I went into it with a blank mind and with no exception whatsoever, so me being surprised would be an understatement!! Because holy cow this book had so many twists and turns that I would never in my wildest dreams have had anticipated. The writing is fairly simple. The characters are fine and pace was just perfect.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Lake Union Publishing and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I liked but didn’t love this one. The characters were human, not necessarily likable, but human.

Rounding up to three stars

One of those books where you can't be sure who is lying now,or was lying in the past.
Friendships and relationships are tested to the point that you wonder if there was ever any real basis for them in the beginning.
Not a single likeable character in this book,and for me,that's why it scored low. We all want to be on someone's side.
Fast paced and twisty though,so I'm sure lots will love it.

Half Sisters is a suspenseful new novel by Virginia Franken. Maddy and Emily are half sisters who didn't meet until their tween years. Their contentious teen relationship ends abruptly and they have no more contact for almost twenty years. Maddy has moved on with her life. She married her best friends brother (and Emily's high school boyfriend) Joseph. When Emily comes back to her childhood home she and Maddy must try to move past their issues. That is hard to do when Maddy distrusts Emily's motives.

This book is told from three different perspectives: Emily, Maddy, and Bea (Maddy's best friend/sister in law.) This is one of those books where the more you read about each character's stories the more you dislike them all. It has plenty of twists and turns (although I managed to figure it out early on.) I didn't enjoy how the story wrapped up. I felt like it ended a little abruptly without a complete resolution.

3.5 stars rounded to 4
Thank you to NetGalley, Virginia Franken, and Lake Union Publishing for this eARc. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I absolutely LOVED this book! The characters come off so honest and authentic - reminding me of my own suburban friends and neighbors, warts and all, running from their childhood demons while trying to find love. I couldn't recommend this book any more highly to anyone looking for an engaging thriller with a lot of heart.

Maddie and Emily are half sisters that have always had a troubling relationship. This novel picks up when Emily and Maddie are grown up and Maddie is married to Emily's past boyfriend Joseph. This book had quite a bit of suspense with Maddie and Joseph's inability to have children, Emily showing up after disappearing for years, and strange things happening to Maddie like missing keys, heirlooms etc.
I would only rate this a two though because all the characters are unlikable except maybe Greg and the ending was very unsatisfying and didn't feel complete.

Half Sisters by Virginia Franken was definitely one of those books I devoured in one day.

I loved the concept and story of this novel.
Because the story was pretty engaging and it kept me reading all dang day.
Maddie and Emily are very complex characters who I instantly got very intrigued by both of these ladies.
How one lie can totally change everything.
Her writing was so good. I was hooked by the second chapter.
This book has some twists and moments where I didn't know which way this story was heading.
Franken pulled me in and didn't let go.
Secrets are at the heart of this book and you are never sure who to root for or who to sympathize with.
Final twist ending had me!
Highly recommend. Its a good one.

Lake Union Publishing,
Thank You for this eARC!
I will post and tag to my platforms in the near future!

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC.
Maddy's half sister Emily is back in town after having been missing for twenty years. Maddy married Emily's teen love Joseph and she is madly in love with him, despite the fact that they've been trying hard to become pregnant and things haven't been easy for the couple as they're not doing well financially and thankfully have been able to live in Maddy's deceased parents' home, which is now to be shared with her sister.
Things are tense and Maddy is suspicious about her sister's motives. Does she want Joseph back and why is her best friend seemingly turning against her?
This book is twisty and turny, I couldn't figure out who was bad or good and the ending was really well done. Nor could I like or dislike any of them, they all had their reasons for their behavior, even if it turned quite nasty. Good read, I loved it! Highly recommended!