Little Sister

By Isabel Ashdown

No one knows you better than a sister—your dreams, your fears, your mistakes, and all your secrets.
 
It was just that way when Jess and her older sister, Emily, were children. Born barely a year apart, they were deeply entwined, complementing each other in their differences. When Jess felt awkward and shy, Emily, the consummate big sister, was happy to take the lead.
 
After a long estrangement, they’ve become close again. Jess moves into the comfortable Isle of Wight home Emily shares with her husband, step-daughter, and toddler. Any misgivings about the past are swept away and forgotten.
 
And then, on New Year’s Eve, little Daisy disappears while in Jess’s care.
 
Jess is in shock, unable to remember what happened. Emily, traumatized, watches helplessly as her life unravels. But as the search intensifies and the police detective’s questions grow more pointed, a different picture emerges. Behind the image of a seemingly happy family—Daisy’s doting teenage sister, Chloe, loving father and husband, James, and siblings Emily and Jess—there are devastating deceptions and long-ago choices that can never be unmade. And underlying everything is the story of what really happened to drive Emily and Jess apart years ago.
 
Unfolding through shifting perspectives, Little Sister is a brilliantly plotted, dark, and constantly surprising tale of love, rivalry, and broken loyalty that reveals how far one sister might go to protect—or destroy—another . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781496714787

Isabel Ashdown

Isabel Ashdown is the author of four critically acclaimed novels: Flight (2015), Summer of ’76 (2013), Hurry Up and Wait (2011) and Glasshopper (2009). Her first novel, Glasshopper (Observer Best Debuts, Evening Standard Best Books of the Year), won the Mail on Sunday Novel Competition. She lives in West Sussex with her husband and two children.

Reviews for Little Sister

[cathygeha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Little Sister by Isabel AshdownTwisted is the first word that came to mind when I finished the books. The story, characters, family, relationship…all…twisted…Sisters should be friends but are they? Can you trust your sister? What about your husband and your friends – are they trustworthy? And, what about yourself? What about the things you tell yourself and others – are they honest and true and how does your “truth” synch with that of those around you? All of those things came to mind as I wondered just how two women who are sisters could end up as they did in this story. I have to say that the storytelling style was not my favorite flipping from one character to another with three eventual viewpoints and within a segment the past and present were often mentioned in a haphazard way. At first I almost put it down but persevered and did finish the story but…did I like any of the characters? Nope…not really. Could I relate to any of the characters? Not really. Would I read another book by this author? Perhaps. I am not sure if “like” is a term one can use to describe this book. It did make me think and say, “Oh my!” a few times but…it was truly TWISTED. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review. 3-4 Stars

[pgchuis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.Jess has been estranged from her family for 16 years, but at their mother's funeral she is reconciled with her sister Emily, and moves in with Emily's family to work as nanny to new baby Daisy. Jess has a heart condition which causes her to black out occasionally and in the early hours of New Year's Day she is discovered unconscious in the kitchen and Daisy is missing.This was well-written and twisty and turny. None of the characters were particularly likeable, but the author did a good job of constantly causing us to reevaluate our perspective on the sisters and especially Jess. The shift in the narrative at the beginning of Part 2 did cause a little loss in suspense for me, and I am deducting a further star for the final chapter, which read a bit like the author tidying up and explaining all the things she feared she might not have made clear earlier.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I was really looking forward to this book. The cover and the description are both what drew me to this book. Sadly, it became quite apparent fast that I would not enjoying this book. Try as I might I could not find any connection with any of the characters or the storyline. The alternating chapters with the sister's voices didn't help either. This helps sometimes because it came bring me closer to the characters and in fact, I like this format for these types of books. Again, there was nothing interesting about either sister. However, this book was not for a lack of effort as I did get half way before I could not continue any further.

[nicx27 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love a book with an unreliable narrator but this one has two for the price of one! Emily and her younger sister, Jess (only younger by less than a year) share the telling of the story, centred around the abduction of Emily's baby daughter, Daisy. Although a lot of the focus is on trying to find Daisy, the real story is that of the sisters and the rivalry and jealousy between them. I never really took to Emily but Jess I did like, and all the way through the book I never knew if what I was witnessing was the real Jess or not. What is really clever about Ashdown's writing is that you just don't know who to trust or who to believe and some really tight plotting has taken place to keep up the momentum and the intrigue.The book is set on the Isle of Wight. I have holidayed there and loved it so having it as a setting was something that really appealed to me. Being an island makes it a perfect place for a story like this as the enclosed feeling ramps up the tension.The story starts with a prologue that sets the scene, or does it? Only quite a way into the book does the prologue really fall into place and at that point there is a bombshell that I really didn't expect. And the epilogue was just perfect. Again it was unexpected but it made me feel quite satisfied. To say any more would be to give away too much but what I can say is that this is a psychological novel of the highest order. With twists and turns galore I had a lot of trouble putting it down. I kept thinking I knew what had happened in the past and what was going to happen and then had my thoughts turned on their heads.Little Sister is a fantastic look at family dynamics and the far-reaching consequences of secrets within those families. I absolutely loved it!

[simplykelina · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was sent this book by from the publisher, Kensington Books. My ratings and reviews will be my own personal opinions and are in no way influenced by publishers or authors who may have sent me books to review.#FindDaisyI am really torn on this one as I felt it had it ups and downs. The prologue really caught my attention. I was thinking, Wow the author really went there? I was really intrigued about what really happened, but I was not connecting with the story or the characters. I am not sure if it was the writing, but I just never found myself wanting to devour this story. I did want to know what really happened, so I pushed through.This does have triggers for mental illness and sexual assault.I did like that this will keep you guessing on what happened to Daisy. It is not completely obvious what happened which I like, as most books are too predictable. But, I just did not love how everything unfolded. I would have liked to see more dark twists in the present and not the backstory of the sisters. I just was not a huge fan of the ending either.Overall, this was just not for me but I can see why others are enjoying it. It will keep you guessing.

[ohgranny · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow!!! Twists until the end!

[kristymk18-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another family suspense/mystery. this time focusing on sisters. It is told in alternating POV (Jess and Emily). As is common with family dramas, there are unresolved issues and secrets from the past that rear their heads. There are some good twists here, but I did have some trouble connecting to the characters which made it a little difficult to stay engrossed. Overall though a good thriller to add to your stack.