The Sister Surprise

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Pub Date 25 Mar 2021 | Archive Date 27 Aug 2021

Description

The next hilarious, uplifting book from Abigail Mann, author of The Lonely Fajita. Pre-order your copy now!

Journalist Ava takes a DNA test hoping to discover her roots. Instead, she finds out she has a half-sister … whilst on a live stream watched by 100,000 people. Her boss thinks it’s the perfect click-bait story. Ava just wants to go to Moira’s tiny Scottish village and meet her.

But when Ava arrives undercover as a volunteer farmhand, she realises Moira – who’s her pig-wrestling, chatterbox polar opposite – might not be delighted by the news. And the longer Ava stays in Kilroch, with its inappropriately attractive reverend and ties to her hidden family past, the more complicated this surprise is going to get…

The perfect funny, heartwarming read for fans of Marian Keyes, Beth O’Leary, Sophie Ranald and Mhairi McFarlane.

Readers love Abigail Mann:

‘Abigail Mann is a sparky new talent on the scene’ Milly Johnson

‘This book had me in stitches from the beginning!’ *****

‘2020’s feel-good must-read … witty and wonderful’ *****

‘Pure joy in a book … perfect escapism’ *****

‘If you like Beth O’Leary, this is absolutely the book for you!’ *****

‘Laugh-out-loud funny, an addictive storyline with very well-thought-out characters and a touching friendship’ *****

The next hilarious, uplifting book from Abigail Mann, author of The Lonely Fajita. Pre-order your copy now!

Journalist Ava takes a DNA test hoping to discover her roots. Instead, she finds out she has...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9780008393694
PRICE US$8.49 (USD)
PAGES 384

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Average rating from 221 members


Featured Reviews

Oh my! I absolutely loved this book!! It was such an easy fun read and the characters were hilarious.
I didn't see where the end was going which I loved, meaning it wasn't predictable, but I did have a feeling Ava would do what she did. But didn't expect the rest of it. The way Abigail described the characters really helped me picture them in the setting they were in and I could imagine how well they fitted in. I adored Ava's positivity as fresh eyes to the farm and knew she would make the difference. And the love between Ava and Moira, real sister love, the similarities they had. I can't write too much without giving it away but buy this book. Read this book. And feel good when reading this book as you won't be able to help it.
I couldn't put this down and finished in a day.
This is definitely going to be a re-read for me.

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When Ava discovers she has a long lost sister her life takes a complicated turn. She sets off on a journey to discover her past only to realize her sister might not be happy to discover this news. A thoroughly funny and entertaining book, perfect for entertaining you .

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Thank you to Netgalley, One More Chapter and Abigail Mann for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love love LOVED this story! It is such a cute and quirky story, and the characters are so much fun! I cannot even imagine discovering I had a half sister, and trying to figure out who that makes me!

Set in a quaint Scottish town, it is so easy to get lost in this cast of characters and the unique setting. I love the city girl goes to the country and helps out on a farm vibe, and I also love that it wasn’t made to be an easy time! So heartfelt, full of life and real issues, I can not recommend this book enough. Can I give 7⭐️s??? Seriously could not put it down, thought about it when I wasn’t reading it, and stayed up past my granny bedtime to finish it haha. A story I will revisit again and again.

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Hilarious and heart warming!

It took me some time to get into this tale, but when I did I didn’t look back!
Abigail Mann has a wicked sense of humor with some wonderful 'in girl' jokes that kept me chortling.
Our central character Ava Is the sub-editor of Snooper, an online media program. She's been brought up by a hippie type, Eco warrior mother who never mentions who Ava's father is—so when the opportunity comes Ava takes it. Imagine her shock when she not only finds out where he's from, a small coastal village out of Inverness but during the live streamed media program, Ava discovers she has a halt-sister!
Very Bridget Jones!
Now the program wants her to write a blog type expose on meeting her sister. Nothing simpler! Right? No problems here--a quick whip in, reconnoiter, say Hi to the lost "blood blister" and return to London!
What follows is deception, hilarity, village characters worthy of a Vicar of Dibley / Hamish McBeth crossover, complete with a dishy minister (I keep thinking Granchester), amongst them.
Joyful and funny dealing with issues around believing in yourself, of self determination, of taking chances, of finding you way, of trust, and growth, and love.
An upbeat read with lots of on the edgy moments. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Thanks to HarperCollins via NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy this fun read.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

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Ava's discovery of a half sister thanks to one of those ancestry tests was a shock to her but even more of one to Moira. These two are very different in their approach to life and their lifestyles but you know what- they grow to love one another. It's a good positive read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

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I really enjoyed this book it is about Ava who along with a work colleague do a DNA test result on air for the company they work for.

It throws something up that Ava did not foresee that she has a half sister who lives in Scotland. As the company she works for decides she must do a follow up of her going to Scotland to find her half sister.

Ava ends up on a farm working for her board and keep to help Kian on his farm some of the antics she gets up to are funny. To help Kian she suggests some ways for him to earn extra money.

Ava meets her half sister but she does not tell her who she is. They become friends and Ava does not know what to do will she tell her who she is or not?

It was a really good book and I would read more of this author.

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This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

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Ending up in Scotland on a rundown farm with a hunky fella would be my idea of heaven. Unfortunately it wasn't Ava's and her resulting disappointment and steep learning curve when it came to all things farmyard was hilarious.
The love interest was satisfyingly surprising, and Ava's search for her roots and her father threw up a few more unexpected twists.

Light-hearted and funny, this is a perfect read for a cold winter evening, or a hot day on the beach.

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The Sister Surprise by Abigail Mann

Most of this book takes place in Scotland where two half-sisters finally get to meet each other.

This is a good book about two half-sisters finding each other. One is in Scotland, and one lives in London. I enjoyed reading about their Scottish.ways, the farms, and the laqnguage. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

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What's not to love?!

The Sister Surprise follows Ava as she travels to a tiny Scottish island to meet the half-sister she didn't know existed.

There's everything I was hoping for in this wonderful book. Laughs galore! Emotions awry. And a hot priest!!! It was just what I needed to read to get me out of the world as it is. Perfect, thank you.

With thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for the chance to read and review.

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I loved this book, It's funny, entertaining and also heartwarming. Follow the story of Ava who on wanting to find out more about her heritage, finds that she has a half sister, but will the half sister be pleased with the news? Definitely a book to add to your to be read pile.

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I have had this ARC since December so I am glad I have finally gotten around to it and I am all caught up with my ARC’s on Netgalley. The Sister Surprise focuses on the main character Ava, a journalist who after a DNA test finds out she has a half-sister. Once she figures out her half-sister in Kilroch, she finds a rural farm she can work at in order to travel and see her. She soon finds out her sister is nothing like her, and struggles to tell her the truth about her and how she is her step sister. I really enjoyed how funny and heartwarming the book was and I really liked the relationship the main character ended up fostering with her sister. I also liked how the book did not really stick to the usual expectations you would expect when the main character goes up to a rural farm and stays with a younger farmer, I was totally expecting him to be the love interest but I was really happy the author didn’t use that usual trope. Although Ava does end up having a love interest in the book, their romance isn’t the center of the narrative in kilroch and it focuses more on Ava and her relationship with her lost sister Moria which I really enjoyed. Overall, I liked the book, even if it did take me forever to get around to reading.

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I loved this book from the minute I picked it up! It was such a lovely read, full of twists and tales, prefect friendship and not too much romance to take away from girl power! Even a few naughty animals to make you laugh along the way!

This book was the prefect easy read and give me the buzz around reading I needed to get my reading-mojo back!

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Scottish countryside, tracing a sister and an unexpected romance, all wrapped up with great humour that will bring a smile and a giggle, and is sure to lift the spirits; is what The Sister Surprise brings to readers. This is the second novel by Abigail Mann who wrote the much talked about debut novel – The Lonely Fajita.

Ava Atmore is a very quirky 27 year old journalist at Snooper who has a cuddly cat and quite the mother to live up to in some ways, with her high expectations and her occasional jibes. It is fun however, getting to know her mum and family friends Ginger and Rory.

There’s some humour mixed in with bites of popular culture and the guessing to who are Ava’s relations, as light-hearted conversations between the characters progress.

Family Trees, Family Connections, DNA can be absolutely fascinating and this is what Ava bravely embarks on, with the brave part being it is all there for the world to know, on a live-stream! Her family is interesting and especially since she finds a sister she never knew she had up in Scotland. The Scottish references of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Irn-Bru etc add a bit of fun and also may interest people to Google them, if they are unfamiliar. People in their late 20’s to late 30’s will have a nostalgic flashback to Matt Baker in his Blue Peter days, referenced as Ava travels up to Scotland to find her sister.

Ava is very much a city girl and it shows, which is quite amusing with her pre-conceptions and questions, as she tries to acquaint herself with the countryside and animals, so it is fun seeing her learn. There are many comical parts to the books, which makes it pretty uplifting in what is a meandering book, which then picks up interest again when she finds her sister, Moira and her family story starts to all be unwrapped. There is also a lovely romance simmering away for Ava.

All in all, it’s a story with very good, proper humour and is a good read for escapism and a bit of a journey into the countryside.

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The Sister Surprise by A. Mann is a witty and fun read. The perfect summer and baech read, fluffy, entertaining and has everything I love in a great story.
Ava , a journalist takes a dna test and suprise, there's a sister she knew nothing about out there somewhere. Ava would be bad at her job if she couldn't find out who this mysterious sister is. So up she goes and is visiting undercover the sister and her family.
I started reading and was pretty quick intrigued. I read the whole book, cover to cover, in one sitting, unputdownable.

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This is the first book by Abigail Mann I have read and it definitely won't be the last. From the first sentence, I liked her. By the end of the first chapter, I loved her. This is a seriously funny book. It's been years since a book has made me laugh so hard that I've had to put it down to fully belly laugh and keep laughing. Then laugh some more. It's the situations that arise and her descriptions that are so visual. At the root of it all are good people. People that as a reader you care about. It's a culture shock and finding yourself kind of story (I really don't want to give anything away), wrapped up in a battle of deadline pressures and fighting for integrity. The main character Ava throws herself, wholesomely and whole-heartedly at the challenges she faces. She's kind and generous. With a healthy pinch of quirky. (All the best people are!) I was rooting for her from the start, and as disasters struck and dignity was thrown to the wind, I was guffawing and cheering her on in equal measure. A wonderful book. Enjoy. x

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