I received an advanced copy of this book from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.

Casey's world is turned upside down when her sister Sutton goes missing. As she joins the search efforts, Casey grapples with her anger towards Sutton, unable to reveal their recent argument. Despite the perception of Sutton as a perfect and popular girl, Casey knows the truth about her sister's manipulative nature, even stealing from her. However, the disappearance of Black or mixed-race girls often goes unnoticed, and Casey is determined to find her sister, believing there is an angel in need of saving.

When Sutton mysteriously reappears, Casey's initial relief turns to unease. Sutton has no memory of her time away or her previous life, including the pain she caused Casey. Her behavior is unsettling, particularly her intense interest in spending time with Casey and observing her goldfish.

Driven by her growing suspicion, Casey embarks on a journey to uncover the secrets Sutton kept hidden. The more she delves into her sister's past, the more questions arise. Did Casey truly know Sutton at all? Why is there silence surrounding the other missing girls in their community? And what sacrifices will Casey have to make to uncover the truth behind it all?

This book had a plethora of well-crafted characters. Seriously, they were so on point, even the side characters stole the show. I loved how diverse and intriguing their backgrounds and motivations were. And let's talk about the main character's attitude towards her sister—hilariously relatable! It had just the right amount of teen angst to keep things interesting without going overboard. Kudos to the author for capturing that dynamic so well.

Now, let's talk about the resolution. I mean, come on! I needed more!

All in all, if you're a YA reader looking for a quick and easy read, this book will hit the spot. Just be prepared for some unresolved subplots and a villain that needs a serious upgrade. But hey, the characters and the magical elements will make it worth your while.

Rarely does a book get the complexities of sister relationships. This story accomplishes pivots that kept me on my toes and although a bit predictable, the story speaks to societal ills and judgments. I appreciate that the story speaks on missing Black girls and how Black girls must present in order to be deemed "worthy" of being searched for.

Andrew does not read as the typical boy from the "wrong side of the tracks." I would have liked more of his character. Otherwise, the book is an interesting social commentary that has something to say.

Things are not always as they seem, when Casey's sister Sutton goes missing Casey isn't sure if she is happy or sad. When she reappears, Casey knows that something isn't right with her sister. A captivating read that leaves you guessing, what has happened.

I was drawn to this book based on the description and the diversity in what I thought was going to be a mystery/thriller.

What I enjoyed: the main characters were well developed and the dynamic between the sisters and how they didn’t get along is relatable to anyone that has siblings. The mention of their ancestry added a deeper element to the story.

What I didn’t like: this story seemed really underdeveloped to me. I went in expecting a sort of thriller in a way - sister goes missing, sister comes back and acts strange, I’ve read books with similar plots where the remaining sister almost becomes an amateur sleuth trying to find out what happened but that wasn’t how this book went which was very disappointing for me. The villain was… pretty much a joke. The villain was so one-dimensional and the resolution of the book left me feeling meh.

Sisters have such a complicated relationship and Lily Meade uses this effectively in The Shadow Sister.

I guessed the killer right away. I don’t know why. I don’t think Meade gave anything away, I just read a particular sentence and said they are the killer. I didn’t really guess the biggest mystery of the book. I think this is because I didn’t look at it as a mystery, but the reality is…it was (chuckle). The forest for the trees…sometimes I even surprise myself.

I like the different viewpoints of the sisters. It is so interesting to see how each person can look at a relationship and see a completely different view and both be right.

Meade interweaves sad realities of non-white crimes and how they are investigated, pursued, and resolved. This is a necessary plot inclusion as Sutton’s mother is white and this has an impact on how Sutton’s case is handled.

I enjoyed this mystery. I love the relationship between Sutton and Casey. I like Meade’s thoughts on intergenerational trauma and its impact on today’s generation. I haven’t studied enough of this subject within intersectionality. It’s discussed within ghosting intersectionality, but not enough in my opinion.

The Shadow Sister has several mysteries all tied within the larger mystery of Sutton’s disappearance and Meade keeps readers hooked from page one to the very last word. I was enthralled. I can’t wait to read more from Meade.

I absolutely loved reading this book and especially appreciated the ancestral generation layers. My only critique is that I didn’t understand why the pastor targeted and killed the previous girls? Was he using their searches to collect for the church camp? I think that section was a bit rushed and not as clear as the rest of the book but in all, the story/plot was phenomenal and I loved that Sutton truly did come back home.

Ultimately, this is a book that just left me wanting more. I was intrigued by the mystery and premise around Casey's sister Sutton's disappearance. The initial story of Sutton missing drew me in. However, as the story went, I wanted more mystery and intrigue, and I especially felt that way with the ending. There could have been so much more to the story (because it was an important story to be told!) around identity and why and just all the things. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this June 2023 release.

The Shadow Sister, on the surface, is a novel about girls of color who go missing in a community. Below the surface, however, it is about much more: intergenerational trauma, family trauma, personal trauma, religious justification, and hoodoo, conjure and rootwork.

Casey is 15, with an older sister, Sutton, whom she competes with; each thinks the other is their parents' favorite, and each wants a bracelet their grandmother promised them. After their grandmother's recent death, each girl tries to get the other to let her have the bracelet, and the resulting argument drives them apart. But then Sutton goes missing - the third girl in as many weeks to disappear in their community. Against the odds, Sutton is found - but she's changed; she has traumatic amnesia, and her attitudes towards everyone she knows have changed. Something truly unusual is going on - and Casey is determined to get to the bottom of it. The answer is something truly unexpected. Recommended for middle school and older.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

3.75/5 stars

Ya know, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! I grabbed it because of the gorgeous color and the desire to read something outside my normal, and I wasn’t disappointed. While it wasn’t my favorite read of the year, I did enjoy it significantly more than most thrillers.

The core of this book is healing from generation and familial trauma, with a healthy dose of thriller and even some awesome plot about black history, including root magic. The heavy topics are handled well and the main characters, teenagers Casey and Sutton, are depicted perfectly - it’s up to the reader to decide if either sister is right or wrong, but their relationship and characters feel real from beginning to end.

Honestly the history and characters are the highlight of this book - otherwise the plot wasn’t what really kept my attention or felt unique. But the realistic characters and clever weaving of black/slave history makes it worth the read.

arc for my seattle times piece on lily meade (stay tuned!). good, propulsive YA novel with lots of big ideas and moving pieces, that generally worked together but didn’t quite cohere in the climax. that is ok; happens to the best of us

3.5 stars
A decent mystery, but I wish the supernatural aspect was hinted throughout the story- the ending almost seemed to come out of nowhere. Casey was very relatable in the way the she truly disliked her sister and the author wasn't afraid to show that. Some of Sutton and Casey's fights were a little dramatic, but realistic for teens. The climax was thrilling, but seemed a little too short and I wish more time was spent on it.

The Shadow Sister is a hauntingly dark young adult thriller where the story focuses on two sisters--Casey & Sutton who had a bad relationship before Sutton went missing.
Casey noticed the slight change of behaviour in Sutton after she was found, soon she started to investigate the truth.

There's a lot of you didn't see it coming moment that left me in disbelief. The blood chilling ending, just wow.
It's my first time reading Lily Meade's work and I'm intrigue to read more of her works in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for sending me an ecopy in exchange for an honest review!

OMG WHAT ?!?!

This book was an absolute whirlwind of twist and turns and emotions. This book brings in important representation which give the plot even more meaning.

This book brings in Intergenerational trauma and healing from it, from two sisters. The two sisters are African American descent and they both are fighting to get through life while trying to reclaim their history, but also their love for each other.

This is a thriller with some paranormal ideas and it is spectacularly written. Highly recommend. It starts a little slow, and for some characters you don’t get a rounded story but that’s how life is as well.

Wow! This book by debut author Lily Meade reminds me of classic horror/thrillers that grab my attention and turns everything upside down. This is geared for a young adult audience which is a reader category I aged out of decades ago. The writing is good, the story magnetic, the thriller setting is well thought out and I read it in less than 24 hours because, I just had to. The cover is gorgeous too.
I received an advanced reader's copy from Source books Fire via NetGalley and this is my unsolicited personal opinion about it.
I like that issues that are very present today for Black and multiracial families are perfectly blended into the story. The sister and parent -daughter relationships are believable. There are hints throughout the story that take the reader to the shocking conclusion, and it all makes sense. (I did guess one thing but I'm not going to do anything to ruin the thrill in this thriller for anyone. I did not guess the main thing.)
A bit of Lily's background in the acknowledgement section is just as interesting as her work of fiction.

There is minimal foul language and a mention of hoo doo in the book.

First let’s get into this cover which is absolutely beautiful. It is really a selling point for me. Next let’s talk about this plot because the sister you really can’t stand goes missing and then she comes back with no memory of her past life or what happened to her during the time she was gone…*chefs kiss*. I wanted to read this immediately.

From the first chapter we get into the nitty gritty and we learn first sentence Casey’s sentiments about her sister. I honestly had no idea where this story was going until the final chapters. Like I was very surprised because what?! Like any mystery you are trying to figure out what happened and who did what. But I was not prepared for what was to come. I was wrong on all accounts and that usually never happens.

Overall I enjoyed this story. I do wish however considering the time it took to buildup to the conclusion that a little more was put into the big reveal because it kind of just served as “here it is” the end. It felt a little rushed.

As for a debut this was a good read and I definitely look forward to more in the future.

Also I want to thank NetGalley, Lily Meade and Sourcebooks Fire team for providing an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I tell you I gasped...

When Casey's older sister, Sutton, goes missing, Casey internally struggles with acceptance - both on the fact that her sister might never return, and that she is quite unsure how she feels about that. While their friendship prior to the disappearance wasn't strong, the situations they face after Sutton's reappearance will test their fraying bond.

Overall, I found the book to be quite enjoyable. Try as I might to not attempt to figure out the mystery, I always start developing my own ideas of what might happen, and none of which I predicted came true. There were a few subplots to the story that felt slow in the beginning, but I do appreciate how it all seemed to weave together in the end.

Definitely a good, solid read for those that do not want fast-paced and enjoy for things to unfold in their own due time. That said, I do wish there was more to the big reveal of the mystery and that the ending had more depth to it. It felt a bit rushed, considering the length and time of the build up.

this is a ya psychological thriller coming out june 27, and i’m here to tell you it absolutely deserves a spot on your tbr. casey’s sister mysteriously disappears, then mysteriously *re*appears, but something’s up. i was immediately hooked on this story, and i love the way that there are some subtle fantasy elements woven in. i guessed the main plot twist (which i always consider a good thing, btw! i look for clues intensely in these types of books so if i guess it, it means the author set it up well) and while i would’ve loved a little more explanation in certain places, i was overall pretty satisfied with the conclusion.

A mystery and a family drama that doesn't just focus on the present, but also the past interweaves a brilliant sibling story when memory is lost. Two sisters- one that had gone missing but is now back without her memory and the sister that remembers the past but questions what the future will bring/hold with a sister who doesn't.

While I could have held off on some of the overdramatization between the siblings especially in the interim mystery of finding her, I wanted to dive a little deeper into the parents that were curious from the start. There were a lot of threads in the story and readers will gravitate toward a specific focal point because there is so much to digest. Especially reading Meade's notes and acknowledgments it's clear that this is deeply personal and shines on a story that she wanted to tell digging up the past and about what colorism and being (or not) Black enough.

Thought-provoking.

Thank you to Lily Meade, Sourcebooks Fire, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Let's take a moment to appreciate the cover! It is hands-down one of the prettiest covers I have ever seen. Okay, moving on, this was a good book. I liked the characters and the writing. The pace wasn't slow but wasn't too fast either, it was perfect. You would never know that this was a debut novel.

I just wish there was more to the climax, it felt too rushed. But overall it is a solid read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lily Meade, and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I struggled to connect with the characters. I didn’t feel like the magical realism was developed or handled well. The villain was lackluster and honestly came out of nowhere for me. The pacing was good and I feel like the potential to be great was there, but it just didn’t work for me! However, I know a ton of people have really enjoyed it so it is possibly just a personal thing!