Nature vs Nurture? Wishes really do come true? Be Careful What You Wish For….
Tara and Cassie both live very different lives. Separated at a young age through unfortunate circumstances leaves the pair to feel empty, until a DNA test brings them together turning their lives upside down.

This was intense. I highly suggest this book for those who like a fictional book that has a true crime feel to it. It definitely raises some questions about nature vs nurture. Are we who we are raised to become or our genetics or who we choose to become? And what happens when the secrets of our lives untangle? 5 Stars! Great suspense and character development.

Tara has always wished for a siater. Shd leads an ordinary life looking after her mother after work. She has no friends. One day she gets the results of a dna test and discovers Cassie her sister.
As two world collide long held secrets are revealed and tara is forced to deal with the reality .I loved the way the characters were developed both their arcs were commpleted by other characters. The pov story tell gave depth and ubderstanding. I loved all rge twists and turns. I was disappointed with the ending. It seemed too fast and rushed.
A good quick read and a solid 4 🌟

This is well written with goof characters . I enjoyed it. However, I did predict the end beforehand.

Oh man this had me so anxious. Our sweet girl Tara has been isolated her entire life by her overbearing and manipulative mother. She never attended school, she's never had friends, and she's had one job doing numbers and spreadsheets her whole life. One day after overhearing some drama about DNA tests she orders one and discovers a full sister.
It doesn't make much sense to her. She was an only child. She meets this girl that very night at a bar but her new sister is a nightmare. She's a broke alcoholic who is also manipulative. Tara tries to set boundaries and Cassie talks her way around them every time.
Neither the mom or Cassie has Tara's best interest at heart.
I loved watching Cassie and Tara grow together as sisters and then all the dram after that.
This made me glad my daughter tries so hard to be "independent" and separate even if she just ends up living with a dumb boy and his gross parents.
I didn't even expect to love this this much.

Never trust someone who doesn't like cats.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were well developed and the story was engaging. I recommend that others try this book as well. Well done!

Immensely readable and keeps you guessing right until the end! I read the whole book on a rainy afternoon and was so engrossed I didn’t notice the time fly by.

When Tara Ryan gets the results of a DNA test one rainy afternoon, all her dreams come true. She discovers she's not an only child, she has a sister, Cassie. What she doesn't know is Cassie is homeless, strung out and praying for a break. As socially awkward Tara lets streetwise Cassie into her life, shocking secrets come to the surface - a dark web of illegal adoptions, betrayal and death. All rooted in a horrifying children's home scandal which occurred many years before. Has Tara's mother been deceiving her for her entire life or is Tara looking to the wrong person for the truth? The pace is slow to begin with, but it soon picks up. The more I got into this book, the more I needed to find out. When Tara discovers she has a sister, she wants to take care of Cassie. But it's not long before secrets and lies begin to surface. There were so many questions going through my mind. I did guess the villain quite early, but that never takes anything away from my enjoyment of a good story. The characters are well developed. My only criticism is that I felt the ending was a bit rushed.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #InkubatorBooks and the author #LorraineMurphy for my ARC of #BeCarefulWhatYouWichFor in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc, as always when reading a new author, im not always sure what to expect. This book was great, i thoroughly enjoyed it, so much so i read it in one sitting.
Tara has no friends, no one speaks to her at work and she spends most of her free time caring for her elderly mother mary. When tara hears of someone doing a DNA test at work, she thinks it would be fun to find out whether she is who she thinks she is.. when the DNA test comes back, it reveals she has a sister that she knows nothing about. Tara had always wanted a sibling.. when tara reaches out to cassie, she finds she is homeless and fighting alcohol addiction..... is cassie her sister? Is mary really her mom? Has something happened in the past she knows nothing about???? This is a great read, it had me on the edge of my seat, lots of twists highley recommend

Be Careful What You Wish For by Lorraine Murphy is the story of two girls, Tara and Cassie. While Tara grew up in a sheltered but loving home with her mother and father, Cassie lived in group homes and on the streets. While both girls lived very different lives, they have one thing in common. They are sisters! Following a DNA test Tara learns she has a sister and promptly reaches out to her. The two girls bond, depsite their differences, but things are never as simple as they seem.

Wow! Even though this was very much a thriller, it also really hit me in the feels. Both characters were so well developed that you really felt for them. At times it was hard to tell who was the real "villian". I will say the story started off a bit slow, but it did pick up and get into the drama of the story. While I also felt the ending was a bit rushed, it did keep me guessing until the end. Overall, this was a pretty good read, with just the right amount of suspense and emotional moments.

Thank you Netgalley and Lorraine Murphy for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great fast read. This was a good palate cleanser, it was slow at first to start but then it picked up, I was hooked to it. I did enjoy it, but there were just some things that didn't do it for me.

I did enjoy the multiple POV's between Tara and Cassie and getting to know them separately and seeing them evolve. The writing was okay for me as it did have some mistakes for my spoken English, which I know is probably different in the UK, the way phrases are formed, but it did confuse me at times. Also, the ending for me felt super rushed and so many unanswered questions.

This was a fairly predictable book, I had the villain figured out pretty early, I did think some crazy twist was going to happen but it did not. It is still a very bingeable read that will keep you invested until the end.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley & @inkubator books for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

Unfortunately this didn't work for me - I realized who the villain is far too early on and was hoping to be shocked by a surprise twist later on but sadly wasn't. The pacing was odd - too slow to begin with and then rushed at other times. I also felt that too many things were left vague or unresolved - I like answers to questions and didn't get many here.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this book....
Started kinda slow, but picked up. I realized the early on who the "villian" was but was still a good read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and the author and publisher for providing me an ARC.

The book is presented from two POVs; two women from vastly different backgrounds and life experiences who are thrown together when a DNA test confirms their sisters.

The author did a fantastic job with character development. I loved getting into each of the women's heads. The pacing was great and kept me reading along wanting to find out more. Up until the 75% mark I thought the book was fairly predictable but I was delighted to see that the author had some curve balls up her sleeve.

I took a half point off because I felt the ending was somewhat rushed. There are a couple of threads left hanging - *SPOILERS* -
- it's hinted that Tara was an alcoholic too but left open ended.
- Mary was faking her illness the whole time. So how'd she get sick for real at the end?
The whole Barry showing up with police at the last minute felt too perfect. Although I like his character's redemption arc.
I also liked how the relationship between the two sisters was left open ended. It settled into a gray area which I felt was a lot more realistic and a bold choice to make.
Overall, I highly recommend this book! It was a great read. I will be picking up more by this author in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book started out slow but as I read along, I felt compelled to know more. It was an interesting read with twists at the end I didn't see coming. It felt freeing to see how it all ended up for Tara. And I'm happy to what happened to Cassie and Mary too.

Tara is an interesting lady. She buries herself in work and routine. Work everyday although awkwardness prevents her from making work friends. Nights are for her elderly mother-dinner and getting her ready for bed. she has no friends and no life outside of this.

When she discovers she has a sister through a DNA site--she is thrilled. Cassie is not quite what she expected-a homeless alcoholic.

As the books jumps perspectives, you will be wondering what happened to pull the sisters apart and who has good intentions and who does not. This was a great read!

This was an unputdownable, page-turning, and edge-of-your-seat thriller. I enjoy the POVs of the sisters and how the author highlighted the good about them and then throws a curveball so you would be left guessing which is which.

The only thing I would've loved to see played out more was when <spoiler> it was mentioned that the mother was actually healthy and was just pretending to be sick. I would've loved to see the face-off between Cassie and Mary. (haha!) Then I got confused when Mary got sick towards the end. Was it Cassie who did it? How did she get from "healthy" to sick? Or maybe that's the cliffhanger there and we're left to decide on that? </spoiler>

I was also satisfied with the ending since I ended up rooting for them both. Go, Tara. Strange, right?

“Be Careful What You Wish For” is a psychological thriller by Lorraine Murphy. This story focuses on two characters - Tara and Cassie. Tara is an office worker who cares for her elderly and sick mother, Mary. Tara is “different” from others - being very shy, very unsure of herself, and very (for lack of a better word) spineless. She doesn’t like rocking the boat, and is easily swayed by others (especially her mother). One day Tara gets a notification from a DNA testing site that says she has a DNA match - and it turns out it’s a full match, meaning a sibling. The sibling is Cassie, who is homeless and an alcoholic, but also is street smart and extremely out for herself. How can the two be sisters? In the background of this story there are news reports about a children’s home scandal, including illegal adoptions.

My one issue with this book was that Tara was so spineless that I couldn’t bring myself to feel sympathy for her. Yes, she’s been coddled most of her life and her mother played her like a violin, but when she’s pushed to change toward the end of the book, she suddenly appears to be this extremely bright person with guts - but the change happened extremely quickly (understandable for a book, but it was fast). Cassie also undergoes changes - is she to be trusted? Does she want a sister or does she want her sister’s comforts (money and a roof over her head)? I also didn’t feel much sympathy toward Cassie, making it difficult for me to actually like either character. I think the idea of this book was interesting and I did like the resolution (though I guessed it about a quarter into the book). I really hope that Tara gets some assertiveness training (or something) because, bless her, she needed it. I think this would make a good TV movie.

Be Careful What You Wish For is a suspenseful story full of lies and deception. Illegal adoptions & death play a part in this unforgettable thriller! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this advanced copy.

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
*********************************************************
A mother determined to hide the truth. A sister is about to expose it.
When Tara Ryan gets the results of a DNA test one rainy afternoon, all her dreams come true. She discovers she’s not an only child, she has a long-lost sister, Cassie. What she doesn’t know is that Cassie is homeless, strung out, and praying for a break.

As socially awkward Tara lets streetwise Cassie into her life, shocking secrets come to the surface – a dark web of illegal adoptions, betrayal and death. All rooted in a horrifying children's home scandal which occurred many years before. Has Tara's mother been deceiving her for her entire life, or is Tara looking to the wrong person for the truth?

Someone is lying - and they must pay the ultimate price.

Oh, those DNA ancestry kits can open a lot of secrets (I could write a novel on mine… maybe I should!) . It is hard to know who to trust in this instance and who is the bad one at heart. Saying much more would give it away…take it to the beach, backyard, balcony, or garden and inhale it as I did! … whatta book! (Don’t forget your SPF 110 as you will lose track of time within the pages of this book…I liked it so much I bought her previous book, INTO THE WOODS while only ¼ thru this one.
#shortbutsweetreviews