Wow, this book shocked me. I never in a million years would have guessed the ending. The beginning was a little slow, but it picks up quickly. This was a great mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their development over the course of the novel. The ending was incredible. A must read for anyone who enjoys mysteries/thrillers!

We all can get hung up on the past, especially when something horrific happens to a loved one. When Annie finds a clue that could bring her peace surrounding her’s sister’s mystery, it’s imperative that she seek out answers, but what if she finds something she never thought possible?

A quick read that I felt was a nod to Gillian Flynn’s famous stories like Sharp Objects. I also love a book that’s surprising and this did not disappoint! Annie’s character was well thought out, defined and totally likable throughout, plus the dynamic kept me glued to the pages.

Get surprised, involved in mystery, and take a journey with Annie to find out what happened to her sister! Penny is one to watch! This being her first novel, I know she’s got more incredible stories to share!

Thank you Netgalley, RedDoor Press, and Penny for the ARC!

This was a decent book. I liked it but didn’t love it. I felt that the author did an exceptional job developing the main character and making me care about the mystery of the missing sister.

Oh my goodness......this book was AMAZING! The writer had a perfect blend of sprinkling information and holding back- leading to a wonderful climax and resolution. Of particular note, the way in which the story was wrapped up was complete. I was hooked from the beginning and can’t wait to read more from this author.


Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for An honest review.

Recently single, Annie returns home to care for her ailing estranged mother. In 1989, Annie's older sister went missing and her bedroom has been kept as a shrine. Between shuttling her mother to medical appointments, Annie decides to search the room for clues, hoping to finally find out what happened to Gemma.

I've been in somewhat of a book rut recently. I've read several good books, but they've taken me quite a long time to get through them. My luck seems to have changed with My Perfect Sister.
I enjoyed this book, and read it quickly. I found the conclusion to be quite surprising. Early on, I thought I knew exactly what happened and though I don't mind predictability in a well written book, I also thoroughly enjoyed being wrong in this case.
While reading it, I was reminded of Gillian Flynn's book Sharp Objects in both the writing style and the surprising ending.

4/5
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review.

Our main character moves back in with her ailing mom. Our main character also has a sister who has been missing for years. Oh, and of course, that sister was the girl everyone looked up to. And she was perfect. It explains so much of Annie (our protagonist) behavior. Haven't we all had that person we're supposed to emulate?

The problem for Annie is that she's trying to piece together information about her sister, while also cleaning up her own life. Add her mom with cancer who ignored her most of Annie's life to pay attention to her sister, and you sort of have a recipe for disaster. Who isn't here for that?

This is Batchelor's debut novel. It's mostly an easy read. The characters could have been a little more likable, as I found I didn't like any of them. But despite that (and maybe that was the purpose), I will wanted to read and know every thing I could. There are several turns, and it's a well-paced read. Overall, it was likable for me.

3.5/5 Stars

My Perfect Sister by Penny Batchelor is a most impressive debut, and this is certainly an author I intend to watch. I devoured this one in a single morning.

Annie has returned to her childhood home to nurse her estranged mother as she battles cancer. Almost immediately, Annie is transported emotionally back to 1989, the year that her sister Gemma went missing. Gemma's old room remains a shrine, and everywhere she looks, Annie is confronted by an unresolved mystery that continues to haunt. But upon finding a previously undiscovered photograph, Annie wonders if she has at last found a clue to a secret that has long been buried.

This is a compelling, well-paced read that will have you racing to uncover the truth behind an unsettling disappearance and a family's secrets. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and RedDoor Press for this ARC.

Annie is only five when her "perfect" older sister fails to come home. An already weak family dynamic seems to shatter completely . Annie's youth is plagued by feelings of neglect and she lives in the shadow of her sisters ghost.

After many years she reluctantly returns home to care for her ailing mother. However her resentment towards her mother and sister still simmer just below the surface. Her old bedroom has been converted while her sisters remains untouched. The shrine of a bedroom does nothing to quell this hatred. If anything it ignites a yearning to divulge all her families darkest secrets.

Annie desperately tries to piece together what truly happened when her sister disappeared. But there is someone who would rather the secret stay buried. The closer Annie gets to the truth the more she finds herself in danger.

Everyone has secrets and everyone is lying. Maybe some questions are best left unanswered. This book had me questioning everyone. I honestly thought I had it all figured out and the ending left be shocked. A truly well written plot with perfect twists that lead you to the most unexpected of conclusions.

It is also worth noting that mental health is a underlying theme in this book which I absolutely loved. I felt like it added depth to one of the main characters. In fact character development in general was on point.


I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was an interesting story full of misconceptions and misunderstandings. A mother who suffered from post natal depression at time when it was not a recognised illness and hidden away and a daughter who disappears and another who suffered as a result.It is all resolved with an abrupt twist at the end which I didnt like..

Annie's sister disappeared years earlier, and Annie spent the rest of her childhood feeling neglected by her mother, compared to the missing sister. Now that Annie's mother has cancer, she has moved back home to help, while also trying to meet up with some of Gemma's old friends to try to get an idea of what happened to her. This wasn't really a straight up mystery, what happened to Gemma, but also the story of Annie finally getting to know her estranged mother. It was a good story, 4 stars.

I was very excited to dive into this based on the blurb. I was t disappointed. It was an enjoyable thriller that kept me engaged.

this book is a must read keeps you gripped to the end . Anna s sister never came home . Anna was only a child . her mother was never a mother two her or her sister as soon as she was old enough she left home and never went back only for her fathers death . then years later her aunt asks her to come home to help her mum as she has cancer . she starts to wonder what did happen to Gemma and does her own digging is very sad i cried but so so twisty so recommend

Thanks to Netgalley for the preview of this book. It was a good book with a lot of potential but it failed to keep me 100% gripped and entertained. I really disliked the main character and found it hard to believe that she could be as selfish as she was to the way in which her mother honoured her sisters memory. I guessed the ending early on & there was a small bit of character redemption towards the end.

Thank You to NetGalley and RedDoor Press for this Ebook!!

Annie is only 5 years old when her elder sister, Gemma disappears. It changed her life forever., Annie always felt unloved and unwanted. When Annie returns to care for her estranged mother, she’s faced with the ghosts from her past.

In order to move on in life she needs to get over her past, which she can only do so if she finds out what actually happened to Gemma. Desperate for clues, she delves deeper in search of the truth.

It was a good story though I kind of expected the ending. I liked the way Annie developed her character and relationships through the course of the book. Overall it was an okay book, it didnt contain the extra wow factor which could have made this into an extraordinary book.

I enjoyed this book. Admittedly, it took me a while to get into it; it's written in a very chatty, informal style, and doesn't feel 'literary' in any way. To begin with I unfairly found it a bit amateur. But it grew on me. I suspect that the publishing industry churns out so many similar-sounding and -feeling books written by similar authors with similar life experiences that anything deviating from that norm can be a shock to the system.

Anyway, once I'd got over all that, I thought the book was very good. I liked Annie. I liked her friend Priti. I liked the way her resentful relationship with her mother gradually matured into understanding and the way she found her true calling in life. In a way, the murder mystery part of the plot comes second to those other aspects, yet it was still very well done. The final twist was perfect, one that I can't say I expected precisely but that fit with everything else that had happened.

A few typos, and a few places where I felt like the story could be tightened up or made more suspenseful, but overall a good read.

Annie moves back home to take car of her sick mother after staying away from home for years. The case of her missing sister when she was 5 years old changed the dynamics of her family forever. Her father was always busy working and her mother seemed to not care that she had a young daughter still after the older one disappeared.

While living with her mom she takes a job at the hospital and begins dating Gareth who knew her sister. Her mother still keeps a bedroom shrine to her older sister Gemma and Annie begins searching for clues in the room and by talking to Gemma's old friends. Why won't Mike one of her sister's old friends talk to her? What does Reg their older neighbor know about the day of Gemma's disappearance? Did Toby a past friend of her sister have anything to do with her disappearance since he is in jail for murdering his wife?

Things come to a head when Annie meets another friend of her sisters, Fiona and finds out new information that she then takes to the police.... While she is dealing with the stress of her new job and the unknown outcome of her mother's cancer she also has to deal with the threatening letters she has been receiving.

Good plot and interactions with the different characters and with a surprising twist at the very end this is a good example of contemporary suspense and drama.

Absolutely brilliant. A found it was a very easy read, and wasnt made too complicated to follow. I had many theories about how it would end. I 100% didnt see the final twist coming. A must read!!!

This novel started it slow but picked up quickly. Complex relationships were noted. Review posted on Goodreads also.

This book was very engaging and the characters well drawn out and felt real to life. I really wished Annie the best and hoped she would find peace after the awful years of growing up without her sister Gemma and living a half life as a result. The book has some good twists and turns, some I guessed and others a surprise and the pace kept me really engaged in the story. Finished it in a couple of days which for me is quick so it was a page turner! I felt a few parts were slightly rushed and did feel it was a first novel but it's a great first novel and I hope to read more from this author. Great work, interesting and a bit different to a lot of stories in this genre. Congratulations!

I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is perfectly good. It didn’t really draw me in but I definitely killed a few hours. Worth a read.