[Book Review] My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite was quite a rollercoaster ride of suspense filled with twists and turns that I did not see coming! The story was centered around two sisters, one who has a habit of killing her boyfriends, and the other that would help clean up the mess. Things between the two are already strained, but things really take a turn when the murderous sister starts seeing the man that the other sister is interested in.

After hearing a ton of hype about this book, I couldn’t wait to dive in! When I started reading, I was immediately draw in. The book took a bit of a turn that I wasn’t expecting, but I didn’t put it down until I had finished it.

Let’s dive in to my review!

My Thoughts on My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

First things first, LOOK AT THAT COVER! I love it so much! The portrait of the woman is so eye-catching, and to have her surrounded by bright green text and a few splatters was a brilliant design idea. I was so caught up in looking at the woman and how the light is cast on her face and neck that it took me an embarrassingly long time to notice the reflection of the fist holding the knife that appears in her glasses.

The back of the dust jacket is wicked interesting as well! There is a hand wearing bright red glove, holding a green spray bottle which is surrounded by quotes from various authors.

If I had seen this book in stores before I heard the hype and preordered, I definitely would have picked it up on appearance alone! Bravo, Michael J. Windsor, you created a lovely dust jacket!

Now, about the text… The first chapter was simply:

Very intriguing! Needless to say, the first few chapters of this book totally drew me in with the murder aftermath, how to best use bleach to clean blood, the little black book of names, and the disposal of the body.

I was so interested to see how willing one sister, Korede, was to help her sister, Ayoola, cover up a crime. Right off the bat, this seemed a little off. I totally understand being protective of family, but at first I couldn’t believe that Korede hardly even batted an eye! Soon enough however, the guilt caught up to Korede and she began to struggle.

At that point, the story took a bit of a turn. The suspense still held, but it was different. The suspense was more focused on the relationship between the two sisters and how intense that relationship was. The story also kept dipping back into the past to show what had happened when the girls were younger and their father was still alive.

I was expecting way more blood, but the drama within the story definitely won me over!

There were moments that made me want to shout at the sisters or the new love interest once he was in the middle of things. More than once, I caught myself holding my breath while I was reading, anxious to see what was going to happen next.

Everything in this book seemed so dramatic, but so real. The author did an absolutely wonderful job writing both the storyline and the dynamics between each character.

Speaking of characters, I didn’t particularly like the majority of the characters. The character that I enjoyed the most only played a small role as he was actually in a coma for most of the story.

My Favorite Passages from My Sister, the Serial Killer

My heart drops to the floor, but there is no time to pick it back up.

His yellow shirt and khakis are starched to an inch of their life, so much so that even a strong wind is unable to stir the fabric.

There is music blasting from Ayoola’s room. She is listening to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” It would be more appropriate to play Brymo or Lorde, something solemn or yearning, rather than the musical equivalent of a packet of M&M’s.

Who is to say that an object does not come with its own agenda? Or that the collective agenda of it’s previous owners does not direct its purpose still.

“Femi makes three, you know. Three, and they label you a serial killer.”

Ayoola lives in a world where things must always go her way. It’s a law as certain as the law of gravity.

“You cannot take back words, once they’ve been spoken.”

My Final Thoughts on My Sister, the Serial Killer

Definitely not what I was expecting, but this was still such an interesting read to me! This story is definitely going to stick with me for quite some time! This is one of those stories that gets more and more intense the more you think about it.

I highly recommend picking this one up!

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