Thanks to NetGalley for pre release copy for honest review. This was a great and entertaining story. Kept me guessing till the end. The backdrop of the funeral home provided a different type of interest. Story moved quickly. Glad I chose to read this.

In Another Light is the latest book by A. J. Banner. From the very first pages Ms Banner pulls the reader into the life of Phoebe, the main character. Ms Banner does an excellent job of putting Phoebe's painful past on the pages and dropping clues as to what really happened. I want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an early copy to review.

In Another Light is a hard-to-put-down twisty psychological thriller. Phoebe Glassman lost her husband and young daughter in a car accident. Three years later, she is basically going through the motions of life, mostly centered on her job as a mortuary cosmetologist. Until the body of a woman who looks a lot like her shows up at the mortuary. When it becomes apparent that her doppelganger knew Phoebe's husband and may have been the woman she suspected he was having an affair with before his death, Phoebe becomes obsessed with finding out more about this woman's life -and death- and whether it is connected to her own past. There is something about the author's writing style that made this book seem a bit "disjointed" to me at times; more than once, I felt like I'd missed something and had to reread a section, but even then I still wasn't sure what was going on (until I read further). Despite this, I really enjoyed the book, the plot was fresh and kept me guessing.

When Phoebe Glassman's doppelganger lands on her mortuary table, she is beyond freaked. Then, she finds a picture of Phoebe's late husband in the woman's belongings. What is the connection?

Phoebe's husband, Logan, and their young daughter, Ava, died three years ago in a car accident. Her life has never been the same since. Grief is all she knows. She thought she was doing better until the doppelganger showed up. She has so many questions. Who is this woman? Why does she look like her? How did she die? Why did she have a picture of Phoebe's husband? She takes it upon herself to find out.

But the ending...it just fell flat for me. There was no "wow" factor at all for me. I was just underwhelmed. I think it was because I wanted to end differently. Though it was a page turner, I kinda felt like it had some aspects that I had read before in other books.

Thank you to Get Red PR, the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I read and loved The Poison Garden and HAD to get my hands on In Another Light. I'll tell you right now, it did not disappoint!!

As a mortuary cosmetologist Phoebe Glassman is surrounded by death daily. In this line of work she's confident she's seen it all. That is until the body of a woman arrives, a woman that looks exactly like Phoebe and bears a very similar tattoo. A discovery that has the power to send Phoebe into an emotional collapse.

This was such a quick read and the pacing was absolutely perfect! I flew through it. I'm already looking forward to Banners next book!

Huge thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for my copy!

I don't usually read Mystery Thrillers or anything similar but recently I'm enjoying reading them instead of my go-to genre which is Romance.

This is a book I saw on the Read Now section of Netgalley. It has an interesting premise and that cover looks good so I downloaded it.

This is the story of Phoebe as she tries to solve the mystery surrounding a woman that looks like her, Pauline. The book started slow for me so I paused reading it at one point and started a few more books.

This was a fast read for me. I love how the mystery kept me going. While reading this I can see two very solid probabilities on where the plot is going. They were both strong probabilities and I was wondering if my hunch is correct. It wasn't.😅

When I thought, "ah that's it", something happened again that I wasn't expecting.

I love the writing and the plot of this book. I was very much into the story and I also love the characters. I love how complex their relationships and stories are.

I was emotional on most parts, especially reading about Phoebe's grief. It was so strong and heavy. Also, the situation of Phoebe's mom is also tear jerking.

I love that although it was a bit of a heavy read for me, there are little bits of sunshine in the book namely Mel and Mike and the cat (was it Mr. Tibbles?).😸

Recommended.👍❤

*Thanks to the publisher for making this book available for review via Netgalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest thoughts and opinions of the book.*

That book could've been waaay more impactful, let's start there..
Firstly, the plot was really good, but the details felt so sparse, it was like the scenes came from detached paragraphs, i think because the author wanted to show how messy the thoughts of the main character, but it just didn't do it for me.
The unreliable narrative written from the third person's pov wasn't a good combination, the main character held so much potential and i would have loved to know more about how she feels and what goes around in her mind.
I found the MC really interesting, i was so invested in her story, it's not every day that you find an obsessive character worth reading.
The writing style was amazing, it was kind of breezy and easy to read, which made this a considerebly an easy read.
I wasn't a big fan of the ending, i thought it could've been more powerful, compared to the entire book, it was kind of lame.
But overall, it was an enjoyable read.
* I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review via netgalley and the publisher*

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced uncorrected copy of In Another Light for an honest opinion. This review is my honest thoughts and opinions.

Wow! I wish I could have given this a higher rating than 5 stars because it was a great story.
Three years ago Phoebe loses her husband in a tragic car accident which devastates her. They both worked at a mortuary with Phoebe working as the cosmetologist. She loses herself in her work sometimes doing facial reconstruction to make her clients look better for family viewings.
Quietly trying to get through life until the day the body of a dead woman comes into the mortuary and looks so much like Phoebe it is scary. Phoebe notices a tattoo on the body and she knows she has seen it before a long time ago on her husbands phone...this ends up pushing Phoebe to research who this woman was. So many twists and turns in the story that it pulled me right in and I couldn't put it down...all I thought about was what if? What if this could really happen? Do we all have a doppelganger?
Phoebe becomes so involved in finding out who the woman was her friends and coworkers start to worry about her. Do they have a good reason to worry?
I highly recommend this suspenseful mystery....you won't regret going down the rabbit hole with Phoebe to find out who the woman was and what connection does she has with Phoebe!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 5, 2021
After losing her husband and her young daughter in a tragic car accident, Phoebe is trying to get her life back on track. Burying herself in her job as a mortician is keeping her distracted, but then a dead woman is brought in, and Phoebe fears herself losing control. The woman, named Pauline, bears a striking resemblance to Phoebe and the coincidences don’t stop there; the woman has a very familiar and unique tattoo that Phoebe has seen once before- on the arm of the woman who was sleeping with her husband. If this woman was her husband’s mistress, why has she come to their town? What secrets was she keeping?
AJ Banner, author of “After Nightfall” and “The Poison Garden” among others, returns with her newest psychological thriller, “In Another Light”.
Phoebe is a unique character for Banner (and for this genre as a whole), an un-stereotypical protagonist who, after suffering great loss, also struggles with mental illness and a subsequent breakdown following the death of her family. In “Light”, the mystery is not only who Pauline is and what she wants, but whether Phoebe is losing her grip on reality. “Light” depicts a deeply human character who is strong for many reasons, none of them typical of protagonists in this genre, and Banner creates a fast bond between Phoebe and readers.
Of course, there is a twist in this novel, one that has been done before but Banner manages to pull it off so well. It comes out of nowhere, and turns the entire plotline on its head. There are quite a few convoluted character connections, and some questions remain, once the twist is revealed, and it took me a few minutes to catch up and follow, but I enjoyed how it played out.
I have been a fan of Banner almost from day one, and have enjoyed her other books, so it wasn’t surprising that “In Another Light” was entertaining and full of twisty suspense. “Light” adds an emotional element through the realistic and heartbreaking depiction of grief and loss, as well as the devastating effects of mental illness. I enjoyed the characters in this novel and wanted nothing more than a good outcome for Phoebe, and the ending provided the resolution I craved. Banner delivers another psychological fiction novel with a unique plot, and fans will adore “In Another Light”.

In another light.
By A.J.

Banners, books are hard to put down. Once I start reading just can't put them down....
This book is full of mystery and suspense. My favorite things.




Phoebe Glassman,
A mortuary cosmetologist, Recovering from the loss of her child and husband 3 years... Prior.

Work is all phoebe has,
But then when a body is brought in thats her doppelganger, things in her mind starts working overtime. We're did this girl come from. how does she connect with Phoebe's past or does she..

Looking at things, in a different light phoebe see something completely different..

Phoebe's Suspicions get the better part of of her ... She won't stop until she finds the truth..
Who's telling stories and who's being honest who's her friend and who's not..

This book has so many twists and turns keeps you guessing until the very last page.. I Read this 1 in 2 settings..






Thank you Banner for another great Book..

Thank you a.j.banner,
Lake union publishing, netgally.
For this Early arc..
All Thoughts are my own on this review....

In Another Light is AJ Banner at her finest! Phoebe is a widow, having lost her husband and young daughter in a car accident 3 years earlier. She works at the funeral home her late husband co-owned with his best friend and does the makeup and facial reconstructions of the dead. Phoebe is a shell of her former self, just barely surviving and getting by after the horrible events that took her family away. That all changes one day when a body of a young woman found dead in her car at a park is brought in . She looks just like Phoebe, but younger. The woman has an odd butterfly tattoo on her arm and it seems familiar to Phoebe. Phoebe is determined to find out who this woman is and why was she visiting this small town?
I don't want to give too much more of the plot away. This is my favorite book by AJ Banner, although I say that every time I read a new one. The story and plot are so unique and fun to read. I could not put this book down. I really loved the character of Phoebe and how the story of her past was slowly revealed. It seems Phoebe's past and present are much more mysterious than we think! Do not miss this book! It is such a great story! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The premise was very intriguing. Phoebe Glassman, a mortuary cosmetologist, is still recovering from the death of her husband and child when the body recently brought to her looked exactly like her, only maybe a decade younger. At the start of the book, it was clear she really wasn't okay and recent events weren't helping her. Phoebe was a very unreliable narrator; being in her mind, reading her point of view, was quite a mess. It was constantly asking whether or not her suspicions were right, were the characters around her just very good actors or was her mind really just playing tricks on her? This was a book that may make you think one way when the truth was a zigzag. I expected more from this but I really wasn't "wowed" in any way or surprised with how things unravelled. The writing was very simple, quite heavy on dialogues that flowed quickly and felt unnatural; the side characters were also just...there, at least for me. Although I did think the ending was fitting, and that there was something about this book that made me not put it down.

Phoenix Glassman works as a cosmetologist at a funeral home. Restoring the dead to make them look like they did when alive. A job I can't even imagine doing.
She lost her husband and daughter in a tragic accident.
An interesting story, that will keep you turning the pages.
An engaging psychological thriller that grabbed me from the beginning. I am not a fan of psychological thrillers so that says something.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

In Another Light is a engaging suspense read that will keep you flipping pages till you get to the end.

The story is interesting and I liked the characters. The protagonist, Phoebe, is relatable as her thoughts and emotions have been described very well in the book.

I wish the story shared some light over other characters and depth in terms of the overall story. The first half was fun and I enjoyed it, the second half however was a bit low and felt like it ended in a haste.

I would recommend In Another Light to readers who like psychological thriller and suspense novels. It's fast paced and a light read.

Thank you Netgalley, publishers and author, A. J. Banner for the ARC.

In Another Light by author A.J. Banner is literally one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read in a very long time! Banner has really outdone herself with this one. This story grabbed my attention right from the very first page and held it the entire way through. How many books can actually do that? I believe what drew me in was that Phoebe Glassman, the main character, works at a funeral parlor called Fair Winds where she’s a mortuary cosmetologist and she reconstructs the deceased to make them presentable for viewing. And working on the dead requires special skills, and Phoebe is an artist. She’s also living in an altered state of mind because she too has lost someone close to her, both her husband and her 2 year old daughter. While at work a deceased body of a woman is brought in who is Phoebe’s doppelgänger and that’s when it really gets interesting. Who is this woman and how does she fit into the story? This is a book I can’t recommend enough. Believe me, it’s well worth the read. I’d like to thank MaryAnn Schaefer and author A.J. Banner for the invite and NetGalley for the arc to read, review and enjoy. This is a fantastic read and I’m giving it a 5 star rating!

This could have been such a simple story; a case of mistaken identity or a mysterious doppelgänger (the idea that we all have someone who looks like is terrifies me slightly); but it was so, so much more.

Banner writes grief exceptionally well. What I wouldn’t give to see my lost loved ones again, and that want can drive you to distraction. To this point, she also describes mental health and mental illness in a very sensitive way. In my opinion, Phoebe is never described as crazy, just sick, and that’s a fine line to balance. This is sad but not over the top, a psychological thriller that feels so real.

I read this in one sitting. It is fast paced and thrilling, with multiple layers and twists. You’re never comfortable in knowing what’s going on, she keeps you on your toes from the first page to the last.

I didn’t know Banner had written other books but I will definitely catch up on them if this is anything to go by. This will be a book I try to get on just about everyone’s bookshelves - utterly fabulous.

Thank you to the publisher for a free netgalley.

This one was fine. As someone who reads lots of thrillers, I am truly over the unrealiable female narrator trope. It took a while for this book to even pick up in pace and to be honest, the ending wasn't terrible. But I found the all the pieces that were together at the end to be a huge stretch. I have many issues with the ending.

This was a bit of a twisted story. It’s an emotional roller coaster for sure. I stayed up to finish this book, I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I enjoyed the book.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Phoebe lost her husband and daughter 3 years ago. She has since been existing but not living. She works in a funeral home as a mortuary cosmetologist. When a dead woman comes in that looks exactly like Phoebe, she must know what is going on! Before her husband died, Phoebe saw the dead woman's tattoo on her husband's phone. What does this look alike have to do with Phoebe? I enjoyed this fast paced thriller and you cannot put the book down as you need to know what is going on. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

I was so excited to see that AJ Banner was releasing another book. Her books are always beautifully written and engrossing, and In Another Light is no exception.

From the very first page, the author’s lyrical writing style drew me in. It was easy to picture the characters and scenes, as if I was watching a movie instead of reading.

The main character, Phoebe, is a very interesting person. She experienced extreme tragedy in the past - that tragedy is something that impacts every morsel of Phoebe’s life and causes her to be quite the unreliable narrator. I found myself frequently questioning if what she was experiencing was actually happening or not, and I love when books do that.

The storyline is amazing. To me, it’s a drama and a psychological thriller effortlessly combined to create a story that captured my attention and held it to the very last page. As Phoebe is investigating and learning things she would never have imagined to be true, it felt like I was right there at her side. The ending wrapped everything up nicely, leaving no unanswered questions.

In Another Light is a perfect example of an AJ Banner book, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.