I received a free advance digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Working on getting through the rest of the advanced books I received.
Natasha Preston is one of my favorite authors when it comes to young adult thrillers. I liked that this one kept me guessing and thinking I knew the ending. The one thing I didn’t like was it didn’t really give the reader an ending, which happens with a lot of her books. But I enjoy her writing so much that I keep reading her books

I was hoping for a little more from this book. In the beginning I was really invested to see where things went, but I couldn’t fully get behind the characters, they didnt feel fully developed. The middle of the book seemed to drag on and then it picked it up again closer to the ending. I was disappointed by the ending, I would have liked to see a bit more of Iris trying to live Ivys life or for Ivy to get a little bit of redemption.

Natasha Preston as always knocked it out of the park! Absolutely love her work. Can’t wait for what’s in store next!

I’ve read a couple other books by this author and it’s been hit or miss for me. I think that I’m coming to the realization that YA is not my preference. That is not the author’s fault which is why I have them one more star than I felt the story earned for me, personally.

The Twin was my first book by Natasha Preston and I had some decent hopes going into it because it sounded like a really good story. By the third chapter I just wanted to be done with the book. The story focuses on sixteen year old twins Ivy and Iris and life after their mother passes and they are back living together with their dad. I tried so hard to remind myself that they were only sixteen in this book, but Ivy gave off older vibes in the beginning (think closer to eighteen, about to graduate) and then just turned into something completely different. Some of her friends actions I could brush off as typical young teen behavior but it honestly got to the point that it felt like they were pre-teen girls instead. How are you best friends for years with someone and then a new person shows up and you hang on their every word? Don't even get me started on the adults in this book and how deeply disturbed I was on how the therapist was portrayed. Knowing people whose career's are in therapy I was put off on how the author turned them into a joke. The ending was completely rushed after a long drawn out story and left with a major cliff hanger and unrealistic outcomes.

I'm not sure thrillers like this are my thing so take this review with a grain of salt.

Slow-paced, but eerie, the atmosphere was the big winner for me and the main reason this is getting stars. I liked the creepiness of it, and the anticipation. However, despite not being a big fan of this genre, I still saw the twists coming from a mile away and it felt kind of shallow in terms of characterization and motivation. I wanted more and I just didn't get it.

All in all, this book was not for me.

TW: gaslighting, death, mental illness, murder, death of parent, grief; mentions body shaming, bullying, adult/minor relationship

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
World Building: 3/5
Writing: 2/5
Pacing: 2/5
Overall: 2/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review.

I read The Basement ( I think that's what it was called.) and really enjoyed it but I have yet been able to enjoy any other Preston books. This is not a testament to her writing, but maybe to my own inability to get into suspense and thrillers. Its not terrible..just not my genre.

Ivy and Iris have been separated for years. When their parents divorced, Ivy stayed with their dad and Iris with their mom. But when their mom dies unexpectedly, Iris has to move in with Ivy. First, Ivy tries to be accommodating, but Iris is acting strange. Before long Iris has inserted herself into Ivy’s life, and Ivy starts to get pushed out. Natasha Preston typically writes fun, escapist mysteries; they’re not serious, but they’re entertaining. That is not the case in this story. This was a ridiculously unbelievable yet predictable storyline. Characters jump from allegations of cheating on tests to murder, and that is logical in this world. And that’s just one example. Also, it was far too long with no payoff. Ivy keeps thinking the same things about her sister over and over and then she watches TV on the couch over and over. There is no twist, no suspense, no mystery, and no resolution, just annoying characters doing annoying things.

Iris and Ivy are twins with divorced parents. Iris has lived with the mom and Ivy with the Dad for quite a few years. Since their mom died in an accident, Iris now lives with Ivy and their dad. The twins haven’t been close since they were separated and it’s awkward now that they’ve been forced together again. Iris refuses to talk about their mom or go clean up her belongings and clear out the home. Ivy invites Iris to hang out with her but Iris seems to always have plans already set up and usually with Ivy’s friends but excluding Ivy. Iris keeps pushing herself into Ivy’s life, every aspect of it, to the point where she’s driving Ivy mad. Ivy meets with a past friend of Iris’s and discovers that there’s something sinister about Iris and danger is surrounding Ivy. An evenly paced young adult thriller, 4 stars!

The Parent Trap turned into psychological thriller for young adults. Ivy and Iris were separated when their parents divorced. When their mom dies, the sisters are reunited. Everyone soon falls under Iris’s spell and Ivy thinks something is not right but Iris also has a logical explanation. But what is really going on as Iris slowly begins to take over her sister’s life.

I really wanted to like this more than I did. Unfortunately the story just seemed to be slow paced in spots and then rushed in others.

I really wanted to love this. I really enjoy the evil twin trope. But this was very slow paced with a very rushed ending.

a story about identical twin girls who are not your usual twins. Years ago, their parents divorced. One sister stayed with their father, and the other with their mother. Their mom ends up dying and Iris moves in with her twin sister Ivy. Things start to go terribly wrong when one of the sisters has bad intentions.

This is my second Natasha Preston book. I’m learning to fully appreciate her writing style (and cliffhanger endings) more so with each read. This was my first “evil twin” trope read, and I fully enjoyed it. This was an entertaining quick read, perfect for a night in by the fire with a glass of wine.

Interesting premise (The Parent Trap meets Single White Female), but middling execution (average prose, unoriginal/uninteresting characters, anti-climactic ending).

Predictable. I kept waiting for it to get better, it didn’t. If you have read one of Natasha Preston’s books, you have pretty much read them all. She captures you from the start, has little character details to keep you on edge waiting for more, makes you create expectations and hopes, shatters them, then the book ends. Different story, same execution. The Twin was no different. It would be a wonderful book to read if you haven’t read others from Preston. As I have read all of her books, the more I read the more lackluster I find them. However, I do continue to read each book she publishes. Read into that what you will…

The twists and turns never stopped coming! And the reveal at the end was just wow. Preston did a fantastic job keeping me engaged to solve the story.

I am admittedly a sucker for stories about twins. So it makes sense that I was eager to pick up Natasha Preston’s new novel The Twin. This suspense story about how the relationship between twin sisters changes after the death of their mother sounded right up my alley, and for the most part, it was. However, this book was not without some glaring faults, hence my 3 star rating.

The basic premise of The Twin is that sisters Ivy and Iris have not lived together since their parents’ divorce. Ivy has lived with their dad and Iris with their mom. However, when the twins’ mother dies in a horrible accident, Iris comes to live with Ivy and their father. Things don’t go as planned though. It doesn’t take long for Ivy to because suspicious of Iris’ actions, and she can’t help but feel that Iris is moving in on her life. The only problem is proving it when no one wants to believe her.

The Twin is a classic good sister, bad sister story. I was entertained throughout this outrageous story, but found the plot to be formulaic and predictable. This storyline goes along pretty much exactly how you expect it to, and by the end, there are no surprises, even though I believe it was Preston’s intention to shock her readers. However, because of Preston’s writing style and the lack of character development in this story, you can see this one coming from a mile away. So again, entertaining, but not entirely original.

Twins, Iris and Ivy, we’re split as children after their parents divorce. Ivy went to live with their dad and Iris went to live with their mom. After a tragic accident, Iris and Ivy’s mom die. Iris moves in with their dad and Ivy. Ivy tries to make friends with her twin but she feels like something is off. Why does she feel this way and why does it seem like Iris is a bit off?

Y’all. This book was a train wreck of a roller coaster ride. Holy cow, I couldn’t put this down until I finished it. Were there some holes and things that were a tad bit reaching? Yes and that is why I am giving this 3 stars. However, I did enjoy it and really felt like I was watching a movie in my head the whole time. I do recommend it.

It is very rare that I find myself feeling the anxiety and paranoia of a character. I was sucked right into the twin and couldn’t it it down. Having your sister around should be a good thing, not your worst nightmare.

Twin stories always fascinate me. Add in "evil-twin" trope and a dark back story, and I'm in!
This was a great read for escaping and just losing yourself in the story.