I received an early ebook copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book on two fronts. One it gives an honest and complicated look at familial relationships and the bonds, both broken and healed, between sisters. Meade does a fantastic job at writing fleshed out and realistic sisters. The anger is as real as the love and it's all woven together within a greater mystery that unfurls at a satisfying pace.

As Sutton's memories are locked behind her trauma, we get to see the impact of legacy and history as it affects the family.

This book is masterfully crafted and the twists and turns are well-done. The ending was powerful and tied all the loose strings together. I can't recommend this book enough! I can't wait for it to get published!

Love the suspense and the way they tackled the important issues of missing black girls and the complex relationship between sisters. A must read.

The Shadow Sister is a captivating debut novel by Lily Meade that combines mystery, family drama, and a touch of the supernatural. The story follows two sisters, Casey and Sutton, who have never had the best relationship. Everything shift after Sutton goes missing, and after being found the only person she can remember is Casey.

The writing in this book is exceptional, especially for a debut novel. The story is highly entertaining and hard to put down, making it easy to get lost in the pages. Meade does an excellent job of creating realistic and relatable characters, particularly the sisters' relationship with each other. Their initial dislike of each other feels authentic, and as the story unfolds, their bond grows stronger.

Even though I feel like we need more information about it to make it feel more integrated with the rest of the story, the supernatural subplot adds a layer of mystery and intrigue. The way the supernatural elements are woven into the story is subtle but effective, keeping the reader engaged and guessing until the end.

The book's ending feels somewhat rushed, and a couple more chapters or an epilogue would have tied up the loose ends better.

Overall, The Shadow Sister is a highly enjoyable read and an impressive debut novel from Lily Meade. Despite its minor flaws, the book is a great choice for anyone looking for a well-written, engaging, and mysterious story. I rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Honestly ordered this for the library mostly because of the beautiful cover but really enjoyed the story.

I didn't want this book to end. I picked it up and had to stop reading for whatever reason and I kept thinking about the characters and the plot and what would happen next. I was so engrossed in this story from start to finish but I could have used more chapters. That's my only complaint. I'll definitely be recommending this to friends.

First off, this cover! Talk about what I would consider a cover worthy buy if I saw it on the bookstore shelf. Immediately drawn to the book just from that. Then reading the synopsis had me even more intrigued. I thought this was an atmospheric read that I had a great time with.

Applause for such an amazing debut YA novel! I enjoyed the intense character building of the sisters, and the suspense of what happened to Sutton. As an only child I'm enthralled with learning about different sibling dynamics. I wish other characters had a little bit more "grey area" than what seemed to be either just "good" or "bad". Then ending left me wanting more.

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC in return for an honest review.

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I got this book from Net Galley in exchange for a review. They were giving out 500 copies without having to request the ARC, and I’m glad I was able to grab one while they were still available.

At the heart of this story, it is about two sisters mending their broken relationship. At first, I was not compelled to feel sympathetic to either sister, because they both came off as a bit spoiled and mean to each other. As I read more about their family and the devolution of their relationship, they grew on me. I think the author did a good job of mixing mystery with emotion, and I found myself genuinely excited to see what would happen next.

The story focuses attention on the ramifications and pain caused by the stolen history of African Americans, as well as the fact that missing women of color are reported on less than their white counterparts. As a white woman, I don’t think it’s my place to commentate on the accuracy or quality of any of this, but I very much appreciated the attention the author brought to both issues and the different perspective it provided.

Overall, I really loved this book!

I read this book in a handful of hours and really enjoyed it! (~3.75-4*)

The story follows Casey and her sister Sutton, who has been missing for a week as the book starts. A few chapters in, she returns but is not quite the same as she was before she went missing. We follow Casey's POV as she tries to figure out what happened, with the odd chapter from Sutton's POV from different periods of time.

This book was really hard to put down (a lot of the chapters ended on a cliffhanger!) and whilst I did have a good time, I do wish that it was a bit longer as I felt it ended quite abruptly after some major revelations. I also think it would have benefitted from some additional fleshing out, specifically around the main antagonist and their motivations and the magical component so that the big twists weren't so confusing/random.

This was a very quick and easy read that sucks you in at the get go, and also touches on some important topics like race and sibling/family relationships.

Casey hates her sister Sutton most days, so when she goes missing, Casey is incredibly conflicted. Even though they don't get along, Casey hates to see what her sister disappearing does to her parents. When Sutton appears with no memory of her past, except that Casey is her sister, Casey is suspicious. Is amnesia a ruse for more attention? A ploy to trick her parents? Casey does not trust it and is determined to find out just where Sutton went, and what happened to her when she disappeared.

Sister's hating each other in books is not new, but this author does it well. Both Sutton and Casey come across as imperfect people, without being overboard. The strain on their relationship is well thought-out and explored. Usually, I would side with one character, but I found both of them to be super compelling! We also get a little backstory into how the feud came about and how much it rocked their relationship. Every relationship has growing pains; seeing them overcome and bond was lovely.

There is a magical realism element in this book which was done beautifully. We also explored Casey's family history as slaves, and how hard they had to work to get to where they are now. The ancestry aspect is incredibly moving.

Unfortunately, those are the only parts I liked. Everything else is underdeveloped and half-fleshed out. The most disappointing aspect for me was the mystery. Overall, it only plays a part in the very beginning and end. It is barely mentioned or used in the middle, which is odd. If your daughter comes home with amnesia, whatever happened to them must have been incredibly traumatic. I expected the parents to be more determined in figuring out what happened to her, but instead, they are just complacent. The other girls that went missing are barely mentioned or explored. The villain is so cartoony it is laughable, and the motive did not even make sense, which is incredibly frustrating. If the author had just made it about the family healing from trauma, I would have probably given this four, maybe five stars.

Outside of Casey and Sutton, no other character is fleshed out. Some key characters too, like the boyfriend, parents, and the villain! Everyone is also presented as either good or bad, with no room in the middle. Lily Meade created such dynamic main characters, yet all the secondary characters fade into the background and have no impact on the story.

Overall, a solid YA debut. I am excited to see what else the author writes!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

(Review is on Barnes and Noble's website under the user Berriesandbooks )

Fantastic title to hand sell to YA readers and adults. It addresses themes of race in a way that is natural to the characters and the plot. It is above all a story of the familial bonds of sisterhood and the tension that can arise between siblings. There is love amidst the hurt that family can cause. While there isn't sexual assault, there are missing black girls and there is mention of death and a dead body that is found.

This book is about two sisters (Sutton and Casey)that do not get along. From each point of view, they other is ruining their life. That is until Sutton disappears, then later returns acting unusually out of character. Casey works on trying to find out what happened to Sutton to make her act the way that she is. Sutton’s case leads to answers of what happened to two other missing girls and to where to find Casey’s missing friend, Ruth.

This is a YA thriller that will have you locked in, trying to figure out what happened to Sutton and who was responsible.

Lily Meade's debut novel The Shadow Sister is a compelling YA thriller that had me invested early on in the story. It was both written and paced well. The characters were well-developed and definitely relatable. At the heart of the story is the relationship between sisters, Sutton and Casey. To say their relationship was tumultuous would be an understatement, but they truly loved each other even in neither wanted to admit it. I found the plot to be captivating and I couldn't get enough. Lily Meade is definitely on my radar and I cannot wait to read her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one ended up being a lot different than I was expecting and in a lot of good ways. I liked seeing a sister relationship that was more tense and complicated. In getting both Sutton and Casey’s POVs, we really saw the ways the sisters perceived each other much more clearly and how it affected their relationship, especially with Sutton being more light skinned than Casey and all the ways that came into their story. I really liked that Isaiah’s job as a black historian was a focus. I loved the scenes with he and Casey talked about their family history. There were a few things I didn’t think were as fleshed out or explained as well as they could have been. The bit of magical realism towards the end was really cool, but I would have liked more explanation as to why it happened and the history of it. The villain, I had a feeling about and I was actually excited that it was this person, but the reveal got wrapped up so quickly. I was hoping for more with that part of the story. Also, I would have liked an epilogue in this book or even just one more chapter to really finish out the story. The ending was VERY abrupt. Overall, I thought this was a really unique story that definitely kept my interest and makes me want to read more books by this author in the future.
Mini spoiler: the dog doesn’t die.
TW: missing girls, racism, mentions of slavery

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

So, I finished reading this late last night so I was too tired to put in a review. As I sit here today, not even 24 hours I think to myself- that was a pretty unremarkable book. I literally just had to go back and look at the last few pages to remind myself how it ended.
Now don’t get me wrong this wasn’t a horrible book. It had some interesting points, but it just wasn’t my jam.
I do thank NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A very good read, an amazing insight in the ancestry, traditions and beliefs of black people. The description and development of the characters was very well done. I certainly enjoyed the book. And I think that the topics it touches are extremely important.
My only issue with the book is that it fell short, I think it needed at least 50 or so more pages to finish it correctly. As it is, it felt rushed and underwhelming, especially the villain reveal. I guessed sooner but it still felt kind of flat.
But overall I think is a pretty good book. And I would totally recommend it

The Shadow Sister pulled me in with the beautiful cover but I stayed for the sisterly drama. I appreciated that the dialogue was written true to the characters and Lily Meade managed to create an accurate sister relationship. The suspense builds slowly and parts of this book created genuine fear! Lily Meade wrote a beautiful story about generational trauma, what makes a family, and how our lens/background changes our ability to approach situations impartially.

This would be a 3.5-4 star book for me only because portions were told instead of shown. Sections of dialogue specifically between the friends in the book felt forced compared to other portions of the book.

WHEN I TELL YOU I AM NOW A STAN. I reaaaally loved this book, both the context of sibling relationships, the lives of biracial children, and it even touched on real life issues, such as white privilege and lack of police help when it comes to saving those deemed worthy. Overall, I really enjoyed the point of view and all of the twists and turns, even when I started leaning in the direction of the correct ending, I was still on my toes until the very very end. The only reason it is four star instead of five is due to the pretty open ending. I wish it had given me an epilogue or something to wrap the story in a nice bow, giving justice to all, but I understand that may have not worked with the flow of the story.

Once I started this book, I could not put it down. I had to know what happened and I am so glad I was approved to read this because WOW is it GOOD! I highly recommend this book to anyone and EVERYONE!

I had 15 different endings and still didn’t see that one happening. The hate between these sisters was so real I felt the angst as I read each word on these pages. The story is definitely captivating, and a quick read. It has a relatively simple plot, yet somehow feels complex likely because of the subject matter as it relates to race, identity, and family relationships. The only issue I have is with how it ended. I wanted more. The build up as so strong and I felt like it I was owed more.

I would say it’s a solid read anywhere from young adult to mature adult. Voodoo is intertwined throughout the story, so if that is a trigger for you, I would say stay away.