Deborah, who lives alone on her farm, is attacked one night and can’t shake the fear that the mystery attacker will return. Her estranged daughter, Sibley, comes to visit for the first time since she left for college as she feels she needs to face her past before facing her current drinking problem. The past comes to haunt them both as they face the mysterious circumstances of Deborah’s husband and Sibley’s father's death years ago.

I found this to be a gripping story. Most of the time I didn’t know if the characters were unreliable or going insane and I found that compelling. I was surprised at the ending although I did find the resolution a little rushed. Overall, coming from someone who only reads thrillers sporadically, I found it to have all the elements I expect and want from a book of this genre.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

First off, it took me a long time to get into this novel. Sibley and Deborah are initially pretty hard to like, and they are not reliable narrators.

That said, both characters have well-thought out character arcs, and taking the journey with them is definitely worth it.

As a psychological thriller with unreliable narrators, this book is filled with twists and turns that you won’t see coming. If that’s the kind of novel you love, then this is the novel for you!

2.5 STARS - The Imposter's blurb about deceit, secrets and family dysfunction caught my attention. It is a great premise and I could envision the author's intentions with her plot and characters, but the delivery of these ideas fell short.

This psychological thriller had a muddled, choppy feel with most of the cast (besides Sibley's husband) being exceptionally unlikable. I get the whole unreliable character thing, but it was overdone here with both main characters having so many demons that the reader isn't sure what exactly is going on. It didn't help to clarify matters when Deborah's POV is told in the third person and Sibley's in the first-person.

There are some decent twists, long-held secrets, and major family dysfunction, but some of the plot points felt far-fetched and others not explained well, adding to that convoluted feeling. I believe the author was going for a story about these two women reconnecting despite their rocky past, but I never got the feeling that either of them really wanted to mend any fences.

This isn't the thriller I was expecting. It is more of a slow-burn dysfunctional family drama with a bit of mystery that had a persistent, depressing shadow lingering over everything. The Imposter had good bones and a decent final twist, but with its unlikable cast and disjointed telling, I never felt like I was in the middle of the suspense, but merely hearing about it second-hand.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this title by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I don't even know what to make of this story. It is basically told from two perspectives, both of which are unreliable. Sibley who is an alcoholic with issues from her past, who gets let go from her job. Instead of going to rehab to save her job, she goes to visit her estranged mother.

The mother seems frail and unwell, and made to look "crazy" which I don't care for in thrillers. Mental health is not a joke and to be used as a plot line.

A lot of behaviors and actions are made to seem like hallucinations and tricks of the mind. Overall, the point is to resolve her issues surrounding the death of her father. A lot of rumors and truths are revealed and resolved in the end. Though even the ending had sections that didn't add up and were confusing.

This book was a great fast paced thriller that continued to have so many great twist and turns. I wish the author gave a little more detail and depth to characters so I could have connected with them more but over all it was a great suspense.

The imposter is a fast paced thriller novel that really keeps you on your toes. The pacing is very well done and was executed the way a thriller novel should be.
The only downside is that I don’t really like Deborah or Sibley. They’re both imperfect but don’t any redeeming qualities that make you want to root for theme
Despite that I still really enjoyed the story and the pacing of the plot! Can’t wait to read more books by Marin!

This book was a fast read. The characters seemed vague and hard to follow, though possibly intentionally. Not my favorite psych thriller, but definitely a good read I'll be recommending--my first of 2021.

'The Imposter' by Marin Montgomery is an adventurous ride for the brain. I just continued to read as the twists and revelations kept coming till the last page

This is a story of two women Deborah Sawyer and Sibley Sawyer. The story is written in a third person pov but each chapter is from the perspective of one of them.
Sibley is a successful lawyer who is suspended from her office for a conduct issue. She is asked by her bosses to u dego rehabilitation for her addiction issues. She doesn't acknowledge this and realises that she has to sort some personal issues with her mother whom she had left at the age of 16. Reaching her hometown she realises, her mother is a changed woman and has lot of issues with memory. She is not the woman she had left behind so many years ago. The whole town is full of rumours about her mental health issues. So will Sibley be able to reconcile her past or is there something more than meets the eye.

A very twisted plot that didnt really let me guess ahead because of the revelations and behaviours of both Deborah and Sibley. The story is revealed to us piecemeal with the mega reveal at the end. A lot of psychological thrill that kept me on the edge of my seat. All the characters are described well.

If you love to read psychological mysteries then this story is for you.

I thank Netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to review the book. Opinions expressed are all mine.

The Imposter was a bit of a rollercoaster experience for me. I found the start difficult to get into, the middle full of suspense, but the ending a little overwhelming.

The first few chapters were a bit of a trudge to get through. At first, the narratives felt disconnect as we are introduced to two different characters whose connection is unclear. With the story jumping from one character to another without knowing what’s really going on, I felt like I had started a new story and didn’t know where it was going. Neither character is likeable, either, so it took a while for me to get invested.

Told through two points of views – mother and daughter Deborah and Sibley – both narrators are unreliable so you can’t trust anything that you’re reading. I didn’t mind this at first at it was interesting to try and figure out who was being misled, but it gets a bit much by the end as you don’t know if what you’re reading is true or imagined.

Both characters also have frequent gaps in their memories so the narrative feels quite fragmented at times, almost as if it’s in fast-forward. So you can’t get a clear picture of what’s going on, often feeling like you’ve accidentally missed a sentence or two and having to skip back to check. When the answers arrive, this all starts to make sense, but it just means that it’s a difficult journey getting there.

The middle, however, is full of twists and suspense which really gripped my attention. It’s obvious that there’s something sinister going on – Is Sibley an imposter? Is Deborah really ill? Or is somebody else pulling the strings? The sense of an unseen presence haunts every page and the syndromes that are discussed are really interesting. But then the ending has so much going on that it’s difficult to appreciate the conclusions.

I’m so torn by this book as there’s a lot that I like about it and the concept is very interesting. When everything comes together, the twists are shocking and the turns are well-developed, but so much happens at once that it ends up feeling too far-fetched and doesn’t have the desired effect.

The Imposter undoubtedly has many good qualities, but unfortunately they get overshadowed by a fragmented narrative and characters that are difficult to engage with. This could have been a gripping and dark psychological thriller, but the potential got lost in the fog of distractions for me. There was just too much that prevented me from enjoying it fully.

Terrible book. I couldn’t get into the plot of f this book. Didn’t like the writing. I didn’t finish reading it.

The Imposter is the first book that I've read by Marin Montgomery and I went into it completely blind. I recommend that you do the same! The story is told from the perspective of two different narrators and it definitely kept me guessing about what was going on and the real story right up until the end. This book was a slow burn for me. I was a little confused at first but became invested in the characters and the story around the 50% mark. This one ended up being a wild ride. If you're a fan of domestic thrillers, tension, and unreliability, pick this one up and go in blind!

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley which did not affect the contents of my review. All opinions are honest, voluntary, and my own.

I definitely enjoyed this book.
It was a great thriller with so many twists and turns!

However, I did feel the writing was a bit disjointed at times. Also I wasn't sure about the portrayal of mental illness in this book, I feel it was a slightly negative use.

I did find towards the end of the book, I was couldn't wait to find out how everything worked out.

I liked the alternating P.O.Vs & felt the ending tied up all the loose ends really well.

I rated this 3 stars!

Thanks to Marin for reaching out and thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a gifted eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one had my head spinning!
Sibley is about to lose it all, her job and her marriage due to her drinking problems and questions of fidelity. When she's was supposed to be going to rehab she actually goes to reconnect with her mother, Deborah, who she's been estranged from for sixteen years. Sibley figures the way to heal is to go back and confront her past and find out the truth about how her father died. The story unfolds through the POV's of these two women. The first section focuses on Deborah's, the second on Sibley and the third alternating between the two. Both narrator's are unreliable due to either drugs or alcohol leading to the questioning of what is truly going on. While this can be confusing to some I found it intriguing and compelled me forward to find out the truth. This one is filled with twists and turns and although clues to the identity of the perpetrator are sprinkled throughout (also red herrings) I was surprised by the reveal and conclusion. Due to its structure, this one starts slow but picks up considerably by the third section.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the complicated plot and disorientation the story caused for me and recommend this one to those who enjoy this type of psychological thrillers. Just be warned, your head will spin as well.

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
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I like to keep my reviews as positive or neutral as possible because it’s incredibly challenging to write a book but much easier to read and review someone else’s book.

That being said, this book was in one word, a challenge (ok, two words). In the beginning 25% of the book, I was drawn to the first of the 2 main characters, Deborah. As a woman living alone in a small town and having a lot of tumultuous history and a secret affair, the poor woman had a lot going on and most of it was very realistic.

But then we got introduced to Deborah’s daughter, Sibley, who was to me not only unlikeable but also very unrealistic as a divorce attorney. Honestly if you’re a successful attorney, you wouldn’t be doing half the things she did and behave like a petulant child. Her marriage with Holden was not like a husband and wife’s, it seemed more like father and daughter. Her firm was also portrayed as way too involved with personal matters.

But then we also get thrown in a kitchen sink of characters, each of them with a shady story of their own. When I reached at about 35%, the only character I gave a damn about was Sibley’s best friend. What’s her name again? Which brings me to the next point...a sea of names. It was very hard to keep up. As the book kept progressing, I only got more exhausted. And I’ll end my review here because I don’t have anything hopeful to add.

I feel horrible when I can’t connect with the characters or plot line from a gifted book. But it is what it is. I tried.

Marin Montgomery's The Imposter sees the reunion of Deborah and Sibley Sawyer--a mother and daughter who have been estranged for over a decade. Deborah is suffering from a recent injury, while Sibley's current troubles can be traced to a mysterious death that occurred on the family farm. Sibley returns home for answers only to discover that facts of the past and present are equally uncertain.

I'm always a fan of a thriller with unreliable narrators, but The Imposter fell short for me in some places. Montgomery provides rich characterization and setting, but the prose is sometimes over-written to the point where lines seemed silly. Also, personally, the movement from 1st person present tense (Sibley's POV) to 3rd person present tense (Deborah's POV) was frequently jarring. In fact, there was so much personal narrative in Deborah's POV chapters that I wasn't sure why it was written in third person.

Still, the plot was interesting (if some of the twists were soap-opera dramatic), the book was mostly well-paced. The ultimate reveal was a bit too convoluted to be satisfying, by the journey itself was solid and entertaining.

This was a fantastic read culd not put it down and when I had to it was all i kept thinking about. thank you Marin Montgomery for the eARC. The mother/daughter drama and secrets how does one survive??

3.75 rounded up to 4...

I thought this was a pretty quick read, but it did take me about 30 percent until I could understand what was going on and feel invested in the story. Once I got into it I enjoyed the country scenery and trying to solve the mystery. I didn’t solve it! If you have read and enjoyed Marin’s precious books, def give this one a shot! If you have kindle unlimited this one is included starting on March 9!

Thanks to Marin for my copy!

Based on the description, I really thought I was going to like this book. I wanted to like this book. Sadly, it didn't hit the mark for me.

While the book flip flopped between then and now, it also flipped between Deborah's (the mother) and Sibley's (the daughter) point of view. Because one had medical issues and the other had blackouts from drinking, we never know if one is more accurate of if the truth lies somewhere in between. Perhaps it was the author's intention to have the reader feel the fog that both of these characters seemed to go through life with. But I could not reconcile Sibley was a successful attorney with her behavior when she returns home (although I bet a lot of us revert to the "child" when we go home!).

I feel as though there were some great "missed opportunities" for the author to expand on certain areas (Sibley's dating profile, more character development for her husband). The ending had a good twist, but I wish it had come earlier so that we would have gotten more explanation for things that happened. Did Deborah really get attacked or was it her own doing? What was her relationship with Robert really like? I finished the book and I feel like I still don't have all of the answers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance reader's review copy.

I have never read a book by Marin Montgomery before so I was eager to check this out. Sibley's life if not going according to plan and ends up having to get her drinking problem under control. She has been estranged from her mother for years but she feels the need to make peace with her. She returns to the farm she grew up on to find out more about what really happened to her father. We are introduced to each of the characters separately in the beginning and then together when they are on the farm. There is some confusing elements if things are real or not because of the characters use of medications and alcohol. It had many unexpected twists and turns and the end was very surprising.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book!

I have mixed feelings about this one because there were aspects that I definitely enjoyed; however, parts felt really drawn out and a tad unnecessary. I liked all of the psychological issues that were going on and the diagnoses. The explanations really allowed the reader to piece past events together and make sense of them.

I did feel as though the character backstories were really complicated and a tad difficult to follow. They weren’t completely necessary to the storyline.

The ending was well done and wrapped things up well, while still allowing the reader to use their imagination concerning some aspects.