I liked this book overall. The writing style is very easy to read and engaging. It was a good mystery and I would recommend this to others.

I was going to give this 4 stars until the very end. I felt the ending was very unfinished. In my opinion, this book needed another 2-3 chapters to explain what the author describes in the author's note at the end. Or, Casey needed more conversations with her father throughout the book where he explained that. I missed that meaning and I think that's a very powerful message that would have been a really good addition to the book for anyone who might miss that. It would also have been good to see what happened after that final scene.

I was given an advanced reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ich habe mich direkt in das Cover verliebt, weil es so unglaublich schön ist.
Und dann habe ich mich noch zehnmal mehr in die Geschichte verliebt.

Ich bin hin und weg!

Thank you to @Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC. I enjoyed this story very much until the end. I felt the ending was rushed and the mystery solved with no explanation. I enjoyed the ancestral history very much.

Lily Meade’s debut novel, “The Shadow Sister,” is a gripping thriller about a missing teen who is not the same when she returns.

When Sutton goes missing, it’s the worst thing that has ever happened to her younger sister Casey. As she tries to help her family find her sister, Casey struggles to keep her emotions—in particular her anger—under control. Sutton had a reputation for being perfect: the popular cheerleader with a devoted boyfriend and the sky as her future’s limit. But people only look for missing Black—and half-Black—girls when they believe they’re helping to save an angel. That’s why Casey can’t tell the truth about Sutton, that she always manipulated everyone around her and even stole a beloved family heirloom from Casey.

To everyone’s relief, Sutton reappears, but she isn’t the same. In Addition to remembering nothing about her old life, there’s one thing unsettling about how she acts now. What happened? As Casey unravels the mystery surrounding Sutton’s disappearance, she begins to learn more about her and starts to realize that she never really knew her sister at all.

“Shadow Sister” was a powerful story about familial bonds and generational trauma. The plot was interesting and had twists and turns that kept me on my toes the whole time. I particularly enjoyed how the chapters switched POVs between Casey and Sutton, showing experiences from their perspective. The addition of two unreliable narrators added to the mystery surrounding Sutton’s disappearance.

My only complaint about “Shadow Sister” is that the ending felt rushed. It felt like at least one chapter was missing, or at least several pages. It ends during a scene, which was disappointing since I wanted to see how it was resolved.

Despite the ending, “Shadow Sister” was a terrific debut novel that tackled some difficult topics regarding race, generational trauma experienced by the descendants of enslaved peoples, and familial bonds.

Sisters Casey and Sutton do not get along. Each thinks the other is manipulative and privileged. After one major fight they each claim to hate the other. Then Sutton disappears. And Casey is conflicted – is this just another one of Sutton’s manipulative tricks? Or did something bad happen to her? After weeks of searching Sutton is found alive. But she isn’t the same person. She can’t remember what happened and the only person she will let get close to her is Casey, the sister she supposedly hated. Told in dual viewpoints this is a fascinating look at sibling rivalry, family dynamics and the blurry line between love and hate. I particularly enjoyed the addition of ancestral history, folklore and mysticism which added an additional layer to the story and was woven seamlessly into the narrative. 4.5 stars rounded to 5. Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is evenly paced. When it started to feel slow, the author does a good job of giving up more of the mystery to keep interesting. My favorite part of this book was the historical background. It was so well done and I kind of wish there was more of it. Lily Meade does such a good job with this book because it's about the aftermath of being found and it is also intertwined with systemic racism. Lily also did a great job talking about how relationships with siblings develop and describing Sutton's and Casey's POVs differ during certain fights/events. It's so well done that I'm blown away and wish there was a sequel to follow Sutton and Casey and their path towards recovery. The one thing I wish there was more of, was more about the ending, I feel like it was a bit rushed. Overall, I'm quite happy with this read and I think it's a great YA mystery/suspense read that leaves you thinking and at the same time satisfied where it ends. Highly recommend it if you are looking for an easy mystery/suspense standalone that is mostly focused on the healing of the trauma after the event has happened.

3.5/5 stars due to the ending feeling a little cut short and the storyline getting a little slow here and there. I really am looking forward to more books from this author. Thank you Netgalley, Sourcebooks Inc, and Lily Meade for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The cover of this got me to requested is beyond gorgeous. The book is about two sisters and the mystery about the disappearance of one and reappearance . Very well develop and it had me on my toes all the time . The books is mainly about trauma and healing, great book

Thank you NetGalley for the book in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, the cover is beautiful, and this is what first drew me to the book.

Mostly, I think I anticipated a different story. The synopsis intrigued me, and I found the idea of two sisters who didn’t like each other refreshing. However, I was expecting some kind of investigation into Sutton’s disappearance. But ultimately it seemed to fall into the background and we were mostly following Casey as she debated over whether or not her sister was faking her amnesia. The themes covered in the book were interesting, particularly the discussions of intergenerational trauma with the sister’s father researching the history of their family. Unfortunately, the ending felt a bit rushed, and I was really disappointed by how the ‘bad guy’ was portrayed. In my opinion, he was too obvious and his character and motives were not well developed or made any sense.

*Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review*
The Shadow Sister was a wonderfully well-written story blended with history, a good plot, and great character development. This is a beautiful story about trauma and generational oppression that was engaging, captivating, and consistently descriptive with plenty of twists and turns. I appreciate the mix of history in an otherwise relevant story and love the fact that it was not predictable and was able to surprise me at the end. My only criticism was the somewhat abrupt ending. However, this story was so well-written, I could have read several more chapters. As premature as the end was, it was just enough. Looking forward to reading more of Meade's work.

I am always a sucker for a sister centered YA novel. Sutton and Casey are turbulent to say the least until Sutton disappears. The cat and mouse whodunit was very entertaining and kept me engaged throughout. I do believe that while the ending was decent, it was a bit hurried. Other than that, generally a good read and definitely a well done debut. 3.75/5 stars

This book is about two sisters, who have a tumultuous relationship, named Casey and Sutton. Sutton goes missing and Casey hates it even more that Sutton’s disappearance is affecting the family as a whole. Casey doesn’t think Sutton’s in any type of real danger though hence her lackadaisical approach to the interviews she has been doing. Casey’s thoughts shift when the police find evidence that might belong to Sutton. It is then Casey realizes regardless of their rocky relationship she needs her sister back! Upon Sutton’s reappearance something isn’t sitting right with Casey. As Casey starts to investigate what really happened she’s left with even more questions than she started with.

There's more going on in this book than just the mystery aspect of it. The main thing I loved about this book is how much the dad knew about his family history because it's not uncommon that most of us Black people in America don't know much about our family lineage. I'm glad he was able to pass what he did know and have down to his daughters. I envy that as I unfortunately don't know much about mine. I'm also an older sister so I loved that this touched on the importance of sisterhood. There was a lot of healing the Cureton family had to go through individually. All in all definitely a good read! The cover is absolutely stunning!! 3.5 stars (rounding up to 4 stars)

Full disclosure - I requested this based on the cover. I thought it was going to be a dark twisty fantasy and I was totally here for it. This is further confirmation that covers sell books.

I started reading it, and the writing is solid. I think it will go over well in the current market, especially on the heels of Karen McManus. I could see this doing well in our libraries, although it's solidly young adult.

All that said, I stopped at 2%. I am not in a contemporary mystery/thriller mood right now, I'm in a fantasy and romance mood. Oops!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

Wow, what a debut! I was really impressed. If I had to classify it, I would go with YA family-drama mystery-thriller with a touch of magical realism. But mostly, the story's core is about intergenerational trauma and healing.

I enjoyed the entire plot, the characters and their individual relationships with one another, from the Cureton sisters' authentic sibling love-hate to their unique relationships with their parents. I also love that Isaiah (the dad) is a historian in this book -- we get to learn accurate historical facts about hoodoo magic during slavery and its ties to modern-day African American spiritualism.

Additionally, I found Casey and Sutton’s experience of being biracial in America candid and powerful. The commentary on the experience of colorism is well-woven into the narrative without overpowering the plot. How the police responded to Black girls going missing, seeming to care at the barest minimum only after Sutton’s disappearance went viral/got airtime, is a sad, dark reflection of our society.

However, I was left wanting the end chapters to be fleshed out more for this book to reach its full potential. It felt abrupt and rushed. Furthermore, I wasn’t sold on the “villain’s” motivations to make them believably three-dimensional. Maybe some extra backstory here.

All in all, I definitely recommend this book. It’s a quick, easy read with some excellent thrills. Congrats to Lily Meade on a superb debut (plus to the artist for the stunning cover art).

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to read this work, which will be published on the 27th of June 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Wow, this book really shocked me! In a good way of course. Seriously, what a great debut novel. There are so many things I enjoyed about this story. But I don't want to give away to many details. I think it's best to go in blindly on this one.

Casey and Sutton are two sisters with a fractured relationship. Sutton goes missing, and her family is falling apart trying to find her. When she is finally found safely she isn't who she used to be. Casey is confused and believes her sister is faking it all. Their fractured relationship is tested and we get glimpses of the past. Will both sisters be able to repair their sister bond?

I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. I started it and passed to read something else. But once I returned I couldn't put it down. The story kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the truth just like our MC, Casey. There are a lot of reasons I loved this book! But again, I think it's best to go in blindly. 4 stars out of 5! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As much as Casey loathes her manipulative older sister Sutton, the pain her family experiences after Sutton vanishes still tears her apart. Then Sutton reappears, unharmed apart from amnesia. Casey is sure it is all some ruse to torment her. Since neither their parents nor the police seem inclined to investigate either Sutton or the other missing Black girls in their town, it is up to Casey to uncover the truth. Meade spends so long poignantly illuminating the sisters' fractured relationship and intergenerational trauma that the resolution to the mystery comes out of left field.

The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade

336 Pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: June 23, 2023

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Coming of Age, Teen, Young Adult

Casey and Sutton are biracial sister. They are close in age but miles apart emotionally. When Sutton goes missing, Casey and her parents are devastated. A week goes by without any word. A call in the night brings Sutton home but she is a shadow of herself. Casey believes she is faking it.

The book has a fast pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. I loved the love/hate or rather hate/hate relationship between the sisters. It is probably closer to the truth than many happily ever after stories. If you like mysteries with family dynamics, you will enjoy this book.

The Shadow Sister is an excellent debut from author Lily Meade. It follows Casey and her sister Sutton who goes missing only to reappear days later with no memory and a whole new personality. As Casey and Sutton try to unravel what happened, relationships are tested and secrets exposed. What will it take to discover the truth?

Overall, I think this is a very strong debut. The characters were very well developed, even the side characters and we could understand their feelings and motives clearly. The different points of view were cleverly written and I enjoyed the flashbacks from Sutton’s perspective. The plot was intriguing and there were a few twists I didn’t anticipate. I also really enjoyed the connections the sisters had to their ancestors and I enjoyed the exploration of their genealogy.

The plot was somewhat slow for the first half of the book but the ending was fast paced and rushed. There were too many loose ends left open and I would have liked to have seen a more resolved ending. I think the subplots needed more exploration and just fleshing out in general. I would have happily read another 100/200 pages in order for these to be fully delved into.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and I think it is a strong debut for Meade. I will definitely be checking out their books in the future.

This is the story of family, trauma, and the bonds of sisterhood. The Cureton family is an average family: mother, father, two teenage daughters, and a dog, with typical sibling rivalry that other families experience. They’re a successful family until the unthinkable happens: the older sister, Sutton, disappears, shattering the family. When Sutton is miraculously found alive, she has no memory of what happened to her. She also doesn’t remember her family, except for her sister Casey. As the family struggles to come to terms with this new version of Sutton, the truth eventually emerges, and it’s more frightening than anyone could imagine.

Lily Meade’s debut novel for teens is a homerun. It reminds people of how strong the bonds of ancestry and family can be and examines the different ways Sutton’s family handles trauma. It also briefly touches on the indifference of police when people of color go missing. The slow reveal of what happened to Sutton and how and why she returns will have readers thinking back to other parts of the novel and cursing themselves for not figuring it out sooner, as there are clues sprinkled throughout.

Meade’s novel, told mostly from the point of view of Casey with a few chapters devoted to Sutton prior to her going missing, blends suspense, mystery and even a little magic throughout its pages and is highly recommended for teens and adults alike. It may even spark conversations about familial ancestors and the importance of researching ancestry to discover what secrets are buried underneath the surface.

Wow, I adored this exploration of complex, tense sisterhood, which is a narrative I feel we rarely see. The nuanced characters pair nicely with the twisty plot, and the way the author wove in historical details and genealogy was fascinating and so unique.

I could not put this book down. Meade weaves a compelling tale of the competition and love between sisters and the struggle of carrying generational trauma in this supernatural mystery. Casey and Sutton, bi-racial teens in a small town in Washington, vie for the coveted bracelet from their late grandmother, each believing their grandmother wanted them to have the bracelet. In the context of series of missing Black girls, which authorities ignore, when Sutton goes missing, the Cureton family and the community must face questions of how race and gender plays into how we place value on members in families and communities, and how a new generation can challenge injustices.