This was a consistent read that kept me guessing. It was enjoyable, I could imagine reading it around the pool on holiday. Easy to pick up and put down.

I was delighted when I was approved to read this book, as I enjoyed Michelle Frances' previous novels. I'm happy to say that this one was pretty addictive too, although I didn't think it was as good as her earlier works, unfortunately.

'Sisters' tells the story of sisters Abby and Ellie, who have never really gotten along due to envy of each other's lives and relationships, who attempt to reconcile when Ellie visits Abby's Italian villa for a holiday. However. when their mum, who clearly favours Ellie, joins them, relationships go from bad to worse and everyone's secrets are revealed.

The story was fast paced and I enjoyed the realism of Abby and Ellie's relationship. However, it lost a couple of stars rating for two reasons; 1) I (unusually) guessed one of the biggest twists in the first chapter, which ruined the surprise for me; 2) a lot of the plot relied on me suspending my disbelief at the characters' decision-making.

Overall, I would recommend this book as it is a page-turner with quite a few fun twists, but be prepared to be frustrated/in disbelief for a quite a lot of it!

I really enjoyed the authors previous book The Girlfriend which was brilliant however I was so disappointed by the Sisters. I lost interest pretty quickly in the plot and to be quite honest, couldn't wait for it to finish. It was slow and dull and none of the characters were the least bit interesting or even likeable so frankly, I didn't care what happened to any of them. The ending was simply bizarre too, things weren't really cleared up and rather than feeling mysterious, it simply felt lazy. I do think the author has a pleasant, easy to read writing style, it's just a shame the story was so lacklustre.

Having heard great things about Michelle Frances' other books, I was excited to be give this a read.
To begin with I was absolutely hooked and couldn't stop myself from reading more one evening.
Both sisters are interesting in their own ways and really relatable, something that can't always be said with books like these.
I also liked that the sunny, beach setting transported me away, particularly when we're stuck at home in the minute.
This would definitely make for a good beach read in the future.
But probably around a third of the way to halfway through, the pacing changed and got a whole lot slower, making it much more of a slog to get through, especially compared to the start.
The ending was what really cemented it being a 3 star book instead of anything higher, for me.
It all felt really rushed and I'm not sure that I fully got what I should have from it.
I would be interested in reading more from the author, particularly when her other books are so highly regarded.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. I’ve highly enjoyed Michelle Frances’s previous two books, The Girlfriend and The Temp (which I highly recommend if you haven’t read it yet), so was excited to read her newest.
This opens with a prologue - it’s Christmas time and two women are making their way home for the holidays yet their attitudes couldn’t be more different. On the one hand you have Ellie, a gorgeous blonde in her early thirties yet struggling to make ends meet as a teaching assistant (TA) and bitter over another TA’s promotion to a salaried trainee teacher position, still seething over her rejection, going home is something to look forward to after all she’s always been her mum’s favourite. Then you have her older sister Abby, a high-flyer working in the city, reluctant to go home where she feels left out, always ignored by her mother because her younger sister was more frail and got sick a lot. We follow their Christmas which is full of nail-biting tension and characters trying to reign in their anger at each other and putting on pretend happy faces.
Eighteen months later and Abby has retired early and settled in a gorgeous seaside town in Italy with her Italian husband, who is a police officer. Abby has invited her sister and mother over for the holidays, a new beginning and an opportunity to get to know them better, but when their mother appears two days earlier than expected barging in on Ellie’s and Abby’s bonding time it puts Abby on edge. Both their mother and Abby are hiding a shocking secret and when it’s finally revealed it’s set a terrifying chain of events in motion into action as the sisters are forced to go on the run, hiding from the police...But what is the truth? And who’s manipulating who?...
This was a fun read.
I found the characterisation was great. Both Abby and Ellie are relatable: the ignored, older sister always expected to be the responsible one and the younger one who gets the attention and needs constant protection and support. Their mother, Susanna, is the perfect ambiguous antagonist, she’s like a snake, sneaky and manipulative.
The setting of sunny, southern Italy and the beach location was perfect for armchair reading, as I’m quarantined in the city, transporting me to a different country.
However the plotting overall wasn’t quite on the mark this time round. Around the 25% mark after something significant happens and Abby takes Ellie and they go on the run, I didn’t quite understand Abby’s motivation and wasn’t completely with it, but then Frances throws some twists in the mix that it kept me turning the pages nonetheless. For me personally had the two sisters on the run, escaping the police, element been toned down I would’ve preferred it more as it did take away from the domestic psychological suspense aspect of the novel. The story does venture onto Thelma and Louise meets dysfunctional sisters. After all I found myself getting a little impatient and the flashbacks to the past didn’t add much, as they’d already been referenced, they felt predictable and slowed the narrative down. This had potent but wasn’t quite there in comparison to Frances’s earlier reads.
However, if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief, on the whole this is a gripping thriller read, set in sun-soaked and seaside coast towns of the Mediterranean, exploring the deep-seated resentments of toxic family relationships and its effects which ripples into adulthood. 3/5.

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

I was so excited to read this book because I loved Michelle Frances' previous book 'The Girlfriend'. I really enjoyed reading 'Sisters' until I started to lose interest about two thirds of the way through. It started to feel slow and boring. I was disappointed, and actually confused, by the end of the book. I'm still not sure what exactly happened or if there was a resolution, even after talking about it with a friend.

I will say that I really enjoyed the writing style and I was hooked and thrilled by most of the book. It's just a shame that the ending ruined it for me.

After reading and thoroughly enjoying ‘The Girlfriend’, I was so excited to read ‘Sisters’, however I was unfortunately left a little disappointed with this one.

I was hooked for the first 1/3 of the book, trying to work out who was trustworthy and who was lying etc, and I loved the familial tensions and sister rivalry. However, the pace of the book gradually got slower and even though there was action, it felt a little flat and I wasn’t gripped. I was also really confused by the ending; it all happened very quickly and felt a little rushed.

Whilst this wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read, I did enjoy it nonetheless, and would recommend to anyone who wishes to read an easy-going thriller.

Abby and Ellie are sisters with a broken relationship. As a child Ellie was very ill and Abby resented the bond that developed between Ellie and her mother. That resentment made her very independent and she has since created a good life for herself, even retiring to Italy in her mid thirties. Ellie resents Abbys success and financial freedom. These simmering troubles have fractured their relationship so Abby has invited Ellie to come to her in Italy for some time together. All seems ok until their mother Susanna also arrives and this heightens the tension. Some arguments follow, an incident happens to make things worse and Abby and Ellie end up spending a lot more time together.
This is a great story about sisters, motherhood and family relations. this is the first book I have read by Michelle Frances but I will read more.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Wow I read this in a day as couldn't put it down!! Sisters Ellie and Abbey have a strained relationship, their mum appears to favour Ellie who hasn't done as well in life as Abbey which she puts down to being so ill as a child.
Now in there 30s Ellie goes to stay with Abbey and her husband in Italy, their mum turns up and it appears both her and Abbey are keeping secrets from Abbey.
When a disaster happens Abbey and Ellie go on the run, but who can Ellie trust who really made her ill as a child!!!

really enjoyed this one from michelle frances it follows the story of two sisters and their relationship with their mother .full of adventure think themla and louise !! wonderful setting in the sun too .

Abby and Ellie - sisters with very different lives. They've never got along, but now Abby has taken early retirement (at 36!) and married an Italian policeman. She invites her sister to her new home in Europe, but it doesn't take long for everything to unravel and the story soon becomes a duplicitous road trip that has the reader wondering who to believe.

I loved the sense of place in this book and the uncomfortable distrust that Frances created throughout, it was a pacy pageturner perfect for reading in the sun with a glass of wine.

An escapist read that transported me to another place.

Another cracking read from Michelle Frances. When I first started the book I wasn’t sure how/where it was going to go. Lots of twists as turns and beautiful images of the places in the book. Looks at complex family relationships through generations and secrets. Brilliant. Thank you for letting me review this book.

Really enjoyed reading this one. This is my first read by this author, I’m already excited to read more. This has completely pulled me in and I have devoured this in just a couple of hours.

Abby is exceptionally hard working, successful, makes a mint but is frugal, retires at 36, marries an Italian called Matteo and they settle on Elba. Sister Ellie is a teaching assistant, massively in debt, lives life to the full, a bit frivolous and somewhat resentful of Abby’s success. The sisters have very contrasting attitudes to life. As a child Ellie missed a lot of school through illness and mother Susanna nursed her devotedly and they are very close. Abby frequently felt and still feels like the outlier. This is story of truth and lies, family jealousies and dynamics which erupts one summer when Ellie goes to spend the six weeks holiday with Abby and Matteo on Elba. What unfolds is a Thelma and Louise style chase across Europe in a quest to uncover the root cause of the issues between the sisters. The story goes backwards and forwards in time telling the story of their lives from the perspective of both sisters.

First of all, the settings of the story are superb and are probably the closest us Brits will get to a European tour this summer! We travel through Italy and France to Spain and arrive near Vixia Herbeira Cliffs (621m above sea level) for a tense finale. You cannot tell whose ‘truth’ is correct until the end which keeps you intrigued. The tension between Susanna and the sisters can be cut with a knife at times, as is the case between Susanna and her odious mother Kathleen. Kathleen is a piece of work and it’s easy to see where Susanna gets her selfish streak. I’m not sure I totally bought into Kathleen’s character but she did provide a valid explanation for the narrative and helps to account for the lack of self worth of the sisters. There are several emotions in the novel ranging from guilt, fear, rejection, suspicion and rivalry which all comes to a head in a dramatic way. My only negative is that initially the style of writing feels a bit flat and lacks pace but then it ramps up a gear and begins to accelerate and becomes full of twists and turns, some literal ones as the sisters hurtle across Europe.

Overall, this is an easy read and perfect for days when deep concentration eludes you. That’s not to deride the book by any means as it’s well written, very entertaining and I really enjoyed it.

With thanks to NetGalley and Pan McMillan for the ARC.

I was really excited to read this as I am a big fan of the other books by Michelle Frances. True to form, this is another unique and gripping novel. Two sisters that have never been close due to the younger ones health problems as a child (and closer relationship with their mother) reunite in Italy for a much needed break. It examines the relationship and jealousy between the pair but after events unfold, they need to go on the run together. I didn't find this predictable at all and thought it made for a really great read. Would highly recommend!

This is one of those books that keep you hooked until the end. I liked the plot line and the characters. Two sisters each with completely different lives decide to see each other again after not seeing each other for a while. Their mother comes too, will Ellie find out why she was so ill as a child or will there be a more shocking revelation to uncover? The storyline is cleverly written to keep you guessing, until quite near the end. The ending is dramatic but wraps the story up well.

I really enjoyed this book!
A fast twisty story exploring the complications in sibling relationships. Kept me guessing what way it was going to go until the end.
Easy to read and couldn’t put it down once I’d started !
First book I’ve read by this author and I would like to read some more.

I absolutely adored this book. An honest exploration of the often complex relationships between sisters as well as mothers and daughters. The story is very fast paced and full of excitement. Brilliant!

Abby and Ellie have never been close. Ellie was a sickly child who got all of their mother's attention, and Abby never stopped resenting her sister for that. On the other hand, Ellie had always been envious of Abby's intelligence, career, and wealth.
So when Abby invites her sister to her Italian villa, it might be a chance to finally bury the hatchet. Instead, their mother Susanna invites herself along and makes sure her daughters don't spend any time together. Tension quickly rises, and soon Abby accuses Susanna of a terrible thing, but her mother contradicts her version of events. Who will Ellie believe? The mother who had always cared for her or the sister who has hated her all her life?
Soon the sisters find themselves on the run. But is Ellie safe with Abby?

The story weaves between multiple perspectives; Abby's, Ellie's,
Susanna's and that of Abby's husband, Matteo.
It was an instantly gripping read that had me hooked throughout.
I was going back and forth in my conviction as to which of the two women was the guilty one, and I couldn't make up my mind until the very end.
It was a fast-paced, suspenseful book, and if you're into quick and easy but engrossing reads, then look no further.
This was my first book from this author, but it won't be my last.

New thriller from this author. This is the first Michelle Francis book I've read, but I will certainly look for more of her books. The plot has lots of twists and turns with a surprising plot line.