Believable characters in a story told in the past and the present . Lots of twists and a well worth a read. A great book for the first one of 2020

If you want to dive right into 2021 with something fast-paced and exciting, Her Sister’s Child is the book for you. This book has a lot going on and will keep you interested until the very end. Saying that, a disclaimer is required: this story isn’t entirely unpredictable. While there are some twists, there were also some parts of the story I could guess, and that led to a bit of skimming on my part as soon as I knew how the story would develop.

Her Sister’s Child is one of those books you enjoy despite a lack of likable characters. I initially believed that Paula would be the main character but I found her status diminished as the story progressed. By the time I was coming to the end of the book, I found her chapters the least enjoyable. Luckily, the accompanying chapters made up for that. Paula’s chapters also include Johnny, an ex-boyfriend of Lizzie. To be honest, I felt the book could have done without him. While he did add some value to the story he was the least developed and believable character, and his actions could have been placed with another character. The most interesting character of them all was Marion, but you will have to read Her Sister’s Child to find out who she is and why.

Overall, Her Sister’s Child was a well-written story with a plot placed excellently together. I can’t say it was one of my favourite reads of late but I would certainly recommend giving it a read.

I have enjoyed all the previous novels by this author and this was no exception. Lizzie is a lost soul fighting addiction and her lifeline is her sister Paula. When Lizzie becomes pregnantPaula tried to help. Lizzie died and the baby disappears, but everybody else says there was no baby. Nineteen years later Paula has accepted she made a mistake until an old school friend makes a comment which brings it all back. Is it too late to find the child?
I loved how the story unfolded and the characters. It’s told in two time lines of the present and past.
Can’t wait for the authors next book.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sixteen years ago Paula's sister Lizzie gave birth to a baby.
Days later Lizzie is dead and there is no sign of the baby.
When Lizzie found out she was pregnant she begged Paula not to tell anyone.
So when Lizzie dies nobody believes Paula that Lizzie had had a baby.
When Paula visits her sisters grave for her 40th Birthday she decides to find out what happened to her niece.
Meanwhile Charlie a young girl is pregnant her boyfriend is not nice to her and eventually she decides to return home.
On the day of her moving home her baby is abducted.
Are these cases linked ?
Great read
Thanks NetGalley

I could not out this book down! Fast paced, gritty and full of twists and turns! Loved it!

Thanks #netgalley #bookouture #alisonjames

I really enjoyed this one. The storyline(s) kept me interested throughout the entire book. At times I did feel a little triggered because of the premise of the story, but that did not effect my views or thoughts about the book itself and the author. This was my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last.

I'm giving this book 3 stars because I felt it was quite slow in parts and I was confused between past and present, overall it was an enjoyable read.

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?

Overall, I did enjoy reading this book, but as I read so much of this genre, I felt that this book was lacking something. I found the book fast paced and suspenseful, but at the same time it was almost rushed. I found the book predictable.

But, overall I really enjoyed the storyline and the author's writing.

'Her Sister's child' by Alison James will take you on a journey between two time periods and will keep you engaged and invested in the story till the end.

Paula, A single mother of two, remembers that her sister Elizabeth was pregnant and one fine day she discovers that Lizzie is no longer pregnant and the baby is no where to be seen. When her parents do not want to intervene and Lizzie's social worker denies any knowledge of her pregnancy she forgets all about it. A casual meeting with a friend and she realizes that she is not the only one who knows about the pregnancy and this compels her to investigate the disappearance of the newborn 16 years ago. I do not want to divulge more bout the story as it will spoil the entire fun of reading the story.

The story is from multiple POVs and it progresses through different time periods and through lives of three people and the story i seamlessly narrated between the three. I find it very interesting how the author has managed to keep the intrigue of the story till the end and still keep it interesting. Sometimes Multiple POVs messes up with the narration but in this story I just loved and the author does complete justice to this method. The underlying theme of love for a child be it your own or adopted, the anguish for want a child comes through very well. The characterization is very well done and I realise that the character is always good and bad through the perspective of who narrates the story and that comes across very aptly in this story

I loved the story and highly recommend to all those who love women centered contemporary fiction with a lot of mystery in the story.
I thank Bookouture and Netgalley for approving my request to read and review the book. The opinions expresed are entirely mine.

This book kept me reading, so many interesting concepts on what may or could have happened.
a child missing, mother dead what had actually happened.

Lizzie Armitage died many years ago but her sister Paula has never stopped thinking of her and her missing child. Now, encouraged by an old friend, Paula is determined to uncover the mystery behind her sister's death and the disappearance of the lost baby. Meanwhile, in the present day, teenager Charlie is shocked to discover she is pregnant and is devastated by the father's lack of interest in both her and the child.
Her Sister's Child is quite an emotional read. I think it is obvious straightaway that there is a connection between Paula and Charlie but the full unravelling of the mystery lasts until the very end and there are many twists along the way.
This novel is both a family drama and psychological thriller. There are important topics covered including alcoholism, teenage pregnancy and infertility but also plenty of tension and action. The descriptions of the intensity and drudgery of the newborn days felt very accurate. They are so tough to endure yet now I can look back fondly!
Paula, Marian and Charlie are all likeable despite their sometimes dubious decisions. The emotional ups and downs of life cause huge upheavals in all their lives with dramatic consequences. Loss and grief for both loved ones and their hopes for the future made the characters very human and relatable.
Her Sister's Child was a hugely enjoyable read, dealing with serious topics in a gripping way.

Told from multiple points of view, this is a twisty psychological thriller where Lizzie, a sixteen year old, wakes up finding that her newborn baby has disappeared and days later she was found dead. Her sister Paula was the only person, or so she thought, that knew that Lizzie was pregnant. Paula vowed to find Lizzie's child. Then one day Paula runs into Charlotte, a young girl who is pregnant with similar circumstances as her sister.
Thanks Netgalley for the advance ecopy and the publisher.

I was drawn to this book as I am a huge fan of Alison James' writing and always enjoy her books. This book was no different. I couldn't put it down and flew through it in two days.

The story is about Paula who is still, after 20 years, trying solve the mystery of her deceased sister Lizzie's lost baby. After her visiting 'her sister's grave on her 40th birthday she decides to take hold of the incident and find out what really happened to her niece.

This story runs alongside another about a young girl called Charlie, a new mum struggling after her boyfriend cons her, whilst trying to deal with leaving home and dealing with a new baby, and then finally there is Marian's side, she is the social worker who was assigned to Paula's sister before she died. These alternating perspectives are woven throughout the story, so there is a bit of jumping around, but after the first couple of chapters, when you have learnt more about the characters, this works very well.

I really enjoyed the three stories and, while the way they were going to intersect was fairly obvious, it was still good to learn how their stories unfolded and what the truth of the events really was.

It was a fairly easy read, it kept me buried in the story, and I was sorry to finish it, despite the good ending, as I missed it!

Thank you to Netgalley, Alison James, and Bookouture for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

This the first book I've read from from this author but it certainly won't be the last!

This book is about a woman named Paula who is trying desperately to get closure concerning her deceased sister's lost baby, and Charlie, a young new mom struggling after her boyfriend takes her money and runs.. It is told from alternating perspectives between Paula, Charlie, and Marian, the social worker who was assigned to Paula's sister when the baby went missing days before she passed away.

I really enjoyed both stories and, while the way they intersected was obvious from the start, it did keep you guessing about how it would turn out and I wasn't disappointed.

Highly recommended for those who love a well constructed or a quick read!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review

This story is about what happened to Lizzie’s baby, was she pregnant and did she give birth just before she died 17years ago. Her younger sister Paula thought Lizzie was pregnant but no one else did. Paula is aided in the search for proof by an old flame with some underground connections. However there is another family tragedy unfolding which will solve the mystery that began all those years ago. The story is told by Paula, Charlie and Marion. Read this book to find out how they all connect. This is a 5 star thriller that will keep you turning the page.

This was a great book filled with mystery and suspense. Paula searches for her dead sister's baby that mysteriously disappeared shortly before Lizzie died. Paula seems to be the only one who remembers that Lizzie was pregnant until she runs into an old friend from high school who also remembers. He helps her along the way as they unravel the clues.

Amazing read with very well developed characters! Again, I hate to give too much away. A woman decides to look into her dead sisters missing baby that only she seems to know she had. READ THIS! One of the best books I have read lately!!!

First, I would like to thank Alison James, Bookouture, and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

You must put Alison James, Her Sister’s Child on your TBR Must Read list. I have read 204 books in 2020 and Alison’s book is definitely in my top 5 list. Alison picks an incredible unique (oh some are very unique) cast of characters for her fascinating storylines. Each storyline is incredibly powerful, intense, and has a life lesson thrown into it. Alison has incredible talent writing in this genre. I hope to read more of her work.

The Graphic Artist pulled on my heart strings with this one. It was perfect for this book.

Alison gave her readers some very important life lessons, brought awareness to Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, alcoholism and IVF.

This book kept me on my toes, it was fast paced, mind boggling twists and turns, heart stopping moments, crazy secrets from the past that catch up with your present.

Alison takes you from present day to the past to learn more about the characters and the storyline. This aspect is very important to each storyline.

I was amazed how Alison took all three storylines and meshed them together into one at the end. It was when you put in the last piece to the big puzzle.

This is one book where I can honestly say I loved all the storylines in the book. Each storyline fascinated me to no end.

However, unfortunately I can’t say that for all the characters in the book. Jake pissed me off with his juvenile behavior. He so rubbed me the wrong way.

The names Saffron and Noah for the twins I absolutely loved. So unique and different.

Sixteen year old Lizzie Armitage woke to find her newborn baby was gone. Just days later, Lizzie was dead. Her sister Paula swore she would do everything to find the child. If she hadn't sworn to keep Lizzie's pregnancy a secret, maybe the baby wouldn't have disappeared. But in nearly a decade, Paula has never found any trace. Until now......

Some parts of this story were predictable, other parts I didn't see coming. I found it's pace to be slow until the third part started. Theres also a but I found I couldn't believe and that was a big part of the third part. But it didn't spoil my enjoyment. Theres a mixed bunch of characters, some are likeable but everyone was flawed. The story is told from multiple points of view.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #AlisonJames for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

She had it. Someone else wanted it and took it. Then couldn’t cope up with it and gave it away. But suddenly wanted it back. The ‘it’ I spoke of wasn’t a thing but a baby who was passed around according to the whims of the ladies. My Sister’s Child by Alison James had pathos along with mystery for the child which was lost to both women.

Lizzie Armitage, an alcoholic, gave birth and the child disappeared. Her sister Paula was the only one who knew about her pregnancy. But with Lizzie’s death, nobody knew or bothered to know about the child. Paula was determined to find her but was unsuccessful. Years later, she met a common friend who knew about the baby. And the search was on…

A parallel storyline told me the story of Charlotte’s life and teenage pregnancy, who was determined to be with the baby father even when he hated her. Both the story lines were linked as the pages turned.

Having read earlier books of the author, I was quite eager to start this one. The cover too lured me in. The plot was easy to guess. Paula was enthusiastic in her search for the child; her characterization stood out for me. Teenage love was well depicted, but for the life of me, I didn’t understand the mindset of the teen who was desperate to live with a boy who used and threw her and wanted nothing to do with pregnancy.

The book caught its second wind when Charlotte’s baby too disappeared. A definite case of history repeating itself. The perp was a surprise. Overall, the story filled me with pain for the baby which was tossed around. But all was well that ended well.

The story was the truth of life. The one who wanted the most, never got it. And the one who didn’t want it, got it in surplus. The mysteries of pregnancy and infertility would forever remain in the hands of nature.