The best books with untrustworthy sibling relationships

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been absolutely entranced by complicated family dynamics and sibling relationships as long as I can remember. Particularly as they exist within the thriller space. I graduated with a degree in criminal justice which only fueled that fire as I learned so much more about psychology, the human mind, and the depths of human depravity. It was so natural for me to start exploring it in my own reading and writing. 


I wrote...

When She Was Me

By Marlee Bush,

Book cover of When She Was Me

What is my book about?

Ever since that night, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable. As the sole permanent residents of Cabin Two, their refuge on an isolated Tennessee campground, they manage to stay away from prying eyes, probing questions, and true crime junkies. Just the two of them, Cassie and Lenora against the world. The peace and quiet is almost enough to make them forget what happened all those years ago. Almost.

Until a teenage girl camping at the neighboring cabin goes missing, and the memories come rushing back. Trapped in the isolating, claustrophobic wilderness, Cassie and Lenora must piece together the truth of what happened—and the sinister truth lurking in their own pasts—before it's too late.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Good Sister

Marlee Bush Why did I love this book?

I absolutely inhaled this book because of the main character. Sure, the story was suspenseful, murdery, and twisty—all the things I love—but it was the main character that kept me flipping pages. She was a joy to read. Being in her head was so fun and endearing even in the midst of such an intriguing thriller. I couldn’t help but root for her until the very end! 

By Sally Hepworth,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Good Sister as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"A stunningly clever thriller made doubly suspenseful by not one, but two unreliable narrators." — People

Sally Hepworth, the author of The Mother-In-Law delivers a knock-out of a novel about the lies that bind two sisters in The Good Sister.

There's only been one time that Rose couldn't stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright…


Book cover of Original Twin

Marlee Bush Why did I love this book?

I loved this book because reading it was a lot like watching a movie. The way Gleeson writes, you can picture it playing out on a screen in your head.

I absolutely flew through the chapters of this twin story with my heart in my throat. It felt so cinematic, dramatic, and knife-sharp. Plus, one of my favorite parts of a good thriller, the plot twist really got me.

By Paula Gleeson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Original Twin as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"I loved it." -Sally Hepworth, New York Times bestselling author.

In this haunting tale about the bonds between sisters, one young woman must follow the invisible thread that connects her to her missing twin before someone else can sever it for good.

Twin sisters May and June couldn't be more different. May is quiet, self-conscious, withdrawn; June is boisterous, beautiful, magnetic...and missing.

It's been a year since June disappeared, a year of May waiting for her to turn up with an explanation of where she's been and why she left. But with the discovery of an old newspaper article comes…


Book cover of Twenty-Seven Minutes

Marlee Bush Why did I love this book?

I fell in love with this book from the very first page.

The premise captured my attention, but it was the writing that captivated me until the end. With gorgeous prose, Tate weaves her characters so deliberately all while slowly unearthing these shocking family relationships until the final puzzle piece slides into place. I absolutely loved it!

By Ashley Tate,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Twenty-Seven Minutes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It takes one moment to call for help. So why did he wait?
'The rare gift that delivers it all' ASHLEY AUDRAIN
'Truly gripping and deeply satisfying' CHRIS WHITAKER
'I was hooked' JANE CORRY
'A new thriller writer to watch' ROBYN HARDING
'Left me in awe' JO LEEVERS
___________

THE QUESTION
For the last ten years, the small town of West Wilmer has been struggling to answer one question: on the night of the crash that killed his sister, why did it take Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help? If he'd called sooner, Phoebe might still be alive.…


Book cover of The Only One Left

Marlee Bush Why did I love this book?

I loved this book for so many reasons. The biggest reason is that setting! I loved how Sager truly used this gothic, cliffside crumbling manor to help tell the creepiest and twistiest tale.

Also I couldn’t have guessed that plot twist in a million years either and that’s always a plus when reading a thriller!

By Riley Sager,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Only One Left as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE BRAND NEW HEART-POUNDING GOTHIC THRILLER FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Everyone believes that Lenora Hope is a mass murderer.

When the Hope family was massacred decades ago, she was the only one left after that tragic night.

Mute, paralysed and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora has never been able to tell her side of the story.

Until her new live-in caregiver Kit brings her a typewriter.

And with one working finger Lenora begins to type:

I want to tell you everything.

Book cover of We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Marlee Bush Why did I love this book?

This is one of my favorite reads of all time. I love the way Jackson can make you so uncomfortable with her writing.

I love the way her characters are full of idiosyncrasies. I love the twists and turns. Mostly, I love the co-dependent, creepy, yet captivating sister bond she manages to display throughout this wild mystery!

By Shirley Jackson,

Why should I read it?

19 authors picked We Have Always Lived in the Castle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister, Constance, and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family.


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A Diary in the Age of Water

By Nina Munteanu,

Book cover of A Diary in the Age of Water

Nina Munteanu Author Of Darwin's Paradox

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Writer Ecologist Mother Teacher Explorer

Nina's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

This climate fiction novel follows four generations of women and their battles against a global giant that controls and manipulates Earth’s water. Told mostly through a diary and drawing on scientific observation and personal reflection, Lynna’s story unfolds incrementally, like climate change itself. Her gritty memoir describes a near-future Toronto in the grips of severe water scarcity.

Single mother and limnologist Lynna witnesses disturbing events as she works for the powerful international utility CanadaCorp. Fearing for the welfare of her rebellious teenage daughter, Lynna sets in motion a series of events that tumble out of her control with calamitous consequence. The novel explores identity, relationship, and our concept of what is “normal”—as a nation and an individual—in a world that is rapidly and incomprehensibly changing.

A Diary in the Age of Water

By Nina Munteanu,

What is this book about?

Centuries from now, in a post-climate change dying boreal forest of what used to be northern Canada, Kyo, a young acolyte called to service in the Exodus, discovers a diary that may provide her with the answers to her yearning for Earth’s past—to the Age of Water, when the “Water Twins” destroyed humanity in hatred—events that have plagued her nightly in dreams. Looking for answers to this holocaust—and disturbed by her macabre longing for connection to the Water Twins—Kyo is led to the diary of a limnologist from the time just prior to the destruction. This gritty memoir describes a…


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