn't" was lazy.

I also had to grimace at the double-death by impaled tree branch.

I sound exceptionally critical here but this was still an engaging story. It's quality writing and, at times, very clever. If some of the plot points were cleaned up and multiple POVs introduced earlier, this could transition from an ok story to a GREAT one.

Cheers!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book. #HisWifesSister #NetGalley

This physiological thriller is chilling, delicious, and hard to put down. A.J. Wills weaves just enough doubt into the reader's mind to keep you guessing until the very end. I was convinced of the outcome… I was WRONG! I was also angry, scared, unsettled, and surprised. A great ride. The perfect book club read, or a weekend exploration into the terror of abduction, the resilience of the human spirit, and the relationships that shape them. Like a Hitchcock thriller, many of the grotesque details are included but are left to the reader's imagination to expand on.
C.L. Postill – Eureka, MO.

Mara has been kidnapped when she was 11.
Now, 19 years later, she finally managed to escape her captor and is to be reunited with her sister Lucia.
Lucia, who has been plagued by guilt her whole life, is delighted to have her sister back. But her husband, Damian suspects that Mara's
not telling the whole truth about her captivity.
No sooner does Mara move in with them than the nightmare begins, and Damian starts fearing for his children's safety.

The story follows Damian and is later joined by Mara's point of view.
I was an instantly gripping read, one of those that keep you turning the pages with bated breath.
It was fast-paced and unputdownable.
However, I found it a bit unbelievable how quickly Mara adjusted to living outside of captivity. Also, I think it would have made more sense if Damian's perspective was kept in the same 1st person narration as Mara's.
The ending wasn't entirely unexpected, but it was satisfying nonetheless.
It was my first book by A.J. Wills, but it won't be my last.
If you're looking for a suspenseful page-turner, then look no further.

'His Wife's Sister' by A. J Wills is a psychological thriller which tells the tale of a family reunited, having been ripped apart in the most unimaginable way.

Mara was 11 years old when she was snatched from her tent. Her older sister Lucia slept through the kidnapping, and for the next two decades, had no idea what had become of her baby sister.

Forward on nineteen years, Lucia and her husband Damian are shocked when they discover that Mara has been found. Malnourished, beaten, weak and wounded. But alive.

The story is told mainly from the eyes of Damian, alternating past to present with each chapter.

I found the story a fascinating read. I could hardly put it down! (I discovered this book via netgalley and was provided with a free copy for my kindle.)

Although the plot was generally strong, towards the end of the book, I found the story got slightly confusing and I was struggling to work out who was the good guy and who was the bad guy!

If you like a mystery and lots of drama, this is one for you!

I am happy to have discovered this author though and can't wait to read more by A. J Wills.

What. A. Ride! My house is a mess and laundry is piling up, but it impossible to put down. The twists and mind games were well thought out and the ending was quite satisfying…..but shocking. You have a fan for life now. Thanks!

Was enthralled by the book from the beginning.. a phone call to say her sister has been found after 19 years of her disappearance as a child.

You would like to think it was all great and without issues, but being missing for so long was bound to bring some physical and physiological problems.

The brother-in-law doesn't take to her return as readily as his wife. Especially when she's invited to live with them at their house.

She starts to try and divide the family in all different ways, some dangerously.

But is it all her? Or are there other things happening that we aren't being made aware of?

Enjoyable read in one day.

I liked this book for the most part, although I thought the ending went on too long. It went on enough that I thought there'd be another twist. Regarding the main one, I picked up on some things at the beginning of the book that felt hinky, so I'm glad they paid off. I hate it when books try to do something similar without laying the groundwork.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing this review copy.

This book was very fast-paced. Great character development, good plot. I had moments of consciousness and nerves. This book takes off from the get go and keeps you turning the pages until the very end. Not many books keep me enthralled like this one, and not many books keep me as emotionally attached as this one. I highly recommend it, especially if you are a parent. The middle of this book, I was so anxious to get to the end. I felt like I needed to know every detail immediately. I'll be reading more books by A J Wills for sure, I already have Between The Lies.

Thank you NetGalley and Cherry Tree Publishing for the eARC.
This book had a really good head fake in it, an unexpected ending and interesting characters, which made it a read that was quite impossible to put down.
Damien's life is good: he's working from home looking after his two beloved kids while his wife, who he adores, pursues her career. Then, things change radically: his wife's sister Mara, who was kidnapped 19 years ago, is found wandering lost and skeletally skinny in the woods.
From the very beginning, Damien is suspicious...
something isn't right and when Mara's stint in the hospital is over and she moves in with the family, his wife seems to neglect every one of them in favor of Mara. As hard as Damian tries, he can't get Mara to tell him the truth of her ordeal and soon the two of them are at serious loggerheads.
I found it difficult to like any of the characters, but the story is compelling, better than most psychological thrillers, and the ending is great, quite a shocker. I really enjoyed it and recommend it highly.

Mara was abducted when only a child. Now she's back, nineteen years later, and her sister Lucia is thrilled to have her. But does Mara have a more sinister agenda?

I enjoyed both halves of this book: the first told by Damien, Lucia's husband, struggling to cope with the catastrophic effects of Mara's arrival on his family; and the second told by Mara herself. Damien, though increasingly revealed to be imperfect, is clearly sympathetic in his unease and fear. And who could fail to empathise with a woman in Mara's position?

However, I didn't feel that the two halves cohered properly. And though I usually hesitate to make comments on how a story should be told, in this case it seems really obvious that Damien's half of the narrative should have been written in first person, the same as Mara's. That would give us a clear case of unreliable narrator and explain the discrepancies between the two accounts. As it stands, Damien's POV is written in third person (which carries with it a level of automatic reliability, since it means the writer is the narrator) yet we're clearly meant to believe and accept everything that happens in Mara's account. The result is an unexplained mismatch between the two. It led me to expect a final twist right up to the very closing pages … but nothing.

A book with potential, but not fully realised.