I was pretty bored by this one. Definitely not the worst thriller I've read, but everything that happened was so predictable and obvious, yet it took all the characters hundreds of pages to get there. And when I say obvious, I really just mean if you follow the most basic logic, you will arrive there about three pages into the book. Irini's parents sent her away to live with family when she was three. They kept her sister Elle. Irini considers Elle to be toxic, dangerous, and abusive, even calling her a sociopath, and spends most of her life moving and changing her phone number to hide from her. Irini goes on to spend basically the entire book wondering why her parents sent her away. I truly cannot fathom how that answer is not incredibly obvious to everyone involved, even without all the details of the situation. And also why the adults didn't just tell her early on. There are other secrets, sure, but pretty much everyone knew there was something wrong with Elle. There are some easy, obvious choices here that none of the characters made.

I also felt unsatisfied with the ending. It wasn't awful and explained enough of everyone's motivations, but I felt like I wanted more. There were so many more answers to be had and details that were never uncovered. It kind of ended with a shrug and Irini deciding that she guessed she knew enough. I could be more okay with that kind of ending if I was at all invested in the characters, but I really wasn't. The thrills were all that was going for this book.

It just dragged. Nothing much happened throughout the book until near the end, except for Elle bullying and gaslighting Irini. It felt like all of the drama and thriller-y aspects were secondary to Irini's internal struggle over why her parents gave her up (which again, was perfectly obvious and boring), so I didn't care.

Overall not a terrible book. It held my attention enough while I was reading it, but I doubt it'll be one that sticks with me for more than a day or two.

I usually hate British books, but this was ok.

Well, there were some twists that I predicted successfully, and some that I really felt like there was no way to see coming. I definitely didn’t see Elle or Matt as sympathetic as the author intended. Especially Matt, honestly, because a. How dare he, and b. How dare he?! I know Irini has a pretty terrible definition of what love is but for her to still be interested in him after he took advantage of her in that way was just...no. Please don’t.

So, there are a TON of good thrillers and suspense novels out right now and I think as a reader, it's often difficult to set them apart from one another the minute you see one similarity. Luckily, IF YOU KNEW MY SISTER is a title that is different in so many ways. Michelle Adams has crafted together a wonderful novel that is a recipe for what a thriller should be.

Without spoiling anything, this novel is very intricate as the plot is a combination of my favorite aspects of a thriller and suspense novel. Not only is this novel atmospheric and solid on the creep-factor, but what I really enjoyed was not only the back-and-forth of present day and getting a glimpse of the past in the lives of Irini and Elle. While the writing of this one is not only brilliant in the psychological sense, it's especially unique as I found the first half of this novel was a psychological thriller and the second half was a suspense novel with a dash of a police procedural.

Not only am I sucker for vivid imagery when reading, but I also love to read about really intense and complicated characters. This novel is no exception. The characters of Irini and Elle are not only brilliantly written, but so deviant and amazingly complicated, it's hard to believe these aren't real people. One thing I want to make note of is that, while the other characters are also very well written, I found myself picturing every other characters faces and bodies as being blurred while Elle and Irini really stood out and were almost shiny in comparison.

As the novel progresses towards the ending, I was hit with such a large twist that I read a few pages multiple times as I could not believe what was unraveling before my eyes. All of the horrible things said and done were easily put on the back burner as the reader really gets to the bottom of this strained relationship and a family full of secrets and lies.

Michelle Adams, you have really outdone yourself. I cannot wait to see what you do next. And whatever it is, let me know when I can order my copy.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Irini has spent her life never feeling wanted, not from her parents who sent her to live with her aunt and uncle, and definitely not her aunt and uncle. Growing up in such a manner has left Irini a very insecure person who often makes bad choices, despite being an anesthetist. Why did her parents keep her sister Elle and not her, especially considering everything she knows if Elle leads her to believe Elle is crazy? That's the ultimate mystery Irini is tasked to find out. If You Knew My Sister is riddled with action, plot-twists, and doubt. Elle makes for the perfect villain, always there even when she isn't. Watching events unfold for Irini had its suspenseful moments, however, I feel like the ending was rushed. A good portion of the plot twists occurred in the last few chapters. I feel that if an author is going to spend so much time building up a good storyline that leaves you constantly guessing for the truth, then the ultimate truth shouldn't be rushed. But overall it was a good, suspenseful read.

I can’t remember the last time I abandoned a book, but I had to put this one down. I read about 150 pages plus the ending. Done. The book was very boring and the plot moved too slow for my taste.

Macabra esta história..
Lê-se num instante, manteve-me intrigada do princípio ao fim.
Gostei muito e reconendo

DNF this book was just...ugh I can't believe I wasted time reading it. I don't know if I have ever read a book where the main character was as stupid as Irini. It got to the point where I really didn't care what happened, or why it happened. I just couldn't continue wasting my time reading this book.

Note to authors...the weirdo sister trope needs to be shelved for a while.