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.

Thrillers have Ben hit or miss for me lately. Not sure if it's just too many of this type of book or they're not grabbing my attention. Maybe it's me, but I couldn't get into this book. At all.

I'm really sorry to rate an ARC so low, but I said I would be honest, so here we are.

Many thanks to the author & publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I loved this book! I figured out the plot pretty quickly, but the rich characters and compelling story pulled me right in! Great twists and turns and a satisfying ending. A great read by Minka Kent!

I particularly loved the whole setup of the book, with Brienne super nervous to do anything, and questioning everything. Throughout the first half of the book, there's a strong sense of menace and a hint of pure bat shit crazy. I couldn't put it down!

It always surprises me how some reviewers hate on books because they find them 'too' predictable or 'too' twisty, but not surprising enough

This latest thriller from author Minka Kent is about a wealthy, woman, Brienne Dougray, who after suffering a brutal attack months earlier, rarely leaves her home or communicates with anyone. After her friends dropped off the radar and out of her life, the only people that she communicates with are her roommate, Dr. Niall Emberlin and her elderly neighbor, Edna. Sadly, she spends her days sitting on the porch watching neighbors walk by, struggling over whether to feed a stray cat that keeps visiting, and cooking dinner in hopes that Niall will come home and want to eat with her. I understand the author’s need to paint a picture of what Brienne’s life has become since the attack, but this part is quite boring. But hang in there, it picks up.

One day, Brienne receives a key and paperwork for a new apartment that is being leased, and it is addressed to her. After calling the number on the paperwork and learning that someone with the same name as her has rented the apartment, she wonders if it could be connected to her attack months earlier, where the attacker was never identified. Brienne’s previously boring days now center around finding this person and trying to understand why they have the same name, look alike, dress alike, and even drive the same car.

About 1/3 or so into the novel, the reader starts getting Niall’s POV, along with Brienne’s. Everything was really weird and creepy until we get Niall’s voice, then it just becomes a big, old crazy mess – but in a good way. At first, I was finding this novel predictable, and although I was sort of correct on the overall premise, the author kept surprising me with numerous twists and turns.

However, and this is important, prepare to suspend some belief and prepare for some frustration! My biggest issue with this entire novel was Brienne not going to the police. This woman was randomly attacked in an alleyway and left for dead. Her attacker was never found. She spends a huge amount of time making sure doors and windows are locked. But… When she starts figuring out all of the craziness that is going on, she never goes to the police. Why??? Another huge frustration, which I won’t go into very much because of spoilers, concerns one of the secondary characters, Sam (Samantha). This woman supposedly has nooooo idea what’s going on throughout the entire novel, but that doesn’t make sense regarding the first time Brienne goes to see her “other self” at her office/workplace. Why didn’t they get to meet that day? And something else that drove me mad – the reasons Brienne’s friends hate her… How exactly did all of that go down?

Anyway, When I Was You focuses on a variety of issues, some that could be triggers, such as assault, dissociative disorder, anxiety, and identity theft. Yes, there are parts that are just too unbelievable, but this was still a page-turner for me. I started it while cooking dinner yesterday evening and didn’t go to sleep until I was finished. Minka Kent has created a very unique and entertaining plot in When I Was You. Even better, she is amazing at character development and being able to evoke a variety of emotions in the reader because of her characters’ actions. I always feel like an author needs high praise when they create characters that I absolutely despise, which she did with Niall. This is a good read that’s somewhat creepy, somewhat stressful, but very addictive.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

This is a psychological thriller. This is not a romance. It is about a con job. The title made me think the story was going center on the “when I was you” character. It did not. The story went in an entirely different direction. When I reached the end of the book, I realized it was not as suspenseful as I expected. However, it did hold my attention. Most of the emotional reactions were realistic. The reasons for the reactions I feel were a little unbelievable. Overall it centered mostly on the psychological and not the secondary relationships in the story. I feel the main male and female characters were the focus but I feel it may have added to the story if the secondary relationships were developed. It wasn't till the very end everything became clear. What was left hanging was the fate of the lead male character. The story alluded to it but it would have been interesting to find out how long he was actually going to be out of commission. I also wondered what the future held for the secondary female character. I feel the ending was unfinished. Like I said it did hold my attention for the most part. I would not recommend this to a diehard thrill seeker.

From reading some of the other reviews, I am in the minority when I say I was not very impressed with.this novel. The blurb sounded so interesting and I liked the cover but for me the story fell flat...Maybe it was disappointing because I read so many thrillers that this one was o quickly predictable. Brenne drove me nuts with her indecisive ways. Also there was no backstory about her at all. The first part of the book.was so redundant and drug on for far too long. The second part picked up the pace but by.then I had already figured out the ending. Just not my cup of tea.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest review.

3.5 stars

After Brienne was viciously attacked, her world has shrunk down to her house, and the polite man renting one of her bedrooms. She lost contact with all friends and acquaintances, so when she finds out there's another woman out there with her hairstyle, using her name, Brienne doesn't have anyone to turn to, except her lodger.

Oh ... And it just gets crazier from there! This is an entertaining thriller about gaslighting, and while I enjoyed it, I had a hard time believing that Brienne was so trusting and easily manipulated. The ending seemed a bit rushed too.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

When I Was You is the third or fourth book I've read by Minka Kent. She has a gift for suspense, but this isn't my favorite of her novels. The main character, Brienne, is a damaged, isolated woman who is shocked to learn that another woman is leading her life -- wardrobe, hairstyle, perfume, car model and all. And yet her credit has not been commandeered. What gives?

It's almost too much to contemplate for someone as physically and mentally fragile as Brienne, but her curiosity seems to pull her out of her depression and agoraphobia. Six months earlier, she'd been the victim of a mugging that left her with a traumatic brain injury and upended her breezy, successful life.

I almost bailed during Part I of the book. It was whiny and touchy-feely and repeated Brienne's obsessive thoughts and musing about her crush on her tenant Niall ad nauseum. Niall is a doctor who, early in her recovery, began renting a room in the Queen Anne Victorian Brienne inherited from her grandparents.

An important clue to where the book is going happens about 1/3 of the way in, when Brienne discovers that her copycat is reading the same book she had kept on her desk during her "old life."

Niall suggests to Brienne that she is suffering from dissociative personality disorder. It felt to me as if the "split personality" diagnosis applied to the book as well. The transition from weak, needy Brienne to the bold and confident woman who sorts things out -- it was simply too sudden.

Perhaps that's because Part I (sad Brienne) and Part 3 (gutsy Brienne) take up 7/8 of the book. The remaining sliver is Part II, or transitional Brienne.

Another confusion: At the very beginning of the book, there's a philandering neighbor named Brian. Soon after, we meet a coworker of Niall's, also named Brian. This latter Brian (certainly he's not the same Brian?) also, confusingly plays two roles in Niall's narrative.

So -- what this nitpicky ready is trying to tell you: Don't sweat the small stuff, and this book will give you a thrill or two.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance readers copy.

When I Was You by Minka Kent
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Thomas & Mercer for the ebook ARC of When I Was You by Minka Kent in exchange for an honest review.

After barely surviving a brutal attack, Brienne Dougray rarely leaves her house. She suffers from debilitating headaches and memory loss.Now she can only rely on her compassionate new tenant, Dr. Niall Emberlin.

But Brienne’s growing confidence in her new routine 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. Brienne must leave the safety of her home to hunt a familiar stranger to find out why.

What she discovers is more disturbing than she could have ever imagined. Brienne is prepared to do anything to reclaim her life. If it’s even hers to reclaim.

I give this book a rating of 5 stars and I highly recommend it. It was a well written suspenseful thriller. Very fast paced. Ive read other books by Minka Kent and she doesn’t disappoint. Looking forward to reading other books.

#WhenIWasYou #NetGalley

This book was fun for the first half or so, but it started to drag for me. It wasn’t that the story wasn’t compelling, there was just something about the cat and mouse chase that didn’t work. Still enjoyable and I’d check out this author again.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the craziest stories of identity theft that I have ever read. Suspend all that is logical and you will have a good time reading this one. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

honestly i really can't tell how minka kent does it all the time: whenever i read one of her books i am instantly drawn into the story!
this one is about a woman who desperately tries to figure out who she is and who she used to be after having been attacked. although she seems lost somehow she manages to stay true to herself. i know this sounds weired but just dig into this story and see for yourself!

thank you very much #netgalley and #Thomas & Mercer for an arc in exchange for an honest review

This was one suspenseful and intense novel! It kept me on the edge of my seat. I could not stop reading once I started! I especially liked the alternating perspectives—it added a very interesting insight into the characters!

Are you looking for an edgy suspenseful thriller? When I Was You is EXACTLY what you are looking for! Minka Kent's books are always a good read, but this one really takes the cake in how freaking good it was. It has the reader feeling as if they have what is happening all figured out to have something happen that completely changes EVERYTHING. What a freaking amazing bomb it was too!

I can't say much because spoilers aren't cool and anything I say will give something away. Just know if you like thrillers and suspenseful reads, then I HIGHLY recommend you checking out When I Was You, it is that freaking good! 5 outta 5 stars from me!

PS: I want to thank Minka Kent for allowing me an advanced copy of the book to read and review honestly!

This is my first book by the author, it won’t be my last.

After Brienne is brutally attacked she advertises for a roommate to help her feel safe. Her new roommate is a quiet doctor Niall, who keeps to himself.

This is written in different sections between Niall and Brienne. What are his intentions exactly? Pick it up and you’ll find out. This was a page turner.

This book was a fast paced thriller that I simply could not put down! I love a good unreliable narrator and this did not disappoint. I highly recommend this and will be looking for other books by this author.

I really love Minka Kent, and it seems she can’t write a bad book.

This was a fun, twisty read, telling the story of Brienne, who, a year before, was attacked, and now lives in the home her grandparents left her when they passed. She has a roommate, Niall, who is a doctor.

Brienne has the tiniest crush on Niall, and she feels safe having him in the house with her.

Unfortunately for Brienne, and as we all know, things aren’t always what they seem, and Niall is more complicated than Brienne thinks.

As usual, I can’t wait to read more of Minka’s work, she never disappoints!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC of this book!