There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

Another entertaining psychological thriller from Joyce Carol Oates writing as Rosamond Smith. In this one Lily Merrick’s safe suburban life is upended by the sudden arrival of her twin sister Sharon after a fifteen year absence. The opening scene of the novel sets the stage for later events and it’s obvious that things aren’t going to end well. It’s a fun read, often insightful, and quite tense at times, a tension that Smith manages to maintain right to the end. Enjoyable.

A disappointing read - I was quite underwhelmed by both the storyline and the writing. I feel so much more could have been done to show the mental deterioration of Starr Bright - there was evidence that the author was trying, but just didn't get the depth required.

Joyce Carol Oates, veteran bestselling author, writing under the name of Rosamond Smith, has released Starr Bright will be With You Soon. Sharon Donner and Lily Merrick are twins – not identical, and nothing alike. After 15 years, Sharon, who is the one who was always beautiful and left home to pursue a modeling and then dancing career, has shown up at Lily’s home asking to stay for a while. Lily is ecstatic, and at first, her husband and daughter are anxious to have Sharon stay as long as she wants. Their daughter, Deirdre is in awe of her Aunt Sharon, and Sharon’s influence is strong on the 15-year old girl. As the story unfolds, readers learn of the manipulations that Sharon has carried out over the years, and especially while she and Lily were growing up. Lily seems clueless. What the family doesn’t know is that Sharon has come to their home town in upstate New York to exact revenge on men who didn’t love her enough and who abused her while she was growing up. Sharon, is actually a vicious serial killer and some close family members may be next. Lily is so excited that Sharon is there after all those years, that she can’t see the damage Sharon is doing to Lily’s family.

The author is an excellent storyteller, and does not hold back as she describes the graphic murders of the psychopathic Sharon. It seems Oates has done her research and has created a character that rings true as far as being narcissistic, self-centered, and manipulative; anyone who is acquainted with someone who has those tendencies can certainly envision murder as something they wouldn’t have a problem with. Sharon insists in her mind that she is doing God’s work to get rid of and punish these men, since she and Lily’s father was a preacher. She has dozens of Bible verses memorized that she uses to justify her actions.

This book is fascinating, and can be hard to put down. The characters are well-developed, and the story flows. It is an excellent story, albeit some of the material isn’t suitable for all ages; however, it is an easy read.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Joyce Carol Oates for this ARC of Starr Bright Will Be with You Soon. This is the first book I have read about a female serial killer, but not the first by Joyce Carol Oates. This author seems to typically write dark stories. This one was particularly dark, and I'm not sure I enjoyed it. I found it disturbing. Just my opinion.

I've been meaning to read a book by Joyce Carol Oates for nine centuries so of course I do the sensible thing and read an obscure one by a pseudonym with a mediocre average rating rather than her most popular ones. (Yeah, I don't understand my brain either.) But it paid off!!

I really, really loved this book. I think it has a lot of low/mediocre ratings because people were expecting some sort of mystery or a plot-driven thriller, but this novel is very much character-driven and explores the psyche of a serial killer.

Sharon/Starr Bright is one of the best characters I've read in a while. She is unequivocally a terrible person, which can be seen not just by the fact that she's a serial killer but also from her interactions with other characters, and in her sister Lily's memories of her as a child. But at the same time, Oates creates so much sympathy for her, so the reader is in limbo between disgust and pity, which is a really hard thing for a writer to do! One can sympathise with Sharon's quest to rid the world of misogynistic pigs; but she is not a superhero vigilante and ends up trying to twist good people into bad people so she can wreak her revenge on them.

I don't really want to say anymore because I might give stuff away (I'm worried i've given too much away already!) but this was an exquisitely written novel with incredibly compelling characters, and I'd definitely recommend it if you like character-driven books.

I hesitate to write this because I don't like to leave negative reviews for authors. I know how hard it is to write a book, and this author has been writing for long time. I liked this story but its execution... I didn't enjoy. I suspect Oates had garnered some attention by the time this was published, and perhaps she'd stopped taking the advice of her editor(s) by that point. The writing is hard to read. I don't want to spend time going over and over sentences to figure out their meaning. The placement of semicolons and the lack of needed commas are puzzling. I don't think I'll be spending any more time with a book by Oates.

After reading her most recent release (DIS MEME BER), I had to get some more of Joyce Carol Oates' books. I came across STARR BRIGHT WILL BE WITH YOU SOON and it immediately piqued my interest. A female serial killer, the classic good twin vs bad twin, what's not to like?

We follow Sharon. Sharon is beautiful but has an awful history with men. She moved out to Las Vegas and went by the name Starr Bright as an exotic dancer. One night, after she is caught trying to steal his wallet, the man she spent a night with mercilessly beats her and rapes her. Sharon finally snaps. She goes on a killing spree - leaving behind a bloody trail of carved-up men in cheap motel rooms from coast to coast. She works her way to her twin sister, Lily's, house in upstate New York. The estranged sisters haven't seen each other in 15 years, and Lily and her family are more than willing to help her troubled sister find a new start.

It was so interesting to read this book from the different perspectives. We go through Sharon's eyes and Lily's. The complete differences between the twins is so evident, especially when it comes to their mental state. Sharon is slowly spiraling out of control throughout the whole story while Lily's chapters were very collected and coherent. It was so different knowing who the serial killer was right away, unlike all other thrillers, we didn't have the investigation or trying to find the killer along with police. The reader knows right away.

I love the twist on the good twin and bad twin classic. Joyce Carol Oates did a phenomenal job making all of these situations so realistic. From the problems between the sisters, to the murders, and the tragic spiral of Sharon's mental state. Starr Bright is about to strike again, and this time, a long harbored vengeance is the motive.

I would definitely recommend this to someone that wants a good, realistic serial killer story. However, be warned, if you don't want to read the graphic rape portion, then this might not be for you.

I give this 4/5 stars!

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review!

The great twist with this book is a female serial killer....but then it is amped up with the fact that she has a twin. FASCINATING book. LOVED IT

Writing as Rosamond Smith, Joyce Carol Oates once again uses her sharp
and crisp prose to create another story focused on the darker side of
the human psyche. Oates has always managed to write beautifully the
stories of her damaged and so often sick characters but in Starr
Bright Will Be With You Soon, Oates exceeded my expectations. Starr
Bright reads like a trashy soap opera, a dime store paperback filled
with the lurid stories meant to keep homemakers entertained and
distracted from reality, pure escapism. Starr Bright is a very quick
read and does have all of the elements so familiar in the soapy genre,
twin sisters, possible multiple personality, adultery, questionable
child parentage and murder. True to Oates literary style, she manages
to create a story replete with daytime television clichés while
sneakily commenting on the less salacious horrors of society and human
frailty.
The story of one wronged woman’s return to her twin sister’s home
during her vengeful murder spree is a very fast paced one in which the
reader meets Sharon’s sister Lily; Lily’s fifteen year old daughter,
Deidre; and Lily’s husband, Wes. Their picture perfect family will
quickly unravel due to the influence and actions of the mentally
unstable and frightened Sharon. Oates uses this straightforward
narrative to slyly comment on the state of American society. More
insidious than the rare tabloid style killer that Oates describes are
the everyday conflicts and issues that face us everyday. In the novel,
it is quickly revealed that Sharon has an unhealthy and fanatical
relationship with Christianity and religious prophecy and persecution.
Lily is unable to stand up for herself and continues to be passed over
for promotions and pay raises due to the gendered and sexist nature of
her work environment. Sharon is much too determined to remind Lily
that she has settled for a mediocre job while flaunting her imaginary
career. Wes is haunted by his experience during the Vietnam War and
his memories of death and in particular the killing of children. As a
recovering alcoholic, while drinking he reveals that he developed an
addiction to heroin. Deidre, the most vulnerable of the family,
becomes enraptured with the glamour and sophistication that Sharon
represents and easily begins to develop and eating disorder at
Sharon’s suggestion. Even though Sharon can easily be seen as the
villain in this story, slowly we begin to understand her story and can
sympathize with her pain. Her mental health issues and paranoia become
understandable when we learn of the gang rape that she endured as a
teenager.
Many mysteries of Lily and Sharon’s lives remain unsolved. The reader
can only guess at the secrets that the sisters hide. As a
psychological thriller, Oates has succeeded in writing an engaging
story with complicated characters and enough sex and violence to keep
the reader entertained and enough mystery to keep her guessing until
the end.

Link to the review to be added to review shortly..

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!