The Half Sister: A Novel

Sandie Jones

Jun 2020 · Sold by Minotaur Books

About this eBook

From Sandie Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hello Sunshine Book Club pick The Other Woman, comes The Half Sister; a compelling new domestic suspense novel about a family who is forever changed when a stranger arrives at their door.

Meet the half sister, and unravel the ties that blind us.

THE TRUTH

Sisters Kate and Lauren meet for Sunday lunch every week without fail, especially after the loss of their father.

THE LIE

But a knock at the door is about to change everything. A young woman by the name of Jess holds a note with the results of a DNA test, claiming to be their half sister.

THE UNTHINKABLE

As the fallout starts, it's clear that they are all hiding secrets, and perhaps this family isn't as perfect as it appears.

Ratings and reviews

Sisters Kate and Lauren couldn’t be more different. When a total stranger shows up at their mother’s house while they’re having lunch, their world’s are turned upside down. The girl claims to be their half-sister, with a DNA test as proof. Suddenly secrets that have been buried for decades are revealed, secrets that threaten to tear the family apart. The Half Sister is told in the first-person, alternating between the perspectives of Kate and Lauren. I found myself identifying more with Lauren and I’m not sure why. When I first read the synopsis of The Half Sister, I had no idea how the story was going to unfold. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the twisty thriller that presented itself. The pacing was significantly slower than Jones’ last book The First Mistake, but it was still a quick read, and thoroughly more plausible. If you like twisty, domestic thrillers, The Half Sister is for you. It will keep you guessing right up until the end. Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the review copy! All opinions are my own.

Sisters Lauren and Kate rarely see things the same way, but they still meet at their mother’s house for lunch every Sunday. It’s a difficult-to-abandon ritual, especially since their father’s death some ten months earlier. Still, they come together, making assumptions about each other and harboring resentments. Unknown to the others, they each hold secrets, and it’s clear that there are hard feelings between the sisters and their mother. An unexpected knock at the door throws the family into chaos. The young woman standing there is Jess . . . and the DNA test she holds will change everything. Several plotline threads come together to create this twisty, occasionally creepy, compulsive narrative that draws readers into the telling of the tale and keeps the pages turning. Told from two points of view [Kate and Lauren], the unfolding narrative keeps the tension building as the reader discovers half-truths, assumptions, and manipulations. Relatable characters, not always lovable but always believable, populate the story and interact with each other in plausible ways. The narrative, filled with surprising, closely-guarded revelations, maintains an undercurrent of uneasiness that touches all of the characters and ratchets up the suspense. Readers will find everything they believe they know becomes something entirely different. Don’t miss this one.

I enjoyed reading this mystery/thriller. I loved how I could not guess the truth. It did a good job of leading me off on tangents with Lauren and Kate and Jess and the ending was quite shocking but made sense when I put all the pieces together. The book was told from the views of Kate and Lauren and though both kind of irritated me at times with their actions, they redeemed themselves by the end since those actions ended up helping solve the mystery. I do like how it wasn't all about the sudden appearance of the supposed half sister. It was nice to read about how Kate was trying for a baby and that Lauren was looking for ways to keep her family together while trying to find happiness. This is a good summer read.

About the author

SANDIE JONES has worked as a freelance journalist for more than twenty years and has written for publications including the Sunday Times, Woman’s Weekly, and Hello magazine. She lives in London with her husband and three children. The Other Woman was her debut novel and a Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club pick.