The Sister Surprise was super cute, funny and heartwarming. Definitely a great spring and summer read! Add this to your TBR right away!

I loved this book, It's funny, entertaining and also heartwarming. Follow the story of Ava who on wanting to find out more about her heritage, finds that she has a half sister, but will the half sister be pleased with the news? Definitely a book to add to your to be read pile.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the story, the characters, the plot. It was great. There were some ends that I felt could use more tying but overall this was a sweet book with a happy ending of the sisters. I liked it. The characters were well written and interesting.

Even if it's well written I didn't liked the character and the story tell flat.
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What a lovely, original, light-hearted read this was! I really enjoyed this book, just as I thought I would. It was humorous, it was light-hearted, oh it was just lovely.

The storyline itself was something that I had never come across before. A live DNA result reveal? Finding out you have a secret sister? Travelling to a new place to work on a farm to try and find your sister? I love it and it did not disappoint! The character development was brilliant and I felt like I got to know Ava, Moria and Kian so well by the end of the book and I loved the 3 of them so much.

Abigail managed the really set the scene of the farm in a small village in Scotland. I loved hearing about the small village, the farm and what a close knit community they all were. I absolutely loved reading about Ava's experiences working on a farm for the first time, they had me giggling away at some points!

I think my only slight downfall was I feel as though there was a lack of context on the romance concept near the end of the book. I would've loved to have seem where their relationship went (if any!) and how they made it work.

This was overall a lovely, cosy read which is something I think we all need at certain times in our lives. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Abigail Mann and HarperCollins UK for this copy in exchange for an honest review!

Ava finds out she has a secret sister in a remote Scottish town, she decides to take this opportunity to push forward her career and get her long awaited answers about her paternal family.
She volunteers on a farm thinking it would be easy, its of course anything but. as the handsome ministers isn't helping.

The relationship that develops between Ava and Moria is so beautiful and highly enjoyed reading it.
The book kept me engaged the whole way through I simply did not want to put it down.
One of my favourite books of this year!

4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter

The Sister Surprise is warm, light hearted, incredibly funny. The Authors strength is her ability to write with humour. She has flawless comedic timing in that she effortlessly balances the sublime with the ridiculous, and knows exactly when to hit all the right notes in between. Really great story line and I absolutely loved it. Thank you and will definitely recommend

What a cute little read! It took me a little while to get into this book but once I kept at it, it was an easy, comforting read.

The story entails an adventure where main character, Ava runs off to Scotland to find her long lost half sister, revealing her past as she goes. I really enjoyed the characters and found the writing style very humorous and fun. If you enjoy a storyline where a city girl goes to the countryside, seeking answers... this is for you!

My advice would be to stick with this story and not put it down too quickly - it turns into an entertaining little read. Thank you for the advanced copy NetGalley!

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

A good read

The story was a little predictable but I enjoyed the way the pieces fit together....

If you are looking for a light-hearted, funny adventure look no further.

I loved this book from the minute I picked it up! It was such a lovely read, full of twists and tales, prefect friendship and not too much romance to take away from girl power! Even a few naughty animals to make you laugh along the way!

This book was the prefect easy read and give me the buzz around reading I needed to get my reading-mojo back!

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy of this book. This is my first book from this author and I thought it was cute. It was about a woman who, for work, did a DNA test and ended up finding out she had a half sister. She ended up traveling and disguising herself as a farm hand in order to meet her.

The story was light and had some funny moments. I found that I didn't really connect to the characters though. I also found the story a bit dialogue heavy. At times, it seemed to drag a bit. I feel like it took a long time for things to come together. Overall, this one had potential to be a very fun read and while I liked it, it was not a favourite.

So now I really want a Tunnocks teacake...

I enjoyed this book a lot. I went into the story thinking it might be a bit predictable, but I wasn't expecting some of the twists that came with it!

I loved the relationship between Kian and Ava, and appreciated that they could just be friends. You can't help but root for Ava and Moira throughout the whole story either.

I will definitely be reading more from this author!

A easy, funny and heart warming read. Perfect for fans of chick lit and easy lockdown reads. However, I found the starting slow and so struggled to get into this. The storyline is also predictable.

Scottish countryside, tracing a sister and an unexpected romance, all wrapped up with great humour that will bring a smile and a giggle, and is sure to lift the spirits; is what The Sister Surprise brings to readers. This is the second novel by Abigail Mann who wrote the much talked about debut novel – The Lonely Fajita.

Ava Atmore is a very quirky 27 year old journalist at Snooper who has a cuddly cat and quite the mother to live up to in some ways, with her high expectations and her occasional jibes. It is fun however, getting to know her mum and family friends Ginger and Rory.

There’s some humour mixed in with bites of popular culture and the guessing to who are Ava’s relations, as light-hearted conversations between the characters progress.

Family Trees, Family Connections, DNA can be absolutely fascinating and this is what Ava bravely embarks on, with the brave part being it is all there for the world to know, on a live-stream! Her family is interesting and especially since she finds a sister she never knew she had up in Scotland. The Scottish references of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Irn-Bru etc add a bit of fun and also may interest people to Google them, if they are unfamiliar. People in their late 20’s to late 30’s will have a nostalgic flashback to Matt Baker in his Blue Peter days, referenced as Ava travels up to Scotland to find her sister.

Ava is very much a city girl and it shows, which is quite amusing with her pre-conceptions and questions, as she tries to acquaint herself with the countryside and animals, so it is fun seeing her learn. There are many comical parts to the books, which makes it pretty uplifting in what is a meandering book, which then picks up interest again when she finds her sister, Moira and her family story starts to all be unwrapped. There is also a lovely romance simmering away for Ava.

All in all, it’s a story with very good, proper humour and is a good read for escapism and a bit of a journey into the countryside.

Sister Surprise takes a humorous look at a woman’s life suddenly changing as she discovers she has a half-sister that she never knew existed. This is my first novel by Abigail Mann and it will not be my last as I am now curious to read her other works, including her previous novel, The Lonely Fajita. This novel brings a fun and light-hearted story mixed with many heartfelt moments to create a very enjoyable tale.

Ava works for an online news blog, which reminded me of a Buzzfeed-type place, where she ends up doing a Livestream video about the results from a DNA kit that she participated in as a test subject. During the Livestream, Ava’s results were revealed on-air and she is beyond shocked that she has a sister and her current family has expanded from just being her and her mother. Due to the success of the Livestream, Ava’s boss decides this is the perfect opportunity to gain more website traffic. He states that Ava must go to small-town Scotland and find this newfound sibling.

Reluctantly, Ava agrees to her new assignment and she is off to Scotland. Unfortunately, the town is smaller and there are no options for lodging. Therefore, she ends up signing up for a helper position on a farm where she helps out in exchange for room and board. She stays with a younger farmer, Kian, who actually ends up remaining friends with her and is not a potential love interest. It was very refreshing to have two characters that meet and are friends with no underlying will they-won’t they moments and they end up together as a couple. Ava is a fish-out-water as she has zero farm experience and I loved her learning experience as she tries, and sometimes fails, to complete her tasks.

Small-town Scotland is a gorgeous setting and it even made me want to go be a helper on a random farm. Ava was a fun character as she was awkward and likable. She was a natural character that was a joy to read about and I found her very engaging. As one of the genres of this story is romance, Ava does end up encountering a handsome minister. I liked the bond that the two of them share and the banter was amusing. As the main focus of the story, Ava’s half-sister, Moira, makes her appearance during Ava’s time in Scotland and their relationship was delightful. There are a lot of misunderstandings and bonding moments as it is a learning curve about how they will be together, as would be expected when you are newfound siblings. There are a lot of secrets and some deception which makes an entertaining read as you want to find out when and if everything will be revealed.

The writing itself was very enjoyable and filled with many humorous moments. The pace is a little slow at first as Ava’s life before her big adventure to Scotland begins is set up and we get to know the backstory of her character. Once we are in Scotland, the story picks up and stays fairly steady until the end. There are moments where it does not feel like anything is happening, so I would not describe this novel as non-stop action. Instead, it is a sweet tale about family, friendship, and self.

Overall, this was a fun read and I read in a single sitting. There was a lot of heart and the characters were very enjoyable. Ava’s trouble that she gets up to on the farm was extremely relatable as I am fairly accident-prone, as well. The small-town vibes of the story were heart-warming as they look out for each other and have a bond that does not always exist for people who live in larger towns or cities. Ava goes through a lot of growth and it was gratifying to read about her emotional journey. This novel was a very amusing read and I cannot wait to read more from this author!

**I want to give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, One More Chapter, for a review copy of this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

TV talk show host Ava takes a DNA test on live TV and also receives the results the same way. What she doesn't expect is the news she is about to receive, she has a half-sister up north. As part of the segment, she is set off to find her and live stream the "meet-up". In a town of about 600 people, will Ava find her long lost sister? Will it be the happy reunion she is hoping for?

Kilroy is a town that everyone knows everyone before they do anything. The question is, what exactly is Ava doing helping on a farm?

This was a cute story that I read on a plane ride home on vacation. Highly recommend.

Having read Mann's debut novel The Lonely Fajita last year, I was looking forward to reading this and I wasn't disappointed - its a sweet, funny, easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

When Ava, a journalist, does a DNA test as part of a work project, she discovers that she has a half-sister in Scotland. She persuades her employer to send her on assignment to cover the story of finding her and so she finds herself undercover in the remote village where her sister Moira lives. Whilst the book started a little slowly for me, once Ava arrives in Scotland it took off as the city girl experiences country life in all its glory and gets to know her sister. It is both amusing and heartwarming - there's a sprinkling of romance but the focus is primarily on family and Ava's journey of self-discovery - and perfect for curling up for a few hours of escapism.

What a cute story! This book was exactly what I needed at this moment in time. It was light, funny (laugh out loud at times) and satisfying. The author transported me to Scotland and it was as though I could smell the fresh, freezing cold air. This book was written this past year during the pandemic so the jokes are and references are very relevant and relatable. If you're looking for a quick and easy read definitely check out this book! Now I need to go and find someone that can make me a cheese toastie!

Ava is a journalist at an online paper and a little bit desperate for recognition by her boss. Desperate enough to agree to a DNA test for a feature. She didn't sign on for the way the reveal happened though. And what a horrific way it was to discover you have a half-sister in Scotland. Ava traveled all the way north from her home in London to volunteer as a farm worker. The idea was to figure out a way to meet her half-sister and hopefully it won't be a complete disaster.

After the completely humiliating online reveal of Ava's DNA test results, I was a bit worried that the rest of the story was going to continue in the same silly vein, but it didn't. It was really sweet. Ava messed up a bit, but luckily for her, Moira was the forgiving sort.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of the busy farm life with Kian. All the revelations regarding Ava's father were interesting and not as straightforward as I'd initially thought it was going to be. There was a slight hint of a romance for Ava, but the focus was definitely on Ava and Moira. I liked both woman a lot.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this story. Don't expect any romance. In the end, this didn't really bother me. It was enough to have Ava and Moira discover each other and for them to grow and let go of some past notions.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.