The Half Sister is the compelling, twisty novel from Sandie Jones, the author of The Other Woman, perfect for fans of Sally Hepworth’s The Mother-in-Law and Michelle Frances’ The Daughter.
Her arrival will ruin everything
It’s funny but despite everything that’s gone on, it’s good to see her. With each day that passes, the more I understand why she felt the need to do what she did, and if I’m really honest with myself, there’s a part of me that still misses her.
Kate and Lauren. Sisters who are always there for each other. But as they gather for their weekly Sunday lunch, a knock on the door changes everything.
The new arrival, Jess, claims to be their half-sister, but that would mean the unthinkable . . . That she’s the secret daughter of their beloved, recently deceased father Harry. Their mother Rose is devastated and Kate and Lauren refuse to believe Jess’s lies.
But as the fall-out starts it’s clear that each is hiding secrets and that perhaps this family isn’t as perfect as they appear.
Where there was truth, now there are lies and only one thing is certain, their half-sister’s arrival has ruined everything . . .
Sandie Jones has been a freelance journalist for over 20 years, interviewing celebrities for Hello, Woman’s Weekly and the national daily newspapers. Amongst her favourite people to talk to are Paul O’Grady, Joanna Lumley, Julie Walters and the late Bruce Forsyth.
Her debut novel, The Other Woman, is a psychological thriller about the destructive relationship between a woman and her partner’s mother.
If Sandie wasn’t an author she’d be an interior designer as she has an unhealthy obsession with cushions!
She lives in London with her husband and three children.
Jess claims to be the half-sister of Kate and Lauren shortly after the recent death of their father. Their mother Rose is devastated, and Kate and Lauren have quite different reactions to the news. Through the book, there are many secrets uncovered and what they first thought to be a very close family turns out to be not as close as they thought and Jess’ arrival spells the end to many of these family secrets.
This book has some good characters, all strong in their own ways and that works really well. You see behind the scenes of both Kate and Laurens lives and their own struggles that they are hiding from the world as well as their mothers’ struggles.
I most enjoyed Kates desire to find the truth, whatever that takes, and although her initial thoughts are not correct, she is gracious in accepting them. Lauren is a great character too and shows love and compassion that wouldn’t necessarily be expected given the circumstances, though you begin to learn more about why. I didn’t warm to their mother, Rose very well, she seems shocked when Jess first arrives but as you get further through the book you realise why and why in turn, she isn’t the warmest or most caring character.
As with a lot of books at the moment, they are great until the ending. The end felt like it needed a bit more closure for me, some more embellishment and details on the ending which came quite suddenly and gave a bit of an abrupt end to the book, almost like on films where they suddenly stop and give you the text of what happened next in a couple of lines.
Overall, I really enjoyed this insight into their family, and the twists and turns their lives take. The ending wasn’t predictable, I had worked the majority of it out and where there were gaps these were covered well and the ends tied off which I liked but I didn’t see the ending coming as it did.
Thank you to Net Galley, the Publisher and the Author for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
| Title | The Half Sister |
| Author | Sandie Jones |
| Series | N/A |
| Format | eARC |
| Page Count | 448 Pages |
| Genre | Psychological Thrillers |
| Publisher | Pan; Main Market edition |
| Release Date | 25th June 2020 |
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