"Sometimes, what we forget is more important than what we remember"

Deborah and her daughter Sibley have been estranged for 16 long years. Deborah is a mother who has developed extreme mental issues because of the tragedy after tragedy she had to suffer. Sibley is the daughter whose family and career is on the verge of destruction due to her alcoholism. When Sibley decides to head home to her mother instead of to a rehab, she does so in hopes of finding the truth about that unfortunate event that seperated her from her mother years ago. But when Sibley reaches her 'home', she no longer connects with it, nor does she like being in her mother's presence. And thus, the daughter who came back to find answers to her questions find herself faced with more and more questions. What really is the truth? Will she be able to seperate the truth from the intricate web of lies?

This book starts out slow, but its pace increases once you get engrossed in the story. It is narrative from two POV's - Deborah's (in third person) and Sibley's (in first person). I am a fan of different POV's and I absolutely love how the author has eloquently written the perspectives. The chapters make you confused as to who is lying with its unreliable narration (which is brilliant!)

If I am to classify the twists into three, I could only figure out one of them. The other two were unforseen, and it made the story even more interesting! And I loved how all the actions, which seemed pretty 'why is this happening now' to me, made sense by the end of the book!

Overall, I extremely enjoyed reading this one, and I especially loved the ending. I highly recommend this to all who loves a good psychological thriller!

Thanks to the author, Marin Montgomery and Netgalley for provding me with an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I had some trouble getting into this book in the beginning--I wasn’t interested in the first few chapters from Deborah’s point of view, but once the narration switched to Sibley’s POV the story began to gain traction.

It immediately becomes evident that both narrators are unreliable. Sibley is an alcoholic, frequently experiencing blackouts and misremembering prior nights. Deborah is a source of much rumor and speculation in town, and seems to have some kind of memory issues as well. Scenes are often repeated from each character’s POV with the facts greatly differing. I was excited to get to the end to figure out who was telling the truth.

At times the writing was a little bit confusing, with all of the secrets and lies and misremembering. It was difficult to figure out who to believe, which was obviously the intent, but the confusion made it somewhat harder to connect with the storyline and the characters. The plot was compelling, though, and it all became clear in the end.

The Imposter.

Deborah and Sibley are mother and daughter who have been estranged from each other for many years. Living on completely different sides of the country and living lives neither knows anything about. One day after having an accident, Sibley decides in order to get her life turned around she needs to put things right with her mother. She returns home only to find things aren’t quite as they seem. Deborah is heavily medicated and seeing a psychiatrist. She is seeing and hearing things that aren’t quite there. Sibley isn’t sure what’s happening, but she’s determined to find out what’s going on and try to reconnect with the woman who raised her.

This was a psychological thriller that kept me guessing and wanting to know what was coming around the next bend. It’s a great reminder that the truth is always better than a lie, no matter the pain it may cause and always listen to those you love, even if it seems unbelievable.

I will definitey recommend this book to my friends!
Read this book! You will not be disappointed!

5/5 stars!

I am <i>shaking</i>. Really, trembling.

<b>The Imposter</b> hit me from left field, but in the best way possible.

I am speechless. It took me the better part of an hour to write this review, simply because I couldn't think of how to do it justice. The last book I read in 2020 may possibly be the best one.

Who is <b>The Imposter</b> for? Anyone who loves a good psychological thriller. Montgomery writes a truly spell-bounding story that leaves you feeling simultaneously confused, as well as with a sense of being ahead of the story, slowly piecing it together. Truthfully, I never was right about what was happening...which is probably why the grand reveal was so satisfying for me.

So let's get into the nitty-gritty. <b>The Imposter</b> is told in two perspectives, the first being Deborah, told in the third person. The second in the voice of Sibley, told in the first person. It sounds weird to have two sides of the story told in different points of view...and I can definitely see how an author could go dangerously wrong incorporating both into the same work, but Montgomery does it seamlessly. It truly works for the story.

Essentially, <b>The Imposter</b>, is Sibley's story, where her professional life, as a successful divorce attorney, and her personal life collide, leaving her trying to reconcile with her estranged mother and her past. As more secrets from the past are revealed, the danger and confusion ramp up for both mother and daughter, leading to the inevitable climax and wrap-up.

Can I say, I've never experienced two narrators who were both so equally lost and confused? You never knew who was telling the reality or living their imaginations. While that may seem like a negative aspect, I mean who likes unreliable narrators? I actually really got into it and it really added a certain charm to the story.

A twisted tale, starting as a slow burn while you get acquainted with the story and the characters, that leads into the wildest ride. I truly did not expect the ending and how it all played out. An excellent way to finish of 2020, no doubt about it!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada upon publishing.</i>

I didnt what to expect when I picked this one up! Its a fast paced psychological thriller which keeps us guessing right till the end. I had my doubts about a few things which turned out to be right but the final reveal was definitely not something that I could guess.
Though I couldn't relate to or end up liking the mother-daughter duo, I was definitely absorbed into the tale of their family.
I would definitely recommend this one for a quick, engaging thriller which keeps us on our toes!

Wow what a twisting, suspenseful tale! This story had me gripped from the beginning and kept me entranced throughout. At some point I wasn't sure I could continue, as it began to really spook me but i persevered and I'm glad I did!

This is a psychological thriller that describes the lives of an estranged mother and daughter. They each have many demons hidden away. The tale slowly unravels their mysteries and secrets as they confront each other and the ghosts of their shared past. It is a very haunting (sometimes a bit too literally!) story and it twists into an Intricate web of lies, addiction, deceit and suspense. At times I did get a little lost as there was so much detail and a lot of backstory attached to each character. This is the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars.

However a little confusion aside, this was one amazingly clever book and had me gripped to the end. I thought I had predicted the end with my distrust of one character but I was wrong and the author took It another way. It was a satisfying end to a clever tale!

I will look forward to reading this authors books in future.

Thank you to the author for the ARC. This is my first book by Marin. Wow! I went blindly into reading this so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Holy guacamole.
I felt like I was in a fog/trance and I was feeling what Deborah was feeling. I was totally immersed and finished most of the story in one sitting. It just pulled me in!
I will definitely will be checking out more from this author!

Had a tough time getting into this one but I want to read it still so I'm gonna put it down and try again in a few weeks! Will update then!

The Imposter - Marin Montgomery

☞ An eerie and mysterious story about troubled relationships, buried secrets, and wounds that never healed.

The Imposter was an interesting read. I was never quite sure what direction it was going to take. I believe it’s classified as a thriller but I would describe it as psychological fiction. The end is suspenseful and full of twists, but the bulk of the story is about a dysfunctional mother-daughter duo that both have a lot of issues.

Deborah is a woman with a difficult past. Her husband died 16 years ago in a freak accident and there are rumours that she may have had a hand in his death. Sibly left home after her father’s death and never looked back. She struggles with alcoholism and her life is imploding. She heads back home to face her mother and tackle her past.

The story is told through the varying perspectives of Deborah and Sibly. They both are struggling with their mental health for different reasons, which distorts their realities and leaves the reader unsure if their perspectives can be trusted. I found myself flipping back and forth between which one of these women was deranged and which was the victim.

The Imposter is a slow-burn thriller. Marin Montgomery takes her time painting the landscape and getting the reader ready for her explosive ending. There is a lot of mystery and confusion, the reader is never really sure what is imagined and what is real. Neither woman trusts the other and both have closets full of skeletons. It took me a little while to get into this one but about halfway through it really started to get interesting and the end blew me away!

A bit slow at first, but when it picks up there are several twists and turns I didn't see coming really enjoyed reading this book..

I am still reeling from all of the twists and turns of this book 🤯 Sibley, a successful divorce attorney, returns home to her estranged mom to seek answers from her childhood but uncovers more than she bargained for. Told from alternating POVs, this story will keep you guessing until the end and wondering what is real and what's not. I'm a sucker for thrillers and was so excited to revieve an e-ARC! Although not as face paced as I thought it would be, you should definitely add this to your TBR if you like slow burn psychological thrillers!

What a whrilwind of a book! Just when you think you have things figured out there's a twist you never saw coming. I'm almost wanting another novel as I want to follow Sib and her mothers tale further. I'm rooting for Sib and want her to succeed in making things right. Great first impression of this author and I can't wait to read more.

Thank you NetGalley and Marin Mongomery for the arc

This book starts off a bit slowly, but turns into a wild ride by the time it's over. It centers on mother and daughter Deborah and Sibley, who have been estranged for 16 years, since Sibley's father died. Sibley's marriage and job are both on the brink of failure, and she decides she needs to go back home and reconnect with her mother, as well as learn more about what really happened the night her father died.

The book starts out describing what is going on in both Sibley and Deborah's life separately, and then brings them together. This is the part that was a bit of a slow burn, but provided necessary background information that helps pull the story together later. Once they are together, you get unreliable narration from both sides to the extreme- each chapter I read made me question which one of them was lying and/or mentally instable. Though the book alternated between their POVs, Sibley's chapters were in the first person while Deborah's were in the 3rd person, which I found a little jarring.

I had some ideas about who was not all they seemed to be, and though some of those were proven correct, I could not figure out the motivation for some of the things that they were doing, and was surprised when it all came to light. There were multiple red herrings thrown in there that led me a different direction, then pulled me back again. There were a lot of characters in this book, but I didn't find it hard to keep them all straight and to understand the relationships between everyone.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and think the ending was very clever and twisty. I'd recommend this book to those who like psychological thrillers, and urge you to keep reading if you think it starts slow. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book turned out to be unexpected for me. The beginning started out with a good pace and some thrills and chills and then slowed a little over a few chapters just getting through explaining the background of the characters so the story can be understood, but once the slow part passed the book picked up at a fast pace again and was a great thrill ride! This book had me making many guesses to whodunit and I was actually stumped until the near end. Deborah was a great character that had so many personal twists and inner battles that she was so complex but written well. Sibley was my favorite, she evolved from the beginning to the end of the book and really seen some growth and change. This is a great heart racing mother daughter duo, and being told by both them alternating views made the story seen from different POV. The secrets and tragedies definitely came to an exciting unraveling. Thank you to the author, as well as Netgalley for the copy to review based on my own opinions and thoughts. I hope others purchase those from Amazon when it releases in 2021. This would be a great book to screen pick!!

There was a lot of plots packed into one book - characters were rough and not likable, but the ending was satisfying and enjoyable.

While this was a solid read, it was not a favorite for me. I like the alternating POV, but Sibley totally running away from her life was a bit of a stretch for me especially since she was not a model character to start. The twists were unpredictable, which was a plus, but it took me far too long to drudge through it all and I was a little disappointed at the end. Thankful for the ARC.

Fast paced and thrilling, The Imposter is everything you can ask for in a book! Sibley’s life is, for lack of a better phrase, a sh**tshow, slowly spiraling down the drain. When she makes her way back home to visit her mother for the first time in years, nothing is as it should be. Her mother is acting weird and experiencing memory loss, and the events surrounding her father’s untimely death keep being dredged up. The ending is truly insane! The only thing that kept The Imposter from being a 5 star read for me is that I felt that some plot points were just being skipped to, like “Well, Point A has happened so now we have to be at Point B.” I would have preferred it to be a little longer to ease into what was going on. Overall, I still recommend The Imposter!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an EARC of this book.
Even with characters I found really hard to like, the slow burn psychological thriller had a pretty interesting plot with suitably creepy parts. Slow and disconnected but still interesting.

Getting into the book was a bit slow as the story lines seemed a bit all over the place and moved very fast. Once I got to the heart of the story of Sibley and Deborah and their shaky past, I couldn’t stop reading! I needed to know how all of the different story lines and characters came together and the ending really delivered. Besides some of the slow/unnecessary plot points, Marin delivers with this one!

From the outside, Sibley seems like she has it all. She's an amazing divorce attorney and has a great husband. But... she drinks. A lot.
Having grown up with an alcoholic father and being estranged from her mother, she has her fare share of demons.
Pretty soon her personal and professional life starts falling apart. Forced out of her job and told to go into rehab, she chooses her own path. She travels back to her home town to visit her mother.
Before long, she realises something isn't right, secrets start to be revealed and not everyone is who they seem.

I found this one pretty slow, I won't lie. It took forever for me to really get into the book and I was constantly waiting for something to happen. By the time it started picking up, we were almost at the end of the book and it all started to feel a little rushed.
However, I did still find it fairly enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and Marin for the chance to read this ahead of release.