I don’t want to say too much as I went into this book with no knowledge of subject matter and I think it helped.
Isobel, Jen and Zelda are sisters…. Not siblings, but instead joined by a much more powerful force that has totally consumed their lives from birth. When devastating events happen to them all they are forced to reevaluate the only life they have ever known. For the first time they could be in control… and thTs also terrifying. Have they been robbed of that power too.
A really moving and thought provoking novel

4-5 stars

Three women, very different lives but united by their connection to an extreme religious group known as The Disciples of the Last Days who await Armageddon. As Sisters their subservience to the Brothers is a given. First of all, there’s Jen Musgrove who has undergone a personal tragedy and is subservient to husband Pete - or is she? Next, there’s Isobel Forge, a magnificently conscientious wife to Steven, her striving for perfection masks certain issues. When Steven suddenly announces he’s leaving her, what direction will her life take now? Finally Zelda, formerly Alice, a wedding photographer and there’s a big story in the name change as we are to discover.

InitiallyI find the start of this a little disjointed but you soon find yourself pulled into these characters lives and utterly rooting for them. It’s not an easy read in places as some aspects of the Disciples judgements and behaviour has you gasping in shock with some incidents rendering me speechless, reeling and so angry on behalf of the women as some bury their true selves. However, there are some absolutely heartwarming aspects such as friendships, new lives being forged and chrysalis characters emerging as beautiful butterflies. I love Zelda, Isobel really grows on you and you hope for Jen with her struggles and inner turmoil. One of the most wonderful characters is Victor whose love of life is infectious.

As the novel progresses there are some emotional and moving scenes and the note the author leaves the novels journey on is a hopeful one as characters find their truth.

Overall, I become riveted by this book which is so beautifully written it keeps you transfixed. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I love it.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This is Jodie Chapman’s second novel and I cannot believe she has only been writing for a couple of years, I felt like I was in the hands of a far more experienced novelist. This may be in part due to her personal background informing the writing.

The synopsis:

Three women. Three lives. One chance to find themselves. Jen. My body is not my own. Others make life and death decisions on my behalf. Isobel. My place is to be secondary to the man in my life. Zelda. If I break the rules I will be sorry. 'But this is not a dystopia. This is not the future or the past or a fantasy. It is real and it is happening now. Can we break free?'

The stories of these three women are interwoven with the thread that connects them being the religion they are part of, they are all part of the same ‘hall’. Throughout the story we learn how these women have been controlled and abused by the men in the religion. Their treatment at the hands of those purporting to be doing the work of God will make your skin crawl and your heart ache. It is the age old story of the women being excessively punished for ‘their’ transgressions whilst the men act with impunity.

I tore through this book reading it over the course of a weekend. I felt so much grief for the women and in awe of their strength and sacrifice. If you are in anyway sceptical of male dominated religion then it’s a given that you will get angry, especially when you’re aware that the work is informed by the authors (recent) experience. But there are also beautiful love stories woven through this and I found myself rooting for certain partnerships.

TW - sexual assault, misogyny, emotional abuse

A strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley @michaeljosephpublisher for the advanced reader

Jen almost died. And now the community that should be comforting her is condemning her for surviving, for trying to claim her body as her own.

Isobel has spent her life learning to be a daughter, a wife, a mother but never learning to be herself because it didn't matter. Now without a husband, who could she possibly hope to be?

Zelda lives a life full of sin, according to some. She's haunted by her past, especially when an unwelcome ghost from the past suddenly appears at her front door.

These three women may all be linked through the same religious community, but soon they will discover they all share something else much more important - a sisterhood. But can that be enough to ever let them really be free?

"You change every single day, but you don't see it. Little by little. Until one day, you're completely transformed."

I'm going to start by saying this - this is a horror story. Not one with ghosts and full moons, but one even more terrifying because this is about the monsters that exist outside of nightmares. It is a searing statement about the dystopian hellscape that is reality for many women who live under the rule of religious fanaticism and fascism. To a lot of people, it might sound like something only from a speculative fiction story, but it's very real.

The tone of this story is deeply personal - we immediately find our narrators with their conversational, thoughtful, strong voices coupled with beautifully poetic prose that creates an image of a utopia around you only to burn it all down. We change perspective between our three main characters, in diarised or retrospective styles with excerpts of propaganda and media littered throughout that creates a fully realised setting. Each chapter moves quickly, giving us bursts of action and emotion before switching seamlessly to the next moment.

Zelda, Isobel and Jen all had such unique stories - their voices were clear and distinct even down to their visual style. They all had very different lives, wanted different things, were indoctrinated to different extremes - but as the stories wove together you knew they were all part of something bigger just waiting to take shape. Despite the demands made of them, they are not flawless, soft, compliant women - they can be abrasive, sharp, strong - angry at a world that clearly isn't made for them and desperate for a way to survive.

The world in this tale is rife with sexism, religious zealotry, hatred - it feels like a dystopian fairy-tale but is a reality for too many - and could be for anyone all too easily. And knowing this makes the utter realism of this story so compelling and vivid.

This book is an unrelenting war cry; a shout to rally the troops. And a warning about the very real threats that imprison too many women across the world even today, the same ones that could get you before you've even noticed they've closed the cell door behind you. This book is a timely reminder that we need to remain connected, to our sisters and to our humanity, if we're going to survive.

Goodness me! I know organised religion is a thing, but this was something else.
Chapman depicts a fictional cult where Christianity is at the root of the beliefs, but the followers/disciples are brainwashed into thinking that all that is preached by their ministers is the gospel truth.
Oh, Sister follows the story of three women. All three have been disfellowed from the cult because they are judged as having gone against the religion's beliefs.
All it did was highlight the inequality between men and women in this particular one.
One woman is punished for being the one who suffers SA, yet, because she cannot provide two witnesses to the accusation, she is the one not believed.
One grieving a deep loss is punished for choosing to have a blood transfusion.
One is cast aside because her husband left her for a younger model, and she realises her life does not have to revolve around that man.
Not one of these women deserved to be treated the way they were. And yet, where is the sisterhood when the rest of the women in the cult sneer and ignore them?
It hit a nerve.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Pen

#OHSister #Netgalley
With huge thanks to the author and publishers for granting me access to this book. All the female characters were well written and likeable and seeing how their stories unfolded was an eye opener.
Jodie Chapman has done it again, another fantastic heart wrenching and warming read.

This book fulfilled every expectation
The story of three women differently damaged by their upbringing and connection to an extreme religious organisation.
A little bit terrifying but well told

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.co.uk in return for an honest review***

Three women with lives intertwined by religious subservience have very different stories.

If I could read this book again for the first time, I would. I found myself despairing, frustrated, elated and heartbroken for all three women, whilst reading.

It was an absolutely fantastic read. The hypocrisy of religion, Christianity in this case, when it comes to women had me furious with the women who accept it and the men who are more than happy to dole out "punishments".

This is, without a doubt, a 5 star read, and I will be recommending it to anyone that will listen.

Thank you for inviting me to read the advanced copy.