Yet again, I wrote a book that I shouldn’t have. I thought this book was a fantasy read and instead it was thriller. And usually I like to read thriller books. But I wasn’t into this book. And I didn’t like the characters at all.

I went into this book blind and was slightly confused about the direction it was going. It has a bit of a thriller, mystery, and magical realism all mixed together. It was an interesting read though and I’m happy I finished it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book unfortunately was not for me. There were several parts that I enjoyed especially the the bond of the sisters but the story itself felt disjointed. I had a hard time finishing this book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

I loved this book – incredible read!! It is a bit of a heavy read so TW if you have complicated family relationships. I loved how Casey’s character grew and evolved as the story continued.
Many of us have experienced sibling rivalry. However, to be at odds with your sister and then she goes missing? Once Sutton is found, Sutton all of a sudden is fine with her sister and literally only trusts her. This book was incredible – could not put it down. Thank you NetGalley for the amazing read!

Striking and hard to put down in the second half, this book shocked me. There was a lot to get through that was hard to read on the emotional side—a really tense and competitive relationship between sisters that cleaved through most of the story. However the payoff in the end is big, with Sutton and Casey’s individual transformations worth the read. There are elements of magical realism and rootwork in the text, which I wish were more prominent throughout.

Lily Meade's debut novel, The Shadow Sister, is one of the best debuts I've read in a long time. Perfectly paced with unforgettable characters and thrilling twists, The Shadow Sister is a book you don't want to miss.

I mean, it's fine, or at least an inoffensively dull blade, but there isn't a universe in which you can convince me that teenagers think this...slowly. Meade treats her characters like half-formed, intellectually challenged pod people who gestated in bland soup.

Overall I enjoyed this. Realistic relationships and great characters. My only complaint is the ending, very rushed and felt unfinished

I'm a mood reader and this one just hasn't been in my mood wheelhouse for awhile so it is a DNF for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

This is a YA story about Casey and her sister Sutton. Sutton is missing at the beginning of the novel and Casey is dealing with her feelings of fear and resentment. When they find Sutton she is a little off. This book has supernatural aspects and twinges of horror to it. The relationship between Casey and Sutton was realistic and complicated. They love each other but hate each. The book also deals with the feelings surrounding being biracial and the way black victims are treated by the media and police vs white victims. Colorism is also discussed.

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.

Loved the world building and character development in this book! A great pick for the classroom library.

This book isn't a genre I usually read but I wanted to give it a shot -- also that cover is STUNNING!! Not sure why I went out of my comfort zone. This book was good but it wasn't great. I don't think the writing was anything special. Overall a 3 stars for me, It took too long to get into the book, if only the whole book was as exciting as the end.

Well…WELL! The Shadow Sister is not at all what I expected. This book is so intense from page one, with Casey and her family doing all they can to get people to care about finding her sister, Sutton. This is immediately latching onto ideas of what kind of girls and people media and society cares about when they go missing, and doesn’t pull away from the systemic racism that means Black people are often blamed for their trauma and experiences. I really loved the complex narration of seeing both Sutton and Casey’s perspective of their tense, strained relationship. And that final third! I had a feeling hoodoo was going to play a part, but I did not expect where it ended up going. This is such an intense-in-a-good-way book and I cannot wait to see what Lily Meade will write next. Just, so full of healing and complex histories and how much history shapes us into who we are and become.

I feel like this book was a bit all over the place. It had good plot points and some passages really stuck with me, but it didn’t feel as cohesive as I was hoping for. I felt like some plot points were sorta left hanging.

I really enjoyed this book! It was intriguing from the beginning and the jumps from present to past and back felt seamless. I definitely didn’t see the twist that was coming!

While this read is not for me, it’s perfect if you love brooding, suspenseful psychological thrillers with a thoughtful touch of supernatural elements and a nice helping of unreliable narrators.

The story touches on some heavy topics like grief, trauma, and how healing can take place.

I feel like I need to read a cozy, lighthearted fantasy after this.

Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary copy of this ebook. I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.

This was a bit of a different genre for me but I enjoyed this book.
Will definitely try to read more like it!

This was a great horror novel for YA readers!! When I was growing up, there was not a lot of horror for kids my age in my opinion… and that’s how I ended up reading Stephen King’s IT in the 8th grade. This book however is good! It has plenty of creepiness without having extremely graphic scenes.

I especially appreciate that this author wrote about Black experiences, as young people need to be able to have representation in literature.