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Little Sister
A twisty psychological thriller about sibling rivalry for fans of FRIEND REQUEST by Laura Marshall, CLOSE TO HOME by Cara Hunter, and THE GUILTY WIFE by Elle Croft.
After sixteen years apart sisters Jessica and Emily are reunited. With the past now behind them, the warmth they once shared quickly returns and before long Jess has moved into Emily's comfortable island home. Life couldn't be better. But when baby Daisy disappears while in Jess's care, the perfect life Emily has so carefully built starts to fall apart.
Was Emily right to trust her sister after everything that happened before?
If you like Clare Mackintosh, Katie Marsh, Kerry Fisher, Jenny Blackhurst, Rachel Abbott, Laura Marshall, Elle Croft, Cara Hunter or Lisa Jewell then you will be utterly gripped by this psychological thriller with a shocking sting in the tale.
After sixteen years apart sisters Jessica and Emily are reunited. With the past now behind them, the warmth they once shared quickly returns and before long Jess has moved into Emily's comfortable island home. Life couldn't be better. But when baby Daisy disappears while in Jess's care, the perfect life Emily has so carefully built starts to fall apart.
Was Emily right to trust her sister after everything that happened before?
If you like Clare Mackintosh, Katie Marsh, Kerry Fisher, Jenny Blackhurst, Rachel Abbott, Laura Marshall, Elle Croft, Cara Hunter or Lisa Jewell then you will be utterly gripped by this psychological thriller with a shocking sting in the tale.
384 pages, ebook
First published July 26, 2018
198 people are currently reading
4358 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Ashdown
15 books254 followersIsabel Ashdown is an award-winning author and writing coach. 'One Girl, One Summer' is her tenth novel.
Isabel’s writing career launched with her critically acclaimed debut 'Glasshopper', which was twice named among Best Books of the Year after winning first prize in a national competition judged by Fay Weldon, Sir John Mortimer, and Michael Ridpath. Since then, her thrillers 'Little Sister' and 'Beautiful Liars' have been shortlisted in the Dead Good Reader Awards, while '33 Women' was an Amazon bestseller within weeks of release. Alongside her own work, Isabel is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and a coach to developing writers.
Born in London, Isabel grew up on the south coast, and she now spends much of her time in a writing cabin in West Dorset, built for her by carpenter husband, Colin. She is a member of the Society of Authors and is represented by Kate Shaw of The Shaw Agency. Isabel lives with her husband, with whom she has two grown-up children and a pair of ageing dogs. Her happy place is anywhere with a coastal view.
Find out more about Isabel via her website, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok.
Isabel’s writing career launched with her critically acclaimed debut 'Glasshopper', which was twice named among Best Books of the Year after winning first prize in a national competition judged by Fay Weldon, Sir John Mortimer, and Michael Ridpath. Since then, her thrillers 'Little Sister' and 'Beautiful Liars' have been shortlisted in the Dead Good Reader Awards, while '33 Women' was an Amazon bestseller within weeks of release. Alongside her own work, Isabel is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and a coach to developing writers.
Born in London, Isabel grew up on the south coast, and she now spends much of her time in a writing cabin in West Dorset, built for her by carpenter husband, Colin. She is a member of the Society of Authors and is represented by Kate Shaw of The Shaw Agency. Isabel lives with her husband, with whom she has two grown-up children and a pair of ageing dogs. Her happy place is anywhere with a coastal view.
Find out more about Isabel via her website, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 402 reviews
June 15, 2018
"At some point in the life of every single human being who walks this Earth, they will construct a lie, whether large or small. No one is without sin when it comes to the art of lying."
After a sixteen-year separation, sisters Jessica (Jess) and Emily are reunited at their Mother’s funeral. Jess even moves into her sister's home (with her sister's husband James and his teenage daughter Chloe) to help take care of her sister's daughter Daisy. Everything seems to be going well and everyone in the home appears to be happy as the arrangement works for them - until the unthinkable happens - Daisy goes missing while Jess is babysitting.
When Emily and James return from a New Year’s Eve party, they find Daisy is missing and Jess lying on the floor covered in blood. Jess has a medical condition which can cause her to pass out for one to two minutes. What happened in those minutes? Naturally the police will question everyone and through the course of the investigations some truths and lies come out.
Just when I thought I had this book figured out, a secret came out or a lie was uncovered. It soon became clear that everyone in this book had secrets. Another title for this book could have been "Secrets and Lies family style" Seriously! What I thought I knew turned out to be a lie or a half truth. Why so many secrets? Who has something to hide? Who doesn't have something to hide? Where is Daisy? Why have the sisters not spoken in sixteen-years?
The premise of this book sounded so good and there are some great parts to this book. Having said that, there were also parts that seemed to drag which caused the book to feel slow at times. I wanted things to hurry up and at other times in the book, I found the pacing to be spot on. This book does have some clever twists and turns. Plus, there are some revelations which show that one of the sisters is not as nice as she appears to be at the beginning of the book.
I didn't mind knowing what happened to Daisy before the end of the book, I found that it worked for this story. As I mentioned above, there are other twists and turns which keep this book interesting. I would have rated this book higher had it not been for the various parts of the book which seemed slow.
I do look forward to reading more books by this Author in the future. I did enjoy this book, I just wished it had more editing or a faster pace throughout.
Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read more of my books at www.openbookpost.com
After a sixteen-year separation, sisters Jessica (Jess) and Emily are reunited at their Mother’s funeral. Jess even moves into her sister's home (with her sister's husband James and his teenage daughter Chloe) to help take care of her sister's daughter Daisy. Everything seems to be going well and everyone in the home appears to be happy as the arrangement works for them - until the unthinkable happens - Daisy goes missing while Jess is babysitting.
When Emily and James return from a New Year’s Eve party, they find Daisy is missing and Jess lying on the floor covered in blood. Jess has a medical condition which can cause her to pass out for one to two minutes. What happened in those minutes? Naturally the police will question everyone and through the course of the investigations some truths and lies come out.
Just when I thought I had this book figured out, a secret came out or a lie was uncovered. It soon became clear that everyone in this book had secrets. Another title for this book could have been "Secrets and Lies family style" Seriously! What I thought I knew turned out to be a lie or a half truth. Why so many secrets? Who has something to hide? Who doesn't have something to hide? Where is Daisy? Why have the sisters not spoken in sixteen-years?
The premise of this book sounded so good and there are some great parts to this book. Having said that, there were also parts that seemed to drag which caused the book to feel slow at times. I wanted things to hurry up and at other times in the book, I found the pacing to be spot on. This book does have some clever twists and turns. Plus, there are some revelations which show that one of the sisters is not as nice as she appears to be at the beginning of the book.
I didn't mind knowing what happened to Daisy before the end of the book, I found that it worked for this story. As I mentioned above, there are other twists and turns which keep this book interesting. I would have rated this book higher had it not been for the various parts of the book which seemed slow.
I do look forward to reading more books by this Author in the future. I did enjoy this book, I just wished it had more editing or a faster pace throughout.
Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read more of my books at www.openbookpost.com
July 1, 2017
This is a dark, disturbing, and fast paced psychological thriller set on the Isle of Wight. Griefstricken sisters, Jessica and Emily meet again at their mother's funeral after sixteen years of estrangement between them. Finding they get on well, Jess moves into Emily's comfortable home with her husband, James, his fifteen year old daughter, Chloe from a previous marriage, and their baby daughter, Daisy. Life is good in the family as Jess fits in well, then James and Emily go out to a New Year's Eve party, leaving Jess to babysit Daisy. They return to discover Daisy missing and Jess passed out on the floor covered in blood. Jess is questioned by the police, but each character has suspicion cast on them. The hunt is on for Daisy's kidnapper but the focus is largely on the history between Jess and Emily. Is anyone in the family to be trusted, including Chloe? This is the story of a dysfunctional family, betrayal, buried secrets, lies and deceit. The narrative is delivered with flashbacks from the past that go on to reveal what caused the schism between the sisters. This is a cracking story, full of twists, tension and great characterisation. I found it a unsettling and gripping read. Thanks to Orion for an ARC.
June 2, 2018
Wow... this was a whole box of lies, suspense, and secrets!
Little Sister starts off with a bang.... little Daisy has been kidnapped... but by who and why? Jess has been watching her sister Emily's daughter Daisy one night. Emily comes home with her husband to her child missing.. and Jess has no recollection of what happened during the night. Jess tells her sister Emily all she remembers is sitting at the table and the next she knew she wakes up to missing Daisy.
Is Jess lying? Who is guilty and at fault?
What I loved about this book was the unreliable characters. As the reader, you're going blind into this family and honestly you don't know who to trust. I felt like I was following a ping pong at one point going back in forth in my mind trying to figure out who was lying!!
Isabel Ashdown has an excellent talent for bringing in her readers... because I HAD to find out the truth of what happened to little Daisy!
But, I felt like the disappearance of Daisy was a buffer to the actual story of the two sisters Jess and Emily. The story is told from both of their perspectives throughout the story in the first part.... and there was something nagging at me with Emily. She was the perfect character that you loved to hate. The more you find out about her character as a child and an adult... the more I grew to dislike her.
New information is emerging in this one about the family.. and Daisy's disappearance. I felt that pacing was a tad slow for my usual liking and I had trouble connecting to the story. I feel like the pacing is key in these types of stories... and if it lags too much you can lose the reader's interest. I feel like this was the case for this story and I lost interest in and out of the story.
The final ending did have a final twist... but too me it wasn't a huge jaw dropping twist I longed for after the struggle of the pacing in the story.
Overall, 3.5 stars rounded down.
Huge thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for the advanced arc in exchange for my honest review.
Published to GR: 6/2/18
Publication date: 6/26/18.
Little Sister starts off with a bang.... little Daisy has been kidnapped... but by who and why? Jess has been watching her sister Emily's daughter Daisy one night. Emily comes home with her husband to her child missing.. and Jess has no recollection of what happened during the night. Jess tells her sister Emily all she remembers is sitting at the table and the next she knew she wakes up to missing Daisy.
Is Jess lying? Who is guilty and at fault?
What I loved about this book was the unreliable characters. As the reader, you're going blind into this family and honestly you don't know who to trust. I felt like I was following a ping pong at one point going back in forth in my mind trying to figure out who was lying!!
Isabel Ashdown has an excellent talent for bringing in her readers... because I HAD to find out the truth of what happened to little Daisy!
But, I felt like the disappearance of Daisy was a buffer to the actual story of the two sisters Jess and Emily. The story is told from both of their perspectives throughout the story in the first part.... and there was something nagging at me with Emily. She was the perfect character that you loved to hate. The more you find out about her character as a child and an adult... the more I grew to dislike her.
New information is emerging in this one about the family.. and Daisy's disappearance. I felt that pacing was a tad slow for my usual liking and I had trouble connecting to the story. I feel like the pacing is key in these types of stories... and if it lags too much you can lose the reader's interest. I feel like this was the case for this story and I lost interest in and out of the story.
The final ending did have a final twist... but too me it wasn't a huge jaw dropping twist I longed for after the struggle of the pacing in the story.
Overall, 3.5 stars rounded down.
Huge thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for the advanced arc in exchange for my honest review.
Published to GR: 6/2/18
Publication date: 6/26/18.
May 31, 2018
Little Sister by Isabel Ashdown is a psychological thriller that had me turning the pages as quickly as I could to find out just what would happen. With a missing child on the line it was safe to say this one would hook me into the story and not let go but also full of shifty characters and a fast paced plot it was extremely addictive.
Jess and Emily are sisters that were close growing up being barely a year apart in age. But the old the pair got the further they began to drift apart and then had a huge falling out that separated them for years.
Now Jess and Emily have reconciled as adults and have grown close once again with Jess taking up Emily’s offer of moving in with Emily and her husband to help with their children. On New Year’s Eve Jess stayed home to watch little Daisy as Emily, her husband and teenage stepdaughter went out to celebrate but when everyone returned they find Jess passed out and Daisy gone beginning a frantic search for the missing child.
The story in Little Sister is told with alternating points of view between the sister, Jess and Emily through the first half of the book at which point another POV is added into the mix. Things mostly follow along in the current time but there are flashes in the story to develop the past between Jess and Emily to dive deeper into their relationship.
Little Sister was just what I hoped for when picking this one up, a nice trip through the secrets and lies to find just how deep the betrayal would run in this family. A nice little twisty ride that has a reader questioning everyone along the way with a bit of nail biting tension building to the final conclusion. I’d definitely recommend this one to the fans of psychological thrillers.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more review please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Jess and Emily are sisters that were close growing up being barely a year apart in age. But the old the pair got the further they began to drift apart and then had a huge falling out that separated them for years.
Now Jess and Emily have reconciled as adults and have grown close once again with Jess taking up Emily’s offer of moving in with Emily and her husband to help with their children. On New Year’s Eve Jess stayed home to watch little Daisy as Emily, her husband and teenage stepdaughter went out to celebrate but when everyone returned they find Jess passed out and Daisy gone beginning a frantic search for the missing child.
The story in Little Sister is told with alternating points of view between the sister, Jess and Emily through the first half of the book at which point another POV is added into the mix. Things mostly follow along in the current time but there are flashes in the story to develop the past between Jess and Emily to dive deeper into their relationship.
Little Sister was just what I hoped for when picking this one up, a nice trip through the secrets and lies to find just how deep the betrayal would run in this family. A nice little twisty ride that has a reader questioning everyone along the way with a bit of nail biting tension building to the final conclusion. I’d definitely recommend this one to the fans of psychological thrillers.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more review please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
December 31, 2016
I LOVED Little Sister. Man it was twisty brilliance with the odd moment of huh?, an awful lot of WHAT?? and a bit of emotional trauma thrown in there just in case you start to get too comfortable…
Oh we all love a good psychological thriller, but you know there are those that you read all the time that kind of blend into one big bubble then there are those like Little Sister that stay with you, maybe because of one thing maybe because of several. In the case of this particular story for me the characters resonated, made me randomly growly, occasionally murderous then Isabel Ashdown put the finishing touches on it with an evil flourish – fairly sure she was twirling a moustache as she wrote The End.
As I said at the time of finishing it – I want to marry the ending of this book it was so godarn good.
That aside it is also beautifully written, looks at themes of family, sibling rivalry, secrets and lies – and is brilliantly plotted with those lovely hidden depths that give a story that edgy unpredictable feel – you genuinely might be up all night reading this one…
My tip? Start it early in the day. And not when you have anything else to do.
Deliciously dark, looking at a divisive incredibly cutting relationship that exists between two sisters, Little Sister is most definitely one to watch in 2017. Batten down the hatches, the next year in books is going to be a blast, at the moment Trapeze have their eyes firmly on the dynamite.
Fun isn’t it?
Highly Recommended.
Oh we all love a good psychological thriller, but you know there are those that you read all the time that kind of blend into one big bubble then there are those like Little Sister that stay with you, maybe because of one thing maybe because of several. In the case of this particular story for me the characters resonated, made me randomly growly, occasionally murderous then Isabel Ashdown put the finishing touches on it with an evil flourish – fairly sure she was twirling a moustache as she wrote The End.
As I said at the time of finishing it – I want to marry the ending of this book it was so godarn good.
That aside it is also beautifully written, looks at themes of family, sibling rivalry, secrets and lies – and is brilliantly plotted with those lovely hidden depths that give a story that edgy unpredictable feel – you genuinely might be up all night reading this one…
My tip? Start it early in the day. And not when you have anything else to do.
Deliciously dark, looking at a divisive incredibly cutting relationship that exists between two sisters, Little Sister is most definitely one to watch in 2017. Batten down the hatches, the next year in books is going to be a blast, at the moment Trapeze have their eyes firmly on the dynamite.
Fun isn’t it?
Highly Recommended.
June 5, 2018
Emily and Jessica are sisters only a year apart but have been estranged from one another for the last 16 years because of something terrible that happened in their past.
Then their mother dies and Emily is surprised to see Jess in the pew of the church for the funeral. Surely 16 years is a long time so Emily and Jess reconcile their differences and become sisters once again. So much so that Jess moves into Emily's home where she lives with her boyfriend James, his
15 yr old daughter Chloe from his first marriage, and their precious daughter together, Daisy. Emily having only recently been back to work cherishes the help Jess lends around the house and in taking care of Daisy.
On New Years Eve Emily and James go to a friends house for a party leaving Daisy in the care of Jess for the evening. Upon arriving home Emily finds Jess unconscious on the floor and Daisy is missing. What happened to Daisy? Jess can't remember a thing due to a medical condition. From here we become privy to a lot of lies and secrets until we finally uncover the truth in what actually happened to Daisy.
This is one of those books where I think had it been about 100 pages shorter I would have enjoyed it more. It became too slow and just dragged on. Emily, she is one horrible woman and I became annoyed with her chapters upon chapters of endless self pity so much so that I started to do the skim.
Isabel Ashdown does show talent and some of the twists I thought were good. Even though this wasn't a huge win for me I can safely say that I will read more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Books for proving me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Then their mother dies and Emily is surprised to see Jess in the pew of the church for the funeral. Surely 16 years is a long time so Emily and Jess reconcile their differences and become sisters once again. So much so that Jess moves into Emily's home where she lives with her boyfriend James, his
15 yr old daughter Chloe from his first marriage, and their precious daughter together, Daisy. Emily having only recently been back to work cherishes the help Jess lends around the house and in taking care of Daisy.
On New Years Eve Emily and James go to a friends house for a party leaving Daisy in the care of Jess for the evening. Upon arriving home Emily finds Jess unconscious on the floor and Daisy is missing. What happened to Daisy? Jess can't remember a thing due to a medical condition. From here we become privy to a lot of lies and secrets until we finally uncover the truth in what actually happened to Daisy.
This is one of those books where I think had it been about 100 pages shorter I would have enjoyed it more. It became too slow and just dragged on. Emily, she is one horrible woman and I became annoyed with her chapters upon chapters of endless self pity so much so that I started to do the skim.
Isabel Ashdown does show talent and some of the twists I thought were good. Even though this wasn't a huge win for me I can safely say that I will read more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Books for proving me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
February 6, 2017
I loved Little Sister. It’s one of those psychological mystery thrillers that has you trusting no one.
Great mix of characters. Having a little niece called Daisy, really helped me become emotionally involved with the awful situation taking place in this book. The characters are a strong part of this story, and I found myself connecting with most of them, although I liked some more than others.
I also loved the past between both sisters being gradually revealed alongside the current situation. This really added depth and emotion to this great thriller.
I found Little Sister really hard to put down, often thinking about its twists and surprises throughout the day. This is a little dark in places, and at other times somewhat tense. I have to say I loved the ending.
I highly recommend this to fans of psychological or mystery thrillers.
I won a proof copy of Little Sister in a competition giveaway recently. Thank you to the publisher for sending this to me, and to THE Tracy (that’s Tracy without an ‘e’) Fenton for running the competition on her blog Compulsive Readers.
Great mix of characters. Having a little niece called Daisy, really helped me become emotionally involved with the awful situation taking place in this book. The characters are a strong part of this story, and I found myself connecting with most of them, although I liked some more than others.
I also loved the past between both sisters being gradually revealed alongside the current situation. This really added depth and emotion to this great thriller.
I found Little Sister really hard to put down, often thinking about its twists and surprises throughout the day. This is a little dark in places, and at other times somewhat tense. I have to say I loved the ending.
I highly recommend this to fans of psychological or mystery thrillers.
I won a proof copy of Little Sister in a competition giveaway recently. Thank you to the publisher for sending this to me, and to THE Tracy (that’s Tracy without an ‘e’) Fenton for running the competition on her blog Compulsive Readers.
May 7, 2018
Set on the Isle of Wight, Little Sister is a deliciously twisty slow burner of a thriller following the disappearance of baby Daisy. The main characters are Emily and her younger sister Jess, both very different in character – one can be spiteful and deceitful, the other needy and a little unstable. Jess was once estranged from her sister Emily, but following their mothers death, she has returned to make her home with Emily and her family. Something major has happened in the past to separate them, but does this have any bearing on Daisy’s disappearance one New Year’s Eve whilst in Jess’ care?
Who has taken baby Daisy from her home? Quite honestly it could have been anyone. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has a secret to hide and it’s impossible to know who to trust. Just when you think you have worked it out, another curve ball appears to throw you off balance and those doubts reappear. The story focuses on the family in the aftermath of the disappearance and how each of them deals with the trauma. To outsiders, Emily and her husband have the perfect family. But looks can be deceiving.
With shocking revelations and a reveal that came as a complete surprise this is a great read and one which I very much enjoyed. The setting of the small Island gives a slightly claustrophobic feel to the story and as a regular visitor, I could easily visualise the locations mentioned. I do have a copy of Isabel’s latest book, Beautiful Liars to read which I am looking forward to.
Who has taken baby Daisy from her home? Quite honestly it could have been anyone. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has a secret to hide and it’s impossible to know who to trust. Just when you think you have worked it out, another curve ball appears to throw you off balance and those doubts reappear. The story focuses on the family in the aftermath of the disappearance and how each of them deals with the trauma. To outsiders, Emily and her husband have the perfect family. But looks can be deceiving.
With shocking revelations and a reveal that came as a complete surprise this is a great read and one which I very much enjoyed. The setting of the small Island gives a slightly claustrophobic feel to the story and as a regular visitor, I could easily visualise the locations mentioned. I do have a copy of Isabel’s latest book, Beautiful Liars to read which I am looking forward to.
December 30, 2016
UPDATED REVIEW
I won a giveaway on goodreads for a advanced copy of this stunning psychological thriller
After sixteen years apart sisters Jessica and Emily are reunited at their mother`s funeral.The grief that they both are feeling overshadows any of their issues from the past and before long Jess has moved into Emily's comfortable home.
All Is going well between the sisters until one fateful night when Emily and her husband James go to a party leaving Jess babysitting their baby daughter Daisy.When they return they discover that Daisy has mysteriously disappeared and Emily's perfect life starts to fall apart.
What has happened to baby Daisy?
The sisters were once very close,what happened all those years ago that made them go their separate ways and not speak for sixteen years?
The book opens with a intreguing prologue that is voiced by a unknown person and then chapter one launches straight into Jess being questioned by DCI Jacobs who is the Detective that is in charge of the investigation into Daisy`s disappearance.The story is told in chapters that alternate between Jess and Emily in the first half of the book and a third voice is added in the second half,the story is voiced in the third person.Throughout the chapters there are flashbacks to when Emily and Jess where younger,these flashbacks explain events before and after the terrible event that caused the sisters to drift apart. How and where the two sisters are reunited is all explained in the second chapter and happens quite quickly which I was happy about,I tend to lose interest in books when things are dragged out over a number of chapters.
It's a fast paced,twisty,intreguing tale about families,lies and secrets.There was one character that I truly hated,this person was so cruel and vindictive and I spent the whole book hoping that this person would get their comeuppance.The characters are realistic and no parts of the story come across as padding.I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.
I won a giveaway on goodreads for a advanced copy of this stunning psychological thriller
After sixteen years apart sisters Jessica and Emily are reunited at their mother`s funeral.The grief that they both are feeling overshadows any of their issues from the past and before long Jess has moved into Emily's comfortable home.
All Is going well between the sisters until one fateful night when Emily and her husband James go to a party leaving Jess babysitting their baby daughter Daisy.When they return they discover that Daisy has mysteriously disappeared and Emily's perfect life starts to fall apart.
What has happened to baby Daisy?
The sisters were once very close,what happened all those years ago that made them go their separate ways and not speak for sixteen years?
The book opens with a intreguing prologue that is voiced by a unknown person and then chapter one launches straight into Jess being questioned by DCI Jacobs who is the Detective that is in charge of the investigation into Daisy`s disappearance.The story is told in chapters that alternate between Jess and Emily in the first half of the book and a third voice is added in the second half,the story is voiced in the third person.Throughout the chapters there are flashbacks to when Emily and Jess where younger,these flashbacks explain events before and after the terrible event that caused the sisters to drift apart. How and where the two sisters are reunited is all explained in the second chapter and happens quite quickly which I was happy about,I tend to lose interest in books when things are dragged out over a number of chapters.
It's a fast paced,twisty,intreguing tale about families,lies and secrets.There was one character that I truly hated,this person was so cruel and vindictive and I spent the whole book hoping that this person would get their comeuppance.The characters are realistic and no parts of the story come across as padding.I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.
January 24, 2018
Jessica and Emily two sisters are reunited after sixteen years of estrangement at their mother's funeral. Pretty soon Jess moves in with Emily and starts taking care of Emily and her husband James, his fifteen year old daughter Chloe from previous marriage and their infant daughter Daisy.On the way back from New Years party Emily finds her daughter Daisy missing and Jess passed out on the floor covered with blood. While trying to find Daisy lots of secrets start unravelling revealing that the perfect family Emily tried so hard to build was not so perfect after all.
This is a strong psychological thriller based on a dysfunctional family with twisted relationships and lots of secrets that makes it a must read for all mystery lovers. A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read.
I would like to thank Orion Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing a sample ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
This is a strong psychological thriller based on a dysfunctional family with twisted relationships and lots of secrets that makes it a must read for all mystery lovers. A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read.
I would like to thank Orion Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing a sample ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
March 14, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and I'm so glad I did. I really enjoyed this book. It's a psychological thriller with twist and turns that keeps you reading. I didn't want to put it down.
July 22, 2017
All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com
4.5/5
Little Sister gripped me from the very first page and held me in it's grasp throughout the entire book. Baby Daisy is missing and the premise really pulled me in on an emotional level. Having a child go missing is a mothers worst nightmare and I could easily imagine the panicky, helpless feelings that would accompany this situation. It's told using dual narratives, that of both Jess and Emily and honestly, they both made me feel uneasy and wary. I was never quite sure which one was telling the truth and their versions of events were constantly at odds with each other. James is Emily's husband and I was suspicious of him as well, in fact I side eyed everyone of the characters at some point, which is exactly what I think is supposed to happen when I'm reading a good psychological thriller.
This entire book was twisty, but at the halfway mark things are really flipped on their head when Ashdown delivers a killer plot twist. The sisters have a complicated history that is slowly revealed and eventually you find out some dark secrets that added depth and intrigue. The relationship between sisters is always a fascinating dynamic to me and Emily and Jess definitely have a tangled past.
This was a really engrossing read that kept me on my toes and Ashdown's writing style was really crisp and effective. Full of dark moments and surprises galore, this was a very entertaining read. The ending was superb, just the type of conclusion that I appreciate, one that takes me off guard a bit, but in a good way.
4.5/5
Little Sister gripped me from the very first page and held me in it's grasp throughout the entire book. Baby Daisy is missing and the premise really pulled me in on an emotional level. Having a child go missing is a mothers worst nightmare and I could easily imagine the panicky, helpless feelings that would accompany this situation. It's told using dual narratives, that of both Jess and Emily and honestly, they both made me feel uneasy and wary. I was never quite sure which one was telling the truth and their versions of events were constantly at odds with each other. James is Emily's husband and I was suspicious of him as well, in fact I side eyed everyone of the characters at some point, which is exactly what I think is supposed to happen when I'm reading a good psychological thriller.
This entire book was twisty, but at the halfway mark things are really flipped on their head when Ashdown delivers a killer plot twist. The sisters have a complicated history that is slowly revealed and eventually you find out some dark secrets that added depth and intrigue. The relationship between sisters is always a fascinating dynamic to me and Emily and Jess definitely have a tangled past.
This was a really engrossing read that kept me on my toes and Ashdown's writing style was really crisp and effective. Full of dark moments and surprises galore, this was a very entertaining read. The ending was superb, just the type of conclusion that I appreciate, one that takes me off guard a bit, but in a good way.
September 3, 2017
This book is illustrated with a few black & white photos of scenes on the Isle of Wight & looking at the one on p. 311 I kept wondering what it could possibly be & when I figured it out I felt such overpowering nostalgia and living in Iowa like being Ovid in exile. Of course, I thought, it’s the wake of the ferry that connects the IOW with the English mainland. Probably Portsmouth to Ryde in this book, tho’ for me it was the Red Funnel Line boat Southampton to Cowes. Isabel Ashdown is an author who proved too much for me with Glasshopper, a brilliant & moving book, but one in which I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on exactly and why. It didn’t help that it has a dual non-parallel time-line with one of the characters a child & the other drunk most of the time. A reply to a GR query told me why mum committed suicide but I can’t say I’ve spotted it in the text. Little Sister, however, is easy to follow & I awarded myself an alpha plus for figuring out at 1/2 way just how Emily had deceived Jess & did it based on what we are not told. Even tho’ I thought the confrontation between Emily & Jess was much postponed for dramatic effect (in real life it would have taken place @ mum’s funeral rather than in the breathless denouement to this story). Isabel Ashdown portrays estrangement between family & friends brilliantly, & the very complex relationships between siblings, step-mother and dtr, spouse & sister-in-law & the quite well-prepared arrival of some new characters, were beautifully worked out. Having just finished Michael Robotham’s The Secrets She Keeps, I confess to being a little burnt out on abducted baby thriller plots, but this one served well to keep the level of tension in the family wound very tight. But it was the rivalry between the sisters that made this one work for me. The missing baby story is a four-star throwaway, but the sisters’ relationship will continue to haunt me. Now if I could just get back on the ferry.
July 14, 2017
Fantastic read, so many twists and turns that you have to keep reading. I found both sisters Jess and Emily really interesting characters and the relationship between them fascinating. Setting the story on the Isle of Wight was a brilliant idea. I live here and loved the descriptions , the author obviously knows the Island well and her love for it shines through. Highly Recommend
April 8, 2017
I have to admit that this is the first book that I’ve read by Isabel Ashdown as she isn’t an author I’ve come across before. But now that I’ve read Little Sister I think I need to rectify that. I fell head over heels in love with her writing style and just didn’t want this book to end!
I actually read a sample of this book on netgalley and was so desperate to read the rest that I pre-ordered it straight away. I entered competitions to try to win a copy so I could read it sooner but had no luck. So a huge thank you must go to Tracy Fenton at TBConFB who provided me with a review copy of Little Sister and made me a very happy book blogger!
Little Sister is a perfect example of my favourite genre. It has at its heart the relationship between sisters Emily and Jess who have been estranged for the past sixteen years. When Emily’s baby daughter goes missing whilst Jess is babysitting, it brings back memories for both sisters and past grievances come flooding back. But will visiting the past solve Daisys disappearance?
I love a dysfunctional family drama and here we meet one gradually submerging in the secrets and lies that threaten to overwhelm them. The slow burning build up of tension was beautifully crafted from the start and I was completely gripped, desperate to turn the pages to solve the mystery hidden within them but not wanting it to finish. As the threads within the story unravelled I was kept constantly on my toes, trying to guess where it was heading with its shocking twists and constant surprises, until I couldn’t bare to put it down for one second. And that ending!!! I actually sat holding the book after I had finished it just to let those last few pages resonate fully.
This has has been one of my most lusted after books of 2017 so far and I’m so pleased to report back that it didn’t disappoint one little bit! Highly recommended by me.
I actually read a sample of this book on netgalley and was so desperate to read the rest that I pre-ordered it straight away. I entered competitions to try to win a copy so I could read it sooner but had no luck. So a huge thank you must go to Tracy Fenton at TBConFB who provided me with a review copy of Little Sister and made me a very happy book blogger!
Little Sister is a perfect example of my favourite genre. It has at its heart the relationship between sisters Emily and Jess who have been estranged for the past sixteen years. When Emily’s baby daughter goes missing whilst Jess is babysitting, it brings back memories for both sisters and past grievances come flooding back. But will visiting the past solve Daisys disappearance?
I love a dysfunctional family drama and here we meet one gradually submerging in the secrets and lies that threaten to overwhelm them. The slow burning build up of tension was beautifully crafted from the start and I was completely gripped, desperate to turn the pages to solve the mystery hidden within them but not wanting it to finish. As the threads within the story unravelled I was kept constantly on my toes, trying to guess where it was heading with its shocking twists and constant surprises, until I couldn’t bare to put it down for one second. And that ending!!! I actually sat holding the book after I had finished it just to let those last few pages resonate fully.
This has has been one of my most lusted after books of 2017 so far and I’m so pleased to report back that it didn’t disappoint one little bit! Highly recommended by me.
July 29, 2017
Left this book at 90% last night and just had to finish it first thing this morning. Wow!! Absolutely loved this book. The tension and intrigue is immediate and intense as Emily's baby daughter is suddenly missing while under the care of Jess, Emily's little sister. Suspicion of each character changes as each page is turned until eventually you don't know who to suspect. The revealing of the past history between the two sisters over the course of the book is expertly and skilfully told teasing you with information until you're desperate to know every detail of what went when they were teenagers. This book is highly recommended and I will definitely be buying the next offering by this author.
January 22, 2017
LITTLE SISTER (A SAMPLER: Prologue, Chapter one through three) BY ISABEL ASHDOWN
I received this small sampler from Net Galley, Isabel Ashdown and Orion Publishing Group Ltd. for reading and review. I really liked this dark atmospheric teaser of Little Sister, by Isabel Ashdown. I am a little unsure of whose voice is speaking in the Prologue. Chapter One is in Jessica's point of view. Chapter 2 is from Emily's point of view. Lastly, Chapter 3 is told from Jessica's point of view.
It is New Years Eve at approximately 7:00 P.M. with Emily and her husband James going out and giving explicit instructions not to remove baby Daisy from where she had put down for the night. James told Jessica to just pop her head in every so often. Jessica is watching television at around 1:00 A.M. she thinks she heard Daisy cry out, although she remembers James words not to go to Daisy, to let her drop off on her own. But, its 1:00 A.M. Jessica isn't sure because she has episodes, due to her heart, when she loses time. She thinks she took Daisy out of the crib and placed her in her high chair, while she made a turkey sandwich, which she threw in the dog's dish. Jessica is not sure. And neither am I because these incidents are moving back and forth in time. Jessica thinks she took Daisy from the crib and she heard tires on gravel. Her next thought is the headlights from the car illuminated Daisy in blood soaked pajamas. Then Jessica faints in the Kitchen.
Jessica slowly becomes conscious, is offered a glass of water. Baby Daisy is gone, Emily is crying. DCI Jacobs is questioning Jessica as other people are milling about. She is told that she will be checked out by a paramedic, but DCI Jacobs thinks Jessica had a nose bleed. Then Jessica is barraged with a long list of questions.
"Where you alone all evening?"
"Did you hear or notice anything unusual?"
"Was the back door locked?"
"Are you certain.?"
"When did you last see your niece Chloe?"
"How old is she?"
"Do you get on well with your sister?"
"And your brother-in-law?"
Chapter 3 is from Jessica's Point of view. Chapter 2 was Emily's point of view about their mother's funereal and how both Jessica and Emily didn't like to go to church. How Emily slips an arm through Jessica's ending their sixteen year estrangement
In the last chapter as I have listed above the focus is back to Jessica where she is taken to the police station and her clothes are bagged, fingernails clipped. She is more or less questioned in the same manner. Jessica does not answer all of the question's truthfully.
I received this small sampler from Net Galley, Isabel Ashdown and Orion Publishing Group Ltd. for reading and review. I really liked this dark atmospheric teaser of Little Sister, by Isabel Ashdown. I am a little unsure of whose voice is speaking in the Prologue. Chapter One is in Jessica's point of view. Chapter 2 is from Emily's point of view. Lastly, Chapter 3 is told from Jessica's point of view.
It is New Years Eve at approximately 7:00 P.M. with Emily and her husband James going out and giving explicit instructions not to remove baby Daisy from where she had put down for the night. James told Jessica to just pop her head in every so often. Jessica is watching television at around 1:00 A.M. she thinks she heard Daisy cry out, although she remembers James words not to go to Daisy, to let her drop off on her own. But, its 1:00 A.M. Jessica isn't sure because she has episodes, due to her heart, when she loses time. She thinks she took Daisy out of the crib and placed her in her high chair, while she made a turkey sandwich, which she threw in the dog's dish. Jessica is not sure. And neither am I because these incidents are moving back and forth in time. Jessica thinks she took Daisy from the crib and she heard tires on gravel. Her next thought is the headlights from the car illuminated Daisy in blood soaked pajamas. Then Jessica faints in the Kitchen.
Jessica slowly becomes conscious, is offered a glass of water. Baby Daisy is gone, Emily is crying. DCI Jacobs is questioning Jessica as other people are milling about. She is told that she will be checked out by a paramedic, but DCI Jacobs thinks Jessica had a nose bleed. Then Jessica is barraged with a long list of questions.
"Where you alone all evening?"
"Did you hear or notice anything unusual?"
"Was the back door locked?"
"Are you certain.?"
"When did you last see your niece Chloe?"
"How old is she?"
"Do you get on well with your sister?"
"And your brother-in-law?"
Chapter 3 is from Jessica's Point of view. Chapter 2 was Emily's point of view about their mother's funereal and how both Jessica and Emily didn't like to go to church. How Emily slips an arm through Jessica's ending their sixteen year estrangement
In the last chapter as I have listed above the focus is back to Jessica where she is taken to the police station and her clothes are bagged, fingernails clipped. She is more or less questioned in the same manner. Jessica does not answer all of the question's truthfully.
June 30, 2018
'No one knows you better than a sister—your dreams, your fears, your mistakes, and all your secrets'
As children, this was certainly true for sisters Emily and Jess.
A long estrangement of sixteen years has been swept under the carpet and they've once again become close to the point that Jess has moved in with Emily and her family.
This picturesque apple cart gets turned over when Emily's toddler, Daisy, mysteriously disappears whilst in Jess's care. With Jess unable to remember what happened, Emily's life begins to fall apart.
With Police detectives now investigating Daisy's disappearance, we begin to get a different picture from this seemingly idyllic family, unfolding deceptions and long ago choices, the story ultimately revealing the shocking reasons behind Daisy's abduction as well as the underlying reason as to what tore these two sisters apart years ago.
Peeling away the layers through alternating perspectives, between past and present, Little Sister reveals itself to be a dark, twisted tale where nothing is as it seems as everyone has their secrets to protect.
An engrossing tale of sibling rivalry, broken loyalty and shocking secrets that had me eagerly turning the pages with each new twist in this plot driven book, tying things up nicely with its suprising ending.
I really enjoyed this clever read, and look forward to reading more by Isabel Ashdown. Many thanks to her, Netgalley and Kensington books for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.
As children, this was certainly true for sisters Emily and Jess.
A long estrangement of sixteen years has been swept under the carpet and they've once again become close to the point that Jess has moved in with Emily and her family.
This picturesque apple cart gets turned over when Emily's toddler, Daisy, mysteriously disappears whilst in Jess's care. With Jess unable to remember what happened, Emily's life begins to fall apart.
With Police detectives now investigating Daisy's disappearance, we begin to get a different picture from this seemingly idyllic family, unfolding deceptions and long ago choices, the story ultimately revealing the shocking reasons behind Daisy's abduction as well as the underlying reason as to what tore these two sisters apart years ago.
Peeling away the layers through alternating perspectives, between past and present, Little Sister reveals itself to be a dark, twisted tale where nothing is as it seems as everyone has their secrets to protect.
An engrossing tale of sibling rivalry, broken loyalty and shocking secrets that had me eagerly turning the pages with each new twist in this plot driven book, tying things up nicely with its suprising ending.
I really enjoyed this clever read, and look forward to reading more by Isabel Ashdown. Many thanks to her, Netgalley and Kensington books for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.
August 20, 2017
My Review: WOW! Sometimes it’s hard to put into words just how much you enjoyed a book, and Little Sister is one of those books.
Totally, unputdownable, gripping, thrilling, hold your breath, heart in your throat, ignore everyone around you and just devour page after page and those are just some of the words I can use to describe this utterly brilliant psychological thriller.
The clever, interwoven stories, the fractured and fraught relationships between the characters, the devious and controlling scenarios easily put Little Sister into my Top Ten reads of 2017.
There’s nothing more to add except…. read this book next.
Totally, unputdownable, gripping, thrilling, hold your breath, heart in your throat, ignore everyone around you and just devour page after page and those are just some of the words I can use to describe this utterly brilliant psychological thriller.
The clever, interwoven stories, the fractured and fraught relationships between the characters, the devious and controlling scenarios easily put Little Sister into my Top Ten reads of 2017.
There’s nothing more to add except…. read this book next.
June 12, 2018
I had a really tough time following this story. I did not connect with the characters or the story line for that matter. DNF at 40%. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this complimentary book. All opinions expressed are my own.
June 25, 2024
Αρκετά ενδιαφέρον!
Μπαίνει αμέσως στο θέμα όμως οι αποκαλύψεις έρχονται σταδιακά με λίγο παραπάνω λεπτομέρειες απ ότι χρειάζεται ώστε σε κάποια σημεία σου μειώνει το ενδιαφέρον αν και αυτό αλλάζει στο δεύτερο μέρος που οι εξελίξεις είναι πιο ραγδαίες!
Ερωτήματα για τη σχέση των δύο αδερφών καθώς και για την εξαφάνιση της μικρής Ντειζη και οι εναλλαγές μεταξύ των γεγονότων του παρελθόντος και του παρόντος σου κρατάνε το ενδιαφέρον!
Το τέλος είναι λίγο απότομο βέβαια αλλά καθόλου άσχημο ως εξέλιξη της ιστορίας!
Σε κάνει να αναρωτιέσαι...
Πόσα μπορεί να αντέξει κάποιος και πόσα να συγχωρήσει και αν στο τέλος δικαιολογείται ο τρόπος που χειρίζεται τα γεγονότα!
Μπαίνει αμέσως στο θέμα όμως οι αποκαλύψεις έρχονται σταδιακά με λίγο παραπάνω λεπτομέρειες απ ότι χρειάζεται ώστε σε κάποια σημεία σου μειώνει το ενδιαφέρον αν και αυτό αλλάζει στο δεύτερο μέρος που οι εξελίξεις είναι πιο ραγδαίες!
Ερωτήματα για τη σχέση των δύο αδερφών καθώς και για την εξαφάνιση της μικρής Ντειζη και οι εναλλαγές μεταξύ των γεγονότων του παρελθόντος και του παρόντος σου κρατάνε το ενδιαφέρον!
Το τέλος είναι λίγο απότομο βέβαια αλλά καθόλου άσχημο ως εξέλιξη της ιστορίας!
Σε κάνει να αναρωτιέσαι...
Πόσα μπορεί να αντέξει κάποιος και πόσα να συγχωρήσει και αν στο τέλος δικαιολογείται ο τρόπος που χειρίζεται τα γεγονότα!
June 16, 2018
Baby Daisy has been taken from her own cot - while being babysat by her aunt Jessica. Her parents Emily and James have gone out for the evening and Emilys sister is home looking after her niece. When Emily and James return home they find Jessica passed out with blood on her. James' daughter from a previous marriage also lives with them. Daisy's disappearance starts to unearth the families secrets and lies in an attempt to find the baby.
This was a fast paced book with a lot of characters that are hiding things from each other. I enjoyed it but it was not overly
Thank to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinion.
This was a fast paced book with a lot of characters that are hiding things from each other. I enjoyed it but it was not overly
Thank to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinion.
June 25, 2018
This book is very entertaining. It keeps you thinking and guessing the whole time. Two sisters, Emily and Jess, get back together after a sixteen year separation. Their mom dies and they meet at the funeral. Emily is married with a stepdaughter and baby named Daisy. All hell breaks loose after Jess moves into Emily's home. This book is full of mystery, lies, affairs, hurt, kidnapping, accusations, and plenty of surprises. The ending is intriguing, exciting, happy and sad. Keeps you guessing all through the book. I love a book like this. I highly recommend.
June 28, 2020
Lies . . . Secrets . . . Deception . . . Suspicion. Who can you trust?
Jess is staying in her sister Emily's home on the Isle of Wight, and babysitting for her young daughter, Daisy. Emily and her husband, James, were out at a New Year's Eve party. When Emily arrived home, Daisy had disappeared and Jess couldn't remember what happened.
The story alternates between the police investigation, and the back story of the sibling rivalry between the two sisters who were less than a year apart in age. Unreliable narrators and twists in the plot will keep the reader guessing about who is telling the truth about events associated with Daisy's abduction. "Little Sister" is a compelling psychological thriller.
Jess is staying in her sister Emily's home on the Isle of Wight, and babysitting for her young daughter, Daisy. Emily and her husband, James, were out at a New Year's Eve party. When Emily arrived home, Daisy had disappeared and Jess couldn't remember what happened.
The story alternates between the police investigation, and the back story of the sibling rivalry between the two sisters who were less than a year apart in age. Unreliable narrators and twists in the plot will keep the reader guessing about who is telling the truth about events associated with Daisy's abduction. "Little Sister" is a compelling psychological thriller.
July 18, 2017
Briefly - Deceptively simple story, deceptively simple writing - it hooked me. A solid 4 at least.
In full -
This book starts with a fairly short but almost too powerful prologue which really does leave you wondering just what is to come. These are two sisters with a history. Just what that history is is not apparent from the start however it is clear that it has had a major impact on their relationship. As a result of this they have not been in touch with each other for some years. The situation now appears far better however Emily's baby girl goes missing while in the care of Jess, her sister.
In a sense this feels quite a conventional story; two sisters who have history, a missing child, police enquiries, liaison officers and the like. There is a simplicity to the writing that worked well for me and the story moves gradually to the reveal. That simple telling has a darkness to it and uncertainty grows in the dark. It quickly became a book I was not going to put down easily.
Throughout this book there is a sense of dread over what might happen next and what the outcome will be. There was a fairly big twist in the storyline around halfway through which I'm happy to admit I did not see coming! In the end I think this is a deceptively simple story told with deceptively simple writing - it hooked me.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
http://viewson.org.uk/thriller/little...
In full -
This book starts with a fairly short but almost too powerful prologue which really does leave you wondering just what is to come. These are two sisters with a history. Just what that history is is not apparent from the start however it is clear that it has had a major impact on their relationship. As a result of this they have not been in touch with each other for some years. The situation now appears far better however Emily's baby girl goes missing while in the care of Jess, her sister.
In a sense this feels quite a conventional story; two sisters who have history, a missing child, police enquiries, liaison officers and the like. There is a simplicity to the writing that worked well for me and the story moves gradually to the reveal. That simple telling has a darkness to it and uncertainty grows in the dark. It quickly became a book I was not going to put down easily.
Throughout this book there is a sense of dread over what might happen next and what the outcome will be. There was a fairly big twist in the storyline around halfway through which I'm happy to admit I did not see coming! In the end I think this is a deceptively simple story told with deceptively simple writing - it hooked me.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
http://viewson.org.uk/thriller/little...
April 8, 2018
3.5 stars - Little Sister opens with a prologue that has you immediately intrigued – Daisy has been kidnapped, by who and why? The search for the missing child is on and things will never be the same again.
For me, Daisy’s disappearance wasn’t the main focus of the plot, but a tool used to show the relationships within this family, particularly that of the two sisters, Emily and Jess. Interspersed between both sister’s perspectives in the present day, we see them reflecting on their childhood. The more you learn about Emily as a child, and as an adult too, the stronger your disdain for her becomes. Yes, her child is missing, but there’s something about her that prevents you offering her empathy – and for me, it was Emily’s character that makes this book the success it is. She is the perfect character to love to hate.
And the secrets, the lies, the half-truths – this family is laid bare. As these secrets starts to emerge, you don’t know who to trust, and it’s this desire to know who is telling the truth and who is hiding something that drives you through the pages of this book.
New information about this family’s relationship is constantly emerging and I found the pace a bit too slow in places, and this was likely a result of the suspense. Don’t get me wrong, I love suspense, but when you have your suspicions and want to know what happens, there’s a fine line between holding the suspense for the right amount of time before revealing, and holding the expense too long, causing the plot to stagnate.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel, and have no reservations recommending it. Little Sister may appeal to readers who enjoy character-driven novels; it’s a tale of sisterhood gone wrong, how secrets and lies can damage a family, with several nice twists along the way.
For me, Daisy’s disappearance wasn’t the main focus of the plot, but a tool used to show the relationships within this family, particularly that of the two sisters, Emily and Jess. Interspersed between both sister’s perspectives in the present day, we see them reflecting on their childhood. The more you learn about Emily as a child, and as an adult too, the stronger your disdain for her becomes. Yes, her child is missing, but there’s something about her that prevents you offering her empathy – and for me, it was Emily’s character that makes this book the success it is. She is the perfect character to love to hate.
And the secrets, the lies, the half-truths – this family is laid bare. As these secrets starts to emerge, you don’t know who to trust, and it’s this desire to know who is telling the truth and who is hiding something that drives you through the pages of this book.
New information about this family’s relationship is constantly emerging and I found the pace a bit too slow in places, and this was likely a result of the suspense. Don’t get me wrong, I love suspense, but when you have your suspicions and want to know what happens, there’s a fine line between holding the suspense for the right amount of time before revealing, and holding the expense too long, causing the plot to stagnate.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel, and have no reservations recommending it. Little Sister may appeal to readers who enjoy character-driven novels; it’s a tale of sisterhood gone wrong, how secrets and lies can damage a family, with several nice twists along the way.
February 17, 2022
I literally flew through this. A remarkable dark twisty and enticing story from start to finish.
You know what I love best? If I could chose?
Well…
It’s the opening chapter of the book where something happens, something that’s a shock, a jaw dropping shock that draws me in and the pace keeps up and the ending is a shocker.
I got that in this book.
I love this authors books and this was one of her back stories I couldn’t get to while books for tours. It’s the best thing I’ve done as I’m able to catch up on many, many, many books not just the thrill of brand new releases.
If you’ve not had the pleasure of reading this authors books I’d encourage you to.
Do you like Clare Mackintosh books? Then you’ll like this.
You know what I love best? If I could chose?
Well…
It’s the opening chapter of the book where something happens, something that’s a shock, a jaw dropping shock that draws me in and the pace keeps up and the ending is a shocker.
I got that in this book.
I love this authors books and this was one of her back stories I couldn’t get to while books for tours. It’s the best thing I’ve done as I’m able to catch up on many, many, many books not just the thrill of brand new releases.
If you’ve not had the pleasure of reading this authors books I’d encourage you to.
Do you like Clare Mackintosh books? Then you’ll like this.
December 10, 2018
Δεν μπορώ να εξηγήσω για ποιον λόγο, αλλά με το που είδα το εξώφυλλο του νέου βιβλίου της Isabel Ashdown, "Η μικρή αδερφή", που κυκλοφόρησε μόλις πριν από λίγες ημέρες από τις εκδόσεις Ψυχογιός, "ερωτεύτηκα". Βέβαια, επειδή έχω δεχτεί αρκετά μεγάλα πλήγματα, σε περιπτώσεις όπου είχα θέσει πολύ ψηλά τις προσδοκίες μου, προσπαθώ να είμαι πιο συγκρατημένη, υπάρχουν, ωστόσο, και οι φορές εκείνες που το ένστικτό μου δουλεύει πιο έντονα από τη λογική και τη σ��νεσή μου, πράγμα που συνέβη και στην προκειμένη περίπτωση, με το ένστικτό μου να βγαίνει νικητής. Γιατί το βιβλίο αυτό δεν αποδείχθηκε εξαιρετικά καλό κι ενδιαφέρον, μα κατάφερε να με καθηλώσει, να με δυσκολέψει -ως προς το να κάνω σωστές μαντεψιές και εικασίες σε σχέση με το τι πραγματικά συμβαίνει-, μα και να παίξει με ορισμένους από τους μεγαλύτερούς μου φόβους.
Η Τζέσικα και η Έμιλι είναι αδερφές, αλλά έχουν να συναντηθούν, ή έστω να μιλήσουν, εδώ και δεκαέξι χρόνια. Αφορμή για να ξανανταμώσουν, ο θάνατος της μητέρας τους και η κηδεία αυτής. Οι δύο γυναίκες φαίνεται να έρχονται και πάλι κοντά, με καλά θαμμένα μέσα τους συναισθήματα να έρχονται και πάλι στην επιφάνεια, κάτι που έχει αποτέλεσμα να πάρουν την απόφαση να αφήσουν πίσω το παρελθόν τους και να κάνουν μία νέα αρχή. Έτσι, η Τζες μετακομίζει στο σπίτι της Έμιλι, στο οποίο ζει μαζί με τον σύζυγό της Τζέιμς και τις δύο κόρες της, την δεκαπεντάχρονη Κλόε από τον πρώτο της γάμο, και την Ντέιζι που είναι ακόμα μωρό. Η νέα αυτή συγκατοίκηση φαίνεται να λειτουργεί αρκετά ομαλά, μέχρι τη στιγμή που γίνεται το αναπάντεχο. Η Ντέιζι εξαφανίζεται, ενώ υποτίθεται πως την φυλούσε η Τζες, όσο οι γονείς της έλειπαν σε ένα ρεβεγιόν, ενώ εκείνη βρίσκεται λιπόθυμη, γαμάτη αίματα, χωρίς να μπορεί να θυμηθεί τι συνέβη.
Δεδομένου ότι την τελευταία τριετία έχουμε διαβάσει αρκετά βιβλία, ο κεντρικός άξονας των οποίων σχετίζεται με εξαφανίσεις-απαγωγές μικρών παιδιών, θα μπορούσαμε να έχουμε να κάνουμε με μία ακόμα ιστορία από τις πολλές του είδους. Όμως η Ashdown επιτυγχάνει εκεί που πολλοί ομότεχνοί της απέτυχαν παταγωδώς, φέρνοντάς μας ένα μυθιστόρημα που ναι μεν έχει έναν αρκετά κοινό και συνηθισμένο άξονα, ο οποίος, όμως, έχει τόσο διαφορετικές προεκτάσεις, χαρακτηρίζεται από μια τόσο ιδιαίτερη και καλοδουλεμένη πολυπλοκότητα, που όχι μόνο κάνει τη διαφορά ανάμεσα στον σωρό, αλλά προσφέρει αυτό το κάτι παραπάνω που μπορεί να απογειώσει ένα ψυχολογικό θρίλερ, μοιράζοντας τόσο το ενδιαφέρον όσο και τη δυναμική αυτού ανάμεσα στον ανθρώπινο παράγοντα της ιστορίας της και στην πλοκή και αφηγηματική ροή αυτής.
Η Ashdown αφηγείται την ιστορία μέσα από τα μάτια της Έμιλι και της Τζες, μέσα από μικρά, εναλλασσόμενα, περιεκτικά και συνάμα ευέλικτα κεφάλαια, κάτι που επιτυγχάνει δύο σκοπούς. Ο πρώτος εξ αυτών είναι ότι μας επιτρέπει να έχουμε μια ολοκληρωμένη εικόνα της ιστορίας, μα και μια αρκετά αντικειμενική ματιά σε αυτήν -έστω και αν η απόλυτη αντικειμενικότητα είναι τελικά μία έννοια πολύ υποκειμενική, αφού δεν είναι δεδομένο ποια γυναίκα απ' τις δύο θα σε πείσει περισσότερο και για ποιους λόγους. Ο δεύτερος έχει να κάνει με το ότι, δεδομένου πως οι δύο αυτές γυναίκες είναι ο ζωτικός πυρήνας της ιστορίας, μπορούμε να εμβαθύνουμε περισσότερο στον ψυχισμό και στον τρόπο σκέψης των δύο γυναικών, που συνδυαστικά με τα flashbacks που προκύπτουν ανά τακτά διαστήματα και που συνθέτουν κομμάτι κομμάτι το παζλ του παρελθόντος τους που τις χώρισε, μας βοηθούν στο να τις κατανοήσουμε καλύτερα, είτε τις αποδεχόμαστε είτε όχι, κάτι που ισχύει και για τις αποφάσεις και τις πράξεις τους.
Θέλω να πω πολλά περισσότερα για το βιβλίο αυτό, αλλά φοβάμαι πως θα αποκαλύψω πράγματα που δεν πρέπει και που είναι κρίμα, πραγματικά, να μην ανακαλύψετε μόνοι σας. Αυτό που μπορώ, ωστόσο, να σας πω, είναι πως "Η μικρή αδερφή" δεν είναι απλά μία ακόμα ιστορία για μία δυσλειτουργική οικογένεια, αλλά ένα πραγματικό θρίλερ χαρακτήρων με υψηλά δραματουργικά επίπεδα, με κινηματογραφική αφήγηση και με μια ροή τόσο έντονη σε συναισθήματα, σκέψεις, εμπειρίες, μα και με τόσες πολλές ανατροπές κι εκπλήξεις, που δεν σε αφήνει ούτε να πάρεις ανάσα, αλλά ούτε και να διατηρήσεις έστω στο ελάχιστο την όποια βεβαιότητα μπορεί στιγμιαία να σου δημιουργηθεί. Αν ψάχνετε, λοιπόν, ένα βιβλίο-πρόταση, το συγκεκριμένο μπορεί να σας προσφέρει όλα όσα, πιθανόν, αναζητάτε στην κατηγορία αυτή, με έννοιες όπως προδοσία, απάτη, δόλος, θαμμένα μυστικά, ν' αποκτούν άλλη διάσταση.
Η Τζέσικα και η Έμιλι είναι αδερφές, αλλά έχουν να συναντηθούν, ή έστω να μιλήσουν, εδώ και δεκαέξι χρόνια. Αφορμή για να ξανανταμώσουν, ο θάνατος της μητέρας τους και η κηδεία αυτής. Οι δύο γυναίκες φαίνεται να έρχονται και πάλι κοντά, με καλά θαμμένα μέσα τους συναισθήματα να έρχονται και πάλι στην επιφάνεια, κάτι που έχει αποτέλεσμα να πάρουν την απόφαση να αφήσουν πίσω το παρελθόν τους και να κάνουν μία νέα αρχή. Έτσι, η Τζες μετακομίζει στο σπίτι της Έμιλι, στο οποίο ζει μαζί με τον σύζυγό της Τζέιμς και τις δύο κόρες της, την δεκαπεντάχρονη Κλόε από τον πρώτο της γάμο, και την Ντέιζι που είναι ακόμα μωρό. Η νέα αυτή συγκατοίκηση φαίνεται να λειτουργεί αρκετά ομαλά, μέχρι τη στιγμή που γίνεται το αναπάντεχο. Η Ντέιζι εξαφανίζεται, ενώ υποτίθεται πως την φυλούσε η Τζες, όσο οι γονείς της έλειπαν σε ένα ρεβεγιόν, ενώ εκείνη βρίσκεται λιπόθυμη, γαμάτη αίματα, χωρίς να μπορεί να θυμηθεί τι συνέβη.
Δεδομένου ότι την τελευταία τριετία έχουμε διαβάσει αρκετά βιβλία, ο κεντρικός άξονας των οποίων σχετίζεται με εξαφανίσεις-απαγωγές μικρών παιδιών, θα μπορούσαμε να έχουμε να κάνουμε με μία ακόμα ιστορία από τις πολλές του είδους. Όμως η Ashdown επιτυγχάνει εκεί που πολλοί ομότεχνοί της απέτυχαν παταγωδώς, φέρνοντάς μας ένα μυθιστόρημα που ναι μεν έχει έναν αρκετά κοινό και συνηθισμένο άξονα, ο οποίος, όμως, έχει τόσο διαφορετικές προεκτάσεις, χαρακτηρίζεται από μια τόσο ιδιαίτερη και καλοδουλεμένη πολυπλοκότητα, που όχι μόνο κάνει τη διαφορά ανάμεσα στον σωρό, αλλά προσφέρει αυτό το κάτι παραπάνω που μπορεί να απογειώσει ένα ψυχολογικό θρίλερ, μοιράζοντας τόσο το ενδιαφέρον όσο και τη δυναμική αυτού ανάμεσα στον ανθρώπινο παράγοντα της ιστορίας της και στην πλοκή και αφηγηματική ροή αυτής.
Η Ashdown αφηγείται την ιστορία μέσα από τα μάτια της Έμιλι και της Τζες, μέσα από μικρά, εναλλασσόμενα, περιεκτικά και συνάμα ευέλικτα κεφάλαια, κάτι που επιτυγχάνει δύο σκοπούς. Ο πρώτος εξ αυτών είναι ότι μας επιτρέπει να έχουμε μια ολοκληρωμένη εικόνα της ιστορίας, μα και μια αρκετά αντικειμενική ματιά σε αυτήν -έστω και αν η απόλυτη αντικειμενικότητα είναι τελικά μία έννοια πολύ υποκειμενική, αφού δεν είναι δεδομένο ποια γυναίκα απ' τις δύο θα σε πείσει περισσότερο και για ποιους λόγους. Ο δεύτερος έχει να κάνει με το ότι, δεδομένου πως οι δύο αυτές γυναίκες είναι ο ζωτικός πυρήνας της ιστορίας, μπορούμε να εμβαθύνουμε περισσότερο στον ψυχισμό και στον τρόπο σκέψης των δύο γυναικών, που συνδυαστικά με τα flashbacks που προκύπτουν ανά τακτά διαστήματα και που συνθέτουν κομμάτι κομμάτι το παζλ του παρελθόντος τους που τις χώρισε, μας βοηθούν στο να τις κατανοήσουμε καλύτερα, είτε τις αποδεχόμαστε είτε όχι, κάτι που ισχύει και για τις αποφάσεις και τις πράξεις τους.
Θέλω να πω πολλά περισσότερα για το βιβλίο αυτό, αλλά φοβάμαι πως θα αποκαλύψω πράγματα που δεν πρέπει και που είναι κρίμα, πραγματικά, να μην ανακαλύψετε μόνοι σας. Αυτό που μπορώ, ωστόσο, να σας πω, είναι πως "Η μικρή αδερφή" δεν είναι απλά μία ακόμα ιστορία για μία δυσλειτουργική οικογένεια, αλλά ένα πραγματικό θρίλερ χαρακτήρων με υψηλά δραματουργικά επίπεδα, με κινηματογραφική αφήγηση και με μια ροή τόσο έντονη σε συναισθήματα, σκέψεις, εμπειρίες, μα και με τόσες πολλές ανατροπές κι εκπλήξεις, που δεν σε αφήνει ούτε να πάρεις ανάσα, αλλά ούτε και να διατηρήσεις έστω στο ελάχιστο την όποια βεβαιότητα μπορεί στιγμιαία να σου δημιουργηθεί. Αν ψάχνετε, λοιπόν, ένα βιβλίο-πρόταση, το συγκεκριμένο μπορεί να σας προσφέρει όλα όσα, πιθανόν, αναζητάτε στην κατηγορία αυτή, με έννοιες όπως προδοσία, απάτη, δόλος, θαμμένα μυστικά, ν' αποκτούν άλλη διάσταση.
September 8, 2018
I didn’t enjoy this one :( It was pretty much revealed who took Daisy at around half way through the book, and after that it just dragged. I felt like the story was more focused on the two sisters and their strained relationship than it was on the kidnapping. And while I wasn’t particularly fond of either sister, Emily was just awful. I found myself skimming over her chapters, trying to get through her groveling as quickly as possible. This definitely wasn’t a gripping thriller for me, and the small ‘twist’ at the end was extremely anticlimactic.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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December 5, 2016Couldn't put it down...darn thing kept me up until 2 am! Brilliant gripping read.
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