"The Wrong Sister" by Claire Douglas

 

You’ve known her all your life. Or have you?

Tasha and her older sister Alice may look alike, but they couldn’t be more different. Tasha’s married with two children and still lives in their hometown near Bristol. Alice is a high-flying scientist who travels the world with her equally successful husband.

Yet each sister would trust the other with her life.

When Tasha and her husband Aaron need a break and Alice offers to stay in their home with the kids, Tasha knows her family is in safe hands.

She couldn’t be more wrong.

The call from home is devastating. Alice and her husband Kyle have been attacked, leaving Alice in intensive care and Kyle dead. Rushing to the hospital, Tasha finds the police trying to piece events together. She can’t think why anyone would attack her sister.

Then the note arrives, addressed to Tasha:

It was supposed to be you . . .

Every family has secrets. Some more deadly than others. ~taken from Goodreads

This was my first venture into author Claire Douglas' books and I have to say it was a very slow burn. The premise was so unsettling and suspenseful. I couldn't wait to dive in to this crazy-sounding story. 

It started out so promising. The characters were interesting. The scenes were described perfectly. The pace was quick and kept me interested. The story alternates from the perspectives of several different characters, giving a broad and unique perspective of all sides of the story as it moves along. 

Then it comes to a grinding halt. It moves at a snails pace. The characters become irritating and start acting child-like. The story takes weird turns and I wondered where this was headed and why I was even still reading because I was bored out of my mind. 

It is very clear that everyone is keeping secrets, but I honestly did not care because there wasn't a single character that I liked. The biggest secret I seem to have figured out pretty early on. There were also characters added to the story that brought nothing to the plot and could have been left out completely, as they just muddied the already messy storyline. 

Overall, the read itself was easy and quick. I am not sure sure I would classify this as a thriller, but more of a mystery. It was a 3 star read for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for allowing me an E-copy to read and give my honest review.

"The Wrong Sister" is set to be released here in the U.S. on August 5, 2025 so pre-order your copy now! 

Happy Reading!