This book is like a blend of “The Parent Trap” and “Single White Female.”

Mallory is a struggling waitress in New York City, where she moved after her mother passed away, leaving her alone in the world - or so she thought. Mallory discovers that she has a twin sister who was adopted out at birth. And Charly’s family is wealthy beyond belief. When Mallory goes to introduce herself to her Charly, she meets Ben, Charly’s husband, who comes up with a diabolical plan. Will Mallory go along with it? And what will the consequences be when things get personal?

This book is like a breakneck-paced action movie, which keeps you drawn in and wondering what will happen next. Without giving any spoilers, the story’s told from multiple perspectives and while that makes it interesting, it can also get a little confusing. The ending was also really convenient. Like, super unbelievable. If that’s a dealbreaker for you, this book is not for you.

But I am willing to suspend belief a little bit if it makes for a good story, and this is a good story. I enjoyed reading it and was really drawn into it. It’s like the two movies I mentioned in the beginning: it’s unlikely to happen, but - BUT - what if it did? What would you do? Now we know what these two would do.

The ending has some good twists and I was satisfied with it. If this were a movie, I would recommend it to my friends.

I would absolutely read more from this author.

This was way out there plot wise. It is a fun read for sure but if you don't like books where the plot isnt some what plausible this isn't for you. It is a good thriller though and if you stick with it you won't be sorry.

Synopsis/blurb.....

In Marti Green’s twisting novel of psychological suspense, twin sisters become engaged in a dangerous deception…

Mallory Holcolm is an unfulfilled waitress and aspiring artist living in a Queens boardinghouse when she learns something astonishing about her past: she has an identical twin sister named Charly she never knew existed.

Charly is a Princeton graduate, a respected gallery owner, and an heiress married to her handsome college sweetheart, Ben. Charly got everything she ever wanted. Everything Mallory wanted, too. And now having it all might be easier than Mallory ever imagined. Because Ben has reasons of his own for wanting to help her.

It begins with his startling proposal. All Mallory has to do is say yes.

But as their devious plan falls into place, piece by piece, Mallory learns more about her sister and herself than she ever meant to—a discovery that comes with an unexpected twist. A chilling deception is about to become a dangerous double cross. And it’s going to change the rules of Ben and Mallory’s game to the very end.
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My take.....

On the whole, an okay read which I enjoyed despite a few issues with the plot. I wasn't entirely convinced about some of the characters' behaviour either. That said, the author has an easy style which once I got into the narrative had me turning the pages fairly rapidly.

Our story in a nutshell. Two twins separated at birth, one - Mallory remained with her mother and was raised without luxuries in borderline poverty, actually no borderline about it. The other - Charly was adopted by mega-rich parents and had an opulent upbringing enjoying the best of everything.

Fast forward a bit, Charly's husband Ben is unhappy. He's been playing away and fancies a life with his mistress without sacrificing the money and lifestyle he has become accustomed to. He meets Mallory somewhat fortuitously and spins her a yarn about Charly's awfulness and convinces her to imitate Charly, so they can do away with her, drop in the long lost sister twin doppelganger and divvy up the wealth before going their separate ways. Mallory somewhat surprisingly agrees to the plan and off they go.

Needless to say there are a fair few twists and turns before things play out. The first half of the book offers events from Mallory's perspective and despite the author's best intentions, I wasn't too convinced by how quickly Mallory was persuaded by Ben's scheme. If she had a history of poorly made choices or petty criminality - eg stealing clothes or art supplies because of a lack of money, you could perhaps understand her being seduced by Ben's proposal. Albeit now making a far bigger jump than anything previously countenanced. But she hadn't.

Eventually we get to meet Charly in person and understand her relationships with her husband, her adoptive father and Grandfather and with money. Needless to say her depiction varies markedly from the skewed portrayal her husband offers us.

I did kind of feel a little bit cheated with the narrative; a feeling which is hard to articulate without spoiling things for anyone else wanting to read the book. We get along fine with Mallory's POV, but important events are concealed from the reader until such time as Charly's story catches up.

Lots to like overall, plenty of pace, plenty of back story and family histories and lots of deception, cheating, lying, secrets and betrayal. The book served up an interesting story line and the presentation of the identical twins was entertaining, with all their shared traits following separation at birth.

The ending wrapped up all the loose ends, but was a little bit saccharine sweet and slightly hard to swallow. I think Disney might have a problem selling it. The flip-flopping behaviour of the main characters, both of them was a bit of a stretch and kind of undermined what came afterwards. There was a certain ambiguity about which sister could classed as the good twin. Neither probably.

Notwithstanding my pickiness, I did actually enjoy the book and was invested in how things played out.

On balance 3 from 5 - okay but not without a few blemishes.

Read in July, 2018
Published - 2018
Page count - 263
Source - Net Galley read after an invitation from Rebecca at Mindbuck Media
Format - ePub.

https://col2910.blogspot.com/2018/07/marti-green-good-twin-2018.html

Fantastic! This was such a fast paced novel I couldn't help but keep turning the pages. I loved how the story shifted back and forth between the three main characters and the twist in the middle! There were a few sections that I would have like a little more build-up or back story on (otherwise I would have been able to rate 5 stars), but it didn't detract from the story much. Will definitely be picking up other works by this author.

Suspend reality and The Good Twin is really entertaining. This fast paced thriller of a novel from Marti Green is both an interesting premise and a strong delivery. The characters are almost believeable (remember suspend reality) and the story itself is well plotted and intricately woven. If you feel like a quick, heart pounding read, The Good Twin fit the bill for me. I would read more from Marti Green

I love a good identical twin that you didn't know existed sort of read. This book did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the direction the author went with it, however, I will have to say that if you are looking for a plausible/ 'oh this is likely to happen in real life' then this is not the book. That's not a bad thing, though! I don't pick up books because I want to read about reality. I loved the way this book was spun, and I had fun reading it.

Mallory had no idea that she had a twin until someone mistook her for Charly, they had been separated at birth and Charly had lucked out and got everything while Mallory was struggling as a waitress. Charly's husband Ben however wanted out and once meeting Mallory he comes up with a plan to get everything that he wants but will Mallory go along with it!

A good fast paced book with plenty of twists and turns, a bit unrealistic at times but still a good story

Thank you #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #TheGoodTwin!

Can you imagine finding out 20 something years into your life that you have an identical twin?? Well that is what happens to Mallory Holcolm when a customer at the restaurant she works at mistakes her for her identical twin sister Charly, who she knows nothing about! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be a very quick read. Each turn of the page had me wanting more to see what was going to happen next and how the book was going to end, and it did not disappoint!

Oh, this book is worthy of a CSI episode I tell you!
Identical twins, Charly and Mallory get separated at birth, one leads a life of unending wealth and the other abject poverty, until a chance encounter brings them together.
Ben's married to Charly but he's had enough of the life he's been leading and resents her and their family wealth for denying him the chance to go to law school and he wants out. He also wants to make sure that he brings Charly down while at it and the sudden appearance of her twin sister, Mallory, gives him the perfect chance to act on his plan.
I loved the format of the story and the author's decision to give the reader the perspectives of both twins. The pace is steady and the writing simple.
However, I found Mallory to be more developed and dynamic than Charly and couldn't help comparing the two even though it did not affect the story much. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC, this was a thrill to read.

Requires a little more suspension of disbelief than I could willingly give. Just ridiculous choices made by all the characters, including the police. A little cheesy.

This book. It’s completely insane. And that’s what makes it SO GOOD.

It starts with Mallory, who was raised poor and is living her life as a waitress, dreaming of being able to be an artist and travel the world. Then there’s Charly, a twin that was adopted into a well to do family, married to Ben, who she once loved but who now resents her.

The sisters don’t know that they’re twins. And when Ben meets Mallory, all bets are off. Together they come up with a scheme to get what they want – but how does Charly fit into it?

This book is SO HARD TO PUT DOWN. I just had to know what was going to happen and I could just sense a twist coming. And even when I thought the twist had been discovered I soon found out that Marti Green had another one coming around the corner.

If you need a book that’ll keep you guessing until the very end, this one is for you.

This was a really great quick read. I love the multiple POVs and the flip flopping between timelines. The story itself was engaging and I read this book in a day. Great writing, complete story, gripping. All the best qualities in a great thriller.

This book had the feel of a lifetime drama movie to me...which is a compliment because I very much enjoy those movies and the wonderful twists and characters that are morally gray. I enjoyed the perspective changes and liked how it was in bigger chunks as opposed to every other chapter like how most thrillers are structured. My main complaint was how hypocritical the main characters were and how easy some of them agreed to do some things. But if you suspend your belief for this book...it will be a fun read!

I really really wanted to like this book. I kept reading hoping it was going to get better but I ultimately DNF'd the book at 35%. It was SO UNREALISTIC. And, honestly, I don't think the writing was very good. I wasn't convinced for a second that either Mallory or Ben were evil or stupid enough to try to pull off this plan. And Mallory gave in so quickly when she is supposedly a very good-hearted, well-adjusted, smart woman. I had so many problems with this story and I could go on and on really, but I'm just going to move on to better books. Ugh.

Thomas & Mercer, I love you. Thank you for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I apologize if this review is harsh, but it contains my real feelings!

I picked up this thriller based on the interesting cover. It was a solid read that I would recommend to fans of thrillers.

Evil twins? Unreliable narrators? Double-crossing husbands who get their comeuppance??
Sign me up!
This was a fast and fun read that I was afraid would disappoint me, but didn’t!
Thank you for my e-copy!

It got an interesting plot and immediately, it sucked me in too deep with the twin’s stories. It was engaging and I was easily engrossed. The pacing is good, and not once did I feel bored. Though there are times things seem so hard to believe, in which everything just falls into place without any difficulty, there are enough twists and turns to keep one entertained until the very end. The characters are okay and with the story told in both of the twin’s perspective, I get to know both Mallory and Charly well. But not enough for me to like them because the author still managed to cast doubt that keeps me guessing who’s bad and who’s good. Although some things are pretty predictable, there are still some twists along the way that’s bound to surprise and ponder on. There’s something about the writing style, too, that made me breeze through the pages. Miss Green did well in keeping reader’s attention until the end. So, overall, I really did enjoy this fast-paced telenovela-like novel with its schemes, betrayal, and deception. Something I’d recommend to people who like to read some psychological thriller now and again.

This book is the first one that I am reading by this author.

I picked up the book having been impressed by the cover and the blurb.

The stories of twin separated at birth though seems cliched has been handled well by the author.

The story has been narrated in the first person for Mallory and Charlotte but in third person for Ben. I found that a bit confusing but could get on with the story as I got the hang of it. I personally would have preferred the entire story in third person and that according to me could have given a better perspective.
The pace of the story is comfortable but not very compelling or unputdownable.
The twists in the story do come as a surprise and add to the intrigue factor.
The one thing that I did not like was that the story felt fragmented and the basis for the decisions or choices made by the twins was not clear enough.

All in all a good story, with twists and turns and a read good enough to spend a lazy day with.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I found the plot unbelievable (not always a problem) but I also found the character motivation totally unbelievable as well. There's been a trend for years of books where every character is a terrible person and makes bad choices. To make that sort of book work, it requires great skill in creating a character that is so bad he/she is somehow good, or worth rooting for. That's not the case here. In this book, we are supposed to end up rooting for at least one of these characters despite her actions, but I just couldn't. She's an awful person with no real personality. Also, the writing, for me, was very formulaic and uninspired. Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Susan was 17 when she went into labor. She delivered Mallory first and then Charly (who she named Amelia). The babies father was killed in the war before they could get married. She could only take care of one baby so she put Amelia up for adoption.
Mallory grew up poor, Charly went to a well to do family.
Years later Mallory was waitressing and someone called her Charly. She finds out she has a twin. I really enjoyed this book it kept me guessing on who the good twin really was but think it's one of the best books I read this year. Thank you naturally for letting me read this book The Good Twin and letting me give an honest review.