Member Reviews

What an amazing story! You keep thinking about the characters long after you finish the book. My first to read by this author but cannot wait to read more! Highly recommend!

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Jess and Adam can’t have children, so when Jess’ estranged sister Rachel falls pregnant and doesn’t want to keep the baby, what better solution than to give him to Jess and Adam? All is well until shortly before Noah’s sixth birthday when Rachel dies in mysterious circumstances and then an anonymous note arrives, instructing Jess to tell Noah who his father is.

Jess starts asking questions. Who knows about Noah’s parentage? Was Rachel murdered? Is the life they’ve built for themselves about to come crashing down?

The story is full of red herrings, lies, secrets, twists and turns. I was gripped from the very beginning and found it hard to put down. I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I found this to be a gripping and suspenseful read. I couldn't stop turning the pages to see what would happen next

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A really good book by Karen Clarke amd if I was to be at all critical I would say there was a little too much secrets to expose. A book with so many twists you might find yourself spinning a bit but it certainly keeps you excited. Exploring the family dynamic, often difficult the lovely Rachel is estranged from her father and only sister at the time of her death. Her sister Jess is determined to find out what happened to her. Rachel had once given her all that she wanted in life and although she had lost touch with her she must find out what led to her death. Is Jess about to find out things that will change her life forever

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It’s rare when literally everyone in a novel is guilty of something or hiding a really big secret from someone else. That’s My Sisters Child. The premise was interesting, although you can easily guess some of the twists except the major one and by that time there was so much deceit and lies I really didn’t care who killed who.

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My Sister’s Child by Karen Clarke was a cleverly written psychological thriller with a complex, emotional issues. This book has lots of betrayal, lies and secrets with lots of twists and turns, that built this story into a great book!

Wow! I loved it especially as it was my first book by Karen Clarke. I will be looking to read more of her books in the future!

I highly recommend this book. 5 Stars from me.

Big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review

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Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

My Sister’s Child
Karen Clarke
Published: December 8, 2021

What would you do for your sister? Rachel (the wild child) and Jess (the dependable one) are sisters who live on the opposite ends of the spectrum…when Rachel offers her baby to Jess and her husband as their own, they agree to parenthood and the secret that Noah is not really theirs. This is just one of the many lies and secrets surrounding the characters. This was a great suspenseful, leave you on the edge of your seat mystery filled with twists and turn. I really enjoyed the additional “narrative” from Rachel’s emails that gave clues along the way. I will be adding Karen Clarke as an author to watch out for!

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My sister's child by Karen Clarke.
Five years ago, my sister Rachel left her baby boy on my doorstep. A little bundle wrapped in blankets.
A brilliant read. Full of twists and surprises. I couldn't put it down. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved Jess character. Very cleverly written. 5*.

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I really enjoyed this book. The main twist I did not see coming and I actually enjoyed how the ending played out. The main character Jess was a breath of fresh air for her independence and caring but fierce personality. I will definitely be recommending this book to family and friends this holiday season!

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My Sister’s Child by Karen Clarke is a well written suspenseful novel that kept me reading long into the night. I did guess the first big reveal but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment. The characters are well developed and relatable. The tension rises throughout the story until all is revealed….which was a surprise to me. A good thriller. The story takes place in the Lake District which is a place I hold close to my heart. Recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

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Karen Clarke is an extremely versatile author – as well as romantic comedy, she also writes short stories and contemporary thrillers, and the book reviewed here is a fine example of the latter category. In My Sister's Child, we encounter Jess, who has been gifted the chance to be a mother in highly unusual circumstances, as her own sister entrusted her with an abandoned baby boy. Things become even more tragic when Jess’s sister is found dead, presumed murdered, and Jess starts receiving anonymous messages threatening the baby will be taken from her. Can Jess solve the mysteries surrounding her sister’s death and unmask the anonymous writer? Or will any investigations land her in even deeper trouble? Tightly plotted, with tension maintained through to the very end, this is a well-written thriller that I highly recommend. My thanks go to NetGalley and the publishers for my free ARC that I enjoyed reading in return for this unbiased review.

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Thank you NetGalley for providing this book for an honest review. This book was full of twists and turns. It had me guessing from the very beginning. It is an emotional read that you will love.

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I found this quite an irritating read. I was intrigued by the blurb but it just didn’t live up to my expectations. Too many characters, all hiding something and I worked out 2/3 of the big reveals. The only one I didn’t get was who killed Rachel and frankly I didn’t actually care that much.

I found the characters whiny and didn’t really gel with any of them. It’s not a bad story but it didn’t work for me and I only finished it for finishing its sake.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

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Interesting way of changing the point of view of both sisters. And, as often happens, I was drawn to some of the characters in the background that in this case seemed to be crucial in some ways. But let me not spoil the surprise (s) for you, just get your hands on this book and you'll be occupied for days ;-)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

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An excellent read.
Full of twists and turns and what ifs,well written credible characters with believable back stories neatly meshing into main story.
I was completely enthralled and the ending wow a huge twist I did not see coming at all!

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This is exactly the kind of suspense/ thriller that I dream about. Where to even start?! If you are a fan of fast paced, complex thrillers then you'll just devour this. I had so many questions the whole way through and still never saw the ending coming. It has so many twists and turns and just when you think you've figured out who's at fault, everything gets flipped on its head and the entire landscape changes. It does an amazing job of keeping you guessing. You won't be able to put it down until you do finally get to that big reveal I can't speak highly enough, definitely give this one a try

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My thanks to NetGalley and publisher HQ for the ARC.

This is a really cleverly-written psychological thriller with a complex, absorbing story with lots of tension, which builds from individual droplets of fear and worry into a full-blown torrent of exposed secrets, betrayal and lies. Wow!

The story begins with the death of 27yr-old Rachel - estranged sister to 35yr-old Jess. The death is ruled to be an accident where Rachel, being drunk, had fallen into the canal at Camden. Following her return to the Lake District Jess starts to receive anonymous notes about her 5yr-old son Noah and his true parentage. Yes, it's true that 6 years previously Rachel became pregnant and, the father being out of the picture, offered her sister Jess the baby (Jess and husband Adam had been trying unsuccessfully for years). They couldn't have been happier for the last 5+ years, only now they're worried that the real father wants Noah back and Jess thinks she knows who that is - or alternatively, someone knows their secret and they'll be blackmailed.

Rachel's boss at a London gallery contacts Jess and seeds the idea that he thinks Jess could in fact have been murdered and they loosely work together on their own investigation. Meanwhile, Jess asks family friend Denny (an ex-policeman turned investigator) to keep an eye on Noah for her.

Intermittently the narrative provides us with a series of un-sent emails from Rachel to Jess which result in explosive revelations.

Now, as much as I'd like to tell you more, I daren't for fear of spoilers. Don't be fooled by the seemingly innocuous and, perhaps, slow beginning, this is definitely one to stick to. It's a tense and emotional read, with well-drawn, menacing and intriguing, characters.

What can I say? Thoroughly recommended.

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Rachel left her baby boy on her sister Jess’ doorstep for her to raise as her own. Jess has looked after Noah with her husband Adam for the last five years and for Jess they have been the best of her life she has wanted to be a mother for a long time but sadly it hasn’t happened for her now thanks to Rachel she has the chance that she has always wanted.

Now Rachel is dead, the police say it was an accident but Jess and Rachel’s old boss Will aren’t so sure and now Jess is receiving anonymous messages from someone claiming to know that Noah isn’t really her son and is ready to do all they can to fight for Noah. Out of her mind with worry Jess confides in Adam who seems worried however he isn’t anywhere near as concerned as she is.

Determined to get to the bottom of this Jess launches her own personal investigation trying to get to the bottom of whether or not Rachel’s death was indeed an accident or if it was murder as well as trying to find out who is behind the threatening messages regarding her son.

This book kept me interested all the way through and had me hooked right from the start. I can honestly not remember reading a book with so much suspense right from the start until the very end. There were so many questions I had all the way through and I just wanted to read on and discover the answers to all the secrets. Plus I loved the ending I had no idea that was coming and I would never have guessed the outcome in a million years.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I honestly cannot recommend this book enough and I certainly think I’ll be looking to read more books by Karen Clarke!

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Five years ago, my sister Rachel left her baby by on my doorstep. A little bundle wrapped in blankets. I love him. Cared for him. I called him Noah and raised him as my own. Rachel was full of secrets, and the truth about Noah was one we shared. A secret just between sisters. Now, my sister is dead. The police say it was an accident.... But I'm convinced that was a lie. I owe it to Rachel to uncover the truth....

This story will keep you guessing throughout. With characters you will automatically presume are guilty, you will be wrong every time. It's quite an emotional book to read. The police think Rachel drowned. Believing it was murder, Jess starts her own investigation. With secrets and lies, the truth must be told. The pace is steady throughout. The ending was perfect.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQDigital and the author #KarenClarke for my ARC of #MtSistersChild in exchange for an honest review

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Wow! This book cast suspicion on so many characters that I had no idea how it would turn out! To me that’s the definition of the perfect suspense novel! I will definitely look to read more by this new-to-me author.

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