From the opening lines of this book, the venomous emotions Casey feels toward her older sister, Sutton, drip from every page. I found myself upset with her and everyone else in the story for different reasons: Casey for hating Sutton so much; Sutton for being such an awful big sister; their mom, Madison, for being so petty and self-involved; their father, Isaiah, for his muted helplessness.

The book opens with Sutton already missing and Casey doing a media spot for her. We're told early on that their mom is an anchor at one of the TV stations in (near? around? We never know for sure) their Washington state town of Willow Bend. Apparently this is an upper middle class town. Yet Casey is the one doing the media spot. Why? Why wouldn't her mother, who apparently is so savvy with her career to the point of being cunning, not leverage everything she can in her job to get the media to stay on this story?

Once Sutton comes home, though, it's like the media don't exist. Why isn't the phone ringing off the hook with requests to speak to Sutton, her parents, Casey, someone? Why aren't the police coming back time and again for additional information on their investigation? What about social services stepping in to recommend some sort of therapy for Sutton? It's like one minute she's gone, and Casey hates her. Then she's back, and no one inside the house knows what to do with her and everyone outside of it has forgotten she exists. Before she comes back, the police come upon a piece of "evidence" that it seems might belong to Sutton, but it's never mentioned again after that moment of shock and her return. Why?

The book seemed to want to encompass everything all at once: the all-too-real issue of Black girls going missing with little attention paid to them plus the heritage of slave ancestors plus the burdens carried by a mixed race couple plus sibling rivalry (which, really, here is hatred) plus a coming-of-age story plus the challenges of single-parent households plus the false piety of certain fundamentalists plus... After awhile, I was really confused about what this book was actually trying to do and say.

The one constant throughout is Casey's flat-out revulsion for her sister. That's a strong word, but that's what gets laid down in the first few pages and then reiterated at every opportunity. By the time Casey starts to "turn the corner" on her feelings and care about Sutton again, it's really hard to buy into. Hate, like love, is a foundational feeling. When it's the bedrock of the story, it's almost impossible to shatter so the rest of the story can float free and go to a new place.

I didn't see the big twist coming of why Sutton is the way she is post-return, but by that point I was pretty much just skimming the book anyway. The novel needed several more rounds of heavy developmental editing and many thoughtful discussions about what it was trying to actually say before getting published. The author had some promising lines here and there, however, so I would be open to reading more of her work in the future. But, boy, did this one miss the mark by a wide margin (for me, at least.)

Sisters Casey and Sutton have long been at odds. But when Sutton goes missing for a week and comes back changed, Casey is forced to figure out if she actually knew her sister at all.

I enjoyed this. It's a cool concept and I loved all of the characters and the relationships between them. It all felt very realistic. However, the ending, particularly the villain, came out of nowhere for me. It didn't feel foreshadowed at all. I did enjoy the speculative twist so that's also a plus. Overall it was good but not spectacular.

Casey hates her sister Sutton, and the feeling is mutual, but when Sutton disappears, Casey’s life turns completely upside down. Furthermore, when Sutton comes homes, she’s not the same. She doesn’t remember anything except that Casey is her sister and she doesn’t want to be apart from her. Casey knows something isn’t right. She thinks Sutton is faking, but what if something else is going on? Something worse.

I recommend this one if you’re into YA and looking for some mystery, some magic, a bit of folklore. If you can suspend belief for a little while, you’re in for a very good ride. I never had a sister, let alone a sibling that close in age (my brother is 9 years older), so I was really into the relationship between Casey and Sutton, the rivalry, the dislike and the slow evolution into true sisterhood. Plus, I’m always down for something creepy and folklore. It’s out now wherever you get your books.

Sutton and Casey are two sisters who, shocker, don't get along. Casey in fact hates her sister. Sutton goes missing and Casey even hopes she never comes back. Unfortunately for Casey, Sutton does reappear, however she is not the same person she was. Sutton has very little memory upon her return and only remembers Casey. She doesn't remember her parents or even her dog. Casey soon uncovers multiple black teenage girls have mysteriously gone missing, but Sutton is the only one to reappear. Can Casey find out who is to blame before the next one goes missing?

I was really hoping for more magical realism in this novel, in comes into play at the very end. This book kept me reading because I wanted to know what happened, but I wasn't super invested in it and I probably wouldn't recommend it to a friend.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #SourcebooksFire for the eARC copy of this novel!

I went into this completely blind and found myself pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns. The narrative voices are strong, with each point of view unraveling the lies of the other.

In The Shadow Sister, Casey's sister, Sutton goes missing. When Casey eventually returns, she is different and acting strangely. Sutton has no recollection of the past and what happened to her, Other Black girls also happen to go missing and Casey is trying to uncover the mystery behind the missing girls and her sister. This novel makes some poignant points about the value of Black girls in society. Even if they are flawed, Black girls deserve to be missed and searched for. They deserve to have their stories told.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC.

The beginning immediately had me wondering what the heck happened to Sutton. Also, what's up with Sutton and Casey's sibling relationship because they clearly have sibling rivalry. Going back and forth between each sister's POV they seemed to be jealous of other another on all fronts!

Once we get into the meat or the book and Sutton reappears, we, along with Casey start to find out there's more going on here.

I felt as though this one was drug out way more than it should have been, but also felt as though there was something missing. The ending seemed rush to wrap it up and had me side eyeing it, Lol. I think this one would work wonderfully for a younger teenager. They would eat this one up! And... I cannot miss talking about this cover! This cover is everything, just beautiful!

This was a new author for me & I really enjoyed this book! I really enjoy YA fantasy. Plus this cover is amazing! This one is about two sisters who can’t stand one another, one sister goes missing but returns, and trying to uncover memories of when Sutton was missing! This book had duel POV from both sisters. I highly recommend reading this one so I don’t want to give away too much!:) it was SO GOOD!

I thought this book is so well written, character driven, and realistic. It flows easily and quickly and I enjoyed the story. I am more of a plot girl, but in a book like this I don't mind a character driven story taking the lead. The plot is still there yet the characters are written so beautifully and complex. As someone who did not get along with her sister, I felt a strong connection to this book. My sister ran away a lot and everyone seemed to paint her as perfect as well and so I related to the MC greatly. I love that you get the story from both perspectives. I would definitely recommend

Casey cant remember the last time she got along with her sister, Sutton. But when she goes missing she fears it may not be for attention but be in real harm. When she gets back she's different and Casey is determined to find out why. The Shadow Sister combines family history, racism and suspense to create a visceral novel. Everything is just out of the readers grasp and when it is reveal they are sure to gasp. While the ride was enjoyable, I would have liked a little more depth to the family magic and history along with more tie in of the town.

The Shadow Sister is the story of sisters Casey and Sutton. Sutton goes missing but then returns home without any memory of where she was or what happened. Casey questions her sister's sincerity and investigates the mystery further.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read and I was interested from beginning to end. I loved the emphasis on learning more about and relying on ancestors.

The only part I didn't care for was the end. I felt like it was such an abrupt end to the story and would have liked a little more closure.

This book was such a pleasant surprise! I didn't know what exactly to expect from it, but it was a very enthralling YA thriller/horror. Sisters are one of my favorite character dynamics to read about, and the relationship between Casey and her sister Sutton was so incredibly interesting to read about. It truly showed the complexity of their bond and how their differing experiences as being two mixed-race teenagers has affected their relationship. The book also explored intergenerational trauma and historic spiritual practices, which all came together to create a really well-crafted story. I really enjoyed this debut novel, and I can't wait to read from Lily Meade in the future!

I did not finish the book as it didn’t grab my attention at all. i only got through about three chapters. i hope others can appreciate it though!

This was an amazing story with so many twists and turns. It slowly became more eerie the more I read the story. I really enjoyed this character-driven debut novel that’s filled with suspense and tension.

This book had such promise! It started out so interesting and then kind of fell apart, finally ending so quickly that I had no idea what had just happened. The ending would have worked better if 1) there had been a little more focus on the elements that go into the explanation, and 2) if either of the sisters were likeable. There was just a mess of stuff thrown at you in the last few pages that could have been drawn out and really fleshed the story out.

Typically, I do not allow covers to draw me in. It usually doesn't end well, and this was no exception.

Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to like here. I enjoyed the writing style, and it is a strong debut. I especially liked the use of magical realism. I also thought the use of the sister's ancestry was well executed. I found these sections to be the most interesting. However, I really struggled with the pacing and the characters.

I am a fan of unlikeable characters. However, both sisters are terrible people, and I didn't care about either sister. My other issue was I knew who the "bad guy" was from the first chapter, but I never understood their motivations. Further, the side characters needed further development.

As for the plot, I don't think this book knew what it wanted to be. The mystery aspect gets swept to the side for the entire middle section of the book. Then, the blurb says: Why is no one talking about the other girls who have gone missing in their area? The problem is the author barely talks about the other missing girls. This plot point needed to be fleshed out further.

I would have enjoyed this more if there was a deeper exploration of trauma, both generational and from what Sutton goes through.

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

Interesting all the way through, and slowly got more and more eerie as it went. I feel like there were some things that could have been elaborated on more, like the behaviors of some of the characters, but it could just be that it was their reaction to the trauma. I did wish there was more closure at the end. It felt like a lot happened all at once, and then it was just done, and I'd have liked to have seen it wrapped up more.

“My sister is a b!tch, but that doesn’t mean I want her dead.”

Saying sisters Casey and Sutton don’t get along is an understatement. However, Sutton’s mysterious disappearance and reappearance without any memory of what happened creates questions in Casey’s mind. Did Sutton fake her disappearance? If it wasn’t fake, who took Sutton, and how did she return home? Also, there’s Sutton’s strange behavior that trauma alone can’t explain.

I was hooked from the first line. Having two sisters and all of us being close in age, I could certainly relate to the complicated love/hate sibling relationship portrayed. I loved how this book mixes complex family dynamics, heritage, fighting to uncover the truth, and supernatural realism.

I really enjoyed this character-driven debut novel that’s filled with suspense and tension.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for a gifted copy of this book.

Solid YA read. Had some mystical undertones with the mystery of the MCs sister disappearing. The dynamic between the sisters was good and the the exploration of their relationship and those around them.

This book hit me so hard! I gave this five stars! I need to get a physical copy. I felt so many emotions sadness, helplessness, and anger. I absolutely recommend this book!