Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for The Other Sister by Jessica R. Patch, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
The Other Sister
Title: The Other Sister
Author: Jessica R. Patch
Publisher: Love Inspired Trade
Release Date: April 22, 2025
Genre: Thriller, Domestic Thriller, Psychological Thriller
She thought she was the only one lying about her identity. Until she stepped into her sister’s life.
Charlotte Kane has always dreamed of a different life, one where she isn’t living paycheck to paycheck. An existence worlds away from the chaos of her own. Then her estranged mother dies, and Charlotte makes a stunning discovery—she has an identical twin who was given up for adoption.
Acelynn Benedict is polished, successful and seems to have everything Charlotte yearns for—a wealthy, doting family in Savannah, a handsome boyfriend, a great career. She’s just as surprised as Charlotte to learn she has a sister. But when tragedy hits and Charlotte is forced to assume Acelynn’s identity in a desperate moment, she uncovers something altogether darker…
No one in her sister’s life is quite who they seem to be. And every discovery leads Charlotte deeper into a web of deadly secrets. Charlotte may have wanted Acelynn’s life, yet now that she’s living it, she wants out. But if she reveals the truth about herself, it will mean returning to her old life—and she’s already a dead woman there.
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Author Q&A
1. What inspired you to write The Other Sister? Was there a particular real-life event or idea that sparked the story? Funny story…originally I wrote this as a romantic suspense in 2012 because a show I loved dropped after Season 1. The show was The Ringer with Sarah Michelle Gellar. This story is nothing at all like that show but the idea of twins sounded fun.
2. Did you base any of your characters on real people, or are they purely from your imagination? Detective Christian Patrick is loosely based on Jesus! He represents Him well with his testing, patience, mercy, grace, and the way he makes Charlotte feel. As far as physicality, I see Charlotte and Acelynn as you guessed it, Sarah Michelle Gellar.
3. The book explores themes of identity, deception, and survival. What message do you hope readers take away from Charlotte’s story? I hope readers realize that we are not above greed, want, corruption, the feeling of emptiness and wanting to be something we are not. I hope they see that the filtered life isn’t real and that if we don’t learn contentment we can slip over into sins we never thought we’d commit. Each character is a twin heart to Charlotte’s, and the most depraved characters represent God giving those who keep pushing him away over to their depravity. I also hope they see that we justify our sin and choose the easy way out to avoid consequences but often the hard choices are only hard because we are trying to avoid consequences.
4. Which character was the most fun to write, and which was the most difficult? By far Petal was the most fun to write, especially if you enjoy horror elements to some degree though I did talk with my therapist sister about sociopathic behavior in children. Of course I stretch a wee bit in the younger girls but not the tween/teen years. The most difficult was Charlotte. Most readers want a very likable character and Charlotte doesn’t always make good choices and lives in a morally gray area. So it was hard to write her knowing that she was going to receive little grace but she is who she is—or was until she realized truth.
5. The premise of stepping into someone else's life and uncovering dark secrets is gripping. What techniques do you use to build suspense and tension? I like to use a number of techniques. Word choices for one; creating an atmosphere that feels suspenseful is as much if not more important than writing a physical altercation. I like to use a myriad of conflicts, misdirection, and foreshadowing.
6. Psychological thrillers rely heavily on twists. Did you have any twists that surprised even you as you wrote the book? I rely on outlining heavily so I spend my exploration in the synopsis and brainstorming, so all the fun surprises came to me then and yes, I was surprised by the biggest twist and then giddy to get down to writing it!
7. Without giving spoilers, can you hint at one of your favorite “aha” moments in the book? My favorite aha moment revolves around the THEN portions and Petal. But when I was writing Christian Patrick, at the end, he had a conversation with Charlotte that I wasn’t expecting and it made me cry because Jesus isn’t ashamed of us and our past is forgiven. We’re new and washed clean. That was a special aha moment for me.
8. What was the biggest challenge in writing this novel? The biggest challenge was thinking about readers to be honest. I knew God was leading me to write a more biblical truth/application story vs. overt faith threads and I wrestled with that until finally I read a scripture about pleasing God or pleasing man and when I chose pleasing God, it all unlocked and went as it should.
9. What can readers expect from you next? Do you have another thriller in the works? I do! I’m contracted for 3 more dark, twisty thrillers that end with hope and the next one will come the summer of 2026. The Girl Upstairs will be in the same vein as The Other Sister (biblical truths and principles and analogy). I just saw the cover concept and it’s brilliant! I can’t wait to bring y’all a “haunted” house set on the cliffs in Maine.
10. What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received, and how has it shaped your work? The best piece of writing advice came from the Lord. And it’s this: 2 Timothy 4:5 “…be watchful in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.” Writing is hard and it comes with hardship from rejections, to being misunderstood, to harsh reviews. But it’s my job to the job of an evangelist and share my faith/biblical truths and what it looks like when those truths are applied. And of course this is ministry which means it’s not my stories, my plans, my genres, my plot. It’s God’s and therefore I write with Him and not FOR Him. That makes all the difference.
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About the Author
Publishers Weekly Bestselling Author, Jessica R. Patch has penned over 27 novels and is known for her dry wit and signature twists whether she’s penned a romantic suspense or a dark, twisty thriller. When she’s not getting into fictional mischief with her characters, you can find her cozy on the couch in her mid-south home reading books by some of her favorite authors, down the street at the Mexican restaurant, or collecting recipes to amazing dishes she’ll probably never cook.
Connect with Jessica by visiting jessicarpatch.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to her email newsletter "Patched In" updates and receive a FREE short thriller.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a signed paperback of The Garden Girls & a $20 Amazon gift card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight April 22, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 29, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
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