THE LOOK-ALIKE is a well-paced suspense filled with tension and enthralling characters. I have not read anything by the author previously, but I definitely will in the future.

I will admit that I’m hard on thrillers. I come in expecting to be puzzled and maybe a tiny bit scared, but also for my anxiety to all be focused on the book instead of whatever else it would like to focus on. So, that fact that I didn’t love or hate this feels like a giant win for me.

Sienna Scott fled her home town ten years ago after coming across a body on her way home from studying. Now back, she finds out the murder case has been reopened which only brings up the dark past she had hoped to leave behind. Not only is it upsetting her, it’s upsetting her mother who has struggled with mental illness as long as Sienna can remember. But, as more of it begins to come up, Sienna begins to wonder more about what really happened ten years ago.

This story is really an easy read, fast paced read, but it does fall into the repetitive category. There were quite a few moments that I easily could have skimmed through and not missed anything because it had already been talked about before.

<i>The Look-Alike</i> is odd in that I feel like the only character who might have been trustworthy was the narrator? It’s not something I’m sure I’ve ever come across while reading a thriller. Because of this, I do think it became a little more predictable? But also, all the characters are shady in their own right so it could leave it up in the air for readers too.

The ending isn’t something I’m entirely thrilled with. It did seem rather abrupt. There were other things that were resolved as well that just didn’t sit right with me. The treatment of mental illness in this book? I didn’t like that either. <P>

While this isn’t a thriller that blew me out of the water, it was an enjoyable read for me.

Sienna Scott grew up being sheltered by her father and older brother from her mother's paranoid delusions. After a murder in their sleepy hometown college campus, in which Sienna is the first to discover the body, her father ships her off to London to live with a family member to shelter from the fallout. A decade later, Sienna returns to Tranquility Falls to be with her fragile mother and reconnect with her brother. Coincidentally, the murder investigation has been reopened by the police, which stirs up Sienna's worries that she may have been the intended victim that night, as well as her fears that she may be developing the same disorder as her mother. Sienna begins to realize that her worries might have been right, she begins to suspect everyone around her of the murder.

This book was a fast-paced, wild ride! I read it in one day—which was perfect due to the snowstorm moving in, which paralleled the snowy backdrop of the book. I couldn't put it down, and my mind had a wide range of suspects, all with motive to have killed Madison, and have motive to seek retribution against Sienna. I'm looking forward to reading more of Spindler's titles. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to provide an honest review.

3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.

I am horrified that I let this book linger in my "to read" for so long. It was released over 6 months ago, and I totally forgot I had a digital ARC.

While looking for recommended thrillers from 2020, I saw this title online and it reminded me I had received an ARC, so I went and found it. I'm glad I did.

I had not read anything else by Erica Spindler, but her style of writing was reminiscent of Riley Sager and I really enjoy his writing.

Thrillers are my guilty pleasure currently. Since I've discovered True Crime podcasts, thrillers have replaced my true crime guilty pleasure reading. I don't go in for romance- so this is my stay-up-all-night treat.

This is not a well-written book. The characters are all tropes, I can imagine all of them being cast from characters from a Hallmark Christmas movie. BUT...I could NOT put it down AND I did not figure out who did it. Like EVER. It was a true surprise to me until the end. And I'm ashamed to admit I caught the "clue" she dropped in there but I missed it because the writing was so predictable that I was absolutely certain that she was giving us a predictable villain.

The Look-Alike isn't even that creative of a story. Sienna Scott returns to her hometown of Tranquility Bluffs (for real?), WI after 10 years of living with her Grandmother in London and training to be a chef. Her mother suffers from a paranoid delusional disorder, and we learn that is part of the reason she was "shipped off" to London. The other reason is that she was the first person to stumble across a murder victim on campus and the ensuing investigation made her mother even more paranoid. Sienna looks exactly like her (beautiful, auburn haired) mother. So, it stands to reason, she must be just like her, and she begins to wonder if she is also losing her mind.
Enter her half-brother, mysteriously with financial troubles and a strangely broken marriage who has stepped in to care for his stepmother after the death of their father. And the sexy, mysterious neighbor who has secrets to tell Sienna, but she can't seem to stay awake post-coital bliss long enough to hear them, and when she wakes she is too blinded by love that she doesn't need to know. Oh, and a hot cop who she was close to and maybe he was also part of the reason she got shipped off.

It's not deep, it's not well-written. But it was a tasty morsel.

*With thanks to Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I liked this, but it took me a while to get into. And it was incredibly predictable. I'm always disappointed when I figure out the conclusion super early in the book. I definitely prefer some of this author's other books.

Sienna returns home after spending 10 years in London. (And who exactly returns to a small town in Wisconsin after spending 10 years in London?) Before leaving, she literally stumbled onto a murder at the local college. All these years later, the police have reopened this unsolved case.

There's a lot of stuff going on in this book. It's definitely entertaining. But I'd probably suggest getting it out of the library.

This book was intense and a page turner. Enjoyed this book and all the twists and turns, and even second guessed myself a couple of times about who the killer was.

I really enjoyed this story and would give it three and a half stars. I’m still not 100% sure if the title has anything to do with the full story but I will leave it at that so I don’t have any spoilers. This was a well written story and while I would not say I was on the edge of my seat, I was invested in the story. I did have a guess as to who the murderer was, and I did turn out to be correct. But I loved the details behind the whys and the path the story took to explain it all. Definitely recommend to someone starting into the thriller genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Great read full of romance, suspense, mental disorders, and betrayal. Definitely kept me on my toes and was a page turner for sure!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Look Alike – Erica Spindler

Sienna Scott is a college freshman when she returns to her college dorm one night, and nearly stumbles over the body of a young co-ed in the snow, fresh blood staining the ground where she lay. Memories of which haunt Sienna to this day, and a crime that has never been solved…

Ten years later, after being sent to live in London with her grandmother in the aftermath of the murder, Sienna returns home to small-town Tranquility Bluffs, Wisconsin, to her remaining family - her mother and her half brother Bradley. Sienna’s mother struggles with paranoia, due to persecutory delusional disorder, and Sienna’s time away has not changed any of that. Upon visiting her brother, she also learns some disturbing news – the police department, after 10 years, is re-opening the investigation into the campus death.

As Sienna settles back into her childhood home, her mother confides in her that a supposed trip and fall down the stairs, was really the result of her being pushed. Her mother is also very fearful that the wrong person was killed on campus all those years ago and tells Sienna that she’ll do anything to protect her. As Sienna works to ease her mother’s delusions, she can’t help but flashback to the killing, and the unforgettable fact that she and the victim were wearing the same white jacket. Could the victim have been mistaken for her? And why?

Sienna, anxious to learn of the now re-opened investigation, pays a visit to Chief Thompson, an old friend of her fathers, to learn the details. The chief informs her that retirement is close, and he is unable to let the case go without trying to find closure for her family. Sienna also relates a strange phone call she’s received since returning home. He introduces her to the Detective in charge of the case, who as it turns out, was the campus police officer who responded to her screams for help 10 years ago.

As Sienna re-connects with her family and begins a new relationship with a handsome next-door neighbor, strange phone calls continue, relationships become strained, and Sienna doesn’t know who to trust, or believe. As her mother’s delusions spiral completely out of control, Sienna can’t help but wonder if there’s a bit of truth to her mother’s ravings; perhaps she was the intended victim of that fateful night…

Told in sequences from Sienna’s past and present, this novel sets the stage with page flipping action that kept me reading well into the night as Sienna tries to learn what really happened all of those years ago…and inadvertently puts herself in the crosshairs of a killer…

I have always enjoyed Erica Spindler’s work and this book was no exception! With enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, and then second guessing yourself, it was literally impossible to put down!! A stellar read from one of the greats!!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.

Ten years ago, in a small town in Wisconsin, a young girl was murdered. Sienna was sent away to live with her grandmother by her paranoid mother Vivian as she believed Sienna was the intended victim - she bares a striking resemblance to the young victim and was even wearing the same coat. Now, Sienna returns to her hometown to care for her mentally ill mother and make peace with the past. The police have also reopened the case from ten years ago in hopes of finding the killer - and someone very close to her is being looked at as a suspect.
The book was written in the dual timeline perspective (past and present) and told from the third person point of view. I felt a bit disconnected to the characters and it moved a bit slow for me, but overall was a good read.
Thanks to Erica Spindler, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was so freaken good! Fast paced and full of twist and turns I thought I was in a pretzel factory! LOL. I can't wait to read more by this author

I received a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

REVIEW ☆☆☆☆
The Look-Alike is a creepy psychological thriller from Erica Spindler. Imagine living in paranoia that you will share your mother's mental illness. Sienna's mom is slowly going mad, and for her mental safety, Sienna has been gone for ten years. Now, returned to her mother's house, Sienna wonders if maybe her mom isn't so crazy after all. I love the unreliable aspect of this story, and I never figured who did what. It's a good twisted tale that might cause you to question your own sanity!

Loved this book so so so much. I Literally could not put my kindle down I had to know how it ended! Thank you for such a great read!

As you can see by my rating, I didn’t care much for this. There was a decent mystery within the story. But… Viv felt more like a cliche than a character, the romance was extremely cringey, the dialogue kept annoying me, and the writing was repetitive and just… not good. The truth is, I am elated to be done with this.

Look at the glowing reviews. Give this a chance, if you want to. I’m not a literary critic or anything. Just a reader with an opinion that is often unpopular.

Thank you to to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Murder, manipulation, madness and nothing mundane. What a great true blue mystery! A story about staying true to your guns and looking into those things you think should be looked into!

A complex, suspenseful plot with tension so thick that it felt palpable. Wonderfully-developed characters with depth and substance. I was immediately drawn in and held captive from beginning to end.

Sienna Scott’s life has been defined by the persecutorial delusionary disorder that grips her mother - and the popular belief that she will follow in her mother’s footsteps and descend into madness. After all, she looks just like Viv. Sienna was sent away to London when she stumbled upon a murder victim on her college campus and started to exhibit what her father thought was paranoia. But 10 years later, she’s returned - and so has the murder case. Can Sienna put the ghosts of the past to bed and start living a normal life in her hometown? Or will the past forever haunt her?

This mystery combines some of the classic elements of a great thriller - murder and madness, which also means an unreliable narrator and tons of questions. Also, there’s plenty of suspects and misdirection. It’s pretty obvious who the three main suspects are going to be at the beginning of the story, and each becomes the main suspect at some point in the book. I was convinced of each person’s guilt or each person’s “real” identity at different points, and each time I was wrong, lol. So trust me, there’s plenty to keep readers guessing.

Sienna is a good character because you want to trust her so much and root for her, but there’s always that little voice in the back of your head that is looking for a hole in her story. And she’s not even that confident in herself throughout most of the book, so it’s a great twist in the plot to have her working through all her personal demons while she’s also trying to work through this intense murder mystery.

There’s also a bit of romance in the story, which added a bit of spice to things. And a bit of intrigue. It was quite interesting. And I loved it. That’s all I will say about it.

Overall, Fans of thriller should go out and get this book, pronto, You won’t be disappointed.

At 18 years old Sienna Scott was the first to discover the body of a murdered student on her college campus late one stormy night on a secluded path she took home regularly. Sienna begins to question whether or not she was the intended target when she realizes the victim was wearing the same coat as her. Sienna's worries are compounded by the fact that her mother's paranoid delusions are getting worse. When things reach a tipping point Sienna is abruptly sent away to London to live with family. Ten years later, Sienna has decided to return to her hometown only to discover that the murder case that drove her from home has been reopened and her mother's illness has taken a turn for the worse. When Viv begins ranting about white vans and prank phone calls Sienna fears for her mother's sanity but when Sienna begins to experience the same strange occurrences she begins to wonder if her mother has been telling the truth all along or could it be that she is slipping into the same illness that has taken over her mother's life for all these years? "The Look-Alike" is a page-turning thriller filled with twists and turns. Though you think you may have this whodunit figured out numerous times author Erica Spindler leaves you second guessing yourself over and over again. A worthwhile read for any suspense/mystery fan. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this one and couldn’t put it down! I will continue to seek out and read Erica Spindler’s books and I’m looking forward to it!! Read this. Thank you!