I read Justice Delayed by Marti Green last year and absolutely loved it. I couldn’t miss the chance to read another book by this author.

The Good Twin by Marti Green tells the story of twin sisters separated at birth when one of them gets adopted. The girls didn’t know about each other until years later in their adulthood when they accidentally meet. However, what should have been a wonderful reunion took a dramatic turn when Charly’s husband decided to interfere with plans of his own.

I enjoyed the first section of this book which was narrated by Ben and Mallory through alternating chapters. I was immediately hooked to the story and the unraveling plot. Tension escalated with each new chapter. Deception and greed knew no bounds and I was appalled and equally drawn to the devious characters in the story. I loved the cliff hanger that ended the first section of the book.

I wasn’t as captivated by the rest of the book though. It was still an entertaining story but something was missing. I guess the twists weren’t what I was expecting. Or maybe it was because I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and most of their actions didn’t make sense to me. The Good Twin was a promising read with a great premise and Marti’s writing is amazing but this isn’t my favorite book by her.

If you are considering this title, I advise that you read other reviews and don’t let my experience deter you. A number of readers seem to have enjoyed the story so this could be an issue with me and not the book. I am definitely still on the lookout for Marti Green’s next book

The Good Twin is a nice quick read- its an excellent thriller with lots of twists and turns to keep you engaged. As I was reading, the story reminded me of a Lifetime movie. I’ve never read Marti Green before but I enjoyed her writing very much and will look forward to reading some of her other books. I think the cover of this book looks amazing! Pick this book up – you won’t be disappointed.
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Can you handle another suspense? Here’s The Good Twin by Marti Green now out and available to read. Its next on my list and its getting some great reviews.

Here’s what you need to know:

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 it 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.

You can read it for FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited, at least right now.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Marti Green and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read this book. I was so happy with this book. I liked the way that it was set up, the way we got to hear from Mallory, Ben and Charley. I especially liked how it was broken in to three parts. I loved parts one and two, Part three kind of threw me for a loop, not to say I didn't love it. I mean I did, I just didn't see it coming. I liked it kind of gave me The Wife Between Us sort of feel. You should read this book because its not your normal run of the mill thrillers. It was different to me just because of the characters. I sort of wanted to hate on Charley too, the way that Ben described her and then at the same time I wanted to hate on Mallory just because she was being selfish about not getting everything that Charley had. I mean she was the one that got kept. She should have been happy about that at least. I really liked the Grandfather in the story, I mean he to me felt like he knew more than he was letting on. I mean telling and not telling at the same time, he figured things out at the end when no one else could have. Like I said the ending threw me for a loop, I couldn't believe what I had read and had to reread it to make sure that I got it right. I also liked how in the end both girls got what they wanted and deserved. I think it just goes to show you that even if you have all the money you never had before you still wont be happy unless you have your family beside you. This was such a good book, and I want to read more by Marti Green for sure! Thanks Again!!

Poor writing and lack of imagination hampers the development of what could have been a highly entertaining story. Don't be fooled by the premise. It sounds like it should develop into something fairly interesting and it could have if given a good treatment. Unfortunately the interesting premise fails to deliver in this one, and I can't recommend it. Sorry.

Thank you to the publicist and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of the book. This is an honest review – all opinions expressed are my own.
3.5 Stars
How far would you go to claim the life you could have had?
The Good Twin really digs into the whole “Princess and the Pauper” storyline, but with a twist. When Mallory discovers that, not only does she have an identical twin sister but, only two minutes made the decision over which twin grew up in poverty and which was given luxury she starts questioning a lot about her life. When she is given the opportunity to change her future and grab on to the life she could have had…well the thought of money and privilege would be enough to seduce anyone.
The author really knows how to grab the reader right away and sets such a great pace throughout the book that, before you know it, you’ve read the entire thing. I found the storyline very gripping and I don’t think I had a single second of boredom or page skimming. I was deeply engrossed from the first page…and then we got to the ending. Let’s talk about that, shall we?
This entire book was like being given a cone of your favorite ice cream only to have it fall to the ground as soon as you try to take a lick. And it just keeps happening. Over and over again until eventually there’s just no more ice cream and all you’re left with is a soggy cone.
Here’s where I have issues; we get a great storyline, an intriguing background and then comes this killer plot…which just falls together so easily? Seriously? Huge, life altering decisions need to be made and…just…sure, why not? I’ve given more thought to lunch. That seems to be the theme I kept seeing through the book. I’d be deeply into the story, then something happens and it’s all just so unbelievably easy. Key word…unbelievably. I felt that there really should have been some type of real conflict somewhere and was let down. Like the characters decided that they didn’t want to play anymore so they were just going to let everything happen. I could have forgiven it all, too, if it wasn’t for that ending. Without getting spoiler-y….all I’m going to say is people are NOT that way (there is no word I can think of that won’t give something away here). This was not the ending I signed up for and I feel a little bit cheated. That’s all I’m going to say on the matter.
The thing is, this is a really good book. It really is. I was completely drawn into every second of the story. I just left it feeling very, very unsatisfied. It shouldn’t be wrong to want your ice cream, and get to eat it too.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

Mallory Holcom has never had an easy life. She was raised by a single mother that was always scraping to get by. Her mom was always working and didn’t have much time for Mallory. At times her mom even resented her. Now Mallory is an adult and living on her own. But like her mom, she is poor. She lives at a boardinghouse and works as a waitress, spending all her spare money to pursue her passion: art!

Then, one day she is mistaken for someone else. It turns out the person she was mistaken for is her identical twin! Her mom gave Charly up for adoption, knowing she couldn’t afford to take care of both babies.

Charly has lived a life of luxury having all the best things in life. She was doted on by her rich parents, went to the best schools, and even owns an art gallery!

When Mallory goes to find Charly, she isn’t home, but her husband is. Ben is miserable in his marriage, but has gotten used to the rich lifestyle Charly provides him and he refuses to leave it behind. He sees Mallory as a way out and quickly formulates a plan. A plan that will leave Charly dead and him with all her wealth! But who can you really trust when the stakes are this high?

This book was okay, but I was expecting a bit more from it. I don’t know who would accept Ben’s proposal. A complete stranger that’s married to the sister you never met, who obviously despises her, wants you to help kill her? Why would she believe anything Ben says? And, with Mallory and Charly having matching handwriting I think there were much less drastic ways for him to get what he wants. Why didn’t he just have her revoke the prenuptial agreement and proceed with a divorce like normal? As the book progressed, we saw Ben for the greedy monster he is!

I did like the twist of what Mallory did behind Ben’s back. It made the book better, but overall the book had an after school or Lifetime movie feel to it. I was more impressed with the betrayal at the end, but even that wasn’t followed through to the end.

This book was okay, but didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat. I could have easily put it down at any time and not felt the pull to get back to it. But perhaps those that read less than me would be more invested in it and could enjoy it to its fullest. I find myself to be rather picky.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

The Good Twin is about identical twins, Mallory and Charley who live separate lives. Charley was adopted at birth while Mallory stayed with her birth mother. Neither girl knew about the other while growing up.

The story is broken down into three parts with part one introducing the characters and demonstrating the different lifestyles that each lived. Part one was a page turner and had the story ended there I would have rated it a 5. Unfortunately, part one came to an abrupt ending leading in part two. In this part I lost interest in the story. There was a change of point of view with a retelling of the story from this characters perspective. Part one held all the fast pace suspense then switched to a slower pace delivering a second point of view. I appreciated the fill in the blanks portion but it fell flat. Part three ruined the entire premise for me. The turn of events had me furious with the author for changing a potentially good story into this mess.

The Good Twin had elements of jealousy, envy, guilt, greed, and lies. The proposal was a great concept derived out of greed. Ben’s character was married into a family of money. He changed his entire life goals to benefit his wife’s goals.
I loved Ben’s evilness in this story. Villains make for an interesting read. But he’s not the only villain. There are some twists and turns along the way.

I loved the cover and the concept about good versus evil, yet I had no idea where the direction of the story was going with this comparison. Once the story built about the identical twins living separate lives I still began to question the purpose of pointing out their differences of one being poor and other wealthy. It took some time after Ben’s character was introduced before the concept came to fruition. At that point I was thrilled about the story’s direction. But it fizzled at the beginning of part two. This break caused me to lose my footing on the story.

The author curved the law to fit into her story, but it wasn’t realistic. I was disappointed in the characters deceitfulness. These twins were hypocrites swaying the truth for shock value. How can one forgive her sister for her plan then not forgive her sister for changing the plan?

"Have you ever thought what it would be like to be wealthy?" - This is the pivotal question at the center of this book. Two minutes is the difference between a life of wealth, luxuries, riches and a life of barely scraping by. Two minutes. Mallory and Charly are going about their everyday lives not knowing they are identical twins, and not knowing that a ball is being set into motion that could forever change their lives. Not knowing that it was two minutes that forever changed the trajectory of their lives. But with wealth do you get integrity and honesty? With a lifestyle of poverty and living paycheck to paycheck do you get greed and a lust for money you don't have? Which one is the good twin?
In this exciting fast paced novel you quickly find out that not everything is as it seems. The old saying 'don't judge a book by its cover'. Just when you think you know what's going to happen, Marti Green makes a hard right and shifts the storyline. I had a hard time putting the book down, as I was anxious to see just what twist the twins would end up taking in the end. I won't spoil the ending for you, it's worth picking up and finding out yourself.
A mixture of jealousy, revenge, greed, love, back stabbing, drama and a gun - all the necessary ingredients to craft a good thriller. I definitely enjoyed this book and will be looking into other works by this author.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Marti Green for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love the plot for this book—what will happen when poor twin Mallory schemes with the evil Ben to murder and take the place of his wife Charly?

Well, what happens is a long set up with "good twin" Mallory before we get to the action. We know the switch is in the plans from early on and yet it drags to Chapter 11 before this really starts. I would have hoped with so much set up work, that we could have seen deeper motivation for some of our main characters. Okay, so Ben is trapped in a loveless marriage because he's hooked on the money; I imagine there are tons of marriages like this in NYC, but that rarely equates to a murder plot. Good twin Mallory has been poor and lonely; again, even if you hate your new-found twin for having cash, that's only the tip of the iceberg to motivate murder. I wish there had been some additional motivation for these characters' trip to the dark side. Gambling debts (on the Knicks perhaps?), mom's hospital bills—some reason that money alone would lead these characters to plot Charly's demise could have been worked in.

At any rate, once the action starts, well, then Part Two of the novel starts over at the beginning from Charly's point of view. Sigh. Charly's narration is a bit tedious, but it does fill in the blanks for when she takes the reins. Part Three brought it all together for me—switch, surprise, backstabbing—it had it all! If only the author hadn't so quickly knitted things together into happy ending.

I would have loved to see more play with the twisted relationship between the twins rather than spending half the book on a slow build up. Is that twisted of me? Maybe I've just read one too many thrillers lately.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Mallory Holcomb, at the age of 30, discovers that she has an identical twin sister named Charlotte (Charly) that she has never met. Mallory is a waitress and aspiring artist taking art classes whenever she can.

Charly grew up with adoptive parents that were/are quite wealthy. She has never gone without or wanted for anything. She is married to Ben, who has a girlfriend. Of course, he doesn't know that she knows. Everything he has is because his wife is the wealthy one. If he divorces, he gets nothing except the clothes he wears.

When Ben discovers the twin sister, he keeps them from meeting with one lie or another. And then Ben comes up with a foolproof plan .. all Mallory has to do is say yes.

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.

Intriguing story ... twists and turns to the very end ... makes this a riveting book to read. I found myself not liking the twins for various reasons, and then a twist would change my mind. It's very simply written which makes it a fast read.

Many thanks to the author / Thomas & Mercer / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological suspense. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

The Good Twin is a quick, suspenseful read that kept me trying to figure out just which twin was supposed to be the good one! The story is told in alternating points of view between Mallory and her newly discovered twin Charly. While you may think each twin is telling you the whole story as you read her chapters, that’s not always entirely true.

The premise and the pacing are great. There was very little time wasted with setup at the beginning – the author just dives right into the heart of the story. I would have given the book a five-star rating except for my feeling towards the twins themselves. Neither one was particularly likable. Sometimes I felt that they acted in a way not keeping with the character of the twin that had been described to me up to that point in the story, and I really couldn’t relate that well to either one. This wasn’t enough to keep me from enjoying the story though, so 4 stars it is.

Thank You, NetGalley, for my complimentary review copy.

Mallory and Charlotte Jensen, twin girls born to a young mother, grew up in vastly different circumstances, unaware of each other’s existence. Their mother, Susan AKA Sasha, could not afford to keep both her girls so she kept the first-born, Mallory.

“Charly,” now an art gallery owner, had a privileged upbringing and lives an affluent lifestyle with her husband, Ben Gordon. In stark contrast, Mallory, an artist, could not afford to go to college. She lives for the art classes she takes at a local art institute and works as a waitress. Her home is a run-down boarding house.

From the very first line, I was drawn into the story. The book is divided into five parts, including a preface and epilogue. In between, the parts shift perspective from Mallory to Charlotte. The writing style is very readable, the chapters short, the characters, well-developed.

One fateful day, a customer in the restaurant where Mallory works mistakes her for her twin and mentions the gallery. Out of curiosity, she goes to check it out and there she sees her mirror image. Completely caught off-guard, she leaves without meeting her sister. She visits Charly’s home and the door is answered by Ben, who is just as shocked, but invites her in. Mallory is entranced by her beautiful surroundings, a stark contrast to her own. Ben notices her reaction and a devious, sinister, but brilliant plan takes shape in his mind.

At first taken aback by Ben’s proposal, Mallory comes around once Ben tells her about Charly and provokes her about what could have been and what still can be. So, the plan is put into motion. All goes smoothly...until it doesn’t.

In conclusion, I loved this book, my first by this author. The blurb intrigued me. There were unexpected plot twists that made the story anything but predictable and kept me reading, eager to find out what will happen next. I loved that I didn’t have a clue. The end was somewhat sappy, but satisfying.

What a wild ride this one was, pure fun and definitely not the type of read to take too seriously. You see, it’s outrageous and a little out there but this was entertainment at it’s finest and because it was such a crazy ride you truly never really knew what would happen next and those types of reads are always the best for me.

This is told from two viewpoints, twin sisters Mallory and Charly and is very fast paced and engaging. Mallory is the twin who grew up with a single mother who struggled to make ends meet and Charly was at the complete opposite end of the spectrum and led a privileged life. Trying to figure out who the Good Twin actually was wound up being more challenging than I had anticipated, gotta love playing the guessing game. The whole long lost sibling premise is nothing new, but what made it different and interesting was that Green has a style that is extremely compulsive. This was reminiscent of watching a juicy soap opera, plenty of backstabbing and betrayals and storylines that are like watching a train wreck, I couldn’t look away!

I’ll admit, I did have a few things figured out ahead of time but in the end, Green delivered, I totally did not see the ending coming and was really surprised and pleased by the direction it took. Perfect for fans of lighter style suspense who want a quick read that is sure to entertain.

The Good Twin in three words: Dramatic, Fun and Mischievous.

Enjoyed reading this book. Well written & great character development. Only gave 3 stars because I felt the story became a bit slow getting to the realization of the main character's end (or beginning). Afterwards, I was surprised at the way the end revealed itself.. wow!

**4.5 Goodreads Stars**

What if you had spent your entire young life in abject poverty only to find out that you had a twin who was living in luxury? Would you feel a tinge of jealousy? Or would you want something more: would you want revenge?

Marti Green's The Good Twin follows the character of Mallory, who grew up in poverty after her 17-year-old mother was booted out of her parents' house while pregnant with twins. Her mother keeps Mallory and puts the other twin up for adoption. Sadly, Mallory's father dies in the Gulf War, leaving Mallory and her mother alone and financially destitute. Mallory's mother never tells Mallory about her twin. Mallory experiences yet another tragedy when her mother passes away at a young age, taking the secret of Mallory's twin to the grave.

Mallory moves to New York to pursue a degree in art. She squeaks by working as a waitress and lives in a communal house that barely qualifies as habitable. Despite all of this, Mallory is living her dream of being an artist in New York. But everything changes when Mallory meets an attractive young man, Ben, while waitressing. Ben tells her she looks exactly like his wife, Charly, who runs an upscale art gallery. Mallory finds the art gallery and discovers that she indeed looks like an exact replica of Charly. She soon discovers that Charly is her biological twin that her mother abandoned.

Ben convinces Mallory that Charly is a "bad twin" of sorts. He claims Charly grew up as a wealthy only child and, as a result, is stuck up and cruel. Ben, who is leading a double life of his own, proposes that he and Mallory take over Charly's fortunes by having Mallory pose as Charly. Mallory, feeling resentful of Charly's posh upbringing, hesitantly agrees to Ben's plot. Little do they know that Charly, too, has a playbook of her own.

If you are a fan of books like Catherine McKenzie's The Good Liar or Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's The Wife Between Us, you'll enjoy this book. There are several unreliable narrators in this book and determining who is telling the truth and who is lying is half the fun of this book. This is one of those books that you will easily devour late at night because it's so easy to get invested in the characters from the very first page of the book. The book builds tension and suspense slowly and artfully; you find yourself turning the pages because you want to know how the story ends.

Thank you to the author, Marti Green, the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of Marti Green's The Good Twin. I will definitely be reading more of Marti Green's books in the future!

From my blog: Always With a Book:

Marti Green is a new-to-me author, but I jumped at the opportunity to read this book as it sounded right up my alley - and I am so glad I did! I devoured this book and it kept me engaged from start to finish...and loved the surprises that came along!

I love a good twin story - I've always been fascinated with genetics and this one just grabbed me from the get-go. I have to say, I didn't see the twists coming, and for someone who is constantly reading psychological thrillers, that's a good thing! I love being surprised and while I can usually guess one or two pieces, this one really crept up on me.

What I really enjoyed about this book are the characters - they really are the type that as much as you want to like them...you just might not. And I love that! I love when there are unlikeable, but somewhat redeemable characters if that makes sense? They aren't completely horrible, but they aren't the type that you want for your best friend either. They are, though, the type that you cannot turn away from - you need to keep reading on to see just what they are going to get up to next.

This book is filled with constant surprises and really keeps you engaged throughout. Just when I thought I had it all worked out, I was left speechless - a few times! The suspense builds at just the right pace and keeps you flipping those pages. This really is a good read and I devoured it in only a few sittings!

An intriguing and fast paced read from start to finish. This is not your run of the mill “twin story”. Told in three voices, Green does the unreliable narrator quite well. A tale of deception and double crossings, this was a very good read!

The Good Twin is a thriller novel that takes a twist on the typical ‘twins separated at birth’ trope. It’s intriguing and will keep you on your toes as you read. Mallory and Charly couldn’t have come from more different lives if they tried, there are really only two things they have in common; their looks and their love of art. They didn’t know about each other for most of their lives, and the way they end up finding out is quite unique, even among the twin tales we’ve been told.
The Good Twin is a fun and fast paced thriller. You could easily finish it in a day or two, as it tells its story and doesn’t drag on any. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the novels focusing on the twins separate at birth thing, but this one actually ended up being pretty different from the rest, which I actually feel like is really saying something.
Mallory grew up with her mother (biological, for those that are curious). She never had much, and even now she’s waiting tables to pay her way through art school. She doesn’t have much of a family, as she never knew her father (or his side of the family at all), and her mother died just a few years ago (leaving her with no extended family on that side either). In short, she’s never had any money, and doesn’t have any family now.
Charly grew up with two wonderful and rich parents. She never found herself wanting, and on the whole was pretty okay with the fact that she was adopted. She’d never even felt compelled to look up her birth parents. Unfortunately things have been harder on her as of late; she’s running a new gallery, which takes quite a bit of work, and it’s starting to take a toll on her marriage.
Both of their lives change when Mallory hears about the woman that looks just like her. From there things spiral quickly out of control, with characters running through their lives manipulating their interactions and perspectives of each other. It isn’t exactly easy to form a relationship with your long lost sister when everyone and their mother is trying to prevent it (okay, slight exaggeration there).
This novel consistently flip flips back and forth, leaving you wondering which one is the ‘good twin’ mentioned in the cover, and which one is the implied ‘bad twin.’ Your perspectives, ideas, and assumptions will all be challenged during the course of this novel, and you’ll likely be very surprised by the ending.
I did feel that there were a few points that broke the immersion of this otherwise enjoyable read. One of the characters (I won’t say who, other than that they’re the antagonist) didn’t feel fully fleshed out, despite how much focus was given to them for the course of the novel. Other than having money as a motive they just felt too traditionally ‘villainous’ to fit into the real world.
I love reading a mystery or thriller and not being able to guess the ending; likewise though I want to be able to look back through the novel and see all the points leading up to the big reveal. While I didn’t guess the ending to the novel here (bonus points for that) I wasn’t able to see some of the points leading up to it, even though there should have been one or two fairly big points and indications (especially considering the perspective the story was being told from).
I love that Marti Green was able to take something so overdone and make something new from it. That is not an easy task, and I feel that they should get the appropriate credit for this feat. I haven’t read any of Marti Green’s other works, but it certainly looks like I’ve got a few interesting ones to pick from, should I choose to continue reading her work (which I think I will).

Mallory never knew she had a twin and when she does find out, it seems they have led two VERY different lives. Charly has everything while Mallory has had to work hard to get everything. When Ben comes to Mallory with a proposal to benefit them both, she heads down a dangerous road.

Honestly, you guys, this read like a Lifetime movie on crack! And I do NOT mean that in a bad way. I happen to have a soft spot for Lifetime movies - guilty pleasure level high! You really have to suspend a LOT of reality in this book. It runs fast, short chapters and is a bit over the top. The biggest reveal/twist was very easy to predict but yet I still found myself clapping my hands when it happened. Then it goes even further, culminating in a too neatly tied bow for my taste.

Placed in NYC and even parts in my neighborhood, Astoria, placed perfect visuals in my head. I think this is perfect for those who want that easy read and a book they can fly through. The decisions that are made and the swiftness in which they are made are jaw dropping. Again, the best way for me to describe it is to compare it to a Lifetime movie. Those who read a lot of thrillers will find this easily predictable. I do think it's quite the enjoyable read though. I liked the different perspectives and I did thoroughly enjoy one certain end for a character quite well 😉.