The Secret Sister by M.M. DeLuca – Review

• Title: The Secret Sister
• Author: MM DeLuca
• Publisher: Canelo on March 25, 2021
• Genre: Psychological Thriller
• Pages: 282
• Formats Available: Digital
• Rating: 4/5

Trigger Warnings: Graphic Violence, Forced Prostitution, Domestic Abuse, Child Abuse, Alcohol Abuse, Drug Abuse, Pedophilia

Many thanks to Damppebbles Blog Tours, MM DeLuca, and Canelo for providing me with a digital copy of The Secret Sister with a request for an honest review.

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The Secret Sister Blurb

Some secrets won’t stay buried…

There are things I want to tell my husband, Guy, about my past. I want to tell him how I bounced from foster home to foster home. I want to tell him that living with him is the first time I’ve ever felt safe and loved. Most of all, I want to tell him about my little sister, who vanished a few years ago.

But even though I can’t stop thinking about her, about everything that happened leading up to her disappearance, I can’t tell him about her. Not yet.

Because I don’t know if I can trust Guy – I’m not the only one in this marriage with a past and a complicated family. And I don’t know if I can trust myself – people keep questioning my memories of the past, and I have to wonder whether I’m losing my mind.

As I search for answers, only one thing is clear. When all of our secrets are on the table, the truth will burn through our lives and our families, leaving some of us in ashes.

A completely addictive novel about what people hide behind closed doors. Perfect for fans of Megan Miranda and Shari Lapena.

Provided by Damppebbles Blog Tours for Tour Use

My Review

The Secret Sister is one of those novels where you are in perpetual confusion. I had no idea what was real and what was fantasy through most of the book. But, when it hit me, it hit me like a ton of bricks. MM DeLuca is a great storyteller! The suspense and the reveal are intense yet so satisfying.

I spent so much time trying to figure out if Anna was delusional. Was there a sister? Was being a twin all in her head? What the heck is happening?! I couldn’t decide if I hated Anna or felt sorry for her. Birdie was equally unlikable. But, there was something there. These girls are victims of a flawed system, but why are they so unlikable?

These are the kinds of books I get lost in. I couldn’t read fast enough because I needed to know what was coming next. The reveals kept coming, and it wasn’t until a split second before the reveal of Guy’s identity that I guessed who he was. The cleverness of the reveal hit me in the stomach like a punch to the gut.

My only problem with this book is the use of so many Britishisms in a book set in America. Now, in all fairness, my copy was an Advanced Readers Copy and may not be in the final version. But they stuck out like sore thumbs for me, and every time I hit one, it ruined the flow of the story. I hate it when that happens, but still, the book is stunning!

I award The Secret Sister 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good suspense thriller. I hope you pick it up. I bet you will love it.

About the Author – MM DeLuca

M. M. DeLuca spent her childhood in Durham City, England. After studying Psychology at the University of London, Goldsmiths College, she moved to Winnipeg, Canada where she worked as a teacher then as a freelance writer. She studied Advanced Creative writing with Pulitzer prizewinning author, Carol Shields and has received several local arts council grants for her work. Her first novel, The Pitman’s Daughter was shortlisted for the Chapters Robertson Davies first novel in Canada award in 2001. She went on to self-publish it on Amazon in 2013 where it reached the Amazon Top 20 in the literary bestseller chart. Her novel The Savage Instinct was shortlisted for the Launchpad Manuscript Contest (USA) in 2017 where it was picked up by independent publisher, Inkshares.

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