FORBIDDEN SISTER by V.C.Andrews-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 26, 2013

I HAD EVERY REASON TO HATE HER, MY FORBIDDEN SISTER. SHE WAS LIKE SOMEONE WHO HAD DIED BUT WOULDN’T STAY BURIED. . . . Bestselling author V.C. Andrews unlocks an adventure of intrigue and temptation that shatters the innocence of a girl in search of the sister she’s never known.

Emmie Wilcox was only six when her older sister, Roxy, was thrown out of their New York City apartment. Their stern father’s military-style rules left no room for rebellion, and Roxy was continually defiant and rebellious. Emmie, now an outstanding student at a private school, is obedient, respectful, a fille parfaite, as her Parisian-born mother lovingly calls her. Two sisters, total opposites—yet Emmie is secretly obsessed with the mystery and imposed silence surrounding Roxy: What had she finally done to deserve being cast out of her home? Where is she now? Emmie can’t help but wonder if there is a hidden side to her that resembles Roxy’s defiant nature. Sometimes she fantasizes that she is more like Roxy than she appears. Sometimes she wants to be. She wants excitement, and being a good girl all the time is harder than it seems. Finally learning that Roxy is a highly paid escort to wealthy and powerful men, Emmie goes behind her father’s back to track down and spy on the sister she can’t help but be fascinated with, a sister whose influence might run deeper than Emmie ever dreamed.

In a tale twisting with heart-pounding suspense, shocking revelations, and the compelling family drama for which V.C. Andrews is known, Forbidden Sister introduces two new original heroines to capture any reader’s imagination

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REVIEW: For anyone who is not aware of the identity of V.C.Andrews, I would like to re-print this little blurb: Her novels were so successful that after her death her estate hired a ghost writer Andrew Neiderman, to write more stories to be published under her name. (Goodreads)

FORBIDDEN SISTER is a sad tale of one young girl who is caught between the love of her family and the need to find her ‘forbidden sister.’

Told in first person POV, we watch as Emmie endeavors to discover where her older sister now resides. Kicked out nine years earlier for being a ‘problem child’, Roxy has led a secret life that accidently crossed paths with her father’s business and in his eyes there would never be any redemption. Clinging to the hope that one day her father would forgive Roxy, Emmie ventures into the big city only to realize she really does not know her sister at all. But when two family tragedies occur within a few weeks of each other, Emmie must seek out her sister and learn what it is to be a family all over-again.

Forbidden Sister is a well written, contemporary drama, sometime depressing and heart breaking storyline about family rejection and social discrimination. We watch as a young girl verging on womanhood must suffer the anguish of a broken heart, discarded by her friends as trash, and suffer the humiliation of being labeled a whore by association. First love is always difficult but makes it even more difficult when rejection is accompanied by betrayal of a friend.

The author takes the reader through the highs and lows of teen angst, depression and isolation, and the perpetual rejection by friends, enemies and frenemies. Even the adults in her life see Emmie as a potential problem. But Emmie’s life takes a fascinating turn when her ‘Forbidden Sister’ becomes her guardian and Emmie is exposed to a lifestyle she thought only existed in storybooks and magazines.

There are times in everyone’s life where the heartache of family and the rejection by friends can overwhelm one’s ability to cope, but V.C.Andrews pulls no punches with the this dysfunctional family drama. One must always remember, that the public façade hides a myriad of sins behind closed doors.

Copy supply by the publisher.

Reviewed by Sandy