“I’ll be You” by Janelle Brown is a psychological thriller about two identical twin sisters, Elli and Sam. Elli goes missing and the plot is centered around Sam trying to piece together what has happened to her. Overall, this is a exciting thriller and I enjoyed it immensely.

Sam and Elli were your normal twin girls until they were discovered and became child stars. While acting wasn’t Elli’s favorite, she went along with it out of love for her sister. It helped that they could trade places every once in a while too! As adults, the two aren’t talking over Sams addiction issues, until their parents call Sam for help with her niece when Ellie disappears on a retreat and doesn’t return. While their parents think she just needs more time away, Sam can tell something is going on. She just needs to prove it.

One of the scariest things as a bookstagrammer is a new book by a favorite author. Especially when you have become fairly friendly with the author on bookstagram and consider them a friend. Lucky for me, there was no need for fear when Janelle Brown is wielding the pen! I am always fascinated by the connection twins have, and was always jealous I didn’t have a twin myself to trade places with! It would have been extra nice if I had a twin that was good at math! I was so invested in both Sam and Elli’s story, both the past and present. I also just adored sweet little Charlotte and how she quickly won over Sam and turned her into a true caregiver. I don’t want to say or give away too much, but I really loved this book!

This book is a perfect blend of Shari Lapina and Jodi Piccoult’s genre and style, but remains true to Brown’s in-depth look at relationships showcasing fantastic characters!

Janelle Brown reminds us that we are all only one choice away from a completely different life.

“You be me, and I’ll be you.”

Despite being indistinguishable in every way and born only 11 minutes apart, Elli and Sam are two very different people. The girls tried to hide it well and overcompensated by making concessions or finding a happy medium. As they matured, the compromise drove them apart rather than brought them closer together. One turned to substance abuse and one pursued perfectionism. Alone, neither road taken ended up to a good destination. How can twins go 379 days without speaking to each other?

This book explores identical twins and former child actors who have grown apart. When one disappears, the other is forced to confront the secrets they’ve kept from each other.

What is it about twins that fascinates us? I was intrigued and drawn to this book which highlights their struggle with identity and individuality despite sharing the same DNA. Brown, known for her ability to dissect complicated female relationships, does a deep dive into behind the scenes of child stars and the dangers of Hollywood as well as give readers a twisty journey unravelling sibling bonds. Brown’s deeply flawed characters have such authenticity that I felt I already knew them. Her descriptions of the twin’s mother were so vivid, I felt like I was staring at her on the page. The plot, told from both Elli and Sam’s point of view, is creative and highlights manipulation and dysfunction as well as highlighting the psychological manipulation of cults and what pulls people towards them. Yes, I was interested in how Hollywood influences child stars. Yes, I was interested in how cults lure innocent people. BUT…it was the twins’ connection to each other, despite being stretched thin over the years, that held my attention.

This is another winner for Janelle Brown. The dichotomy of a twin relationship is put under the microscope as she writes to show readers their intimate and innate connection.

I used to love watching Full House with Mary Kate and Ashley when I was babysitting. How ironic that I should finish this book today and hear about the twins’ TV dad’s death!

I was gifted this advance copy by Janelle Brown, Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This book was so much more interesting and entertaining than I expected it to be. There’s a lot going on with the twin main characters, and it’s easy to empathize with both. There are one or two plot points that are a bit far-fetched, but if you are able to suspend your disbelief, I think this story works as a complex family drama. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At one point in time, we've all wondered what it would be like to have an identical twin- someone who would be our de facto best friend and always take our side. That's how things begin in this book, but the twins grow up, grow apart, and lose touch. This is the story of twins who struggle to find each other again- both emotionally and physically. Without saying too much, it's a twisty tale of secrets, losing control, and trying to relate to someone with your DNA who is so completely different.

This starts off interestingly enough but I hated where the plot goes. I couldn’t connect with the characters and the prose was a bit flat. Not my favorite.

4.5/5

I don’t know what I expected, but this story really grew on me. DEFINITELY a slow burn. A bit far fetched but I enjoyed it.

Elli and Sam are identical twins who are former child stars fast forward Sam is a recovering addict one year sober and Elli has left her adopted daughter in the care of their parents. Something doesn’t feel right to Sam and she decides to play detective.

I really wanted this Janelle Brown book to be like her last one (seriously, go read it) but it was completely different. Just as enjoyable, just an intriguing, but definitely different. This is not a mystery or thriller in the traditional sense, but more of a family drama. I did quite enjoy it and finished it quickly.

This is one of the BEST books I've read (and I read a lot!). The storyline is intense and original, the pace is great, the character development is excellent. I could not put this book down! The plot was strong from start to finish with some great twists and turns. The writing is so good and creates vivid word pictures - several times I found myself thinking that it reminds me of Jodi Picoult's books. This book makes you think in all the best ways - I'm still thinking about the characters even after I've finished the book. I think I have found a new favorite author!

Secrets, lies, bad decisions, and unbelievable surprises - what else could go on between the identical twins Sam and Ellie.

Sam and Ellie were childhood movie stars, but even though identical, they were completely different. Sam loved being a child star, but Ellie didn't.

As adults Ellie was the responsible one and Sam was still struggling and recovering from drug and alcohol abuse.

The day Sam got a phone call from her parents to come home and help them watch Ellie’s daughter Charlotte, the secrets and surprises unravel. When did Ellie have a child?

I’LL BE YOU takes the reader back and forth in time explaining the lives of the twins as children and present day. Be aware that alcoholism, cults, control, abuse, and manipulation are part of this book.

I enjoyed the present-day chapters the best, but the back ground chapters were needed to understand present day.

I also went back and forth with liking the book and then not liking it. As the surprises became revealed, I leaned more toward liking it, but still wavered until the end even though it was a creative story line.

This book is filled with family drama along with some unlawful and tense situations and decisions.

The ending is very tense, and the cult business was frightening and upsetting. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Do you like stories about cults?
What about complicated sister relationships?
Were you a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen fan growing up?
All yes?

Cool. Then you’ll love this thriller novel, I’ll Be You, just as much as I did. 👯‍♀️

It’s about identical twins, who were childhood TV stars but drift apart in adulthood. There is a wild twin, and a dependable twin. One goes down the road of addiction, and the other is married and working on starting a family…until she goes missing leaving behind a young child and no clear clues to where she is or when she will return, leaving her sister scrambling for answers.

This book was incredibly addicting. I didn’t want to put it down. I read it when I was stopped in the car at red lights. I inhaled it and thought the writing was a perfect blend of artistry and mystery.

Identical twin sisters Ellie and Sam had careers as child actors until their teen years, when Ellie wanted out. Sam loved the attention, so much that she would sometimes pretend to be Ellie because child actors can only be on set for so many hours. They were so good at pretending to be each other that they could even fool their parents.

Now as adults, Ellie has become a suburban wife and, now that she adopted a two-year-old, she’s the mother she always wanted to be. Sam got a addicted to pills by her makeup artist when she was 13, and of course, until one sobers up, addiction only leads one way. Sam is finally clean, but her stints in and out of rehab and her endless downward spiral took a toll on her relationship with her sister. Now, Ellie seems to have disappeared, and their aging mother needs help caring for the rambunctious two-year-old Charlotte.

Though Sam is only called in to be a babysitter, she knows something is wrong. Ellie wouldn’t just abandoned her child for a never-ending spa trip.

This is told from both sister’s points of view. I had a really hard time reading Ellie’s side of things. At least Sam has been working on her issues and knows what they are. Ellie just makes all sorts of terrible decisions.

This is gripping. I liked both characters despite their poor life choices.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES APRIL 26, 2022.

Twin stories are often of interest to me and this was no exception. Lots of psychological manipulation and dysfunction going on through out the book. The story itself was not really a thriller but an interesting story with a predictable end.

Ying and yang- identical twins Sam and Elli are so alike yet so different. After being child stars for playing one role (ala Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen), Sam wants to pursue acting and becomes a struggling alcoholic. Elli just wants to fit in and disappear and follows a more traditional path, marrying a safe guy and starting a floral business. Sam is the screw up and Elli's life is perfect- but neither of these things is completely true. When Elli goes on a retreat and leaves her newly adopted toddler daughter with her parents, Sam is called in to help with Charlotte and try to repair her family relationships- and find the strangely missing Elli. Who might have accidently joined a cult (this is not a spoiler- it's in the synopsis.)

This book is faster paced and just a good, solid, well-built thriller. Brown tells the story from one perspective and then switches to the other perspective mid-way (like in Pretty Things); clearly this formula works well for her. Despite this not really being a mystery or a thriller, readers who like those books will like this. I really enjoyed this one (and only had to suspend belief a little) and would highly recommend this to lovers of Julie Clark or Lisa Lutz.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

LOVED this story of twins, Sam and Ellie! This makes me wish I had a twin sister to link my life and heart to!

Sam and Ellie grew up as twins do, sharing almost everything and developing their own language. They were childhood actors who sometimes switched identities. As they grew up and matured, their lives took different turns, and they drifted in and out of each other's lives. But that twin identity that somehow drew them together, even in the worst of times. and the ability to switch identities saved their lives.

I'll Be You is the story of recovery, of cults, and ultimately of the strange and unfailing love of twins sisters. It's incredibly well written - I couldn't put it down! Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review I'll Be You.

Having never read a Janelle Brown book before, I was unexpectedly surprised by how good this was. There have been a few psychological suspenses centering around twins, but this one has a unique, fresh take. The book has three sections, two of which are narrated by one twin and the other by the second twin. In this manner, readers were able to see two sides of the situation and it was brilliant. There are a lot of themes covered: cults, kidnapping, alcoholism, with the main theme being what it means to be an identical twin. This is a definite page-turner and it held my interest through the entirety. Fans of Shari LaPena and Gilly Macmillan will be hooked.

This book started out great, but halfway through it started getting bogged down in pages and pages of description. I ended up skipping to the end.

Sam and Elli are identical twin sisters. They were childhood tv stars who are now all grown up and have gone their separate ways. Sam comes back home to help out while Elli goes on a “retreat”. But everything is not as it seems and Sam is determined to figure it out despite having her own struggles. This was an amazing thriller. I really enjoyed it!

Janelle Brown's previous thriller, Pretty Things, was one of my surprising favorite reads of 2021 so I've had I'll Be You on my TBR since I heard she was writing a new thriller! Brown creates the most vivid, flawed and interesting characters. Even though this book wasn't nearly as fast paced and twisty as Pretty Things, I kept turning the pages because I had to know what happened to Sam and Elli.

I'll Be You is about identical twins, Sam and Elli, who were child actresses. Sam loved being in the spotlight, Elli did not. Elli seamlessly adjusted to a life post-fame, Sam did not... They have a falling out and haven't spoken in over a year. Elli abruptly gets divorced, adopts a 2 year old daughter and goes MIA at some kind of "wellness retreat." Sam returns home to help her parents watch Elli's daughter while also trying to figure out what's going on with her sister.

The novel alternates between chapters in the present and chapters detailing the twin's childhood and rise to fame. This structure gets the reader inside the head of both Sam and Ellie and you can really connect the dots between their experiences as child stars and how each girl ended up where they are now.

My only critique is that I'll Be You wasn't as thrilling as I expected, especially on the heels of Pretty Things. There are some interesting twists and turns and a creepy cult but personally, I felt that plotline took a backseat. This was more like a domestic drama about twins, personal identity and the ripple effect of choices in our youth. The characters were so strong that I still really enjoyed reading but I expected a faster paced story. I wish the concept of "I'll Be You" and twins switching places was highlighted more in the present storyline as well.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves family dramas and/or is interested in the reality behind child actors. Thank you to Net Galley for providing a free e-ARC of this book!

"I'll Be You" is a compelling novel centering around two identical twin sisters named Sam and Ellie. Both were child actresses whose lives took dramatically different turns as they entered adulthood. Sam is called to her parents' home to help look after her niece Charlotte when her mother doesn't come back from what was supposed to be a long weekend away. The story is told from the perspective of both sisters. First there is Sam's investigation into what happened to her sister and then there is Ellie's saga which details how her attempts to become a stronger person independent of her sister have led her down a rabbit hole. It was fascinating to read the backstory from both sisters' perspectives to see how the twins' struggle with individuality versus sameness shaped them into the people they became. This is definitely a book that is hard to put down!