For a decade, Hannah’s life has been pretty close to perfect – she has a great job, she’s married to Mark, and her child-free existence means she’s free as a bird. The only sadness in her life is a fall-out with her sister Diane, who hasn’t spoken to her in over ten years. But now Diane is on her doorstep – and this time, she’s got her teenage daughter Mia in tow.
When Diane asks if Mia can stay with Hannah and Mark for a few days, Hannah is glad of the chance to get to know her niece. But as the days turn into weeks and Diane doesn’t return, Hannah begins to worry. Why hasn’t her sister been in touch?
Diane is carrying a devastating secret that will destroy Hannah’s carefully constructed life. But how much is she willing to reveal – and when will she pick her moment?
An emotional story that delves into the true meaning of family, sisterhood and secrets. Perfect for fans of Kerry Fisher and Adele Parks.
Former journalist S.D. Robertson quit his role as a local newspaper editor to pursue a lifelong ambition of becoming a novelist.
An English graduate from the University of Manchester, he’s also worked as a holiday rep, door-to-door salesman, train cleaner, kitchen porter and mobile phone network engineer.
Stuart lives in a village in North West England with his wife and daughter. There’s also his cat, Bernard, who likes to distract him from writing – usually by breaking things.
I received a copy of My Sister's Lies by S.D. Robertson from NetGalley for my honest review.
A story of twin sisters, Diane and Hannah, who haven't spoken to each other for ten years. Hannah, is a happy woman and has a wonderful husband named Mark. Then one day, Diane is on Hannah's doorstep with her fourteen year old daughter, Mia. . Diane asks her sister to look after Mia for a few days, so she can get some things in her life in order. She agrees, mostly because she wants to get to know her Niece, but days have gone by and now they are weeks and Hannah is worried. Where is Diane? Why hasn't she come back? Did something terrible happen?
Secrets soon unravel with lots of lies and emotion. A good book but I felt like it needed more suspense.
My Sister's Lies is a gripping and taut story of family, secrets, lies and drama.
Hannah and her twin sister Diane don't have the best relationship, so when Diane turns up on Hannah's door asking for Hannah to take care of her daughter Mia for a little while, Hannah can't say no!
Despite their awkward relationship, Hannah adores her niece. But as time flies by, Diane still hasn't contacted Hannah and she's beginning to worry.
What has happened to Diane, can Hannah find her before it's too late?
I love the thriller feel to this book, it had a dash of suspense, it was taut, emotional, gripping, the characters are complex, flawed, but strong and well written. It really toys with your emotion.
Overall a Compelling read that draws you in, its a slower paced emotive read that is cleverly written, with a few lil twists to keep you on your toes.
Thank you to Avon Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Sometimes I wonder what life is all about, and then I read a book like this which deals with tough topics like suicide, loss of a sister, and devastating lies. This might seem to be a fictional tale, but with billions living in this earth, it might have happened to someone.
S. D. Robertson has taken this slice of life about a wickedness, a jealousy, and the need to feel better about oneself and written a story about two sisters Hannah and Diane. The story goes thus, Hannah and Mark lead a happy childless life when Hannah's sister Diane, out of the blue, leaves her daughter Mia with them apparently for a few days as she sorts out her life. Both the sisters have had a fallout years ago and no longer speak to each other till this day.
A tragedy occurs and secrets are revealed, some innocent, some played. The whole story deals with the repercussions of it all. The book which has vibes of a thriller, is a family story and it just squeezes the heart at some points. The only niggle I had was some parts felt slow, but that may be because I am used to the thriller pace.
S D Robertson's writing felt smooth for most parts, the last few pages made me cry... One can't hate the other who is dead, it's a waste of energy. Love surpasses all that.
I went blind into the story, but I came out with a film of tears. Such is life, things happen, and one has to find the beauty in it. All my love for the book is for the dialogues written as messages of Diane to Hannah and Mia.. That touched my heart. I am writing this review with my heart still heavy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This had quite a strong start - I was intrigued, and keen to find out more. Unfortunately, that fizzled our quickly, and it just became so dull and dragged out. I hated Hannah and her constant nagging and whinging, the eternal references to the twins argument and Mark’s lack of interest in having children, both of which are dragged out far too long and resolved in a fairly predictable and boring manner.
I ended up looking for spoilers to find out what happened, but couldn’t find any, so had to skim until the end. So, for anyone who is looking to find out the ending without having to finish, read on. If you don’t want to find out, don’t read past this point!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD!
It is Diana that kills herself at the start of the novel, due to having been diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer. She doesn’t want her daughter to suffer watching her die, so left her with Mark and Hannah while she put her affairs in order and jumped in front of the train. Mark is confirmed to be Mia’s father, but rather than an affair, it turns out she was conceived due to a trick - Diana had always been jealous of Hannah, so when Hannah couldn’t attend an event due to illness, Diana turned up at the hotel that night pretending to be Hannah, and tricked Mark into having sex with her. At the end of the book, Hannah and Mark agree to keep Mia with them, and just not tell her yet about her paternity. It ends with her being given a proof of Hannah’s new book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I can see why many women will love this plot. It's very suggestive from the very start and it offers a classic story underneath it - the two sisters with secrets from their pasts. A family where nothing is as it seems. Need I say more?
S.D. Robertson's writing is fast-paced and engaging, adding a certain new thrill to this age-old story. I liked the jumping perspectives and the fact that the author wasn't afraid to give it all up front, making the story deeper rather than just sticking to the usual cliff-hangers.
I think most bookaholics that read this genre can guess what this book is about just by glancing at the synopsis. So the skill is in delivery and the little nuances that create this particular family set-up so interesting.
It's a nice beach read.
Thank you Avon Books UK for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.
Hannah's life is fantastic. She's married to Mark, the love of her life and her first book is about to be published. Out of the blue, her twin sister Diane shows up with Mia, her teenage daughter. Hannah and Diane have been estranged for over ten years. Diane says that she has something very important to do and asks if Mia could stay with Hannah for a few days. But a few days stretch into a week and still no Diane. What is she up to? This book had an interesting plot but when it got to the twist, it just didn't ring true. That's when it dropped from four stars to three.
I'm not a fan of the regurgitative writing style. The oh, so tedious practice of saying the same thing over and over using different characters to replay the same event from a slightly different perspective. One gets the impression that if the author were to just get on with it the whole story would be written in 65 pages. I found the book tiresome, predictable and not even slightly tear invoking.
This didn’t really do much for me. I felt like a lot was given away towards the beginning, and so I wasn’t shocked as things came out later. Another thing that bothered me was how often we’re hit over the head with “Mark never wanted children, after a trauma in his childhood” it took so long to hear what the trauma was, but that it existed with no detail kept being restated. The same for the event that caused the sister’s rift. I just was let down to find out the background stories to both of those.
I actually hadn’t realized they were so that actually did surprise me - but immediately let me figure out a related “twist”
All in all, I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t really enjoy it much either.
This would be an awesome beach read if you were looking for a lightweight mystery. Lots of emotions. Lots of family secrets. Lots of intrigue. The payoff is a little soft but it is diverting.
*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from the Publisher
If you want a story that will tug at your heartstrings, characters that will engage and connect with you at every turn, and a plot that will keep you gripped the whole way through, then look no further than MY SISTER'S LIES by S.D. Robertson.
Hannah is happy with her marriage and her new career as an author. Sometimes she wonders about her sister Diane, a sister whom she hasn't seen or spoken to in over ten years, but the thought always passes. They had always had a tempestuous relationship so she has made a sort of peace with their estrangement. But Hannah does miss Mia, her niece, especially since Mark her husband never wanted children and she agreed. So when Diane and Mia land at her door out of the blue needing her help, Hannah isn't sure how to feel but she would do anything to reconnect with Mia so agrees that Mia can stay with them while Diane sorts out a few of her problems. But when Diane doesn't reappear after a week, they all start to worry but nobody is prepared for the truth. Diane has been hiding many things, some of which could destroy everyone she ever cared about ...
S.D. Robertson writes excellent books about messy lives and true emotions and MY SISTER'S LIES is no exception. The characters have all mucked up in some shape or form which is relatable and as they try to navigate the secrets and lies, as a reader I could really feel their pain and shock, their heartache and their need. Yet again, this talented author made me cry with his words and I defy any of you to turn the last page and not feel a lump in your throat.
The drama, the untruths, the pace, everything is perfectly executed in MY SISTER'S LIES and I highly recommend it to all readers who enjoy reading family dramas and emotional novels. This will definitely be on my list for top books for this year.
This is a well-crafted, thought provoking novel about forgiveness, family and - of course - secrets. There's an element to mystery about it, as the book opens with an unnamed woman preparing for something quite dramatic which we can sort of work out, but we don't know who it is or when it's occurring. Then the narrative switches to Hannah and her husband Mark, who is visited by her estranged sister Diane and her daughter, Mia. Diane asks them to take Mia in whilst she sorts 'something important' out.
What follows is an emotional story that slowly unpicks those incidences in the pasts of Hannah, Diane and Mark which led to such a rift between the sisters and them not speaking for over 10 years. I was really intrigued as to what would happen, and although I did guess at quite a lot of what happened, it didn't hamper my enjoyment at all.
The story is very much about the relationship between the main characters, and how decisions they've made in the past can have such a big effect on their futures. As I read I put myself in Hannah's place, thinking how awful it must be for her, and for Mia and even Diane, who hasn't made the best decisions to date...
Things get really messy, and no character is painted as completely guilt-free or perfect, which I felt was so much more real and believable. The story kept me wanting to keep reading from start to finish, and I now want to read many more novels by S.D. Robertson.
* Many thanks to Avon Books for providing a copy of this novel, on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review. *
This story was neither gripping, nor heart-breaking. It also didn't reveal anything I hadn't already assumed, but this did not redeem the story about identical twins Hannah(supposedly good) and Diane( supposedly bad) but both highly unlikeable. Add Hannah's cowardly, weak husband Mark to the mix and you're left with a family drama befitting a soap. A basic rule of writing is not to write from the opposite sex's perspective. The bulk of this story is told from Hannah's perspective rather poorly. It took much effort to complete the book. 2 Stars.
I have read a couple of of S.D. Robertsons books before but My Sister's Lies, by far, tops them. Brilliantly written with lots of twists that keeps you wanting more.
For a decade, Hannah’s life has been pretty close to perfect – she has a great job, she’s married to Mark, and her child-free existence means she’s free as a bird. The only sadness in her life is a fall-out with her sister Diane, who hasn’t spoken to her in over ten years. But now Diane is on her doorstep – and this time, she’s got her teenage daughter Mia in tow.
When Diane asks if Mia can stay with Hannah and Mark for a few days, Hannah is glad of the chance to get to know her niece. But as the days turn into weeks and Diane doesn’t return, Hannah begins to worry. Why hasn’t her sister been in touch?
Diane is carrying a devastating secret that will destroy Hannah’s carefully constructed life. But how much is she willing to reveal – and when will she pick her moment?
An emotional story that delves into the true meaning of family, sisterhood and secrets. Perfect for fans of Kerry Fisher and Adele Parks.
My Review
The book opens with a suicide so just a heads up as I know this can be a particularly upsetting theme for some people. We don't know who and immediately flip to twelve days earlier, to Hannah our main character. Hannah has finally achieved her goal, has a happy marriage to Mark, no children and happy with her lot. She hasn't heard from her twin sister, Diane, in a long time after a horrendous fight. When Diane shows up on Hannah's door with her daughter Mia she can't turn them away but can she trust her sister and let go of the past?
The reader isn't privy to what caused the rift, nor what has drawn Diane to come into her sister's life, she is cagey about the details and wants to leave Mia for a few days to address the trouble in her life. When days pass and Diane still hasn't returned Hannah's husband Mark tries to get some answers but Diane has secrets that will impact on all of their lives, are they ready for it?
Oh guys, depending on your own sibling/family situation will impact on how this story affects you. I haven't spoken to my sister just a bit longer than Hannah and Diane had radio silence so I appreciate how something like that can affect you. As the story unfolds and we learn more about the characters I was so angry on behalf of some of them, what a manipulative horrible human being. All their lives the siblings, twins no less, had such different experiences of growing up, Diane the wild child, mocking sensitive quiet Hannah. Diane having the one thing Hannah so desperately wanted, letting her bond and have a relationship only to sever it. Their experiences with their parents, one seemingly favoured, one never pulling their weight.
With Hannah being the main character we get a much better grasp of how the family dynamics affected her, their past and her emotional state through her therapist visits (dottered throughout the book). Diane we learn of mostly through the eyes of Hannah so yes it may be a bit more biased but still! Once you absorb the whole story you feel you just got off a an emotional roller coaster, the book examines many themes and in doing so pokes at the reader, evoking personal (in my case for sure) memories and feelings.
I read Robertson's debut novel and it is evident the authors writing has gone strength to strength, taking hard hitting themes and weaving them into stories/characters readers can relate to. 4/5 for me this time, I will be buying more of this author and keeping an eye out for their future work.
Not enjoyable Got halfway and skim read a lot of it Writing style leaves reader with no room for comprehension- overly explained a lot of characters feelings. Found Hannah super whingy. Some parts really predictable and cringe. Did like like the little twist at the end.
This was a cute fluff read. It was predictable but still enjoyable. I could imagine the characters as they moved through the story. I could see their unique quirks. The plot was simple and uncomplicated, however it was interesting and kept me reading until the end.
This is the first book I have read of this author. I loved every page of it. I had smiles on my face and tears in my eyes. This is a double thumbs up for me.
Well what to say, I have really enjoyed the storyline and the characters. I know that identical twins loved playing this game, I know some.
I gave it only four stars because it was quite predictable, after Mark started to worry the first time. But still I enjoyed the Authors writing style, with all the details in the past and present and future. The story is about identical twins, Hannah and Diane, thus story has secrets, jealousy and lies in quite a terrific way. Diane has always been the more mean twin were Hannah was always the one with the good heart, Hannah had to put up a lot with Diane after they got older, Hannah is Married to Mark, happily and without children, Mark never wanted any, he made it clear to Hannah before he proposed and Hannah had agreed to it. Diane have got pregnant with Mia, where no one knows who has been the father of Mia, she never told anyone. The day came when the mother of Hannah and Diane passed away from cancer , that they had a big fight what droves them apart.
Hannah haven't spoken to Diane or seen her in over ten years. And suddenly Diane arrived at the door step with her daughter Mia in tow and the story will unfold, very emotional storyline. Oh and I really hope that you get a bit more information on when there gave the video message to Mia, there has been no info on it, as well would have loved a peek into Mia's future, if she even been told that Mark is her father or it was like, some secret should stay hidden.
4 stars. Really good! I loved the way it started and knew I was going to enjoy that book right away. It just felt a little slow around (before) the middle then wow! I loved the characters, I felt their emotions. These situations must be so hard to go through! That poor teenager, Mia!
I am glad my sister and I are close and don't have secrets... at least not that kind! And we would never let each other go through things alone.
A great read!
Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Parts of this book were brilliant but I got bogged down as it looped with details it had already told me. I did like how it was structured and that indeed kept you reading. After I had finished I had to reread the beginning of course, so I could catch all of the little nuances but I knew I would have to do that as soon as I recognized the structure of the story.
Wow I was totally glued to this book! I knew it was going to be sad and I was fighting tears reading it, but the writing was incredible. Couldn’t put this book down
3.5 stars ✨ I could not put this book down what a twist! The story kept you guessing and didn’t disappoint, I would absolutely recommend you pick this easy read up.