Alex hasn't talked to her sister Maddie since they argued at their mother's funeral. When Alex doesn't hear from Maddie on her birthday, she knows something is wrong. Alex travels to the Hamptons to find Maddie when she can't reach her by phone. She ends up staying with a dysfunctional family where her sister last stayed. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. Even though Alex made some risky choices at times, I liked her and was vested in her search for a sister. It was an intriguing mystery, and I didn't want to put it down. Her investigation does include a few short racy distasteful scenes during her search, but they are not gratuitous. I loved that the story was told from many points of view: Alex, her sister before she went missing, and the dysfunctional family.

My first exposure to this author was this story, and it kept me reading to the very end!

Alex and Maddie, sisters who’ve gone through their mother’s death and having been raised without a father in the home, have had an argument after their mother’s funeral. Alex, the younger sister by only a year, is trying to reach Maddie, but her calls aren’t returned. She has only a few clues, but she follows them to the Hamptons, where Maddie has at least brushed shoulders with the wealthy and influential Blackwell family.

The story is told by multiple narrators (not confusing, as the writer makes it easy to follow), and by the middle point the tension has escalated and I really didn’t know how it would turn out. The Blackwells are dysfunctional and are hiding secrets, but how will Alex be able to penetrate them? And where is Maddie, who seems to have vanished into thin air?

I highly recommend this bingeable thriller!

Four stars for this one, and don’t miss that gorgeous cover!

I mostly enjoyed this book, "The Perfect Sister". The story is told from multiple points of view and focuses on Alex's search for her missing older sister, Maddie. However, I felt that the frequent flashbacks from each character led to information overload and slowed down the story. While I understand that some backstory was necessary to understand the characters and their motives, it affected the pacing of the novel and left the characters feeling a bit undeveloped.

Despite these issues, I still don't think "The Perfect Sister" is a bad book. If you enjoy suspenseful thrillers, then I recommend giving it a read. I look forward to more books from this author.

*thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

“Never forget how lucky you are to have a sister. Because that means that you’ll never be alone in this world. You’ll always have each other.”

Ok first of all…THIS COVER! Wowza. Absolutely the reason that I requested this book. 4.5 stars rounded up!

I have been on the struggle bus this month with reading. Almost every book I’ve read has been just ok. So thank you Stephanie for getting me out of my slump.

This book is fast paced and twisty with short chapters and told from multiple POV. The audiobook has a full cast and is addictive and utterly fantastic! If you like family drama, sinister decisions based on money, beach and water vibes, and the bond of sisters then add this to your tbr today!

Thank you @PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook and to Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Perfect Sister by Stephanie DeCarolis is a highly recommended novel of psychological suspense set in The Hamptons and brimming with secrets.

Alex and Maddie Walker are sisters who have been there for each other no matter what throughout their unstable childhood and up until their mother's death. The two had a disagreement and now Maddie, a year older, has broken her life-long promise and will not be coming home for Alex's birthday week. Then, when Maddie doesn't even return Alex's phone calls, Alex takes matters into her own hands and head to The Hamptons where Maddie was supposed to have a job.

When Alex arrives there she discovers Maddie was staying with a very wealthy family, The Blackwells, and they claim she headed back to New York City. Maddie's roommate there denies this and Alex suspects the Blackwells James, Katherine, and their two children, Theo and Lily, are all hiding what they know. They do allow Alex to stay in the pool house where Maddie stayed while she looks for her sister and reports her disappearance to the police. It seems that suspicions run high and secrets run rampant.

The well-written narrative unfolds through the multiple points of view Alex, Maddie "before", Lily, Katherine, Theo, James, and The Wharf. The chapters from Alex present day search and Maddie's from "before" are the most compelling, although the other narratives do add some depth to the story and potential suspects. I felt this technique is used quite effectively in The Perfect Sister and helped create tension and suspense.

This is a captivating plot, even though you do have to suspend disbelief several times, especially toward the end. I did this willingly because I had to know what happened to Maddie and who was responsible for whatever it was, which counts for a lot. Alex is a fully realized character and you will support her in her search. You'll also like Maddie. The whole Blackwell family veer more toward caricatures of a type of personality - the very wealthy.

The Perfect Sister must be the perfect choice for a summer read because I was engrossed in Alex's search for her sister and the truth. Thanks to Random House/Ballantine for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Alex Walker is a young woman searching for her older sister, Maddie. The search leads her to the Hamptons and the wealthy Blackwell family. Someone in this family was probably the last one to see Maddie, but which one, and why aren’t they more forthcoming about her whereabouts? What are they hiding?

The story is told in multiple POVs and it’s interesting getting to know each individual and learning their secrets. Is Maddie still in the area and is she safe? Is Alex safe? Who can she trust? The story keeps you guessing.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Stephanie DeCarolis for the copy of The Perfect Sister.

This is the first book I read by this author. The writing flowed nicely but I felt like the plot didn’t entirely make sense to me. I would definitely give another of her books a try though.

4/5 stars. Alex and Maddie did not have the best life growing up, but when Maddie finds out certain secrets from her mother she follows up on them. Alex has not heard from her sister, and this is not like Maddie. As Alex travels to the Hamptons to find her sister she begins to unravel more problems. This story will have you guessing what happened and even to the point of wtf.

📚: The Perfect Sister by Stephanie DeCarolis
⭐️: 3.5/5 (rounding up on #goodreads)

The gist: Alex arrives in the Hamptons searching for her sister, Maddie. After blowing off their annual get together, and all subsequent texts and calls, Alex knows something is very wrong. Her few clues lead to the Blackwell’s, an influential family with a dark underbelly.

The good: Say it with me, my favorite subgenre — rich 👏🏽 people 👏🏽 doing 👏🏽 bad 👏🏽 awful things. (This one is with a solid mystery and a few solid twists.)

The eh: One of the “big” twists felt verrrrrry predictable (saw it a mile away), and a couple plot points that were so very underdeveloped (what really was the deal with Ben & Alex, anyway?).

Thank you to @randomhouse - Ballantine via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Perfect Sister is out next Tuesday 7/16!

I really liked this mystery of a sister trying to find her missing sister. I was interested the while time as I tried to figure out everyone's secrets. Some good reveals towards the end.

The perfect summer thriller… I could not put this book down! This story was dark, addicting and filled with secrets and lies. I loved the alternating chapters with rotating perspectives, making my mind race with new theories and suspicions. Being a local Long Islander, I loved the Hamptons setting and summer vibes. There were some great twists that caught me by surprise and the ending was suspenseful and exciting! Highly recommend you add to your summer TBR list!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Alex and Maddie are sisters that used to be close but have had a falling out after their mother died. When Maddie goes silent, Alex travels to the Hamptons to find out what is going on. Alex connects with Lily, the daughter of the wealthy Blackwell family that Maddie has been staying with. The family is odd and things do not add up. Where is Maddie and who are these people that she is staying with?

I loved this tense, suspenseful mystery! The setting is perfect in the beautiful Hamptons, where the wealthy, and odd, vacation. This is a well written story with lots of twists, secrets and layers. There are multiple points of view, timelines of past and present, and of course, some likeable characters and some not so much. I really had a hard time putting this one down!

Highly recommend!!!

4.5 rounded up
I DEVOURED this book and couldn’t put it down! It was fast paced, well-written, and engaging. I especially loved how there were POVs from every important character in the book, which I thought was so unique. Throughout the story, I was constantly questioning every character which kept me on my toes and I was constantly flipping pages to uncover the truth. The twists were on point and unexpected and the ending was extremely satisfying. It put a smile on my face and perfectly wrapped all of the pieces together in a bow 🎀. I definitely recommend this for a summer thriller as it takes place in the Hamptons and gives a beachy vibe. Add it to your beach bag asap!

Thank you NetGalley and Bantam for a gifted eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Random House Publishing & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a great thriller to read in the summer, and I absolutely loved the Hamptons setting!

Maddie promised Alex when she was 10 that she would never again miss being with her on her birthday. The girls were not seeing eye to eye with each other when they buried their mother and then Maddie leaves to go to the Hamptons and misses Alex’s birthday and doesn’t answer her phone calls. Alex goes to the Hamptons to look for her sister and discovers that her own life may be in danger.
Alex stays at the Blackwell manor and knows it was the last place her sister had stayed. She found her phone but it was dead and after buying a charger she then goes back to discover the phone missing.
The whole Blackwell family seem to be hiding secrets and Alex knows that if she wants to get to the bottom of Mattie’s disappearance she will have to find the secrets herself.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Readers will be blown away by the bombshell revelations as this dramatic story unfolds. This story is gritty and intense. There are many plot twists that will keep the reader engaged and guessing as to who is the bad person pulling the strings. The writer has done a magnificent job with the plot by doling out information in small increments while still maintaining the interest of the reader. It is a dramatic page turner to the very end that is not to be missed.

Despite being a year apart, sisters Maddie and Alex have always been as close as twins. But that changes after the death of their aspiring actress mother. Maddie disappears to the Hamptons, abandoning her sister and her medical school dreams in the wake of a fight. Desperate to reconnect, Alex follows her. But instead of Maddie, she finds the Blackwells.

The wealthy family is full of secrets, lies, and guilt. And it seems everyone around her has more information than they're letting on, and no intention of revealing it. The narrative changes hands throughout, from Alex to each Blackwell, and even to Maddie herself in flashback, as a web of deceit begins to form. Why did Maddie disappear into the Blackwells' home? What are Blackwell patriarch James's actual intentions for her. Will Alex make it out of the Hamptons alive?

The majority of The Perfect Sister is enticing and intriguing, with an undercurrent of untempered grief as the sisters struggle with their conflicting memories of their mother. However, the build-up of the story is a bit hampered by an eleventh-hour twist that feels a bit unsatisfying, coupled with an in-the-moment monologue to justify it. While the central mystery of the book—what happened to Maddie and why—is compelling and well handled, the final confrontation feels like it doesn't blend with the rest of the book. A decent enough summer read, but the finale may feel people leaving a bit turned around.

Alex searches for her sister, Maddie who has suddenly dropped all contact while spending the summer working in the Hamptons. Alex soon discovers that Maddie has integrated herself with the rich and suspicious Blackwell family. This page turner dives into the underbelly of the Hamptons and the Blackwell family. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Alex goes looking for the sister who has cancelled her annual trip and not returning calls. Her search brings her to a beachside mansion in the Hamptons.

This was a pretty standard missing person story but with lots of twists and turns. I liked this one a lot because of the handful of different perspectives. There was the perfect amount to add lots of variety but also to not get confusing. There were also some horrible characters, some good characters, and some bad that redeemed themselves.

“‘Never forget how lucky you are to have a sister. Because that means that you’ll never be alone in this world. You’ll always have each other.”

The Perfect Sister comes out 7/16.

Alex and Maddie are sisters and Maddie goes missing. She was last seen at the Blackwell’s mansion and so many secrets are uncovered. This one was just ok for me and I found myself getting confused with the different POV’s being told. I did love the cover of the book. It’s stunning! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release. To be published July 16, 2024.