Isabel Ashdown

Jess and Emily, two sisters who have been estranged for 16 years. Back together with Jess moving in with Emily and her family everything is fine until baby Daisy goes in Jess's care.

I quite enjoyed this family thriller. Thrillers set in the family are my favourite as they seem to have lots going on and plenty secrets. This story had what you would expect with the secrets, twists and turns.

The story did have a few surprises but also had its predictability. There was plenty to keep my interest although I did feel it dragged slightly in the middle.

The story follows the two sisters relationship in the present and the past and all does come clear to why they were apart. Some of this I found predictable and have read the same sort of story many times before. I enjoyed the story set in the present which was all about the disappearance of Daisy which I found the most engaging in the book.

A good read for me and I would read more by this author.… (meer)

When Celine and Pip’s dysfunctional mother dies, they meet up to organise her funeral and deal with the estate, bringing back memories of their sister, Vanessa, who died in mysterious circumstances 15 years previously. Another girl is found dead which seems to echo Vanessa’s death and both women have a connection to a nearby commune led by the enigmatic Seed.

This is an intriguing and absorbing tale. It’s not a fast paced read. It’s a slow burner, gradually drawing the reader in, revealing little clues along the way. It’s told via two voices, that of Celine, who is desperate to find out what happened to her sister all those years ago, and that of Bramble, one of the founders of the commune. It also goes backwards and forwards in time, pulling and combining the strands together, and then travelling towards the big reveal at the end. And what a reveal it is! It could be deemed slightly incredulous but all I can say is please read the book and make your own mind up! It’s well worth the effort.… (meer)

I've had my eye on Little Sister for a while so I couldn't resist picking it up to see what all the fuss was about. Yes, I expected a twisty psychological thriller but what I didn't expect was such a fast-paced dual timeline story that had me suspecting EVERYONE!! Sometimes I didn't even know which 'Little Sister' the book was named after - it really is SO good.

Emily and James have a baby daughter, Daisy. Daisy is the Little Sister of James' teenage daughter, Chloe. When Emily and James go out to a party to welcome in the New Year, Daisy is left in the care of Emily's Little Sister, Jess. When Emily returns home, she finds Jess collapsed on the floor and Daisy missing. As the police hunt for Daisy, we delve into the dark and dusty background of each and every member of this family, discovering more skeletons in the closet than the ghost train at the fair.

Emily and Jess have been apart for many years and have only just been reunited when Jess returned for their mother's funeral. As we look back into their past, we find such deep rooted sibling rivalry that was quite cleverly hidden. On the surface they appear to be loving sisters, but underneath...dare I say it, I think they hated each other! That was all in the past, though - wasn't it?

Meanwhile, Chloe is lying and sneaking around as she spreads her rebellious teenager wings. Could she have put her Little Sister in danger? Then we look at Emily and James - why did Emily return from the New Year's Eve party without James? What happened to James' first wife and why won't he marry Emily? So many questions with such ripe juicy answers just waiting to be plucked within the pages of Little Sister.

You seriously won't be able to put Little Sister down! I thought I had it all worked out on many an occasion, only to be proved wrong time and time again. I gave my eyes a total workout as they whizzed over the pages of this riveting book and I can't recommend it highly enough.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.… (meer)