I really enjoyed this book about two identical twin sisters who grow apart as they get older and each have to deal with their own unique set of troubles.

Although not something I would classify as a thriller, the further I got into the book the more I struggled to put it down.

Can’t wait to read more from this author!

I'll Be You follows Sam and Elli - estranged twins, former child stars now adults. Elli has always had her life together, while Sam has been on the hot mess express for years. But suddenly, Elli has disappeared, leaving her adopted child with her parents, who reach out to Sam for help. Only Sam realizes that there's more going on than just a single mom needing a break, and embarks on a crazy messed up adventure to try to find her sister and bring her home.

I really enjoyed the portrayal of Sam and Elli - especially as I listened to this as an audiobook. The narration between the two of them was fantastic, and really highlighted the differences in their personalities and experiences. Their mom sucks, I couldn't stand her! But all in all, this is a wild ride that's very well done and enjoyable.

I’ve read all of Janelle Brown’s books. Brown’s books feature unreliable narrators (such as Gillian Flynn’s books) who are struggling with what it means to be mothers, daughters, and just plain human beings in a misogynistic world. They have aspirations beyond domesticity, and these desires often come in conflict with what the world and their families want them to become. I rated I’ll Be You 5/5 stars.

It's marketed as a thriller, and reads a bit like one, but the plot itself feels more like a family story than anything else. Sure, I was desperate to find out what happened at every turn, but more than that, I was interested in the relationship of these two twin sisters that the story revolves around.

I do wish the switching between perspectives had happened earlier or throughout the book, rather than a significant part of the book being from one twin's perspective before switching to the other, though I understand why that choice was made to build tension and slowly unravel the reveal.

The ending left me wanting more. This story about complex relationships and the extreme bond between these twin sisters was really intriguing but I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending.

This book started off with a great mystery. It grips you through out most of the story as these twin sisters share their points of view in the two parts of the book. I loved the slow unraveling of the whole disappearance. The ending did not do this story any justice. It was extremely anticlimactic. I feel the bold twin would have brought the meek twin justice in a more epic way. The ending is disappointing to me. I thought to myself “that’s it?” All that for that ending?

I wish the book would have gone back and forth more into the twins adolescence. It was a bit of a surface scratch to really explain their downfall and how they wound up where they did. Appreciated the ending.

Very very slow burn. I liked it, didn’t love it. Again, slow burn which I typically
DNF but I stuck with it and it was solid 3.5 stars.

While this isn’t a straight up thriller-(it’s more suspenseful than anything) I still found it to be really fast paced and tense anyway especially as there are a lot of unanswered questions about where Elli is, but really that’s just the beginning here. All of that to say, the story itself was intriguing enough but where this really stood out for me was in the characterization. Elli and Sam narrate in alternate chapters so you get to know both of them and the author does such an in depth character study you really feel like you know them very well by the time you finish.

Thanks for the review copy. I thought it was a good book overall. I I just didn’t like the cult parts.

Identical twins Sam and Elli were child actors and very close. As adults, they've grown so far apart Sam, still an aspiring actress, has no idea Elli's supposedly perfect marriage has blown up and Elli is the mother of a two-year old adopted daughter. When their father calls Sam for help, she pulls herself together to care for her niece and try to discover what happened to her sister.

Elli claimed she was going to a spa in the area but Sam is unable to contact her. Or even to speak with anyone at the spa. Sam needs to figure out if Elli is recovering from her husband's desertion, if she really wants to be at the spa, or if something more sinister is going on.

Jannelle Brown does an good job weaving in family relationships and narrator Julia Whelan aptly voices the characters.

Recommended for fans of contemporary women's fiction.

Janelle Brown never disappoints! I read this in one sitting. The relationship between the main character, Sam, and her twin sister, Elli, is heartwarming. They drifted about, but Sam will go to any lengths to find her sister when she goes missing. This story, IMO, doesn't the same-old, same-old thriller plot. The audiobook narrators, Julia Whelan and Kate Rudd, do a fantastic job.

CW: cult abuse

A big thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC.

This was a fun fresh take on the twin storyline, which has been don't quite a bit in recent years. As someone who grew up in the Olsen twins era too, I enjoyed! The way the story was told in altering perspectives is something I really enjoy especially with twins so you get to know their personalities! This was definitely more emotional than I would have predicted, but in a good way. I enjoyed and would recommend

I’LL BE YOU follows twin sisters and former child TV stars Sam & Elli into their adult lives. The sisters followed two different paths in their lives following Hollywood. Then Elli goes missing. On Sam’s path to find her sister, she learns not everything is what it seems and her sister may not be the person she thinks she was.

What I liked:
-the reader understood the character’s motivations, even if the actions were questionable or just plain outlandish
-commentary on sister bonds and the length someone will go to for their family

What I didn’t like:
-Pacing: most of the action occurred in the last quarter of the book
-Some unrealistic twists

I LOVE a good book about a cult, and I absolutely loved Janelle Brown's unique twist on the traditional cult story, with the twist of estranged twin sisters, a mystery adopted child and a history of child acting to create endless surprises in where the plot kept turning.

Without giving anything at all away, I will say that I went into this relatively blind, and I would totally suggest that for readers on this one. I really enjoyed not being exactly sure where the story was headed, and I was pleasantly surprised by how complex the mystery in the middle of this plot really was.

The pacing is spot on, and the movement between twins perspectives added the exact right level of revealing the stories secrets at the exact right times.

I couldn't have enjoyed this more, and it proves why I will be a life-long Janelle Brown fan!

I appreciate the chance to read and review this book. I have previously enjoyed her work. I liked this story but didn't love it. There were parts that resonated and felt plausible to me and other parts less so. This story will suit some readers more than it did me. It was okay without wowing me.

#IllBeYou #NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroup

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Random House and Janelle Brown for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

The book had a lot of potential with its interesting premise of a child celebrity struggling with addiction and the pressure that comes with fame. However, the author tried to tackle too many issues at once, which made the story feel disjointed and overwhelming. The family relationships between the twin sisters were intriguing, but they were overshadowed by the protagonist's addiction and recovery journey. While the writing was decent, I found myself struggling to stay engaged with the story. Overall, the book was okay, but it wasn't really entertaining. The author's attempt to address too many issues at once made the story feel cluttered and prevented me from fully connecting with the characters.

I love the twisty nature of all of Brown's books and this one, about identical twins, hit the mark again. Brown is such a skilled writer that I find myself getting lost in both her prose and characters, and this one was propulsive and fun. Recommend!

Listen, I’ll be real quick with this review, because I believe it’s mostly the marketing team’s fault, and not the author. This is marketed as a twisty thriller. Which, for me, means it’s a thrilling book with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. I don’t know, maybe it’s me, but that’s what I come to expect when you sell something to me saying “twisty thriller”.
I have no idea what the twists were supposed to be, because to me the whole thing seemed pretty obvious, and the only thing that was not that predictable, wasn’t predictable because there had been no hints, no foreshadowing that could lead you to think about it in any way.
This book was just plain boring. When you write about twins there are so many things you could do, even if you decide to write a cult story (that, in my opinion, are generally boring). The possibilities are endless, and this author didn’t go there in the slightest.
Also, there were both the sisters’ POVs and you couldn’t tell them apart. The whole point of this was that while they looked extremely alike, they were very different people. Well, you should show me that, not just tell me. I want to feel their differences even in their voices.
Moreover, they were both extremely annoying people. They did not have many characteristics, to be completely fair, but those they had were grating on my nerves, and I did not care for them or for what happened to them. They could have died and I wouldn’t have cared.
The plot, as I said, was predictable. This doesn’t add anything new to the cult fiction subgenere, and this certainly doesn’t add anything to the thriller genre, since it’s not one.
The writing was also extremely basic and bad, as far as I am concerned. The pacing was off, as I said the voices were not distinct and the prose was just very bland. Nothing exciting.
I honestly would not recommend this in the slightest. If you like cult stories, I assure you there are better ones. Personally, I am not a fan of those, but I think that The Project by Courtney Summers is a better one, for example, and you should try that instead.
Or you could pick up some non fiction about IDK Scient*logy, which would not only be more interesting, but could help prevent you or someone you know being scammed by them. I have an agenda against them, as everyone should, and this is my suggestion.
That is going to be all, sorry for the short review, but I honestly have nothing more to say.

Thank you Netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Janelle Brown's latest novel, "I'll Be You," is an absorbing and emotionally charged exploration of identity, family dynamics, and the power of secrets.

Here we have a set of identical twins who couldn't be more different from each other. One is a screw-up and the other has a seemingly perfect life. One year ago, Sam and Elli had a big fallout and haven't spoken since then. Sam then decided to get a hold of her life and started her recovery from alcoholism. When her mother calls her to ask her to come and help with her new niece, Sam thinks it's the chance to finally make up with her sister. She then discovers that her sister's seemingly perfect life might not be so perfect.

I really liked this book. Although it's categorized as a thriller (and it does have some thriller aspects), I think this is more a family drama exploring the complexities of being a twin and having your our identity. Janelle Brown has crafted a captivating story that reminds us of the importance of embracing our true selves and the power of authenticity. With its well-drawn characters, intricate plot, and skillful exploration of identity and family, "I'll Be You" is a must-read.