Unfortunately life has got in the way and I haven’t had a chance to read and review this book, but it’s one I’m hoping to get to soon

Thank you to @netgalley and @panmacmillan for this ebook for an honest review.

This is my first Lokko book and I really enjoyed it.

We follow the history and the stories of Kemi and Jen who consider themselves 'soul sisters' despite the fact that they have different lineage and colour. Kemi's parents were arrested under apartheid and so she spent her teenage years with Jen and her Scottish, white parents in Britain (both Scotland and London). Kemi meets Solam, a South African whose parents were also in prison or house arrest during apartheid but who was educated in England. Solam's life connects to Kemi and Jen in different ways and the book spans many years to dip into different characters' perspectives. It is a saga of a book, crossing continents, decades and boundaries of colour, race and politics.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book though I struggled with the jumps in time. It was not hard to follow as it was told in chronological order, but just as the reader was introduced to a character or two, especially near the beginning of the book, you would be whisked away to a different time and place, never to see those characters again. I would have loved to learn more about the earlier times mentioned, to delve a bit deeper into the shared history between Kemi and Jen, though this was not known by the sisters themselves. I felt that because there was such a large amount of time covered in one book, it lost some of its depth and I did not really understand how Kemi and Jen could be so close. We lost their teenage years though these were apparently vital in bringing them together. I loved reading the book, I just wanted a bit more!

An interesting, well written and complex story.
I loved the characters and learned a lot about South Africa and it's political history.
The characters are well thought and the descriptions of the different places are fascinating.
The plot is a bit confusing at times but I enjoyed.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Initially I found this book a little difficult to get into and follow. There are many characters in the first few pages, covering a significant time period, which made the story confusing. Those initial incidents set up the main story-line, but I can't help but wonder if this could have been simplified.

I loved the two main characters and their relationship. Kemi and Jen are very different people but the interplay between them was heart-warming and they felt real, developed and genuine. I enjoyed that a significant part of this book was set in South Africa, and the way that Lokko described it has made me want to visit as soon as Covid travel permits! I know only the basic details about the country and its history, but did feel like the glimpses of historical background and the way that business is conducted in SA was probably quite accurately predicated.

Solam is an interesting character. He has so much potential and is so intriguing. I found some of his transactions difficult to follow at times; I understood his desire for upward mobility but there seems to be a lot of skulduggery with little obvious end to each incident. He is a proficient political player and, ultimately, I think his dealings paid off, but I did feel like I might have missed the true depths of his shenanigans. His relationship with the two sisters is reprehensible and I think he changes quite a lot over the course of the book.

There are a lot of convenient changes of fortune for some of these characters. The dark family secret that brought Kemi to live with Jen and her family in Scotland is revealed late on and quickly moved on from. For something that is built up to be a sinful secret, causing a marriage to breakdown and even bring about mental health issues, the book doesn't spend very long dwelling on the revelation. The ending was somewhat lacking for me and I felt that the author had lost steam or her way and didn't really bring the story to a satisfactory conclusion - I didn't need a happy ending, but I did feel like there were lots of loose ends that weren't really tied up or were rushed in their explanation.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a free advance review copy of this book. I haven’t read this author before, and the cover, title, and blurb intrigued me.

A little bitty, but a good well-written storyline with a good setting and characters. Recommended.

I chose to read this novel without reading the synopsis and knowing very little about it; but I was hookes from the very first page.
Set over a sixty year history of South Africa and her people, it is the story of Jen, Kami and Solam as their lives are interwoven with each other and South African politics.
As author Lesley Lokko says, "Silence, truth and lies". make for an unforgettable story.

This was an interesting read. At the beginning of the book there is a quick flit through the years from 1921 to 1978 to give the background to the characters and from then on the story mainly concentrated on Jen and Kemi. Kemi was an African girl who had come to live with Jen and her family when she was around 9 years of age. Why she had come to Jen’s family wasn’t explained, although her family did have a connection with Africa. Time is spent in South Africa and I really got a flavour of what life was like there before, but especially after apartheid. During the latter part of the book, there was a good amount of politics mentioned. There were a few unanswered questions for me, such as what happened to Aneni and there was mention of shady deals but nothing on how it panned out. The most enjoyable part was the lives of the two soul sisters, Jen and Kemi. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The book tells the story of two girls who are brought up the same but will never experience the same things due to the colour of their skin. The story highlights how individuals can be colour blind but society is not and judgements are made based on what you look like as opposed to who you are. A good gripping story which I couldn't put down.

I read this in a day. During the first few chapters it jumped around a bit which confused me but then when it moved on it was only months instead of years so was much easier to follow. I enjoyed the bond between the sisters which was always there, no matter what the other had done. However, the ending fell a little flat for me. I needed more!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this book, the way the characters developed a d their bond that they shared. The way the story had a dual of two different places - Scotland and South Africa was fabulous.

The story was easy to read, and a tale that was engrossing. I wanted it to carry on.

Recommend It.

Thanks to net galley for this free read. This is a new author to me and I look forward to reading her other books. I really enjoyed the book and was transported to two very different worlds where the story gradually unfolded as time went on ranging over many years. I thought the descriptions of people and places were really good and could picture it all really well. The reader follows the lives of two girls and the paths they each followed as well as the consequences.
Thanks once again to net galley for a great read.

Thank you so much for this arc. I had this recommended as I am a big fan of The Seven Sisters series, I enjoy the historical backgrounds woven in with the modern day. I did enjoy this book and the storyline, I felt it gave a really good political and historical background of South Africa. However at times I found the plot a little jumpy and wanted less ‘surface detail’. I would definitely read more by this author though!

I finished this book but I didn’t love it and found it harder work than I’d have liked.

The most frustrating element for me was the timeline. Just as something was starting to get interesting the author suddenly skips forward 5 years and the thing has happened but you don’t get to learn how! This could have been an excellent trilogy focusing on the family over the course of 80 years, but instead I find it mediocre.

It’s well written enough and I enjoyed the story but I definitely required more detail.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Jen and Kemi have lived like sisters since early childhood when Kemi arrived from South Africa. They have shared a history through the generations and there are also secrets.
They both meet Solam Matsunyane from South Africa’s black political elite when he visits London and he has an instant impact on both of them. So much so that Kemi decided to visit the country of her birth and Jen decides to go as well.
It soon becomes obvious that Solam is looking for a wife - a trophy wife who will help and support him achieve his political dreams. But who will he choose ? and what will happen when the secrets of the past are revealed?

I enjoyed reading Soul Sisters and it was my first Lesley Lokko novel. The storyline was interesting and takes you from London, Edinburgh and across South Africa. I liked how the timeline moved through generations from 1920s to 2010. The characters were well written and it was an engaging read.

This author is new to me. I requested this book on NetGalley due to the beautiful cover and the interesting blurb. I also adore books about family especially sisters. This book follows the MacFadden sisters who are brought together by shared history. It’s an epic tale set in different places, South Africa, London and Edinburgh The book deals with many important issues such as family, secrets, race and power. It is very well written and I hope to read more by this author but the time shifts and the jumping back and forth were a little annoying and very confusing at times. For me it took away from the book and it wasn’t as an enjoyable read as it could’ve been.

Soul sisters is a book that takes the reader across across the political landscape of South Africa, London and Edinburgh looking at race, love, status, family and a whole lot more..quite a read! Recommend as a ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This tugged at my heart strings, a really good read with a fantastic storyline and great characters. Would recommend

Jen and Kemi, sisters living in the family home in Edinburgh due to a shared family history. They both take very different paths in their lives.

Kemi returns to the land of her birth after meeting Solam who sweeps her off her feet. However, she doesn't meet the requirements of a 'perfect wife' which he demands in able to achieve his political ambition. Where does Jen come in to the equation? Gripping read.

This was ok, not mu usual type of read but reading out of my comfort zone sometimes is good discipline. I very quickly ‘twigged’ the relationship between Kemi and Jen and understood the themes of white guilt being atoned for. I was less certain about the betrayal of Solam but I guess that he considered power the thing that mattered and not the colour of his skin. It dealt with a time I knew little enough about in spite of being a young adult whilst Apartheid was being challenged and a mum myself when Mandela walked free so there was good opportunity to learn.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an unbiased review.