The plot was predictable and trope-y. Plot points lifted from Twin Peaks, everything else from Revenge. All the character internal narratives sounded identical, and I didn’t care about any of them. Give this one a miss.

I enjoyed the pacing in this book, but I don’t think the varied narrations were really necessary. It became a bit much to keep up with and I think a lot of the subplots made the story feel messy - the meat of it was enough to sustain on its own. I’d be interested to read other works by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this story. I liked the setting, although I wished it played into the plot more. There were several plot twists that I didn't see coming, which I always appreciate. My biggest complaint with the novel was the way the author mixed the past and present stories -- it often took me several sentences to figure out when the action being described took place. It was hard to follow on numerous occasions, and an annoyance.

Overall this was a solid suspense drama, and I would read more from the author.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

This is my first book by this author and boy will I be picking up another. I couldn’t put this down and it was a great fast read.
While you start off with the idea of someone dying…. You then spend the entire book trying to figure out which sister is the one who ultimately meets her death?
No family is ever perfect, but what if everyone hides a dark side that makes them a suspect? But as this unfolding story continues you consider what if you didn’t hide behind a smile ? The wonderful twist at the end, even I didn’t see this one coming

I was so excited to read this! Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this! So fantastic!
I could not put this down! I loved the vibes of this and the Summer I Turned Pretty atmosphere but like, gone wrong. 10/10 recommend.

Wow I really enjoyed this book. Lots of twists and turns.

Alex Walker and her sister, Maddie, have always been close and even been mistaken as twins. When Alex’s birthday comes around and Maddie doesnt even bother to call her to wish her a happy birthday, Alex knows something is wrong and does everything she can to find out what happened to her sister. She goes to The Lobster Shack, where her sister worked, to see if anyone knows where she has been and the owner lets Alex know that Maddie had been staying with the Blackwells at Blackwell Manor. There we meet James Blackwell, the jealous wife Katherine, the violent and obsessive daughter Lily, and the strange son Theo. Alex thinks they’re hiding something and sticks around to find out. With her leads, Alex also tries to find a friend of Maddie’s named Becca, who worked at a gentleman’s club called Lucky Jack’s. When Alex finds out both Becca and Maddie are missing, she cant help but think of the coincidence. What happened to both of these girls?!?

Okay now on to spoilers.

I was shocked at the end when Gilroy turned out to be blackmailing Theo for money to protect Mick, his son. Also that he had kidnapped Maddie for that reason too. I was glad that Maddie was alive. I hope Hutch and Theo get sent to prison for what they did to Becca and maybe that Mick gets a lighter sentence because he did try his best to stop it but how can you compete with rich guys who can almost get away with murder. They probably would have killed Mick too. I had a feeling that Lily probably pushed Maddie off the cliff when we saw James try and help Alex from the cliff and when we get a flashback of Lily pushing Olivia. Also about those sex parties and that James was part of that. I kind of had a feeling Becca’s mystery beau was James.

It was a wild ride and really engrossed me from the beginning. I didnt want to put the book down. I wanted to know what had happened to Maddie.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballentine for my ARC

Alex and her older sister, Maddie, are just a year apart in age. They look so much alike, people often mistake them for twins. Raised by a beautiful but broken mother, they’ve developed a strong sister bond. This cracks to an extent when Maddie heads off to college, leaving Alex behind to care for their alcoholic mother. When their mother dies, the bond between the sisters shatters further. Soon after, Maddie drops out of medical school, deletes all her social media accounts, then disappears.

Alex tracks her path to the Hamptons and a socially prominent family, the Blackwells. Maddie spent time at their home, Blackwell Manor, before vanishing completely. Through happenstance, Alex inserts herself into the Blackwell’s home, shadowing her sister’s footsteps as she seeks to discover what happened to Maddie.

I was intrigued by the setting, and the lush yet breezy writing brings vibrancy to the scenes. I loved the descriptions of the Blackwell’s sprawling manor home, the beach surroundings, and thoughts of the characters themselves. The prose invites wallowing while at the same time urging the reader to read ahead for more. Very few of these characters have any redeeming qualities, but like a train wreck, it’s hard to look away. Most all are damaged, with baggage weighing them down. I found Lily to be one of the most intriguing and would have liked to have seen her utilized more in the plot.

As the main POV narrator, Alex—while occasionally making bad decisions—is still someone who invites sympathy. You can’t help but cheer for her even as you cringe at some of the foolish mistakes she makes.

The story is told from multiple narrators, all in first person POV. That works fine with the exception of the two male narrators (James and Theo) who sounded too much like the female characters. Several times while reading the chapters from one or the other, I would have to pause and reorient, thinking I was in the POV of one of the female characters. I wished the male voices would have been more distinctive.

There are a few startling reveals at the end, and while I had an inkling of one, another completely blindsided me. In looking back over the book, I should have put the pieces together. Kudos to the author for springing a delicious surprise at the end.

Finally, there is a plot thread central to the story that I found distasteful. I was disappointed the novel veered in that direction, something I didn’t expect. I’m sure many won’t be fazed. In the end, I give The Perfect Sister 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for review purposes.

This book was amazing from the beginning. I loved the different point of views and how everyone and everything intertwined and flowed together. It was easy to keep up with what was going on and the twist was not expected. I loved the ending and everything about this book.

I recommend this novel to fans of stories about rich people behaving badly. It checks the boxes for a twisty summer thriller, although there are a lot of viewpoints to keep up with. Basically, there's A Lot going on in this story, The sister relationship between Maddie and Alex works well. The Blackwell family is pretty messed up. At times you have to set aside your disbelief and just go with the flow of the story. As Alex begins to uncover various crazy secrets, the tension ratchets up even further. There's a definite ick factor, but like I said, if you like books about people, especially wealthy people, behaving badly, this will be a good one for your summer beach bag.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC; all opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was an excellent read! The characters were well done and relatable. The story itself is full of twists and turns that I did not see coming. Highly recommend

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Perfect Sister by Stephanie DeCarolis in exchange for an honest review due to be published July 16, 2024.
Alex Walker and her older sister, Maddie, have promised to meet every year on Alex’s birthday as a pact to stick together after their less than stellar childhood with their absent father and unstable mother. When Maddie doesn’t show up one year, Alex knows something is wrong. She goes to the Hamptons and ends up at Blackwell House where Maddie stayed before she disappeared. Alex will do anything to find Maddie. Will the Blackwells help her or try to stop her?
This was an action-packed thriller from start to finish and had me hooked from the first chapter. I felt like I really got to know Alex and Maddie from their present-day situation as well as their backstory. I also got to know the conniving Blackwell family. What a mess they are! Lots of secrets in that family that will come out and shock you! This is a must read!
#NetGalley #StephanieDeCarolis #ThePerfectSister #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallentine

Loved!!!! The pacing of this book. Great story telling, POV’s, & the characters. Awesome read! Looking forward to purchasing a copy for my sister when it’s released.

Thanks for the chance to read this book. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was going one way, but it wasn't. Good twist. I could tell some of the characters were "bad" off the bat, but it was still a good read. A few used tropes-crazy daughter, bad cop, but overall, pretty good.

Sisters, so close they were always mistaken for twins. Alex secretly loved it and wished Maddie, her older sister, was really her twin. Alex stayed in their hometown, Maddie went to bigger and better things (or so the appearance seems). When Maddie does not return home to celebrate Alex’s birthday like she always has done, Alex knows something has happened…like a gut instinct between real twins. Gripping from the start, The perfect Sister is a thriller you will not want to put down, ominously written in the iconic setting of the Hamptons. Maddie is written as an absolutely bright personality yet also enigmatic so right away, we are drawn into the pursuit to find her. Told from multiple perspectives, this book will leave so many questions before any answers are revealed and it was totally delectable!

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on Instagram closer to publication!

The perfect sister by Stephanie DeCarolis was an unexpected delight. A strong thriller from start to finish, we are introduced to an MC who is spunky and likeable. She is looking for her missing sister who disappeared after staying in the pool house of a very rich family with many secrets. Each of the characters in the family were fascinating and I wanted to learn more. I was ultimately satisfied by the end. Overall, a fun readable thriller.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This book sounded like something right up my alley. A woman searching for Her missing sister? Family drama/mystery, sounds good. Psychological thriller? Love it! But it took me awhile to read it, I found I was not making the time to read it. Sometimes I felt I had to force myself to read it. I found it be kind of meh. As soon as Lilly was introduced I figured. she killed Maddie and I knew her mom was covering it up. I didn’t know that Maddie was James’s daughter - although looking back it does seem obvious or that Gilroy was Mitch’s dad. I did not like the multiple points of view - there were way too many to keep track of (7). Although I do think the author did a really good job of demonstrating how different people viewed the same event and she did a good job of keeping straight what each character knew. Once I got through the first half, I did find it more enjoyable. Either the book found its footing or I did.

This mystery was GOOD!

When her older sister disappears and misses their promised birthday celebration, Alex knows something is wrong. Using her roommate, a series of texts, and photos, Alex tracks Maddie down to the Hamptons, and what she finds is a mystery much bigger than she'd ever imagined.

Interesting characters, and an intriguing plot, this one was a page-turner!

I enjoyed reading this book. Lots of story twists that were not expected. I also liked that they didn't all come st the end. It made me want to keep going.

This was such a good story. I was hooked from page one I enjoyed all of the characters. Really loved how the author developed all of the characters and the story line. The book guessing my guessing until the very end and had me up reading later than I intended on because I couldn't put turn off my kindle!

Great read. This book is pretty fast paced and gives a fair amount of backstory in order for us to really understand the characters and what is going on. Its full of thrills and strange rich people which somehow makes the story that much more exciting! I am so thankful to be afforded the opportunity to read a new author that I hadn't before. I am looking forward to more from DeCarolis. Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Books for the ARC.