Missing Sister

by Joshilyn Jackson

Revenge. It's all relative.

Born three minutes apart, Penny and Nix Albright grew up doing everything together, close as only twins can be. But when Nix dies in a tragic accident soon after college, she leaves behind a cryptic voicemail that has Penny guilt-ridden and desperate for justice.

Five Years Later

Penny has found new purpose as a rookie cop. She’s working to fulfill Nix’s dream of making the world a safer place, but following that dream becomes a nightmare when she’s called to her first murder scene. When she sees the victim, she knows him instantly. It’s Danny Bowery—one of three men she’s long blamed for Nix’s death—splayed in a pool of blood outside a posh Atlanta shopping center, almost as if she’d wished it so.

Stunned, Penny steps away to catch her breath and discovers a blonde in blood-drenched clothes gripping a box cutter. Before Penny can arrest her, the woman reveals that Bowery’s murder is part of a larger story that is far from over. A story about sisters. And with that, the killer disappears.

Now, Penny will stop at nothing to pursue this dangerous woman and learn why she’s avenging Nix’s death. The deeper she dives into the mystery, the less clear it becomes who is hunting whom in this captivating page-turner of hidden motives and deadly consequences.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Fiction, Adult Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication March 3, 2026

About the author

Jackson's latest, MISSING SISTER, pubs MARCH, 3, 2026. Pre-order now!

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson writes both page-turning domestic suspense and Southern book club novels that revolve around timely women’s issues, raising questions about justice, motherhood, career, class, and the thorny mechanics of redemption. Her critically acclaimed work has been translated into more than a dozen languages, and Jackson is also an award-winning audiobook narrator. She lives in a gently haunted 150-year-old Victorian Rowhouse in upstate New York with her family.

A recent expat from the American South, she lives in a mildly haunted Victorian row house in upstate New York.

Reviews

[Joshilyn Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now available for pre-order! MISSING SISTER launches March 3, 2026.

“Deliciously sinister, this exploration of the uniquely intense bond only twins share is a winner. Joshilyn Jackson’s twisty storytelling is not to be missed.” — #1 NYT bestselling author, Karin Slaughter on Missing Sister

"Penny is the perfect narrator: Whip smart, funny, flawed, big-hearted, and caught up in a wild ride of a story that kept me up way past my bedtime." — Sara Gruen, #1 NYT bestselling author on Missing Sister

"A thrill ride that kept surprising me, but the real treasure is the family at the heart of this fast-paced tale of sisters and revenge. I loved every breathless minute of it." — Abbott Kahler, NYT bestselling author of Where You End on Missing Sister

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Missing Sister, by Joshilyn Jackson, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Penny and Nix are twins, Nix was murdered and the killer was never caught. This was a dark and heavy read, with unlikable characters.

[Cordelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

SYNOPSIS
-Penny and her twin, Nix, were inseparable until Nix died of an overdose shortly after college.
-Five years later, Penny’s a rookie cop trying to carry out Nix’s dream of making the world safer.
-On her very first murder scene, the victim turns out to be one of the guys she blames for Nix’s death.
-A blonde woman shows up covered in blood, hints that this killing is part of a bigger story about sisters and revenge, then disappears.
⸻
MY THOUGHTS
-Being in Penny’s head the whole time made it feel super personal.
-The mix of revenge, justice, and messy family stuff worked really well.
-Super easy writing style, which made it a quick read even when the plot got heavy.
-I stayed hooked and didn’t want to put it down.
-The ending actually paid off and felt worth the ride.
⸻
TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4 stars. Fast, juicy, and all about sisters, revenge, and justice. I flew through it and liked the way it wrapped up.
⸻
THANKS: Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on March 3, 2026.

[OutlawPoet]

DNF @ 20%. I tried, but I found it slow and really hated the main character. Also, nothing about how the police work read as authentic. Not for me.

[Rebeckuh · Rating 5 out of 5]

pardon my french but FUCK this is such a good book, so absurdly well written, so unique and original and unpredictable and overall amazing. First thriller i’ve loved in a while, 5 stars through and through

[Caitlin Smale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, Joshilyn Jackson, and her publisher for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

How would you feel if the people that ruined your sister's life, turned up dead? What would you do if you came face to face with the person responsible for those deaths? Would you do the right thing and turn them in? Or would you look the other way and let them carry on their mission? This book was so full of twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. It had me hooked pretty much immediately. It was different from any of the thrillers that I have read recently. It made me think of what I would do if something happened to my sister. I highly recommend this book when it comes out on March 3rd, 2026.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joshilyn Jackson repeatedly just delivers and I love it! This book was no difference. Along with murder, the book was really all about family and love. The sibling bond was beautiful (if not fully believable). But at its core it was still a revenge thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!

[Gwen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m going go have to DNF this one at 50%. I’ve enjoyed a couple other thrillers by this author, but this one is really dragging for me and I don’t feel connected with the main character. I tried putting it down and coming back to it, and I just can’t make progress. I hope others like it more than me!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Corinne Carson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Penny became a cop after she lost her twin sister, Nix, from an overdose. An overdose she believes was a result of a rape that her sister went through. After being called on to a murder scene, Penny recognizes the victim as one of the men who was part of the rape against her sister. Around the corner from the murder scene, she runs into a woman covered in blood holding a box cutter. Penny instantly knows that this is the killer. Penny takes the murder weapon from her but not before they have an interesting conversation, a conversation that leads Penny to make one bad decision after another. Before the other police officers can get there, Penny has let the woman go. Thus begins the cat & mouse chase between Penny & this woman to avenge the death of her sister, but things are definitely not as they seem.

Thank you to NetGalley & William Morrow for the opportunity to read an advanced eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Jennifer Rodriguez · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but had to DNF at 50%. The story line is there but I kept getting bored with the extra chunkiness of it. Why did I need to know a page and a half of her dating experience, I understand its unedited, and I've read enough thrillers/mysteries and police procedural. I feel like this could be a really good book. Also excessive on the full name of Thalia was a lot. I got lost in the excess details and I couldn't keep engaged.

[Sacha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Joshilyn Jackson is back with this most recent thrill ride. This one is dark. Extra dark. Readers need to be able to manage the content to enjoy the ride, and some will struggle with this. I did.

Penny is a layered character whose losses have set her on a difficult trajectory. When readers meet her, she is a rookie cop, and it's pretty clear this isn't exactly the right choice for her. She expresses uncertainty, and it's not a great sign that she arrives on a murder scene where she not only knows the victim but is glad he's dead. That's just scratching the surface of the unconventional approach she takes to this matter. Along with revealing that she maybe needs to reconsider her professional choices, this scene also opens a window into Penny's past, including the tragic death of her twin sister, Nix.

So much of what happens in this novel centers on issues that some readers will find unmanageable: addiction, rape, sexual assault, and trafficking. Included in this lineup of horrors? Children. It is - to say the least - a difficult read. These topics are fundamental to understanding the plot, different characters' connections, and other characters' motivations, so this isn't a skip ahead a few pages and you'll avoid it scenario. While I enjoyed the mystery and the character development, some of this content was so rough that I got a bit distracted from the fun of the mystery at times. It's not the most intense I've encountered, but it caught me off guard, so this is my vague PSA to those of you who will be happy to have it.

Despite the aforementioned challenges, I enjoyed this book overall, largely because of the way events resolved. I've had mixed responses to Jackson's novels previously, and while I'd do it carefully and with a TW and CW list included, this is one I'd recommend to the right reader.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected eproof ARC of 'Missing Sister' by Joshilyn Jackson - expected release date of 03/03/2026.

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jackson is really good, and each book she writes gets better and better. I've enjoyed most everything I've read of hers and was thrilled to be approved for this ARC! She switches writing styles between domestic thriller/suspense and book-clubby type novels featuring strong women characters facing everyday issues, and I'm here for it all from her. This was domestic suspense and it took just a bit to get rolling but once it did, it went off into a twisting and turning adventure where I figured a few things out but then was completely off track on some too Jackson has never done a book 2, that I know of, but, I think she could write another book following this one focusing on Thalia's path after this book ends. But even with they said, I'm not mad how this ended - enough was given to feel like this story could be done too.

[Rachiebo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joshilyn Jackson’s Missing sister

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow books

I am an instant buy for Joshilyn Jackson books. This book had me on pins and needles as this story talks about about twin sisters being extremely close, Penny and Nix and Nix dies after a drug over dose after college and Penny is left feeling like she was to blame. Heartbreaking and mysterious as the last voicemail that was left is somewhat cryptic.

Years later Penny is a rookie cop trying to fill the void and bring justice to the world after her sisters incident. When she is called to a scene that involves one of the three meant that she has blamed for the last five years of killing her sister, her life turns upside down!

This book was intense and mysterious! I enjoyed the characters and the basis of the book. I was rooting for the main character the whole time praying for justice and I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I flew through this book! What a ride!

[Samantha Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this novel.

The policing aspect of this novel left so much to be desired here. I enjoy a good drama with that angle, but a lot of it seemed unrealistic. Also, I didn't totally love the main character, and I found that the random things she did were kind of immature for something her age/profession. Honestly, I think perhaps the book just wasn't for me. However, I do plan to try another book by this author in the future.

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't crazy about the main character (though her niece was a gem), but there was a lovely tension woven throughout that really saved the whole situation.

[Kelli Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so mixed on this one. I love Joslyn Jackson’s books, did not like the first half of this book at all - The plot revolves around Penny and Penny’s life revolves around the fact that she lost her twin to a drug overdose. Penny is a rookie police officer who lets murder suspect “Thalia” walk because she “feels a connection” with Thalia and steals the evidence in order to let Thalia go free. Just no.

Penny’s department then executes a search warrant on her residence - with no probable cause. Another rookie reported hearing Penny talking to someone at the crime scene and - tada! - that was enough to get a warrant. Ugh!!!! I even checked the credits and it stated Jackson consulted with a police department on this one…. Yes I know it’s fiction, but if you’re going to write crime, get it right.

However, once we are past that nonsense, the second half was a great story. The characters develop and become interesting and the pace picks up quite a bit. Penny discovers the murderer’s true identity, the motive, and the truth about her twin. I flew through the second half and would not be surprised to see a sequel. I would love a sequel focusing on Thalia (aka Polly, aka Clio) as I found her character much more compelling.

Big thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy!

[Barbara Monaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missing Sister is a gritty family mystery that will keep you guessing and reading. There's so much atmosphere and the characters, especially the lead Penny, are nuanced and deep. Nothing is black and white there, lots and lots of gray. I like Joshilyn Jackson's book and this is a great addition.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚Missing Sister
✍🏻Joshilyn Jackson
Blurb:
Revenge. It's all relative.

Born three minutes apart, Penny and Nix Albright grew up doing everything together, close as only twins can be. But when Nix dies in a tragic accident soon after college, she leaves behind a cryptic voicemail that has Penny guilt-ridden and desperate for justice.

Five Years Later

Penny has found new purpose as a rookie cop. She’s working to fulfill Nix’s dream of making the world a safer place, but following that dream becomes a nightmare when she’s called to her first murder scene. When she sees the victim, she knows him instantly. It’s Danny Bowery—one of three men she’s long blamed for Nix’s death—splayed in a pool of blood outside a posh Atlanta shopping center, almost as if she’d wished it so.

Stunned, Penny steps away to catch her breath and discovers a blonde in blood-drenched clothes gripping a box cutter. Before Penny can arrest her, the woman reveals that Bowery’s murder is part of a larger story that is far from over. A story about sisters. And with that, the killer disappears.

Now, Penny will stop at nothing to pursue this dangerous woman and learn why she’s avenging Nix’s death. The deeper she dives into the mystery, the less clear it becomes who is hunting whom in this captivating page-turner of hidden motives and deadly consequences.
My Thoughts:
Five years after her sister's death, police officer Penny finds herself investigating the murder of one of the men thought to be involved with her sister's death..Being in Penny’s head the whole time made it feel super personal. The mix of revenge, justice, and messy family stuff worked really well. Super easy writing style, which made it a quick read even when the plot got heavy..I stayed hooked and didn’t want to put it down.A sleepless night because I wanted to finish. I wanted to know all the secrets. I would recommend "Missing Sister" to those that enjoy reading mysterious, dark, sad, and emotional then add this to your TBR List.
Thanks NetGalley,William Morrow Publishing and Author Joshilyn Jackson for the advanced copy of "Missing Sister" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#WilliamMorrowPublisher
#MissingSister
#JoshilynJackson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️Trigger Warnings: Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Trafficking, Murder

[Susan Scribner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Publication date 3/3/26

TW: past gang rape, kidnapping, child trafficking and sexual abuse (not on page but still horrific to read about)

Holy crap. I've been griping for years that Joshilyn Jackson sold herself short by switching from "women's fiction" to the suspense/thriller genre, but I have to admit that Missing Sister is brilliantly written and skillfully executed. The suspense is top-notch; I was reluctant to read more than one or two chapters at a time in the first half because the story made me so anxious, but by the end I couldn't stop reading.

Penny Albright (that name is a bit much) made an abrupt career change after her twin sister died of a drug overdose. Nix had once planned to become a lawyer to right the wrongs she saw in the world. But in the wake of a brutal gang rape, she dropped out of college and spiraled downward. Penny, once an aspiring chef, entered the police academy after Nix's death in an attempt to pick up her sister's fight. Now a rookie cop called to her first homicide scene, she is shocked to realize she knows the victim. With Nix in the forefront of her mind, she does something completely unprofessional, and that's all I'm going to say plotwise.

Jackson's previous suspense novels were competently done, but I always felt like she was not completely comfortable with the genre. This time, however, she fully integrates her formidable Southern fiction writing skills into the plot. That means lots of colorful family members, messages from the dead, and a Dick-Wolf-Would-Never sense of justice. Jackson makes it easy to identify with Penny's lingering pain and growing determination, even when she enters completely uncharted waters. FYI for readers who hesitate to engage with a law enforcement MC: within the book's first scene, Penny describes the events as "the night I learned I had no business being [a real cop]." Also, her rebellious teenaged niece gleefully scrawls "ACAB" on the driveway at one point when the several police show up to interview Penny.

Missing Sister is the first suspense novel that ever gave me a book hangover.

ARC received from publisher and Net Galley

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me preface my review of MISSING SISTER by saying that I'm a big fan of Joshilyn Jackson's Southern women's fiction novels. I've read most of them and enjoyed all the ones I've read. They're uniquely engaging, sweetened with humor, tenderness, and heart. MISSING SISTER is the second of Jackson's thrillers that I've read and, as much as I love a good mystery/thriller, I've found both of them disappointing. They feel generic, lacking Jackson's particular je ne sais quoi, which is so abundant in her other novels. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she will eventually go back to her roots, back to the genre in which she both stands out and shines.

That being said, Jackson's books never fail to pull me in and MISSING SISTER is no exception. As the book opens, our heroine is immediately thrown into an intriguing situation that calls her moral code into question right off the bat. Penny is a likable cop who desires to do the right thing; her inability to decide what that is makes her feel very human and relatable. It's also what makes her interesting. Watching her grapple with the situation, wondering how everything was going to turn out, is what kept me reading. I liked Penny, but didn't love the other characters. Nor did I find Thalia and her activities particularly believable. The Big Twist in the finale of the novel didn't surprise me and I didn't find the book particularly satisfying as a whole either. On the whole, like I said, MISSING SISTER just didn't quite do it for me. Conclusion: Instead of reading more of Jackson's thrillers, I'm going to go back and read the earlier novels of hers that I haven't read yet.

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language, violence, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter

[Beth Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️
Joshilyn Jackson’s upcoming release MISSING SISTER features Penny Albright, a rookie police officer who is trying to bring justice to the world after her sister died tragically five years ago. (At first I thought the title was a misnomer because Penny’s sister died and wasn’t missing, but it does end up relating to the story in a different way.)

When Penny is on the scene of her first murder, she knows who the victim is - Danny, one of three men she has blamed for her sister’s death - and when she stumbles upon the murder suspect covered in blood and holding the murder weapon, she decides to cover for the suspect when the suspect tells Penny more is going on with this sister story. This was where I found the plot to be unbelievable. Penny did not seem like a police officer at all, and her poor judgment on her first murder scene was really hard to take. From there, the story unfolded in a predictable way. While I found Penny to be horrible at her job, she was a decent main character to be in the head of. I enjoyed her brother Gand and her niece Shadow.

I was rather underwhelmed by this novel. As I stated before, the premise of a rookie cop going against protocol and covering for a murderer was hard for me to take. And everything else about the story wasn’t suspenseful. I have enjoyed Jackson’s previous books that I’ve read, but for the stated reasons this one just didn’t hit that mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

It publishes March 3, 2026.

[Madeline Church · Rating 2 out of 5]

I disliked just about every aspect of this book. First of all, I feel as if it is comparable to two different experiences. Number one: watching a Lifetime Channel movie. Number two: reading some random author you found at 2 am on Wattpad.

Since the very beginning, I was not feeling it fully. While reading the summary, I thought it was going to be a thriller I ended up really enjoying, but obviously, this was not the case for me. The way it was executed ruined it completely.

The Penny and Michael moments were so CRINGE!!! It made me want to put the book down every time they conversed with each other. I tried to push through it, but I ended up having to skim their conversations. It felt like neither character had any brain cells.

The depiction of being a police officer and their duties was poorly shown. I mean, I know it is a fictional story, but the accuracy went out the window. Also, what rookie cop would immediately break the law outwardly for other officers to see?

The way the author wrote this book felt as if she were trying to stay up-to-date with today's lingo, but it made the reading experience worse. One of the adult characters legitimately said "YOLO." At that point, I knew nothing was going to make this book better for me.

The last thing I did not like was the incredibly predictable ending. It could not have been more cliché.

Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow, and Joshilyn Jackson for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twins Penny and Nix grew up incredibly close, but Penny lost Nix to a drug addiction. Nix's last voicemail has haunted Penny for five years. Now Penny's a rookie cop, hoping to save others from Nix's fate. But on one of her early training cases, she recognizes the victim as one of the men she blames for her sister's death. While on scene, she comes across a woman covered in blood, a weapon by her side.

Incredulously (seriously, it seems a shocking way to start this book!), Penny lets the woman go, thinking her whispered "sisters" has ties to Nix. She pockets the box cutter this woman was holding and lies to her training officers and fellow cops. The woman vanishes, but of course, Penny's behavior is suspicious, leading to a suspension.

What follows is a story that focuses both on Penny's feelings about Nix's passing and the death of the man she blames for Nix's death. A few of the outcomes seem a bit obvious but other twists are excellent and surprising. This is a dark and gory story, with a focus on the dangers of drug addiction. It also delves into sisterhood and the complicated feelings that family can dredge up.

Penny is a tough woman, even if she makes some questionable decisions. Her love for Nix shines through the story, giving it added depth and dimension. This is a complicated, dark, and twisty tale.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and William Morrow in return for an unbiased review.

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed many of Jackson's novels and this one is no exception, even with the slow start. However, once it got going, I was invested. Penny, is still haunted by her twin's death and her inability to have saved her. And she has blew up her entire life, doing a 360 and now a rookie cop. They are called to a murder scene and it turns out, Penny recognizes the man--it is someone one who play a hand in her twin's downward spiral. As she is securing the scene, she follows a scent that leads her to a blood soak, box cutter holding woman. Penny wonders how she is connected to her sister. How could this woman know about this man's past. And so, the woman disappears with only hinting that this is about "sisters" Now Penny obsessively wants to know this woman's story as she is positive they are linked to her. In the meantime, she has been suspended as it does look like she is interfering with the investgation..that is if they can prove she actually did she the murderer. As Penny tries to unravel this riddle, her brother returns, needing to act more like a father to his daughter Shadow (terrible name--that has to go) He believes it was his sister that killed the man.
Loved the twists and the different story angles. Many charcters have a secret to tell. I liked being entertained and don't mind a little extra crazy. Certainly the end left an opening for the character.

[Allie Flury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penny is a rookie cop who just stumbled upon her first murder scene, but as she is looking at the body, she realizes she knows the victim. Penny had a twin, Nix, who was raped and then subsequently died from an overdose years prior. This murder victim is one of the men who raped her sister. Feeling a since a happiness and relief that the man is now dead, she is asked to secure the scene with crime tape. While she is doing that she stumbles upon the killer, a woman who has a box cutter and blood-soaked clothes. Penny feels a connection with this woman and the reason for the murder…. “sisters.” Penny lets this woman go but keeps the box cutter. After being suspended from the force, Penny is on a mission to find this woman and find out if she knew her sister. The book takes the reader on a journey of finding out you don’t always know the people closest to you, and sometimes revenge is okay.
The book started a little slow and I didn’t love the style of writing which is why I gave it a 4, but then it transformed and was very fast paced, and I couldn’t put it down! I loved the characters and how Penny was learning about them at the same time as the reader was. It made for a great story and the ending was left open for hopefully a next book!

[Kindle Worm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️’s
Penny Albright is still desperately missing her twin sister, Nix. After a tragic occurrence Nix went down a bad path and ended up dead. There’s not a day that goes by that Penny doesn’t talk with Nix, even though Nix can’t reply. Leaving behind only a garbled voice message, Penny remains haunted by the turn of events. Seeking her own kind of justice, Penny joins the police force, but when a murder takes place and Penny catches the suspect, she does something she’s not aware that she’s capable of when she recognizes the victim. Now Penny’s actions are under suspicion in her own murder case. Did she do the right thing or was she overwhelmed by her own emotions. Meanwhile her 16 year old niece has been suspended for hacking and her wayward brother has finally come home for a visit, but will he run at the first sign of trouble? What about Michael, Nix’s old boyfriend that’s come out of the woodwork? Will there be a second chance for him with an Albright sister? This book has several good twists, but someone didn’t flow the way I would have liked it to. A good read that looks like it’s the beginning of a series. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penny is a rookie cop, motivated into the career by the loss of her twin sister Nix five years earlier. At her very first murder scene in an Atlanta suburb, she not only recognizes the male victim as someone who hurt Nix and helped to create the downward spiral which led to her death, Penny then practically stumbles across a blonde woman holding a bloody box cutter. When the woman cryptically says that the events of the night were all about sisters, Penny is taken aback, and allows the woman to flee. Not exactly proper cop behavior, but Penny needs to find out how this murder is connected to Nix.

Penny discovers a slow burn trail of clues which takes the reader through many twists and turns. I didn't see the end coming, although of course I second guessed whether I should have. Jackson is brilliant at taking the plot in unexpected directions, while maintaining believability in the end. Every time I read one of her books, I feel that she really understands human nature in all its various possibilities. People are complex, and Jackson's characters are multi-dimensional in all the right ways.

Thanks to Joshilyn Jackson and William Morrow for the ARC allowing me the intense excitement of reading my favorite author’s latest work months early, in exchange for an honest review!

[Hailey Rae Griffin ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚 eARC Review 📚

Wow. I’m honestly sitting here in awe after finishing this book — this was my first time reading something by Joshilyn, and I’m kicking myself for not picking up her work sooner. From the title Missing Sister, I thought I knew where this story was heading, but what I got instead was something so much deeper, more emotional, and absolutely unexpected.

This story takes two seemingly separate lives and slowly weaves them together in a way that completely caught me off guard. It’s heartfelt and raw — showing how grief affects each person in a family differently and how far we’ll go to rewrite our own stories in the wake of loss. There’s something profoundly human about the way this book handles pain, love, and redemption.

And then that twist — about 85% through — completely floored me. I literally had to reread the page to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. I never saw it coming, and it changed everything I thought I knew about the book. The epilogue wrapped it up so perfectly, giving me that bittersweet sense of closure I always crave after a story that really gets under my skin.

An easy 5-star read for me — emotional, beautifully written, and full of surprises that will stick with me for a long time.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Missing Sister is a perfectly executed page-turner. With the tension and suspense of a fast-paced thriller, and the depth and complexity of a family drama, this story will please fans of both genres with the delights of the other. Unpredictable and yet profoundly satisfying, the story unfolds in ways that will surprise you without confusing you, and scare you without demoralizing you. It's quick-witted and fast-paced, so that by the time you burst into tears, you're out of breath.

Missing Sister is the perfect book club book. Got a group where you tussle between genre camps, trading picks and hostilities? Missing Sister is your next favorite read, as Jackson writes a devilishly twisty plot, but with beautiful sentences and characters that are so much more than obstacles and objects. I guarantee a lively discussion over anti-hero Thalia Gray, and an enthusiastic cheering section for the hero, Penny Albright. And here's another reason Missing Sister will be a great book club read: People will actually finish it, because they won't be able to put it down.

A story that will challenge your mind, and leave you with a full heart. A family drama with the EKG of a thriller. A catalyst for discussion, and a mirror for reflection. Clear your appointments and dive in.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ended up really liking this book, even though it wasn't a perfect the entire way through. The beginning hooked me right away: Penny Albright, a rookie cop still haunted by the tragic death of her twin, finds herself confronting painful memories the moment she's called to her first murder scene and the mysterious woman with a box cutter who insists there is more to the story than it seems.

The start of the book pulled me in fast, and the ending genuinely surprised me in a way that I did not see coming. I love a good book that does that.

That said, the middle section lost a bit of steam for me. It wasn't bad, just a little bland compared to the strength of the opening. I felt like that pace slowed more than it needed to, and some of the scenes felt like they were stretching out the reveal instead of building towards it.

Luckily, it does pick back up and when it does, the payoff is worth it. The twists near the end landed really well, tying things together in a way that felt both surprising and satisfying. Overall it is a solid, engaging read with a memorable finish. If you enjoy family drama mixed with suspense, this one is worth picking up-even if you have to push through a slightly slower middle.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC. #MissingSister #NetGalley