The Stepmother - Claire Seeber

The Stepmother - Claire Seeber 

My thanks go to Claire Seeber and the publishers Bookouture via NetGalley for allowing me to read and review a copy of this book.  This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.   

The Stepmother is about Jeanie and her sister Marlena.  They had a difficult childhood and one which affected their adult lives, each had their own secrets and problems.  The story is told from the two sister’s perspective in alternating chapters.

Jeanie has met and married Matthew and is now living in Matthew’s house, trying to create their own family unit, Jeanie with her teenage son and Matthew with his two children.  However Jeanie has a secret!

Marlena is a high flying journalist, always following an important story, and never really having time for her sister apart from a snatch few minutes on a phone every now and again.     

It was a dark and mysterious tale of how step parents have obstacles to overcome by bringing two families together, the impact things can have on their lives.  A psychological thriller that had you wanting to know more.      

I would like to apologise for the delay in writing this review, this has been for two reasons, the first due to family and personal commitments and secondly, because this book has had me thinking of how to write my review.   Don’t get me wrong I liked this book and it kept my interest as I went along, had me turning the pages frantically to see what happened as the story progressed, but I was somehow not drawn into the story immediately. 

I loved the short snappy chapters each told from a sister's point of view, but this took me a while to get my head around and the way the story was being told.  I felt that at the end of some chapters some things were left unanswered and not covered until further along in the story and despite me frantically turning the pages to see what happened next, I felt that the ending of the book had my questioning a few things.

I will say that Bookouture do a fantastic job in designing covers that draw the reader in and this cover is no exception.  It makes the reader wonder what the story will be about, will it or won’t it be a fairy tale.    

The author Claire Seeber certainly knows how to write a story and keep her readers entertained and I have already got one of her other books on my TBR (to be read) pile in readiness for reading shortly.