By Sandie Jones
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.
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 . . .
ISBN: 9781529033045.
A selection of our book club members are reading The Half Sister by Sandie Jones, courtesy of Pan Macmillan Australia. You can read their reviews in the comment section below, or add your own!
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Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Pan MacMillan I was lucky enough to review “The Half Sister” by Sandie Jones. I was so keen to read this book and it didn’t disappoint.
Kate and Lauren are sisters who are close. They live very different lives, Kate – married, no children, although been trying via IVF for some years and a journalist who interviews all the big named stars. Then you have Lauren – unhappily married, 3 children and somewhat envious of the life Kate lives. Despite all this they still support and love each other, that is until Jess enters their lives and threatens to ruin everything.
Kate and Lauren attend their mothers house every Sunday for roast dinner. It hasn’t quite been the same since they lost their father. However, they attend week in and week out for their mother’s sake. One Sunday there is a knock on the door…it is Jess, claiming to be their dead father’s long lost daughter. Kate refuses to believe this could be true, however Lauren feels different.
As the story goes along you will find out secrets that each family member keeps from each other and tries their hardest to not let them get out. Relationships are strained and lies are told. But above all else the arrival of Jess has ruined almost everything but at the end of the day it may just clear pathways and allow people to finally be happy.
It’s a great suspense read, some good twists and very addictive. I haven’t read Sandie’s other books but they are on definitely on my tbr list. Her covers and titles always tend to draw me in. Highly recommend The Half Sister
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Pan MacMillan for the wonderful book to read.
Who is Jess and how does she fit into to our family? These thoughts are running through Kate’s mind as she tries to remember snippets from the past. The past that she forgot about. Is this girl Jess telling the truth or is her family hiding secrets?
Kate knew this day would come but she didn’t think it would come like this. She thought maybe a long-lost relative might be there somewhere but how will she find out who Jess is. Thinking back, she finds memories she had long forgotten. Do they relate to what’s being uncovered now?
Learning the answers about Jess could lead them to discovering things they wish they didn’t uncover.
The Half Sister is written from the point of view from both Kate and Lauren and each chapter alternates between the two. Which is a great way to get to know a little
bit more about each sister and their story. Kate and Lauren are having their own life struggles and with a new half-sister newly arrived this just adds to the already busy life. Is Jess really who she says she is?
This is a story about how instantly a knock at the door can change a life.
Sandie Jones has written a cleverly crafted story with some amazing twists and great secrets to discover. This book will keep you awake wanting to know more and trying to guess the answer right until the end.
Did I enjoy the half-sister?, yes and no.
Yes because I enjoyed the story line, the characters and the ‘was she, wasn’t she’ part of the book. Enjoyed the ending, that I was not expecting.
No because I found it a bit repetitive in a few areas, going over things that we had already read. I thought it would be more of a thriller. Quite a big book for the main event at the end. At times, I actually had to tell myself to move on thru the book.
But overall it was a good read, I did expect more out of it but the idea was supurb.
The Half Sister was an interesting mystery with a well spun story full of ups & downs and surprises to keep you guessing right up to the very end.
Well written, snappy, emotive with characters we can all relate to & family secrets we all want to forget, I found this book hard to put down.
Jess was both endearing and irritating in equal measures, Kate was warm & bold and Lauren just needed a big hug! And don’t get me started on the mother!
The ending was a great conclusion to a suspenseful story. A great read!
The Half Sister by Sandie Jones was a fantastic read with great characters and many twists which kept me turning the pages.
The main characters of the story are Lauren and Kate who are always there for each other, until Sunday lunch at their mum’s house one week and the knock on the door that will change everything they believed in forever.
The knock on the door, who introduced herself as Jess claims that she is their half-sister, a secret daughter of their father who had died only a short time ago. Lauren and Kate struggle to come to terms with this as Kate is suspicious of Jess but Lauren is a little more on the accepting side. Rose their mother is totally put off by the situation.
Both Kate and Lauren have their own family problems, this only adds to them. They must both work through them and work out what and who they believe. The big issue for all of the family is are they as perfect as they thought?
I would highly recommend The Half Sister for anyone who likes a story with lots of twists, and surprises!
I absolutely loved this book by Sandie Jones my first read by this author.
From the 1st page I was hooked – the story involves Lauren and Kate who are sisters and going thru their own trials and tribulations of family life and their mother Rose who has recently been widowed and then during one Sunday family lunch a stranger arrives on their doorstep claiming to be their half sister Jess and then Whoa the twists and turns commence.
A truly great read.
I gave it 5 stars.
Thank you BeautyandLace and Pan MacMillan for the opportunity to read and review The Half Sister written by Sandie Jones.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book it had me intrigued from the very beginning! It’s a tale of two sisters Kate and Lauren, their relationship is rather complicated. During the course of the story you discover what each sister coveted from the other sister’s seemingly perfect life has its price, there’s always another side the the story.
When their father unexpectedly passed away they both learn some secrets that will shock them both.
Who was this mystery arrival, could this person be the love child of their perfect father that they idolized and could this newcomer be their half sister? What would Rose, Lauren and Kate’s mother think of Jess, it’s not everyday your perfect marriage you envisioned is shattered by this intruder.
The Half Sister has many twists and turns and kept me guessing until the end. I couldn’t put this down until the truth was revealed!
To be honest Im a little undecided on this one. Im not saying it wasnt a good book, I think I just expected alot more from it having read and really enjoyed her other books.
I found it a nice easy book to read and read through it pretty fast. I enjoyed the writing style and pace, the characters were likeable but even with the twist at the end, for me the depth just wasnt there, it felt like something was missing.
Sandie Jones is a fantastic author and although this wasnt her best, I am looking forward to her next book!
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Pan Macmillan for the chance to read and review this book.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Pan Macmillan for the chance to review this book.
This is the first time I have read a book by Sandie Jones. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am now looking forward to reading her other two books.
In The Half Sister we meet a family who is hiding a lot of secrets from each other and making assumptions about what the other family members feel/think. The story is told from the perspective of Lauren and Kate who both have very different feelings after the sudden appearance of their half sister Jess.
There are many twists and turns in the story – some of which are easy to predict but many aren’t. The story is well written and makes you want to keep reading to uncover the answers.
I would recommend this book as an easy, enjoyable book that you will want to read quickly to discover the ending.
A great book which I read in a few nights – not overly heavy subject matter and very very enjoyable.
I really loved the writing style and I felt it paced along really well.
Some complicated and interesting relationships which I felt developed really nicely throughout the book. A few unexpected twists in the tale made this a really great read. I would absolutely recommend you read The Half Sister.