Sibley left her rural Midwestern hometown after a tragedy. Years later she returns to reconnect with her estranged mother, but both mother and daughter have their own issues and uncover family secrets along the way.

The story alternates from Sibley and her mother Deborah's perspectives, and both characters are so unreliable. I had a hard time trying to distinguish what was real and actually happening versus made up in their own heads. It got to be frustrating and felt a bit repetitive and I was tired of and confused by their unreliability.

By the latter half of the book the twists and revelations kept me engaged because you wanted to figure out what the heck was happening and tried piecing together the possibilities. There were a lot of moments of suspense and mystery and I was intrigued and surprised as it all unfolded in the end. I think it could have been a little shorter in some spots to keep it moving but would still recommend it for those who like slow burn psychological thrillers.

Very intriguing storyline, was really drawn in by the descriptive writing and held in the suspense! Lots of questions are raised from early on and then added to as the book progresses. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t decide which character was behind everything that was happening.

I did have sneaky suspicions on what was happening with a couple of the characters just not quite adding up to me, but the last 15% of the book was intense!! It was quite a complicated conclusion which made it really difficult to guess, and I really enjoyed this book.

This book was good but not great. I was invested in finding out "what happened?!" but the writing style was a challenge and I did not feel very invested in either main character - in fact, I disliked them both (which, if that was the goal of the author - great job! I did not like either of them!)

The story is set (mostly) in a small town in the Midwest. I will say - the setting is one of the highlights of the book. The farm - the old house + the barn + the land - is like a completely separate character of the story. There are two main characters, a mother and daughter, and they are estranged. We are dropped into Deborah's story immediately, which I think leads to the disjointed feeling of the story. We know that "something" has happened - but what that is, and why we should care, is a mystery. I will say, I think there is an effort to show Deborah's madness - and we do wonder, throughout the story, if Deborah is suffering from mental illness - but that has the effect of making the story seem choppy.

When we switch over to Deborah's daughter, Sibley, I became much more invested. Maybe it is because Sibley is an attorney - so am I - but I was able to get a better sense of who she was, what she was doing, and her motivations behind it. Still, as Sibley continues to make bad decision after bad decision - I stopped rooting for her be successful and started becoming frustrated with her decisions.

This book was definitely creepy - I'd call it a psychological thriller plus family drama. If you like slow burn stories and unlikable characters (and some folks do! always having a "good guy" can be annoying sometimes, too) - then you should definitely check this out.

I really appreciate NetGalley, the publisher, and particularly the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

“The Imposter” by Marin Montgomery entangles the story of both mother and daughter, dealing with their own illnesses and pasts. Between the medication and the alcohol, readers will be baffled between truth and fiction as both women see people, hear things, and recall memories that may or may not be real. Is this all hazy imaginings or is something more sinister going on at the family farm?

This book was completely wild. I love how Montgomery blurs the line between fantasy and reality for these two characters. This is one of my favorite writing techniques because it’s hard to know what’s real or not real. Part of the way in, I had suspicions of what was actually going on, but I wasn’t sure how everything connected. Being able to keep me guessing, kept me hooked til the very end.

Montgomery does excellent work connecting all the intricate storylines to make a satisfying ending. While I wish we could have lived in the flashback moments a little longer to have more detail, I think that part of Montgomery’s style is leaving readers wanting more. Also, I can’t deny sometimes less is more and allows the imagination to amplify past situations, adding mystery and thrill.

In the end, I gave this book 4 stars. I loved the writing style and storyline. This book is definitely a thrill ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Many years have passed since Sibley left her rural Midwestern hometown following a tragic event. Sibley returns home to reunite with her estranged mother, Deborah, and bury their past tensions. Mother and daughter have a multitude of issues and shocking family secrets uncovered along the way.

The book divided into three parts, with chapters written in first-person and third-person narration, alternating between the two female protagonist characters. I will be honest and say I did not fully invest in the characters and story until part three, around the half-way mark. It took some time for me to establish a connection between the two protagonists. That said, I am glad I stuck with the plot as the second half was a page-turner! This domestic and psychological thriller had plenty of suspense, twists and turns throughout and was a little haunting in places. The psychological elements of the plot were interesting, along with the mystery surrounding the mother's behaviours.

I didn't find the plot predictable and left with the big question of whodunnit right up to the final scenes. The authors descriptive writing was vivid, enabling me to imagine the farm setting. It also gave me the heebie-jeebies at times! I recommend this for anyone who enjoys a great mystery story.

The Imposter is the first book I have read by this author. I look forward to reading some of her other thrillers.

Thank you, Marin, for very kindly sending me a copy of your novel for my honest review.

The Imposter is the latest psychological thriller from Montgomery and explores the doomed reunion of a long-estranged mother and daughter. Arizona-based divorce lawyer Sibley Bradford is a deeply troubled alcoholic with this leading to increasingly wild and unpredictable alcohol-induced behaviour. Her career is not only on hold due to this but also due to accusations that she had slept with client Nico Marcona in the middle of handling his divorce. The firm she works for is at the end of their tether so her boss decides to order her into rehab but instead of arriving and checking in Sibley drives 1,300 miles to attempt to reconcile with her estranged mother, Deborah Sawyer, on the freezing Midwestern farm on which Sibley spent her childhood and formative years. But as the two haven't spoken in sixteen years, Sibley is unaware that her mother is struggling with deep-seated issues, too. Once at the farm, Deborah addresses her by a different name and then ambushes her several times with violent attacks she never saw coming. For some strange reason, this inspires Sibley to investigate her mother's past and finally discover the truth about the issues that tore apart their relationship — the death of Deborah's husband, Jonathan, who apparently died from a tragic fall from the barn loft many, many years ago and her mother's rumoured affair with veteran Edward Pearson, whose severe PTSD drove him to commit suicide.

But the more she looks into the past the bigger the chasm, between the two women, becomes. Sibley has reason to believe that Jonathan may not be her biological father after eavesdropping on conversations she wasn't supposed to hear. It isn't long before Deborah becomes incredibly suspicious of her own daughter and begins believing that whoever this woman is she isn't Sibley. Will the two ever reconcile? This is an original and enthralling psychological thriller crossed with a domestic-based drama about the complicated relationships we all have and how secrets can often be hidden from us for decades by the ones we thought were most honest and open with us. The strained relationship between Deborah and Sibley has some twists in the tale that I was not expecting and a few that I did predict. There is a slow-burn unravelling of lies, deceit, duplicity and the skeletons in the closet come tumbling out. I really enjoyed the unusual structure of the story, too; the first half was dedicated to Deborah and her trials and tribulations and the latter to Sibley’s. Alternating between past and present, first and third person and Deborah and Sibley's perspectives, this was a complex, multilayered and dark tale. Those who enjoy unreliable narrators will likely love The Imposter as you get a double whammy, two for the price of one as neither mother nor daughter seems to be in touch with reality. It is a suspenseful read with a creeping sense of tension and foreboding throughout.

This book unfortunately wasn't for me. It was a but slow. I found myself not wanting to pick it up. But I do think some will enjoy it.

This is a slow burn and it is a interesting story line. It just wasn't for me. But I'll definitely keep an eye out for this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC to review


I really tried to read this, but it was not a successful fight.
I read 30 percent of the book and I confess that I was a little disappointed.

The plot is very confusing and I feel I was not quite able to understand the story. I was very bored, throughout the pages I read.
In addition, I feel that the big plot of the book will be around the untrustworthy characters.
I'm a little fed up with this trope.

I am sad to be writing this on the day of the book's release.

I wish the author the best of luck.

I’m all for unreliable narrators, heaps of drama and if you throw in a small town, I’m sold. The Imposter had more than your fair share of all of the above.

In a nutshell: Sibley, a successful attorney with some personal issues, decides to go back home to her rural midwestern hometown and finally see her mother. The two have been estranged for years and it’s time to sift through some of the lies and deceit which caused her to leave home in the first place. Are both women really prepared to face up to the past and confront those old demons? And what really happened the night her father died?

I enjoyed the overall story and although both women were slightly crazy and dramatic it worked. This book was parts family drama with some psychological thriller and a small town mystery, so a good mix for a variety of readers. Could the book have been shorter? Yes! At times it was a tad repetitive, confusing and prolonged, and I just wanted to get to the point. But, I was entertained and curious to see how everything wrapped up at the end.

Sixteen years ago a tragic event happened to this small family, that impacted the whole community. Deborah the young mother with an abusive husband and Sibley the Daddy's girl. 

This story is full of the aftermath of abuse and covering it up to protect your children. The addiction that passes down genetically and the trauma that either pushes you up or drags you down. 

So many secrets that you are never completely sure what happened or which event culminated to where they are now. Sixteen years of not talking or being a part of each other's lives. They don't recognize who they have become.

I started writing this at 60% but seriously I was just on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the story the whole time but I definitely was wrong.

I'm new to the psychological thriller category but definitely love trying to guess who is behind everything. It was not who I thought. I didn't even see them coming lol.

I definitely recommend for those that love psychological thrillers! 

TW: Alcohol addiction, spousal abuse, addiction, 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you @netgalley and Thomas Mercer for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

The majority of this book is set in the Midwest and the description of Deborah getting the mail hit me hard. There is something about winter, where it is FREEZING out and you have to bundle just to walk to the mailbox and after this winter I felt that! If you have ever experienced a Midwest winter I know you would feel the same!
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I enjoyed the writing style flipping between Deborah and her daughter Sibley’s POV.
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On the outside Sibley has a great home, wonderful husband and successful job but things are not all as they seem. Things aren’t all as they seem in her mother’s life either and when she returns home secrets rise to the surface. When Sibley gets to her mother’s old farmhouse she finds out quickly nothing is what she thought it was. With a mysterious therapist, small town secrets and a prison nearby it’s fair to say this is not just a sweet Midwestern story!
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This book is out today!
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Thank you #NetGalley and #ThomasandMercer for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

An estranged mother and daughter find their lives woven together again after years apart in The Imposter by Marin Montgomery. This thriller packs deception, secrets, and past traumas into a fast-paced story that will have you wondering who and what to believe.

Told in the dual POV’s between Deborah and her daughter Sibley, Montgomery does a stellar job crafting two unreliable narrators whose thoughts and motives are questioned throughout the plot. The initial perception of these two characters is that they’re both unstable (albeit for different reasons) and to view the story from their perspective is akin to combing through a haystack to find the needle of actuality. The Imposter left me guessing through the stirring climax - and while I thought I knew where things were headed, I was still taken off guard with how plot points and characters converged.

The biggest snag for me was the pacing in which the story was wrapped up. The nature of the ending felt rushed and everything seemed to fall into place too perfectly.

Thank you to Marin Montgomery, Thomas & Mercery, and Netgalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have never read any of Marin Montgomery's books so I wasn’t sure what to expect! I always enjoy a good physiological thriller so I was happy when she reached out to ask me to review her latest book.

This is a story of a mother and daughter who are reunited after years of being estranged. Sibley decides to return home to her mother, Deborah, when her life seems to be unravelling in her personal and professional life. Returning home creates additional challenges because Deborah has had some of her own mental challenges as of late.

I liked how the story was told from two points of view. In most books I read this is done chapter by chapter but this book each character got their own part of the book and then in part three it’s told from both perspectives switching off by chapter. At times this style worked, but because both narrators are unreliable it was a bit confusing at times and the writing seemed disconnected.
The midwestern setting and the intense cold was very relatable as a midwesterner myself. In the beginning of the book Marin talks about writing this during quarantine. The isolation she felt during this time is reflected in the book.
I enjoyed the many plot twists this book took and how things wrapped up in the conclusion. It was quite an extraordinary ride!

Thank you to Marin and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

▪︎•▪︎ Happy Pub Day! ▪︎•▪︎

Thank you @Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Imposter by Marin Montgomery

I went into this story blind and held on tight. This was a dizzying experience and throughout I was baffled by the experience. As the story unfolds we understand there are life altering secrets that have shaped the lives of Sibley and Deborah. Sibley the daughter tried to run from them. Deborah the mother chose to sit squarely in them.

Both of these women and their choices reveal tragic life consequences for their ways in handling the circumstances of the past. The Imposter takes us down the small town rabbit hole and we get immersed in the unreliable narrative. Yup. BOTH of these women leave the reader with little to no stability in believing anything written on the page. 😒

Honestly, I didn't love the double smack of unreliable narrator. It truly is my least favorite reading experience because I am so anxious the whole story that nothing is real. However, Montgomery overall does a great job using this trope and in the end I wasn't left mad. I felt it was used effectively and purposefully and not simply to fill in plot holes.

There are twists throughout the story that I did not see coming. The ones I figured out earlier than I should I wasn't entirely confident in (hello unreliable narrative!) and it was a page turner until the end.

3.65 ⭐ and rounded up to 4 on Goodreads and Netgalley.


#TheImposter #NetGalley

Happy pub day to @marinmont18 with the release of The Imposter. Thank you to the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, and @netgalley for the gifted early copy.
Secrets, lies, and deceit run deep in the veins of Sibley and her mother, Deborah. After being estranged for many years, Sibley returns home to discover her family wasn’t what it seemed. As Sibley and Deborah sift through long buried history, they each discover the reasons for their estrangement are more shocking than either could have imagined.
This was a twisty thriller that starts off slowly but provides much needed background information about the characters. Told in alternating POV, Sibley’s is an unreliable first person narrative, while Deborah’s is told in third person. Each chapter made me question who was the mentally unstable one versus the liar. It wraps up with a clever and satisfying ending.

This book is narrated from the dual POV of Sibley Sawyer and her mother Deborah. I really like the fact that part one of the book solely focused on Deborah while the second part focused on Sibley. This provided insight into one character at a time which I found to very helpful. The final part of the book follows both characters and each chapter switches to a different perspective.

I liked this book because it had an interesting storyline and the twists are the reason why I continued reading because I needed to know the truth about what was happening. I found the pace to be slow for the majority of the book and I didn’t really connect with any of the characters.

I liked the twists, turns and all of the secrets that everyone was trying to hide. I never guessed how the story was going to end but it was definitely interesting.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review so, there we go.

This was my first book by this author so, I can’t compared with her other work but I found this book to be quite flat with no effervescence and real suspense. The storyline was a good idea but the way it comes out is somewhat bland to me.
The book begins by having both characters go through some life changing experiences and then brings them together and escalation of events happens until a nearly dramatic ending occurs. For some reason or other, I had pinpointed the various culprits from their first appearance and was disappointed at having been right on all counts.

This was a tough one for me. The writing was a bit hard to follow. Told from two perspectives, it jumps from present to past tense, first person to third person. While I understand this was a deliberate choice, it makes it somewhat hard to lose yourself in the story. The story, about a woman trying to reconnect with her mother and discovering buried family secrets, is, like many “domestic thrillers” these days, more in the variety of a soapy family drama than a true thriller or mystery, I found it somewhat melodramatic (LOTS of adjectives and adverbs) and ultimately it just did not thrill or scare me.

Though I did not connect with the book, I hope it finds an audience with readers who like the “domestic” side of the domestic thriller better than I do. Many thanks to Thomas and Mercer for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the first half of this book, even though the main character is completely unlikeable. The second half was confusing and hard to follow because both narrators were unreliable. I’m honestly undecided on how I feel about the book. I loved parts and didn’t care for parts, so it’s hard to give it more than a 3 star review.

The Imposter by Marin Montgomery is a thriller about Sibley and her estranged mother Deborah. Sibley is an attorney, and her career is not going well. She decides to go visit her mother, but Deborah has changed. Both Deborah and Sibley are having really strange experiences, and they are not sure what's going on and who they can trust. If you like unreliable narrators, you are in luck because this book has TWO unreliable narrators. I couldn't really enjoy the story because I couldn't trust what was going on. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.