This book has alot of sensitive issues that could upset readers. The book jumped from 1985 to present day and I found that process didnt work well. Lots of twists , was very fast paced, . I found the main characters hard to connect to.

This one was so so for me. I love thrillers, but I really did not like the writing style of this one and will not be recommending it. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Fast paced, with many twists and turns , this is a story that will keep your attention. Dark at times, this thriller that will have you questioning yourself. Which is the evil twin????
Many thanks to Harper Collins UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed the fast-paced and creepy writing of this novel, which jumps between the past and the present lives of twins Susan and Sarah.

I have always been fascinated by twins and this psychological thriller makes you question your own siblings and what one will do to get what they want. This was my first book by this author but it will not be my last. Higly recommended for thriller fans.

The Twins is a twisty, dark read about identical twins Sarah and Susan. Throughout their childhood much is made about which girl is the evil twin as many believe one twin is always evil (interesting plot point). Their youth spent living with their mom is difficult at times to read about as they are subject to physical abuse and live in near poverty while their mother goes off to the local pub nightly. The twins are almost seen as one person until they meet local teenage boy Jonny-both girls end up liking him. That sets off a series of events in the 1980s that culminate with Sarah answering a ringing doorbell in 2018 and opening the door to find her twin Susan on the other side; someone she hasn't seen in decades. The alternating timelines from the 1980s indicate that Jonny and Susan were together then but the mystery of how Sarah ends up marrying Jonny unravels as the story unfolds and leads to incredible, dark twists. At times, in the same chapter, one twin will start narrating to only lead to the other twin finishing-a little disjointed but a good literary technique given the twists. A solid 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Oh my goodness. This is the first book I have read by Lark and it won’t be the last. What a read!

This is highly recommended if you love a good psychological thriller, with a few twists and Intriguing characters.

It’s one of those books that when you read the first page- you won’t get much else done until you’ve read the last page!

Before reading this book please look into potential trigger warnings - <spoiler>Drug Abuse, Rape, Abortion, Physical Abuse</spoiler>.

This story looks at the life of two twins: Sarah and Susan. The book is written in the form of flashback jumping back to when the twins were young to present day. I found this transition to be quite messy as it was only indicated by a date such as 2018 or 2019 and caused an overlap. If months had been listed or perhaps the girls ages included this would have been an easier transition. I also found the transition between the twins POV quite difficult to understand as it would start with I and meant I had to get a little bit into the chapter to work out if we were following Sarah or Susan.

Although I found it difficult to follow which twin was who from the layout (Which could have been fixed by some headings) I enjoyed the way that the twins were written and their thought processes as they got older. As children and teenagers, you could tell the difference in ages in the way they thought.

Unfortunately, I found some parts predictable and I found adult Johnny to be quite bland in the way that he did not support his own wife in arguments and that he did not really act bothered about her at some points. I also found Lucy to be a bit frustrating in the way that she would place blame but then the final ending.

Would I recommend this book? It is not at the top of my recommendations but if there is someone that enjoys thrillers contemplating purchasing this, I would suggest they give it a read.

Thank you to #NetGallery for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions expressed are my own

Full of suspense and thrilling from the start, this book caught my attention immediately.
The characters were interesting and they grew as individuals as the story progressed.
The plot was full on mystery and moments you don't expect at all, and it well and truly captivated me right to the end.
A book I would highly recommend to everyone!

Great book! Couldn’t wait to read it, and it didn’t disappoint! Grabbed my attention within the first two chapters, and then I didn’t want to put it down. Excellent character development - I think that every reader will find a character to whom they relate. I enjoy books where there is character development, and then also a surprise, and this book provided both! Looking forward to reading more from this author!

This is one of the most dizzying, compelling, nail-biting, thrilling novels I’ve encountered since discovering Gone Girl when it was first released. The narrative switches from present to past, from Susan to Sarah, and back again. Told in first person perspective, I often took a few lines to realise which of the identical twins was narrating but that added to the plot rather than taking something away from it.

Sarah seems to have it all, with her loving husband, beautiful daughter and successful business. Then along comes her evil twin, Susan, thirsty for revenge for events which happened decades ago and which Sarah can barely remember. But nobody else can see what a threat Susan is and soon, Sarah is seen as the bad twin, refusing to allow her sister to make amends and try and rekindle their relationship when they were so close as children and young teenagers.

Some of the scenes involving the twins’ younger years were harrowing, involving truancy, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, underage sex, rape and abortion. They are being left to run wild by their mother who seems barely capable of caring for herself, let alone her children whom she exposes to various ‘uncles’ who come to live with them over the years.

The way the past is intertwined with the present and often from a different perspective from the twin whose narration the reader has just been following was a clever trick in my view and led to the suspense being almost unbearable. There’s a shock about a third of the way in which I was stunned at and then spent the rest of the book trying to figure out what led to certain events. The final third of the book felt like I was on a rollercoaster as I tried to prepare myself for twists and turns, only to find a loop the loop coming out of nowhere to completely disorient me again.

And the ending… it’s so difficult not to say anything but I thought I was ever so clever having figured it all out, only to realise that I’d walked right down a blind alley decorated in red herrings! I absolutely loved this thrilling novel and wholeheartedly recommend it for fans of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins. It has to be a 5 star rating from me!

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
An interesting and rapidly paced story. The writing is razor sharp and the writer does well on building suspense.
The characters are a bit frustrating at times as there is a lot of blaming and shamogn in this story which feels a bit petty. There are also plenty of needless descriptions.
On the whole a good book.

4.5 stars

Twins Sarah and Susan were born to a fifteen year old unwed mother, one who has provided for them, albeit, pitifully, by living with a series of “uncles.” The girls grew up street savvy, learning to steal, refusing to attend school, and generally doing whatever they wanted. By the time they were thirteen, they were smoking, drinking, playing around with drugs, and about to learn about sex. Through it all, they were like two halves of one person, even likening themselves to feral wolf cubs.

For the first time in their lives, there is conflict between them, as Sarah finds herself falling in love with Jonny, Susan’s boyfriend. Sarah learns that Jonny believes them to be sixteen years old, not just turned thirteen. When Sarah tells Jonny the truth, he is horrified, and breaks off the relationship, and leaves to pursue a career. Eventually Sarah and Susan reconcile, and move to London to see what life holds for them. Unfortunately, life is not kind. They become helplessly involved in prostitution and drug addiction, seemingly with no way out. When Sarah encounters Jonny again, he’s determined to rescue them from the life they’re trapped in. His loving care helps Sarah first, then they attempt to rescue Susan, but are not successful.

Three decades later, Jonny and Sarah have a grown daughter, a successful business, and a lovely home. Then, out of the blue, Susan shows up at their door. Sarah has no desire to reconnect with her sister, and has tried to forget their horrible life in London. Her daughter, Lucy, who was never made aware of Susan’s existence, is more than eager to become acquainted. Jonny, also, urges Sarah to give Susan a chance.

But Susan’s motives are deeper and darker. Jonny was hers first, and he should be her husband. Lucy should be her daughter. And their home and business should be hers. Susan inveigles her way into every facet of their lives, much to Sarah’s dismay. Soon, long kept secrets will be revealed, and Susan’s deadly plot comes to fruition.

THE TWINS is a genuine page turner, with dark twists and turns. Just when I was sure I knew where the story was headed, another curve was thrown my way. Stories of twins and their relationships with each other have always fascinated me. Is there really one good and one evil twin? As it’s a trigger for many, I do want to mention that there is a rape of a young girl in this book. Though THE TWINS is disturbing, I couldn’t put it down until I read the final shocking chapter.

This has many twists and turns and didn't see the ending coming. The family dynamics and what they had gone through was immense and the ability to turn it round when identical is everything you think of when you know identical twins. Great book and page turner.

If you love psychological thrillers and books about siblings and the bonds they share then you need to read The Twins. It's a dark, twisted and gripping read that draws you in from the first page and compels you to turn the pages and has you on the edge of your seat.

This one caught my attention right away as I am drawn to twin stories pretty much no matter what. Identical twins, Susan and Sarah (who I kept wanting to be named Sharon like the original Parent Trap!), were inseparable the first thirteen years of their lives. But a boy, Jimmy, drives them apart. The book opens with the sudden re-unification of the sisters, now both adults. Both perspectives are given as well as dual timelines, moving back and forth through their lives. The true sordid tale of this messy love triangle emerges. The book itself is sometimes frustrating to read with the shifts in narration, as it is not always readily apparent which sister is which. And though the plot does take a few familiar turns (especially the main twist) it still keeps the reader's attention from start to finish. And there are a few surprises, too. I do wish that Lark had made Jimmy a bit more likable, as it was hard to really see what the fuss about him really was! It's a drama-filled tale and one that I think would be fun to discuss with other readers. I didn't especially love this one, but I certainly didn't hate it, either. It's an entertaining read overall!

I had a difficult time staying interested in this book. The twins names, Susan and Sarah, were so similar, and were told from both perspectives I had to keep going back to see who was talking. The story had an interesting premise but it felt like it took a long time to get to the meat of the story, which left me bored.

This wasn’t what I expected but the twists and turns were excellent and fun and I had a good time, I usually don’t read books like this but it was enjoyable and I liked the writing and characters and plot and twists!

This one was not great. I did not like the writing, and I found the dialogue between characters very poorly written. Plus, a lot of the descriptions and dialogue from secondary characters was very repetitive.

All over the place, flitting from one twin to the other and between different time periods in such a confusing way I just couldn't finish it.