I absolutely devoured this book in a day. I loved it so much! I love how this book kept my wanting more and I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen at the end. I love how it was told between both characters Brienne and Niall and to see how everything was going to play out. Niall irritated me so much in this book and I just wanted everything to go the way it should have with Brienne.

The story is about a girl named Brienne who was recently attacked in an alley and left without much memory of her past and gets really bad headaches and stays inside isolating herself. All she can rely on is her newly tenant Dr. Niall Emberlin who has some secrets of his own. Brienne starts finding odd things happening and how things aren't adding up. She also finds out someone is living as her. Same name. Same hair, same everything. Who is this woman and why is she acting like her? Brienne is determined to figure out who she is even if it makes her have to leave the house and why is Niall acting so odd? Brienne finds out some very crazy stuff that will leave you speechless!!

I highly recommend this book to everyone and I cant wait to read more by Minka!

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader's copy in exchange for my opinion/review. This was an exciting book. The author did well with changing up the mystery storyline, to not have it be "same old, same old". This is my first book by Minka Kent, and I'm hoping there's more in the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was highly suspenseful and definitely creeped out a bit, leaving me looking over my shoulder. Super short chapters and dual points of view kept me flipping pages as fast as I could. This is fast-paced and entertaining! I would definitely recommend it and look forward to reading more from this author!

Brienne is a great main character. She was easy to connect with and I instantly wanted to see her happy and with no more trauma. As the story begins, it even sounds like that might be happening: she’s back at her home, has a great roommate, and seems to be on the mend from her attack. I was hoping for the possibility of a recovery story though I knew from the synopsis that something was going to turn everything on it’s head, and my gosh it did.

The plot twists in this book are perfectly timed and hidden well. Normally I have a fairly easy time predicting how the plot will progress, even in thrillers, so I loved being on the edge of my seat waiting to read what would happen next. How the deception was designed was outstanding and as much as I want to talk about it, I don’t want to ruin any of it for those that might read this.

In today's world, identity theft is a common occurrence. Brienne Dougray is brutally attacked, left with a severe head injury leading to debilitating headaches and memory loss. She also lost her purse with all her identification. She has become mostly housebound.

She has a tenant renting her upstairs .. Dr. Niall Emberlin. They get along well and Brienne thinks of him more as a friend than renter.

(BOOK BLURB) Brienne is shaken when she stumbles across unsettling evidence that someone else is living as…her. Same name. Same car. Same hair. Same clothes. She’s even friended her family on social media. To find out why, Brienne must leave the safety of her home to hunt a familiar stranger.

What she discovers is bone shattering, but no one seems to believe her.

There are really no great surprises, but a few twists and turns kept me reading. For an intelligent woman. By the middle of the story, the ending is a no brainer and mostly unbelievable.

Many thanks to the author / Thomas & Mercer / Amazon Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological drama. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

2.5 STARS

I really enjoyed this book and always have been a fan of Minka Kent. The struggle that Brienne goes through is very relatable. I would’ve loved more insight into Nialls life with Sonya, and how he decided he was going to go through with what he did. Overall great psychological thriller.

"When I Was You" is the perfect example of a fast-paced novel. Even with a slow start, the story catches up fast. The flawless execution of a not-so-unique plot is worth giving this book a chance.

The surprises didn't really catch me off-guard, most (if not all) of the times I knew what was coming next. In the first half, the antagonist is portrayed as a too-good-to-be-true human. That was enough to give the plot away. Maybe the author should consider this point for her next mystery thriller.

The happy ending was expected, and much needed for the gullible protagonist.

The only quote worth mentioning:

"All the horrible things she said and did, it was because she was hurting, and hurt people hurt people."

Thanks to the author and the publisher for a copy.

Verdict: Pick it if you want to get out of your reading slump.

When I Was You begins several months after the main character, Brienne, was attacked by an unknown assailant. She continues to have problems with terrible migraines, memory loss, and night terrors. She has taken in a renter, Niall, an oncology physician. She receives a key in the mail for an apartment that is rented to her, but she never rented the apartment. So begins a whirlwind of suspense and twists and turns that just keep coming. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, I got another case of whiplash from the latest twist. What started out slowly picked up the speed of a freight train ending in a book I couldn't put down.


My thanks to Thomas and Mercer for an ARC of When I Was You in exchange for an honest review.

A brutal attack leaves Brienne Dougray with lapses in her memory. When she gets a letter in the mail regarding an apartment she didn't rent, she suspects her identity was stolen during her attack. She sets out to find this person but discovers something much more sinister is happening. What actually happened to her, who can she trust?

Well written though I don't think the synopsis did the book justice. Not to spoil anything but the book is much more than a case of Identity Theft. It's a journey into a web of lies and deceit.

Brienne Dougray barely survives a brutal attack and rarely leaves her home. her newly acquired tenant is Dr Niall Emberlin and he watches over her. The story is told from alternating points of Brienne and Niall and it keeps you interested from the go. When I thought I had it figured out it surprised me. Enjoyed this! Thank you Netalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

An engaging, well written psychological thriller. Even though I figured everything out early on (was this intentional?), I couldn’t stop reading and was rewarded as this turned out to be a rather twisty and interesting story of deception. It has many pieces that were woven together quite well. This is the first book I’ve read written by Minka Kent and now I am looking forward to reading her previous novels.

Y’all... this book was EXCELLENT!!! Honestly I love Minka Kent’s novels and this one did not disappoint. It seriously keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Go read it!

Fast-paced thriller. I enjoyed the first Brienne part where it seemed most of the mysterious unknowns were being laid out and I was into the concept. However, when it turned to alternating narrators that's where any practicality was lost in what I had read at the beginning. Some of the developments were so out of left field that I thought the typical "this would never happen...why wouldn't they just do this...". I am fine with that every now and then but it seemed the second half of the book had way too much especially with one of the narrators.

This is my first Minka Kent and I have heard good things on her past works. I will definitely check out some of her backlist - this one started as promising but it didn't end up being the type of novel I usually enjoy.

2.5 stars

Thank you to Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This was an excellent thriller that really made me think. Impressive character development along with a fascinating storyline make this book a success.

This was an easy read and a good psychological thriller. The book is broken up into three parts. The first part was pretty slow, but there are some twists and turns that happen and the second two parts pick up very nicely. I thought I had the story line figured out within the first part, but I was pleased to find out that it was different than what I was thinking. I like that it was written in first person for the two main characters. You really sympathize Brienne and seek vengeance for the wrongs that have been done against her. While the book was a bit predictable in parts and started out slow, it turned out to be a great read.

Thank you NetGalley and The Publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this book was rather good, great concept and great execution. The characters were well developed and likable, with Brienne being the main character. Shane was highly unlikable therefore the author did a nice job with that. Sam fell a little flat for me but as she wasn't introduced until later, she didn't have a ton of time to develop her so it was fine. Strangely, books like this can have loose ends a lot of times, with things not always wrapping up solidly but this one did a great job of that and I was left content. Thanks for a fantastic read!

Minka Kent has written a couple of my favorite books and this lands at the top of that pile. A taunt psychological thriller surrounds a fragile survivor of a brutal attack, afraid to leave her home and doubting everybody and everything in her suddenly spiraling life. You immediately sympathize with her and want revenge yourself. A feeling of dread pervades the novel and resulted in an unexpected stunning ending.

As if suffering from the after effects of a brutal attack and being dropped by everyone she thought was her friend wasn't enough, Brienne Dougray finds herself the possible victim of a stolen identity. At least her new tenant, Niall Emberlin is there for her even if no one else is. However, all is not as it seems and who is using Brienne's identity may be the least of her problems. This is book is an intense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Although in some ways it is predictable, it will still surprise you in many ways. It is a very fun read.

This book was a quick read and was really good!! You developed a quick caring for the main character. And the ending kept me guessing, I had a few different thoughts and ideas that ended up being wrong as I tried to predict how the book would end!

I'm starting to realize I really don't like first person narratives that much. They always sound a bit corny to me. This added to the fact that Brienne - the main character - was a major snob, really put me off.

I enjoyed the craziness of the villain’s plan, from a psychological thriller nerd point of view; I even liked him more than I liked Brienne - that's how annoying I found her. I wish the author had explored this part more. The premise was actually pretty cool. Unfortunately, that still wasn't enough for me to really like this book. There were too many holes in the plot that needed explaining. We can't just ignore the obvious just so we can create a crazy story and not explain how it works.

It's a "meh" for me.

Thanks, NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for my review!