"I*'ll Be There "is an engaging, character driven book that falls somewhere in between a mystery/thriller and general fiction. It is the story of twin sisters, Sam and Elli who have a close bond but also a estrangement which has prevented the sisters from speaking in over a year. Sam is the wild child, a struggling alcoholic and someone who strives for the spotlight. Elli is more quiet and passive and has always been torn between wanting to please her sister and wanting to please herself. The book begins when Sam's mom calls her and says that Elli has gone to a self-help retreat and has not returned and she needs help taking care of Charlotte, a little girl Sam didn't know her sister had. Sam becomes concerned when her sister doesn't answer her texts and at the same time she begins to think about the past and how the sisters ended up so far apart.

The book is told through Sam's viewpoint for most of the book and we learn how the sisters became child actresses, a career which worked for Sam more than Elli. Sam turned to drugs and alcohol while Elli married and became a florist. In the present day story, we slowly find out Elli has become part of a cult, and now it is Elli's turn to save her twin. Books about cults are always fascinating to me, especially when we see how easy it is to lure troubled people into believing in their methods. The last third of the book is partially from the viewpoint of Elli where we find out how and why she became a victim to this evil cult. I really liked the idea of the sisters working together to save Elli and to finally have the supportive and adult relationship they needed to survive. I enjoyed this book and it's themes of sisterhood, forgiveness and starting over as well as the mystery portions regarding the cult.

5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I would definitely be recommending this book to readers on my Instagram bookstagram account.

This thriller started off amazing. I was very invested and couldn't put it down. The ending kind of ruined it for me though. I didn't feel like there was much of an ending for me. I wanted more. Overall I didn't enjoy reading this book.

I really enjoyed this title. I liked the twists and turns and the writing style is nice and smooth. The story flows well and kept my attention. Thank you for the opportunity to read this title. I will be recommending this one to friends.

I'll Be You A Novel by Janelle Brown. Random House Publishing Group, 2022.

Identical twins Sam and Elli grow up as child actors; Sam wants to be famous while Elli just wants to be normal. As their differences emerge, each tries to compensate for strengths the other lacks, leading to an irrevocable relationship breakdown.

Readers’ sympathy for to the sisters’ situations will grow stronger as details of their victimization and multiple, separate, and overlapping crimes, emerge.

There is a lot going on in this book. Well-written and easy to follow despite a complex plot told from the perspective of each; one surprise after another. Warmly recommended.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of I’ll Be You for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #IllBeYou #NetGalley.

I was so invested in this fast paced thriller until probably 80%. Then the last 20% was so anticlimactic and the ending was rushed. It left me wanting more!

Janelle Brown has done it again!! I absolutely loved ‘Pretty Things’, it was one of my favorite 2020 reads. When I got an approval for ‘I’ll Be You’, I was ecstatic! I devoured this book in 2 sittings! I read this on my kindle, and I don’t think I have ever highlighted so much of a book. There was just so much good, here.

The story is about identical twin sisters, Sam and Elli. They were once child TV stars and held such a strong bond. They were inseparable, they completed each other. Sam would look back on that time and reflect on how she felt she didn’t need any other friends or to be close to anyone else as long as she had Elli by her side.

As they grew older, their desires for what they wanted out of life began to not only differ but tear them apart. Elli moved on from acting, she wanted a normal life out of the spotlight. She became a housewife and started her own little business from home. It was the quieter, simpler life that she had always craved. Meanwhile, Sam was addicted to the spotlight. When she realized her acting career as a solo actor would never take off, her addiction to fame and attention turned into addiction to pills and alcohol.

Sam’s perspective in this book really got to me. I am a young recovering addict, myself, so everything she said just seemed to make sense to me. It was almost as if her words, at times, were taken from own diary. Janelle Brown managed to perfectly portray the mind of someone in recovery. Not just someone in recovery, but someone who lost everything and ruined relationships -someone who was really clawing their way out of rock bottom. It was realistic and believable, which I very much loved and appreciated. When Sam would talk about how early sobriety made her life so “safe” and devoid of excitement, to the point it sometimes made her feel “dead inside” – I felt that!

Elli’s perspective was also so incredible believable and real. We have all seen or heard of how easily people can get sucked into these cult-like “self-help’ programs. Elli spent so much of her life doing what other people wanted and just wanted so badly to please everyone, that she ended up not knowing who she even was. She was desperate for her own identity and to feel in control of her life. I think that we can all, in some way, relate to Elli.

Overall, this was a stellar book! 10 stars! It was engaging, thought-provoking, mysterious, twisty, suspenseful, and so well written! It doesn’t get much better than this! Thank you for yet another masterpiece, Janelle Brown!

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Review is copied to Goodreads.

Where to find reviews closer to pub date:
-Amazon, Barnes & Noble
-Instagram @Allison_in_Soberland

My first book by Brown but it won't be my last. The premise was compelling (twins! cults!) and the story delivered.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel successfully pulled together so many threads, I really enjoyed it! The twin sisters at the center of the plot were both sympathetic, complex characters.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Random House Publishing Group-Random House, Random House and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This starts off great, has duel perspectives, flashback timelines. You find yourself drawn into the story of the past, present and *spoiler* cult.

Suddenly that’s it.

The end is abrupt. As well as unlikely. I’d give it one star but the beginning is quality work.

Sam and Elli are identical twin sisters, but although they may look alike, their personalities are very different! So when they get an acting gig when they are nine, Sam--the more gregarious one--can take on either role with a simple, "I'll be you and you be me." Simple, yes? Well, not if you've read anything else by Brown! I won't give you more of the storyline, just know there is a cult, devious undertakings, but a lot of nice people too who are determined to get to the bottom of this very weird (but wonderfully thrilling) story! So buckle up and enjoy the ride because you won't see any of it coming!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I loved Janelle Browns Pretty Little Things and couldn’t wait to read this one. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I very much enjoyed this one as well. It was a good mystery, no thriller like aspects, but still keeps you on your toes. I love what you find out about Charollette at the end of the book. Great little twist. And I really connected with the one twin Sam. Ellie was good to connect with too but she told another side, her side, to the story. Overall 4 great stars!

I'll Be You by Janelle Brown is gripping and a great book! The writing was amazing and very well done.

Twin sisters who have a bond and a love that many don’t share. Child movie stars changes the trajectory of their lives as we then visit them as adults. They have become distanced because of choices, but when one really needs the other, of course she goes to help. Then the deep, dark secrets unravel as sister works hard to help her other.

A fantastic thriller that kept me turning the pages late into the night. It’s one of those books that is just easy and enjoyable to read! I had no idea where it was going at the beginning as the stage was being set and we were introduced to the sisters. Then I was taken on a deep dive down into their lives and I LOVED it! This is everything I love in a book, family drama, suspense, secrets, past lives, and the unknown. This is a great book to read on the beach or in front of the fire.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the free e-copy in return for my review.

I enjoyed the plot, however I felt the writing was a bit choppy.
Adult identical twins discuss their childhood as tv stars. Is this where the rift in the sisters relationship began?
As adults one twin is missing. Can the other twin find her?
Choppy writing and the story goes back and forth. Half way thru the narrator changes to the other twins perspective. I would suggest this as a beach read.

I couldn’t put this book down! I stayed up way too late to finish it all at once! It was a story about child star twins years after they left the limelight. Sam is an addict who is trying to get sober. Ellis is the perfect one who suddenly goes missing. Sam is left to figure out what happened to her. I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to whatever Janelle Brown comes up with next!

This is a very clever well written book. My only constructive feedback would be that the author is long winded with the details and backstory. It gets to be a bit much. Again, very well written and the story is told in alternating views from the two sisters. Would recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. I read Janelle Brown's Pretty Little Things and enjoyed it so much that I was happy to be approved for I'll Be You. The story is about identical twin sisters, Sam and Elli who grow up as child actors in L.A. Ellie goes on to be the "perfect" wife with a nice house, a respectable husband and an adopted daughter. Sam falls into substance abuse and pulls herself out of the cycle. Sam and Ellie haven't spoken for a few years, due to a falling out while Sam was staying with Ellie. Sam is called upon in an emergency to come care for Elli's daughter. Finding out that Elli has become deeply entrenched in a women's cult, Sam is determined to rescue her sister. The writing is realistic and fast paced. I'll Be You is an intense story of long-held secrets, lies and family ups and downs. I enjoyed this every bit as much as Pretty Little Things.

I'll Be You is a story of identical twins, who grow up trading places to avoid situations that make one or the other uncomfortable. As they enter adulthood, their paths take very different turns. Ellie is a successful business owner who is happily married and ready to start a family. Sam takes the path of drugs, rehab and self destruction. When Ellie joins a local "women empowerment" group, she gets drawn into a web of lies, criminal activity and the loss of her identity, and only Sam can save her.

I loved this book and the bond the sister's shared.

I just finished reading “I’ll Be You” and all I can say is WOW! Janelle Brown does an amazing job at creating characters that are complex & feel ‘real.’ I love how the plot goes from the twins’ childhood to their adult lives & is even told from both of their perspectives. The ending is absolutely perfect! Also, the fact that the storyline involved a cult is going to win many readers over! It’s an extremely fascinating, and dark at times, thriller.