Synopsis of What Happened to My Sister:
Nine-year-old Carrie Parker and her mother, Libby, are making a fresh start in the small town of Hartsville, North Carolina, ready to put their turbulent past behind them. Violence has shattered their family and left Libby nearly unable to cope. And while Carrie once took comfort in her beloved sister, Emma, her mother has now forbidden even the mention of her name.
When Carrie meets Ruth, Honor, and Cricket Chaplin, these three generations of warmhearted women seem to have the loving home Carrie has always dreamed of. But as Carrie and Cricket become fast friends, neither can escape the pull of their families’ secrets—and uncovering the truth will transform the Chaplins and the Parkers forever.
I absolutely loved the author's book, Me and Emma. Knowing that
What Happened to My Sister was the book that would hopefully bring closure to all my questions from the prior read, I was really excited to accept a review copy. I was captivated by the first paragraph because I could hear Carrie's voice and picture her little emaciated face and bruised body. I was ripping through the pages and then all of the sudden the author introduces a new voice into the story and something changed for me. I was a bit upset because I was trying to figure out how this new character and her family would fit into the story. It wasn't a cohesive pairing whatsoever, and actually it was like hitting a huge bump in the road because it threw my reading mojo off course and influenced my overall reaction to the book. It didn't help either that by mid-point I knew what was going to happen. I don't know how I did, but I just did and it felt so contrived that I was a bit ticked. And of course, it went down exactly as I thought and when I finished the book, I honestly wished I'd never read it, because it came no where close to the powerful and intense read of
Me and Emma.
Recommend? You MUST read Me and Emma first...without that prior knowledge I'm not sure that this book will stand on its own. I didn't hate it, but I sure didn't love it. So I guess you could categorize it as an okay read for ME. Now, plenty of other bloggers and readers have given this one high marks, so please make sure you read some other reviews before deciding whether or not you want to read this book.
Please take the time to visit the other
bloggers on this tour and read their thoughts.....
Disclaimer: Thank you to TLC Book Tours for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.
Review Book #25
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