This was a page turner. I was really drawn in by Casey's feelings about her sister in the beginning because she had me thinking that she would be happy if Sutton didn't return. I enjoy thriller/mysteries where I am figuring things out along with the characters. At one point you think something is true and you have it all figured out, and then Lily let's you know that you don't.

The main thing that I enjoyed about this book, is that Lily Meade incorporated family history, cultural traditions, and rootwork into the story. I also liked that the books highlights how Black girls disappearing aren't given the same attention as their white counterparts and how colorism can also play a role in that attention.

The ending, although good, felt a bit rushed to me. All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot and look forward to more books by Lily Meade.

I really enjoyed this book, even though YA mystery/thriller books are usually not my go-to genre.

The characters are all a bit hard to like, and you suspect most of them at some point (at least I did). But that’s part of the fun! You never know which way the story will go, and you keep asking yourself “what the heck is actually happening in this place?”

When Sutton returns home people keep saying that she’s not herself - she only wants to hang out with her sister (who she usually avoids and generally dislikes), she doesn’t remember anything or anyone, and she’s acting really weirdly (showing little to no emotion, submerging herself in ice baths and killing butterflies (wtf?)).

The book kept me guessing and it never felt dull, even when it wasn’t super action-filled.

4/5 stars, would recommend.

Casey's sister Sutton has gone missing. The sisters haven't been close for a long time, with anger and fights erupting between them, the latest over a bracelet their Ma Remy left to them when she died. Then Sutton is found, naked, in a remote part of town, and she's not acting like herself anymore, and doesn't seem to remember anything or anyone other than her sister. When Casey learns that other black girls in their town have gone missing much like Sutton did, she has to figure out what is going on, and if that can help Sutton regain her memories.

WOW, was this good! When I got this arc in my email, I was expecting it to be a soft fantasy (look at that gorgeous cover!), but instead I got a modern day YA thriller that I just couldn't put down. I had to find out exactly what was going on with Sutton, especially after multiple people in her life claim "that isn't Sutton." Including Sutton's boyfriend Andrew. This was a wild ride and it tackles a lot of heavy issues around race, as Sutton and her sister are mixed, and Casey's best friend Ruth is black but was adopted by white parents.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you like fast paced, unputdownable YA thrillers.

I am not typically a thriller or mystery person, but I found this book interesting from the beginning.

Casey & Sutton are two sisters that live in a community with their parents where there have been a string of young black girls that have disappeared recently. The girls are biracial having a white mother and black father, but are your typical teenage sisters thinking that the other one does not like them and that they are always trying to make each other miserable.

There are quite a few fishy scenarios at the beginning such as a fight between the sisters and Sutton's meet up with her boyfriend that seems a little sketchy and then all of the sudden, Sutton has disappeared.

We learn more about the family's background, Sutton's sudden reappearance and the community's feelings about why she was found when the other girls were not. The book has intrigue and speculation and keeps you wondering what might have really happened since Sutton just doesn't seem herself after her return. It seems as if she's not just been through a traumatic experience, but as if she is a different person altogether inside her body.

Once Sutton does return, she only wants to be with Casey which also throws everyone off since no one thought they got along. Casey has a best friend Ruth that helps the family try to find Sutton and is there to help them after she does return, but then she is gone as well. Sutton has an idea of where she might be so the girls set off to finally catch who the kidnapper is, but my review ends here so as not to give anything else away!

Lily Meade's debut novel is not one to miss. Following two sisters as one disappears and then suddenly returns Casey isn't sure what happened to Sutton, but she knows whatever it was changed her sister. This story follows as they uncover just what exactly happened with Sutton and it it impacts Casey as well.
I really enjoyed it but thought there were some things that could have done with more explanation. But all in all a solid story you shouldn't pass up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade is a slow burn, speculative fiction about two sisters, one of which has gone missing. When the missing sister suddenly reappears, things (and the sister) are not the way they used to be. But what has changed?

I enjoyed the honest family dynamics in this story and the way the sisters' relationship was portrayed. The beginning of this book started strong and hooked me in. The middle started to kind of drag a little bit, but I was still invested and wanted answers. All the answers came flying at me in the last ten percent of the book. Although it wrapped the story up fairly nicely, the ending felt a bit rushed. Overall this was an enjoyable read with some fun paranormal elements tied in.

The Shadow Sister follows two sisters, Sutton, and Cassandra (Casey), who have a complex relationship. One day Sutton disappears and then reappears with no memory about what happened. The entire concept of the sisterly relationship was nice as the two have a love-hate dynamic, which is common for a lot of sibling relationships. While the hate portion is highlighted a lot, I wish there was a little more exploration into the root of the hatred as it seemed a lot for just a tense sisterly connection. Their ancestry was well fleshed out and the characteristics of each of them was well done. There is a lot of exploration into racism, trauma, and history, which were all well-integrated into the story. With the two sisters and the mystery of one of them disappearing, the novel goes into solving the reason behind the disappearance and the healing of everything.

The story begins with establishing the two sisters and their relationship where we see how they see each other. Once Sutton disappears and then returns, there is the two of them rebuilding their relationship in a way plus attempting to solve the mystery. During this section there are slower moments where the author inserts smaller pieces of the mystery to engage the reader and entice them to keep reading. There is a lot of build-ups for the 250+ pages that is slow and then the ending is quick. The ending was very rushed and think this is where some readers will not connect with the story. A lot of details are presented within a short period of time, so I wish the author added another 50 or pages to expand more on the ending. Overall, this was an enjoyable read with an amazing cover. The cover art is what initially drew me in to read the story and the writing made me curious to read more from this author in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

The Shadow Sister is a story of trauma, mystery, and family. When Casey's sister Sutton disappears, she immediately thinks it is deliberate. But as time passes, and then Sutton reappears, Casey starts to think there is more going on then appears on the surface.

There are some paranormal elements in this book, but even more than that, this is a story about family, especially sisterhood. As scenes from both Casey's point of view and then Sutton's memories show how they each saw their confrontations and their places in their family, the reader begins to get clarity about the family as a whole. As biracial but well-off teens, they have both class and race issues adding to the difficulties. Overall, I felt the issues were handled in a very interesting way, and one in which as a reader I felt invested in the girls getting things straightened out.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the review copy.

Meade’s debut novel is not one to miss. Her writing style is approachable and pulls you into the her world. A world that makes you want to know more but satisfies you all the same by the end. Brilliant.

This book drops you right in the middle and you learn what happens along with Casey. I really liked the family and magic part of this book, I am not sure how much the flashbacks gave the reader but overall I really liked the book.

What happened to Sutton? That's the question the reader will ask throughout this book.

Told from Casey's point of view, we find out that Sutton is not who she seems. Sure she may be popular, but she's fooling everyone with her image. And then Sutton disappears. We get a glimpse of what she goes through, conflicted about being furious with her sister and with how her search is carried out. But then, Sutton reappears, and she is a changed person in Casey's eyes. She's not certain what exactly happened to her sister to make her act so different.

I give this three stars because I was a little underwhelmed with the themes and the entire story. It seemed to be going well, and then the ending was pretty rushed. There are some negative thoughts from Casey that I did not enjoy hashing out. The theme of trauma is underplayed and there could have been more to the mystery of how/why Sutton disappeared.

Overall, it wasn't terrible. I'm willing to read more from Lily Meade.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the digital Advanced Readers Copy of The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade. I was thrilled to have my request to read this book approved. I received it for free in exchange for my honest review.

Not knowing anything about Lily Meade prior to this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. At first, I found the story to be a little slow. I found all the characters, with the exception of the dad, to be unlikable. With that being said, I'm glad I stuck with it because approximately twenty percent of the way into the novel, it really started to pick up and piqued my interest. And, I had trouble putting it down.

Throughout the book, things the reader thought were true weren't necessarily true as things are revealed. It's hard to tell you what those things are without giving away major plot points. However, I will say that I thought the "bad guy" was one person until I got further into the story and began to suspect another person. The former was involved in something sketchy, but it wasn't what I thought it was going to be . . . thankfully. The latter ended up being the culprit behind all the missing girls.

I did have an inkling of what actually happened to Sutton but wasn't entirely sure until I finished the book. I loved the investigating that Casey did as well as how much researching of their family genealogy played into the story. Although there were some minor talk of magical elements throughout the story like Hoodoo, it wasn't until the very end that these things made a huge appearance. The author did a fabulous job of tying everything together. By the time I finished the story in the wee hours of the night, I had absolutely fallen in love with the story. The core characters of the story that I didn't like ended up redeeming themselves, and I ended up liking and caring about them.

Five out of five stars is what I give The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade. This debut novel is a fantastic story with a fabulous cover. I look forward to seeing what other stories Lily Meade brings us.

The cover piqued my interest. Its stunning. The story is a well done thriller/mystery. I enjoyed The Shadow Sister and will look for more from Lily Meade.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcefire for the advanced digital copy.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I first discovered Lily Meade thanks to Twitter, as she’s also a Swiftie like me, and in addition to the typical TS fandom stuff, she shared an awesome story about how Taylor (as Taylor does) donated money to her family during the pandemic to help pay their rent and otherwise keep them afloat. I was compelled to check out Meade’s debut as a result, and while The Shadow Sister has little to do with Taylor (although there are some fun veiled references), I applaud the marketing tactic and am rooting for my fellow Swiftie’s career to take off.
The book is also interesting in its own right. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I was immediately drawn into the intensely fraught family dynamics, with one sister lost and found, and the other grappling with her complex feelings about her sister. As the story unfolded, I enjoyed seeing the perspectives of both, Casey’s in the present and Sutton’s through flashbacks, exploring the differences between the two and how they sometimes took things out on each other. From Casey’s perspective, Sutton is/was popular and well-liked, and she’s always been jealous of that; however, Sutton’s life is much more complex than Casey is aware of, and she had her own complex feelings for Casey.
Their identity as biracial, half-Black girls plays a major role in their respective senses of self and their dynamics with each other, and while I can’t speak to the accuracy of that, there are some themes I recognized, like colorism. The plot concerning not only Sutton’s disappearance, but also the disappearances of other Black girls also highlights the way their disappearances aren’t given the same attention as those of their white counterparts. But while the story focuses on racial issues and trauma, I appreciate the ways it also highlights Black empowerment in subtle ways too, with the incorporation of rootwork and other cultural traditions, largely courtesy of their grandmother.
The mystery of what happened to Sutton gripped me, and I kept turning pages, hoping for answers. The reveal truly hit home, as the villain is truly symbolic of the current climate we live in right now on a truly frightening level.
This is a truly mesmerizing debut, and I can’t wait for whatever Lily Meade writes next! If you enjoy thrillers with speculative elements, I recommend checking this out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for giving me an ARC (eGalley) to review. Always excited to read new works!

What an amazing debut! The Shadow Sister was a page-turner for me. Meade clearly put a lot of heart, soul, and love into this novel, which shines through. With this being Meade's debut, I can't wait to see what else she puts out. As per her About Page on her website, I am patiently waiting for her to accomplish her career goal of a modern YA reboot of Scooby Doo. But still excited about her Untitled novel set to release in 2024! I will certainly be grabbing a copy of Meade's next novel.

What I Enjoyed
1. Meade has a solid voice that, for me, is reminiscent of YA novels I read when I was younger (see: 2010s, the height of YA novels like The Hunger Games.) The voice is consistent and is interesting from the first chapter. It immediately drew me into the story and left me wanting to read more.

2. There is something creepy about the plot without being graphic. The plot had a creepy element that kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt a rush of anxiety as the plot unfolded and more information was revealed. Meade leans heavily into the mystery/thriller aspects of the novel and it pays off. This aspect is what the book a page-turner for me.

3. In addition to the creepy mystery/thriller elements, the teasing of information without giving us too much information where we could figure out the ending right away is well done. There are many avenues that can be explored as to who and what is involved with Sutton's disappearance and strange reappearance, including the family's past, small-town religion, and a corrupt cheer coach. While it did become more clear the closer we got to the end as to what happened to Sutton, I had my suspicions open to all these avenues up until then. This is great because it left me wanting to read to the end while still giving me enough information to keep me intrigued.

4. I loved the ending as it was beautiful, touching, and satisfying. I found myself emotionally reacting to the last chapter and was deeply moved. Truly a gorgeous yet complex tale of sisterhood and family dealing with race issues in a small-town environment all while tackling the trauma and impact of losing and then reacclimating a lost family member.

How It Could Be Improved
1. While I enjoyed the multiple avenues (the family's past, small-town religion, and a corrupt cheer coach) I do wish these elements tied together a little bit more. They did connect with each other and that was made clear in the end, but I wish they intertwined a little more fluidly.

2. Adding on to the previous comment on multiple avenues, I do feel as if some ends as far as the avenues were concerned were left a little loose. I wish some of these avenues were wrapped up a little more definitively. The ending wrapped up a little quickly for such a slow tease of information, however, I thought the ending so beautiful that I didn't mind too much.

3. I wanted more!!! I wanted to see all the character's characterization more because I wanted to know more about each character. I wanted to see some wrap-up as to what happened afterward to all the characters. I don't know if this book needs a sequel but if Meade had any ideas for one, I would love to see more of these characters and explore more of this small-town environment. But this functions well as a standalone.

Overall this was a five-star read for me. The Shadow Sister is an impressive debut and left me emotional. I am excited to see what Meade has in store for us in 2024!

Summer books with atmospheric vibes are apparently my jam this year. This one sounded super interesting and I was excited to see where Meade was going to take the story.

Unfortunately, not as far as I would have liked. This was a hard one to rate because the book is good. It’s written well, the characters are believable, and the dialogue and relationships are excellent. However, it’s not exactly any of the things the summary said it would be the whole way through.

We see aspects of the thriller, the mystery, and the paranormal at different times with the focus on all of it coming together mostly at the beginning and the end. Everything in the middle, though, really becomes more slice of life than anything. It’s a gorgeous slice because it truly is easy to relate to and like Casey as a character and get frustrated with other characters or love them in their ways. They’re excellently developed and realistic people, which is necessary for the type of story it is and what Meade wanted it to be. The problem is that in developing those relationships, characters, and motives we lose the elements and space necessary to develop the mystery, plot, and magical realism promised in the premise.

With Casey so focused on what she thinks happened or is happening, we get amazing character consistency, but we also get halfway through the book without mention of the mystery after Sutton is found. Huge clues are mentioned once and nothing is done about them because the focus is focused too far inward. This works for a slice of life type book, but makes for a very slow thriller. Especially because the resolution was rushed to make up for everything that didn’t happen in the first part of the book. We’re also given insight to magic, family history, the importance of the bracelet Casey and Sutton are fighting over, and the mystery of the two other missing girls, but instead of fleshing out the connections and deepening the story, they’re brief flutters in Sutton’s and other characters offhand comments and reactions to things. They felt a little forgotten.

Another point I felt was a little forgotten was the police reaction to the missing Black girls. Meade had a poignant perspective with an important commentary, but it seemed more like a bead dropped into a spider’s web. Heavy enough to create a dip in the structure, but not enough to break through everything else. She had a strong foundation to truly comment on police activity in regards to the Black community and create discourse, but it didn’t travel or break through any of the other elements in the story.

The ending, though! While a bit rushed, I did love the way The Shadow Sister ends. It was meaningful and tied into the threads of what we had already without needing further explanation.

Definitely one to recommend because it was interesting, heartwarming, and the relationships were so well executed. Just don’t expect too much speculative thriller, more insight to a family healing from trauma.

My Thoughts:
Casey and Sutton are two sisters that are usually fighting but the day Sutton goes missing they had a big fight and Casey afraid to tell anyone about it. Then Sutton returns not knowing what happened to her and Casey thinks she not the same and acting strangely what happen to Sutton and where was she
This was easy read and I liked the way the author tired in the family history and heritage. I found this to be a well written YA thriller with a good plot and characters and one heck of a beautiful cover.
Thank you netgalley
Perfect for fans of:
Ace of Spades and House of Hollow
Emotional suspense
Speculative fiction, including Hoodoo
Diverse books featuring strong female leads
Sister stories with complex family dynamics

{3.25/5}

Casey’s sister, Sutton, is missing. But the police don’t seem overly interested in finding her, or either of the other missing black girls from the area. So when Sutton returns, it should be a miracle. Except, this Sutton is wrong. She looks like the right girl, but something’s off about her, and Casey is determined to figure out what it is.

While this book was a short read, it touched on a lot of topics. The complicated relationship between sisters, deep rooted family trauma and history, the hypocrisy of the church, how differently missing person cases are handled when the person missing is a person of color… Like I said, a lot of topics. Given that our narrator is 15 years old, the discussion walks a fine line between childhood and adult levels of awareness on these things, and it seems to have done so fairly well.

The narrative focuses predominately, at least at first, on the rocky relationship between Casey, our MC, and her sister. Casey loves her sister, very deep down, but she doesn’t like her. At all. Through alternating perspectives we get a glimpse into Sutton’s world and find that, as is so often the case, a lack of communication has compounded an otherwise straightforward issue.

The end of the book was a tad abrupt, but not unsatisfactory. There’s a lovely little twist that you probably won’t see coming, and ancestral power makes one hell of a last stand. The journey to that point was a little slow at times, but not uninteresting. Everyone starts to feel like a suspect, and there’s a small, lurking hint of dread somewhere in the background. A+ for subtle creepiness.

The whole book left me with a lot of thoughts that I don’t think I’ve quite sorted through yet, and I don’t know if I’m ever going to get them ironed out enough to put into words. It’s a good read if you’re into slow burn, creepy, mind game-type books, and with a young adult target audience I think it’s a good introduction to the horror/thriller genre without being as twisted and full-throttle terrifying as I would normally find in this sort of book.

#netgalleyarc This was so good. It had a slow start but it really hooked me after a few chapters. The flashbacks were important and didn’t bog down the story, which I think happens a lot. This was definitely the type of thriller that had you going “huh” and kept me hooked until the end.

A missing sister mystery?! Sign me up! I enjoyed the alternating chapters between the two sisters giving us a background on their thoughts. It's always a little creepy to me getting the one who disappeared point of view. It always leads up to the day he/she vanished. I also like how it tied into the other missing girls. With that said I had an idea of who was behind this, but I was not 100% certain until it was revealed.

The ending kind of lost me with the reasoning behind everything that happened. Overall it's a good story, but I was hoping for a different reasoning.