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Our Sister, Again
On a small island off the Scottish coast, Isla and her family are grieving the loss of her older sister Flora, who died three years ago. Then they're offered the chance to be part of a top-secret trial, which revives loved ones as fully lifelike AI robots using their digital footprint.
Isla has her doubts about Second Chances, but they evaporate the moment the 'new' Flora arrives. This girl is not some uncanny close likeness; she is Flora - a perfect replica. But not everyone on their island feels the same. And as the threats to Flora mount, she grows distant and more secretive. Will Isla be able to protect the new Flora and bring the community back together?
Isla has her doubts about Second Chances, but they evaporate the moment the 'new' Flora arrives. This girl is not some uncanny close likeness; she is Flora - a perfect replica. But not everyone on their island feels the same. And as the threats to Flora mount, she grows distant and more secretive. Will Isla be able to protect the new Flora and bring the community back together?
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 2022
16 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Sophie Cameron
6 books145 followersSophie Cameron is the author of several novels for teens and young adults. Her books have been shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing, the UKLA Book Awards, the Polari Children's & YA Prize and the Diverse Book Awards, among others, and won a Leeds Book Award in 2023. Originally from the Scottish Highlands, she now lives in Spain with her children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
January 20, 2022
Rep: sapphic mc & li
April 24, 2022
Well, that was all kinds of lovely and heartbreaking and thought provoking.
If you’ve been alive long enough, then you know the pain of losing someone you love. You know how it feels to wish you could have just one more moment, hug, conversation, lifetime with that person. What if you were given a second chance?
Nothing has been the same since Isla’s sister died.
But not everyone is happy that this family has been reunited.
The ability Flora had to comprehend her situation, including its limitations, and the exploration of the rights of AI reminded me of Mia and the other synths in Humans.
I didn’t entirely buy Marisa’s actions towards the end of the book and I wanted more information about the person who was behind the threats to Flora. Neither prevented me from powering through this book, though. I also may have teared up slightly at the end.
I really enjoyed the bond between Isla and Ùna, her younger sister. I loved Flora’s complexity and ways she both integrated herself into the family and became her own being as the story progressed. My favourite robot, though, was Stephen; his role was small but his attitude was big.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
If you’ve been alive long enough, then you know the pain of losing someone you love. You know how it feels to wish you could have just one more moment, hug, conversation, lifetime with that person. What if you were given a second chance?
Nothing has been the same since Isla’s sister died.
When Flora died, it was like someone had drawn a line straight through our lives. Everything was divided into Before and After; the time our family was whole and the time that it wasn’t.Now, three years later, Flora is back. An AI version of her is, anyway, but she seems so real. She looks like Flora, down to the smallest scar. She has Flora’s memories. She even laughs like her.
But not everyone is happy that this family has been reunited.
“Who’s behind this? What do they want? And what might they do next?”This is a story about holding on and letting go, and how the people we love never truly leave us. It also raises some big questions. What makes us who we are? Is it our memories, our relationships, the way the people in our lives perceive us?
“Can anyone ever describe someone as they actually are, not just how we see them?”Can robots ever truly experience emotion? Can technology ever replicate what makes us human and, if it can, what rights should AI humans be afforded?
The ability Flora had to comprehend her situation, including its limitations, and the exploration of the rights of AI reminded me of Mia and the other synths in Humans.
I didn’t entirely buy Marisa’s actions towards the end of the book and I wanted more information about the person who was behind the threats to Flora. Neither prevented me from powering through this book, though. I also may have teared up slightly at the end.
I really enjoyed the bond between Isla and Ùna, her younger sister. I loved Flora’s complexity and ways she both integrated herself into the family and became her own being as the story progressed. My favourite robot, though, was Stephen; his role was small but his attitude was big.
“I really believe that what we’re doing with Project Homecoming will change the world.”Thank you so much to NetGalley and Stripes Publishing, an imprint of Little Tiger Group, for the opportunity to read this book.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
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January 22, 2022[Gifted] A heart-warming and bittersweet examination of personhood, familial bonds and healing from loss.
May 12, 2023
4.5 stars, rounding up to 5 - this is just a beautifully told story that deals with heavy themes like loss and grief while being appropriate for readers of all ages. There are some very thoughtful and gripping passages on the meaning of life and humanity, including one involving the discussion of souls and how they can manifest that was very dear to me.
I cried several times throughout, this book is absolutely a tearjerker, and the ending left me feeling hollow in the best of ways. The final sentence was utter perfection.
Ultimately this is a sci-fi novel dealing with technology and robots and how they can (or can't) be integrated into society for the purposes of getting our loved ones back, but the best sci-fi harkens back to humanity, and Our Sister, Again did that exceedingly well.
I cried several times throughout, this book is absolutely a tearjerker, and the ending left me feeling hollow in the best of ways. The final sentence was utter perfection.
Ultimately this is a sci-fi novel dealing with technology and robots and how they can (or can't) be integrated into society for the purposes of getting our loved ones back, but the best sci-fi harkens back to humanity, and Our Sister, Again did that exceedingly well.
June 13, 2022
I just found this book ehh. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. The beginning is rough. I am glad I hung in there to keep going. I enjoyed the middle and the end of the book. I am glad this didn't turn into a machine trying to take over the world and kill everyone as I expected lol. When her eyes started turning red I was like uttohh Skynet has landed lol.
May 3, 2022
4.5*
i cried oh wow
i cried oh wow
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June 3, 2024
Trigger & Content Warnings
Grief & loss depiction (theme)
Death of a sister recounted
Grief & loss depiction (theme)
Death of a sister recounted
May 12, 2022
Thank you to Little Tiger for the ARC to review.
This was a fascinating and deeply thought provoking story about love, loss and family. I feel like we would all instantly jump at the chance to be able to see our lost loved ones again, perhaps without thinking about the reality and long term ramifications… This book explores the many situations, good and bad, that could arise from welcoming a robot replica family member into your life. It’s entertaining and funny but also heartbreaking, and will definitely be added to my school library shelves.
This was a fascinating and deeply thought provoking story about love, loss and family. I feel like we would all instantly jump at the chance to be able to see our lost loved ones again, perhaps without thinking about the reality and long term ramifications… This book explores the many situations, good and bad, that could arise from welcoming a robot replica family member into your life. It’s entertaining and funny but also heartbreaking, and will definitely be added to my school library shelves.
March 15, 2025
i read this book for school, and it wasn’t a bad book but it wasn’t the best book i’ve ever read.
August 12, 2022
This is such an amazing and emotional story. Isla’s sister Flora died a year and a half ago and while the family is still grieving, Isla’s mum just can’t seem to move on, so Isla decides to sign her mum up to a support group but a year and a half after her mum gets in contact with the group, the family is not incomplete anymore as a new Flora is welcomed back.
A new Flora, a robot version, created by a company that seeks to bring back the deceased to families who have lost their loved ones, brings back an AI robot Flora who seems every bit the same Flora she always was, albeit a Flora from two years ago, still fifteen-years-old, and who remembers things the way they were before she got sick. With Flora’s return to the island her family’s lives can return to normal, or so they hope, except things are different, Flora isn’t quite the same, and not everybody on the island is happy to see her return. This story is so interesting and such an emotional read. The book is told from Isla’s perspective as she and her family react differently to Flora coming back into their lives after her death nearly two years earlier. I loved the series Humans when it aired several years ago on tv so this book was instantly one I wanted to read, the idea of a human robot and how real they could be being something that made me want to pick this up.
Flora’s existence is part of a project by the company who made her, a secret project which if failed could see Flora taken away from her family. They live on a small Scottish island so the community know about Flora coming back too, but although at first it seems everyone is pleased to welcome Flora back, some bad things start happening, which suggests someone isn’t happy about her return. I like how we get to see what happens from Isla’s point of view and how emotional this story is from the start. Although Flora is welcomed at first, it soon becomes clear that something is wrong and on top of it, although Flora seems to be the same teenage girl she always was, it’s soon clear that there are some differences and as the story moves on Flora starts to become more and more distant from Isla and the rest of her family.
I like what happens and how things go despite some of the darker things happening on the island too. Isla’s budding relationship with Holly is one I really enjoyed reading and gives some light relief to the heavier stuff Isla’s having to deal with at home. As the story moves on there are some interesting twists and I like what happens and what is discovered. There’s a big twist near the end and a reveal about what has been happening and I like how this story became not only a story about Flora and her family but also about the idea of bringing back humans as robots and whether it’s really possible and whether should be done.
The story’s ending is good but it’s a difficult one to read too as it’s both happy and sad. It’s a bit of a sad heart-breaking ending in one way with what happens, but at the same time it’s also a good ending and happy in ways too. It certainly feels like the right ending and I do like how one character does act differently near the end towards Flora. Overall this book really pulled at me emotionally, not only for Isla’s story, dealing with what’s happening with Flora and her own grief at the original Flora’s death, as well as dealing with other things happening in her life, but it’s a good book for thinking about what it means to be human and the ethics or bringing someone back (if we could). There are so many things to think about after reading this and it’s such a wonderful and emotional read. It’s definitely a book that will stay with me a long time and I’d recommend it to everyone to read!
-Thanks to Little Tiger for a free copy.
A new Flora, a robot version, created by a company that seeks to bring back the deceased to families who have lost their loved ones, brings back an AI robot Flora who seems every bit the same Flora she always was, albeit a Flora from two years ago, still fifteen-years-old, and who remembers things the way they were before she got sick. With Flora’s return to the island her family’s lives can return to normal, or so they hope, except things are different, Flora isn’t quite the same, and not everybody on the island is happy to see her return. This story is so interesting and such an emotional read. The book is told from Isla’s perspective as she and her family react differently to Flora coming back into their lives after her death nearly two years earlier. I loved the series Humans when it aired several years ago on tv so this book was instantly one I wanted to read, the idea of a human robot and how real they could be being something that made me want to pick this up.
Flora’s existence is part of a project by the company who made her, a secret project which if failed could see Flora taken away from her family. They live on a small Scottish island so the community know about Flora coming back too, but although at first it seems everyone is pleased to welcome Flora back, some bad things start happening, which suggests someone isn’t happy about her return. I like how we get to see what happens from Isla’s point of view and how emotional this story is from the start. Although Flora is welcomed at first, it soon becomes clear that something is wrong and on top of it, although Flora seems to be the same teenage girl she always was, it’s soon clear that there are some differences and as the story moves on Flora starts to become more and more distant from Isla and the rest of her family.
I like what happens and how things go despite some of the darker things happening on the island too. Isla’s budding relationship with Holly is one I really enjoyed reading and gives some light relief to the heavier stuff Isla’s having to deal with at home. As the story moves on there are some interesting twists and I like what happens and what is discovered. There’s a big twist near the end and a reveal about what has been happening and I like how this story became not only a story about Flora and her family but also about the idea of bringing back humans as robots and whether it’s really possible and whether should be done.
The story’s ending is good but it’s a difficult one to read too as it’s both happy and sad. It’s a bit of a sad heart-breaking ending in one way with what happens, but at the same time it’s also a good ending and happy in ways too. It certainly feels like the right ending and I do like how one character does act differently near the end towards Flora. Overall this book really pulled at me emotionally, not only for Isla’s story, dealing with what’s happening with Flora and her own grief at the original Flora’s death, as well as dealing with other things happening in her life, but it’s a good book for thinking about what it means to be human and the ethics or bringing someone back (if we could). There are so many things to think about after reading this and it’s such a wonderful and emotional read. It’s definitely a book that will stay with me a long time and I’d recommend it to everyone to read!
-Thanks to Little Tiger for a free copy.
April 15, 2022
Thank you so much to Little Tiger Group /Stripes Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Wow this book hits you with so many emotions throughout the whole thing. I didn’t expect this story would be so deep and so hard hitting, but I suppose I should have figured that it would be.
When Isla’s sister Flora died her family did too, but then an opportunity no one has ever had before occurs in the form of a high tech AI robot replica. Flora is Flora again only she’s a robot and not everyone on their small island likes having her there.
This bring so many thoughts to mind and makes you seriously consider everything, from the whole AI robot being so lifelike, so real, to grief and how others deal with everything so different to even adjusting to having someone back from the dead again. It’s such an odd thought, what is humanity and can a robot actually understand it? Do they feel emotions if they are a robot? It’s such a deep intense story. I loved that the book answers some if these questions, that we see what it’s like for the returned robots.
I have loved reading this the characters are all amazing I love the connections they all have and I love that they were written so realistically, so naturally. I love that Isla is the one trying to figure everything out, the one that’s really questioning everything. It’s sweet that Úna is so close with Flora again so quickly and doesn’t view her any different. I also found having her dad be so against it made it work more as you saw her in a different view and perspective through his eyes.
I adore the relationship we got with Holly and Isla it was adorable reading her first crush through this strange and unusual time in her life. It was adorable and so cute, a perfect additional situation within the story.
Wow the whole story is so incredible and I just honestly have no idea how the author came up with this beautiful story, or how she captured it so perfectly in writing it up. It really is so hard hitting and deep, your emotions run constantly and you heart tugs. You have so much to solve and to understand all with the characters doing the same. It had twists in the storyline that capture you and shock you and you really are absorbed into it all.
I loved this book and I connected to the family so deeply to their strong grief, to this life like robot that you are made to feel is so real, though was still a robot at heart.
I couldn’t fault this book, it was all so cleverly created and it’s stunning a total must read for everyone. I’m not usually a robot person literally at all I’m terrified of them but this book drew me in and showed me such a beauty, a different side to it and it’s mesmerising and wow.
I honestly think this book will stay with me for a long while it was so beautiful, so unique to anything I’d ever read before and it offered so many different elements, so many different characters and so many different perspectives of everything that was going on. It was truly a sensational book.
Wow this book hits you with so many emotions throughout the whole thing. I didn’t expect this story would be so deep and so hard hitting, but I suppose I should have figured that it would be.
When Isla’s sister Flora died her family did too, but then an opportunity no one has ever had before occurs in the form of a high tech AI robot replica. Flora is Flora again only she’s a robot and not everyone on their small island likes having her there.
This bring so many thoughts to mind and makes you seriously consider everything, from the whole AI robot being so lifelike, so real, to grief and how others deal with everything so different to even adjusting to having someone back from the dead again. It’s such an odd thought, what is humanity and can a robot actually understand it? Do they feel emotions if they are a robot? It’s such a deep intense story. I loved that the book answers some if these questions, that we see what it’s like for the returned robots.
I have loved reading this the characters are all amazing I love the connections they all have and I love that they were written so realistically, so naturally. I love that Isla is the one trying to figure everything out, the one that’s really questioning everything. It’s sweet that Úna is so close with Flora again so quickly and doesn’t view her any different. I also found having her dad be so against it made it work more as you saw her in a different view and perspective through his eyes.
I adore the relationship we got with Holly and Isla it was adorable reading her first crush through this strange and unusual time in her life. It was adorable and so cute, a perfect additional situation within the story.
Wow the whole story is so incredible and I just honestly have no idea how the author came up with this beautiful story, or how she captured it so perfectly in writing it up. It really is so hard hitting and deep, your emotions run constantly and you heart tugs. You have so much to solve and to understand all with the characters doing the same. It had twists in the storyline that capture you and shock you and you really are absorbed into it all.
I loved this book and I connected to the family so deeply to their strong grief, to this life like robot that you are made to feel is so real, though was still a robot at heart.
I couldn’t fault this book, it was all so cleverly created and it’s stunning a total must read for everyone. I’m not usually a robot person literally at all I’m terrified of them but this book drew me in and showed me such a beauty, a different side to it and it’s mesmerising and wow.
I honestly think this book will stay with me for a long while it was so beautiful, so unique to anything I’d ever read before and it offered so many different elements, so many different characters and so many different perspectives of everything that was going on. It was truly a sensational book.
May 26, 2022
I actually don't understand why I don't see more readers enjoying Sophie Cameron's books. I discovered her book Out of the Blue, a wlw sci-fi novel, through Book Box Club and bought The Last Bus to Everland myself. Both of those books were amazing and the latter was even heartbreaking and made me cry loads of ugly tears. I was therefore quite excited when I saw that she had a new book releasing and even more when I saw it was a sci-fi novel again!
It's hard to explain this book, to explain what it's about. It's about a lot of things. It's about personality and what makes you uniquely you and if it is possible for someone else to simply program a new version of you. It's about grief and letting go and what it means to get a second chance with someone who has died too soon and what it means if that second chance might not turn out as expected. It's mostly about love and all the different ways to express love.
And along the way, while showing us about personalities and grief and love, we meet a few truly amazing people, all dealing with their emotions and situations in their own and unique way. I love how this book doesn't tell anyone how to feel, how to grieve or how to love. The author never tells us what to think ourselves, which characters in the story are right and which are wrong. They all have their own reasons and they all in their own way are right.
I also enjoyed the way Cameron dealt with the technological specifics of the story. I think a lot of the techniques Cameron describes in her book are already there. I also believe that sooner or later this is something people will try. And if it all eventually ends like this book does I think it's an amazing outcome. The lines between human and machine will blur and yet I do believe, just like this book, that making a carbon copy of someone else will always be impossible.
If you have never read anything by Sophie Cameron: Please give her a chance! Especially this book and Out of the Blue are also amazing books to gift to younger kids to just see wlw love as it should be: as love.
It's hard to explain this book, to explain what it's about. It's about a lot of things. It's about personality and what makes you uniquely you and if it is possible for someone else to simply program a new version of you. It's about grief and letting go and what it means to get a second chance with someone who has died too soon and what it means if that second chance might not turn out as expected. It's mostly about love and all the different ways to express love.
And along the way, while showing us about personalities and grief and love, we meet a few truly amazing people, all dealing with their emotions and situations in their own and unique way. I love how this book doesn't tell anyone how to feel, how to grieve or how to love. The author never tells us what to think ourselves, which characters in the story are right and which are wrong. They all have their own reasons and they all in their own way are right.
I also enjoyed the way Cameron dealt with the technological specifics of the story. I think a lot of the techniques Cameron describes in her book are already there. I also believe that sooner or later this is something people will try. And if it all eventually ends like this book does I think it's an amazing outcome. The lines between human and machine will blur and yet I do believe, just like this book, that making a carbon copy of someone else will always be impossible.
If you have never read anything by Sophie Cameron: Please give her a chance! Especially this book and Out of the Blue are also amazing books to gift to younger kids to just see wlw love as it should be: as love.
July 20, 2022
Our Sister, Again is one of the most memorable books I've read in a long time. Its protagonists are Isla and her family, who are grieving the loss of her sister Flora. The family lives on a small island off Scotland, a community that doesn't necessarily take it too well when Isla's family are offered a chance to take part in a ground-breaking scheme: a chance to have an AI 'clone' of Flora come to live with them - a second chance, essentially, at having Flora back in their family, three years after her death.
Sophie Cameron masterfully explores the nuances and implications of this scenario: how the family members feel, individually and as a unit, about having Flora back; how Flora herself feels, and how she adjusts to being 'alive' again; the ethical and moral questions raised by the existence of a lifelike AI, and the chilling sense of strangeness around things like Flora's need to charge her battery rather than sleep. The action ramps up as the book continues, bringing in the threats and dangers that Flora faces and how she tries to deal with them, leading to a satisfying and well-plotted conclusion, and one which made me well up a little.
The book does an excellent job of dealing with large philosophical questions: what is consciousness? What is humanity? How do we define 'personhood'? What rights do AI 'people' have, and how do they differ from the rights of other people? Overall, this book was an emotional, intelligent, challenging (in the best sense) read, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I would have loved it when I was a tween, and that's the highest praise I can pay.
Sophie Cameron masterfully explores the nuances and implications of this scenario: how the family members feel, individually and as a unit, about having Flora back; how Flora herself feels, and how she adjusts to being 'alive' again; the ethical and moral questions raised by the existence of a lifelike AI, and the chilling sense of strangeness around things like Flora's need to charge her battery rather than sleep. The action ramps up as the book continues, bringing in the threats and dangers that Flora faces and how she tries to deal with them, leading to a satisfying and well-plotted conclusion, and one which made me well up a little.
The book does an excellent job of dealing with large philosophical questions: what is consciousness? What is humanity? How do we define 'personhood'? What rights do AI 'people' have, and how do they differ from the rights of other people? Overall, this book was an emotional, intelligent, challenging (in the best sense) read, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I would have loved it when I was a tween, and that's the highest praise I can pay.
February 18, 2025
I found this book hugely enjoyable. It is such an intriguing hypothesis - if someone could take all of the social media posts and all the photos and all of the memories from close relatives and friends of a deceased person would you want an AI clone of that person to come back to somehow ease the grief?
For 12 year old Isla and her little sister Una, that’s precisely what happens. Her mum applies to a company called Second Chances who do their utmost to replicate her 14 year old daughter Flora who died of cancer three years earlier. The program is a social experiment and the families existence of a remote Scottish Island make them the perfect candidates to see if the ensuing robot/Flora hybrid can integrate into their lives to somehow ease the yawning chasm that the death of Flora left in their life.
Because Flora was recreated from memories and the social media persona that the late Flora created, it leads to quite deep suppositions such as, “We can only ever look at someone through our own eyes. Can anyone ever describe someone as they actually are, not just how we see them?” I liked the exploration of what it means to be human.
For 12 year old Isla and her little sister Una, that’s precisely what happens. Her mum applies to a company called Second Chances who do their utmost to replicate her 14 year old daughter Flora who died of cancer three years earlier. The program is a social experiment and the families existence of a remote Scottish Island make them the perfect candidates to see if the ensuing robot/Flora hybrid can integrate into their lives to somehow ease the yawning chasm that the death of Flora left in their life.
Because Flora was recreated from memories and the social media persona that the late Flora created, it leads to quite deep suppositions such as, “We can only ever look at someone through our own eyes. Can anyone ever describe someone as they actually are, not just how we see them?” I liked the exploration of what it means to be human.
May 29, 2022
i love spotting motifs across an author’s books; for cameron, it’s emotionally gut-ripping twists, remarkably touching and detailed relationships with parents who feel like real characters, and always ending with a departure. i adored the recurring scottish cultural elements, but i’m already a huge cameron fan so i expected as much! always nice to see a slice of home on the page.
however, not my favourite cameron book. due to the younger demographic, a higher suspension of disbelief is naturally expected, but it was just a little too much for myself, personally. and the later quarter of the book took on a bit of a high-dystopian twist, which i personally wasn’t crazy about. plus there was a lot of philosophical material that wasn’t able to be fully explored, again likely considering the demographic; i genuinely can’t count the amount of times i wrote ‘what makes a human?’ in the margins.
still, a damn work of art.
however, not my favourite cameron book. due to the younger demographic, a higher suspension of disbelief is naturally expected, but it was just a little too much for myself, personally. and the later quarter of the book took on a bit of a high-dystopian twist, which i personally wasn’t crazy about. plus there was a lot of philosophical material that wasn’t able to be fully explored, again likely considering the demographic; i genuinely can’t count the amount of times i wrote ‘what makes a human?’ in the margins.
still, a damn work of art.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2023
I know for certain that every review that you read will be different. People have different opinions and speak their mind differently than everyone else. Some people find it easier to focus on the negatives while others prefer the positives. You may even be a person who just prefers to state facts and don't rely on opinions that may be bias. Focusing on negatives can be so much more easier that focusing on positives and that is why you may be put off something based off its reviews.
First of all I'd like to state that in my honest opinion this is a wonderful book. It has everything that I look for in a book. It has an interesting setting. A wonderful set of characters. A unique plot. A moment in the book when you just want to read the next chapter.
Subjects it Touches up on:
- LGBTQIA++
- parents who don't live together
- loss of a loved one
(I need to add more but I'll do it later)
First of all I'd like to state that in my honest opinion this is a wonderful book. It has everything that I look for in a book. It has an interesting setting. A wonderful set of characters. A unique plot. A moment in the book when you just want to read the next chapter.
Subjects it Touches up on:
- LGBTQIA++
- parents who don't live together
- loss of a loved one
(I need to add more but I'll do it later)
July 27, 2024
This book was so heart breaking. Isla's family is ripped apart after the death of her older sister, Flora. Isla is desperate to get her family back to normal again, even though she's ripped apart too.
But when a company called Second Chances gives Isla's family the chance to have Flora back home again, they grab the opportunity. But having Flora back in the house again causes some problems with the family and their village too. Have they gone too far? Is having Flora back again just too much for the family?
I loved this book. Although I haven't been through anything Isla has been through, it felt like I had. All the characters were so likeable, and I really pined for them!
The themes surrounding AI were also very interesting. It really made me think.
Everybody should read this book!
But when a company called Second Chances gives Isla's family the chance to have Flora back home again, they grab the opportunity. But having Flora back in the house again causes some problems with the family and their village too. Have they gone too far? Is having Flora back again just too much for the family?
I loved this book. Although I haven't been through anything Isla has been through, it felt like I had. All the characters were so likeable, and I really pined for them!
The themes surrounding AI were also very interesting. It really made me think.
Everybody should read this book!
October 30, 2025
4 and a half stars.
Such complex topics dealt with so powerfully; what it means to be you, can you bring someone back from death? If you do, are they frozen like they were before? Whose thoughts and biases create them? I honestly had no idea how this was going to end especially in a middle grade so it was a very gripping mystery. The depth and the detail in all of these characters’ responses to the situation is so well thought out and realistic, the parents divorcing over it, the kids and mum just clinging to wanting their relative back, the dad knowing that they can’t, the friend holding secrets back. It’s all so complicated. The ending made so much sense and I felt a lot of relief when they stopped calling her Flora.
Sci fi isn’t really my thing but this was a very significant, topical story, both in relation to AI (the wider world issue) and my personal thoughts about grief.
Such complex topics dealt with so powerfully; what it means to be you, can you bring someone back from death? If you do, are they frozen like they were before? Whose thoughts and biases create them? I honestly had no idea how this was going to end especially in a middle grade so it was a very gripping mystery. The depth and the detail in all of these characters’ responses to the situation is so well thought out and realistic, the parents divorcing over it, the kids and mum just clinging to wanting their relative back, the dad knowing that they can’t, the friend holding secrets back. It’s all so complicated. The ending made so much sense and I felt a lot of relief when they stopped calling her Flora.
Sci fi isn’t really my thing but this was a very significant, topical story, both in relation to AI (the wider world issue) and my personal thoughts about grief.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2024
1.45 stars (2 d.p.)
covered some interesting topics but overall had a really slow pace throughout - which was unbearable as the characters... there was no emotional appeal or any attachment to any of them. perhaps, it's partly due to the fact that i too, could not accept Heather as a replacement for Flora, not because she's a robot but because you can't undo someone's death. grief is a part of life. you can't prevent that. nor can you avoid it.
also, yet another irrelevant romance subplot.
covered some interesting topics but overall had a really slow pace throughout - which was unbearable as the characters... there was no emotional appeal or any attachment to any of them. perhaps, it's partly due to the fact that i too, could not accept Heather as a replacement for Flora, not because she's a robot but because you can't undo someone's death. grief is a part of life. you can't prevent that. nor can you avoid it.
also, yet another irrelevant romance subplot.
March 28, 2022
This was such a good read and such an important book with an important message for children. It was well written with a compelling sotryline and well developed characters that would be relatable for children and that I fell in love with.
It explores the issues within the book masterfully with family drama, sci fi and loss all wrapped up in a beautiful bow. This book is a triumph. I will definitely be looking for more from this author.
It explores the issues within the book masterfully with family drama, sci fi and loss all wrapped up in a beautiful bow. This book is a triumph. I will definitely be looking for more from this author.
April 11, 2022
Well, that was all kinds of brilliance. Artificial intelligence, family and being given a second chance. I really enjoyed the mystery element of this and all the chat about what it means to be human. This whole ‘bringing someone back’ thing is a moral dilemma and a half - I think this book explores the complexities and the emotions attached to it brilliantly. Isla is such an amazing character and I loved all of the twists and turns in this.
April 29, 2022
"I wonder if she can remember any of those days, if they sometimes emerge like stars on an overcast night, or if her mind is all clouds now"
A beautiful tale of grief, loss, family and first love, set on a remote Scottish island. After Isla's sister dies, a tech company brings her back - as a machine. Is Flora really her sister again, or is what makes someone human more than just their memories?
A beautiful tale of grief, loss, family and first love, set on a remote Scottish island. After Isla's sister dies, a tech company brings her back - as a machine. Is Flora really her sister again, or is what makes someone human more than just their memories?
May 4, 2022
I think this is an important book, a book written for children but that can be appreciated by adult too.
It deals with serious topics like grief and loss but also with the possibility of AI and how it could impact us.
The characters, the world building, and the plot are well developed and emotionally charged.
A poignant, emotionally charged, and riveting story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It deals with serious topics like grief and loss but also with the possibility of AI and how it could impact us.
The characters, the world building, and the plot are well developed and emotionally charged.
A poignant, emotionally charged, and riveting story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
May 20, 2022
One of the best books I have read this year. It is refreshing to read a book with LGBTQ+ element that doesn't portray it as a secret but rather as a normal element of a YA life. Great story that covers family, growing up, loss, community and how connected we are in the world now even if you are on a tiny island of the coast of Scotland.
August 20, 2022
This book is both thought-provoking and well-written, but it's the characters who really shine here; they always feel like real, vulnerable people trying their best. Sophie Cameron is an author who deserves a wide audience.
April 6, 2022
4.5
Read & reviewed for The Bookbag
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/O...
Read & reviewed for The Bookbag
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/O...
April 26, 2022
Fantastic story that brings up so many ethical discussions and explores what grief does to peoples emotions and perceptions.
January 1, 2023
took me a while to read and is emotional but overall it’s a really good book!
February 24, 2023
Beautiful read and really thought provoking
March 31, 2023
A great idea for a book, loved the characters. The mystery felt like a bit of an afterthought despite it being one of the main stories throughout. Great ending though!
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