The Stolen Sisters by Louise Jensen 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was sent an eArc of this via Netgalley for an honest review.

The Sinclair sisters were victims of a kidnapping twenty years before, as the anniversary looms the sisters lives start to fracture and there are things about that time they have not yet faced. 

I loved this thriller, it ticked the boxes I needed - constantly kept me guessing, didn’t fall into the expected outcomes and a fantastic bunch of characters. 

Stories about sisters are always quite fascinating to me, there is something about that connection.  Probably because I am a sister and you can’t help put yourself in their roles. 

The clever way Jensen uses time and point of view, builds the drama and slowly reveals the truth.  I was a big fan of this. 

There are darker topics explored too, the physiological and psychological effects of trauma, how different people respond to the same event.  Leah has a large number of conditions due to the trauma of the kidnapping and though I can’t say from any experience I feel that this was explored in depth and handled with knowledge.  Carly as the older sister has enormous guilt and identity issues and Marie is an addict.  

I will definitely be on the look for more of Jensen’s work as I might be on to a new favourite thriller writer.  

If you are looking for a fast paced, character driven thriller then I would highly recommend this.

I could not put this book down!

The story begins with how the Sinclair sisters were abducted which is told from the point of view of Carly. From then on each chapter is told from a different sisters perspective, alternating between then (when they were abducted) and now (living with the aftermath) the majority being from Leah’s point of view.

The abduction left me feeling terrified. I felt their fear and I had a continuous knot in my stomach. The book does detail what happens during their time in captivity but the book actually focuses on what happened after they had escaped. I thought this was brilliant and very different.

The trauma that each of the girls have to now live with is heartbreaking and dealt with beautifully by the author, from OCD behaviour, not trusting anyone and alcoholism to drug use. This book explores how one single life event can affect you forever and all in different ways.

Every single chapter ended with a cliffhanger which meant I couldn’t put the book down. It’s absolutely full of twists and turns and I’m happy to say I didn’t guess any of them which is another reason why I adored this book.

Honestly this had everything! So many twists that will have you questioning everyone and everything, but not just that, it also takes a look at how rebuilding your life isn’t always that easy. Beautifully written with a satisfactory ending – definitely worth a read!

If you are after a twisty psychological thriller with a bit of everything, then this is the book for you.

The stolen sisters, Carly and her younger twin half-sisters, Marie & Leah, were kidnapped when they were just 13 and 8 years old.  Twenty years later they are all still struggling, in their own ways, to come to terms with what happened.

The sisters are all battling their own demons, including addiction, ocd, paranoia and so much more.  As the twenty year anniversary looms Leah is convinced that their kidnapper is following her and ready to get his revenge for his imprisonment. Marie is finding it harder and harder to battle her alcohol and drug addiction and Carly is trying her best to keep everyone together and safe but will she succeed ?

The story is told in the past and the present day so we not only get to see how the sisters are coping now but also what they went through all them years ago.  We are also told about events via each of the sisters and get to see how differently they saw events.  If you are after a book that will have you in the edge of your seat, questioning everyone and everything then this is definitely the book for you.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

This was well written and kept you engrossed in the story, great charecters that just worked so well with what was going on. I really liked this and it surprised me at times another great book by Louise.

One word - WOW! It's been a while since I've immersed myself in a Louise Jensen thriller and I wasn't disappointed. It's taken me a couple of hours to assemble my thoughts after finishing THE STOLEN SISTERS and I'm still not even sure where to begin my review because I doubt my words could do it justice and illustrate just how bloody brilliant it was!

Meet the Sinclair sisters. Carly was 13 when she and her 8 year old twin sisters Leah and Marie were abducted. For twenty years she has blamed herself - for being too preoccupied waiting for a text from a boy at school, for snapping at her younger sisters, for not taking better care of them. Now she hides herself away in her flat, too afraid to come out, raiding charity shops for bargains and selling them on eBay for a profit. Her issues with trust keep her from forming relationships or having children...though she dotes on Leah's son Archie.

Leah blames herself for not closing the gate properly - with a firm three goes to latch it - from which the family dog Bruno had escaped leading the sisters to go in search of him. Now living with chronic contamination OCD, Leah cannot do anything without wearing cotton gloves to protect her from germs and bacteria, nor completing the "three time" ritual with everything she does. When she discovered she was pregnant she was horrified at the thought of giving birth in a germ-infested hospital, not to mention having another loved one that she must constantly look out for and protect.

But it's Marie that has the biggest regret of them all. Now she drinks to forget whilst waiting for the next acting job to come along. At least when she's playing a part she can pretend she's someone else in another life and she can forget. But it's not just alcohol that has become Marie's demon...and now she finds herself in debt to her dealer.

So when she approaches her sisters about going on live TV for the twentieth anniversary of their abduction, part of it is for the money they will be paid for it but mostly Marie feels that it is time for the truth. Truth? What truth? Her sisters both feel "the truth" means revealing their portion of the blame that each have shouldered alone. What other truth could Marie mean?

When the sisters were taken, there didn't appear to be any rhyme or reason for their abduction. And what followed was several fear-filled days of terror, waiting for what was to come next. From the moment they were bundled into the van, blindfolded and tied up, the sisters huddled together drawing strength from each other. Thrown into a dark abandoned room with bars on the only window and a smelly mattress, they were supplied with an insufficient amount of junk food snacks and cherry Cola - not enough to keep them fed or hydrated. But...why were they here? What did the men Carly nicknamed "Doc" and "Moustache" want with them?

Carly cleverly found an escape as the girls followed their older sister around the rabbit warren of corridors and buildings in an attempt to find their way out. When at last they did, they flagged down a passing car and were recognised instantly as "the missing Sinclair sisters". They were taken to the police station, gave their statements and reunited with their distraught parents. But the nightmare was far from over...what was to come would be even worse than the ordeal they had just survived.

How will they ever move?

Twenty years later and their nightmare has never gone away. All three sisters are a mess and are shadows of the young innocent girls they used to be. Their family has fallen apart; their parents divorced; the sisters are estranged from them but have remained close to each other. And now the person responsible has just been released from prison. So when Leah begins to find hand delivered notes on her doormat each morning counting down to the anniversary date, she begins to fear he is coming after them again. And this time, he will silence them.

WOW! What an emotional rollercoaster THE STOLEN SISTERS is! Louise Jensen has captured all the emotions from guilt, betrayal, sorrow, fear and an inability to trust like a raging storm ready to burst. As the reader is drip-fed information from the past and the present, the story slowly unfolds building a picture of the abduction, imprisonment and the aftermath through the eyes of Carly, Leah and Marie. There is also an underlying plot through the narrative of Leah's husband George in the present day. Each tendril of the story is cleverly woven together to create a tangled web of secrets, lies, betrayal, guilt and fear.

All the sisters are damaged from their childhood experienced and its aftermath so it is easy to empathise with all of them. They were just children. Children who should have been protected at all costs...not used as pawns in a grubby and unforgiving world. While it is Carly who shoulders the blame of responsibility, it is Leah whom the present day story primarily revolves around with the focus highlighting her struggles with her mental health and contamination OCD. It is clear her fixation on germs, bacteria and the like stem from their time imprisoned in the grubby room. And now it has become a necessity to maintain an element of control. It is because of this that it is Leah I particularly empathise with. She knows it is illogical but she still feels the need to go through her rituals before she can leave the house, drive the car even bathe her son Archie. The portrayal of OCD and mental illness is done sensitively with care.

A twisted emotional psychological thriller, THE STOLEN SISTERS is not your usual child abduction tale with a happily ever after. The story is unique, it is original and it is different. A dark and disturbing tale that will have you going through a range of emotions throughout, I was literally in tears by the final chapters. It really is a sad, sad tale that delivered such ingenuity with a satisfying end.

A gripping read that slowly builds with a palpable tension, THE STOLEN SISTERS becomes a fast paced ride to the end that will leave you breathless.

Perfect for fans of psychological thrillers.

I would like to thank #LouiseJensen, #NetGalley and #HQDigital for an ARC of #TheStolenSisters in exchange for an honest review.

The sisters had been abducted and bundled into a van twenty years ago by two masked men......
The story begins in the present day as the twentieth anniversary of the abduction approaches. It us told in the now and then format from all three sisters perspective.
The story s full of twists and turns, and us gripping from the beginning to the very end. I was up till 3am reading as I couldn't put it down.
Thus is a great book and I highly recommend it.

Oh my god this book. 
We all find out sisters annoying. But for the Sinclair sisters their world is about to be turned upside down the what ifs they danced to the steps song the what if one hadn't been annoyed that the boy she thought liked her text her would her mood have been different?

But now the sisters are older and it is coming up to the 20th anniversary of their kidnapping and their escape. Leah, Marie and Carly all have scars from what happened but now things are different the truth has come out but who is involved?

Gripping, so many plot twists you think one thing and nope turns out you are wrong. Well worth the read

Why have I never come across this author before? I will definitely be reading more of her books!
This was a thoroughly absorbing, original tale which I was hooked on from the first page. Not only do we follow the abduction of three sisters 'Then' but the lasting effect it has had on them 'Now'. The story is complex, the sisters all suffering in different ways, their characters sympathetically portrayed and the family splintered.
A solid 4 star to 4 1/2 star read!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Louise Jensen/HQ for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Absolutely absorbing story that had me hooked from the first chapter.  It was intense, emotional, heartbreaking and made you angry that this happened.  I particularly enjoyed that it was written from different points of view, especially from each sister and the different timeframes from the kidnapping to the awful long-term effects it had on them.  A great story and author I will certainly be looking for more stories by Louise Jensen.

Wow! This was an onslaught on the emotions. It’s always uncomfortable reading about child abduction, so having the adult perspective from the beginning and knowing the girls had made it through made it more bearable. I thought knowing who was behind the abduction would slow down the action, but even though I got it right, the remainder of the book offered no let up. I was up till 2am finishing the book, it had me hooked.

I was excited about reading this book however I don’t feel it lived up to the hype for me unfortunately. Despite thinking nothing could be worse than having your children taken from you I couldn’t establish the timescale and work out how long the sisters had been gone for. It all seemed to be drawn out too long and was a bit disjointed towards the end with one page chapters switching back and forth between characters. 

Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy by Netgalley and HQ in return for my honest review.

The Stolen Sisters tells the terrifying tale of three sisters who are abducted as children, and the long lasting impact this has on their lives. Not only have they been hounded by the press since they were found, but the traumatic events during their time in captivity have caused psychological problems for each of them. 
The book alternates between the time of the abduction, and the present day; approaching the 20th anniversary of the abduction. 
Unfortunately, I found this novel to be predictable and slow paced with an unsatisfactory ending.

Thank you netgalley,  I was very excited about this one.  I have loved Louise Jensens other books and had high hopes for this one too. It was really fast paced, talking about the Sinclair Sisters and how they were abducted 20 years ago. How each of them have been left damaged and understandably traumatised. It was a really good read, a few moments I felt were slight unrealistic but thrillers can be like that. It didn’t put me off at all and to anyone that loves a thriller I would highly recommend.

This book got me hook line and sinker!
Even time I thought I had the plot worked out, I was wrong! Fantastic twists and turns and great thrilling story. Brilliantly written and wonderful characters. Definitely recommend this to anyone that likes fast paced, thrilling, keep you on your toes books
One for everyone to read for sure
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers and author for allowing me to read this book for my honest opinion

This was a well written, and well paced book. A couple of nice twists made this an enjoyable read...many thanks to the Publishers and netGalley for allowing me access to an Advanced Reading Copy.

Louise Jensen gets better and better with every book she writes! From the beginning, I was completely hooked by The Stolen Sisters. I had so many questions and there were so many twists and turns and I was desperate to see how it ended.

The Stolen Sisters is narrated, for the most part, by each of the sisters. This helped me to understand how the ordeal had affected them, both at the time of the abduction and in the present day. Jensen has clearly put a lot of time into building her characters, especially the sisters, and I was able to see them clearly in my mind and understand every aspect of their personality. I felt all their emotions as they felt them and became immersed immediately in their lives.

The ending of The Stolen Sisters is particularly poignant and these characters and their ordeal will stay with me for a long time to come.

This was a superbly written tense and riveting tale of three sisters who hit the headlines of the world 20 years ago when they were abducted and the repercussions this had on them all throughout the remainder of their childhood as well as the mental scars carried on into their adult lives.  The twist in the tale was shocking and unexpected.  A fantastic read.

What a good book but such a sad story.  The sisters are kidnapped for a short time and their lives stumble along once they have been found leading them to a difficult adulthood.  The story goes through their emotional and mental health each sister dealing with the drama so differently and which can be so easily accepted by the reader.  They carry their ordeal as baggage which they cannot leave behind and right through it was hard to know which way the story would turn and turn it did.  Reading it makes you go through the emotional wringer for the sisters and you wonder all the time how they will finally accept that their lives will be ok or will it.  As they cannot shake off the drama each anniversary becomes more and more stressful. They each deal with the 20th anniversary differently and sometimes pull apart but are around for each other when things get tough.  I really good read and would recommend it without hesitation.

I would give this book 3.5 stars if I could. This was my first book by Louise Jensen. I was really looking forward to reading it after reading such good reviews but sadly I was a little  disappointed. I didn't hate it I just feel like it was missing something for me. I felt that the storyline was good but at times it was a bit farfetched and rushed. The kidnapping was rushed and was lacking, being resolved so quickly. At times there would be a build up at the end of a chapter but instead of leaving me waiting and wanting to keep reading on to find out what happened I was told in the next chapter. There was no suspense. 

I did like how the book was written in a then and now style and from the view of the different characters. I also really liked how different the sisters were and how the traumatic event that happened to them effected their lives so differently. It was very sad to see how badly they were affected. I thought the author did this very well.  

Overall I just feel this book wasn't for me.  I  don't know if I started it expecting too much after reading others reviews and was let down. However the book does have great reviews so please don't let mine put you off, we all have very different likes and dislikes. 

Thank you Netgalley, the author Louise Jensen and the publishers for my ARC in return for an honest review.

A gripping read about 3 sisters, Carly, Leah and Marie. The sisters were abducted when Carly age 13 was babysitting her 8 year old twin sisters. The experience left them scarred forever. they have demons and insecurities haunting them and as the 20 year anniversary approaches life takes some sinister turns. As secrets unfold their lives are blown apart yet again. Can they ever have a normal life? Must they keep paying.