Member Reviews

I’ve loved her writing since The Girlfriend and could not wait to get my hands on this book. I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this book and could not put it down as I tried to work out the relationship with Ellie and Abby and the tension just simmered away under the surface pulling me in. Would highly recommend for anyone wanting a book to lose the,selves in this summer

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Having read some of this author's previous books, I was looking forward to this new one. Sadly, it did not live up to expectations. Abbie and Ellie are sisters who have never been very close. There is a lot of sibling rivalry and jealousy in their relationship. Abbie now lives on the Italian island of Elba with her new husband and has invited Ellie to spend the summer. When their mother turns up accusations about their childhood brew up. An accident results in the 2 sisters going on the run to the mainland. I found the story to be quite silly and I didn't warm to the characters. A disappointing read. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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Is blood really thicker than water?

Abby and Ellie were never close as children. Now in their thirties, they each harbour deep-rooted resentment for the other - Abby for her sister's looks and her status as their mother's favourite. Ellie meanwhile is envious of Abby's perfect husband and picturesque home, a villa on the sun-soaked Italian island of Elba.

When Abby invites Ellie to stay, both sisters see the break as a chance to relax and put aside their differences. But with their mother Susanna there too, all the simmering tensions of the past quickly rise to the surface. And Ellie suspects that Abby and their mother are keeping a dangerous secret . . .

But after a shocking act, the sisters have only each other to rely on. Vulnerable and scared, trusting each other will be the biggest risk of all . . .


A great, fast paced page-Turner that gets you hooked early and keeps you there until the end. With the main focus being on the 2 sisters and their journey, it was very insightful to have the side characters input into the story too. This added depth and helped a clear picture to be built throughout.
#sisters

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A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into romance stories and literary fiction however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for opening up my mind to something totally different.

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Being a huge fan of The Girlfriend my M Frances I was super excited to get started on this book.

The book focuses on two very different sisters, Abby and Ellie, they’ve never had a great relationship even as young children. Abby is successful and jump to the present now lives in Italy and offers an olive branch and invites Ellie out to visit her, an unusual offer in itself.
Things don’t get off to the best start and soon the girls mother arrives in Italy sooner than expected, seemingly worried about the two sisters being alone together.

A dramatic event happens which sees the sisters going on the run across the continents, stories are told and bonds are formed and lies are told along the way.

It’s a fast paced and gripping storyline, it goes a bit far in some elements at times but still it keeps the tempo right up until the very end.

It’s a well written book and the characters are fantastic and relatable.

I would recommend this book for an edge of the seat gripping storyline!

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Abby and Ellie are sisters, but are miles apart, Ellie is her mother’s favourite and Abby has always been cast aside despite being hard working and successful. Abby invites Ellie to visit her in the island of Elba where she has settled with her policeman husband Mattel, but their mother arrives and everything changes. Abby and Ellie end up on the run through Italy, France and Spain.

A good fast paced book which will keep you guessing to the end.

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Intense thriller had me hooked.

Two sisters. Two stories. Who to believe.

Abbi & Ellie, both craving things the other has ever since they were small children. Abbi a high flyer, with plenty of money and leads a charmed life, but with her own demons ; Ellie lacked in schooling, missed out on so much, struggles for money, the one who had all the attention from their mother.

Can past resentments be put to bed? Abbi invites her sister for a holiday at her new home. Their mother tags along and doesn't let the girls have time alone, why?

A sinister truth is revealed about why Ellie was always poorly as a child.... Just who is lying and who is telling the truth.

Kept me guessing and even over half way through didnt know who or what to believe. Kept me gripped right until the end and was only the last few chapters I was convinced of my suspicions.

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I really enjoyed ‘The Girlfriend’ so I was excited to give this a try, there’s certainly lots to delve into when it comes to relationships between sisters!

This book follows two sisters who have very different approaches to life. The youngest is mums favourite and after a childhood illness has achieved less professionally but is happy to spend her money on life experiences. The eldest feels neglected by mum, overachieve at work and after years of miserly living she retires to an Italian island at the age of 36! This alone is a recipe for drama but add in the revelation of a deep family secret and there’s plenty to get into.

At first I did feel the sisters characters were just so extreme that they felt rather unrelateable. With some of the twists and reveals though it does become clearer just why they are the way they are.

What I loved most about this book was the setting, we’re taken on a road trip across Italy, France and Spain. It made me long for a trip sometime soon!

I didn’t quite enjoy this book as much as ‘The Girlfriend’, while there’s some back and forth on who really is the ‘bad guy’ of this story the red herrings never really sucked me in. The stakes did feel higher though and I was certainly left intrigued throughout to see how it would be ended.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Sisters is the story of Ellie and Abby. Sisters that have never been close due to Abby feeling second best in their Mother’s eyes. Ellie was constantly ill as a child and so was the focus of their Mum’s attention.
Now grown up, Ellie goes to stay with Abby who is now living in Italy with her husband after being able to take early retirement after a very successful career.

For me, everything was ok up until this point. After that the book shifted gear and I was left scratching my head. The decisions the sisters made and what happened next was too ridiculous. After chapters of what I felt were fillers the ending then appeared and the book was done. It was slow for 90% of the book and the last 10% left me with more questions than answers.
I loved the synopsis of the book and I wanted it to be good but I was left disappointed and frustrated.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Very gripping read. Abby and ellie are sisters. They have never been close. Abby jealous of ellie,their mums favourite and ellie jealous of abby and her high flying career, early retirement and new life in Elba. As a child ellie was often ill, their mum spent so much time focusing on her.

Abby invites ellie out to Elba,she wants to tell ellie something, before she can their mum arrives ,its clear she does not want the girls to be on their own. What's her reasons?

After a terrible turn of events the 2 sisters are forced together on their own. Can they trust each other? Will they both make it?

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Ellie and Abby were never close as sisters, so it comes as a shock when Abby invites Ellie to stay with her and her husband on the beautiful Italian island Elba. Abby has a shocking secret to tell her sister about what happened when she was younger, but unfortunately their mother turns up and she cant. Their mother never seems to want them to be alone what is it she is trying to stop Abby from telling Ellie? And will she ever be able to tell it?

Lovely story which sees sisters coming together in the end after a lot of huge bumps in the road.

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I have read books by Michelle Frances before and it's been a bit of a mixed bag, one 2 star, one 3 star and one 4 star so I wasn't quite sure to expect from this one. I am pleased to report that this one is probably my favourite so far!

The star of the show had to be the setting. I loved the descriptions of Elba and really enjoyed following the sisters on their road trip. On to the plot itself, it took me some time to get into it but once I did I was hooked. I had no idea which characters to believe right up until the end and the characters had me frustrated with them and feeling sorry for them in equal measures.

I was a little disappointed with the ending, I felt like it all happened very suddenly and there were still quite a few unanswered questions after all the build-up.

Overall I would recommend this as a holiday read.

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This was a book like nothing I've read before. The storyline was so incredibly unique, but brilliantly written. I loved Abby and Ellie, and can't help but want this book into movie/tv form so we can see the gorgeous views. Really great book, though I expected nothing less from Michelle!

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Abby and Ellie are sisters who do not have a good relationship at all. Their mum most definitely favours Ellie as she was so poorly during her childhood. Whatever Abby achieved wasn’t recognised. Abby has retired as a young age and invites her sister to come and stay with her in an attempt to reconcile. Their mum appears too and following an argument a tragedy occurs. The girls have an instant decision to make and this is where the relationship takes a turn. The twist throughout runs right through to the final stages where we find out who really was the evil one. Definitely recommend.

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Sisters is the type of book that keeps you reading until the early hours of the morning. Each chapter creates further suspense until you find yourself promising 'just one more chapter' before I go to sleep.
Sisters Ellie and Abby have had a fraught relationship since childhood, add into the equation a domineering mother who is possibly not all she seems. Then throw into the mix a grandmother who adds to the dysfunctional family dynamic then you have one amazing book.
Michelle Frances keeps you on the edge of your seat and the end is full of twists and turns.....without giving the ending away - I was very surprised at the outcome.

Excellent, rich, descriptive writing - I look forward to reading more of this authors work.

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Abby and Ellie are sisters but chalk and cheese! As a child Ellie was poorly a lot and it was clear she was the favourite child. Thirty years later Ellie is visiting Abby at her retirement home as Abby has worked hard and retired at 36! Married to an Italian policeman, Abby has an idyllic life. When a tragic accident happens the sisters lives will change forever.
This was such a good read, I enjoyed it and it felt different to her other books. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

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Michelle Frances is really good at leading you one way then leading you back the other way and Sisters is no exception.

It centres around sisters Abby and Ellie and the dysfunctional relationship they have with their mum, one has always been the golden child, the other the ignored child,

Abby is now very successful, independent and living in Italy, she invites her sister to stay in an attempt to make amends. Things don't go to plan when their mum turns up.

This results in Ellie being stuck in the middle of some serious accusations that her sister and he mum are making about each other.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

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Abby and Ellie were never close as children. Now in their thirties, they each harbour deep-rooted resentment for the other - Abby for her sister's looks and her status as their mother's favourite. Ellie meanwhile is envious of Abby's perfect husband and picturesque home, a villa on the sun-soaked Italian island of Elba. When Abby invites Ellie to stay, both sisters see the break as a chance to relax and put aside their differences. But with their mother Susanna there too, all the simmering tensions of the past quickly rise to the surface. And Ellie suspects that Abby and their mother are keeping a dangerous secret. But after a shocking act, the sisters have only each other to rely on. Vulnerable and scared, trusting each other will be the biggest risk of all.

Strip this read back and I absolutely love it! Two sisters with classic sibling rivalry, or is it something more? Trying to reconnect as adults and discovering secrets have been told to them their whole lives. As the book stands, you do have to suspend disbelief to read it, some of the events that take place are beyond ridiculous and situations that do not need to escalate suddenly do until quite frankly it borders on being a farce. However, if you can see past this, and I urge you to try, the basic plot is very good, full of twists and half truths and the feeling you never quite get the whole truth.

I found myself liking both Abby and Ellie throughout this, something very unusual for me but they are likeable in their own ways and I very much enjoyed learning about their past and seeing how they interact with each other now. We read this through the eyes of both of them and it was fascinating to discover their different interpretations of the same event which ultimately leads back round to wondering if we ever find out the whole truth. We then have their mother, Suzanne, what a character she is. I do not think she is likeable but she is integral and the book would not be the same without her presence. Of course, there are other characters as well but this read firmly focuses around Abby, Ellie and to a lesser extent, Suzanne so the others are excellent supporting characters.

The read does have the benefit of being set in beautiful locations of which I will not specify as I would not want to ruin it for you. Rest assured you will find yourself whisked away to beautiful scenery and landscapes just wishing you were there with them.

'Sisters' is a twisting, intense, ambiguous read that had me questioning the truth until the final page. Now I have finished it I am still not sure we have the whole truth. What an exquisite, tightly strung read this was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy.

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WOW. For the first time in ages I stayed up through the night to finish this. This one was such a surprise - it went in completely different (but importantly, not opposite) directions to where I thought it would go! As good as Gillian Flynn. A twisty treat!

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A really great story with lots of twists and making you wonder who you should believe from start to finish! There is times of laughter and tears along the way.

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