Irini has spent her life in an on again off again relationship with her sister, Elle. Irini thinks Elle is the one who loves her best, but then suddenly she will lash out in anger.
When Elle calls to say their mother died, Irini decides to return, to Scotland to see if she can get answers of why she was unwanted and shipped off to her aunt and uncle's to be raised by them at the age of three.
When Irini arrives Elle wants to have "sister time" and the next minute she is threatening Irini with a knife. Irini joins forces with a friend to try to find out why Elle is the way she is and to hopefully discover why she was abandoned by her parents. ( )

There are some great debut novels being published at the moment and My Sister by Michelle Adams is no exception. This is a hooked from the start kind of book and there's no leading the reader in gently as on the very first page we experience Irini's fear at the phone ringing during the night. It's never good news at such an hour but Irini has cause to be even more fearful; it means that her sister, Elle, has found her again. When Elle tells Irini that their mother has died, Irini doesn't ask how she died, she just assumes that Elle has killed her. All this in the first 2 short chapters! There were so many hooks I felt like a lone fish in a fishing competition.

The relationship between the sisters forms the basis for the whole story; they are anything but close as Irini was given away at the age of 3 and Elle remained with their parents. This is most definitely a cross that Irini has had to bear her whole life as she constantly wonders why her parents would keep one daughter but give another away. When Elle takes Irini to the family home in Scotland for her mother's funeral, Irini meets her father for the first time since she was given away. She naturally has questions for him but it is clear on her arrival at the house that Elle is in control and her father seems almost afraid of Elle. Irini is suspicious and also a little scared of Elle as the simmering pot of underlying tension in the book made it feel like Elle could flip at any time. When Irini starts to dig into her background, she has no idea what skeletons she might find hiding in the closet.

Time absolutely flew by whilst I was reading My Sister and I read it within 24 hours. The compelling writing of Michelle Adams creates so much tension and apprehension that it made me suspect every single character of not being who they appear to be. I loved the flashbacks to when Irini was growing up and Elle appeared in her life now and again, leaving behind a trail of devastation and destruction in her wake. It's definitely a book that got under my skin and I could never have imagined the direction the book went in.

My Sister is well worth picking up if you're looking for a twisty, gripping quick read but be warned that you will struggle to put it down once you pick it up. A fantastic debut from Michelle Adams and I'll definitely be keeping a keen eye out for her next release.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. ( )

Hmm, I thought that the characters were awful, the plot was a bit unbelievable and I guessed the ending ( )

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This is a customer review from the Amazon Vine Programme.

I am reviewing the book, My Sister by Michelle Adams. Here are my thoughts:

^^ From the first page author Michelle Adams had me hooked. When Irini receives a phone call from her sister Elle, saying their mother had died, she's immediately fearful. The death of her mother doesn't bother so much (there's re
asons for this) what bothers her is the fact that her sister Elle has found her. Why has Irini been in hiding from her own sister? What could have happened between them for their relationship to end up this way? Why did Elle not even say how their mum died? Impatient for answers I read fast and furiously.

^^ As this story continues, reluctant Irini realises she is going to have to go and pay her respects and go back home. A home were her own family didn't want her. But, this might be her last chance to find out the truth about why they picked her sister "to keep" over her. Could she really live the rest of her life never knowing?

^^ Throughout this story there's a dark and dangerous theme, which made for an exhilarating fast read. Clearly one of the sisters is unstable. Manipulative. And quite frankly, if she doesn't get her own way, very scary.

^^ The whole book is written in the first person point of view of Irini, the sister who has gone o
n to have a normal life without her family. I think this really helped to keep me involved in her story as it added a more personal narration. Like a friend telling me the whole gruesome story, in every last detail.

^^ In addition, I have to remind you that I absolutely loved the ARC cover, which really freaked me out when I opened the parcel. Imagine the scene. I was tired. It was late at night. Find out more here...

Overall: I absolutely loved this book, never quite knowing how it was going to end because of all the twists and turns Ms Adams put me through. I really felt for the main character Irini, and found myself rooting for her all the way through this tense, exciting read. A fabulous début book!
( )

This novel had a lot of potential as it began. I really felt Irini's emotions and was drawn to her story. As soon as Elle was introduced, she gave me those perfect creepy vibes I was looking for. I loved the way they interacted with each other, and I loved that the story flitted between the past and present. However, I thought that the reason the siblings were split up was really obvious from the get-go; in fact, that was what I thought the twist would be about and I was quite disappointed that it wasn't. By the halfway point, this novel had lost a lot of its intrigue. Even the characters stopped being interesting. I really only kept reading to see if what I had guessed would come true, and it did. Honestly, I feel like this novel could have been way better if there was more depth to the characters, and a less obvious plot. I also felt like the ending wasn't fully developed, making it lackluster. For those reasons, I'm giving it a 2/5 stars.

I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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