Member Reviews
This was avery twisty story that was full of so many ref herrings
.The characters and all the situations are so well described that it was easy to feel that this was all a true story and not fiction. T~he basic story revolves around the two sisters Alice and `Natasha who swap their lives for a week break away which begins the start of everything going wrong in booth their lives. It is a fast paced read and it certainly made me think how I might react to the situations written about here.Thank you NetGalley for arranging for me to get this book to review.
I highly recommend both this book and indeed the other books by this very talented author.
I love a twisty turny thriller, especially after a few challenging reads there is a pleasure in just riding the rollercoaster and not thinking too hard. This however was just too soft and gooey, a bit like a CostCo cake - you think you are going to love it, but it is just too much.
The ditsy sister put herself down so much it was difficult to have any sympathy for her. The career driven sister was madly evil, I don't think I could live with that knowledge and still ask her round for Christmas. There were also a few red herrings, which were so random that they were completely unconnected. What was going on in Venice? But the part that drove me doolally was little Flossie sucking her thumb. I hope that they have put away a large amount of cash for orthodontic braces because with the amount of thumb sucking that is going on they will be needing it.
This is another amazing thriller book from Claire Douglas. As soon as I saw this available for an ARC read, I had to apply as I’ve loved so many of her other works.
This story follows two sisters and their “life swap” for one week that ends in a murder. You continue to follow the two characters as well as their mother while they navigate the aftermath of what has happened.
There were so many different twists and turns in this book that I just didn’t want to put it down. The three simultaneous storylines were engaging and mysterious.
Another fantastic novel from Claire Douglas and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
Thank you to Penguin Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Another absolutely fantastic read from Claire Douglas. Fast paced, twisty and unputdownable.
The only reason I’m giving it 4 and not 5 starts is there’s a few things that happen in the plot that I personally would’ve liked more explanation about
Definitely add this to your 2024 reading list!
Tasha and her husband take the chance to get away on a romantic break while her sister Alice minds her kids. Tasha's escape is brought to a sudden halt when she gets a call to come home as Alice and her husband have been attacked.
As they try to piece together what has happened a note arrives for Tasha saying "It was supposed to be you..."
Claire Douglas brings us on an incredible journey through this family and their efforts to figure out just what has happened. The twists and turns will have your head spinning. There were so many characters that had great depth built into their stories. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for providing me a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed this book very much - it was fast paced with lots of threads that all came together at the totally (for me) unpredictable conclusion. Well written with some interesting characters and nice little twists. I would recommend it.
A fast paced and gripping thriller from this brilliant writer. Tasha gets a chance to experience her sisters lavish lifestyle. During this swap, she gets a call from home, her sister and her husband have been attacked. What looks like a robbery turns out to be something more sinister and it is from there that the book gets more and more gripping, This book will keep you gripped from the very first page and is not to be missed,
My second Claire Douglas book and I loved it! It was one of those that had me thinking and on my toes all the time. Will be sure to read more of her books
*Contains Potential Minor Spoilers*
A new Claire Douglas book? Don't mind if I do. I can always rely on her for a thrilling read.
The synopsis explains what will happen: that Alice and Kyle will be attacked and that Kyle will die. And yet it is still shocking to read. That's what I love about Claire's books, they're familiar and provide everything you want frrom a thriller, and yet they never feel stale or samey or predictable, which is impressive in itself.
We have four points-of-view. We mainly have Tasha, who is the woman with the twins, and Jeanette, Tasha and Alice's Mum. But we also have the POV of two mysterious people that crop up now and again, adding a bit of intrigue.
There are a lot of characters in this book, as you would expect from a close-knit community, but I'll focus on a few.
We have Tasha and Aaron, married, with twin daughters. They're always busy and they feel their romance has been lacking recently so take up the offer to spend a few weeks in romantic Venice. There is clearly something going on with Tasha, something from her past, but I think she's a really interesting main character. She's strong and powerful, loving and caring, but somewhat guarded. Aaron was okay. I didn't like or dislike him particularly, I had no strong feelings about him either way, but I liked him and Tasha together. Then we have their daughters Elsie and Flossie. I don't need to say much about them because they're just two little girls, but they kept a sense of normality through the story.
Then we have Tasha's sister Alice and her husband Kyle. They're rich and successful and the complete opposite to Tasha, and yet Alice also has this secrecy about her, this feeling that she's that she's protecting something or someone. We don't get to know Kyle that much before he dies; he's relatively new to the family but seemed to fit in straight away.
We then have Viv who is Aaron's Mum, and Jeanette who is Tasha and Alice's Mum. They clearly have some history, but as separate characters I think they're really interesting. Jeanette is grieving - but for whom or for what I won't go into - and I really felt for her. She had separated herself frrom her family, and I just wanted to keep her close. Viv was a bit more of an enigmatic character. She's caring and thoughtful and will clearly do anything for her family, but there was a chill to her that I didn't get from Jeanette.
All of the characters are fabulous though. They're not all trustworthy and they're not always nice, and some I liked more than others, but they're all very well written and all work well off of the main storyline, and off of Tasha and Alice.
What I love about Claire's books is - and stay with me on this - they're so familiar. I don't mean that we're all used to murder, but they're generally set at home, with families, in communities where this kind of stuff doesn't happen. It's not over-the-top, it's freighteningly recognisable and plausible. We see ourselves in the characters and that is where the books' strength lies; they're very real and that's thrilling.
Like any good thriller, there is clearly more going on than meets the eye, lots of hidden clues and red herrings, but they're not overwhelming or unbelievable.
There were a couple of...not negatives as such, because they weren't...I can't explain them fully without spoilers, but there were a couple of sub plotlines dropped in that I would have liked to read more about. Things like...trying to be as vague as possible...Kyle's business, the threatening note, the mysterious colleague. They weren't bad in any way - I'm not sure Claire Douglas knows how to write a bad book - but I wanted just a little bit more of them.
Obviously I'm not about to spoil the ending, but it's satisfying enough for this to be a closed case, but it also teases the possibility of more and I wonder if this is a story that Claire might revisit at some point. I for one would definitely be reading it.
I read it in less than a day. It is so addictive, as I expected, and once you start, there's no stopping until you reach the conclusion. She's definitely got another winner on her hands.
I really enjoyed this - it captured the claustrophobic nature of family so well - perfect for this thriller
I was a few pages in and I was thrilled because I knew I was in the hands of an expert. Not all psychological thrillers deliver: some have too many red herrings, unrealistic storylines and unrelatable characters. Not The Wrong Sister. It's gripping from the start. It's difficult to review without giving spoilers, so all I'll say is: wow! Digested in two sittings and disappointed to finish.
Plenty of mystery in this book. So many suspect’s, so many twists and turns.
It was an easy read and very enjoyable.
Not the greatest, as I didn’t feel totally engrossed somehow, but still very good.
Totally addictive storyline and unputdownable. This is the new thriller by Claire Douglas - The Wrong Sister.
Tasha and her husband Aaron live with their young twin daughters in an ordinary house, living an ordinary life, working, looking after the girls, sleep ... repeat. Whereas her sister Alice and her husband Kyle appears to have it all, the lavish lifestyle, expensive car, second home in Venice. But do they really? To give themselves a much needed break and some time for each other Tash and Aaron stay in their Venice apartment while her sister stays in their "normal house" in the suburbs of Bristol, looking after the twins. But after a burglary goes wrong, or does it? Alice ends up in hospital and Kyle is killed. Meanwhile in Venice, Tash and Aaron are accosted by a man with a knife whilst walking through one of the backstreets. Is this a coincidence?
As the storyline progresses there are more twists and turns, you don't know who to believe and who is telling the truth to the rest of their family.
An easy book to get stuck into straight away, the characters are interesting and the storyline is excellent. Each chapter is marked with the date and characters name so it's easy to follow. All in all a book I couldn't put down, a 5 star read from me.
Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book and this is my honest opinion.
Claire Douglas has the skill of dropping you into people's lives and immediately engrossing you in the story. This is a great thriller, with twists and turns and things you'll guess and things you won't. The plot has many strands but it all slowly comes together. The characters are excellent. Tash is likeable but not without her faults and indeed everyone ahs flaws that make them seem very real. Viv and Jeannette are intriguing and kept me wondering about them. The side characters too are all people I would happily read more about. The central two stories - what happened to Holly and who killed Kyle - are both interesting enough that I kept coming back to the book every spre minute I had. A perfect read for thriller fans.
A really good read I just couldn’t stop reading it I was kept gripped from the first page. Tasha and Alice are sisters but are very different people Tasha has twin girls and is a home bird while Alice has a very high profile job as does her husband they swap houses for a week Alice and Kyle looking after the twins while Tasha and Aaron have a break in her sister’s house in Venice but something terrible happens while they are there. It was a real guessing game one minute you think you’ve solved it then another shocking relevation transpires.
Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House for an ARC
Families eh...who'd have em! I really enjoyed reading this latest novel from Claire Douglas. Told from multiple points of view it had tension, tragedy, twists and family secrets just screaming to be let out.
With good characters and a fast paced narrative, The Wrong Sister was easy to get into and the gripping storyline held my attention from start to finish. Perfect for a long journeys or reading on the beach.
My thanks to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the advanced review copy, all opinions expressed are my own.
This was my first novel by Claire Douglas and I'd certainly read more of her books. It was fast-paced and genuinely page-turning, and kept me reading far later into the night than I'd intended. There was no let up in pace even at the end.
The only reason I'm giving it 4* not 5* is that there was never an account of why the Venice incident took place, and I think there was rather a lot to swallow in the last couple of chapters.
It was great fun, though, and I'd certainly recommend it. My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph Random House for an advance copy of the book. The review is my honest opinion.
Really enjoyed the book by Claire Douglas. A good twist to the story that you are not expecting. Character are easy to follow and build a relationship with. But you wouldn't expect this from your sister....
This was a great book filled with unreliable characters and a plot filled with misdirection. From the beginning to the very end every page was carefully thought out and it kept me guessing throughout. Honestly, at one point, I thought one of the 4 year old twins was the murderer. This was a great thriller and I highly recommend it.
Another fantastic book from Claire Douglas. Lots of twists to the plot which kept me wanting to keep reading. My interest was grabbed early on in the story and didn't wane until the end. The end was the only reason I didn't give it 5* as I felt it could have had more drama.