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His Wife's Sister
He stole her childhood. Now she wants it back.
A woman is found wandering through woodland, confused and severely undernourished.
Police identify her as Mara Sitwell, who was just eleven years old when she vanished from her home nineteen years earlier.
She says she was abducted and held captive in an underground cell for all that time.
Her escape seems to prove miracles can happen - but not everyone is convinced.
Tortured by guilt, Mara’s sister Lucia insists on taking her in.
But Lucia’s husband, Damian is not so sure it’s a good idea.
He suspects Mara is hiding a terrible secret – and fears the whole family could be in danger.
A woman is found wandering through woodland, confused and severely undernourished.
Police identify her as Mara Sitwell, who was just eleven years old when she vanished from her home nineteen years earlier.
She says she was abducted and held captive in an underground cell for all that time.
Her escape seems to prove miracles can happen - but not everyone is convinced.
Tortured by guilt, Mara’s sister Lucia insists on taking her in.
But Lucia’s husband, Damian is not so sure it’s a good idea.
He suspects Mara is hiding a terrible secret – and fears the whole family could be in danger.
331 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2020
4984 people are currently reading
3037 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Wills
17 books420 followers***Book bloggers join my ARC team and never miss getting your hands on a review copy of my latest books. You can sign up here: bit.ly/bloggersalert ***
AJ Wills writes standalone psychological thrillers with twisty plots.
He’s a former journalist who wrote in his spare time, before and after work for ten years, until he was finally able to fulfil his lifelong dream of becoming a fulltime author in May 2021.
He’s never looked back and now runs a small independent publishing company, Cherry Tree Publishing with his wife, AJ McDine, also a thriller writer.
He said: “I've always loved thrillers, but psychological thrillers hold a special interest for me because they're about the scary, insane, disturbing things that happen to ordinary people - and we can all relate to them on some level.”
He lives in Kent in the south east of England.
You can download AJ Wills’s psychological thriller, His Lost Wife, for free by visiting bit.ly/hislostwife
You can find out more about him on his website: ajwillsauthor.com, his Facebook page AuthorAJWills or on his Instagram account ajwills_author
Of course, you can always contact him directly at adrian@ajwillsauthor.com, where he loves to answer messages from genuine readers.
And don't forget to follow him on BookBub for his new releases: bit.ly/BookBubAJWills
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 682 reviews
June 2, 2020
Welp, I've taken another one for the team. You're welcome. 😉
Sisters Lucia and Mara were just barely eleven years old when Mara is abducted in the middle of the night. Now imagine nineteen years later when Mara is discovered lost, alone, and malnourished in the middle of the woods. How did she get there and where did she escape from?
Damien, Lucia's husband, thinks that something isn't quite right about Mara but Lucia doesn't hesitate to bring her into their home. Where else is she supposed to go?
Honestly, this book is a hot mess. It is obvious from the very beginning how this situation is going to play out. Coincidences and plot holes galore and to top it all off none of this would have ever of happened had Mara just been honest about what happened to her when she was discovered. There wasn't any reason that she shouldn't have been truthful. She basically just said "I don't know. I didn't feel like it." Really??? 2 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Cherry Tree Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sisters Lucia and Mara were just barely eleven years old when Mara is abducted in the middle of the night. Now imagine nineteen years later when Mara is discovered lost, alone, and malnourished in the middle of the woods. How did she get there and where did she escape from?
Damien, Lucia's husband, thinks that something isn't quite right about Mara but Lucia doesn't hesitate to bring her into their home. Where else is she supposed to go?
Honestly, this book is a hot mess. It is obvious from the very beginning how this situation is going to play out. Coincidences and plot holes galore and to top it all off none of this would have ever of happened had Mara just been honest about what happened to her when she was discovered. There wasn't any reason that she shouldn't have been truthful. She basically just said "I don't know. I didn't feel like it." Really??? 2 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Cherry Tree Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 25, 2020
His Wife's Sister by A J Wills is a disaster. A lot is wrong with the book, the least of which is switching between two spellings for the name of a character. An eleven-year old gets abducted and comes back after nineteen years of captivity. Her elder sister, who now has a family, takes her in laden with guilt. The husband feels neglected, but goes on to do what?!
Even though most of the twists are predictable, a few of them are truly outrageous. That is simply not how one builds up a suspense. Vague words are endlessly used to build up to an underwhelming ending. Totally disappointed.
Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.
Verdict: I read it so you don't have to.
Even though most of the twists are predictable, a few of them are truly outrageous. That is simply not how one builds up a suspense. Vague words are endlessly used to build up to an underwhelming ending. Totally disappointed.
Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.
Verdict: I read it so you don't have to.
September 29, 2020
"Finally, please don't bombard her with questions. I know you'll have lots you want to ask, but be patient and let her open up to you in her own time."
His Wife's Sister
by A.J. Wills
One of the creepiest books I have read this year and one of the most difficult to rate because I still cannot say whether I liked it or not.
As you may have gleaned, the book is about Mara who vanished decades ago, leaving behind a grieving family and no answers. Now, all these years later, she has been found.
For her sister, Lucia, it is a dream come true. Lucia never ever gave up on her sister and retains deep feelings of guilt that the kidnapper chose to take Mara and not her. (It happened when the girls were camping).
Damien has mixed feelings. He does not trust Mara. He suspects she is damaged and maybe even dangerous. But Lucia is fiercely loyal to Mara and will not hear a word against her.
So. First issue. I loathed every character in t his book. Lucia..who many liked..I felt was loyal to the point of not caring about anything or anyone beyond her sister. Mara? Well I cannot say much without spoilers. Damien was a jerk.And don't even get me started on the reporter.
I think part of my issues are that nothing made sense. And I do need to add spoilers.
SPOILERS:
Damien's transition to murderer was done really oddly. I mean..he is the narrator for most of the book so the reader never knows or finds out whether he was insane or just made everything up. I do not get the scene where Mara was in the child's room. That seemed real but maybe not? I have so many questions.
To be honest, I thought the twist was gonna be that LUCIA was involved! And I think that would have been a hell of a twist. Mara turning out to be good..well kudos to the author and I mean that. It was unpredictable.
But I'd have liked the plot holes to be clean ed up. I still do not know if Damien hit Mara or not. I GUESS he did..but in his POV , he didn't.
Now maybe he was always lying but it turns out he was telling the truth about being set up about the spying. That was cringe worthy, what Mara did. I mean..I get what she'd been through but why not just report Damien to the police for assaulting her? Why go to all the trouble of staging a fake spy session? And the whole "naked in the shower thing" was creepy and odd..and just so needless. I just did not get it.
The atmosphere of this book was really creepy and that is why I gave it three stars and not two. You cannot stop reading because you wan t to KNOW. But the thing is..I never found the answers to so many questions. Ultimately three stars is as high as I can go on this one.
His Wife's Sister
by A.J. Wills
One of the creepiest books I have read this year and one of the most difficult to rate because I still cannot say whether I liked it or not.
As you may have gleaned, the book is about Mara who vanished decades ago, leaving behind a grieving family and no answers. Now, all these years later, she has been found.
For her sister, Lucia, it is a dream come true. Lucia never ever gave up on her sister and retains deep feelings of guilt that the kidnapper chose to take Mara and not her. (It happened when the girls were camping).
Damien has mixed feelings. He does not trust Mara. He suspects she is damaged and maybe even dangerous. But Lucia is fiercely loyal to Mara and will not hear a word against her.
So. First issue. I loathed every character in t his book. Lucia..who many liked..I felt was loyal to the point of not caring about anything or anyone beyond her sister. Mara? Well I cannot say much without spoilers. Damien was a jerk.And don't even get me started on the reporter.
I think part of my issues are that nothing made sense. And I do need to add spoilers.
SPOILERS:
Damien's transition to murderer was done really oddly. I mean..he is the narrator for most of the book so the reader never knows or finds out whether he was insane or just made everything up. I do not get the scene where Mara was in the child's room. That seemed real but maybe not? I have so many questions.
To be honest, I thought the twist was gonna be that LUCIA was involved! And I think that would have been a hell of a twist. Mara turning out to be good..well kudos to the author and I mean that. It was unpredictable.
But I'd have liked the plot holes to be clean ed up. I still do not know if Damien hit Mara or not. I GUESS he did..but in his POV , he didn't.
Now maybe he was always lying but it turns out he was telling the truth about being set up about the spying. That was cringe worthy, what Mara did. I mean..I get what she'd been through but why not just report Damien to the police for assaulting her? Why go to all the trouble of staging a fake spy session? And the whole "naked in the shower thing" was creepy and odd..and just so needless. I just did not get it.
The atmosphere of this book was really creepy and that is why I gave it three stars and not two. You cannot stop reading because you wan t to KNOW. But the thing is..I never found the answers to so many questions. Ultimately three stars is as high as I can go on this one.
June 18, 2020
This book was not for me.
The author had me interested for the first half. He has an easy and page turning writing style and did a nice job at writing one particularly repugnant character, who, for the first half, was fun to read about.
But about halfway through this book took a nosedive for me - first with things that were totally unbelievable like implausible plot twists and explanations for behavior that made no sense. But where I really struggled was the ending. It was both ridiculous and telegraphed from a mile away. I’ll just say, I read and enjoy a lot of stories about unlikeable characters. But you gotta give me SOMEONE well developed and interesting enough to root for.
Finally, and this is hard to say without spoiling - the main thing that pushed this down to a two star for me is that I was pretty offended by one aspect of the “resolution” of the kidnapping. Mind you, this is coming from someone who reads a lot of twisted murder stories and is pretty hard to offend, (I enjoyed Gone Girl and American Psycho, for example). But this ending was just completely off-putting.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
The author had me interested for the first half. He has an easy and page turning writing style and did a nice job at writing one particularly repugnant character, who, for the first half, was fun to read about.
But about halfway through this book took a nosedive for me - first with things that were totally unbelievable like implausible plot twists and explanations for behavior that made no sense. But where I really struggled was the ending. It was both ridiculous and telegraphed from a mile away. I’ll just say, I read and enjoy a lot of stories about unlikeable characters. But you gotta give me SOMEONE well developed and interesting enough to root for.
Finally, and this is hard to say without spoiling - the main thing that pushed this down to a two star for me is that I was pretty offended by one aspect of the “resolution” of the kidnapping. Mind you, this is coming from someone who reads a lot of twisted murder stories and is pretty hard to offend, (I enjoyed Gone Girl and American Psycho, for example). But this ending was just completely off-putting.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
August 17, 2020
This was more than great, I liked the idea of the book, but did not like where it went. So, we have weak Lucia feeling guilty for her sister's abduction. Then Mara escaped after 19 years and the sisters are reunited. Mara is wicked, hiding things about all these years. Damien, Lucia's husband is not so sure about Mara's innocence. And now the tricky part, Damien is kicked out from the house, because only Mara is telling the truth and Lucia believes her without blinking. How can Mara figure out the password of Damien's laptop, after 19 years of isolation and being deprived of so many things, including electronic devices, because she was kept in the woods and she was seeing tv rarely? So, Damien is turning in to a cold-blooded killer??? And the ending is worse than all this. Lots of things don't add up. Even so, it was a fast pacing thriller and I really enjoyed it. Thank y, ou NetGalley for this nice book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2020
His Wife's Sister was an enjoyable read for me despite the critical reviews. I liked the way the book started, compelling me to read ahead. The plot was good but went all psycho crazy towards the end. The characters were for the most part good. Of them all, I think Damian was the one I found the best & I enjoyed reading the chapters from his POV. Lucia was a bit of a cliched character & I suppose she was made to behave the way she did intentionally. Nonetheless, she was infuriating & there was nothing unique about her or the way she behaved appearing uninterested &/or defensive for the most part. Mara too was OK. The scenes involving Damian & Mara were good & always filled with a lot of tension. Also, all characters had their own quirks & flaws making it interesting to see their interactions with each other. I really liked that about the book.
I think I would have enjoyed the story better if I was presented with the alternating POV's instead of the first 85% being Damian's POV & the last 15% being Mara's POV. The book was really good for the most part but then went all freakish & strange towards the end. I was hoping for a big twist at the end - & sure as hell there it was, but a bit OTT for me. This was a good one-time read for me.
Thank You, NetGalley, Cherry Tree Publishing & A J Wills for an arc!
I think I would have enjoyed the story better if I was presented with the alternating POV's instead of the first 85% being Damian's POV & the last 15% being Mara's POV. The book was really good for the most part but then went all freakish & strange towards the end. I was hoping for a big twist at the end - & sure as hell there it was, but a bit OTT for me. This was a good one-time read for me.
Thank You, NetGalley, Cherry Tree Publishing & A J Wills for an arc!
December 18, 2023
I usually enjoy this author, but not this time.
The first half of the book was very, very S-L-O-W and the second half of the book was eye rolling.
Not a good combo.
I listened to the audiobook but even the superb narration by narrators Alister Austin and Bronwen Price could not save this book.
UGH!
The first half of the book was very, very S-L-O-W and the second half of the book was eye rolling.
Not a good combo.
I listened to the audiobook but even the superb narration by narrators Alister Austin and Bronwen Price could not save this book.
UGH!
August 18, 2025
In fairness 2.5 but I didn’t feel the want to actually round it up to 3 🌟 considering this title is currently included with audible it was a decent listen, but that made me reflect on what I’d have thought had I purchased it. And I genuinely can’t say that I would.
April 16, 2021
the only thing positive about the book is that it's an easy and quick read.
however, it's sloppy, messy. little storylines started but never finished. Plot holes, and *possible spoiler alert below* 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
Some of the stupidest deaths I've ever read in a thriller.
C'mon really?
The 'He stole her childhood, now she wants it back' doesn't really apply to this story.
There is more that I find wrong about this book. But I'm gonna leave it like this. It might be too much based on my personal opinion.
however, it's sloppy, messy. little storylines started but never finished. Plot holes, and *possible spoiler alert below* 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
Some of the stupidest deaths I've ever read in a thriller.
C'mon really?
The 'He stole her childhood, now she wants it back' doesn't really apply to this story.
There is more that I find wrong about this book. But I'm gonna leave it like this. It might be too much based on my personal opinion.
September 22, 2022
I can't even remember how I came across His Wife's Sister by A.J. Wills, but as soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I had to read it. At first, I was thinking it was going to be something similar to what I have read before, but then this crazy train took a left turn, and I was completely blindsided! It didn't go at all where I thought it was going to go and I loved that. The majority of the story is told from Damian's viewpoint with Mara coming in near the end and between all of the gaslighting, you really have no idea whose story to believe. I was immediately engaged with the writing, and Wills did a great job with the pacing and keeping the reader interested. I am already looking forward to checking out more books from him and his wife as well who is also a thriller author! I love finding new authors, and it was wonderful to have stumbled onto this book.
The audiobook is available on Audible, but I was lucky enough to find it through a library system (like no one had it but one which surprised me), and it was so good. Alister Austin & Bronwen Price were fantastic narrators, and I loved the fact that even though Mara's part is on the smaller side, there was still a narrator for her. And it is pretty short, coming in at just under 9 hours total. I would think His Wife's Sister would be a quick read as well and I don't think you can go wrong either way. I would say that the blinder you go into this one the better, but the synopsis doesn't give too much away, and I would maybe just avoid reading reviews. This was a great twisty thriller from a new-to-me author, and I can't wait for more!
The audiobook is available on Audible, but I was lucky enough to find it through a library system (like no one had it but one which surprised me), and it was so good. Alister Austin & Bronwen Price were fantastic narrators, and I loved the fact that even though Mara's part is on the smaller side, there was still a narrator for her. And it is pretty short, coming in at just under 9 hours total. I would think His Wife's Sister would be a quick read as well and I don't think you can go wrong either way. I would say that the blinder you go into this one the better, but the synopsis doesn't give too much away, and I would maybe just avoid reading reviews. This was a great twisty thriller from a new-to-me author, and I can't wait for more!
January 30, 2021
I will never get those hours of my life back reading, then skimming the last 75% of this tale. This synopsis/review is full of spoilers with the intent of saving you from reading this mess, or save you from having to finish it just to find out how it thankfully ends.
It starts out straightforward enough. Fraternal girl twins are sleeping in a tent in their backyard. One is kidnapped. Police and media scrutiny over the tragedy destroy the family resulting in divorce and then an early death for the parents. Lucia, the remaining twin, is devasted with grief, but with a help of a guy classmate, rallies to a successful life and eventually marries the guy. They buy a nice home, have two children, and have a pleasant life. Then one day 19 years later, Mara, the kidnapped twin, reappears, severely malnourished and traumatized, with tales of escape.
This should be the setup of a fascinating emotional examination of a family suddenly turned upside down by the resurgence of old trauma. That's not exactly what happens.
The narrator for the first 80% of the book is Damian, Lucia's husband of 10 years. Through his own words, he is revealed as a flawed man, amiable but insecure, an involved father but with an occasional wandering eye, seemingly bewildered but resentful of the abrupt changes to his wife and family life. Lucia makes an abrupt 180 and through resurfaced guilt over her twin's kidnapping, prioritizes Mara's care and needs over anyone else's. She decides that she is spending all her vacation and sick time with Mara at the hospital for 6 weeks, and declares that "the kids will be OK." She decides to quit her job to stay home for 6+ months for Mara without discussion of the impact on the family finances. She refuses any psychological or family counseling. (And Mara, after her 19 years of trauma and abuse, only gets an occasional phone call from the hospital psychiatrist? No social worker? No ongoing counseling? No family counseling? This is set in Great Britain. The NHS is that lax?) Mara is uncommunicative about her years of abuse. She refuses to speak about her relationship, if any, with her captor. (Again, long term psychological counseling would seem to be needed, but apparently not?!) She prefers only her sister's company. She is surprised that Lucia is married with children Mara isn't interested in. She reportedly (by Damian the narrator) watches his daughter sleep at night, throws jugs of water, and is a disrupting presence in the previously functioning household. Damian is suspicious, then increasingly resentful of Mara's disruption in their lives. A series of events occurs that turns Lucia evermore against the frantic Damian until Lucia throws him out and declares she is going to divorce.
But then, 80% of the way into the book, the narrator abruptly changes to Mara. Surprise! Mara is really a sweet and innocent abused young woman. She knew right away that Damian didn't really love Lucia. Surprise! She was able to hack into his computer, guess his password, add and rearrange files, and, using a hidden camera she took from Damian who was trying to sell an exclusive "interview" with her, make it appear to Lucia that he was filming Mara in the shower so that Lucia would throw him out. (She wasn't allowed to watch much TV growing up, but was computer saavy. Amazing.) Lucia? Still guilt ridden over her sister, but hey, she's better off without Damian. Damian? He wasn't a flawed, self-absorbed, jealous of the interloper guy. He's really a frothing at the mouth, murderous psychopath who is trying to kill the poor innocent Mara! He's the one who threw the jug, punched Mara in the face, spread lies about her! The last few chapters are a frenzied description of Damian's violently psychotic attempt to kill Mara (& a lady reporter) which is cut short by a convenient accident and Mara & Lucia live happily ever after. Please, give this mess a pass.
It starts out straightforward enough. Fraternal girl twins are sleeping in a tent in their backyard. One is kidnapped. Police and media scrutiny over the tragedy destroy the family resulting in divorce and then an early death for the parents. Lucia, the remaining twin, is devasted with grief, but with a help of a guy classmate, rallies to a successful life and eventually marries the guy. They buy a nice home, have two children, and have a pleasant life. Then one day 19 years later, Mara, the kidnapped twin, reappears, severely malnourished and traumatized, with tales of escape.
This should be the setup of a fascinating emotional examination of a family suddenly turned upside down by the resurgence of old trauma. That's not exactly what happens.
The narrator for the first 80% of the book is Damian, Lucia's husband of 10 years. Through his own words, he is revealed as a flawed man, amiable but insecure, an involved father but with an occasional wandering eye, seemingly bewildered but resentful of the abrupt changes to his wife and family life. Lucia makes an abrupt 180 and through resurfaced guilt over her twin's kidnapping, prioritizes Mara's care and needs over anyone else's. She decides that she is spending all her vacation and sick time with Mara at the hospital for 6 weeks, and declares that "the kids will be OK." She decides to quit her job to stay home for 6+ months for Mara without discussion of the impact on the family finances. She refuses any psychological or family counseling. (And Mara, after her 19 years of trauma and abuse, only gets an occasional phone call from the hospital psychiatrist? No social worker? No ongoing counseling? No family counseling? This is set in Great Britain. The NHS is that lax?) Mara is uncommunicative about her years of abuse. She refuses to speak about her relationship, if any, with her captor. (Again, long term psychological counseling would seem to be needed, but apparently not?!) She prefers only her sister's company. She is surprised that Lucia is married with children Mara isn't interested in. She reportedly (by Damian the narrator) watches his daughter sleep at night, throws jugs of water, and is a disrupting presence in the previously functioning household. Damian is suspicious, then increasingly resentful of Mara's disruption in their lives. A series of events occurs that turns Lucia evermore against the frantic Damian until Lucia throws him out and declares she is going to divorce.
But then, 80% of the way into the book, the narrator abruptly changes to Mara. Surprise! Mara is really a sweet and innocent abused young woman. She knew right away that Damian didn't really love Lucia. Surprise! She was able to hack into his computer, guess his password, add and rearrange files, and, using a hidden camera she took from Damian who was trying to sell an exclusive "interview" with her, make it appear to Lucia that he was filming Mara in the shower so that Lucia would throw him out. (She wasn't allowed to watch much TV growing up, but was computer saavy. Amazing.) Lucia? Still guilt ridden over her sister, but hey, she's better off without Damian. Damian? He wasn't a flawed, self-absorbed, jealous of the interloper guy. He's really a frothing at the mouth, murderous psychopath who is trying to kill the poor innocent Mara! He's the one who threw the jug, punched Mara in the face, spread lies about her! The last few chapters are a frenzied description of Damian's violently psychotic attempt to kill Mara (& a lady reporter) which is cut short by a convenient accident and Mara & Lucia live happily ever after. Please, give this mess a pass.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2020
2.5 stars, rounding down.
His Wife's Sister is an engaging psychological thriller about Mara Sitwell who is found wandering in the woods 19 years after being abducted from her yard. She is reunited with her sister, Lucia, who has long dealt with survivors guilt as Mara was taken that day, and not her. Damian, Lucia's husband, is the only person who suspects there is more to Mara's story than she is leading on.
There's no way I can talk about this one without including spoilers.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
I sound exceptionally critical here but this was still an engaging story. It's quality writing and, at times, very clever. If some of the plot points were cleaned up and multiple POVs introduced earlier, this could transition from an ok story to a GREAT one.
Cheers!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book. #HisWifesSister #NetGalley
His Wife's Sister is an engaging psychological thriller about Mara Sitwell who is found wandering in the woods 19 years after being abducted from her yard. She is reunited with her sister, Lucia, who has long dealt with survivors guilt as Mara was taken that day, and not her. Damian, Lucia's husband, is the only person who suspects there is more to Mara's story than she is leading on.
There's no way I can talk about this one without including spoilers.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
I sound exceptionally critical here but this was still an engaging story. It's quality writing and, at times, very clever. If some of the plot points were cleaned up and multiple POVs introduced earlier, this could transition from an ok story to a GREAT one.
Cheers!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book. #HisWifesSister #NetGalley
June 11, 2020
I wanted to like this novel, however it was problematic for me. The Stockholm Syndrome story line, the holes in the plot, the construction of the dual POVs left a mess of confusion where there could have been a gripping, edge of your seat thriller. I also felt the writing was strong and vivid in the first third of the book but devolved into simple language and unrealistic dialog, specifically the last 20%.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2020
I appreciated the chance to read this book, but it just was not my cup of tea. For me it was slow paced and seemed to go in very strange directions with two unreliable narrators. I felt terrible for Mara (and her sister Lucia) whose family had been torn apart by the creep that kidnapped Mara as a young girl. But, I did not "care" about them --I was not made to care for any of the characters. The perv who kidnapped Mara was barely mentioned at all and when he was the writing seemed lacking in my opinion. ALL extremely unlikeable characters except for the two children. I gave it three stars due to the fact that it was an original story and I did want to find out what happened in the end.
Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.
June 14, 2020
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Mara was abducted 19 years ago and then one day her sister Lucia receives a phone call that they've found someone wandering around in the woods who they believe to be her long lost sister.
This book has a shocking twist which makes your mind real and question much of what you read earlier in the story.
This book is a great psychological thriller which shocked me towards the end as I didn't see the twist coming.
Mara was abducted 19 years ago and then one day her sister Lucia receives a phone call that they've found someone wandering around in the woods who they believe to be her long lost sister.
This book has a shocking twist which makes your mind real and question much of what you read earlier in the story.
This book is a great psychological thriller which shocked me towards the end as I didn't see the twist coming.
January 10, 2021
DNF @ 67%
This was the first book that I never finished.
I got to just over halfway and I had to end it there. The way the story was going was just too much for me to bear. None of it made sense and the way certain characters were acting was just outright ridiculous. It got to the point where I didn’t even care to see how it ended purely for the fact that I didn’t want to be annoyed further.
I’m actually more annoyed at the fact that I even wasted my time reading this as far as I did.
Honestly, I didn’t get it and I’m most definitely not going to continue reading it for the sake of getting it.
This was the first book that I never finished.
I got to just over halfway and I had to end it there. The way the story was going was just too much for me to bear. None of it made sense and the way certain characters were acting was just outright ridiculous. It got to the point where I didn’t even care to see how it ended purely for the fact that I didn’t want to be annoyed further.
I’m actually more annoyed at the fact that I even wasted my time reading this as far as I did.
Honestly, I didn’t get it and I’m most definitely not going to continue reading it for the sake of getting it.
August 13, 2020
Great book! Suspenseful and will keep you guessing. Mara was abducted while outside in a tent with her sister Lucia. . She was 11 years old. It’s 19 years later and the police have found Mara alive. Lucia is married now and has two children. Of course Lucia wants Mara to come live with them but her husband isn’t so sure. Damian is worried about what it will do to their children. He believes Mara might be dangerous.
December 23, 2020
Really not my cup of tea and I ended up skim reading to get to the end. I found myself increasingly frustrated with the characters which were so unrealistic and the plot which was completely implausible. The “twist” only served to reinforce this with a main character being able to enter an uncleared crime scene and recover “evidence” the police had left behind.
December 3, 2020
such a farce very poor, the 'shocking twist' is laughable, no one is likeable in this book couldn't wait to get it over with very poorly written.
January 15, 2022
His Wife's Sister had me feeling a mix of frustration and pure captivation up until the plot twist, and then I was over it. I never trusted Damian simply based off much of his dialogue and thoughts throughout the book, but the twist didn't make sense to me after reading everything else. He was an unreliable narrator for sure, but it just didn't work for me here. This book does have super short chapters, which I love to see, and it certainly kept me on my toes, but in the end, it just isn't a new favorite of mine!
CW for kidnapping, abuse, cheating, violence.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Cherry Tree Publishing for the ARC of His Wife's Sister by AJ Wills.
CW for kidnapping, abuse, cheating, violence.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Cherry Tree Publishing for the ARC of His Wife's Sister by AJ Wills.
August 13, 2020
Great book! Suspenseful and will keep you guessing. Mara was abducted while outside in a tent with her sister Lucia. . She was 11 years old. It’s 19 years later and the police have found Mara alive. Lucia is married now and has two children. Of course Lucia wants Mara to come live with them but her husband isn’t so sure. Damian is worried about what it will do to their children. He believes Mara might be dangerous.
September 15, 2022
Welllllllll… this was a surprising one! I’d been approved for the ARC literally years ago 🤦🏽♀️ but better late the never! Great read/listen. Equally great twist!! Never so that coming. It was a bit slow initially, and I didn’t like Mara at first, but she changed my mind!! Definitely recommend giving this one a go 👌🏼
April 17, 2025
Genuinely one of the worst books I have ever read.
May 31, 2020
'His Wife's Sister' by A. J Wills is a psychological thriller which tells the tale of a family reunited, having been ripped apart in the most unimaginable way.
Mara was 11 years old when she was snatched from her tent. Her older sister Lucia slept through the kidnapping, and for the next two decades, had no idea what had become of her baby sister.
Forward on nineteen years, Lucia and her husband Damian are shocked when they discover that Mara has been found. Malnourished, beaten, weak and wounded. But alive.
The story is told mainly from the eyes of Damian, alternating past to present with each chapter.
I found the story a fascinating read. I could hardly put it down! (I discovered this book via netgalley and was provided with a free copy for my kindle.)
Although the plot was generally strong, towards the end of the book, I found the story got slightly confusing and I was struggling to work out who was the good guy and who was the bad guy!
If you like a mystery and lots of drama, this is one for you!
I am happy to have discovered this author though and can't wait to read more by A. J Wills.
Mara was 11 years old when she was snatched from her tent. Her older sister Lucia slept through the kidnapping, and for the next two decades, had no idea what had become of her baby sister.
Forward on nineteen years, Lucia and her husband Damian are shocked when they discover that Mara has been found. Malnourished, beaten, weak and wounded. But alive.
The story is told mainly from the eyes of Damian, alternating past to present with each chapter.
I found the story a fascinating read. I could hardly put it down! (I discovered this book via netgalley and was provided with a free copy for my kindle.)
Although the plot was generally strong, towards the end of the book, I found the story got slightly confusing and I was struggling to work out who was the good guy and who was the bad guy!
If you like a mystery and lots of drama, this is one for you!
I am happy to have discovered this author though and can't wait to read more by A. J Wills.
August 6, 2020
Nineteen years ago, at the age of eleven, Mara was abducted from her backyard. Lucia, Mara's sister, a bit older, slept thru it and has been guilt-ridden the entire time. Although STILL believing that her sister is alive, Mara marries Damian and they have two small children.
I am afraid to say much more about the story so as to not give away any spoilers. This read DOES captivate at the very beginning and continues to do so throughout.
RECOMMEND!
Many Thanks to Cherry Tree Publishing and NetGalley for a very entertaining read!
I am afraid to say much more about the story so as to not give away any spoilers. This read DOES captivate at the very beginning and continues to do so throughout.
RECOMMEND!
Many Thanks to Cherry Tree Publishing and NetGalley for a very entertaining read!
September 11, 2020
What a roller coaster
That was a very suspenseful and exciting ride. The story was well written with excellent character detail. There were twist and turns that were really unexpected all the way to the end. This was almost 5 stars for me. 4.75 stars.
That was a very suspenseful and exciting ride. The story was well written with excellent character detail. There were twist and turns that were really unexpected all the way to the end. This was almost 5 stars for me. 4.75 stars.
November 2, 2021
After being abducted at the age of 11 and held captive for 19 years, Mara Sitwell was discovered walking through the woods, disoriented and malnourished. Her sister Lucia has been overwhelmed with guilt for 19 years and insists on Mara living with the family once she’s healed enough to head home. Lucia’s husband is not on board, he’s worried about the safety of their children and isn’t convinced of the story she told the police.
His Wife’s Sister is a great fast-paced, quick read psychological thriller. This story had me questioning everything as it’s told from Damian’s POV until just over 3/4's into the story. The twists kept coming, and got better and better at each turn, it was so hard to figure out what was going on. The writing style was engaging, and the character development was decent. The ending was rushed and way too out there, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.
Thank you Cherry Tree Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
His Wife’s Sister is a great fast-paced, quick read psychological thriller. This story had me questioning everything as it’s told from Damian’s POV until just over 3/4's into the story. The twists kept coming, and got better and better at each turn, it was so hard to figure out what was going on. The writing style was engaging, and the character development was decent. The ending was rushed and way too out there, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.
Thank you Cherry Tree Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 9, 2025
A new author for me, most enjoyable book, lots of twists and turns with a very good storyline, will look for more of this author’s work.
March 6, 2021
This was my first read courtesy of NetGalley so firstly, a big thank you for the opportunity. Overall I think this book had great potential however it was a bit of a letdown. I found that the story jumped one from one thing to another, it was quite inconsistent and at one point I know I went back a few pages just to see if I had somehow missed a chapter. It didn't flow. The remaining pages felt rushed, and I was left feeling a little underwhelmed by the whole thing. It was a little messy which is a shame as I felt like it could have been quite a good physiological thriller.
The book is simply about two sisters, one of whom is kidnapped (Mara) at the age of 11 and then 19 years later she suddenly re-appears. Queue, what we are made out to believe is a jealous sister who finds the fact her sister Lucia has moved on with her life, got married and had children all whilst she was left behind. We are made to think that she hates her sister's husband, Damien and that she will do anything to cause issues within their relationship. Damiens character is hard to work out, he craves the attention from the media when Mara turns up, much to the point of feeling disgust that he would want his wife, Lucia to go through all of that once more. The book is written predominately in his point of view and then towards the end, it changes and turns to Mara, it is a bit unexpected and it doesn't feel quite right.
Ultimately the book left you with a lot of unanswered questions, more so than when you first start.
The book is simply about two sisters, one of whom is kidnapped (Mara) at the age of 11 and then 19 years later she suddenly re-appears. Queue, what we are made out to believe is a jealous sister who finds the fact her sister Lucia has moved on with her life, got married and had children all whilst she was left behind. We are made to think that she hates her sister's husband, Damien and that she will do anything to cause issues within their relationship. Damiens character is hard to work out, he craves the attention from the media when Mara turns up, much to the point of feeling disgust that he would want his wife, Lucia to go through all of that once more. The book is written predominately in his point of view and then towards the end, it changes and turns to Mara, it is a bit unexpected and it doesn't feel quite right.
Ultimately the book left you with a lot of unanswered questions, more so than when you first start.
June 11, 2020
His Wife’s Sister
This book kept me on my toes, wondering did he do it, did she do it? I read it quite quickly, hoping to discover the secrets of the abducted Mara.
In this book we follow Damien, father of two, husband to Lucia, as events unfold. As a child, Lucia’s sister Mara was snatched in the night. Damien recalls his interest in Lucia grow during that horrid time in her life where all the attention was briefly on her while police searched for her kidnapped sister. Nineteen years later, Mara is found wandering in the woods, and is eventually reunited with Lucia. Damien has mixed feelings about Lucia spending so much time away from home and their kids while taking care of Mara in the hospital. Eventually Mara moves into the house. Damien thinks she knows more than she’s telling about her abductor and her relationship with him. And he thinks she is dangerous.
Could Mara be trying to get rid of Damien and the children so that she can have her sister Lucia all to herself? Why does she act so irrationally around him and then blame him for the mishaps that take place? Damien searches for answers by visiting the house where Mara was kept hostage for all those years. In the end, the truth is a dangerous monster.
This book kept me on my toes, wondering did he do it, did she do it? I read it quite quickly, hoping to discover the secrets of the abducted Mara.
In this book we follow Damien, father of two, husband to Lucia, as events unfold. As a child, Lucia’s sister Mara was snatched in the night. Damien recalls his interest in Lucia grow during that horrid time in her life where all the attention was briefly on her while police searched for her kidnapped sister. Nineteen years later, Mara is found wandering in the woods, and is eventually reunited with Lucia. Damien has mixed feelings about Lucia spending so much time away from home and their kids while taking care of Mara in the hospital. Eventually Mara moves into the house. Damien thinks she knows more than she’s telling about her abductor and her relationship with him. And he thinks she is dangerous.
Could Mara be trying to get rid of Damien and the children so that she can have her sister Lucia all to herself? Why does she act so irrationally around him and then blame him for the mishaps that take place? Damien searches for answers by visiting the house where Mara was kept hostage for all those years. In the end, the truth is a dangerous monster.
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