The story has a brilliant concept with an unpredictable twist. It was well-written, compelling, with cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. The characters are relatable and with interesting backstories.

The story follows Phoebe Glassman, a 43-year-old widow, mortuary cosmetologist working at Fair Winds Funeral Home. A survivor of a tragic accident that claimed her husband and daughter's life, Phobe is contented with the tranquility of restoring the illusion of life to the dead. Everything changed when the remains of Pauline arrived. A 32-year-old woman with a spitting image of her.

Overall, I enjoyed reading it. It was riveting and emotional that will surely resonate with mothers who have lost her child. I highly recommend this book. I'm grateful to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh my, what an engrossing, tight, and twisted read A.J. Banner has presented to us with In Another Light! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough in my quest to figure out what was going on, who to believe, and what the ending would bring!

Phoebe Glassman works as a mortuary cosmetologist. Three years ago, she lost her husband and daughter in a tragic car accident, and has never gotten over their deaths. When a young woman's body is retrieved by the mortuary, Phoebe's colleagues and friends urge her to skip this case and let someone else do it. Knowing she is the best at what she does, she insists on doing her job, and pulls back the sheet to see..... herself! Or rather, a slightly younger, almost identical looking version of herself. When she is told that the woman, Pauline Steele, had come to the town and even to the mortuary in the past few days with quetions, Phoebe has questions of her own, and begins to investigate who this woman was and whether there is a connection between them. What she learns will have her questioning all she thought she knew about her life. Will it be worth it? Will she survive the impact of what she finds?

Another delightfully suspenseful read by Ms. Banner; I am beginnning to look forward to each new offering. This rates 4 stars from me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel which is scheduled for publication on 10/5/21. All opinions and any errors expressed in this review are indeed my own.

Phoebe goes looking for answers when Pauline, who could be her twin, is brought into the mortuary when she works. There's something odd, too, about Pauline's tattoo- it looks like one that Phoebe's deceased husband had photographed. Who was Pauline? This is both a mystery and a well crafted novel about coping with grief. Phoebe's husband and young daughter were killed in an accident three years ago and until now she's retreated from her art and her life. Now, thought, she's curious but what she find....No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read with interesting twists.

Phoebe suffered a catastrophic loss three years ago. Since that time she’s just going through the motions, trying to muddle through. That’s all about to change. When a young women that looks just like Phoebe, is brought into the mortuary where she works, she soon becomes obsessed with finding out everything about her. One thing leads to another and soon Phoebe is questioning her own past. No one seems to believe her leaving even the reader questioning Phoebe. A fast paced book that keeps you guessing and turning pages quickly to reach the final satisfying page.

This was an okay story, but nowhere near as good as The Poison Garden was. As soon as I saw this as Read Now on NetGalley, I requested it because I LOVED Garden. But this one was just...meh. I wanted to know what happened, but it was not "unputdownable," if that's a word. All in all it was a good effort but only earned 3 stars. However because of Garden I will read another Banner book or two to see if the rest live up to it.

In Another Light by A.J. Banner

Three years ago mortuary cosmetologist Phoebe Glassman lost her husband in a tragic accident. No longer the hopeful wife and mother she once was, Phoebe is disappearing into her grief and into the quietude of her job—restoring to the dead the illusion of life. Then the body of a woman named Pauline Steele arrives in the mortuary, and for Phoebe, everything changes.

Pauline is unmistakably Phoebe’s mirror image and bears an alarmingly familiar tattoo. Even more startling is that among Pauline’s effects is a faded photograph of Phoebe. Aided by an eccentric colleague, her curiosity sparked, Phoebe investigates her doppelgänger’s life and death—and uncovers surprising clues to a shared past.

Phoebe’s emotional journey soon leads to shocking revelations about those closest to her…and even herself. When she’s driven to the brink, how much of what she discovers can she trust?

Everything this author writes is amazing! Don’t miss this one, out on October 5.

A mortuary cosmetologist makes a startling discovery in “In Another Light” by A.J. Banner.
Phoebe lost her family in an accident three years ago, and is still trying to heal and is burying herself in her work. But when her latest client happens to be a woman who looks exactly like her and among her things are photos of Phoebe, and she has a tattoo that Phoebe last saw on her husband’s phone, she dives into the mystery. Phoebe is determined to find out just who this Pauline was and why she looked so much like her. But will she believe what she finds?

Blending mystery with a story about grief and trauma, there’s plenty to focus on, and readers who enjoy domestic suspense will love this one.

Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick, and I must admit gripping, read. You can't help but sympathize with the main character, Phoebe, who endures an unimaginable loss when her husband and her daughter die in a car accident. She retreats from the world - and then her Doppelgänger turns up as a client at the funeral home she works at, and Phoebe goes down a rabbit hole and becomes more than a little obsessed. At this point things started to unravel for me. The plot lost steam, the story lost credibility and the twists became foreseeable. I found the ending unsatisfying, some parts were tied up too neatly and sweetly, while others were left flapping in the wind.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union/Amazon Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by A.J. Banner - 4 stars for a quick read that's hard to put down.

Phoebe works as a mortuary cosmetologist - she is shocked to see a dead woman come into the mortuary that is her doppelgänger. Phoebe is still reeling from the death of her husband and child three years ago, and this dead woman has a tattoo just like the one on the woman that Phoebe believes her husband was having an affair with. She is soon obsessed with finding answers to who this woman is and what role she played in her husband's life.

There are lots of unreliable narrators here which have you questioning what is real and who you can trust. Phoebe's mother is suffering from dementia but has moments of lucidity where she drops hints that she knows more than Phoebe thought. I found myself quickly flipping the pages to get the answers to all the questions. Part of the ending seemed a bit rushed but this was still a great book to get lost in.

This is a heartbreaking novel about a mortuary cosmetologist who has herself suffered a terrible bereavement. A touching and twisty story with memorable characters and a compelling mystery.

In Another Light has so many twists and turns it will keep you guessing until the end. The main character is a mortuary cosmetologist who has been dealing with grief for a few years, and when a body comes into the mortuary that looks like her twin, it sets off a string of events. Emotionally, it pushes Phoebe into a spin. This story will grab your heart in such a way that you can feel the grief that the character is going through.

This is another winner from A. J. Banner!

Thank you to NetGalley, A.J. Banner and Lake Union Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This one was another very enjoyable novel from Banner, but it really didn't go the way that I was expecting, This novel has all the hallmarks of a mystery novel and the twists are shocking in quite an interesting way. I loved the crazy tension the main character experienced and how she takes us on quite a wild ride. I kept thinking I knew exactly where the ending was going, but it was quite a good twists and I wouldn't have guessed. I loved the atmosphere and the writing made me want to read right through until the ending without stopping.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

A.J. Banner spins a tale and knows how to suck you in and not let you go until the end. This book is unique, a mystery like no other. Phoebe is a mortician. Dealing with so much pain and anguish since the loss of her family. Then a doppelgänger comes across her table and a mystery evolves that she needs to unravel. Who is lying? Who is telling the truth? Smoke and Mirrors?

Twists and turns for sure, but also an honest look at dealing with grief, mental health, deception. Phoebe is a totally sympathetic protagonist, someone you can’t help rooting for. While some events are a little too neatly wrapped up, it doesn’t take away from this story. This domestic thriller is well written, with an eye opening and compassionate look at mental illness. For me, this author never disappoints.

Thanks to Ms. Banner, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

In Another Light by A.J. Banner is a moving novel about survivor's guilt and how that affects someone long after the trauma. Three years before this novel, Pheobe Glassman lost her husband in a horrific car accident. Phoebe turns to her job restoring the dead to fill in the gaps. She finds a semblance of peace in her work until a woman who is the mirror image of her is brought to the mortuary she works at. The woman's name is Pauline Steele, and she has a familiar tattoo and an image of Pheobe in her personal effects. Pauline's arrival changes everything for Pheobe.

This is the kind of book that hooks you quickly and does not let go until you've reached the end. At 252 pages, it's a relatively quick read. Don't let its size fool you, though. An emotionally charged roller coaster awaits within its pages. The roller coaster of emotion is driven by Pheobe's search for truth and the manifestation of her trauma through new and dangerous outlets. Pauline's arrival reignites old questions Pheobe had about her relationship with her husband. Pheobe replays memories from her marriage to get answers about suspicions she had long laid to rest. In the process, questions about her husband's death arise. The combination of the two cause Pheobe's trauma to rise to the surface. While Pheobe searches for answers about the past, her present reality skews. At a point in the novel, Pheobe becomes so detached from reality that she puts many of those she loves, and strangers, in danger. Near the end of the novel, there is an explanation for why Pheobe experiences her trauma so strongly.

Pheobe is not a character I related to immediately. In the context of this novel, I think that is a good thing. Banner writes Pheobe as a part of the overall mystery of this book. She isn't a static character that we fully understand at the start of the novel. Instead, Banner provides the reader with a sub-plot that gives context to surrounding text or in the aftermath of major plot events. I grew to appreciate this style just how much Pheobe has gone through.

The book does not have the smoothest plot. However, that is not a critique of the novel. The unevenness of the plot almost perfectly matches the emotions Pheobe experiences. It is both beneficial and detrimental to some portions of the book. For me, the unevenness added a layer of tension that puts the reader in a mind space close to or adjacent to Pheobe's.

In Another Light is a novel I would recommend. If you enjoyed The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, this is an excellent chaser.

"...𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑓 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑. 𝐼𝑡 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢."

📖 In Another Light by A. J. Banner
Rating: 🤎🤎🤎🤎

𝐼𝑛 𝐴𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐿𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 is my first encounter with A. J. Banner's work and I must say it wouldn't be the last. It follows the story of Phoebe Glassman, a mortuary cosmetologist who is still reeling from the pain of losing her husband and daughter. And as if her grief wasn't enough, exactly three years after the tragic accident, a young woman bearing a striking resemblance to Phoebe ends up on the mortuary table, bearing a unique tattoo she once saw on her husband’s phone. Desperate to find answers, she sets out on her own to investigate her doppelganger's connection to her.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅:
It's a fast read both in plot pacing and actual length. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it that I managed to finish it in one sitting. Almost every chapter ends with more clues and revelations that would leave you intrigued and keep you second-guessing what will happen next. Such a page-turner!

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆:
Although it was a compelling read, I find the last few chapters a bit rushed and underwhelming. I also felt that the characters were a little underdeveloped in terms of their connection with each other.

Overall, it's a fast-paced and engaging read. I would recommend it to readers who are into psychological/suspense drama. Don't make the same mistake I did, starting it before bedtime, unless you are prepared to lose a few hours of sleep. 😅 Expected date of publication is on October 5, 2021.

𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝐺𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐿𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝐴𝑅𝐶 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑥𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤.

#InAnotherLight #netgalley

Author : A. J. Banner
In Another Light
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication date: October 5, 2021

Description:
The death of a look-alike stranger leads a grieving woman down a troubling path in this riveting novel by A. J. Banner, bestselling author of The Poison Garden.
Three years ago mortuary cosmetologist Phoebe Glassman lost her husband in a tragic accident. No longer the hopeful wife and mother she once was, Phoebe is disappearing into her grief and into the quietude of her job—restoring to the dead the illusion of life. Then the body of a woman named Pauline Steele arrives in the mortuary, and for Phoebe, everything changes.
Pauline is unmistakably Phoebe’s mirror image and bears an alarmingly familiar tattoo. Even more startling is that among Pauline’s effects is a faded photograph of Phoebe. Aided by an eccentric colleague, her curiosity sparked, Phoebe investigates her doppelgänger’s life and death—and uncovers surprising clues to a shared past.
Phoebe’s emotional journey soon leads to shocking revelations about those closest to her…and even herself. When she’s driven to the brink, how much of what she discovers can she trust?
⭐MY REVIEW⭐
I have loved every book i have read by Aj Banner so far. So needless to say i was so excited to get a chance to read an early copy of In Another Light . Needless to say i I wasn't disappointed. Aj knocked it out of the park with this one of a kind psychological thriller. It started out kind of slow for me so i put it down and started a few more books. My mind however kept pulling me back to the story so i started reading it again. The more i read the better it got. Before i knew it i finished the rest of the book without stopping. It was very emotional with some huge twist. 99 % of the time i am right when it comes to this type of book but this time i was so wrong. So while the book didn't grab me from the start it certainly ending up doing so. Phoebe's story just pulls you in and you have to find out just what is really going on. I promise this story is worth sticking with because it gets so much better. This is a twisty, intriguing psychological thriller that you definitely want to read. There’s a really huge twist that will leave you with your mouth hanging open. I just want to say Thank you to author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this 5 star story . I truly appreciate it!

*******Disclosure*******
I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own.
*************************
As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon. It does not have to be long. Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do. Authors really appreciate every review they get !
#NetGalley
#AJBanner
#InAnotherLight

In Another Light, Phoebe is a troubled young woman who has recently lost her husband and very young daughter in a terrible car crash. She works at a funeral home reshaping and bringing a life like look to those who have died and their families wish to have a viewing. Phoebe is an artist in a sense, a makeup artist. She has a mother in a home who often doesn't know who she is. It's a sad story. It soon involves chasing after clues as she finds out her husband was leading a second life. As Phoebe is chasing these thoughts an ideas her past starts to snowball into something other than she would have believed. Fast paces, new clues, almost chasing rainbows. Thank you #NetGalley#LakeUnionPublishing#InAnotherLight

I really liked The Poison Garden by A.J. Banne so I was so excited to get this from NetGalley and I am glad to say I wasn't disappointed. This book was SO unique and I was totally here for it. Phoebe is a cosmetologist for the dead when a woman who looks just like her, she even has the same tattoo, ends up on her table. Phoebe decides to investigate her look alikes life and discovers some major surprises along the way!

I loved Phoebe, my heart broke for her. Her resilience and strength just came alive on the page. This book was a very quick read for me as it was only about two hundred pages so I managed to get sucked in and zipped through it in one sitting...I just couldn't stop reading until I knew everything. I highly recommend this book to psychological drama lovers like myself.

Grief is never finished, it just becomes a part of you.

Mortuary cosmetologist Phoebe Glassman is at work when a co-worker warns her of another body coming in not to see. After the death of her husband and daughter three years ago, she knows she can handle anything but seeing this woman who has a connection to her husband, she becomes over taken again by the death of her husband and daughter. It puts her in a tailspin that she begins an investigation on her own.

Phoebe sees death every day so the added personal tragedy just added to the suspense. She soon doubts her friends, co-workers, and who can she trust. An emotional thriller.

A special thank you to Lake Union Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest revie

I enjoyed reading this book. I liked the main character, although I did have my suspicions about her. The pace of the book was good, and the story kept me interested and puzzled. I really wasn't sure what was going on, and guessed wrong a couple of times, I like trying to work out the plot, but I wasn't right with this one. Good book, will look out for more books by this author.