Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by the author, publisher, or other related entity.
Synopsis:
Cover Love:
Very often, I lean towards books based on their covers. I may or may not read the synopsis before picking them up. Even if I do read the synopsis, the cover will play an important part in first grabbing my eye and can ultimately sway me one way or another as to whether I will give a book a try.
Review:
My Sister's Lies by S.D. Robertson is a contemporary read that focuses primarily on Hannah and her relationship with her sister, Diane. Hannah and Diane have had a falling out in the past and have not spoken in years when Diane shows up on her doorstep with teenage daughter, Mia. Hannah and her husband, Mark, are stunned, but agree to take on the responsibility when Diane states that she needs somewhere for Mia to stay for a while. The circumstances are very hazy and Diane's actions are a definite mystery for the pair, but Hannah is happy that her niece is back in her life, despite her uneasiness about the return of her sister.
The book starts off with a prologue that gives away a large chunk of the plot. Typically, I don't mind prologues, I have historically had no preference for or against them. However, I know of one reader who will not even read a book if it has a prologue. In this kind of instance, I can see why. I would have much rather preferred to have gone through the book without this information until later on. It distorted my view of the events more than I liked. I will give it credit for creating a bit of suspense as to a few small details along the way, but it could have been so much more of a shock had the prologue not existed. I would be more detailed, but I refuse to be the one to spoil things. I will say...if you're going to read the book, I suggest skipping the prologue and reading it after you finish the read instead.
I mostly enjoyed this book. It moved easily for me and I took a bit of a liking to the characters, except for...I will admit...Diane. She just felt shady from the get go. As for Hannah, she is a bit weaker than I would've wanted her to be and doesn't seem like an appropriately strong protagonist now that I look back on things. Some small tweaks could have made her much better. Mark's history is alluded to several times, but not explained until far later in the plot. The repeated allusions felt awkward and could have been handled better, but holding the explanation did make sense in the movement of the plot. Most of my irritations were small things.
The narrative bounces back and forth between main characters, primarily focusing on Hannah, Mark, and Mia. This mode of switching views worked well for the plot and kept things fairly well rounded. The transitions between the characters were comfortable and the timeline stayed relatively linear.
There were some good surprises in the narrative along the way, which gave the book a little bit of a reprieve after the prologue issue. I liked that and it did help keep the book interesting. Overall, it was a comfortable read that moved okay and kept my interest.
Emotional Response: The book starts off with a prologue that gives away a large chunk of the plot. Typically, I don't mind prologues, I have historically had no preference for or against them. However, I know of one reader who will not even read a book if it has a prologue. In this kind of instance, I can see why. I would have much rather preferred to have gone through the book without this information until later on. It distorted my view of the events more than I liked. I will give it credit for creating a bit of suspense as to a few small details along the way, but it could have been so much more of a shock had the prologue not existed. I would be more detailed, but I refuse to be the one to spoil things. I will say...if you're going to read the book, I suggest skipping the prologue and reading it after you finish the read instead.
I mostly enjoyed this book. It moved easily for me and I took a bit of a liking to the characters, except for...I will admit...Diane. She just felt shady from the get go. As for Hannah, she is a bit weaker than I would've wanted her to be and doesn't seem like an appropriately strong protagonist now that I look back on things. Some small tweaks could have made her much better. Mark's history is alluded to several times, but not explained until far later in the plot. The repeated allusions felt awkward and could have been handled better, but holding the explanation did make sense in the movement of the plot. Most of my irritations were small things.
The narrative bounces back and forth between main characters, primarily focusing on Hannah, Mark, and Mia. This mode of switching views worked well for the plot and kept things fairly well rounded. The transitions between the characters were comfortable and the timeline stayed relatively linear.
There were some good surprises in the narrative along the way, which gave the book a little bit of a reprieve after the prologue issue. I liked that and it did help keep the book interesting. Overall, it was a comfortable read that moved okay and kept my interest.
I was fairly content with this one. I didn't necessarily love it, but it was a decent read and worth the time.
Rating:
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