Sometimes, I go into a book without any expectations, and after a string of particularly heavy books, I was eager to start a title with a psychological bent that would keep me on my toes.

When Sibley is forced on sabbatical from her law firm, she decides to return to her childhood home in order to face her demons. Upon arrival, however, she finds her mother Deborah in waning health. She's seeing things. She's hearing things. And running beneath their familial tensions is a deeper, darker secret that no longer wishes to remain buried.

I liked this book.

First, I'm a huge fan of unreliable narrators, and in Deborah and Sibley, we get two. You never know which one you can trust most, if either, and because of that, this is a read that will keep you turning pages. Their voices are distinct and in terms of painting a troubled relationship between mother and daughter, Montgomery succeeded. Indeed, the most interesting parts of this story were the moments when Sibley and Deborah butted heads or confronted each other.

I had some issues that kept me from falling in love. The characterizations (and sometimes descriptions) felt inconsistent and a little scattered at times. While I found the mind-bending questions of who was telling the truth fascinating, I didn't care for the fact that some of the more bizarre or "out there" moments were left unexplained--which is surprising considering I also found that the action of this story is almost entirely in reiterations of the past. We get different accounts of what happened back in the day, but we're never really in that moment, partially to propel the mystery and suspense, but also because the narrative switches from first to third, and I think if we'd had a flashback, the structure wouldn't have worked for the big twist in the end. So I understand the choices, but I wished the conflict was more present tense than relayed through conversations.

Overall, The Imposter is an interesting read that explores complex mother/daughter relationships and touches on several relevant social issues. I'd recommend to fans of quiet psychological suspense, as I think readers will relate to the story at its core.

Big thanks to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review considerations.

This is the first book that I've read of Marin Montgomery but I'm not definitely a fan. This book had me so engrossed and kept me guessing. There were definitely a few surprises for me. I would absolutely recommend this book to all thriller lovers. I'm so glad that I got the pleasure of previewing this book.

"The Imposter" Review

When I was first sent this book, “The Imposter” by Marin Montgomery....I was not sure what to expect. Was it going to be about the internal battles the characters experience throughout the book? Or was it going to be about an actual “imposter” who terrorises the lives of the main characters? So, I settled into my comfortable “reading” chair and entered the lives of a mother and daughter...both facing internal demons from their past.

For me, it was a little slow at the beginning, but once I got to the daughter, Sibley’s POV, the story seemed to pick up. And I kept reading until the very end. It is definitely a book filled with twists and intrigue which is my must-have in a good thriller. The big question that I kept asking myself throughout this twisted tale was... which one is telling the truth?

Thank you again, Marin Montgomery for sending me this book to review!

Rating: 3.5/5

I loved this book. An whirlwind psychological thriller that popsugar readers will love. I highly recommend. It has realistic characterization and an interesting plot.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was an okay book. Solid writing but in my opinion it didn’t hit the mark for a thriller. When someone says thriller this isn’t what comes to mind. If I hadn’t been expecting a thriller I feel I would have enjoyed this better. I see other reviews mention the twists and turns but I found those very predictable and they did not keep me interested.

The one thing that really irked me though was the way that mental illness was described in this book. As someone that suffers from mental illness, this book handled it in a very stereotypical way which annoys me.

Sibley’s personal and professional life are spiraling out of control. In an effort to try to fix the root cause of her problems she decides to return home to reunite with her estranged mother in order to find closure on past events. Unbeknownst to Sibley, her mother has suffered her own recent trauma and is dealing with the aftermath.

I often felt confused as to what exactly what happening because both narrators are unreliable; Did she really just see that? Did that really just happen? Who is telling the truth? I struggled to connect with either character because of this.

Having said that, I ended up enjoying the way it all came together at the end. There are a lot of twists and turns throughout, keeping you guessing all the way through.

Thank you Marin Montgomery for a copy of The Imposter in exchange for my honest review.

Release date: March 9 2021

The Imposter is a thriller mystery which explores multiple topics like alcoholism, farm life and domestic abuse to name a few. But the main plot revolves around Sibley's relationship with her mother Deborah.

Montgomery had the perfect setting in the Midwest and a suspicious death in the past added spice to the plot. I especially loved the twist at the end. Though I guessed a part of it, but there were a few surprise bombs that I did not see coming.

The characters, though, weren't really up to the mark. Both Sibley and Deborah seemed like unreliable narrators. Hence, there were certain scenarios which I'm still not sure how they actually transpired.

But, you know how sometimes there are books with not-so-relatable characters, but you still like them. The Imposter definitely falls into that category for me.

I was gifted an Advanced Readers Copy of The Imposter from the author, Marin Montgomery through NetGalley and I am so appreciative for the opportunity to review this chilling psychological thriller.

Trigger Warning – this book deals with alcohol addiction

The author wastes no time in setting the spooky stage which is something I liked. We are introduced to Deborah who still lives on her old family farm that has been passed down through generations. This setting really adds to the overall perilous tone of the story. Deborah lives alone and she reveals that unexplainable, terrifying things have been happening to her. Coupled with the fact that she is sure she is being watched, it’s enough to send a shiver down anyone’s spine.

Next, we’re introduced to Sibley who is going through her own sort of crisis. Her marriage is falling apart, she’s been forced to take a sabbatical from work after she’s accused of sleeping with a client and of being an unstable alcoholic. She’s given an ultimatum to either go to rehab or she stands to lose everything. She, perhaps unwisely, decides to reconnect with her estranged mother thinking that a reunion may help to heal her inner demons.

Upon her return home, things fall further apart for both Sibley and Deborah. The two women have a complicated history and their relationship is tumultuous. It makes you wonder whether or not their estrangement did more harm than good. They’re both keeping secrets and lying to the other which, as a reader, really adds to the drama and suspense.

The author writes in a chaotic way which works for this genre. From the first chapter there are large pieces of the puzzle that are missing because neither Deborah or Sibley are reliable narrators. Sibley deeply struggles with an alcohol addiction while Deborah faces her own mental health challenges therefore they only indulge the reader in their perception of what’s happening, which isn’t always reality.

The title is significant because the further you read, the more you start to wonder who the imposter is. The author leads readers to believe it’s one of many characters, including Deborah and Sibley. It’s unnerving to read a book and not be able to trust any of the main characters.

I rated this book a 4/5. I really enjoyed it.

The Imposter by Marin Montgomery, published by Thomas & Mercer, is a full length, stand-alone mystery.
This new to me author managed to keep me in suspense from start till the end. I read the book , cover to cover, in one sitting, simply unputdownable.
Deborah is living on her farm. She's a lonely woman, grew up in a preacher household, has lived a fullfilled life. A life with twists and turns, secrets and mistakes.
It's a mystery with psychological twists, a slow burn, a complex story, excellent written.
A great read, I loved connecting with the characters. 5 beautifully twisted stars

This was an action packed, twisty ride! While this could have easily been just another book with an unreliable narrator who has a drinking problem, it was unlike other thrillers I’ve read. I definitely couldn’t figure out the ending, even after thinking I had it nailed down as I got close to the end. I also love stories with multiple perspectives, so this was a definite win for me! I’ll absolutely be reading more of Marin Montgomery’s novels in the future.

I loved this book! I loved the suspense, twist, turns for day! I really got invested in the characters and all the back stories between Sibley and her mom Deborah. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley or sharing this novel with me to review. I haven’t previously read any of her books but i will in the future, I was hooked from the beginning to the end. There were so many twists and turns it was impossible to figure out. Sibley is an brilliant divorce lawyer who is also a alcoholic and gets suspended from her job to go into rehab. Instead she returns to her childhood home and finds her estranged mother suffering from what appears to be mental health problems. Together they try to explain events from the past that have been buried for a long time within the small community where they live. This is a fast paced thriller full of secrets and lies that will keep you guessing to the end. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys a good mystery story.

Marin Montgomery's The Imposter is a mind-bending, spine-tingling psychological thriller. Utilising not one but two unreliable narrators (Sibley with her alcoholism and Deborah with ?psychosis/substance abuse/dementia), reality is blurred, facts are malleable and the truth maddeningly elusive. A tale of secrets, deception, tragedy and family bonds, this is a fabulous read with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing right to the end.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reading copy.

A big thank you to Marin Montgomery and NetGalley for an eARC of The Imposter!

If you’re looking for a super creeeeepy read with a bunch of “say whaaaaaaat???” twists and turns, this book is for you! The Imposter follows mother, Deborah, and daughter, Sibley, and their estranged relationship that is full of lies, deceit, and secrets. The story flips back and forth between the two women, both being unreliable narrators, so you’re left wondering what parts of the story are real and what’s not.

The Imposter kept my interest the entire time and I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, engaging and appropriately descriptive. My only very teeny-tiny gripe is that some parts were a little confusing and I had to go back to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Once you get to the ending all of the pieces start to fall in place. And I should probably stop reading at one am when my brain isn’t functioning at full capacity, I couldn’t put it down!

Content Warning: domestic violence and alcohol abuse

WOW! Where to even start?
I went into this blind - I hadn't read the blurb before I started. Mother and daughter Deborah and Sibley were long estranged, but unexpectedly reunited. Sibley shows up to try to move on from unresolved family drama going back years. Both women were unreliable narrators that made this read full of twists - but it got a bit confusing occasionally! There were a couple times that I had to re-read a chapter because I couldn't keep things straight. While I didn't really care for Sibley or Deborah, this book did have me hooked, I started this on a Friday night and finished it Saturday afternoon because I couldn't put it down for long. I was dying to know what really happened and why they were both so upset with each other. I kept thinking I had it figured out, and came slightly close. But the final twist - I definitely did NOT see it coming. Thank you so much to Marin Montgomery and NetGalley for my first ever ARC! 3.5, rounding to 4.

Whew! What a remarkable read to drag me out of my post-election reading slump. I was up at two in the morning, bleary-eyed, trying to finish this one.

The Imposter is told in the alternating points of view of Deborah and Sibley and is a slow burn of suspense, secrets and lies and mysterious goings on that kept me guessing right until I turned the final page.

In the end, this is a book about coming to terms with life’s painful struggles with the powerful reminder that deep-rooted and enduring opinions can’t always be trusted. Indeed, perception often blurs the lines between truth and fiction in life.

The Imposter is at once darkly depressing and reassuringly hopeful. How? You’ll have to read it yourself to find out. I highly recommend this book with a four star rating.

My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Marin Montgomery and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story is told in alternating POV’s between estranged mother Deborah and her “functional alcoholic” daughter Sibley. Sibley Sawyer is a successful attorney, married and lives far from the Midwestern hometown she never looked back on since that tragic night. But when her personal and professional lives take a wild turn, Sibley hesitantly chooses to visit her estranged mother and bury past tensions.

As Sibley reenters the life she left behind, she starts to realize that the town she grew up in is full of lies and deceit and not everyone is who they say they are.

The first few chapters really pull you into the story, it doesn’t take long for you to feel creeped out and wanting to read more. I liked the pace of the book, it was one of those ones where you wanted to read “one more chapter” to see how things would unfold. Both Deborah and Sibley’s characters were so unstable in their own ways. Adding to the suspense, Deborah starts showing signs of a psychological disorder and Sibley deals with her own demons, so throughout the story it's hard to tell who their true identities were. I felt sad for both Deborah and Sibley and the web of lies they were caught up in, I wish that there was more growth/healing with their relationship towards the end. In addition, I would have liked to see more of Holden and Sibley’s relationship and maybe how “it used to be.”

I love that this wasn't a predictable thriller; Marin really leaves you hanging until the last few chapters. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fast-paced thrillers revolved around families, broken relationships and alternate POV’s.

Content warning: alcoholism, violence

Holy smokes, this was one very twisty story! The author had it more layered than a fancy dessert trifle in a bourgeois French restaurant! I’m a sucker for the twisty thriller, the more mind-bending, the better. This book definitely satisfied that for me and left me wanting more from this author! Sibley is the perfect anti-heroine, very flawed and tragic, heavily nuanced. I was still confused up until almost the final page! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion. It was an awesome one, I definitely recommend this book!

I am grateful to @marinmont18, that I got to read the advanced readers copy of this book. It’s been a wonderful experience. The beginning is a bit slow, as we get to know Sibley, an attorney with drinking and marital problems. She finds herself in some tough luck situation, which makes her take some unexpected steps ... At first it’s hard to like her, but the author shows us all the aspects of her character, as well as some glimpse of her past, and we begin to understand her. Her mother, Deborah, is also a woman with some interesting and difficult past, which seems to be driving her crazy (is it??). I won’t say more, but the longer we read, the more we get to know and understand both of them and their relationship. The past is coming after each of them and it’s creepy. There are thrilling and scary moments in this book that made me feel shiver down my spine and made me wonder, who the imposter is!? Is it one of the main characters, is it someone from the past, is it something supernatural, is it all just in their heads??
I most certainly won’t tell you, you’ll have to read it yourself! ;)
What I loved about this book is that the author takes time to tell the story from different points of view, so that you don’t know who to trust and if you try to guess who the imposter is, you’ll probably be wrong. That’s what makes it worth reading - it’s unpredictable and suspenseful, with many twists, until the end. I definitely recommend it :))

This book had just the right amout of twists and turns for a perfect mystery novel. I really enjoyed the back and forth between the two perspectives because it added to the mystery. It was a bit confusing at times but once you get to the end, it all comes together and makes sense. I loved the writing style and it wasn't overly detailed at all. Everything was to the point without any added fluff which made it a lot easier to read. You do not really get any back story for the secondary characters but I did not feel that was necessary for this one. It wouldn't have added to the plot at all and it made sense to leave all that out.

I really enjoyed the short chapters as well because it made it a quicker read for me. I did not think there were many slow parts either which also helped! The story kept me interested the whole time and made me really want to get to the ending as quick as possible! I don't think it was very predictable but I had a hunch about one part which is normal for me. I think she did a great job at giving little hints without making it super obvious what the end result would be.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend to any mystery lover!