Title: The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 384 pages
Book Rating: C+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
From Jessica Knoll—author of Luckiest Girl Alive, the instant New York Times bestseller and the bestselling debut novel of 2015—comes a blisteringly paced thriller starring two sisters who join the cast of a reality TV series. One won’t make it out alive. So…who did it?
When five hyper-successful women agree to appear on a reality series set in New York City called Goal Diggers, the producers never expect the season will end in murder…
Brett’s the fan favorite. Tattooed and only twenty-seven, the meteoric success of her spin studio—and her recent engagement to her girlfriend—has made her the object of jealousy and vitriol from her castmates.
Kelly, Brett’s older sister and business partner, is the most recent recruit, dismissed as a hanger-on by veteran cast. The golden child growing up, she defers to Brett now—a role which requires her to protect their shocking secret.
Stephanie, the first black cast member and the oldest, is a successful bestselling author of erotic novels. There have long been whispers about her hot, non-working actor-husband and his wandering eye, but this season the focus is on the rift that has opened between her and Brett, former best friends—and resentment soon breeds contempt.
The Favorite Sister explores the invisible barriers that prevent women from rising up the ranks in today’s America—and offers a scathing take on the oft-lionized bonds of sisterhood, and the relentless pressure to stay young, relevant, and salable.
Review:
The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll is a drama-filled mystery about the mysterious death of a cast member from a popular reality show.
Brett Courtney is the youngest member of a reality show which features women who have successfully built businesses on their own. With the latest season about to begin filming, the hunt is on for a new cast member, and against all odds, Brett’s older sister, Kelly, is chosen along with a guest spot for Kelly’s twelve year daughter, Layla. Rounding out the stars for the upcoming season are Lauren Bunn and two other original cast members health guru Jen Greenberg and novelist Stephanie Simmons. Stephanie and Brett are close friends but they have been on the outs since the previous season of the show ended. Jen and Lauren are close friends who team up with Stephanie against Brett as plans are finalized for upcoming taping. Brett is not exactly thrilled Kelly is joining the show since they have never quite managed to escape the rivalry that has marred their relationship since childhood. Kelly is seriously unprepared for the amount of backstabbing and nastiness that are hallmarks of the successful show, Goal Diggers.
The novel opens with Kelly’s interview with the show’s creator, Jesse Barnes. Kelly is discussing the events that occurred during filming the previous season. Jesse and Kelly are putting their spin on the stunning murder of one of the cast members. The chapters then alternate between Brett and Stephanie’s perspectives as the current season of Goal Diggers is seen during flashbacks.
None of the women are particularly likable and there is plenty of cattiness and outright attempts to sabotage one another as filming begins. Brett is incredibly philanthropic minded and she is excited that her efforts to help disadvantaged young girls in Morocco are about to pay off. Kelly works with her sister and Layla has successfully launched a social media campaign to sell the villagers’ wares. Kelly and Brett’s relationship is competitive and they often settle their differences with physical fights that began during the childhood.
Stephanie is the oldest of the women and her newest novel is a memoir which details a harrowing ordeal that occurred when she was a teenager. The book has been optioned for a movie and she is hoping talks with a big name producer will jumpstart production of the film adaptation. Stephanie and Brett have not spoken to each other since the previous season of Goal Diggers ended and she has garnered the support of Jen and Lauren to scuttle Brett’s plans. Stephanie’s marriage to her unemployed actor husband Vince is also in trouble and as she continues with her book tour and filming the upcoming season of Goal Diggers, their future together is in jeopardy.
Jen and Brett do not get along at all since they are on opposite sides of health issues. Brett is overweight and advocates for women to be comfortable with their weight as long as they are healthy. Jen is super skinny and she believes women should monitor their diets, watch their weight and exercise to ensure good health.
Lauren’s claim to fame is an innovative dating app and as Jen’s friend, her loyalty lies with her. Lauren is the “fun” one on the show and excessive drinking feature heavily into her escapades. She is considered to be the expendable one so she is easy to convince to join in with the other women’s schemes.
The Favorite Sister is well-written but the novel is incredibly slow-paced. The characters are unsympathetic, manipulative and downright nasty. They quickly seize the opportunity to betray each other and expose one another’s secrets in order to grab ratings and secure their positions on the show. The slow parceling of information is a bit frustrating since Jessica Knoll saves the majority of the plot twists for the novel’s surprise ending. Fans of reality television will most likely enjoy this intriguing mystery.
