Book Review: The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade

The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade

YA, Mystery/Thriller

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 336 pages

June 27, 2023 by Sourcebooks Fire

Blurb:

Sometimes people are lost from you, no matter how much you wish they weren’t and before you can even begin to know how big of a hole they’ll leave behind.

Sutton going missing is the worst thing to happen to Casey, to their family. She’s trying to help find her sister, but Casey is furious. She knows Sutton is manipulative, meanwhile everyone paints a picture of her perfection. People don’t look for missing Black girls–or half-Black girls–without believing there is an angel to be saved.

When Sutton reappears, Casey knows she should be relieved. Except Sutton isn’t the same. She remembers nothing about while she was gone―or anything from her old life, including how she made Casey miserable. There’s something unsettling about the way she wants to spend time with Casey and watch her goldfish swim for hours.

What happened to Sutton? The more Casey starts uncovering her sister’s secrets, the more questions she has. Did she really know her sister? Why is no one talking about the other girls who have gone missing in their area? And what will it take to uncover the truth?

My Review:

I was drawn to this book based on the description and the diversity in what I thought was going to be a mystery/thriller.

What I enjoyed: the main characters were well developed and the dynamic between the sisters and how they didn’t get along is relatable to anyone that has siblings. The mention of their ancestry added a deeper element to the story.

What I didn’t like: this story seemed really underdeveloped to me. I went in expecting a sort of thriller in a way – sister goes missing, sister comes back and acts strange, I’ve read books with similar plots where the remaining sister almost becomes an amateur sleuth trying to find out what happened but that wasn’t how this book went which was very disappointing for me. The villain was… pretty much a joke. The villain was so one-dimensional and the resolution of the book left me feeling meh.

My Rating:

2 of 5 Knives (Flesh Wound)