What happened to Maddie? This story of Alex's search for her missing sister is told from multiple POVs and in different time frames. It's a tale of bad decisions, deception, and rich people behaving badly. I liked the different POVs (except for the Wharf, which didn't work for me) because it added to mystery. The Blackwells, who own the property where Maddie was staying, are an unsavory group - who among them is a reliable narrator? Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This wasn't as twisty as I thought it might be but it's a good read perfect for the beach.

This book was definitely a slow burn but it worked for me. It was very interesting to follow the story of Alex searching for her sister Maddie. There were several twists that I did not see coming. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

This one was a little bit too much of a slow burn for me, but once things picked up I really enjoyed it! I felt like I wanted a bit more action and a little less character build up, but I loved the Hamptons setting and the general "wealthy people behaving badly" vibes throughout. Definitely an enjoyable read for the beach this summer!

This was a slow burn thriller for sure! The author takes her time setting up the characters, giving the reader little tidbits here and there to hold their interest while getting to know them. Then once things get rolling, they really get rolling! It definitely held my interest and I did not want to stop reading for the last 20%! I had a lot of compassion for Alex and Maddie, knowing they had a rough childhood with a mom who adored them, but was going through her own struggles. It was interesting to see what lengths the wealthy will go to in order to keep things buried and hold their place in society. I will definitely need to check out more of this author’s books!

The Perfect Sister by @stephaniedecarolisbooks follows Alex, who has gone to the Hamptons to find her missing sister Maddie. What unfolds from there is a sinister story about what money can buy or cover up. The author did a really good job of making me think I had things figured out when I was actually way off base!

I started reading this book with high hopes. A book about sisters always grabs my attention. One sister, Alex, was looking for her sister Maddie after she canceled the annual weekly time they spend together.
It was a book that was full of a lot I did not see coming. If you are looking for a beach read, grab this one.
Thank you NetGalley, Stephanie DeCarolis and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of The Perfect Sister.
This is my personal review.

3.5, rounded up.

This story follows Alex on a search to find her sister Maddie. In the search Alex learns that sometimes the only person you can trust is yourself. This story ran a tad long for me. It took a while to get to the point and there was a lot of things repeated that dragged the story out. There was too much build up and mystery to the characters, that things felt at a standstill for some time. One minor character kept the story moving forward and we didn't get any follow up from her, just big chunks of info to move the story along.

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The story begins with Maddie and Alex's early years growing up where the sisters are mostly having to take care of themselves since their father abanconed them, Maddie has gone to college and Alex is still at home taking care of her mother. The mother dies and Maddie returns for the funeral, the girls get into a fight and say things they don't mean.

Time comes for Alex's birthday, an event Maddie promised not to miss. The day comes and no word from Maddie. Several days pass with Alex not getting any response. Soom Alex decides to go to the Hamptons to find Maddie. Follow the story along as Alex searches and find out what secrets she learns about the family she had been staying with. The ending will surprise you.

First and foremost, this book leads you through a gripping and unpredictable adventure as Alex tirelessly looks for her sister, Maddie. I am a huge fan of Stephanie DeCarolis’s writing style. It was so easy to understand and made it effortless for me to get absorbed in the story. Lastly, the multiple POVs were a highlight for me, as I truly loved them all. It gave me a deep understanding of each character, which I appreciated, but it also made me highly suspicious of everyone. All in all, I loved reading this and I’m eagerly looking forward to more from Stephanie DeCarolis!

Alex goes to the Hamptons to search for her missing sister Maddie. She was staying at the Blackwells mansion when she went missing. Things seem amiss among the Blackwells. The dad acts like a creepy perv and the daughter seems a little off her rocker.
This was a great read and the first one I’ve read by this author. The characters were very interesting and the book was hard to put down.
Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this ARC that will be released July 16, 2024!

Thank you to Bantam and NetGalley, for the free copy for review.

The Perfect Sister by Stephanie DeCarolis is the kind of book that hooks you from the very beginning. The writing effortlessly lures me to follow Alex as she desperately searches for her sister Maddie's whereabouts. With each new clue uncovered, I question whether Maddie is still alive.

Both the protagonists and supporting characters have an air of mystery surrounding them, making it impossible not to get sucked into uncovering what they're all about. While some characters may border on cliché, it ultimately works to propel the plot further forward. And the twist? It's a genuine surprise that adds an extra layer of intrigue.

Overall, The Perfect Sister delves into the complexities of family expectations, hidden secrets, and the unbreakable bonds of sibling love. DeCarolis has crafted a gripping and suspenseful read that keeps you guessing until the very last page.

Many thanks to Novel Suspects Insiders Club and Penguin Random House Bellatine. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. Thoughts are entirely my own.

In this book we are following sisters Maddie and Alex. Maddie and Alex have been there for each other their entire lives. Then when their mother dies things change and Maddie goes to the Hamptons and ends up going missing. When Alex hasn’t heard from Maddie she decides to go to the Hamptons to find her. Alex discovers that Maddie has been staying with a wealthy family. The daughter of the family instantly befriends Maddie and decides to invite her to live with them. The longer Maddie stays the more she starts pulling away from Lilly and begins talking to James the father. Maddie shadows him at his job and both his wife and kids believe he is having an affair but in reality he is getting to know his long lost daughter. Lilly and her brother Theo are adopted and both seem to have issues that result in Maddie almost dying. James takes Maddie to one of his properties while she recuperates and ends up kidnapped by the sheriff and Theo. The sheriff is knocked unconscious and Maddie and Alex are reunited. Alex starts a new relationship and Maddie decides to go back to college and get her medical degree. Thank you so much to Novel Suspects for this amazing book.

Thrillers are my favorite. Finding GOOD thrillers by new authors is always a challenge, but this was GOOD.

I was generously offered a widget for this book, which I gratefully accepted. The premise sounded great and seemed promising.

The Perfect Sister is a thriller following a woman searching for her sister, who goes missing in the Hamptons after becoming entangled with a dysfunctional wealthy family harboring A MULTITUDE of dark secrets. Sounds great, right? I was drawn right in.
Unfortunately, the execution just didn’t really work for me. The pacing was absolutely miserable, I was so bored I actively avoided this book, and several things were unnecessarily repetitive. We were reminded of the deceased mother’s alcoholism and neglect so often I began to feel bleak myself. I desperately wanted to know what happened, because there were some great plot lines going on with all the various POVs, but they just took so long to come together.
There were also at least 3 large twists crammed right into the end that basically only served to make things entirely unbelievable, and perhaps I’ve just read too many thrillers, but I did predict several of them.

All in all, this book just really wasn’t for me. I would be interested in reading some of the author’s other work to see if it’s more my style, so I do plan to add them to my TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 7/16/24

good mystery about a family and secrets that they are keeping. slight romance and loved the different point of views

I was hooked from the start! The cover is what drew me in initially. Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down! The twists and turns that this psychological thriller delivers are enough to keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Just when you think you know, you don’t!

"A woman's search for her missing sister on the sandy white beaches of the Hamptons uncovers a wealth of secrets worth killing for - a sultry and sumptuous psychological suspense from USA Today bestselling author Stephanie DeCarolis.

Alex Walker has always looked up to her perfect older sister. Maddie has succeeded in all the ways Alex has not: She escaped their hometown and seems to have put the memories of their unstable childhood behind her. But despite the different paths their lives have taken, the two sisters made a pact to spend one week together every summer. It was a promise they'd never broken...until now.

When Maddie suddenly cancels her annual trip home, Alex begins to worry. But when Maddie stops returning her calls altogether, Alex is certain something is wrong. Relying on the only clues Maddie left behind, Alex follows her sister's footsteps to the Hamptons where she meets the Blackwell family - the last people to have seen Maddie before she vanished into thin air. The Blackwells seem to have it all: wealth, beauty, and a beachside mansion on a private stretch of Hamptons real estate. It's a world unlike any Alex has ever known, but she quickly discovers that looks can be deceiving, and that a life of luxury always comes at a cost."

Oh, murder and mayhem in the Hamptons! Yes please!

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


With twists and turns you’ll never see coming, The Perfect Sister is the perfect summer beach suspense thriller. It will keep you up later at night than you should be, wondering what’s coming next.

Alex and Maddie are almost twins. Two sisters of a single mom, Vivienne, their dad having run off years before. Their small town is too small for Maddie, a year older than Alex. Maddie is the perfect one. Smart, driven, with dreams of becoming a doctor. So when Maddie leaves to college, Alex is kind of lost, left behind.

Alex stays in their town, while Maddie is in NY. Alex works at the local hardware store. Maddie is accomplishing her dream of attending medical school. Until Maddie decides to head to the Hamptons for the summer. Presumably to work and make some money to keep her med school dream alive.

But then Maddie disappears from the grid. Alex can’t find her. No responses on her cell phone. Nothing. So Alex packs a bag and heads to the Hamptons to find her. What Alex finds is a tangled web of lies, secrets, and a very wealthy dysfunctional family. Alex needs to unravel what was going on in Blackwell Manor, and what Maddie had to do with it.

Crazy good. Kept me up way too late reading. Enjoy!

The Perfect Sister is a fast-paced with a surprising ending story.

I always love when books are told in multiple POVs and with some twists and turns.

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the free ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Maddie and Alex grew up in a dysfunctional home in a small town. Their father had left when they were young and their mother is failing financially and emotionally. Maddie and Alex had a strong bond and made a pact that they would always keep in touch and spend time together every year. Maddie fails to return for a planned visit and doesn’t answer her phone. Alex knows something is wrong and sets out to see why she isn’t responding. Maddie had been living with a very wealthy family in the Hamptons and was told she had left. Alex is suspicious and continues her search in the Hamptons with possible harm to herself.
This novel is told through several POV and is filled with twists and a surprise ending.