User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
I died yesterday, or so I’ve been told.With an opening line like that I was quickly captivated by this book... a thriller with a bit of everything including a splash of romance... A twisted family drama with a bit of a somber tone...
Victoria and her stepsister Ness are surprised when they inherit a house from a complete stranger... now has this ever turned out well in a book? Seriously if I Ever inherit anything from a complete stranger I’m turning it down! Well unless it’s cash😉 being the more adventurous of the two Ness heads to Holland, to check out the house... leaving Victoria with her poodle Nigel... can I just say that Nigel was one fantastic dog! Soon after this Victoria receive a message from Ness letting her know that she is getting married and is heading off on a romantic Trip... after some time passes without any contact Victoria become concerned and heads to Holland with, Nigel in toe... then The thrills begin!
This was a dark story with plenty of twists... The kind of story that keeps you up way past your bedtime frantically turning the pages.... there are a few moments of confusion and a bit of impossibility, but it’s all tied up nicely in the end!
Recommend to those of you who enjoy a well written thriller with some family drama and a darker side...
*** A huge thank you to Rachel and the author for my copy of this book ***
Rating: really liked it
I enjoyed the two settings of the story, although most takes part in Holland. I was a little envious of Victoria travelling to Holland, though of course not under the circumstances. With her sisters dog Nigel in toe, Victoria tries to find out what has happened Ness, due to the police not taking it seriously enough.
Not sure if it’s because I am a dog lover or the dog is slightly humanised with his name, but I couldn’t help, like Victoria, to get quite attached to him. In parts, I was as much concerned about him as the characters! He is a bit of an “underdog” literally.
There is a sense of foreboding throughout the story. It made me second guess everyone that we get to meet as to whether they are trustworthy or not. Along with what is going on with the disappearance of Ness, there is another thread to do with Victoria and the relationship with her mother that I was equally interested in.
The Stepsister is a dark and sinister read. Victoria isn’t the most likeable of protagonists but she grew on me the more I got to know her. The dynamics of the story kept me hooked, urging me to turn those pages to see how things were going to end. My first book by the author and certainly won’t be my last.
Rating: really liked it
Stepsisters Victoria and Vanessa (Ness) are both convinced that it's a big mistake. It has to be right? Why would a total stranger leave them a half share in a house, in Holland of all places?
Ness flies over to Holland from Guernsey to check the house out and promptly disappears.
Victoria is convinced that something isn't right,Ness would never abandon their mother or Ness`s beloved dog Nigel (who the hell calls their dog Nigel...lol)And as for the texts that Ness has sent about a whirlwind romance and Ness marrying some man called Manus Van Der Hooke. That's not the actions of the sister that Victoria knows.
So Victoria and Nigel fly over to Holland to try and find out what has happened to Ness.
But someone is watching Victoria,someone who wants her dead.
Can Victoria find out the truth before it is to late?
I really liked Victoria,she had a wicked sense of humour,even during her bouts of amnesia she was able to see humour in the situation. She was a complex,vivid character who found herself in a number of life threatening situations as the story unfolded. I loved her interactions with Nigel,at first looking after him was just a inconvenience but she gradually ended up loving the lazy mutt. The authors descriptions of Victoria's fear and confusion as she struggled with her amnesia were realistic and believable. As were Victoria's conflicting feelings and doubts about Doctor Manus Van Der Hooke. Could she really trust him? Did he know what had happened to Ness? Where was Ness? Who was their mysterious benefactor? Was Nigel the laziest dog in the history of literature?. Apart from Victoria and lazybones Nigel,my other favourite character was the Inspector (poor bloke didn't even have a name) who was investigating Victoria's case,he was a very likeable,kind and caring character.
How can anyone not be drawn into a story that opens with the line "I died yesterday,or so I've been told" It's a fast paced,part romance/part mystery that is packed full of twists and turns.Had a number of life threatening situations and keeps the reader guessing and held my attention throughout the whole book. It's very well written,the authors words flow with ease,drawing you into Victoria's complicated life and conflicting emotions. Very good book and highly recommended by little old me.
Many thanks to Rachel Gibley (Rachel's random resources) for the opportunity to read and review this enthralling thriller
Rating: really liked it
I was sucked in from the first line - 'I died yesterday, or so I've been told' and found it hard to stop reading until the very satisfying end - but to get there you have to survive the twists and turns that take you from England to Holland and back. When Vee and her stepsister, Nessie, are left a house in Holland, they think it must be a mistake - but it isn't, it's the start of a roller-coaster ride that ends with Nessie vanishing and Vee desperate to find out the truth. I've been a fan of Jenny O'Brien's romance novels for years but with The Stepsister she has changed to the psychological thriller genre - and boy does she do it well! This has to be the best novel I have read this year.
Rating: really liked it
the story of vee and her stepsister nessie these two are left a canal house in holland the netherlands. nessie sends a text from holland saying she has met a dutchman and telling vee not to get in touch, its all so strange and after a month there's still no word from nessie, vee sets out to go over to find out what nessie is up to, and making usre she is ok a wedding is planned with this mystery guy MANUS VAN DER HOOKE and this mystery house in holland. i found this book so gripping right through and sent chills through me with lots of twists and turns along the way. i so enjoyed it and it hits you with lots of surprises. great book
Rating: really liked it
I truly had a hard time putting this book down. Most of the plot takes place in Delft, Holland so for me that added an extra dimension to the book. Victoria and Ness are stepsisters who have inherited a home in Holland from a complete stranger, and this is where the story really begins. Victoria wanted no part of this, but Ness was determined to go to Holland to check things out. Not long after being there, she disappears and Victoria has no choice but to go looking for her. What she finds only leads to more questions and a lot of danger. This was a thriller for sure and took me on a wild ride. A very solid 4.5 star. I would have no issues in recommending this book fellow mystery readers. Pick it up and get ready for a thrilling ride and just hang on!!
Rating: really liked it
Jenny O’Brien has surprised me by turning her hand to psychological thrillers and as I adore her romances I just had to explore this new direction. And what a brilliant decision it was as I absolutely LOVED The Stepsister! It grabbed me from the first shocking few pages and didn’t let me go until that wonderfully emotional final denouement.
When stepsisters Victoria and Ness are left a house in Holland they are rather puzzled as they have never heard of their mystery benefactor! The girls have very different personalities therefore they also have differing views about what they should do with their inheritance. When Ness goes off to The Netherlands to find out more, she goes off grid after announcing she has had a whirlwind romance with a Dutchman she met there. So Victoria chases after her with dangerous consequences for them all.
What a fabulously twisty read this was! And all brought to life in two gloriously described settings so that the reader really developed a great sense of place throughout. The scenes in the canal side house in Delft brought back so many memories of time spent there and having also spent that time in Dutch houses, especially those of the older generations, i know that they can be decidedly dark and foreboding due to the traditional furnishings. So the inherited house where lots of the action took place was a creepy, realistic portrayal of the Dutch architecture and lifestyle.
One character who stood out for me was, unusually, not a human one! Nigel the poodle was a brilliant addition to the cast and one that needs to make an appearance again as I loved him so much! Ness and her mother weren’t as likeable but as with all good psychological thrillers, the reasons for this are slowly unraveled with a variety of plot devices.
Once again Jenny O’Brien has opened up my emotional floodgates and I did have a bit of a weepy session towards the end. She writes so beautifully that I am always completely caught up in the actions of her characters and their lives. This change of genre worked well as I could still get an essence of who Jenny is as an author which showed throughout with her delicately handled twists and turns.
Absolutely loved this and can’t wait for more of the same (and a guest appearance from Nigel perhaps?!)
Rating: really liked it
Victoria’s life seems to be falling apart around her ears when she receives a letter telling her that she’s inherited a house from a stranger with her stepsister Ness. Uninterested she lets Ness go over to Holland to sort out the sale.
When she doesn’t hear from Ness for a while she’s not overly worried. Then she receives a text saying that she’s got married to a man named Manus Van Der Hook. Alarmed she ventures over to Holland only to find Ness is missing.
Staying in the house searching for her sister, strange things start happening. She’s in danger but from who? Can she find her sister before it’s too late?
So this is my first Jenny O’Brien novel and I believe the author’s first foray into psychological thrillers, having previously romances (for those who are fans of those books there is a bit of romance in this one too!).
‘I died yesterday, or so I’ve been told.’
Wow what a killer opening line! We start off in the present with a woman who doesn’t remember her name or how she ended up in a hospital in a foreign country. We’re then catapulted back in time to meet stepsister Victoria and Ness, who couldn’t be more different, Ness a lawyer, Victoria an artist.
Poor Victoria, abandoned at birth by her mother and adopted by a woman who didn’t have time for her, she hasn’t had the best of starts in life. Add to that her boyfriend of ten years dumps her for a younger woman! I just wanted to give her a great big hug.
An Honorary mention has to got to Nigel the dog, just because he’s a dog named Nigel!
I liked the setting of Holland, I don’t think I’ve actually read many books set there, or if they were it was focused on the slightly more unsavoury aspect of the country.
I have to be honest it’s written in the first person (not my favourite of POV’s) and I did find with hearing the character’s innermost thoughts, it did get a little rambly in places but of course that is just my opinion.
Overall The Stepsister is chock full of intrigue, suspense with a little hint of romance that will keep you enthralled until the very last page.
Rating: really liked it
Prepare to have your mind blown with this book! Jenny O’Brien had my mind and stomach in knots throughout this brilliantly written novel!!
This review will not be a lengthy one because I don’t want to spoil this wild ride for anyone. Victoria and Ness are stepsisters who have inherited a home in Holland from a complete stranger, and this is where the story really begins. Victoria wanted no part of this, but Ness was determined to go to Holland to see the home herself. Not long after being there, she disappears and Victoria has no choice but to go looking for her. What she finds only leads to more questions and a lot of danger.
This is a psychological thriller, but it’s also a story about two women thrown together when they are just children and how that affects them each individually and as sisters. That background figures pretty heavily into the storyline and adds even more to it in my opinion.
It most definitely is a thriller. I never knew what secret or twist was coming next. O’Brien did a fabulous job of that in the very beginning of the book! That was a brilliant hook! She also did a wonderful job of connecting the dots and the entire story itself…the cover even tied in. Art is connected the book also, and I loved how the illustrator reflected that in the cover.
I will warn you that once you begin reading, you won’t be able to do anything else until you have finished the very last page. Excellent read, and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!!!!
Rating: really liked it
A thoroughly pedestrian yet another of those female driven female authored thrillers somewhat elevated by fairly decent writing and somewhat exotic Dutch and Guernsey locations, but then thoroughly hampered by muddled plotting and constant veering off into the romance territory.
This debut features two stepsisters, as different as different can be, who don’t really get along outside of basic familial obligations, but then find themselves out of the blue inheriting a Dutch estate. The responsible lawyer sister goes over there to deal with the paperwork and the free spirited though depressed due to a recent dumping artist sister (and our main protagonist) stays behind. The lawyer sister vanishes after some uncharacteristic and thus suspicious texts, so it’s up to the artist sister to snap out of her blues and go figure out what’s going on
Next thing you know, she wakes up from a brutal attack which left her for dead with an amnesia and everyone thinks she is her sister. Including her new Dutch beau. Or is she? Who’s who? What’s going on here?
Usually I’d say read and find out, but honestly this wasn’t really worth reading. It isn’t especially original or interesting to stand out from the homogenous sea of this genre and, while the writing’s decent and the main character is reasonably likeable and compelling in all of her confusion, it just isn’t enough to justify the read. Especially once the novel takes a proper slide down the romance trash shoot.
This might work as a mindless beach read or for those who prefer their thrillers wrapped in romance, but otherwise it’s just ok. Then again it was a freebie and did read very quickly.
Rating: really liked it
Two stepsisters Ness and Victoria are amazed to find out that they have been left a house in Holland by an elderly gentleman. Victoria, a troubled artist refuses to believe it but the more outgoing Ness can’t wait to get on the next plane. She leaves her little dog Nigel with Victoria and sets off to claim their inheritance. However, Ness goes missing and Victoria has a feeling that her stepsister could be in danger. She sets off for Holland too, with Nigel beside her.
The book is narrated in parts by both sisters. The descriptive writing built up a tremendous amount of suspense. The story was deeply intriguing and complex and had me sitting up all night to finish it. There were several layers to the plot, a twist, a loss of memory a feeling of impending danger and a great deal of mystery. I loved the addition of Nigel the poodle who remained extremely loyal throughout.
I don’t want to risk revealing a spoiler so I have kept this review brief. I will say that the book is highly enjoyable and recommended for lovers of crime and mystery thrillers. I look forward to reading more from Jenny O’Brien in the future.
Rating: really liked it
This was the most confusing book I have ever read. At one point I felt that I too was descending into the dementia, or rather the madness, the author talks about throughout the book. The 2 sisters are together at the opening of the story and one leaves for Holland because they have inherited a house there. We hear nothing else about her for several hundred pages! The other sister also goes to Holland and the story gets stranger and stranger! She is later found beaten and bound and winds up in a hospital. A man arrives who says he is her husband but she has no memory of him. Her sister is found dead. She and her trusty dog go home with this un-husband and live together. Strange things happen for which there is no explanation. Finally the surviving sister goes back to Guernsey to pack up and return to Holland and to the non-husband. A famous painting is involved and is the cause of all the killing! I hate that I wasted my time trying to read this book!
Rating: really liked it
What an excellent psychological thriller this was, my first read by Jenny O’Brien and it definitely won’t be the last.
A shocking start and an emotional ended to boot.
Victoria and Ness are the recipients of a house in Holland left to them by a mystery benefactor. The girls have differing views on what to do with the house but then Ness goes to Holland, gets involved with a Dutch man and goes missing.
To say more would spoil it for others. This one was full of twists and turns which at time took my breath away.
Brilliantly written with a great plot and characters that come alive on the page.
Rating: really liked it
This is an enthralling debut Thriller and new Genre for this author, and wow its certainly an unputdownable gripping read. It's set in England and takes you to Holland where Vee and her Stepsister Bessie, have been left a house in Holland by a complete stranger. They don't believe its correct and think its a mistake......but in actual fact its true and this very cleverly written story begins. You will be kept on your toes and quivering in your boots, with all the emotions, twist and turns that you don't expect.
This book is a must read for Crime and Mystery fans.
I'm so looking forward to Jenny O'Briens next book.
Rating: really liked it
I tore through this book. The set-up is great, with an opening that shows you just how dramatic things are going to get, followed by a section of the novel that lets you see some of what led up to that moment. The structure and the story left me desperate for answers! I loved the setting too – I’ve never visited Holland but The Stepsister made me want to. I read the second half of this book standing up on a crowded train between Peterborough and York. I don’t think there are many things that could have made that journey go quickly, but The Stepsister did. I’m looking forward to more psychological thrillers from Jenny O’Brien.
