The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I could not put this one down!

The novel begins with two very different sisters, Tasha and Alice, who agree to swap lives for one week. Tasha lives the simple life in the picturesque village of Chew Norton with her husband Aaron and their nearly three-year-old twin girls. Alice, on the other hand, is a wealthy biochemist living in London who recently married the equally wealthy and successful, Kyle. To allow her sister to celebrate her anniversary in style, Alice loans Tasha her holiday home in Venice and moves into the Chew Norton address with her husband Kyle to look after her nieces. Tasha is anxious to leave her two girls and it turns out rightly so. What unfolds is a tense plot of murder, mystery, and family secrets.

I loved this book! So much so, I devoured it in two days! The characters are well-drawn and I enjoyed the alternating points of view and multiple storylines that all tie in together. The plot is absorbing and incredibly well-paced, and kept me guessing till the very end. I’ve read most of Douglas’ works and can say that this one is a firm favourite. If you pick up any thriller in 2024 make it this one!

Release date: 14th March 2024

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @michaeljbooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I have read most of the author's novels and this was definitely my favourite.
When Tasha and Aaron are away on a romantic break in Venice her sister Alice, who is looking after Tasha's children is attacked and her husband Kyle is killed. On Tasha's return she believes that the wrong sister was attacked and that she and her family are in danger.
This was such a compelling and gripping thriller, well paced , full of twists and turns and I loved the way the multiple storylines came together. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
4.5 stars

This was a stunning thriller from one of my must read authors, definitely one of her best. When Tasha and her husband Aaron are given the opportunity of a week in her sister Alice and brother-in-law Kyle’s Venetian apartment whilst Alice and Kyle babysit their young twin daughters they are horrified when after a couple of days away there’s a brutal attack in their home leaving Alice with a head injury and Kyle dead. There’s so many characters in here that are cause for suspicion specially after Tasha receives a note implying she should have been the one attacked as well as a tragic family backstory this is a very strong story with many twists and turns and an ending I only saw coming at the last minute. This had me engrossed from start to finish and the perpetrator left me chilled.

Claire is one of my favourite authors, though nothing will come close to her first novel in my opinion. Until this one came along that is! A fabulously scary read, and I could totally imagine myself there. It's full of twists and turns, and I second guessed so much, wrongly I might add! Brilliant!

3.5 🌟


A good paced read, with decent plotting, that does keep you wondering the who and why all the way through.
Throws in some nice surprises along the way.
It had me turning pages pretty fast.
A seemingly ordinary, fairly routine toddler mum the intended victim of an attack? Tasha seemed far too likeable to cause any offence.
The questions kept coming to the very last page!

I have read all of Claire Douglas’s books but this was the best one by far. It was excellent and I could not put it down meaning I was reading this until very late and then waking up at 6am to finish it.

The story is all about Tasha and her sister Alice who have totally different lives. They decide to do a life swap for a week for Tasha to spend some quality time with her husband. What transpires from this throws her life into complete and utter chaos

The story was fast paced, gripping and I was totally engrossed from the first page.

The characters were excellent and I really felt like I was in their lives with them.

I had no idea what would happen and guessed the wrong outcome multiple times which shows how fantastic this book was.

I would give this 6 stars if I could.
Thanks to Netgalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Claire Douglas for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.