Una responses to an advert for a live-in companion position for an older lady. Arriving for the interview, Una finds the gorgeous stately house is named “The Cuckoo’s Nest,” which sets the tone of this twisty family tale. Una first runs into Kathryn, Elpeth’s daughter, who isn’t pleased her mother is hiring a companion when she can do the job herself. Elspeth insists she needs a “young” companion, completely dismissing her daughter, setting up a ripe tension-filled workplace for Una.

Una soon realizes she looks very similar to the girls who worked before her and the family within the house are full of secrets. Coming home late one night, Una spies someone standing in her window of her locked bedroom, watching her. Sounds creepy; however, the storytelling gives too much away with the rotating POV, even told from the person watching the companions who met tragic ends to their employment with Elspeth.

Elpeth’s previous companion Jemima mysteriously disappeared after only lasting three months. The girl before her, Matilda, was killed in a hit-and-run. The police show up, questioning Jemima’s disappearance, informing Elspeth and Kathryn that Jemima has been found, and she’s dead. They were the last people to see her alive. Una’s determined to find out the truth so she doesn’t become just like the other girls.

The first half of the book comes across strong, mostly told from Una’s POV. Resentment, mind games, manipulation, and jealousy between the mother and daughter drives this story rather than suspense and creepy vibes. Yet, continued and odd placement of far-fetched behaviors weakens the story. Elspeth’s actions for one, like her forcing Una to stare at her naked body as she pretends she’s more frail than she is and taking Una’s shirt to sleep with, which gives a false narrative of possible sexual molestation in the past with her daughters. Una’s behavior also becomes unrealistic as the story unfolds and she comes across incriminating evidence. She only makes phones calls, and um, takes no photos to pass on to the police of Jemima’s belonging, which mother and daughter told the police she took the day she left? Mind you, Una’s life is in danger, so this is odd, considering her generation documents everything with photos! And why does she suddenly trust the strangers around her?

After the first part comes to an abrupt end, we jump into the second part and the story really swings into the far-fetched side. Every character is tied to the ending, each a moving part that’s not necessary. A lot of side characters get throw in the path as the possible murderer, but it’s cluttered storytelling after this tale loses the building tension from the abrupt first part ending. Una’s voice was the strongest and a complete story could have been told just from her perspective alone, revealing truly disturbing psychological mother-daughter power plays where everyone in their path loses, which is the “cuckoo” story first promised at the beginning, yet didn’t materialize.

Thank you NetGalley and HarpersCollins Publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This synopsis had me saying, “I need to read this!”

A rich elderly woman needing a carer who stays on the premises. The suspense and thrilling tale was good. The character development was really good and intensity amazing… until we got to part 2.

I got frustrated with the twist of the part 2. It almost felt like two different stories out into one novel. The character development was minimal in part 2 and the bridge to part 1 and 2 was held together by a single character.

The ending made up for some of it. Which is why I’m giving it an overall 3.5 star rating

I’ve been on a roll with really good thrillers and this one disappointed me. It was anticlimactic. There was a little suspense but it fell flat for me. The characters did some silly things that made this predictable. I also felt like this book was unnecessarily long.

Thank you NetGley and Harper Perennial for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: Jan 11

My first book by the author, I enjoyed the fast pace and the storyline and found it easy to read. I found the characters kind of annoying with the foolish decisions they made especially when people were actually dying but other than that I quite enjoyed it.

Una starts a job as a carer for an old woman when she is jolted by the news that the two girls previously in her position are dead. She needs to find out the truth before she ends up like them. I felt like the ending was predictable and I didn't feel connected to any of the characters. However, it was a pretty easy read and still kept my attention.

Just Like the Other Girls is a gothic psychological thriller from Claire Douglas.
The story takes place mainly in a beautiful mansion where Una, who is mourning the death of her mother and the betrayal of her boyfriend Vince, has signed on as a live-in caretaker / companion of the elderly (yet very capable) Elspeth.
Una find the job a bit boring aside from the sniping from Elspeth's daughter Katherine until she discovers that there has been a string of caretakers who have gone missing before her. Add in that Elspeth's oldest daughter Viola is not to be mentioned in her vicinity and Una decides she needs to get to the bottom of what is really going on at the mansion.

A twisty gothic thriller. I love the atmosphere and was drawn in by the mystery. The ending was plausible but perhaps a bit too bright for such a gothic tail. Recommended for those who like a dark and twisty mystery taking place in the gothic house setting. #NetGalley #JustLikeTheOtherGirls

This premise is great - an elderly woman (who is perfectly capable of getting around when she wants to) has decided she needs a live-in caretaker. Her adopted daughter, Kathryn, can and does help out, but her mother, Elspeth, insists she needs someone unencumbered by a family, and begins a search for a younger girl to assist her.

First, there was Matilde, who was killed in a hit-and-run. Then, Jemima, who just left one day, and was never heard from again. That’s where Una comes in: she desperately needs a job and a place to stay, she has experience in geriatric care, and she’s ecstatic when she actually gets the job.

Una notices that Kathryn and Elspeth seem to have a strained relationship, and she also sees that Kathryn doesn’t seem to want her around at all. But Elspeth loves her, she’s getting paid very well, she likes the other staff in the house, so she doesn’t worry about the cold daughter and the two caretakers who died before her … but she probably should have.

This was an engrossing read, with a great plot and excellent characters. I think my only complaint was that some parts were quite predictable and the ending started to get really dramatic and implausible out of nowhere. There was another twist afterwards that halfway made up for it, but the ending might have had more impact had it been more simple. Still, a very good read and a solid four stars.

(Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, Claire Douglas and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

I was riveted right away by this thriller and never saw the twists coming! Each time I thought I’d solved the mystery, there was another surprise (and I do mean every time!) that kept me reading well into the night.

Una is an endearing and optimistic narrator, with just enough naïveté for the reader to pick up on the occasional hint before she does. She genuinely wants to assume the best of those around her even when she’s suspicious or scared, which makes you root for her all the more.

Just Like The Other Girls follows Una, a young girl, who feels all alone in the world. Una's life is at an all time low after losing her mother and having her boyfriend betray her. Her only solace is with her good friend Courtney. While looking through her local newspaper one day discovers an advertisement that could change her life around; a caretaker position with a good salary and the location of the job is even more alluring. She immediately applies as a live-in caretaker for wealthy 79-year-old Elspeth Mackenzie. But, Espeth’s daughter Kathryn doesn’t like Una and that makes Una’s job as Espeth’s caretaker even harder. The longer she is there she begins to question her safety after she discovers that the two caretakers prior ended up dead in suspicious circumstances. She seeks help from her friend Courtney and together they uncover a series of secrets and lies. Is it too late for Una to get out safely? Who can she really trust?

I am blown away by the author’s ability to trick me. I totally thought I had figured out what was going on but I was wrong … way wrong.

I read this in one day because it was sooooo good! This book is creepy and addictive from the first page. The plot and storyline were clever, the characters in the book were full of good and bad surprises, and the twists and turns of this book were *chefs kiss*. I haven’t read any of Claire’s other books but am making sure to read more of her work soon!

For anyone looking for a strong addictive psychological thriller look no further!

Thank you to Netgalley and Claire Douglas for this ARC.

When Una answers an advertisement for in home care, it all seems great until she realizes every girl before her ended up dead. I really enjoyed this one and felt after the first few chapters I was getting a picture of what was going on, but there were several pretty good twists that I didn’t see coming. It has great imagery (can I go live in a mansion in the UK please?), and was totally spooky. Definitely recommend for my fellow thriller fans!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-galley in exchange for my honest review!

Claire Douglas is a pro at the slow-burning atmospheric thriller, and this is an excellent addition to her work. I thoroughly enjoyed this! Very easy to read, feels like a guilty pleasure.

Sinister and creepy! Really loved the setting and not super predictable. Twists but not too twisty!

Just Like The Other Girls is a fantastic book. Claire Douglas weaves a masterful story that kept me guessing till the end. I loved the setting, the characters, and the story plot. I also loved how the book was split into part one and two and how the first part leaves off at a cliffhanger.

There is nothing here I can point out as being obviously bad or even unpleasant, but boy did this one drag for me. So, anyway, it was fine. There was some light misdirection to keep things moderately interesting.

#JustLiketheOtherGirls
Wow...I was not expecting this one. It is a psychological freeway. It wasn't until the end of the book that I really understood what was going on. It has a definite plot twist, but done in a way that leaves the reader feeling okay about not knowing for sure.

There is just something about British authors that I love and Claire Douglas has knocked this one out of the park!

I’m a huge fan of Claire Douglas’ thrillers. I loved this one as well. It was original, suspenseful and I loved the characters. I didn’t see the ending coming, it was a complete surprise. Great book!

Adrift and alone, Una accepts a job as a”ladies companion” to wealthy Elspeth Mckenzie. At first it seems like a great job in a comfortable setting, but soon the cracks begin to show. Elspeth has a daughter, Kathryn, Una can’t help wonder why she doesn’t take care of her own mother. Kathryn doesn’t like Una at all and makes reference to other women who have worked for her mother in the past, women that Elspeth and Kathryn refuse to talk about, women who seem to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Douglas builds a creepy, gothic atmosphere in this domestic thriller