Brett and Stephanie were best friends. After their seasons together on Goal Diggers, the reality tv show about young women entrepreneurs who are changing the world, they have shared experiences, laughs, tears, secrets—so many things, really, When Brett broke up with her girlfriend and needed a place to stay, Stephanie opened her house to her. And that’s when things went so terribly wrong. An epic fight erupted between the two women which was certain to fuel the upcoming season. 

But the biggest change in the new season is the addition of Kelly and her daughter Layla. Kelly is an unusual choice for Goal Diggers for several reasons. First, she’s a single mother. All other cast members had either chosen not to have children yet or not to have them at all. Goal Diggers wasn’t previously interested in the lifestyle of the working mom. Kelly is also unusual because she’s Brett’s older sister.

But Kelly has several things working her favor. She’s beautiful. Her teenaged daughter is half Nigerian and a whipsmart young entrepreneur herself. And Kelly is also Brett’s partner in the fantastically succeassful spinning empire SPOKE. While Brett is the face of the company and the one who drives their charitable interests, it’s Kelly who can read the financial reports, who found investors, who decided it would be cost effective to expand into yoga studios, who understands the legalities of owning and running a multimillion dollar business. And it was Kelly, as the girls were growing up, who was the favorite sister. 

And as the new season starts to roll, the secrets come to light. There is Jen, who runs a vegan food empire, whose secret could ruin her reputation in the vegan community. There is Lauren, whose dating app has earned her millions, and the secret that could separate her from the company she built. There is Stephanie, the writer, whose romance trilogy rocketed her to the top of the bestseller lists and whose new memoir is quickly following suit. But if the truth comes out about her, she could lose that movie deal with the Oscar-winning female director that she’s preparing to meet with.  

And then there’s Brett, the show’s golden child, the executive producer’s favorite. Generally, Brett is untouchable. But this season, things are different. Not only had she lost her best friend, not only does she have a secret that could destroy her and everyone she loves, but she also has a sister who is joining the cast of the show. Her older sister. The one who knows all her secrets. 

Once the cameras start rolling and the mics start recording, what will happen to these women? They spend weeks being followed by camera crews, showing off their best features, focusing on their successes, breaking past their barriers. Under all that pressure, what will happen when some of those secrets bubble up to the surface? Will the show survive? Will the women’s professional lives make it through unscathed? Or will these women take each other down in an attempt to dig their way to their ultimate goals? 

Jessica Knoll, author of The Luckiest Girl, has crafted a monstrous story of women and their relationships. Each of these powerful characters have secrets to keep hidden, lies to cover them, and the motivation to stay on top. With these women’s ambitions and egos, their professional reputations, and the emotional stress of living on camera, you have a story with tension that feels like a smoldering rag just waiting for its pool of gasoline. And The Favorite Sister does not disappoint. It’s an explosion of women’s power and all of its mighty consequences, the story of feminism’s good intentions and sometimes destructive results, a mind-bending twister of emotions. And the first best book of summer 2018. Don’t miss this one! 

Galleys for The Favorite Sister were provided by Simon & Schuster through NetGalley, with many thanks.