Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the eARC.

This was a solid YA fueled "thriller". This definitely felt far more YA than others that I have recently read as it centered so heavily on high school rumors and drama. I found the major twist to almost be unrealistic, but also sad. 3/5 stars.

Grace and Mandy are sisters. Mandy was born ten months later. Her mom became pregnant almost immediately after giving birth to Grace. They are in the same grade. They aren’t the friends like they were when young.. They are going on a class trip that lasts for a week. Somehow Maddy has lost her friends so she considers herself friendless. Things between Grace and Mandy go from bad to worse. Fortunately Mandy gets for a roommate that sh doesn’t know. Hr name is Jade. Jade asks Mandy several questions about her sister. Why? Due to a fight Mandy follows Grace to some caves that the clas goes to on the last day of their class trip. Many names and hearts are drawn on the walls. It had been raining but has gotten very worse. The way that they leaves causes both sisters to become victims underwater. One lives and the other doesn’t survive. Whe the one sister is found by the highway, she wants them to go and get her. The next thing she knows is that she is in the hospital. The police ask her about her sister. She tells them that she doesn’t remember anything" when she is finally released from the hospital, she still has not regain her memory.l. She hopes that her memory will come back. Will it? When the body is found, she is dead and still don’t know, her classmates think she is responsible for her sister’s death.

The author has written a young adult novel including part thriller, part mystery, part love story. It goes into the psychology of memory, family, friendships, and the power of sisterhood. It kept me on the edge of my seatsall the way to the surprising end. The novel is twisted and suspenseful.

I love a good YA novel as much as the next person (especially considering I am a fully grown adult), but this just didn't hit for me like I wanted it to. I did love the interspersed poetry and the alternating perspectives, but I found it to be confusing a lot of the time because I didn't feel like the sisters' personalities were developed and defined as much as they should've been. I liked the idea of the twist but I felt like it was messily executed so it didn't have the impact it needed. That being said, I did feel compelled to keep reading and loved the length of the chapters - I just didn't feel satisfied at the end of the story! Not bad, but also just not great.

Thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC!

🖋️🩸🌊

Wow, wow, WOW! After finishing this book (at a wickedly early hour, mind you) I just sat there in pure silence, huge grin on my face. It wasn't because of the twist, no I had guessed the pretty early on, but it was from sheer shock at just *how* good this book was!

For a debut this book was INCREADIBLE, and I am looking forward to this authors next releases. This whole book I read in one sitting, not at all planning on finishing it, but it was just so addictive. The mystery kept me turning the pages, but the characters had my heart. The love interest, while I had conflicting feelings about him whilst reading (ifykyk) but in the end I just ADORED Adrian!

I also adored Maddy, which is strange, like adoring myself. I had such a soft spot for her because she had a lot of me in her, I felt *seen* while reading about her, which, again ifykyk. Her entire character was well writing a fleshed out, flaws, hopes and dreams. She and her sister felt real and so did their problems, but even if they both were far from perfect they still loved each other deeply.

I definitely saw its flaws, but I think this author could very quickly become a favorite.

🖋️🩸🌊
You'll like this if you like...
- Memory loss
- Flawed characters
- Page turning twists
- A satisfying ending
- A unique plot

A teen wakes up in the hospital only to discover that she has no memory of how she got there. Worse, her sister is missing, and circumstances throw the teen in a suspicious light. As she works to remember what happened, she begins to realize that the worst is yet to come. Author Megan Davidhizar puts in a valiant effort to write a clean YA mystery but misses the mark by a wide margin in her debut Silent Sister.

Grace Stoll wakes up in the hospital with bruises, aches and pains, and temporary amnesia. The last thing she remembers is boarding the bus for her high school’s Senior Sabbatical, the big trip the senior class takes every year. Buzz around school is that Senior Sabbatical is a life-changing, life-bonding experience, and Grace and her sister, Maddy, have been looking forward to it for ages. Now, though, Grace is in the hospital. No one has seen Maddy since shortly after the trip began.

Even though she’s terrified about what might have happened to Maddy, Grace is determined to figure it out. When the doctors finally let her out of the hospital, Grace starts contacting classmates and friends to get details about what happened on Senior Sabbatical. Surely, she thinks, if she can construct a timeline of the last moments Maddy was seen, something will come to light.

Everyone is spooked, though. Some of Grace’s friends flat out refuse to talk to her. Others look at her like she’s a ghost when she tries to ask questions. She does manage to find out that she and Maddy had a huge fight before Maddy went missing, which makes Grace feels worse. What if those are the last words she and Maddy exchanged?

The police are courteous at first, but their patience starts to wear thin after tests come back and it’s revealed Grace has Maddy’s blood on her clothes. Grace is horrified that they would think she has anything to do with Maddy’s disappearance. Sure, she and Maddy were drifting apart a little bit, but they always knew they were there for each other. No way would Grace ever do anything to hurt her sister, no matter how big their fight might have been. Now, though, it’s looking more and more like that’s what people are starting to believe.

Author Megan Davidhizar, in a departure from most YA books, doesn’t use heavy profanity or intimate scenes in her novel. While this might be a refreshing change for some, the result is a book that sounds out of touch with how today’s teens talk, think, and even act at times.

A house party shows high schoolers drinking mostly beer. During the Senior Sabbatical portions of the book, students go along with their teachers’ suggestions without batting an eye or any pushback on what might be “boring” activities. Grace uses social media, but she doesn’t interact with it to nearly the frequency most teens do. The excuse that she doesn’t have her own cell phone and can’t sign into her platforms of choice doesn’t ring true because of how easily she lets it go.

The book also leaves many questions unanswered. It states that Grace is a volleyball star, yet her teammates and coaches never show up on the page in solidarity after her release from the hospital. The reason for this becomes clear with the end, but impatient readers may not make it all the way there without some sort of explanation. Also, at one point Grace goes through Maddy’s things hoping for clues as to her sister’s state of mind. Reading through Maddy’s journals should have been a major trigger for Grace, yet it elicits a lukewarm response from her.

There are many vague references to the job Grace and Maddy’s father has but no explanation given as to why he’s so busy, and their mother spends her time wringing her hands and not doing much else. The fight Grace and Maddy have is hinted at all throughout the novel, but when readers finally get to experience it the actual argument skates over important issues. Both girls end up sounding petulant. More astute readers will guess at the climax from the opening chapters, which takes away much of the fun of a mystery.

Those wanting to read a new voice in YA fiction may want to check this out; others looking for a deeply satisfying book excellently crafted on the mechanical as well as the emotional level will probably want to skip it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my e-ARC of Silent Sister!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
✍🏻 want to be a poet
👯‍♀️ have an Irish twin
🏫 went to a private school
🌪️ enjoy a lot of twists

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Two sisters went missing on their class trip—Grace,the outgoing athlete who is friends with just about everyone, and Maddy, the wallflower wilting in her sister’s shadow who'd rather absorb herself in her journal than talk to her classmates.    
 
But when Grace is found—injured, with no memory of what happened—everybody thinks she’s lying. It’s hard not to look guilty with Maddy’s blood on her clothes.  

Desperate to save her sister—and prove her own innocence—Grace must piece together what happened on that school trip with the help of her sister’s notebook and classmates who may not be telling the police everything that about that tragic night.   

She will discover her sister’s secrets can’t stay quiet…but what if her own are the most terrifying of all?

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was a really interesting and creative story. Though I did guess the biggest twist fairly quickly into the story, I was still interested in seeing what exactly went down between the two sisters. I liked Maddy, despite what a lot of others said about her, mainly because she was relatable to me as someone who was also a wallflower growing up. It’s hard when you’re an introvert, so I understood her POV really well. She wanted to fit in, even when that meant doing the wrong thing. Overall, I think high schoolers would enjoy this one.

3.5 stars

When Grace wakes up in the hospital, she's shocked to learn that she was found injured on the side of a road and that her sister Maddy is missing. Grace has no memory of the last several days, and is desperate to regain her memories and find Maddy.

Grace and Maddy are both seniors in high school, born 10 months apart. People often mistake them for twins, but in true fictional twin fashion, they're total opposites. Grace is athletic, confident, and popular, and Maddy is awkward, withdrawn, and lonely. But they're both excited to attend their school's Senior Sabbatical, a retreat where the students stay in a lodge in the woods with teachers chaperoning personal growth exercises.

The story is told in dual timelines and POVs, following Maddy leading up to and during the Sabbatical, and Grace afterwards, as their stories converge and reveal what actually happened. I enjoyed this format and binge-read this book in a few hours, but a few of the smaller reveals were pretty obvious to me, and the big twist I guessed so early that by the time it was revealed I'd started to wonder if I was wrong because it hadn't happened yet. I do read a lot of YA thrillers, though, so that's probably my own fault. There was a lot more focus on mental health in this than the average book, and included excerpts from Maddy's poetry journal, which was neat. I think teen girls will feel very seen by this story, and would definitely recommend it to them. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

You would think you know your only sister, whom you share a room and a life with, wouldn’t you? Secrets have a way of tearing things apart and turning people you thought you knew, into someone you don’t.
Davidhizar’s characters are unique and her plot is full of twists, especially the one that I didn’t see coming. This one kept me interested and on the edge of my seat!

Silent Sister was an excellent YA thriller that made good use of its dual narrative, drawing us into the story of Grace and Maddy.

I love an unreliable narrator and Grace is up there with the best of them. She is trying to put together the exact details of that fateful night and how her sister disappeared. Her voice is engaging and full of emotion, clearly fractured by recent events. We piece it together alongside her, meaning the impact of twists and turns are fully felt. It is such an emotive case and this is heightened by the excellent characterisation.

You also get snippets of Maddy’s point of view in the days before that climactic night. This obviously has an air of tragedy as we are aware of some potential fates that await her, but the mystery continues to loom over these pages. Both of them are driven and passionate people, with Grace more seen as the golden girl - popular, athletic and with her life mapped out ahead of her. Maddy is more withdrawn, turning to creative outlets like writing to detail her insecurities and feelings of being overlooked. You cannot help but lose a piece of your heart to each of them, despite knowing how it all may end.

This was a solid YA mystery - it was well paced with good tension and atmosphere. Davidhizar keeps you on your toes with the suspense and the building police investigation. There is a clear time pressure for Grace to claw back her memories to clear her name, even though they might in fact show her horrible truths. As you may expect from a mystery, there are plenty of surprises in store and some truly shocking moments. I also really enjoyed the exploration of true crime and the exploitative typecasting of certain characters within this narrative. There can be a tendency to forget the victims and their families in a rush to create a more sensational story.

Silent Sister is a dynamic dual narrative mystery that I would highly recommend picking up this summer.

I was silently praying for this approval and when I received the email I squealed like a kid at Christmas!
Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar was an unputdownable story (to me anyway)!
A gripping story of two sisters, Maddy, and Grace who attends a senior year retreat. They both go missing but only one returns back home!
A suspenseful YA mystery-thriller about secrets, trust and sister bonds.
The perfect summer read!

Thank You NetGalley and Delacorte Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Silent Sister was a heartbreaking read about two sisters who held secrets from one another and yearned to come clean and be accepting of each other's love. I figured out the twist from early on and appreciated that the author researched and highlighted how trauma can impact an individual's mindset. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar, The story is about Grace and Madison two sisters only 10 months apart but may as well be twins, except for the fact they’re complete opposites. Grace is popular and outgoing while Maddie is sweet accommodating and an introvert. Every year their school has a senior sabbatical in this year it’s their turn but the trip doesn’t turn out to be the blast most experience because both girls will go missing and when the survivor shows up she has no recollection of what happened. Throughout the book we see them at home, the senior sabbatical and a tragedy that happened in their history and there’s also Aiden. On the trip he and Madison became close but of course complications arose and they were fighting the same night Madison and Grace went missing. Unfortunately finding the missing teen only brings up more questions. Was someone out to hurt her or was it the surviving sister who killed her? There was a lott I liked about this book end it definitely has a humongous twist at the end but I do want to say they do have a couple of eye rolling moments. Irregardless this is still a book I believe any thriller fan would enjoy. The story moves along swiftly and keeps you engaged but as I said they do have moments in the book that will make you think… Really… That would never happen! Having said that I still recommend it it really is more awesome than not.#NetGalley, #RandomHouseChildren’s, #MeganDavidhizar,#SilentSister,

Clever and mysterious, Silent Sister is the story of two sisters, one year apart in age, who go on a class trip, but only one makes it back…

Maddy has always looked up to her sister Grace. She has also always been in her shadow. When they both go on a class trip with a bunch of other students, Maddy is hoping to find something she has been missing while on this trip. She wants to belong. On one fateful night, both of the sisters go missing. Grace is the only one found, with absolutely zero memory of the events of that night… or the entire trip.

Fingers are pointed every which way, but when people start to think that Grace could be the one responsible, she will stop at nothing to clear her name and find out the truth. Grace needs to do all of this while grieving her sister, which I found so heartbreakingly sad.

This was great, with solid character dynamics, secrets, lies, and some pretty awesome twists and turns.

Great voice, good plotting, nice twist at the end! I did figure out the twist earlier on but there were still unanswered questions I needed to know and it didn't ruin the reading experience for me. A solid YA thriller debut!

SILENT SISTER by Megan Davidhizar was a fascinating look at the sisterly bond (or not).

Grace and Maddy are sisters only 10 months apart with Grace being the older of the two. Grace is an outgoing athlete and liked by all, while Maddy is more studious, writing poetry and praying for a scholarship to her college of choice. When Grace and Maddy both go missing on a school trip it is unclear what happened. Then Grace is found but has no memory of what happened and is covered in Maddy’s blood. Suspicious minds turned to the obvious; that Grace hurt Maddy in some way. Grace cannot confirm or deny because she’s just not sure. As the chaperoning staff and other students continue to suspect Grace, she begins having strong flashbacks of pulling Maddy from the river before going to get help. And what of the whispered disagreements and conversations of her parents? Do they suspect that Grace hurt Maddy also?

Grace is determined to solve the puzzle surrounding her sister’s death and begins piecing together the puzzle by speaking with the other students who were on the trip and Maddie’s journal writings just prior to her death. It seems that many people are hiding secrets that may pertain to Maddie‘s disappearance, including Maddy herself.

I enjoyed this look at the sisterly bond and could feel myself running from clue to clue as I tried to form a full picture. The final shocking reveal was a total surprise! I look forward to reading more of Ms Davidhizar’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Thank you, Delacorte Press and NetGalley, for my free E-book for review.

From the very first page, this captivating novel had me utterly enthralled. While I initially expected a straightforward thriller, I quickly realized this was something much deeper and more profound.

When sisters Grace and Maddy went on a Senior Sabbatical Camp, only one returned home alive, immediately sparking suspicion and intrigue. The author's masterful technique of weaving between past and present timelines, building towards a jaw-dropping twist, had me hooked from start to finish.

Beyond the central mystery of what happened on that fateful rainy evening, the novel explores a wealth of themes that will resonate profoundly with readers. The struggles of identity and self-acceptance exemplified through Maddy's journey, add remarkable emotional depth. And the sisters' strained relationship, rooted in deep-seated secrets, lends a poignant complexity to the narrative.

Through it all, we witness the sisters grappling with the trauma of their experiences, making for a truly gripping and heart-wrenching read. The author has crafted a story that is equal parts suspenseful and psychologically rich, leaving a lasting impression.

Overall, this was an immensely satisfying novel that has solidified my desire to seek out more of the author's work. The perfect blend of mystery, character exploration, and emotional resonance makes this an absolute must-read.

3.5- 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Megan Davidhizar’s YA novel Silent Sister, Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy, with an honest review in return! This was my first novel written by Ms. Davidhizar & I would probably read other works, Complete/Full review coming soon.

Now this is the type of mystery / thriller I’ve been looking for! I could not put this book down. This story was so well written from the point of views of two sisters, Maddy and Grace. They went on a senior sabbatical (trip) and something terrible happened to both of them, but their parents and police don’t know why or how they both disappeared. Only one sister was found, but why is everyone avoiding Grace. Her memory was lost after the accident, but the doctors don’t know if or when they will come back. Grace wants to know what happened to her sister and if she can help by remembering the last events on the trip before she woke up in the hospital.

Maddy’s story was so heartbreaking. I can’t imagine how alone she felt. Not feeling accepted, ignored even when around others, not having many friends, barely communicating with her sister other than about choirs or school, feeling invisible to her parents’ busy schedules. And to top it off she didn’t win the scholarship she so desperately wanted to go to her dream school for writing. That was her way out; to start over and hopefully find her own way in life and friends she can be happy with. I really wanted a different outcome for her in this story and I truly had to hold back tears.

I loved the illustrations, poems, and notes depicting a glimpse into Maddy’s mind. I’m so happy the author gave her and Grace the chance to reconcile towards the end after so many years of holding in secrets from each other. If the communication was better between them, their lives would be so different. That plot twist at the end really got me! I was already completely invested into the book from the beginning but once the truth came out, my eyes bulged out of my head! I truly applaud Megan for this book! I loved it!

Thank you @netgalley and @delacortepress for approving me to read and review this arc! I highly recommend this book for everyone to read!

Two sisters, Maddy, and Grace disappear during a senior year retreat. When only Grace shows up, she has no memory. Soon, Maddy's body is found dead. Alternating between past and present, we unravel what happened and if Grace has more to do with it than it seems.

Overall, this was a pretty good read. I don't think it really is as much of a suspense as the blurb makes it out to be. There is definitely some suspense, but Maddy's chapters were more explaining the lead up than really adding intrigue. At the end too, I wasn't surprised by the twist (both parts really).

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The writing allowed for so many different concepts of Maddy's death. This allowed the author to explore many diverse topics such as relationship safety, family relationships, self harm, sibling rivalry and competition, isolation, lack of friendships. For me this was the best part of this plot - the complexity, lack of honesty; the experience of a massive loss as a family and individual.
While also providing drama, teenage angst, realistic teenager issues.