To date I’ve read all 3 of Jessica Knoll’s novels, recently finishing Bright Young Women which I’ll review at a later date, I’m currently 7 books behind on my reviews but working some extra days at the moment so its been a little hard to carve out time to write… Anyway, 3 for 3, I’m enjoying Jessica Knoll’s writing.. Let’s get into this review.
The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll
- Category – Chick-Lit Mystery Thriller
- Length – 375 Pages
- Read Time – 4 Days
- GR Rating – 3 Stars
In The Favorite Sister we meet Brett, her older sister Kelly, Stephanie, Lauren & Jen, cast mates of a reality tv show called ‘Goal Diggers’ about successful self-made young women in New York City. As the story progresses we see that the group of ladies & their successes aren’t all they seem to be on the surface. The story unfolds for us through Brett, Stephanie & Kelly’s POV’s.
Brett is the fan favorite, creator & owner of a wildly successful spin studio, SPOKE, which she alleges was born of altruism. After learning of the plight & trauma of girls & young women in Africa, having to walk a long dangerous path to collect water & haul it back home, they are unable to attend school as this task takes up a large portion of their day & are at risk of being attacked & subjected to horrific abuse just to collect water for themselves & their families. Brett vows to donate electric bikes from the proceeds of her spin studio, after all philanthropy is what inspired the creation of it this mega successful business, or was it?
As the fan favorite Brett has leverage with the show producer to introduce a new cast mate for season 4 of ‘Goal Diggers’, her sister Kelly. Kelly is co-creator of SPOKE, although not a face of it like Brett, focusing most of her time & attention on her role as a mother. She agrees to join the cast, although she & her sister don’t have the best relationship & the other women don’t seem to truly want to welcome her in. Kelly has her own secrets & is playing a self-appointed role for the show & the other women, much like the other women.
Stephanie, the only black cast mate is the oldest of the group & knows her time on the show is coming to an end because of it, with the introduction of Kelly comes her daughter, a beautiful teenage girl bringing fresh ideas to her aunts business. A beautiful young girl who also happens to be half-black, this doesn’t sit well with an already suspicious Stephanie & further amplifies the tensions amongst the group. Formally best-friends with Brett, the stress on their relationship is central to this new seasons storyline. Stephanie is a successful erotic novel author, married to a very handsome actor but is her marriage really the happily ever after they try to make it seem?
Lauren, a tech start-up guru is the party girl of the show, dealing with a drinking problem & pursuing sobriety is her storyline for the new season. Creator of a super successful dating app, Lauren is also debuting a new app during this season but will her drinking continue to create problems for her? & lastly Jen, who is the wellness foodie of the group with her own brand of vegan foods sold in markets. In complete contrast to heavy drinking Lauren & full-figured Brett who doesn’t shy away from eating whatever she wants, Jen is the health conscious intentional eater. At least, that’s her show persona.
The book starts at the end, backtracking to take us through all of the drama leading up to Brett’s death. Spoiler? No, it’s literally the beginning of the book! As I’ve come to expect from Knoll’s stories, everyone is keeping secrets, everyone is hiding lies & before the story is done everyone’s secrets & lies will be brought to light. Brett & Stephanie share a secret, Brett is hiding lies around her business SPOKE & Stephanie is hiding the not-so-secret truth of her marriage. Brett & Kelly are not-so-successfully hiding the truth of their strained relationship & by the end Kelly is hiding another huge secret. Lauren is play acting the sober part & Jen is not exactly the health conscious vegan she claims to be.
I loved the behind the scenes, back-stage feel of this book, the inclusion of tidbits from the reality shows production added a layer of realness to the scenes. It felt like being in the room as the women commented on show production giving them instruction or spreading rumors to get the storyline going. The escalation to someone ending up dead seemed like quite a leap from what amounts to pretty mundane drama but I guess when peoples lively hoods are on the line, things can get serious.
All in all I liked this book & think it would make a great tv adaptation short series!
Thank you for joining me for another review, I’d love to read your thoughts on my review & of course on the book too.
- Have you read this book?
- What was your favorite part? (Brett at the Hamptons house plotting how to catch Jen in her lie, lol)
- What was your least favorite part? (Kelly’s decision to keep such a monumental secret, wtf)
- How many stars do you rate this book?
Hasta la próxima – V
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