Member Reviews
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was an ok read, Nothing too special about it. I think there is an audience for this.
I read the first book in this series/duology and thought it was good but not brilliant. Unfortunately, this book is not as good as the first book.
I found it thoroughly confusing. The twist actually left me scratching my head... I thought what??? when I read it. I actually had to go back a few chapters to check I wasn't imagining it.
I just did not gel with this book at all however I enjoyed the subject matter.
This book made me cry. Not a lot of books manage that. I loved the two main characters and how you got each of their point of views. I love how mental illness is portrayed in this book. I loved the realism of this book and the raw emotion in it. I completely didn’t see this book ending how it did. It was a fantastic book, and not one I’ll forget.
Love love love the divided twin. The storyline keeps you guessing and wondering what exactly is going to happen. The only downside is that there were times I would mix the twins up because they so much alike and I would have to back track. But this book did have a really great but really sad ending! Not everyone can have a happy ending.
this was a really unique mystery read, I really enjoyed reading about the twins and that aspect. The characters were fun and I really enjoyed reading this.
A compelling story of how unrecognized mental illness, even in a family with history, can quickly overwhelm a life that seems to be productive and rewarding. Twin brothers, one previously diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, learn their mother's health is failing rapidly. Even though he assisted in his brother's treatment, the second twin does not recognize his own symptoms, introducing readers to his alter ego through the misdeeds and dangerous behavior that will grow to consume this family.
Mental health issues are more readily recognized and treated in today's health community but there are still those who live tortured lives when no diagnosis is apparent. The writing duo of THE DIVIDED TWIN have done an excellent job of incorporating their first hand knowledge of these problems into their books. Their willingness to use their own experiences in their writing gives us some really scary looks at the damage done when a person becomes "divided".
Aaron and Branson are identical twins. One of them has another twin brother ... that exists only in his mind .. his name is David.
When their mom is diagnosed with cancer, David comes out more and more, bent on as much destruction as possible.
This is such an emotional roller coaster. I would recommend keeping some tissues handy. The authors have obviously done their research on such a poignant issue. The story takes on different voices .... it tells the story of the mom, her worries and denials of her sons' illnesses. The family is dealing with mental illness, a tough topic to discuss.
Warning: Possible triggers include schizophrenia, suicide, animal abuse and mental abuse.
At times it is gut-wrenching, so much so that there were times I had to walk away from the book. This mother and son authors have placed deftly drawn characters into a mass of swirling emotions. The ending is a cliff hanger which was a bit disappointing ... but not everything has a happy ending.
Many thanks to the authors / Tangled Tree Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
There is something about twins that make a story even more enticing to me, and this one is no different. The psychological aspect kept me turning the figurative page to find out what would happen next.
Thanks to Tangled Tree Publishing for the ARC!
This is the second volume in the Divided series. It was written by two authors who experienced cases of mental illness and cancer in their lives, and who took much of their experiences to the characters.
This time, we have the points of view of the twin brothers, Branson and Aaron.
There is a jump in time. Four years have passed, and now they are in their final year of college. Aaron spent a while helping his brother and making sure he continued with the schizophrenia treatment, but eventually he felt the need to go his own way and was transferred to another college. He questions the behavior of his mother, who still doesn't treat Branson as an adult man, able to take care of his own problems. He maintains contact almost daily with his mother and brother, but he actually has no idea how bad things are at the moment.
Tara, their mother, spent the last three years fighting against cancer. She has a part-time job, but her routine is certainly very different from the first book. And now, with her kids in college, she worries even more. If something happens to her, who's gonna be there for them?
Branson no longer hallucinates with Trevor, but that doesn't mean his problems are over. He doesn't date Dakota anymore, and he's still having a hard time making friends too. But he continues to do the treatment, maintaining a routine of physical exercises and doing monthly examinations that prove that he continues to take the necessary medicines.
And you must be wondering: so, who is David?
But I am not going to answer that question. I just advise you to pay a lot of attention to him.
In my opinion, this didn't have to be a series. This book caught me by surprise at times, but I found it much more tense than the previous one ... It's very difficult for me to read stories that involve cancer. Sometimes, I force myself a little, I think that somehow it will make me stronger... But it's always complicated.
I don't want to speak ill of the book, because it was inspired by emotions that really brought a lot of pain to the authors' lives, and I respect that a lot. But it is not a reading that I would like to do again. So, I'm only judging my personal experience with it. As a book to the general public, I think it's really great, and I'm sure people will be very surprised at the end.
TW:The Divided Twin has a handfu of potential triggers :abuse, animal abuse, stages of trauma, suicide and schizophrenia
I did not read the first novel in this collection however "The divided Twin" can be read as a stand alone (if you so choose). I do regret having not read the first book, soley because it would have developed the characters further for me and I do plan on going back and reading it.
WOW. Where do I even begin? Aaron and Branson are identical twins who suffer from schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder. While book one focused more heavily on Branson, Book two allows Aaron ( or should I say David) to take center stage. "The divided twin" bounces between 3 narrators and there were times I got a little lost on which brother was speaking and who David really was. By the time I realized who David was my mind was blown.
"The divided twin" was a true roller coaster of emotions. At points I was laughing, at others I was in shock but by the end I was utterly heartbroken. WHY?!?! I didnt want that ending. </3
Overall, "The divided twin" is a well written book covering a hard topic. Even in 2020 there is still a huge stigma surrounding mental health.
I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The divided twin is the second book following twin brothers Aaron and Branson. In the first book we learn of Branson’s schizophrenia disorder and How he struggles to deal with his hallucination of his friend Trevor. This book begins with David, a new hallucination. David is probably more destructive than Trevor was, and causes more trouble throughout the book.
It is a well written book covering a hard topic. Mental illness is still so taboo in today’s world and it is very misunderstood. Although I found the first book to be more emotional, because the illness is new and the family has to adjust, the book is full of emotion. From dealing with hallucinations and symptoms, to their mothers cancer, and being a twin to someone who is struggling mentally, this book hits it on the mark. Well done.
This one was another miss for me. First, the characters back and forth were confusing. Second, I didn't care at all about any of them, what was happening, or what would happen. And three, everyone in this book was super annoying. I tried to like it. I even read all the way to the end, even though I told myself to give up several times. But I pushed through. It just wasn't for me.
The Divided Twin publishes 6.27.2020.
2/5 Stars
I had been looking forward to reading this book as I enjoyed Book #1 A Divided Mind is where we learned that one of the twins Branson had schizoaffective disorder and had another personality known as Trevor. The disease caused his family chaos as his mum ended up losing her job and Branson had a mental breakdown and ones he loved most got hurt. In Book #2 we read as the twins Aaron and Branson are at different colleges and that Branson is getting better and hasn't had any breaks since his stint in the hospital. We also read some sad news that the twin's mother has been going through Breast cancer treatments. In The Divided Twin, we read as another personality has evolved - this time his name is David. The Divided Twin shows David deciding to wreak chaos on the world. I have to admit I did not see the twists and turns coming in this book when it was revealed about the other identity of David- it blew me away. Unlike the first book though, the Divided Twin by M.Billiter and Kyle Thomas is edgier and has a lot of unshed emotions inside the pages. It can also trigger a lot of things for readers as deals with issues from Cancer, Mental Illnesses, Bullying, Abuse, Abortion, and Violence as one of the twins starts to spiral and the other twin will have things start to look up until they don't. If you are wanting an insight into the mind of a person with Mental Health and a book that will make you sit back and go Wow and take another look at things, then The Divided Twin is for you.
Wow, I don’t know quite where to start with this! I hadn’t realised this was part of a series until I was a few chapters in and did a bit more research of the book.
I really struggled getting to grips with the first few chapters, not really knowing who’s voice the chapters were in. With Branson and Aaron being identical twins there were a lot of similarities between them and the way the book was written made it harder to distinguish who was who. If it wasn’t for the chapter titles I’m not sure I would have been able to follow the book.
About half way through this book I wasn’t that engrossed, it has to be said, and I was thinking this would be a max of three stars. The book wasn’t gripping me, I still wasn’t 100% on the characters and nothing had really happened. But I persisted. And I’m so glad I did!
The last few chapters, I’d say about the last quarter of the book, just ramped everything up to 100. Things started to make a lot more sense, and the story went in a way I never expected it to! I must have made some connection to both Bran and Aaron because the last few chapters had me sat up straight and spoiler alert - I shed a few tears.
This book was nothing like what I expected and my opinions changed so much the further I got into it. Because of the struggles I had at the beginning I’m held back from the full 5 stars, but this definitely receives a high 4!
Get your copy preordered on amazon now!!!
This book’s premise sounded right up my alley, but unfortunately I’ve had to DNF it. I felt the sense that I was being lectured about mental illness more than being told a story; it just didn’t flow naturally to me. I will try again at a later date.
Thank you to Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the review copy! I’m sorry this one didn’t work out for me.
This was a very interesting and unique novel. It's about twins Aaron and Branson that are leaving for college. However, they have a third twin, David, who one exists in their minds that decides to come out and become a troublemaker in their world. Aaron and Branson already have enough difficulties in their lives and they need to decide if the three brothers will stand together or tear it apart.
I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves brilliant writing.
Thank You to NetGalley and Tangled Tree Publishing for this book!!
Identical twins Aaron and Branson Kovak are in their final year of college—Aaron’s in Ohio, while Branson remains in their home state of Wyoming. There’s also the third twin, David, who only exists in one of their minds.When their mom is diagnosed with cancer, the ties that bind the twins incite David to tear them apart at the seams.
It was an okay read !! There was a lot of switching between characters which slightly confusing. It deals with schizophrenia, which I felt could have been dealt with a little better. However the ending was good!
I couldn’t finish this book. Between the constant and confusing switching of narrators (and I usually enjoy multiple narrators but it was set up in such a strange way) to basically reading a killer’s manifesto every couple of chapters...I just couldn’t do it. Not my cup of tea.
4.5 Stars rounded to 5
The Divided Twin is the follow-up to M. Billiter's A Divided Mind (another great read). This book follows Aaron and Branson as they navigate their last year of college and their moms cancer diagnosis. Full of heartfelt emotion throughout and heartbreak at the end. You won't soon forget this one!
Thank you NetGalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own.