- Started: December 8, 2021
- Finished: December 9, 2021
- Pages: 311
- Multiple POV, Timelined, New York
- Rating: 4.25/5
- TW: Domestic Abuse
REVIEW + SUMMARY
I first heard of this book on @pretanewporter’s instagram. I have read a few books by Alafair before (The Wife and If You Were Here) and it was available at my local library so I picked it up. I guess I was in a bit of a reading slump – I took a whole week off (holiday parties!) – and her books are pretty consistent thrillers. I liked If You Were Here a bit more than this one, but it still kept me on my toes and I was continuously surprised by what each chapter brought. She was able to very accurately capture the relationship between the two sisters as well as the various emotions the main character, Chloe, went through as the story progressed.
Chloe and Nicky are sisters whose lives have taken very different paths. Chloe, the younger of the two, is a successful magazine editor, now married to Nicky’s ex-husband, Adam, and raising her son Ethan. Nicky is a distant thought in their heads until Adam is murdered. Ethan becomes the prime suspect and Nicky, as his biological mother, re-enters their lives. Chloe struggles with the thought of losing Ethan, especially after losing Adam. Chloe and Nicky are forced to come together and put their past conflicts aside in order to protect Ethan.
I really didn’t know what to expect for most of the book. I kept thinking it would go one way, only to be led in another direction. I liked the dynamic between the sisters and felt like it changed very organically over the course of the book – it wasn’t some gushy reunion ever, just two women fighting for their place in the other’s life. I would recommend this book and will continue to read more books by Alafair Burke.
Books and Lewks 