Reading Between the Wines book review #40/115 for 2021:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: Her Sister’s Child
Author: Alison James
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on November 26, 2020!!!
Recommended to readers who like a mystery thriller that unfolds the more you read.

Sipping thoughts: A suspenseful thriller with a missing baby and a possible whodunit. Her Sister’s Child is a slow unpacking story that you can see coming as you read. I liked the persistence behind Paula, Lizzi’s sister, to find the missing baby and what happened to her sister. It is not hard to figure out early on, but the twisty part is what happens after we find out what happened to the baby and who did it. This book is somewhere in the middle when it comes to suspense and thrill. I enjoyed it enough to continue to read and find out what happened.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @Bookouture for an advanced copy of @HerSistersChild

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The death of Paula’s sister Lizzie, has always haunted her. Lizzie was a drug addict and estranged from her parents. But unbeknown to them Paula, a schoolgirl at the time, kept in contact with her. On one of her visits she realises that Lizzie is pregnant but is sworn to secrecy. Lizzie goes into labour and dies and when her body is discovered there is no evidence of a baby. Her parents didn’t believe Paula’s story of the pregnancy and over the years she has wondered if she dreamed it. When visiting Lizzie’s grave 16 years later, on what would have been her 40th birthday, she decides that she must investigate whether she was right and if so what had happened to the baby. An old boyfriend turns up and offers to help her to try and solve the mystery. There is also the story of Charlie, a young schoolgirl who becomes pregnant and she is so obsessed with the no good boy who is the father that she runs away from home taking her inheritance money with her which entices the boy to stay with her. He ends up spending all her money and leaves her with the baby. She makes amends with her parents and on the day she is moving back in with them her baby is snatched out of her cot. We soon realise that these two stories are cleverly linked which makes for a compelling read. The book is told in various timelines and from three perspectives which makes for an intriguing family drama. A brilliant read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a great story. Some parts were a little slow, but not enough to quit reading. Would definitely recommend this book!

Sixteen years ago, Lizzie Armitage woke to find her newborn baby gone. Just days later, Lizzie was dead.

Her sister Paula swore she would do everything she could to find the child. If she hadn’t promised to keep Lizzie's pregnancy secret, maybe the baby wouldn’t have disappeared. And maybe Lizzie would still be alive. But, in nearly a decade, Paula’s never found any trace. Until now…

When Paula bumps into an old friend from the past, she realises she wasn’t the only one who knew about her sister’s child. Someone knows what happened that day. Someone knows where Lizzie’s baby went.

Lizzie Armitage was an alcoholic who gave birth to twins alone in her home. Immediately after, they went missing and the next day she was found dead. Years later, her sister Paula is searching for the truth and trying to discover what happened to these children. Where the trail leads her will uncover long-held secrets and involve another family whose story is entwined with hers in ways she could never have imagined.

For those of us in America, many will know exactly what I mean if I say this book read like a slightly more sedate Lifetime movie. We all know these movies, though: a story with a far-fetched plot, loads of family or relational drama, extremely convenient plot points, usually an emotionally fraught, OTT ending, and as many hot topics du jour as you can fit into two hours. Teen pregnancy? Got it. Mental Illness? It’s there. Infidelity and divorce? Of course! You get the idea - only add in adoption, kidnapping, the dark web, family secrets, skeletal remains in the backyard, and completely unqualified amateur sleuthing and … well … you’ve at least scratched the surface.

I think books such as this one, like the aforementioned movies, can be a lot of fun if you’re in the mood for them. The truth is: it’s really not bad, and even further, I actually enjoyed it for the most part. Did it shatter any literary boundaries? No. Was it almost entirely predictable? Yes. Would I read more from this author? Probably. She wrote a perfectly good, decently written work of mystery/suspense/psychological fiction which held my interest throughout. The reason I’m rounding down to 3 stars rather than up to 4 is simply because I feel confident I’ll forget this story quickly. It was a fun snack while it lasted, but I’m going to want a meal soon.

★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)

#HerSistersChild #NetGalley This was a fast paced thriller told from the perspective of 3 different people - Paula, Charlie and Marian. An interesting storyline that I found different to the norm. Told in 3 parts, I was a little confused when it moved to part 2 but eventually I got back on track. Whilst I thought it was obvious very early on what the connection was between some of the characters I found it interesting how the story unfolded. Overall, i enjoyed this book very much.

Loved this! So good, so exciting, so gripping and great story. Can't wait to read more by this author - absolutely brilliant.

I am on the fence with this one. There were many aspects of the book I really enjoyed, it is fast paced and the themes of loss and motherhood are dealt with sensitively. However there are a LOT of characters, multiple time frames and it is very hard to keep track of everyone and everything and I felt it was a little far fetched in relation to the Social Worker and some of the plot lines were totally cliched. Perhaps if this was written 10/15 years ago the story would have felt more authentic but with a wider understanding of alcoholism as an illness and mental health support I felt the plot just fell flat.

A gripping read, I always love family dynamics in thrillers, and this book features every relatives' worst nightmare. A quick, pacey read, I read it in two sittings and would recommend to those looking for a book they cant put down.

Thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley and Alison James for the review copy of Her Sister's Child

Paula's sister Lizzie's is dead and her baby missing - the baby and pregnancy that she had kept a secret. Paula promises herself she will discover the truth about what happened to her sister's baby and stop at nothing to find her.

Her Sister's Child is split into 3 sections and at first it can be a little confusing to see the change in timelines and characters but stick with it!

As the story progresses, we learn different perspectives of the events and it comes together in quite a clever way (although some parts did lack a bit of energy for me personally). There are some twists and shocks along the way that lead you to a well tied up conclusions. Some elements I predicted, others I certainly did not!

Overall an enjoyable domestic / family thriller.

This was quite an interesting read. It started off with one focus, then seemingly switched. I’ll admit that I read nearly half of it wondering exactly what was going on. To be honest I was a little bit annoyed. And then I got to a turning point and realized exactly what the author had plotted out and I couldn’t help but admire how everything was put together. It ended up being one of the more unusual psychological thrillers I have read in some time. The story is sectioned into three parts. The first part alternates between two characters, the second adds a third character’s perspective, and the third part switches between all three. I’ll admit to being unsure of whether they were taking place in the same time frame or not – I like that the author left that ambiguous because it worked for the story. Ultimately, the author did a great job of revealing what had been under my nose the entire time. A very enjoyable book that is worth sticking with. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of this book.

This was was sent to me as an ARC NetGalley - however, all opinions are of my own.
This book had everything you would want from a thriller -it has suspense, it was gripping and it was creepy.
Paula searches for answers about her sisters missing child. However, from this, it releases a dark side in Paula and she find herself wrapped in the centre of what happens. Lizzie was ok when she went to see her and she was pregnant - days later her sisters dead and the baby had gone.i was able to piece together who had taken the baby but I thought the premise was really good and something different for me from a thriller!

I was intruiged by the premise of this story. The beginning was strong and promising however, i found the entire middle to be a bit slow in certain spots and i got confused here and there. I still enjoyed it!

I love this authors books. I liked the way the plot unfolded in this book and I found the characters to be very relatable.

Many thanks to netgalley and Alison James for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The cover caught my eye. The baby shoes drew me in, and I knew i'd want to read it.

This was my first book by this author, so I wasn't too sure of what to expect from them.

The plot idea was fairly unique. I personally haven't read anything like it. I really wanted to find out what happened to Lizzie and her baby. BUT I honestly had a hard time finishing the book. As much as I wanted to, a lot of the chapters just dragged.. unfortunately.

Oh boy!! I really tried reading this but I just couldn't.. I felt the beginning was pretty strong but then it just went downhill. I was immensely confused at times, I couldn't relate to the characters and I just wasn't interested in it.

Paula Armitage remembers the last time she saw her sister Lizzie alive. She was extremely pregnant and pretty drunk. Lizzie had been kicked out by her parents for stealing to buy alcohol and weed. When they discovered Lizzie's body, there was no baby in sight. She thought maybe she had imagined it all, until she meets a friend from their high school who also knew about her sister's child. They begin their own investigation and uncover the whole story...

I would categorize this book as a thriller but unfortunately there just wasn't enough excitement for me. I knew how the story would unfold early on so kept reading to find out more detail as opposed to wanting to know what's next. There is a lot of family drama and interesting connections so it's still interesting to read, but I guess I just expected some more surprises.

TW: infertility, SIDS, alcoholism

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Her Sister's Child
Publication Day: 26/11/20
Author: Alison James

Description:

She rolls over and reaches for her instinctively: her baby. Her hand hits air and flaps redundantly. She stumbles out of bed and switches on the light. But this only confirms it. The baby is gone. Someone has taken her.

Sixteen years ago, Lizzie Armitage woke to find her newborn baby gone. Just days later, Lizzie was dead.

Her sister Paula swore she would do everything she could to find the child. If she hadn’t promised to keep Lizzie's pregnancy secret, maybe the baby wouldn’t have disappeared. And maybe Lizzie would still be alive. But, in nearly a decade, Paula’s never found any trace. Until now…

When Paula bumps into an old friend from the past, she realises she wasn’t the only one who knew about her sister’s child. Someone knows what happened that day. Someone knows where Lizzie’s baby went.

But can Paula find out the truth before another family is ripped apart?

A twisty, unputdownable psychological thriller that will keep you hooked until the last page. Fans of Behind Closed Doors, Friend Request and The Girl on the Train will love Her Sister’s Child.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'My Sister's Child' by Alison James.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 26th November 2020

This is the first book that I have read by this author.

I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover its intriguing synopsis. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 52 chapters, an epilogue and is split into 3 parts. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in the UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Paula, Charlie and Marian. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

This book is extremely well written and the cover and synopsis work well with the storyline. The descriptions were vivid and made me really feel in the storyline. I was confused at first moving from part one to part two with the change in timeline but once I realised, very quickly, what was going on it was fine. Part One is "Now", Part Two is the past and Part Three is a mix until it all comes together.

The storyline itself was gripping and addictive. It had me flipping from page to page as I was sucked into the plot wanting to know what was going on. It is filled with suspense, tension, shocks and a mix of emotions. In a couple of parts I had tears welling up. One thing i was not expecting, well three technically were the explosive twists in the middle and at the end, especially the second one. I am not easily shocked anymore after reading so many thrillers and crime books so to shock me twice is a HUGE feat. A MASSIVE congratulations to Alison James on your huge success!! I loved how the book ended and that all loose ends were tied up, nothing worse than reading a book and things are left unexplained.

THE characters were all realistic and strong and all had their own personalities which worked perfectly with the storyline. I really did feel for Paula who is definitely a very strong and determined female also making her a favourite!!! In a way I do have sympathy towards Marian, especially for what Tom put her through.

I am definitely looking forward to reading more books by this very talented author and it would actually be interesting to see this turned into a movie.

Overall a gripping and addictive page turning thriller with an explosive twist you won't see coming.

Genres covered in this novel include Thriller, Psychological Fiction and Psychological Thriller amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as anyone looking for an addictive page turner.

351 pages.

This book is £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews

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Author Bio:

Born in the Cotswolds, Alison spent most of her formative years abroad. She studied languages at Oxford, then became a journalist and author, returning to university after her two children to take a law degree. After a three-year stint as a criminal paralegal, Alison worked as a commercial copywriter and then a TV storyliner, before coming full circle to write fiction again.

Author Social Media Links:

Website: n/a

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alison.james.90226628

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlisonJbooks


Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08GP5YM7DSocial

Apple: http://ow.ly/8m1N50B9xkB

Kobo: http://ow.ly/DS3T50B9xhC

Google: http://ow.ly/nCc750BalSP

Overall, I think this was a fast paced. Thrill ride. There were some areas that I didn’t care for, as I found them to be a bit confusing for the most part, but I was able to read the book in it’s entirety and enjoy. It had some great twists, some thrills, and it course thrills. I think most who enjoy this author, fast paced thrillers, and just fun quick reads will enjoy this! So highly recommend, don’t quit if you get confused, as it’s worth finishing!

I did find the first part of this book a bit confusing with the different perspectives and characters but I stuck with it and so pleased I did. I very good storyline with plenty of twists and turns to keep me reading. I look forward to reading the next book by this author.

In this gripping psychological thriller, Paula Armitage has never gotten over the fact that her sister Lizzie at first disappeared years ago and then was found dead. What is more is that at the time Lizzie was pregnant, and she kept this a secret from their mother. To add to this, Lizzie's baby completely disappeared at the time, and this fact remained secret for years as well.

As the story fast forwards to the present, Paula decides it is high time to try and discover what happened to the baby. There are two other principal characters in the story, a social worker named Marian and a young girl - actually a teen mother - named Charlie. What do Paula, Marian and even Charlie all have in common and what are the threads that are slowly pulled together that eventually work to connect them?

As the drama unfolds we learn what happened when Lizzie died. Then we see the drama that Charlie experiences. We also see the actions of Marian, who was a social worker at the time. The drama is heightened when Charlie, who was living with her boyfriend at the time, is about to return home to her parents with her newborn baby. Something terrible happens and it is this very action that begin to pull this thrilling story together.

I love how this story was told - seemingly from three different perspectives - leaving the reader clues ass to how each of them would indeed connect. Beyond being a thriller, this story was quite emotional on several levels, even shocking at times. As I was reading this story, my heart broke at times, and I could not help but wonder if there would be any type of good resolution. This book was impossible to put down and proved to be an excellent read.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion..