The Perfect Sister: An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller

Name: The Perfect Sister: An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller
Rating: 4.199999809265137 (15 reviews)

Sheryl Browne

Jan 2020 · Bookouture

4.2

15 reviews

Ebook

350

Pages

Eligible

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About this ebook

‘You don’t know me, but I’m your sister.’

Claire is shocked when she receives a message out of the blue from Sophie, a beautiful young woman who tells Claire that she’s their father’s secret child. Having spent years nursing her sweet little daughter Ella through a life-threatening illness whilst dealing with the emotional fall-out of a devastating marriage breakdown, Claire feels tentatively excited to meet Sophie. Perhaps she might finally have someone in the family to lean on…

As Claire welcomes her sister into her life, she’s delighted to see just how much Ella loves her new Aunt Sophie. But as the pair spend more time together, Claire begins to wonder where exactly her perfect new sister came from and what kind of person she really is. With their elderly father’s mind rapidly deteriorating, is it possible that he’s hiding something from Claire about Sophie’s sudden appearance in their lives?

When Sophie suggests a family day at the seaside, little Ella is beyond excited. But as Claire takes an important phone call from her demanding ex-husband, leaving Sophie in charge of Ella, something unthinkable happens. And as Claire rushes into the ice-cold sea towards the small, limp figure of her daughter, she realises that Sophie was watching the whole time. But why would Sophie want to hurt Claire’s precious daughter? Was trusting her new sister with Ella the biggest mistake of Claire’s life?

If you enjoyed The Girl on the Train, My Lovely Wife and Lucinda Berry’s The Perfect Child, you’ll love this heart-stopping psychological thriller from bestselling author Sheryl Browne.

What readers are saying about The Family Secret:

‘A wonderful, tense domestic psychological thriller that hits ALL the buttons… A great read, enjoyable, taut and exciting.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Another fantastic hit from this wonderful author! Unputdownable. So many twists, it has your head reeling in that wonderful, mind-blowing way. Don’t pass this one by, it’s worth every second of your time.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Wow… Another sure-fire winner from Sheryl Browne. Dark and twisted, full of revenge it’s a fast-paced thriller that certainly keeps you reading… It has some excellent characters and keeps you on your toes as the twists keep coming… A book I thoroughly enjoyed and can recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘The Family Secret is billed as being absolutely unputdownable and I totally agree. I was captivated from the very first page and the tension slowly builds throughout the book. There’s twists and turns along the way to keep you entertained… Brilliantly written.’ NetGalley reviewer

‘This is one of my favourite authors, she never disappoints her readers… The twist and turns in this book are brilliant. Once you start you can’t stop until the last page.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘A fascinating novel.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I was drawn in from the first page to this chilling, tense thriller… A true page-turner.’ NetGalley reviewer

‘This one had me racing to the end, and kept me fully engaged throughout with lots of twist and gasps thrown in along the way… This is a character driven domestic drama that ticks all of the boxes. I was gripped from the beginning to the end and now consider Sheryl Browne to be a must-read author.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘This book has so many twists, you can’t put it down! No, literally, I consumed this book in one sitting!... The Family Secret is a book to watch in 2020.’ Goodreads reviewer

What readers are saying about Sheryl Browne:

‘Oh my goodness I can finally breathe!! What an amazing, addictive, totally gripping read this was… you will not be able to put it down!!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! What a rollercoaster of a ride that story was, bloody brilliant!... If you enjoyed The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl then this story is for you!’ Between The Pages Book Club, 5 stars

‘Phew... Goosebumps, shivers down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end, that’s how good this book is.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Stunning… Gripping, tense and suspenseful… a heart in mouth and pulse-racing realistic thriller… I loved it.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I'm speechless... it is just that amazing.’ Rachel’s Random Reads, 5 stars

Ratings and reviews

4.2

15 reviews

lilian peracchi

October 14, 2020

I am not really sure I liked this book. I have mixed feelings about it. it was on the whole a good read but something was missing for me. It was a complicated story of hate, betrayal and unhappiness and not completely believable in my opinion. I was unhappy reading it, I want to be on edge reading a thriller not sad and I knew where this was going and how it was going to end. I really did not like Claire, the main character, she was so very whiney all the time I have read other books by this author and really loved them.

1 person found this review helpful

DJ Sakata

January 31, 2020

Secrets, lies, betrayals, infidelity, mistrust, cons, revenge plots, chilling mind games, and a ton of prickly and complicated family drama were heavily featured in this twisty brain itching tale. The characters were untrustworthy, more than a bit frustrating, and not all that likable, but I pitied the poor husband, too bad he couldn’t seem to get his tongue to work and I periodically wanted to give him a swat to the back of the head to knock it loose. My own wild theories were mostly, well, partly correct. I would doubt the veracity of anyone claiming that had it all figured out, as there is just no possible way to have unraveled or predicted all those deviously tangled and perplexing plotlines without psychic abilities. This was my first visit into the devilishly clever mind of Sheryl Browne and I enjoyed her wily written and intriguing tale while feverishly bumping around in her oddly compelling characters’ zigzagging reasoning. More, please!

5 people found this review helpful

Linda Strong

January 29, 2020

Claire has a lot on her plate. Her father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and he's very difficult to look after. Her young daughter, Ella, is a hemophiliac and bears watching all the time. Her husband is not happy, and he spends a lot of time in the local bar. Claire suspects he's cheating on her and has a friend follow him one night. What the friend sends her is a picture of her husband kissing a very pretty woman. Shortly before she throws her husband out, she receives an email from a woman purporting to be her half sister. She knows things that she shouldn't unless what she says is true. Actually, Claire is kind of happy to find a sister she never knew she had .... she's always been short of friends and now that hubby isn't there all the time, this gives her someone she can bond with, talk to. But is the sister who she claims to be? Yes, she is sympathetic to Claire's problems, but how helpful is it to keep telling her that she needs to keep her daughter away from her father because he might be dangerous? And now she's bonding with Ella .... and Claire isn't too crazy about that, either. But why would Sophie want to hurt Claire’s precious daughter? Was trusting her new sister with Ella the biggest mistake of Claire’s life? Although I knew early on most of what was going on, there were still some surprises waiting for me at the unexpected ending. This is a well written psychological thriller. It's nicely paced from beginning to end. Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this domestic psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

3 people found this review helpful

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