There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

10 years ago Allie was sentenced to prison for a crime that she didn't commit as she was found guilty of murdering the high school football coach. Her whole life went up in flames as Allie was always the good sister and the one destined for much bigger things than their smalltown offered, she also had an amazing boyfriend Ben, and a daughter Caroline. Why would she risk losing all that? It was a case of the wrong place and the wrong time she has tried to appeal all these years. Out of good behavior, Allie has moved back to town to try and rebuild her life and reconnect after all these years with her daughter Caroline and her sister Emma. The thing though that we are about to discover is that Emma isn't happy being shoved to the side once again as with Allie in prison, Emma got to be the center of attention for once and all the praise went to her. Now Emma has a good job and the daughter she always wanted in Caroline but now with Allie home that is all threatened. Read as Emma tries to sabotage Allie's reintegration back into society and worsen Caroline and Allie's relationship by filling her head with lies. This book flips back to the past leading up to the death of the coach and how Allie was the perfect scapegoat to take the blame. When Caroline challenges Allie to prove her innocence, Allie is more determined than ever but will she be met with resistance as there are people in the town who do not want the truth to be revealed about what happened that night and the past drudged up and Sheriff Gaines who arrested Allie is one of those people. Needing a good mystery to break up your romance reading so it doesn't get stale? Check out Sister Dear by Laura McNeill.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.

When will there be a clean psychological thriller?

That’s what I was hoping for in this book, especially since it’s published by Thomas Nelson, who used to be known for their high standards in publishing decent, biblical-principled books. This particular book has ruined that reputation in my eyes.

I am completely saddened by the vulgar content in this book. If I wanted to read a bra-ripping sex scene, I would have chosen a mainstream book with a scantily clad model on the cover. (That’s not my personal taste in books, thanks, and I try to avoid them.) There were also at least two main characters who had backgrounds of sleeping around; one character in particular seemed to throw herself at a wide variety of men including coaches and college professors. The vulgar, sex-crazed attitude this book took on disgusted me and is the main reason why my rating is only two stars. Some other factors were the couple of profane uses of the Lord’s name, handfuls of expletives laced throughout the book, and the heavy alcohol usage throughout.

The ranty part of this review is now over. On to the good stuff.

The family dynamics in this book were awesome. From sisters to mother/daughter to aunt/niece, I was hooked on these relationships from the beginning and hoped with every flip of the page that these broken relationships could somehow be mended. The hurts, grudges, vindictiveness, love, compassion, and regrets all punched at my emotions until I cried a bit.

The volunteer work of the teens in this book was neat. Getting hands-on experience in a nursing home is not always easy, but these kids showed bravery and dedication in their efforts. That was cool to see.

Something fun was trying to piece together the clues of who committed the murder. I liked the various aspects of who it might have been: the woman convicted of the crime who served ten years in prison for it; the sheriff who arrested her; the players on the team; and a few other people along the way. The psychological thriller aspect was used well when it came to the pacing and uncovering of clues and the chapter breaks as well as the flashbacks in time. This author is talented in the genre, no doubt.

I especially liked that an ex-con was out to prove her innocence of the crime she’d been convicted of committing. This was a storyline I hadn’t seen before in fictional books, and it reminded me of the movie and 2000-01 TV show The Fugitive.

I won’t be reading any additional books by this author, but I’ll be keeping my eyes out for some decent psych-thrillers, because I love the genre and want cleaner books in it to read.

Content: sex (including a bra-ripping scene and “sleeping around” backstories for two leads), alcohol, profanity, expletives, sexual terms/phrases, teen drinking (mentioned), replacement expletives, physical abuse, steroids (other drugs mentioned but not used), marital affairs

Another book that is written so well, great writing style, brilliant relatable characters but a storyline that’s not unique.
My other fault is that the author gives us the clues every step of the way instead of allowing the reader to fit the jigsaws together thus undermining the readers intelligence.
Well, that’s my take on it.

Hence my ratings

But don’t go by me, read others reviews as some really loved it.

2.5 stars
Subtly creepy, McNeill’s latest sneaks up on the reader with its eerie storyline. But some of the plot points and motives don’t really work together. The buildup and eventual reveal fall a bit flat in the scope of the book. Overall, it’s an original twist on the wrongly accused victim trying to exonerate herself, and will keep readers interested throughout.
Allie Marshall spends 10 years in prison for a crime she swears she didn’t commit. She has missed so much time with her now-teenage daughter Caroline that her daughter doesn’t really want anything to do with her. Caroline has been raised by Allie’s sister in the interim. As Allie tries to clear her name, she discovers many things concealed by others who will stop at nothing to keep those secrets hidden.

Talk about an interesting look at the dynamic/power-struggle between sisters, namely Allie and Emma. After Allie goes to jail for a crime she maintains she was falsely accused of, her sister Emma takes over custody of her daughter, Caroline - when Allie is paroled early, she returns home and the struggle between the sisters reaches a breaking point.

This is my first-time reading a Laura McNeill story and she has a new fan now! I loved the mix of the family dynamic and the suspense and while I thought I kind of knew how it would end, I was not sure enough to stop and it definitely had me turning pages into the wee hours of the night. McNeill did a wonderful job developing the characters and the strained relationships between the mother and daughter. I will say there were a couple times I was not sure whose view point I was reading- between Emma and Ali- and would have to backtrack a few pages to clarify them especially in the early chapters and while I enjoyed the book I do feel it ended a bit quickly and would have liked to have seen a couple more chapters take us through the resolution rather than just tell us what happened. But a good, quick, interesting read I would recommend it.
I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.

A suspenseful story of family and jealousy. Eventually the truth will win over the darkest of deeds! A real page turner.

Good thriller. Would read others from this author!

This was another book I had heard a lot about and, while a good story, it didn't quite grip me as expected. I would have liked a bit more mystery.