An interesting thriller. Enjoyed reading it. I couldn't connect much with the characters though. I felt the characterisation could be better, but the whole plot was engaging.

When Mel leaves her husband of 20 years in Australia, she returns to England to stay with her twin Abby in their family home. They used to be so close but now Abby has changed so much. She used to be happy and outgoing and now she's hostile and grumpy. Mel can't understand the changes and when a sinister stranger starts following her she's more terrified than ever.
This book started out slow but soon the twists and creepy vibe caught me. The ending was unexpected but seemed a little rushed and throughout the book, I didn't really like or connect with any of the characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love stories about twins! This one is easy to read and easy to follow. The plot line is Mel, our main character, moves back to the UK from Australia when her marriage falls apart. She moves back into the family home with her twin sister who has dramatically altered in personality. Where she was once happy and outgoing, she is now gloomy and hostile. Maybe it’s because she’s carrying some dark secrets. And why is there a mysterious man following her? Mel may have left trouble behind in Australia but she has encountered something much more sinister in her childhood home. I found this to be quite a slow burn for the first half but the creepy vibe picks up in the last 40% and while the ending is very unexpected, it is a bit rushed. Thank you Netgalley, Inkubator Books and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Available now

This book was everything I look for in a book. It was so exciting. The plot was fantastic. It really had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart racing. It was very well written and flowed well.

Idk why but I just loveeee scary books with twins. I was so creeped out by this book. The atmosphere, the characters...it was all done so well and I highly recommend this read!

After her 20-year marriage dissolves, Mel moves back to her hometown with her twin sister, Abbie. It's been a while, but Abbie seems to have changed. She used to be happy, carefree, but these days she seems to be moody, secretive.

Home is supposed to be your safe place ... but Mel is finding it anything but.

This was a slow starter, with some twists and turns that aren't so shocking. I didn't particularly like the relationship between the sisters, they were a bit under-developed. This was an okay read, although I had expected more from this author.

Many thanks to the author / Inkubator Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological drama. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Would like thank Publisher and NetGalley for ARC copy of (The Wrong Twin). I did not like Mel at all I felt could have just been honest told her Husband Peter the deal. This was really a thriller just when I though where the Author, was with the story she twist and turn went a whole other direction. And poor Cyrus I didn't see that one come this Author kept sitting on edge.

Mel is returning home to England. Her marriage of 20 years with husband Peter in Australia has broken down and she intends to file for divorce. The marriage has succumbed to lack of effort on the part of both. Also, Peter’s patronizing attitude and his know-it-all behaviour has begun to grate on her nerves and she wants out.

But home, she realizes, is different. With the death of their parents seven years ago, twin sister Abbie, is all she has, but her sister, once outgoing, friendly and fashionable, is now hostile, with completely different TV viewing and eating habits and a whole new personality. Then there is a strange man who breaks into the house when Mel is alone and follows her around town.

It appears that Mel’s happy homecoming is crumbling around her. Soon she finds out that she has far more to worry about than Peter’s behaviour and Abbie’s odd moodiness.



The title of the book was perfect. The book cleverly brings out the old nature versus nurture debate.

The Prologue lets us in on the murder of a girl, and the manner in which her body is disposed of, never to be found again.

The narrative brings scenes to life. The descriptions bring to us just the right mix of action and setting to guide us along.

The author doesn’t let Mel think about her marriage much. This lack of information caused me to think, at first, that Mel had made a hasty decision, but once Peter arrived on the scene, we see what she finds troubling about his attitude, and it causes us to warm slightly more towards her. We see a display of his attitude when he tells the security guard at a hotel where he is staying, “I’ll deal with her.”

For nearly three-fifths of the book, I neither liked nor disliked Mel. I felt indifferent towards her. There was just too much information about her work, the shopping she did for the house and other by-the-way stuff. It was only when the pace of the novel picked up that I felt the slightest feeling of concern towards her.

The pace of the novel was slow, with not much happening. The only thing that the author drives on relentlessly about is a game known as The Artful Assassin whose bugs Mel, a game developer, is trying hard to fix.

I rarely give up on a book and so I plodded on. The reward came at the 69 percent mark, which is way too late. Most readers don’t have that kind of patience.

What made the action sweeter was that it was on the lines of something that I had suspected all along. But the manner in which it was executed still took me by surprise. The mystery, though late to come by, was a good one. The unexpected twist at the end of the book left me wanting more. I hope the author will write a Book 2 to let us in on what happens next.

The bugs in The Artful Assassin haven’t been fixed yet. And perhaps that marriage could do with some fixing too.

The Wrong Twin was my first Lorna Dounaeva novel, and I really enjoyed it, so I'm definitely going to read more by this author. The characters were interesting, and it was easy to empathize with Mel. The book was full of twists and turns, and the ending left me wanting more. Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Wrong Twin. : )

It's been 20 years and Mel left her life and husband in Australia and returned home to England to live with her twin sister Abbie. But her happiness at being home is short lived; her sister who used to be outgoing is now distant and uncaring. 
With Abbie's mysterious behaviour Mel is spooked out and when someone breaks into the house it seems like everything around her is under attack. It is up to Mel to figure out what is happening with her beloved sister and how to get her life back on track.

The plot of this story is what drove me into picking this NetGalley read and I am sad to say I was disappointed.

The characters were blank, the storyline was dragging and about 50% of the beginning of the book is just the everyday life of the twins. By then I already lost the hope to actually enjoy the characters.
At least there is some action after that. There are quite a few twists but it felt like they were just piling up to make a big end.
What surprised me was the epilogue. I can see it working if there is gonna be a second book but it didn't feel like a satisfying end. Although it did make me feel something, which is more than the rest of the book did.

*Thank you NetGalley, Lorna Dounaeva and Inkubator Books for a free ARC.

I found the book somewhat underwhelming. It is a very slow burner, with not a lot happening at all in the first half. It does start to pick up some pace in the second half. Secrets are revealed and there is a big twist at the end. Worth a read but the slow beginning almost stopped me from carrying on with it.

I'm not sure if I will ever be able to resist reading a book about twins! This one opens up with 40-year-old Mel returning to Wymouth after twenty years spent in Australia. Her this sister, Abbie, seems a bit off upon her arrival - but then, they hadn't seen each other since their parents' sudden death four years earlier. Mel's marriage is ending and work pressures have her further on edge. Abbie's odd behavior just adds to her stress levels.

At first, the book reads like a rather standard family drama - but after about halfway through, more sinister questions arise and Mel begins investigating everything. The pacing really picks up then. The plot definitely takes some unexpected turns, but the overall uneven pacing bogs down the book. Plus, I did not find the ending to be satisfying at all! Not to mention that the characters are also not particularly likable. I wish that Mel especially had been easier to connect with - though I did appreciate her being the only one to care for the dog at least!

Still, it retained my interest from start to finish and I definitely appreciated the surprises that the plot held. Overall, it's a quick read and I think it would be the perfect choice for a plane ride!

📚ⒷⓄⓄⓀ ⓇⒺⓋⒾⒺⓌ⬇️

The Wrong Twin
by Lorna Dounaeva
Mystery/Thriller
Released on Amazon 6/13/21

When I saw the description of this book I thought it would be an awesome read! I was quite disappointed however when I started reading it.

The story telling fell flat for me. It is super slow with nothing much going on until about 60% into the book. Then at about 73% I had figured out the rest of it and only continued to read to make sure I was right! (To be fair to the author, I do read quite a few thrillers and am pretty good at those logic puzzles... so other people honestly would probably be pleasantly surprised at the twist! ❤😘)

I struggled with this one for a few reasons... the slow start and predictable plot but also because it lacked character development in my opinion. I didnt feel like I was given the chance to connect to them and so felt detached from the story. Honestly... all the characters actually got on my nerves and frustrated me 😂 .

I would recommend this book if you:
- are a twin or like reading about twins
- don't mind a slow burn
- enjoy drama
- are not a reader who likes to get emotionally attached
- are looking for a quick easy read

⭐⭐ 2/5 stars

I received this #freebook #eARC from @inkubatorbooks via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A slow paced thriller that doesn't really hit it's stride until half way through. A bit too far fetched for me but likely to be a good light beach read that you can escape in to a fantasy world with.

The author is clearly very talented but I wouldn't say this was the right story for her to use her talent.

Interesting concept.
This wasn't a book I was fully sucking into to. It was a bit of a slow burn but overall was good. Not too sure I would try this author absinthe though.

A real page turner with clever twists even towards the end. A story full of family relationships, marital troubles and murder and mystery, If you like a good thriller, give it a whirl.

Firstly, thank you Netgalley, Inkubator Books, and Lorna Dounaeva for this ARC.

This was a real slow burner with an amazing ending. I am glad I persevered in the end as the conclusion to the book made up for the slow start.

I would definitely read more from this author.

This book was a bit of a slow burner to begin with but I am glad I persevered. The ending was jaw dropping and I didn’t see it coming at all!

When we meet Abbie, the book speeds up. Abbie is not how Mel remembers her. Secrets are revealed and it begins to get really exciting!

Thank you Netgalley, Inkubator Books, and Lorna Dounaeva for this ARC.

I nearly put this book down at first as it was so slow and boring. When we finally meet Abbie, things start to get a little more interesting. She is far from the sister Mel remembers her to be. The story doesn't really pick up until about 60% through. Secrets revealed, the heat turns up, twists in the story begin to unfold.

The final twist was a doozy I did not see coming. It felt a little abrupt and rushed, but it was jaw dropping.

The writing was clean and easy to follow. The characters were a tad flat but overall it was a decent read. However when I got to the end I was very disappointed.

It's easy to get into this story from the get go; I read it in one day. The plot was thin. One of the "reveals" was less than believable. It was difficult to see how anyone would have missed the notoriety of such a scandalous news story especially in this day and age of news media. I had a difficult time believing in this. Even from another country it's hard to miss a story like that. I had also picked up on where the author was going in the plot and thus deduced this would be the explanation. Not surprised and very disappointed that it went in such a predictable direction.

Despite much of the predictability I was still moderately enjoying the read. I had interest in how it would all end, but it doesn't end. Yes, no ending. The last couple chapters were unpleasant on the brain as far fetched stories often are and the epilogue absolutely frustrating. It was at that moment that I realized I wouldn't likely read more from this author.

Considering the decency of the actual writing I think this author could have gone in much better directions with her story. Nonetheless it certainly wasn't a waste of time to have read it. Parts of it were good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an opportunity to read this.