Minka Kent has outdone herself with When I Was You. This book was most definitely a psychological suspense read at its best. We are introduced to Brienne and learn why she is living the way she is. But with every good suspense read there are twists and turns that you may see or may not see coming and this book has both that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I enjoyed every page turning moment in this book and can’t wait for what is next from this author.

INGENIOUSLY CRAFTED IMPOSTER THRILLER
A mindboggling imposter story that blew my mind! What a crazy ride this mesmerizing suspense thriller was in tackling an extreme case of identity theft, and the thrill ride left me breathless with excitement. I kept asking myself what the heck is going on here? The “imposter” twist gets taken to a new level, with chilling ironies. The story was clever, unsettling, and proved once again that the author (a pseudonym of Winter Renshaw) continues to have more thriller tricks up her sleeve. On edge for most of it, I was delightfully sucked into every fresh angle and crazy dip that took the story in wild and unexpected directions. The twists and turns never stopped, as I frantically whipped through the pages for answers. POVs and revelations kept shifting and left me constantly off-kilter. The slow wind-up followed by the unwind of an inventive plot was deliciously devious and complex, and everything spiraled in faster and faster freefall to conclusion.

“It never fails to amaze me all the things people do when they think no one’s watching, the things they think they can get away with”

An assault left Brienne Dougray with severe headaches, memory loss and blackouts. Fear of her still-at-large assailant has made her a recluse in her monstrous home. Her friends ghosted her as a literal pariah after the incident, though she has no idea why. Worse, there’s a lookalike woman in town openly living as Brienne, and using her name. But, who is the real Brienne and why are false memories more real than the supposedly true ones she can’t remember? No one – not even the police – seems to take her claims of an imposter seriously, nor are they doing much to find her attacker. Instead, she is treated like a stalker. If not for her recent boarder – Dr. Niall Emberlin – lonely Brienne would lose her mind. But, she doesn’t even know the worst of it … yet.

This noirish thriller had me off-balance in all the best ways. The beginning strikes just the right unsettling chord of introducing Brienne and her situation, never giving us the full picture, while teasing us with tidbits that slowly help unravel this mindboggling mystery. What is truth, and which, if any, characters are reliable? I’m always a sucker for the unreliable narrator angle, but don’t think you have all, or any, of the details of this puzzler figured out because the imaginative story keeps shifting focus and revelations at a snappy pace.

The multiple POVs were deliciously manipulative. And once the answers start flowing, I had to pick my jaw up off the ground because I never imagined the story would be so intricate in motivation and detail. While I was busy screaming in my head at the actions (and sometimes foolish mistakes) of characters, I was still enormously entertained by how ingeniously crafted the story was. There was a very noticeable flaw in logic in a scene/dialogue that I can’t mention without giving too much away, but that mistake wasn’t enough to spoil the story for me in any way. The plot starts getting real and gritty once distractions occur, and over-confidence leads to sloppy, mushrooming mistakes and possible exposure of the truth.

The concept is brilliant, and the plotting insanely clever, along with my love for the author’s writing style. Just let yourself go and accept the logic and dynamics of this generally satisfying thriller. It wasn’t perfect, but it was extremely entertaining and I can’t even say a thing about the most riveting character that blew me away the most!

“When I was you, I learned about the person I was, the person I wanted to be, and the person I didn’t want to be anymore. And after meeting you today, I learned about the person I hope to become more like someday”

This book takes your mind on a journey that you will question what happens next. There are so many twist and turns I could not read the book fast enough. The characters were very well written and the poor of the story is amazing.

I liked this book but the ending left a little to be desired and that has left me a little at a loss as to how to review this book. The author is one I love and I do also try to read her books. I loved the way the writing through most of the book. I was engaged and interested and thought I had it figured out at one point but I didn't have it completely figured out. Since this is a suspense I don't want to give spoilers. The ending just left me a little unsatisfied.

I enjoyed this suspenseful psychological thriller.

Brienne's life has been upended, and she's still trying to find her way back when sinister events have her second-guessing everything. Told in alternating first-person POV, the author still keeps the reader guessing all the way through. The character development was superb, the suspense just enough to keep things creepy without quite stepping over the line into horror. It's an enthralling book that will leave you thinking about it for a long time. There's a satisfying ending with all the loose ends tied up. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. The story flowed effortlessly with a few twists and turns that weren’t predictable. This story is suspense-filled. It is definitely a gripping page turner that pulled you in from the first chapter and did no let go until the very end.

Excellent Read!

I received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was original and hooked me from page one! This was a page turner that keep me guessing! Brienne takes us on a journey with her that you will not forget. I could not turn the pages fast enough. I gave this book 5 stars!

No spoilers with my review! This is another must read from Minka Kent!

Well done!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC of this amazing new book by Minka Kent. I loved this book so much ! Suspenseful and creepy in the most impressive way ! There is one twist after another after another ! Is she Kate ? Is she Brienne ? Who is Niall ? Is he a nice guy or someone very sinister ! I could not put this book down ! Truly a big fan of this author !

I am glad I found Minka Kent’s books through Kindle Unlimited and then was able to read this ARC from Netgalley and the author. All thoughts are my own. She is now one of my favorite suspense/ psychological thriller authors to go to. This is a fast paced read. You know the twists are coming and it keeps you guessing!

Ohhh! What a twisty, fun read! Just when you think you've figured it out, Kent drops a bomb! Highly recommended!

A year ago, Brienne Dougray is assaulted, robbed, and stabbed, and left in an alley. She survives the assault and as a result, she is now experiencing PTSD, OCD, and nightmares. Her close friends recommend that she get a housemate/tenant so she feels safer, and she advertises for one. She finds a physician to rent one of her rooms. Shortly after Dr. Niall Emberlin moves in, her friends disappear from her life. She wonders why, but never bothers to ask them about it. She just lets her friendships die. Regardless, weird things start happening, and one day, she receives an apartment key in the mail. When she questions it, she discovers that someone is impersonating her. Her name is unique, and before the assault, Brienne ran her own business, so her name is out there. Yet, no one questions having two people in the town of Quinnesec Bluff, Iowa with the exact same name. Both Briennes share the same habits, look similar, drink the exact same unique drink (Sazerac), and wear the same type of clothing. Both own the same high-end purse, sport the same bracelet, and drive the exact same car. It's creepy how the ambiance of this book digs deep within the reader, and won't let go. And it is creepy that it seems relatively easy to impersonate someone.

This book grabs the reader and will not let go. The reader wants to understand what is happening to Brienne, and why. Most of the story is very believable, with the exceptions of the things mentioned in the previous paragraph. The pacing is even and the tension builds steadily. The entire book is eerie in that there are so many things that are copied relatively easily, to allow this imposter to take over certain aspects of Brienne's life. The reason why this all happens is revealed gradually, which leads the reader to have empathy for the woman impersonating Brienne. It also leads Brienne to take control of her life again, instead of watching it happen from behind her locked windows. Her growth as a character and her fight to take her life back are additional delightful aspects of this book.

There are many things about this book that are worthwhile. Be prepared, however, as the creepy factor sticks with the reader long after he or she is finished reading.

Very intriguing thriller-ish mystery. There are some twists and surprising revelations.You'll have your suspensions about certain things, and just when you think you've figured out what is happening, you are slapped in the face with the truth. There is only a bare minimum of violence (only one scene, and that is mild.) No sexual content. It definitely keeps you enthralled with the story and wanting to find out how it ends. How far will the criminal get away with before the victim succeeds (if they succeed) in stopping it. There are a lot of little things that had to happen to keep the criminal's game going and this author really thought of every little detail. It is written in a way that you don't really know who the victim is and who the 'bad guy' is until you get further into the story. This isn't really a dark read, but it does have that cloud hanging over it. This is a well plotted, well executed story. Once you get into the nitty gritty of it, it was hard to put down.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

Another great one from Minka Kent! I have been a fan of this author since her debut "The Memory Watcher".

After Brienne's attack and her return from the hospital,, she is afraid to leave her house and becomes somewhat agoraphobic. When she receives a key in the mail from Harcourt Property Group and informed that it is for the 1 bedroom apartment she rented, she is floored. Why on earth would she rent an apartment when she owns her own house? Fear starts to set in and she needs answers. Enter her tenant, Dr. Niall Emberlein. With no friends or family, she must rely on him to find out what is going on.

This book was suspenseful and intriguing and had me guessing from the very start. I have found each book by this author very enjoyable and I can't wait for the next one! If you have not yet read a book by this author, you need to try one, I highly recommend!

Thank you so much for the advanced reading copy!

Whew! What a thrilling, action packed ride filled with secrets, lies, manipulation and confusion! Every time I thought I had figured out where this story was going, TWIST, it went another way! The suspense kept me on my toes and sucked me in from page one! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Fantastic read!

Twists and turns galore! The storyline was a challenging endeavor, and I think it was put together well given the challenge. I found it hard to believe Brienne's character many times however, which put a slight damper on the story for me. Overall, I love this author and found all her books to be very enjoyable!!

I absolutely loved When I was You, by Minka Kent. I Love a good suspense and this book met it. Dr. Niall Emberlin was a real piece of work. Brienne Dougray, was his mark and she fell right into his plot. You really need to read this book. I could not put it down until I finished it.

This book would make a great movie. It kept my attention throughout. There was only one thing that stretched its credibility for me and that was Brienne's bravery and ability to confront the villain alone despite the terrible trauma she'd experienced that kept her more or less housebound. That aspect could be reworked just a bit for believability, I think, but other than that, it was a very entertaining, and unfortunately, a shockingly believable story.

Brienne is attacked and having a hard time getting back into living. As she try’s to get back to her life she thinks someone is living as her. Her tenant Niall is helping her feel safer. Things take some turns from this point...

I thought I had it figured out until part 2. Well played Ms Kent!

It started pretty mysterious, you don't know what is going on and I have to admit I did not imagine that outcome. It was a three part story, first Brianne, than Neil, than both. It was very emotional for me, I was so mad at times, because I hoped that finally Brianne see what's going on. It was a good book, pretty diabolical ideas, but good ideas for a suspense story. I don't want to give away a lot, but it was nerve wreaking for me, now I def. need to read a romance book to come down.
I received an ARC for an honest review.