From the moment we meet Harriet in her golden years to the Emma from all those years ago, you just know you are holding something special. In the present time, Harriet is still reeling from the loss of a love so true and all the relationships that seem so very broken...and yet, she still keeps her arms open to the possibility of reconnecting once again. She's trying to move forward in her life, but it sometimes means also looking back, and what starts as a glance becomes a journey she never anticipated with an ending she never saw coming. Watching her relationships change with both her daughters, even the estranged one, was heartbreaking and joy filled all at once. Seeing connections being made, however tenous, was enough to give YOU hope. Realizing that so many things do in fact come full circle was truly heartwarming. However, as much as I loved the present times, I did so love the past...

Meeting Emma, and her sisters, mother, love interest, friends, and acquaintances, took you right back in time to when the three sister ships were a novelty rather than a maritime tragedy. You could feel the excitement of a new beginning, even as the potential for loss was so very real. The thing is...the loss experienced wasn't that which was anticipated; a fact that we as readers are equal parts grateful for and frightened of. I mean, the known potential for loss is something we can at least prepare for, but the unknown is something so out of our hands that it can feel like there's no coming back. Much like Harriet of today, Emma was no stranger to looking for the good, turning the cheek, and giving others chance after chance. She was a kind soul that had terrible hardships to survive both on land and sea, but her story was one you won't be able to put down.


**ebook received for review; opinions are my own ( )

Please see all of my reviews on my blog at www.robinlovesreading.blogspot.com

It is Kent, UK in 1991. Selma left her husband, and as a result, her young daughter Becky. She felt trapped in her life and was drawn to an enigmatic man named Idris and his unusual life with others who lived in a cave on the beach. The story quickly jumps to 2002 when Becky receives a phone call from estranged Selma. Selma is dying, and in fact, dies almost as soon as Becky finds out how ill she is. Moments before dying, her mother states that "both of them", both Becky and her sister, have always been in her thoughts.

Becky embarks on an incredible journey to find her lost sister. She traveled to the very caves that took her mother away from her in hopes of finding the sister she never knew she had. She starts to acquire clues, especially when it comes to Idris, the man who took her mother's heart, and apparently, her sister.

Sometimes when I read a story, one timeline draws me closer than the other. Not so in this book. Both Selma's and Becky's stories were equally intriguing. Another thing about this book surprised me. I prefer third-person narration. It took me literally to reading 46% in the book before I realized that part of it was told in first-person narrative. That is how drawn to the book I was. I just happened to read a particular phrase, and then it dawned on me that I was reading in that particular narrative. Excellent writing skills indeed.

The Lost Sister had a very imaginative storyline. I cannot fathom how Tracy Buchanan came up with it! I literally could put this book down. It was truly tragic, incredibly so. The conclusion is incredibly heartbreaking. Over and over again in the story I was shocked and saddened. Tracy Buchanan did a fabulous job of grabbing my emotions from the very start, and towards the end I had to put the book down more than once to grasp what I was reading. I yelled out at least three times in this amazing book. The Lost Sister is one that will be with me for a long time to come. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Many thanks to Bookoture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

Please see all of my reviews on my blog at www.robinlovesreading.blogspot.com

It is Kent, UK in 1991. Selma left her husband, and as a result, her young daughter Becky. She felt trapped in her life and was drawn to an enigmatic man named Idris and his unusual life with others who lived in a cave on the beach. The story quickly jumps to 2002 when Becky receives a phone call from estranged Selma. Selma is dying, and in fact, dies almost as soon as Becky finds out how ill she is. Moments before dying, her mother states that "both of them", both Becky and her sister, have always been in her thoughts.

Becky embarks on an incredible journey to find her lost sister. She traveled to the very caves that took her mother away from her in hopes of finding the sister she never knew she had. She starts to acquire clues, especially when it comes to Idris, the man who took her mother's heart, and apparently, her sister.

Sometimes when I read a story, one timeline draws me closer than the other. Not so in this book. Both Selma's and Becky's stories were equally intriguing. Another thing about this book surprised me. I prefer third-person narration. It took me literally to reading 46% in the book before I realized that part of it was told in first-person narrative. That is how drawn to the book I was. I just happened to read a particular phrase, and then it dawned on me that I was reading in that particular narrative. Excellent writing skills indeed.

The Lost Sister had a very imaginative storyline. I cannot fathom how Tracy Buchanan came up with it! I literally could put this book down. It was truly tragic, incredibly so. The conclusion is incredibly heartbreaking. Over and over again in the story I was shocked and saddened. Tracy Buchanan did a fabulous job of grabbing my emotions from the very start, and towards the end I had to put the book down more than once to grasp what I was reading. I yelled out at least three times in this amazing book. The Lost Sister is one that will be with me for a long time to come. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Many thanks to Bookoture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

Loved this book!! There are so many twists and turns. I never guessed the ending and it came as a complete surprise. I do know that I never want to live in a cave.

The book focuses on Selma and her daughter Becky. Selma's story is told during the 1990's while Becky's story is set during the present. Becky and Selma did not have a wonderful mother-daughter relationship. When Becky was younger, Selma left her family for a man who appeared to walk on water. She moved into a cave with him and several others and focused on her writing. On Selma's deathbed, Becky learns she has a sister. She travels to caves in Spain, Russia and Slovenia looking for her long lost sister. Along the way she meets some interesting people and starts to learn more about her mom.

I loved reading about the different caves. I felt I was right there with Becky as she was exploring them and looking for clues about her sister. I'm not sure how the group managed to stay so calm when they got accidentally locked in the ice cave, I'm sure the vodka helped, but I would have freaked out. I loved everything about the book-- the story, characters and writing style. The book definitely deals with family relationships and there's a bit of a mystery with solving the whereabouts of Becky's sister. I did like how it alternated between Selma and Becky. Becky eventually meets many of the people Selma initially lived with in the cave and they help her get to know her mom.

I definitely recommend the book. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read more by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author, Tracy Buchanan, for a free electronic ARC of this novel. ( )