This Advance Reader Copy of the book is courtesy of NetGalley and the book’s publishers. I am not receiving any financial or additional benefit from either group for posting this review other than the opportunity to read this book before it’s released publicly.
FYI: Some book links may be affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you click through them and purchase an item. This has no influence on my book reviews and this disclaimer serves to comply with the FTC’s disclosure rules.
tl;dr Review:
If you’re looking for a thriller that also combines an honest take on issues career women face, then you’ll love this book.
Full Review:
Boy, am I ever glad that I did! This book was filled with all sorts of twists and turns, some of which I was able to predict, but many of which I wasn’t.
The publisher describes the book’s plot as:
When five hyper-successful women agree to appear on a reality series set in New York City called Goal Diggers, the producers never expect the season will end in murder…
Brett’s the fan favorite. Tattooed and only twenty-seven, the meteoric success of her spin studio—and her recent engagement to her girlfriend—has made her the object of jealousy and vitriol from her castmates.
Kelly, Brett’s older sister and business partner, is the most recent recruit, dismissed as a hanger-on by veteran cast. The golden child growing up, she defers to Brett now—a role which requires her to protect their shocking secret.
Stephanie, the first black cast member and the oldest, is a successful bestselling author of erotic novels. There have long been whispers about her hot, non-working actor-husband and his wandering eye, but this season the focus is on the rift that has opened between her and Brett, former best friends—and resentment soon breeds contempt.
The Favorite Sister explores the invisible barriers that prevent women from rising up the ranks in today’s America—and offers a scathing take on the oft-lionized bonds of sisterhood, and the relentless pressure to stay young, relevant, and salable.
One of my favorite lines from the book was from Brett, “I may be engaged to a woman, but I know this much to be true about hetero relationshios, and that is that men who call women crazy are always the men who have first pushed them to the brink.” [Personal aside: See also, Thomas Ravenel from Southern Charm] It’s the oldest trick in the book – gaslight a woman so she questions her very existence and then call her crazy. This story was filled with lines like this that really nailed describing many problematic situations in our current society.
Normally when a book oscillates between three authors, it can get tiresome or confusing. That wasn’t the case here. You wanted to know what the others were thinking when different situations happened, and you both empathized with and despised many of their choices in equal parts. There’s no true protagonist here even with three narrators. All are flawed and all make terrible decisions. But it still makes for an un-put-down-able tale.
If you’re looking for a book that will snag you from the first line and keep you engaged until the end, you’ll love The Favorite Sister!
I give it 4 out of 5 thumbs up. I am deducting one thumbs up because I was able to predict some of the “surprise” twists, but overall it was a great read.
