Sister Dear by Laura McNeill--Book Review

                                                        
What it's about . . .

All Allie Marshall wants is a fresh start.  But when dark secrets refuse to stay buried, will her chance at a new life be shattered forever?

Convicted of a crime she didn’t commit, Allie watched a decade of her life vanish – time that can never be recovered. Now, out on parole, Allie is determined to clear her name, rebuild her life, and reconnect with the daughter she barely knows.

But Allie’s return home shatters the quaint, coastal community of Brunswick, Georgia. Even her own daughter Caroline, now a teenager, bristles at Allie’s claims of innocence. Refusing defeat, a stronger, smarter Allie launches a battle for the truth, digging deeply into the past even if it threatens her parole status, personal safety, and the already-fragile bond with family.

As her commitment to finding the truth intensifies, what Allie ultimately uncovers is far worse than she imagined. Her own sister has been hiding a dark secret—one that holds the key to Allie’s freedom.

About the author...

. . .Laura McNeill is a writer, web geek, travel enthusiast, and coffee drinker. In her former life, she was a television news anchor for CBS News affiliates in New York and Alabama. Laura holds a master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and is completing a graduate program in interactive technology at the University of Alabama. When she’s not writing and doing homework, she enjoys running, yoga, and spending time at the beach. She lives in Mobile, AL with her family.

A little Buzz...

“Overall, it’s an original twist on the wrongly accused victim trying to exonerate herself, and will keep readers interested throughout.” —RT Book Reviews

And now my thoughts...

. . .When I was offered this book to review I was sincerely interested. I loved the story line and looked forward to a fictional story about a young woman stepping out of the darkness of being wrongly accused and a  victim,turning her life around. 

What I received from this book was not what I hoped for or expected. 

What I saw was darkness.  Honestly I was a little expecting it because too me the cover is dark and the title just made me kind of expecting something sad and dark. 

Personally I have questions about it's placement in the category or genre of 'Christian'.  And, I have a few thoughts on the subject.  But.  This post isn't about that.   It is about what I thought of this book.  

After a few chapters I was honestly having the feeling I've read or seen this story before.  I skipped to the end and read a few chapters all the way to the end of the book.  The story line reminded me way too much of a Lifetime movie I had seen recently. 

I realize that when you read a lot of books of a certain kind or even see a lot of movies of a certain your going to see some similarities.  But I didn't see similarities I saw 'I've seen this before'.

Because this book was consideration a 'Christian' novel I think I expected more faith than I got.  

For me that was a real negative.  

With that said . . . this was an intense and twisty turning gripping story.  The characters were intense and well developed.

I just really expected more.  Because this book was published by Tommy Nelson I truly expected much much more.  

Even though I felt like I'd seen this story line before I could tell that the author is talented enough to weave more faith into the story line.   If she wanted to.

Sometimes a lack of Jesus is 'kind a' worse than none at all. 

I think that's what you get here.  

I received an advance reader's copy of Sister Dear from LitFuse in exchange for my honest review.

 I am required to post this review on retail sites. Because the retail sites us a rating of 1-5 stars I am required to rate this book.    I am not a of this system.  I would really like to give this book 

4 stars because I thought it was a well written story.  However based on all the other factors I mentioned above I am giving this book 3 1/2 stars.  

Sister Dear is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Christian Book(dot)com. 

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