Jessica Knoll | THE FAVORITE SISTER

Plot (via Goodreads):

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 cast mates.

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.

Lauren, the start-up world’s darling whose drinking has gotten out of control, is Goal Diggers’ recovery narrative—everyone loves a comeback story.

And Jen, made rich and famous through her cultishly popular vegan food line plays a holistic hippie for the cameras, but is perhaps the most ruthless of them all when the cameras are off.

Review:

Be prepared. That's all I can tell you about this novel. Jessica Knoll is a tour de force when it comes to literary suspense and this novel is a plethora of genres mixed into one culminating catastrophic novel that pushes the boundaries of every other novel out there. THE LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE is easily my favorite novel of all time. Hands down. I have read it, re-read it, studied it, dreamt about it. Going into THE FAVORITE SISTER, I was excited, nervous, and ready to unplug from social media, batten down the hatches, and get lost in Knoll's writing. Jessica Knoll is the kind of author that can write about anything and this novel is so different from her previous effort, yet the writing is stronger and really pushes the envelope when it comes to writing characters that are so three-dimensional that I wouldn't be surprised if one of them knocked on my door in the morning. Side note - if they did, I would drop to my knees and praise them. That is the kind of author that Jessica Knoll is. 

It's no secret that America (myself included) has this unruly and dark desired obsession with reality television. It's entertainment, it's explicit, and it's something that we are all willing to put our lives on hold for. Sure, some are more entertaining than others. In a world where we look forward to seeing power hungry women argue, where we sink into our couches and pray for the moment when someone breaks a wine glass or tweet about reunion specials because we know there will be an excess of fighting, it's hard not to sink your teeth into this novel and the voyage that awaits when you open this novel to the first page. 

I want to begin this review by saying that in the beginning, there is a ton of information and a great deal of characters that we are introduced to. At first, I found this intimidating and rather overwhelming in the sense that I had five women I had to get to know that had been filming the reality show Goal Diggers for four season before I was graced with them in my life. And yes, they are in my life now and the memories aren't going anywhere. Don't be alarmed with this information, because Knoll does a spectacular job of reminding you of things as the novel continues. What I loved so much about her writing and the way she built this novel is how much it reads into reality television. For example, any fan of Bravo knows that we always have the black and white or discolored flashbacks that remind us of some backstory before a principal scene plays out and we all chuckle and allow our jaws to hit the floor during the interviews between scenes. Knoll's writing captivates these key areas in such a genius way. 

Now, onto the story. I cannot tell you how many times I laughed during this novel. Knoll's ability to include dark humor within these catfights and spotlights is not only brilliant, but effective. I was cackling at times that I knew my friends and family would be horrified to know I found certain things to be comedic. Knoll's ability to really get her hands dirty within her writing the pre-filming, filming, and after of a reality show is so remarkably realistic, I often found myself wondering if she had Andy Cohen on speed-dial. I absolutely loved the way that she wrote these characters and how true to reality television this was. Knoll wrote some authentically brilliant women that I would be pleased to know in my real life. The counteraction between the fake friendships and the inside thoughts in between the alternating chapters of this novel not only add an addicting bonus to the novel, but really showcases her ability to write both strengths and weaknesses within multiple characters at once and that is just the tip of the iceberg. 

These characters are not only remarkably constructed, but really carry the storyline within their well-manicured fingers. Each character not only adds something paramount to this novel, but don't fear coloring outside the lines. The differences between how they are portrayed in this reality world and how they truly are is scandalizing and harrowing. Between the multitude of storylines within this plot and the way the characters really grow and showcase their personalities is not only an important part of this story, but showcases how quickly they are to knock each other down for a better storyline or bigger role in this reality show. I will never look at reality the same again. And it was worth every minute.

Now, while this one isn't necessarily what I would consider to be a thriller, I found this novel to be more enjoyable than your average serial killer drama or psychological thriller as the psychological aspect is more apparent in this novel than most when dealing with a range of strikingly different women and the situations they have been presented with and put themselves into. With that being said, the ending to this novel is not only marvelously thrilling, but it is fully loaded with revelations and twists that I never saw coming. Add in an ending that is not only darkly comedic, clever, and shocking and you have yourself one winner of a novel. Dare I say it, THE FAVORITE SISTER may just be my new favorite novel. How do I know this? I wanted to read it again the minute I finished it. I want to read it again every time I talk about it, and I want to read it again just by writing this review. 

Jessica Knoll, you are a fierce, remarkable, and exceptionally talented woman who I will support endlessly and follow your career until my last breath. Thank you. Thank you for your vision, for the lengthy effort it took in writing this novel, and for every written word that I have had the pleasure of reading. You are the literary voice that not only shines above all, but someone who has made it easy to get lost in the written word.

Special thanks to Simon & Schuster for this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: Infinite, because a 5/5 just doesn't do this novel justice.