The story was hard to follow, most of the time I did not know which sister I was reading about.
Twins sisters, smart but unfortunately coming from a deranged family, are trying to get by every day, running from school, hanging around with wrong people.
Thank you Netgalley for this book.

I really wanted to love this book. The premise was interesting. I find the twin relationship fascinating.

Unfortunately I found it difficult to read as the narratives were hard to follow. It would've helped to have the name of the twin narrating as a header. I lost the flow many times trying to figure out if it was Susan or Sarah narrating. Add in the different years and it became really tricky.

There are quite a few typos too. Just stating this as I know it can be rectified.

There were moments at the beginning where I was enjoying the story.

The ending was far too predictable for me. I saw it coming early and I think it was signposted too heavily.

I don't like to criticise an author's work. I hope my review will help as a critique.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this copy.

A definite thriller, however, it did not keep me engaged. I made it through this one, but it wasn't one I had trouble putting down.
The tale of twins with a tragic childhood, separated and reunited with all their unresolved anger, issues, and angst weaves through flashbacks and present time with continued tragedy. The switching points of view were not easy to navigate in this one which added to the meh feeling.
Solid ending, definitely twisty and enjoyable overall, just average compared to many I've read in this genre this year.
Thankful for the ARC!

Thanks to Netgalley for the preview of this book..It was an ok read. It had lot of promise but it failed halfway through to keep my attention when it became too predictable.

A decent enough read. Passed a boring Sunday afternoon. A bit predictable but if you want a book that lets you relax and not have to overthink this is good for you.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I. A huge fan of domestic suspense that involves twins or really close sisters. This book has that. The storyline was great, but there were two things that kind of bothered me. One being that I got sort of confused on which sister I was reading about each chapter, and then the second being the ending seemed far fetched. Other than that, great read and thanks netgalley, the publisher and author for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting read, unique plot, definitely kept me guessing. A new author for me but I haven’t been disappointed.

Full review to follow on publication

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre,  however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for  opening up my mind to something totally different. Characters were so well developed that I felt as though I knew them. I love when a book draws you into the story and it feels like you are living it with them.

A gripping tale of love and betrayal where nothing is as it seems. I struggled to put this book down, having to know what happened to shape the lives of the twins, Susan and Sarah, and what would be the result of these events. This book tackles some difficult themes, such as child rape, but in a way that add to the character development and don't come across as gratuitous.
However, the layout of the book and the switching of timelines between past and present were difficult to follow at times, meaning some detail of the storyline may have been lost. This could have been because it was a proof-copy, and may be easier to follow once the book is published. I also did not particularly like the ending of the book - a complex and suspenseful plot is ended in one short chapter, making it seemed rushed and inconclusive.

I wrote my review in bullet points as they came up in the book. It helped me work out my thoughts.

I spent the whole book very confused on who was narrating and if it was in the past or the present. I would have liked that each chapter had a heading to tell me what I was reading and in some chapters it switches in the middle which had me re reading to make sure I knew what was going on.

With the first point being said it took me double the time to read the book because I kept having to make sure I wasn’t confusing anything and most of the time I was.

Another point is that the dialogue was hard to discern from the description because it flowed without spacing and the single quotation mark was hidden within that. I know it’s a personal preference but that also added to the confusion.

The ending was a little melodramatic and soap opera ish for me. Once they talked about heroin and double pregnancies I lost interest. There is something called “too much of something isn’t a good thing” I liked the psychopath angle and that should have been explored more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper CollinsUK for allowing me to read this ARC. IT took me a while to read this book. AT one point I put it down and read a different book! I felt there were so many different timelines and POVs that it was confusing. I kept getting Susan and Sarah confused (Maybe the names could start with a different letter?) and had to remember if she was the 'good' one of the 'bad' one. Even though I suspected part of the ending, it was good! I just wish the book had been easier to read.

A very clever book about the story of twins, Sarah and Susan and how events in their life unfold.

Sarah is married to Jonny – a man back when he was eighteen, had a romantic relationship with Susan. Over the years, Sarah has lost touch with her twin sister and she is quite happy about that because Susan is a reminder of many horrible events in the past that she has worked very hard to forget and move on from. But when Susan unexpectedly returns on the scene, her arrival causes havoc for Jonny, Sarah and their daughter, Lucy.

The book flips between present day, childhood and other parts of the past, as well as being told from each twin’s perspective. Although I can understand what the author was trying to achieve by doing this – it was an intrinsic part of being able to tell the story with added layers and in the way it needed to be told, but it would have benefitted by being more fluid in places. The changes between the perspectives of each sister blurred a lot of the time, making it difficult to work out who was telling the story in each chapter – some more than others. This became very confusing in parts and a lot of the time I found myself having to backtrack and look for references to other characters in order to work out whose perspective it was from. There were also quite a lot of spelling errors and missed punctuation which could do with being proofed and corrected.

Personally, I thought the storyline was very good, but I will mention that the book includes several sensitive topics, such as rape, underage sex and drugs, which may be triggers for some readers.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book – it kept me interested and I found myself frantically turning the pages. The many twists to the plot kept on coming and were cleverly done. I have to admit that with the confusion of who was who, I’m still not entirely sure how it ended (but I cannot expand on that any further without spoiling the plot, so I won’t!)

I would definitely read more from this author – a very good read.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

This book had so many twists and turns. The ending left me scratch my head a few times and I definitely had to re-read it. I think it didn't read super easy sometimes because the names were far too similar so following who was who got really complicated.

I found this book very enjoyable- I am an identical twin and certain parts are very realistic (like looking into her sisters eyes to see her own looking back - so true!).

I had guessed what the twist may be and was right, this is a well written book that is interesting and I felt the characters were believable. A good psychological thriller which is not a light chick flick it’s deeper and I would thoroughly recommend it.

Sarah and Susan are twins that haven’t spoken for years, now one of them is back to claim the life that she thinks she’s owed.

The book jumps through different time periods which I’m not normally a fan of, it can be very confusing but for the most part it worked quite well in this book. It was more the ending of the book that I found a bit hard to follow, it was hard to keep the characters straight by that point and I’m not sure it really paid off. It definitely kept me reading but it was hard to really like any of the characters which I don’t normally mind if there’s a good twist at the end but I had guessed most of it by then. It’s worth a read but it didn’t really work for me as well as it could have.

Twin girls have a mom that is not frilly or gives them the love and attention they deserve, so they have always been close until they meet Johnny and both seek his attention and love, which he gives, but only to one. But things change. Twists and turns galore. Susan feels snubbed by Sarah for having the life she wanted. Susan shows up to Sarah and Johnny's house with secrets and bad blood to share. Only one twin will have him. This story is crazy and so good! Highly recommended and a re-read for sure.

Thanks to Netgalley, JS Lark and Harper Collins UK 1 More Chapter for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 11/20/20

Sarah gets a terrible shock one evening when a knock at the door reveals her twin sister Susan who she hasn’t seen for thirty years. Sarah’s daughter Lucy insists the aunt she knew nothing about is invited in despite Sarah’s huge reluctance. What unravels is a dark and twisted tale with the premise of one twin being evil and with Sarah’s husband Jonny caught in between them. The story is told in different timelines by Sarah and Susan.

There are a number of really positive aspects to the story. The twins childhood is not a pretty tale, their mother is useless and they practically raise themselves and become almost feral. However at this point they are very much a unit, almost as one and this bond is conveyed really well. As they enter their teens their lives start to go totally off the rails and it becomes dysfunctional and dangerous which is conveyed clearly but thankfully it’s not overblown because it’s not an easy story to read. Competition between them grows and they start to split, their bond broken especially after Jonny enters their lives. Their feelings and emotions are described well and at times with intensity. There are secrets between them and these keep building and growing in magnitude with layers of lies built upon lies. Towards the end it all seems a bit predictable but then it becomes apparent that it most certainly isn’t and you’d better pay attention! Although it’s true to say it’s convoluted that’s a positive thing as you really can’t be sure who is the evil twin.

However, the biggest problem in the book lies with the character switching and timelines as it’s confusing because it isn’t clear which twin we are reading about although I do appreciate why this is done. The main characters are not very likeable and Jonny seems to be the best character in the book, but even he has his moments!

Overall though, I did enjoy the book especially the twisty ending which I definitely did not see coming.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK/ One More Chapter for the ARC.

I received an ARC of "The Twins" by J.S. Lark from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"The Twins" introduces readers to identical twins Susan and Sarah. This ends up being more of a psychological thriller than one would expect. Lark provides readers into insights from the twins lives, both in the past and in the present. I enjoyed the past more than the present by far--found it to be much more interesting.

While I did enjoy the book and I liked being kept on my toes wondering, "Why don't the twins get along? Which twin is really the evil one and which one is the good one?, I did feel it was slow-paced. I would encourage readers to continue on with the book if they are debating whether to finish because the ending is interesting and will make you think.

Loved it! 4.5 Stars.

[book:The Twins|54320117] by [author:J.S. Lark|19761446] was an absolute page turner for me! I love all novels, movies, stories about twins...but make it a thriller? OMG, I'm there. As a child, two of my closest friends were identical twins and my cousins were identical twins as well. So...this book was so very interesting to me...twins where one is good and one is bad. Which twin is good? Is it Sarah, whose perfect life with her husband and daughter is being invaded by her twin sister Susan? Or is it Susan who wishes to take over Sarah's life as her own? The story covers 3 timelines and is told in alternating perspectives of each twin. Honestly, it was a bit confusing in the very beginning until I got a handle on the personalities of each twin. The timeline switches around between when the twins are children, and then 2 timelines when they are adults. It wasn't hard to figure out the time period once I read a few sentences of each chapter, but chapter titles indicating the year and twin would certainly help prevent confusion. That said, everything else was fantastic for me. Lots of triggers for those who are sensitive--like rape, child abuse, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, and prostitution. (mostly off page, but not all)
I couldn't put this one down! I had to know how it ended! My 80 year old mother has been a reading demon during this pandemic...she will love this...and when it is published, November 20, 2020, I'm definitely buying her a copy! If you like a thriller you can't put down, this may be the one for you!
Many thanks to Netgalley One More Chapter, HarperCollins UK and of course, the author JS Lark for the opportunity to read and review this advanced readers copy. Thank you!!!