Like many other readers, I agree that you cannot describe this book as an enjoyable read. It is hard hitting and brutal at times. A novel about how adoption can go on being problematic way beyond the first few years and how the relationships broken and reformed have ripple effects for many years and even generations. I have friends who are/have been involved in different aspects of fostering and adoption and can tell you that this story is not beyond the realm of realism. Perhaps a bit too long with too much dialogue. It is not a book which I enjoyed but if you like writers such as Jodi Picoult and Jojo Moyes then you will cope with and find this read an equal challenge.

I found this book a proper tear jerker. Heart breaking at times. Definitely not a light hearted read but very thought provoking. I would recommend it.

The Forgotten Sister

I really enjoyed this book. There was a great element of suspense all throughout, and I was not able to predict how each chapter would end. beautifully written story about lies and secrets. I was able to relate to the characters well. A book I will not forget for quite some time.

This is a really hard one to review. The content is at times upsetting - the synopsis makes it clear it is about adoption, and at the start it’s just about the basic difficulties of not knowing your background. But as the book carries on, some of the more difficult aspects of adoption/foster are introduced and makes for very challenging reading.

Leah in particular was a very complex character. Sometimes I felt really bad for her and the trauma she’d experienced, then something would happen and I would revert back to viewing her as a manipulative bully. Even at the end of the book, I still wasn’t sure whether I felt her experiencing could excuse her actions.

Without giving too much away, I found the end of the book particularly hard, largely due to how sad it seemed. All in all, im not sure if I can say it’s an enjoyable book largely because of the challenging nature of the content, but I did find it interesting, with well developed characters and some truly heart wrenching moments.


Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not influenced this review, and all opinions are honest and my own.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Must be honest do not know what to review about this book as though I read it can't say I liked it or did not like it. I found it all too much.

A thought provoking read about adoption and how much to tell a child and impact in later life. A lot of lies, secrets and manipulation involved with Cassie, the adopted daughter at the centre who tries to find her birth mother. Some of the characters are quite unlikeable from both sides, some essential to the story but others not. Slight stereotyping of opposite ends of the social scale around Manchester, but, nonetheless believable There is an unexpected finish after an, at times, emotional story.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in 2 sittings. 17 year old Cassie has always known she is adopted, but now she wants to find out more about her birth mother. After putting an appeal on Facebook, she receives a reply from someone called Leah. But who is Leah, and why is she so obsessed with Cassie and her adoptive family? This is a really good story which kept me enthralled right to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Get the tissues close at hand as this is a real tearjerker- how a family is torn apart. This is a great story and the characters are strong and written well,
Thank you to both NetGalley and Atlantic Books for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Hi, seems a good way to start that's what everyone wants a good start and hope that it will continue, but what happens if you don't know about your start, well in life I mean your told your adopted but little else.
At 17 Cassie wants to know more about the before she just 3 when she is adopted and she loves her family the one that brought her up, nice parents with nice jobs, a sister she loves , she loves the parents as well. Erin is their natural child of that's the right words to use younger than Cassie by 3 to 4 years but the bond is very strong. How ever a appointment with a health official who asks her about the family health it starts a drive to find out more she has a boyfriend Ryan and as she thinks about the future not necessarily with him on that future
So the thriller starts with enough action to get your attention which builds throughout the book as she discovers this more to her past then she thought and what is it that her parents have been keeping from her. Well I'll let you read that for yourself because this is a book that's well worth reading.
I was fascinated from page 1 and its clear as you read through this that Caroline (the brilliant author) has done her research and it raises questions that not only Cassie wants to know the answers to, but it can open up your eyes to another side of life and question what you know.. Whichever side of life you've experienced wether it's Cassie's early life or a later life nothing is ever truly what it seems because none of us knows truly what's happening next door let alone in the next town or estate. As the climax builds secrets are discovered actual they are discovered throughout this thriller, the ending is truly powerful gripping and shocking at the same time and may cause you to question all you think you know of others specially that no good person you have consigned to the waste to space sections of society, be they rich poor or indifference
You may have to think that all over again currently you will know.
I really do recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Don’t judge before you know all the facts. A mystery and a tear jerker. Why people do things and why they live the way they do., maybe if you were in their position you would take the same course in life. Without giving anything away this is a must read.

The Forgotten Sister by Caroline Bond is the story of Cassie who decides to find her birth mother and finds that everything she has been told by her adoptive parents was far from true.
This story is full of lies and secrets with quite a few unlikable characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

A great story about family dynamics and the possible impact of adoption not to mention secrets. There are lots of bits to keep you going throughout and then a bit of a twist towards the end.

Grace gets the phone call that every parent dreads, her adopted daughter Cassie is in A&E in the Royal Infirmary hospital. Her husband Tom and daughter Erin panic.

The story then goes back 4 months earlier when Cassie decides to find out more about her birth mother and discovers she has a sister called Leah.

This is a beautifully written emotional book that explores family life and the consequences of keeping secrets from you’re nearest and dearest. Should you’re loyalties lie with you’re adoptive parents who have lied to you or with you’re birth family, even though they seem to be on a journey of self destruction taking you along with them!!

This is a book that stays with you after reading it and makes you think what would you do if you were in Cassie’s shoes.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

An interesting story on what could happen when you don’t tell the truth regarding your daughters adoption. All is well in Cassies life until she starts to think about her real mum. Life starts to spiral for her and is made so much worse when she finds out she has a sister called Leah. Leah is everything Cassie isn’t, nasty, manipulative and violent. Will it all work out for Cassie and everyone involved eventuall?
I felt the author wrote quite a difficult story and covered the emotions of everyone involved well.

Cassie is a beautiful 17 year old who seems to have everything – a nice house, professional hardworking parents, money and a great little sister, Erin. However at 17 she feels the need to discover who she is. Why was she adopted, why did her birth mother give her away? This sets the whole family on an emotional rollercoaster which could end in disaster.

This is an intensely emotional book which at times was hard to read. How loyal should you be to your adopted family if they lie to you? Does your loyalty lie with your birth family who are, after all, you blood relatives? Even if they seem on a self-destructive path which threatens to take you with them?

This is a well written book with an excellent plot which hung together well. Nothing that happened seemed outside the bounds of possibility & the author never took things to extremes. In many ways this made it harder to read as it was so believable.

The characters are excellent. Cassie is a teenager going through the standard teenage angst, discovering boys & freedom. She makes right decisions and wrong decisions. Her little sister, Erin, is lovely. A loyal sister but one who sometimes isn’t afraid to express her opinion but at only 13 she sometimes finds it all a bit much. I won’t say anything about the people Cassie meets on her search for her birth family but suffice to say they are complex and well written.

Did I enjoy this book? It is hard to say really as it was difficult to read in places. I am glad that I read it & I felt it was an excellent book. This was a good look at human nature and that is not always very pleasant.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

A very emotional book telling the story of how one seemingly happy family gets torn apart by lies and deceit how can they survive.The charactor Leigh has you wanting to hug and throttle her,Well worth 5*

#TheForgottenSister #NetGalley An emotional roller coaster of a book. A story of how a seemingly perfect family can be ripped apart by lies and dishonesty. Well written and easy to read with interesting characters. With Leah, I alternated between despising her and feeling desperately sorry for her and wondering how her life would have turned out if things had gone the other way. 'Enjoy' would seem to be the wrong word about the book but it has made a lasting impression on me.