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.

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!

After barely surviving a brutal attack, Brienne Dougray rarely leaves her house. Suffering from debilitating headaches and memory loss, she can rely only on her compassionate new tenant, Dr. Niall Emberlin, a welcome distraction from the discomfiting bubble that has become her existence.

But as we get into this book we find it really isnt the story that it seems. This is the first time I have read this author and will definitely put her other books on my TBR list. This book comes in 3 parts and it is not until the second part that we see that Niall is not at all what you thought. His name, his occupation and his relationship to Brienne is on a whole other level. When Brienne ends up in a psychiatric hospital we start to see the devious side of Niall and wonder if things will ever be right again for Brienne.

The fact that I started this book one day and finished it the next means that it was hard for me to put it down and I just had to see how things turned out. Glad I did because I was not disappointed. #Netgalley #KindleUnlimited #fivestars

I’ve seen such great opinions about this book; however this book was not for me. This book fell short for me. The first half (around 40%) was repetitive and boring, I did enjoy the second half for the most part. I almost did not finish it, but kept reading on. The second half of the book was much better.

When I Was You by Minka Kent is a thriller which I found an easy read and highly recommend if you are scared of the gory stuff but still like to be surprised in the realms of suspense. It is a bit predictable though the bits which are unpredictable are pretty good. I read this one soon after finishing Luanne Rice's Last Day which was hardly as much a thriller as a story about secrets, sisters and sisterhood.

So getting back to When I Was You. Well the book is told via two perspectives Niall and Brienne. Brienne is a victim of a mugging and now lives scared and traumatised. She suffers from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)- a mental health condition which is triggered by a traumatic event. Its symptoms include severe anxiety, flashbacks and nightmares among other things.

She lives in a huge house that once belonged to her grandparents but since her attack, rents out a portion to Niall who is an oncologist and a very caring, considerate man. But of course, things are hardly ever what they seem.

Brienne discovers that there is someone else who is pretending to be her and going about the town when a key to an apartment that she has supposedly rented lands at her home address. Thus begins her search for the identity thief. Is Brienee ever able to catch this woman, why does she never touch Brienne's money -the most plausible reason behind the theft, why Niall claims that in fact Brienne is a stalker and herself an identity thief and who is this woman that she is supposed to be originally but has no memories of being her ever at all.

Minka Kent writes engagingly though there are times when you wish the plot would move swiftly
especially at the very beginning. The other characters in the book do not have much to contribute in taking the plot forward but are interesting nonetheless especially the ones who belong to Niall and Brienne's past. All in all a likeable read that keeps you entertained.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers at Thomas & Mercer for the e-book.