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    The Favorite Sister
    The Favorite Sister
    The Favorite Sister
    Audiobook15 hours

    The Favorite Sister

    Written by Jessica Knoll

    Narrated by Ashlie Atkinson, Jenni Barber and Aja Naomi King

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    From the author of Luckiest Girl Alive—now a Netflix film—comes the “engrossing” (People) New York Times bestseller starring two sisters who join the cast of a reality TV series…and only one will make it out alive.

    Brett and Kelly have always toed the line between supportive sisters and bitter rivals. Growing up, Brett was the problem child, living in the shadow of the brilliant and beautiful Kelly. In adulthood, all that has changed. Kelly is a struggling single mother and Brett has skyrocketed to meteoric success that has been chronicled on a reality TV show called Goal Diggers.

    When Kelly manipulates her way onto the show and into Brett’s world, Brett is wildly threatened. Kelly, and only Kelly, knows her younger sister’s appalling secret, one that could ruin her.

    Still, when the truth comes out in the explosive final weekend of filming, neither of them ever expected that the season would end in murder.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMay 15, 2018
    ISBN9781508232933
    Author

    Jessica Knoll

    Jessica Knoll is the New York Times bestselling author of The Favorite Sister and Luckiest Girl Alive—now a major motion picture from Netflix starring Mila Kunis. She has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan and the articles editor at Self. She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and graduated from the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their bulldog, Franklin.

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    Reviews for The Favorite Sister

    3.5/5

    336 ratings36 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I didn’t enjoy this book and I especially didn’t like the audio version. Oh well.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Great character development, good plot line, well researched. A little long and I didn't love the narrators

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      I couldn’t get into it. The narrator’s voice just didn’t work for me. I didn’t believe this is how the characters would sound. I couldn’t quite figure out what the heck this reality show was until much further in than I would have liked. Perhaps I’d like the book better by actually reading it, but I stopped the Audio version less than half way through. I would not recommend.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      It had good twists but it was hard to keep track of who was who

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The characters were true to life. The flow of the book was great. I love that the author added backstories for the main characters. But I Wished the person that was reading for Stephanie was a person of color; it would have been more realistic . Great behind the scenes secrets of how reality shows are produced.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      About a year ago I picked this book up to read in print, life got busy and it went on the shelf. When I discovered this app with audio I was excited to start it again. Somewhere in the middle I remembered when I never finished it. I wish the whole book was written like the last two chapters. The whole thing was out of order and sometimes I got lost but didn’t car to figure it out and just kept going to try and finish.
    • 5/5
      I could name each one of these characters match them with their characters on real housewives of New York City. They were all there Ramona Sonya some of them were combined but Bethany was there I think they killed Bethany. This was an awesome book. For someone who watches bravo you’ve got to read this book!
    • 2/5
      The plot was bad but the narration was ATROCIOUS. The voice actor who voiced Brett was the worst voice actor I’ve ever listened to.
    • 4/5
      Pretty good book. A bit long. But kind of like an insight to reality tv
    • 1/5
      Don't know why I keep trying to read books by Jessica Knoll they literally have no depth and they're not interesting. Not my style.
    • 2/5
      Long and dragged out. Liked the idea and plot but I forced myself to continue. Ultimately could not finish it.
    • 2/5
      Winey, crude, self-absorbed characters. I could not get past the first two chapters. The snarky voice of the narrator was just too much. I have never watched reality TV and this book just caps the reason why.
    • 5/5
      Entertaining and also interesting commentary on our culture..great audio performances as well
    • 3/5
      Slow, but intriguing plot. A good beach book or easy listening on a lazy Sunday
    • 2/5
      Half way through & NO murder yet. Waste of time
    • 1/5
      This audiobook is all out of order, making it very difficult to follow along. I stopped listening about 1/3 of the way through.
    • 3/5
      I listened to the audio version of this book. It sounded like it could be a good book. Unfortunately it skipped so much it was hard to follow. It was like listening to one voice in one chapter then all of a sudden it would change to a different voice talking about something way different. Editing problems maybe? Still a bummer, would have like to hear the full book.
    • 4/5
      This was pretty good. Was not what I expected which is good. It was tough to decide whether I liked each sister or not... but I think that was the point. I definitely enjoyed the different type of setting - for me at least this was the first reality show setting book I’ve read.
    • 3/5
      Quite a few characters that I thought were not necessary, which left the ending not as surprising as I expected. Loved he whole idea of the book, the look at the characters thru each other’s eyes, not necessarily how they were perceived at the beginning.

      A definite look behind so called realty TV. Strong women put into situations and against each other that brings out the worst in each other.

      I received an ARC of this book....all opinions are my own.
    • 4/5
      If you like Desperate Housewives or Real Housewives of wherever, you'll love this. I wasn't that into the "show" part of it since I've never been into either of those shows but I loved the thriller/whodunit aspect. I never really figured out how Brett died until it was actually revealed. I guessed the killer a couple of times but Jessica Knoll does an awesome job of keeping you second guessing and making you change your mind. What I really enjoyed though, is reading the Q and A's with Jessica at the end. This book is so much more than it seems.

      I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars.

      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.
    • 4/5
      I have to admit I am not a fan of reality drama shows at all. This novel is centered around the people involved in a reality show but thankfully it also details their lives "off stage" and demonstrates the complex personalities and relationships between them.The focus is on Brett and Kelly; two sisters who are involved in the show but little do the other participants know that there is a dark secret one sister is harboring. The beauty of this book and the writing is how we slowly learn the stories of the other characters. As I mentioned, I was not keen on the subject matter but the book kept my interest due to the development of the plot and characters.
    • 4/5
      This suspense novel involves a group of women from a reality show called "goal diggers". One of the women is murdered. Most of the women are not terribly likable, and the beginning of the book drags a bit as the women bicker. The last third of the book is completely bonkers as twist after twist had me laughing and gasping.
    • 3/5
      Loved Luckiest Girl Alive but not a big fan of this one. I read it is going to be a movie and that's how it felt while reading it, she was laying it out for the big screen. I listened to the audio version and I WOULD NOT recommend that. The reader's choice for the voices of the characters made them sound like little girls or really off character. Won't be recommending.
    • 2/5
      This was very nearly a DID NOT FINISH (DNF) for me. I plugged away at it several times, since I was given a free copy by NetGalley and the publisher, and I felt obligated to read it to give an honest review.
      This is a novel about a reality TV series about women who are managing their lives - and how the stars compete with each other. If you like The Real Housewives or Keeping Up with the Kardashians, you may like this book, as it is all about petty behavior, about clothes and pricey handbags and shoes, but not about substance. None of the characters are likeable. None of the characters warrant any sympathy. They are all liars and living lies for sake of the ratings.
      I really didn't like this book at all. I am not surprised, because I also didn't like Luckiest Girl Alive.
      In my opinion, don't waste your time on this book.

      #NetGalley #TheFavoriteSister #JessicaKnoll
    • 4/5
      I lovvved The Luckiest Girl Alive and could not wait to read The Favorite Sister. This novel is a bit different than Knoll's debut, but still focuses on complex women having moments of being likable and unlikable aka acting like an actual person with good qualities and faults. It is a psychological thriller and falls into the unreliable narrator because the characters are millennial women who are on a reality tv show that is suppose to show empowered women being awesome, but succumbs to typical reality tv drama with fights and makeups. We know Brett is killed at the beginning of the novel and the rest of the book is leading up to what is thought of to have happened, how its being explained on the show, and what actually happened. I could of done without the final twist, it felt unnecessary.
    • 2/5
      I didn't really like this book, which is disappointing because I loved the first book by this author. The story jumped between too many characters right off, so it was hard to follow at first and I lost interest in the characters.
    • 2/5
      I loved Jessica Knoll's Luckiest Girl Alive and was very anxious to get my hands on The Favorite Sister. Unfortunately this book was not for me. The premise of the story is interesting; A reality show focused on powerful business woman and the behind the blurred lines between reality and reality TV drama. Within the first two chapters a never ending stream of characters are introduced. While the author did a great job writing the book in the same fast paced, hip verbiage of a new-age socialite and can be challenging to follow. It took me far longer than usual to complete this book and I was not thrilled with its predictable ending.I look forward to future works from Jessica Knoll but saddly I will not be recommending this book to my friends
    • 3/5
      Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book!As you’ve seen on my various “Not Just Books” lists on this blog, I do have a soft spot for a couple reality TV shows. I tell myself that my enjoyment of “ANTM” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is rooted within the inherent creativity that is at the heart of the premises; be it fashion modeling and the skills that go into it or the many facets of doing drag as performance and style, I love seeing these contestants do what I know I never could. But I’ll also be honest here: I do enjoy the petty catfights and drama that almost always arises when you put these people into high stress situations. So “The Favorite Sister” by Jessica Knoll was SUPER intriguing to me within it’s premise. I quite enjoyed her previous book “Luckiest Girl Alive” because of the issues that she tackled under guise of soapy snideness, so I had hopes that her next story would do the same. Along with juicy, sudsy characters tearing each other to shreds, of course. So the good news is that this is a book that has a plot and mystery that will completely suck you in and not let you go until it’s good and ready to. I was reading this book on one of our late Spring snow storm days and it was the best way to pass the time because it kept me interested and wanting more. The plot concerns a reality show called “Goal Diggers” and the women who make up the cast of the show and all the problems that they have as they strive to maintain their status and fame. Mostly, it details the lead up to and fallout from the murder of the fan favorite Brett, a spinning studio owner who is proud of her curvy body and is an out and proud lesbian. It’s told between three perspectives and jumping through time: there’s Brett’s perspective, of course, but then there are also the perspectives of Kelly, Brett’s sister (mainly told after the fact), and Stephanie, Brett’s former best friend. They all have their own levels of unreliability, as they all have reasons to lie and distort the facts, and as the story slowly came out the rug got pulled out from under me a number of times. Knoll continues to be adept at creating twists and turns that you don’t see coming, even as she intricately lays the groundwork for them so they feel natural and believable. There were a number of moments where I said ‘whoa’ as a new surprise was sprung, and I definitely felt the need to keep reading to see what was going to happen next.But ultimately, I think that the biggest drawback of “The Favorite Sister” is that all of the characters are completely reprehensible, and so unlikable that I didn’t find myself connecting to really any of them. While I had a fun time reading about how they were all behaving badly, and how they would all justify their behavior in ways that were totally laughable, I ultimately found myself hating almost all of them. The sole exception to this was Layla, Kelly’s twelve year old daughter, but you don’t get much sense of her outside of being a kind and creative (and driven) kid. I appreciate what Knoll was trying to convey, that even within a show that is supposed to be about lifting women up and encouraging them to think outside of what society wants them to be, they are still going to be judged by each other and by themselves because society is so damn ingrained in them. I get that. I appreciate that. It’s not a bad take at all. But when none of them really move beyond being laughably shallow (Lauren), ridiculously cruel (Jen), horrendously deluded by self grandeur (Brett), or just kind of there (Kelly), who do you root for? I had hoped that I could root for Stephanie, as she is probably the one who comes closest to having complexity. She is the only black woman on the show, she’s edging near the age where cast members generally get the ax, and she’s trying to prove herself beyond being a token and model minority. But ultimately she too was just terrible, and the various things that she was going through never QUITE justified the awful shit that she pulled. This was unfortunate because this derailed the commentary that I think that Knoll was trying to achieve. And it’s not like Knoll doesn’t know how to write unlikable characters who have depth and complexity; Ani in “Luckiest Girl Alive” is INCREDIBLY unlikable, but as you learn more about her past and her experiences you understand why she is the way she is. Stephanie, and the other characters, get some glimpses, but you never get the feeling that their behavior is justified with the limited exposure we do get.I think that if what you’re looking for is purely guilty pleasure mean girl drama, “The Favorite Sister” will probably scratch that itch and give you everything you need. On a purely entertainment, watching bad people get what they deserve level it was very satisfying. But don’t go in expecting to have characters that you can relate to and root for, because you will not find that here.
    • 4/5
      Yowza! I see a lot of people marked this book up as a DNF and I can certainly see why they would have a hard time with this book. A book that deals with women on a reality TV show that is packed with bitching and women trying to out do each other in order to get the most of the limelight and the TV time.The barbs, insults, bickering and lies are frequent in this story. These women absolutely hate each other! I mean this is so like a train wreck that I could not stop reading (or watching).However, as the only reality TV show that I have ever watched is Big Brother, it was interesting for me, how the behind the scenes would work. It's the job of one of the crew to keep these women up on where they left off, who they are mad at and what they should be focusing on next. It was just interesting.There are also some underlying and very true lessons in this book regarding the way that women treat each other.And. . . the final plot twist? OMG! I definitely did not see that one coming!I saw that this book has been optioned for a movie and I'm excited and can't wait to see it. I also hope Hollywood doesn't screw it up and that they do include some of the funny phrases that the author uses in the book.Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.