Once again, Minka Kent gives you a story that’s twisty and turny and keeps you guessing to try to figure it out. We’ve got Brienne, who’s recovering from being attacked and having a hard time adjusting to life again. She has a tenant, Niall, who helps her feel safe in her big house. But things start getting weird when she discovers someone else is living as her..identity, look, pretty much everything. Which starts her down a road that leads to so many twists and lies, you can’t stop reading to find out what happens next!

* Review contains spoilers*
I was hooked from the first page, wondering who hurt Brienne. And then I was beginning to wonder who this imposter was, so already less than a quarter of the way through I’m hooked. Then the whole thing with Brienne/Kate was a plot twist in and of itself and then Minka Kent serves you another plot twist when Brienne is actually Brienne, Niall is Shane and the imposter is Sam and I mean if you wanted me to finish a novel in a couple of hours, this is how you do it. This novel continuously kept me guessing and confused and it’s kind of like we were Brienne because like her, we didn’t know what was going on but unlike her. We were also invited into Shane’s perspective so we were also one step ahead of her.
Would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who loves a little bit of a mystery.

Sometimes you can tell right from the beginning that a book just isn’t for you. This was one of those books.

When I Was You stars Brienne Dougray, a thirty-year-old single woman living with PTSD after she was violently attacked. I’ve read plenty of other mysteries and thrillers that feature a female protagonist who is struggling to hold her life together after a traumatic event: Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier, Trace of Evil by Alice Blanchard, Dark Places and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, all books I thoroughly enjoyed. I hoped When I Was You would join that list. It did not.

Brienne is a shell of a character. She has no personality outside of her fear and anxiety and infatuation with her tenant, Dr. Niall Emberlin. She’s passive, two-dimensional, and her motivations are flimsy at best and incomprehensible at worst. When she discovers someone has stolen her identity, she calls one private investigator, and when he doesn’t believe her story, she immediately gives up and decides to take the case on herself, despite having none of the requisite skills to do so.

When I Was You had a slow beginning, the first third dedicated to Brienne’s dull everyday life. Then we get to the first twist, which was so cliché it almost made me stop reading, but because it came so early on, I thought, “Surely there must be another twist,” which there was. It was less cliché than the first, but infinitely less believable, and that was the point at which I put the book down.

Ultimately, the final nail in the coffin for this book was that Minka Kent never succeeded in making me care about her characters or her plot. I didn’t read to the end because I didn’t need to know how it ended. This one was a pretty big disappointment, but at least I didn’t waste too much time on it. Unfortunately that’s the best praise I can give it.

A good story. A psychological thriller that keeps you intrigued and wondering until the very end. Well developed characters, intriguing story, entertaining.

This is Brienne’s story and what a thrilling and mysterious journey this is. This is a well written tale which is filled with twists and mystery which all leads to a great psychological thriller. I recommend for all readers.

I love when you read a book and it is so good you can't help but finish it in one night.. This book kept me reading into the night. The writing just flowed off the book and the story is not what I thought it was going to be at all. This is the story of Brienne and Niall and what starts as a simple story of Brienne being attacked and Niall living with her as her roommate to keep her house from being quiet as she deals with the attack turns so much more sinister! I was shocked half way thru the book and there is so many twists. I am a big fan of Minka Kent there isn't a book she has wrote that I haven't loved. I definitely recommend reading this book and anything this author has written . If you love twists and turns and a book with so much intrigue then read today!!!

Intense suspense!
My mind is a mess. About halfway through until the end my palms were sweating and I didn't realize that my muscles were clenched tight. I've never had a book physically effect me like that. I just couldn't stop turning pages!
Poor Brienne doesn't know if she's going crazy or if someone is trying to make her crazy. It's a crazy ride to get it all straight! You think you know but you have no idea.
Great great great read!!

What do you say about a book, about a story that absolutely kept you twisted in knots the entire time? You don't say anything. You yell from the rooftops about what an AMAZING story you just read. Holy smokes! It kept twisting, I kept guessing, it would turn and my jaw would drop. I was on the edge of my seat the entire read and couldn't get through it fast enough. I was completely pulled in by Brienne from the start. This is a perfect psychological thriller that will have questioning everything you think you know. Brilliant!

When I was You
By Minka Kent
Main Characters: Brienne and Niall
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from the author.
4 out of 5 stars
I try to read all things contemporary romance/suspense. This fits the bill of contemporary suspense. Very little romance in this book but it does make you think about how and who can be stealing her identity. It is about 280 pages on my Kindle. I would categorize this as a psychological thriller. I can't get into too much in the book or it would be a spoiler. Suffice to say, this was one of the better Amazon first reads books.

This book seemed hard for me to get into, it seemed to drag on a bit. It's just not my kind of book. I hope someone else will enjoy it more. Don't take my word for it though. Let me know what you think of the book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided to me via NetGalley.

This is an interesting read. You really get pulled into the story wanting to see what will happen and what is really going on. I started reading this book and I wasn't able to put it down until I finished it. The story and characters are all interesting and it is definitely an entertaining read.

I voluntarily reviewed a ARC

When I Was You
Minka Kent, author

I moved through this thrilling novel at a rapid pace. I have never been disappointed by this author. Her books are always so enjoyable and edge of the seat for me. One chapter led to another, as I had to find out what happened next. It presented with great character development and I enjoyed the fast paced story-line. It seemed to flow effortlessly.

Brienne Dougray has definitely not had the life of roses, although, some would think so. Born to a mother with an addictive personality, who turned to drugs and alcohol to fulfill her life; Brienne was often times left alone as a child. As a result, her well off grandparents took custody of her and raised her. Now grown and in the prime of her life, Brienne is attacked outside her office and left for dead. Once healed, from her life threatening injuries, she fears living alone in her grandparents Queen Victorian. She decides to take in a tenant. In lies the next life nuance she entails. Read this captivating story-line and I promise you'll enjoy it immensely. You'll be taken on an emotional ride along with Brienne! Will she drown in all the tears or will she rise from the waters with a new zest for life and living?

I was gifted an advanced reader copy by the author through Netgalley. I choose to leave this review.

In the end, it’ll all be okay. And if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.

When it comes to psychological thrillers, I’ve found that Minka Kent has well-written, evenly-paced work, and this story follows suit. The author does a great job of showing how someone with trauma behaves. I loved the uncertainty and fragility of Brienne, and the strength she shows when she owns her life. The best part is not knowing the reliability of the narrator, questioning everyone & everything. Be prepared for lots of mysterious twists, and the inability to put this book down.

I received a copy of this book. This is my honest opinion, voluntarily provided.

This was such an excellent book. Your mind will try to figure out along each step what's going to happen next and it will not be boring! I thought for a moment that the one who attacked Brienne may have been part of the story (like a first attempt) but I'm glad it wasn't an obvious suspect. I appreciate the ride I took as a reader and was very satisfied with the way the story wrapped up. Too many times thrillers can either be predictable or have terrible endings. This book did not disappoint.

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.