Member Reviews

I need to become attached to characters to truly enjoy a book and "I'll Be You" did not disappoint for me. Elli and Sam's relationship through the years is up and down, tumultuous and desperate. They each wanted the other to be happy and sacrificed their own wants for the other but addiction and misunderstanding sent them off course in such a way there seemed to be no way back to one another.

As for the cult aspect of the book, it's obvious the Author did her due diligence in her research! I've had personal experience in this area, albeit not anywhere NEAR as drastic as in this book, but so many things ring true and struck a bit of a nerve while reading.

I'm not going to give anything away but I was VERY pleased with how the book ended. I loved the backstory, new relationships, possibility for whatever could come after the ending and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I'd definitely recommend!

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After a big fight, identical twins Sam and Elli haven't spoken in a year. Suddenly, their mom calls on Sam to come help care for Sam's niece while Elli is having a relaxing week at an exclusive spa. Sam becomes suspicious after Elli doesn't come home when expected. What has Elli gotten herself into?

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This is a slow burn story following identical twins that are pretty opposite. They started out as child stars but when they left the starlight one headed to typical suburb life and the other struggled with addiction. One of the twins disappears and so the other tries to track her down while uncovering quite a few secrets.

I really don’t like to read about cults so it wasn’t surprising that I really didn’t like those parts. I did find there was an excessive amount of detail about them which caused me to lose interest. Also the part involving Charlotte seemed pretty far fetched. Then all of a sudden the story ends rather abruptly and too neatly.

This one was a miss for me. I loved Pretty Things but I didn’t find this one similar at all.

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⭐️Mini Review⭐️

Finished this one last night (thank you @randomhouse) and I want to be clear that this is not a thriller at all.

I’d call this more of a VERY light suspense with a huge focus on Sam & Elli’s upbringing and personal development as twins. I really enjoyed this one and how we watched how being twins (and very different personalities) effected the choices of both sisters.

I love JB’s books but happy she did not make this as long as Pretty Things. So please go into this knowing it’s a slow burn, but a really well written story! Out 4/26!

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Clear your schedules! I could not put this book down! Every page was a different twist! I am definitely recommending this book to everyone I know. Two identical twin child stars go different ways in life and I love the way the book ended!

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Janelle Brown is a master at suspense. She is able to weave an intricate story full of twists and turns where you just can't wait to see how it ends. Ever since I read Watch Me Disappear and it blew my mind, I have been a loyal fan.

I'll Be You is no different. Elli and Sam are identical twin sisters, as children they were child stars - think Mary Kate & Ashley Olson. They share roles for years but as teenagers they begin to drift apart. Sam wants to delve into her acting career and Elli just wants a normal life, a regular college experience, etc.

Now, Sam is an addict, estranged from her family, when she gets a call from her parents asking them to come help with their niece while her sister is away. From here we are sucked into the family drama, the triumphs and disappointments leaving them at a place where Sam didn't even know she had a niece. After some digging, some investigating, she learns that her sister has been sucked into a cult and all is not okay.

This book is twisty and full of suspense. If you like books about twins - this is it. If you like books about cults - this is it. This one kept me turning pages until the end. It has themes of alcohol and addiction. This is a solid suspense novel that will have a broad appeal due to many themes throughout the book such as addiction, alcohol, twins, and of course cults!

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What a great twin story! This was full of twists, turns, cults, and relationships.
I loved this quick read - It was well done and moved fast.
Thankful for the ARC

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Sam and Elli are identical twins whose stint as child actresses affected the two very different paths their lives would take. Sam revels in the spotlight, and her arc follows a path of addiction and destructive behavior that all-too-frequently plagues child actors. Elli would have preferred to be a normal, non-famous kid, and her adult life goes down a more ordinary path. That is, until Elli drops her toddler off with her parents to go off on a women’s retreat but doesn’t return as planned. Sam is determined to get to the bottom of Elli’s disappearance.

“I’ll Be You” is a skillful blend of suspense and family drama. Deep and thought-provoking, it delves into tough topics like substance abuse, dysfunctional families, and psychological manipulation. The story is a bit of a slow burn with a lot of exposition and flashbacks to set up the current day situation, but it’s necessary in order for the reader to understand how Sam and Elli got to where they are in their lives. While not a typical psychological thriller, there's definitely a creep factor and enough plot twists to keep this suspense-loving gal turning the pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me an advance copy of this book.

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The story is an intriguing one: a twin, who has suffered through alcohol and drug addiction and who has been estranged from her sister for more than a year, goes to search for her sibling who may be held by a cult-like group against her will. Nonetheless, I found this to be a good read, but not a great one. Too many unrealistic happenings and coincidences, and the ending was too abrupt and anticlimatic. I liked the storyline well enough, but overall this just didn’t really do it for me.

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My first read by this author, who is certainly an excellent writer. She took the interesting subject of identical twins and their tendency to trade places, and turned it into an interesting psychological drama.
Set in Santa Barbara and LA, with a movie career thrown in, and it was a entertaining. But when one twin goes off the grid and her sister tries to pick up the pieces, the story really gets interesting.
This is more than a novel about twins, but their families, friends and also the flaws from living with someone so alike but completely different than you.
Janelle Brown is a wonderful storyteller, develops great characters and keeps you hooked from start to finish. My thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Janelle Brown for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

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I really enjoyed Pretty Things by Janelle Brown but I thought I'll Be You was just average. I was very intrigued by the concept of identical twins pretending to be their twin; however, I had a difficult time getting invested in the whole cult storyline. Not only wasn't the book very twisty, I thought that it was fairly predictable. The ending did not satisfy me. I thought everything was wrapped up rather abruptly.

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I'll Be You is told through the dual perspective of identical twins! This is a twisty psychological thriller that will keep you up all night to finish it! Strong themes involved and the ending shocked me!

*Thank you so much to the publishers for gifting me an early release copy to give an honest review. My opinions are my own*

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Quite a great read about two sisters, each with their own issues. Gorgeous twins Sam and Elli grew up as child stars and the Hollywood scene took its toll on Sam making her descend into a drug-riddled abyss and subsequently fractured her relationship with her sister.
Now, years later, Sam is finally getting her life back on track. However, when her father calls her one day to help out with a two year old niece that she didnt even know she had, Sam starts to find out that while she was lost in her own issues, Elli wasnt far off either.

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Overall, this was a good book. I felt like I was missing certain elements to make it just a little more exciting and intriguing. We follow Sam as she tries to find her twin sister Ellie. Ellie's husband left her, she adopted a kid, and now, she's been at a "wellness retreat" way longer than planned. Sam begins to think that maybe her sister is in a cult. I liked the premise of this book, but I wish the book focused more on the cult aspect instead of all the flashbacks.

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Another great book by Janelle Brown! Wonderful character development of these twin sisters and the book is written from both their voices. The theme of a cult is very timely...with the recent real life activities. Definitely less of my typical mystery or thriller (although there are definitely some big surprises) but a story which keeps you engaged and it's very hard to put down.

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I’m not going to lie, I loved this book from beginning to end. The tale of sisterhood and the bond between twins that falls apart and comes back together. I loved seeing the perspective of both Elli and Sam and how their successes and failures ultimately brought them back together. I enjoyed that Sam, the unlikely heroine who was addicted to drugs came through for her forever reliable sister who’d fallen down the wrong path of a cult. I rooted for these characters to do right by themselves and in the end I was sobbing alongside them.

I was gifted an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I have mixed feelings about this mystery involving twin sisters who have a history of impersonating each other. The plot was fast moving, and I wanted to see how things played out, but there was a lot going on. And some of it was a little far fetched. Overall, it was ok, but I think I liked the author's previous novels slightly more.

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Janelle Brown does it again!!!! Grabbed me from page 1. Estranged twins, giving Sweet Valley High, cults, Hollywood child actors, truly could not put it down. Everyone is messy and real and terrible but in that human person way. Every time I was like “that person sucks” it was like “true but it’s complicated”. Janelle Brown is an automatic read for me now.

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There are many stories about twins, this book packs several topics into a dramatic family tale. It's an interesting slant on twins who occasionally trade personalities with a secret hand signal. The early years are set in Hollywood where young twins Samantha and Eleanor are child actresses. The distinct nature of this business, along with their new-age Mother and remote Father, defines separate destructive futures for both.
Sam enjoys acting, Elli would rather be a normal kid in school with playmates. After their semi-famous stint ends they chose different lifestyles. Elli marries Chuck and spends lots of time and money to conceive the baby she's obsessed to have.
Sam spirals into an endless cycle of drug and alcohol addiction, one-night stands, rehab, group therapy, and meetings.
Elli tries to help, even pays for more rehab. Sam repays her with a despicable betrayal and they become estranged.
Their mother is oblivious to life happening around her. Her character reminded me of a generation of women who where raised to smile, ignore, deny, bury their head in the sand and pretend if you don't acknowledge "it", it didn't happen. I knew some of those ladies.
Elli is not happy despite Chuck's support and the adoption of two year old Charlotte. Chuck throws in the towel and moves out. She searches for answers, meaning and purpose. This leads her to GenFem, a womens power organization, run by Dr. Cindy Medina. She disappears to join this movement and finds herself deep into an even worse situation.
There is action, suspense, emotional family dynamics and surprising twists. I found myself holding my breath through some harrowing scenes. I was rooting for most of the characters and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I had not read anything by this author previously, but will watch for her next endeavor.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Janelle Brown and to Random House for the advance digital copy of "I'll Be You". These are my personal thoughts and opinions, given voluntarily.

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I really enjoyed "Pretty Things" and was excited when I saw she had a new book coming out. She had me at cults. A lot of this book drew inspiration from such groups like Synanon, Scientology and NXIVM.

Once the plot picked up I finished it within a few days. I was eager to learn more about GenFem and Dr Cindy and where little Charlotte came from. This book did not disappoint. Definitely read if you love cults and thrillers.

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