This was an interesting read, centered around Annie, who comes home to care for her long-estranged mother with cancer. Annie harbors a lot of resentment towards her mother; her teenaged sister Gemma disappeared when Annie was only 5, and Annie spent the rest of her childhood in Gemma's shadow. She returns reluctantly to help care for her mother, having just broken up with her boyfriend and lots her job, with nowhere else to go. Once home, Annie, along with her best friend and a new boyfriend start to dig into what really happened to Gemma so she and her mother can finally be at peace.

As the story unfolds, you find out more about what was really going on with Annie's parents, which is rather heartbreaking. Some of the decisions Annie made were not good (or at least too rash) decisions, and the childhood background helps the reader make sense of these. I did find myself frustrated with her at times throughout the book.

The pacing of the book is pretty decent, though things seem to move more quickly than they would in real life (such as how quickly the police reopened Gemma's case and interviewed the suspect she called to their attention, and Annie's mother suddenly being willing to clean out Gemma's room which had been a shrine to her for the last 20 years). Likewise, the end came about quickly, and I felt like there should have been more of a lead-in to finding out what happened. That being said, the twist in the last few pages of the book was VERY interesting and unexpected, and earned the book an additional 1/2 star from me.

Overall, I'd give this a 3.5 rating- it was an interesting story overall, with just a few issues around pacing. It's a quick read and I think it's worth it for fans of mysteries and domestic suspense. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 This book definitely kept me reading to uncover the truths of this old missing person case. My only issue with the book is that the ending seemed very rushed. Much time and thought was put into setting the scene and then the ending seemed abrupt,

When Annie thinks her life can’t get any worse after losing her job and her boyfriend she returns home. It was the wrong move. Her mother, emotionally unavailable and unstable still has a bedroom shrine to her other daughter Gemma, who went missing as a teenager. Annie assumes caretaking for her cancer stricken mother and resolves to answer the mystery for once and for all. Excellent plotting and timing, this is a fast exciting read by a new author for me and I thoroughly recommend It for a quarantine morning read.

Well written story. Kept me engaged the entire time. A page turner for sure! Looking forward to reading more books by this author!

Im a true crime buff and way too often I listen to the stories of those left behind after a crime. When do you give up? when do you lose hope? do you ever fully move on. One sister goes missing and the other sister is treated like she doesn't even exist. THERE is a lot put in less than 200 pages from the crime unfolding, parents losing both daughters in a sense, and how the one who does come back home has to deal with all on her own. Quick pace read with thrilling results.

This book was really good. I loved how there were plenty of twists and turns.annie comes back to live with her terminally I'll mother, and moves back into her childhood home. Her sisters disappearance all those years ago is her obsession to try to solve. This worked for me because the answer was not so obvious, you had to work to figure it out.

Dark and delicious. Really enjoyed this book and it kept me hooked well into the night. Great characters and a addictive plot

At first I wasn’t so sure if I would really be able to get into this book but dang did it take a surprising turn! Definitely became more suspenseful (which I love) and the characters really started to shine through. Give this a read!

I loved this book! It is a mystery book wrapped up in family drama. Annie moves back in to take care of her mom who has cancer. Her mom was an absentee mom not involved in their upbringing due to depression. Annie is also obsessed with her sister’s disappearance that happened when she was very young. Everything unravels as she tries to be a sleuth and a caretaker. Great story with a surprising ending! It kept me guessing between the characters. I also liked the different points of view. It was done really well without being confusing.

It was a great quick read that keeps you guessing and isn't predictable like many others currently out there. The characters were interesting and I love books that deal with mental illness and what it's like for the sufferer as well as those around them. First book I've read by this author and look forward to more! Would highly recommend and can see myself read this one again.

The author did an amazing job on this book! Nothing was predictable! I was hooked from start to finish! Great book! A must read!

Annie is 5 when her sister disappears and Annie when she returns to her childhood home to care for her mother she tries to piece together what happened to her sister Gemma from the shrine still left in her bedroom.

This was a compelling and well paced debut, the chapters were thought out, were a good length (we all hate long drawn out chapters) and were perfectly written.

I enjoyed the development of characters, especially how relatable they were through the book, it had me hooked from the beginning. Batchelor kept me guessing throughout, there was a good amount of build up and suspense and the ultimate reveal was a surprise, exactly what I want from a thriller.

I would recommend and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an excellent, fast read. I liked the topic of mental health and the stigma that came with it years ago. It added to the characters and gave them more depth. It did not end the way I was thinking, it shocked me. But it also left me wanting more of the story. I am looking forward to more books from this author.

2.5 stars

This book is the author's debut. It was a quick, easy read. The characters were just okay. I wasn't overly fond of or connected to any of them. In fact, I didn't really care for the main character for most of the story. She was quite selfish, for one thing. There were a few unexpected turns. The pacing was appropriate, so I was able to stay engaged, for the most part.

The story is a reminder that everyone has secrets, and the reader may start to question everyone they encounter, because everyone lies. I had most things figured out, but there were a couple surprises for me. I read a lot of books in this genre, so maybe that's why.

I did appreciate the author adding in a mental health angle. It did help in understanding the characters.

We are introduced to Annie when she returns to her home after many years; this is not an easy choice for her to make. She has been made redundant from her call-centre slavery; broken up with her boyfriend of two years; flat broke and desperate and to top all that, she returns to the unhappy home of her childhood to nurse her mother who is receiving treatment for cancer.

We quickly discover that her mother has been ill for most of Annie’s life. Her childhood memories of her mother always being asleep or in her room; her father was responsible for caring for her and her older sister Gemma. When Annie was 5 and Gemma about 14, Gemma disappeared. Annie’s memories are of Gemma as the Perfect Sister; things were never the same after she disappeared and she was left to feel unloved, responsible for her mother’s unhappiness and lonely – her only saving grace was her mother’s friend who she called Auntie Lena.

As the plot unfolds we find Annie trying to discover what exactly happened to her sister: dealing with her mother’s apparently uncaring demeanour and her own confusing emotions as she handles these complex and varied issues.

This all resonated with me: how people internalise situations that they cannot understand and take on the burden which leaves them emotionally neglected, which in turn makes them feel responsible, unworthy and unloved – and obviously the damage this causes. In this aspect I found the book somewhat compelling. There are a few places when I thought ‘a that was a bit obvious’ and then as the plot developed, there were places I thought ‘that is exactly what should have happened.

One doubt though – as I neared the end I felt that it got a little bit too neat and tidy – possisbly just a little too quick – although it did still leave a twist in the tale.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Annie was only 5 years old when her teenage system Gemma disappeared. Gemma has never been found and has been presumed dead all these years. Annie’s childhood was less than ideal and she’s certain that her mother wished it had been Annie instead of Gemma to go missing.

Annie left home as a teenager and didn’t go back for years until her life fell apart and her mother’s cancer diagnosis drives her back to her childhood home. Gemma’s room is still untouched, a shrine to the perfect child. Her mother is frail, and wasting away.

Somewhere along the way Annie begins to feel, for the first time, that it’s time for answers. What happened to Gemma? Why is her mother so distant and seemingly uncaring?
A fast paced storyline with a completely unexpected ending.

My Perfect Sister by Penny Batchelor is a thoughtfully written, truly suspenseful thriller. Important, real world subjects are touched on, while remaining a part of the storyline. This is a wonderfully written book and one of my favorites of the year so far.



Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC of My Perfect Sister

Annie returns home after years of vowing never to go back. The bedroom of her missing sister, Gemma is still there as a shrine. Annie cares for for mother who now has cancer and starts to unravel the secrets of past.
A great standalone read which will keep you guessing all the way through. Highly recommended.

My Perfect Sister had me totally engrossed right from the very first page. The blurb above tells one side of this story. It is a mystery, a thriller, that reopens the wounds of a missing sister and no answers to her whereabouts. I loved this part of the book. The plot was so well-thought-out, including a favourite form of narrative of mine, flashbacks to the day Gemma went missing. I loved how there weren’t too many characters. My Perfect Sister is a great story of its own merit without overcomplicating it; also why I appreciated the minimal red herrings.

But there is another element of My Perfect Sister that the blurb doesn’t tell you about.

Between the lines of Gemma’s disappearance is the story of Annie and her mother, a mother-daughter relationship that is fraught with misunderstandings, secrets, and the effects of clinical depression. Considering the investigation of Gemma’s disappearance doesn’t ramp up until the last third of the book, for me, the relationship between Annie and her mother is the real story. It’s so packed with emotion and is where we really see the characters evolve, especially Annie. It is this story that had my totally engrossed.

My Perfect Sister was a great ending to my May reads. Slot it into your June reading schedule for something to look forward to.

#myperfectsister #netgalley

I received the copy of My Perfect Sister through Net Galley and Wow keeping in mind that it is afirst book of author awesome effort.

Tagline was intriguing How can you live up to the memory of someone you hardly remember??

The lead of the book Annie was 5 when her big sister Gemma went missing, pronounced dead after a protocol police investigation. Annie thinking herself as unloved and unwanted child of her parents always resented them especially her mother but due to her illness and his father"s death return to her home and hated every moment of it.

Been back in town she decided to find out what happens to her sister and started tracking some paths . meanwhile taking care of her mother and being an adult she understood her mother better.

Her search for truth puts her in danger but she find the truth.. Which is hard will she ever be able to accept that??


It is an easy book All the chapters are perfectly written. The story is building quite nicely and one wanted to read a little more of what happen next?..
The character building of Annie through the books from being an angry adult to a sensible one is very well penned..
I would recommend it to everyone specially who are new to this genre or reading...

I personally have solved the case but boom nah I was wrong.......
Would love to read more of this author..

4/5🌟 #MyPerfectSister
•
How can you ever live up to the memory of someone you hardly remember?
•
Annie is five when her sister Gemma leaves for school one day and never returns. The family's lives are changed forever with Gemma's disappearance and Annie feels neglected and unloved. When she is just sixteen, she decides she can no longer live in the shadow of her perfect but absent sister and she leaves home, falling in and out of jobs and relationships, her resentment for Gemma always there, bubbling under the surface.
Many years later she reluctantly returns home to care for her mother, ill with cancer. Her anger only grows when she sees Gemma's room still kept as a shrine while hers is now her mother's sewing room, but as she cares for her mum she begins to soften and egged on by her best friend Priti she realises she has to uncover what happened to Gemma, for all their sakes.
Her research puts her in danger but with the help of a fabulous cast of characters and a satisfying twist in the tale, she finally discovers the truth but can she ever accept it?
•
•
•
Very compelling, well-paced read. Every chapter was perfect length, no unnecessary details added. Just enough to keep you guessing and wanting to read further.
•
Great development of characters as well, most of them are relatable and likeable. Quite a few suspects placed throughout the book, which is a bonus.
•
I thought I had it all solved before I got to the end of the book, and I almost did. Almost. But the twist in the last few pages was great, maybe a little far fetched, but that’s what books are for, right?
•
Thank you #NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.