When I Was You is the first book I have read by Amber Garza and it did not disappoint! Fast paced and leaves you wondering who you should trust with every turn of the page. Highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Netgallery for the free digital copy in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own. Reviews currently on Goodreads and Bookbub. Amazon review to be post on publication day.

Really fantastic book!!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! Total mind bender and kept me on my toes! I'll be looking for more of Amber Garza's books in the future!!!

This book is being compared to the show You, and I can certainly see why. The writing pace, prose, and people all feel very Joe-ish, with their obsessive I'm watching you vibe. It was atmospheric, fast paced, and full of twists. The characters are all deliciously unlikeable, although I'm not sure that was entirely the point with some of them, I really enjoyed this read and will be looking for more from this author.

This was an odd one for me, because, while I didn't enjoy any aspect of this overly repetitive and psychologically simple story, I did find it utterly impossible to put down.

I have been having a lot of trouble when it comes to thrillers lately. I had a string of ones that were super popular that I really disliked so I moved away from the genre for a bit. I keep really wanting to love them though so I requested this one and as soon as I got approved I downloaded it. I read it in a few hours and really loved it! I rarely read thrillers so I don't have a huge backlog of them to compare this to but yeah this was a winner for me.

As I was reading it gave me major Gone Girl and YOU vibes which I appreciated. I loved that I didn't really like any of the characters because through the book I wasn't sure who I wanted to root for which really helped with that whole edge of your seat thing! While the writing wasn't the best I've ever come across I found myself not caring that much because the story kept me so invested. I literally couldn't stop reading it until I had finished it. It was a truly wild ride for me.

It is a quick and engaging read that captured my mind. If you loved Gone Girl and/or YOU I would recommend this one. It may not be for die hard thriller fans as the plot didn't feel all that original and even I was able to spot some of the twists but for those that like to dabble now and again I would really recommend it!

TW/CW: (spoilers) body shaming thoughts, memories of the death of an infant, a dead college age child, violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, alcohol abuse, mention of drugs and overdose, mention of possible suicide.

All in all I am giving this book 4 stars just because I had such a great experience reading it. I don't read that many thrillers and the last few that I have read have been huge disappointments but this one I really flew through and it made me want to read more thrillers by Amber Garza. I am excited to see what else she has.

From beginning to the end, this book is intriguing. The first sentence grabbed my attention. It is difficult, at times, to determine what is real and what is not.And what is not. I didn’t want to stop reading. I wanted to know how the story ended. As I read, I tried to determine what was going to happen. The ending did not surprise me, but it was too sudden. It left questions. I would like to have had those questions answered. They being said, this is a must read for the psychosocial mystery reader.

When I Was You by Amber Garza starts out with a phone call. Kelly Medina receives a phone call intended for Kelly Medina, just not the right one. Kelly is stuck at home, an empty nester with a husband who is away most weeks. She becomes intrigued by the other Kelly, and seeks her out. Kelly meets the other Kelly, who is young with a new baby. Kelly goes out of her way to help and be a friend, worrying her husband and friends that she is too fragile for that. But the name isn't such a coincidence...

I found this book incredibly hard to keep straight who was narrating and who was not. Since the two main characters have the same name, it took a bit of context to figure out whose POV the reader was in. The main plot twist also happens so quickly, that is it confusing to figure out what is happening immediately after. Perhaps it was the format on my Kindle, but it was also hard to differentiate what was a quote and what was a text message. I don't think the characters were intended to be particularly likable, and they certainly weren't. The reader sees Kelly as an unreliable narrator, and starts the book not trusting her and second guessing her. The plot was well thought out and unique, so this may be a great book for print or final edition.
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review.

Y’all, doesn’t this title just scream “read me”?! I mean oh my goodness I could not wait to jump right in it and read this because dang was it amazing!! The suspense and thrill was really keeping me going and y’all will love it too.

Amber Garza lays out a wonderful plot line and amazing characterizations in this superb suspense thriller!

Hooked from the start, I enjoyed "the Kelly's" interactions. This read is immensely fascinating from start to finish!

Many Thanks to Harlequin - MIRA and NetGalley for a roller coaster of a ride!! I suggest this book to readers of all genres.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Standing Ovation!!

That was a 5 star read! I was drawn in from the cover design, the title and the very first line of the book.
I chose to jump into this one without reading any reviews or summaries and it was SO worth it! My heart was pounding, my nails were bitten and my sleep was deprived! GO READ THIS NOW!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

ALL THE STARS!

When I Was You by Amber Garza. A chilling, creepy, insanely, crazy thriller of a story. Great ending. Very highly recommended.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Had me shaking in my shoes, literally. Plus a shocking ending I really didn't se coming. Don't want to do spoilers, so let me just recommend this book to anyone who likes vets a fabulous mystery.

Fatal attraction comes to mind when I go to describe this book. Imagine finding out another person in your town has your exact same name with a small kid. You “stalk” this woman and kid until ... This grabbed me from the very first page and kept me glued to the very last page. Holy Cow what a psychological thriller this was!! Did not see the MANY twists coming throughout the book - what in the world??? I had guessed all wrong what was going to happen! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. Can’t wait to read more from this author. She sure has an imagination!!!!

This one for sure keeps you wondering what is going on.
Not totally Unputdownable for me but was a very solid read. Great coming together and twists. Pick this one up if you like thrillers that keep you guessing.


Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an early release of this book.

This was an amazing psychological thriller. I read this book in a day and a half - I could not put it down. Such a great story and written differently than anything I have recently read. I look forward to reading more books by Amber Garza. Thank you for the advanced copy. I look forward to recommending this book.

Holy cow! I started this book yesterday and could not put it down! So well written, original, and absolutely realistic! It had me in chills, it gave me thrills, and flat exhausted today since I stayed up way too late to finish! The characters were so well fleshed out, I couldn’t help but understand the obsession you see build! Tense, chilling, shocking, and unputdownable is what Amber Garza created in this amazingly chilling story! Like something you can easily see happening in a day and age where computers complete most of our tasks or remind us, and one small glitch can create the absolute nightmare that pursues! I highly, highly recommend this amazing read! Don’t delay preorder today and clear the schedule for release, as I promise you’ll be glued to the pages until you finish!
Will make sure I buzz it up all around the platforms! I can’t wait for more by Garza, if this is a debut I can’t wait to see her veteran work, regardless if it is or isn’t, it’s not to be missed!!!

A solid psychological thriller with a twist I didn’t see coming. It wasn’t unputdownable, but I kept coming back to it. It would make a solid book club choice!

Kelly has been feeling lonely since her son started college. When her son’s doctor’s office call to confirm a check up for Kelly’s newborn, Kelly learns that there is another woman in town who shares her name. It’s not long before Kelly becomes obsessed with finding the woman who shares her name, the woman who still has a baby at home to care for and Kelly begins looking for her everywhere. When she finally meets the other Kelly, she tells herself the meeting is a coincidence and that it’s perfectly natural for the two of them to become friends. Until one of them goes missing…. How far will a mother go to protect a child? This is the second thriller I have read recently that doesn’t involve a male character as the “bad guy” and I love it. Women can be bad too!