The Perfect Sister by Sheryl Browne
Genre: Domestic thriller, psychological thriller
Read: 12th April 2020
Purchase: Amazon
(publication date: 29th January 2020)
★★★★ 3.5 to 4 stars
Sheryl Browne certainly wrote one twisted tale with THE PERFECT SISTER (formerly titled THE FAMILY SECRET) and I wasn't sure how I felt about it all, even right up to the end. It's twisted, it's disturbing and yet it is still compelling. It's like a car crash...you just can't look away. Although I would have put this handful of characters down (yes, I would have loved to have put them down!!) and the story to being a train wreck...because honestly? Who would even do such a thing?! But Sheryl Browne has a knack for bringing out the dark side of human nature in her twisted tales.
Claire's life is crumbling and she is struggling to keep her head above water. Her father Bernard has Vascular dementia so she, hubby Luke and daughter Ella move into his house to help care for him. But it's getting harder and he is becoming more difficult to look after. Claire and Luke argue over her father going into full time care but, despite the fact that the two men have never really gotten on, Claire feels that Bernard is her responsibility.
Luke isn't happy with their living arrangements. He and Bernard have never liked one another, a fact that is only made worse now that Bernard very often forgets who Luke is leading the two men to butt heads even more. Claire doesn't seem to understand though to be fair he is her father. Still, in Luke's opinion Bernard's behaviour is becoming more volatile and they have to think of, not only their safety, but that of their daughter Ella's who suffers from haemophilia.
After yet another arguement with Claire Luke storms out of the house and ends up at a club where he meets the very attractive Anna. He hardly gives her a second look until he sees her in a tussle with a man who is obviously bothering her. Anna is extremely upset so Luke, being the gentleman that he is, escorts her home. Anna claims the man is her ex-boyfriend who has been stalking her and has been violent with her. After ensuring that she is safe, Luke leaves to stay at his best mate's place to give Claire a chance to calm down.
Meanwhile Claire suspects Luke is cheating on her given that he spends so much time away from home. On the night he'd stormed out, a friend sees Luke with a very attractive woman and snaps a photo of them kissing before sending it to Claire. That is all the evidence Claire needs so when Luke returns the following morning, she throws him out. I could have slapped her then and there - she doesn't even give him a chance to explain or to discuss it like the two adults they are meant to be.
But Luke has other problems now. Anna, it seems, has latched on to him seeing him as some kind of saviour and keeps texting him. Luke doesn't know what to do. Nothing happened between them and yet Anna is alluding to a relationship that doesn't exist. Her texts become more demanding and aggressive that he has realises he has no alternative but to confront her. But when he arrives at her apartment, he discovers blood throughout the place and no sign of Anna. The next thing he knows is he has been arrested for harming her and possibly killing and disposing of her. He pleads with Claire for her help but she doesn't know what to believe anymore.
In the meantime, Claire has been contacted by woman on Facebook claiming to be her half sister. Bernard, it seems, had a long standing affair with this woman's mother resulting in fathering a second daughter. Luke was understandably wary but Claire had always longed for a sister so she was thrilled to discover her existence, dismissing any nagging doubts she may have had. The woman, Sophie, knows things she shouldn't unless what she says is true. And she could really do with a sister right now. Especially with the problems she is facing with Luke, who is becoming increasingly aggressive. She knows he is desperate but can she risk Ella's safety?
Claire is thankful to have someone on her side who is sympathetic to her problems. But how helpful is it to keep telling her that she needs to keep Ella away from her father because he might be dangerous? Why would Sophie want to keep them apart? And now she's bonding with Ella, who adores her new aunty.
But is Sophie really who she claims to be? And is trusting her new sister with her daughter her biggest mistake?
So did he or didn't he? And is she or isn't she? THE PERFECT SISTER is seriously a train wreck not because of writing or the story, but because you just want to slap the main characters throughout the entire thing! Luke for being so trusting and naive falling into a beautiful woman's trap and Claire for believing a total stranger over the man she has shared years together and a daughter with. Who does that? How quickly she was to believe the worst of Luke without even a second thought or even hearing him out. And when she begrudgingly does, she refuses to believe a word...trusting instead a total stranger who claims to be her half sister. What proof does she really have? Her father is now in residential care and his memories are dwindling fast, so she can't rely on whatever answers he gives her. So instead of weighing up all options, she goes with ditching Luke and trusting Sophie. I wanted to slap her!
Secrets, deception, lies, mind games and family drama combine to create a toxicity so poisonous that will have you turning the pages of THE PERFECT SISTER long into the night. And yet I still couldn't decide how I felt about it... In all honesty, the characters were unlikable and clearly stupid. And despite Bernard's role in this huge debacle, I felt a sadness for him as he now is. Dementia is a cruel disease and his story tugged at my heartstrings.
A cleverly woven story, the reader can quickly guess that Anna and Sophie must be one and the same. But the fun part is clearly watching them come to this realisation. I wondered how long it would take them to get there as I figured it out quite early on. But no matter how predictable the story appears, you will not be prepared for the end game.
Another twisted tale from the queen of dysfunctional family plots, THE PERFECT SISTER is an entertaining read for fans of domestic thrillers.
As an aside, the title was changed from THE FAMILY SECRET to THE PERFECT SISTER before publication. I personally think THE FAMILY SECRET works better for this story...but that's just my opinion.
I would like to thank #SherylBrowne, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #ThePerfectSister in exchange for an honest review.
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