3.5 stars - Do you see the twist coming? An interesting book about a young woman stretching her wings for the first time after being released from a psychiatric facility - the chapters alternate between her and her twin sister and gradually the secrets and back story are revealed. The psychiatrist warrants a few chapters near the end as things escalate and then resolve. Nicely plotted and I liked the book though not any of the characters.

A quick read of a thriller. However I feel like it could have done without references to the pandemic. Also there were too many “twists”. I did figure out the major one early on. Also, as someone who works in healthcare and is very into true crime, I found the actions of some of the characters not making sense. These kind of things take me out of the plot and I end up not enjoying the story as much. The narrator of the audiobook did a good job- I probably wouldn’t have finished it if I were not listening to it.

This is an intense and thought provoking book. There are many references to various forms of social media and the pressure of increasing the numbers of followers. But, this book is far more than that and should be read carefully. There's one issue you'll see from early in the book, but the main reveal is BIG and then they just keep coming! I highly recommend this book with the warning that there are TW of suicide and mental illness.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Yikes! Twins, a tangled past, and horrific murders. Don't read this at night.

This was an interesting book but a bit disappointing as it was a very common trope. I did enjoy some of the twists and turns though and the ending was interesting. Worth a read, but not my favorite book of the year.

I did not read anything about this book, or even have any knowledge of what it was about until I picked it up to read. I felt that the writing was solid and had a good flow to it and I immediately became immersed in this book. I liked that the book alternated voices as it progressed and the second sister enters the story. This is where my problems really begin with this book. At work, the first sister finds common ground with and begins to see a guy that was in the same mental hospital that she was in. She has her other sister at home that was in the same mental hospital, however of course there is no chance she would already know this guy maybe because she was supposed to be the crazier of the two. I, also, find it odd that the parent that is supposed to be all up in the girl's business just disappears and is not in the plot. I am not going to go on ad nauseum about the issues that I have with the overall story, however the key here is that research needs to happen when books are written about things that people actually deal with. Mental health should never be viewed in this framework. If you are going to write a book dealing with the courts, you need to know how the courts work. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

WOW. The FIRST twist I had guessed. The second, not so much. But-- the last chapter? Just -- Wow. This was a quick read. A good story.

If you've ever thought that being an identical twin might be kind of fun, this story will have you re-evaluating your fantasy. "Do You Follow?" is a high-tension excursion through the lives of two mentally ill young women, Alexa and Beth, who just happen to be identical twins.

We meet Alexa in a police station, where she's just been accused of her boyfriend's murder. She maintains her innocence. But what brought her to this dreadful event? Author Bidonde jumps back three months, to a time when Alexa has decided to get a job in New York City and move out of the family home. In short order, she also acquires a boyfriend, Curt, who we already know will soon be dead.

We meet Beth, who somehow knows how-- within minutes of Alexa's moving in-- to find Alexa. Beth moves in, sharing an apartment barely big enough for one.

Unpleasant, terrifying, and disturbing moments ensue. Although Alexa's time with Curt made her happy, she was always on edge, worrying about what Beth would do or say to him.

I read this book in two days. I thought about it when I wasn't reading. The secret these twins share was compelling and I wanted to know it in the worst way.

Up for a murder mystery with some pretty significant twists involved? Read "Do You Follow?:

Well, let me just say I tried.
I almost DNF'ed it, but as it was an ARC, I really stumbled through this book.
First off, I guessed the "twist" like 8% in the book. That alone would be frustrating, but still OK.
Moreover, I had to suspend my belief many times, too many times, way too many times! Oh, and the eye-rolls.
Moreover, I think the Dr/psychologist is one of the most inexperienced and unprofessional woo-woo doctor ever. I would not trust him at all!
Moreover, some of the storylines went nowhere or were cut so short, it almost gave me whiplash! Maybe the plot lines were not very well thought over or forgotten or did not lead where the author intended, I am not sure. But it did not satisfy me.
Moreover, I have lots of unanswered questions - or does this novel have too many plot holes?

I understand this is a thriller and it cannot be true to life believable, but I felt like this book was asking for me too much to suspend my belief.
I felt bad writing such a critical review for a debut novel, but I wanted to be honest with the author and with myself.
I did not enjoy this book, but I did think the writing was quite enthralling.

Alexa is finally living on her own, excited to start her first job in marketing. She even begins to date Curt, an up and coming YouTuber. She feels like her life is finally going in the direction it should, until her twin sister, Beth shows up. Recently released from a psychiatric hospital, Alexa reluctantly allows her to stay with her. Under the agreement that know one is to know, especially their dad and Alexa's therapist. Alexa desperately wants to live a normal life but Beth doesn't make it easy. The girls vow to never let anyone know the incident from their youth, Beth begins to doubt Curt's motives for being with Alexa. Alexa chooses to ignore Beth's concerns, but things start to get even more complicated. At what lengths will Beth go to to protect her twin sister?

Told in multiple narratives, I really enjoyed this book. There is a number of wow moments and I did figure out the big twist early on but it didn't take away from the story for me at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Green Leaf Book Group for an ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

hmm i can’t say i particularly liked this book. the main character, alexa, gets a job in NYC at a marketing agency. after years of being estranged with her twin sister, beth, she shows up at alexa’s doorstep and re enters her life. all the while, alexa finally falls in love with her food vlogger client, curt. but ofc there is something suspicious about alexa's new boyfriend and unstable twin sister.

the most important part of a psychological thriller is the plot twist and the ending. the main plot twist was very predictable to me… i think it was quite cliche and i predicted it early on. the other plot points that accompanied the plot twist (sorry to be vague but i don’t want to include spoilers) were honestly just absurd to me. the ending felt like there were many events added to liven up the story but they just left me rolling my eyes. it seems to me that the ‘evil twin’ trope is pretty hard to get right, and unfortunately, this book didn’t satisfy my thriller itch.

what i found unique in this book were the references to the covid-19 pandemic. i think this is the first book i’ve read that was sent in the current post-pandemic era. BUT i do think the pandemic was over referenced and overall, didn’t really add anything to the story. the multiple POVs were a great addition to further the plot, but i noticed some unexplained plot holes/points mentioned towards the beginning of the book.

2.5 stars

First: unreliable narrator stories can be tricky. This is also the second unreliable narrator/twin concept I've read in the last two weeks (they are sort of different though).
Second: the way the plot pans out is where I thought it'd go but only bc of a movie that came out recently

Overall, it's a decent enough psychological thriller and Alexa had my empathy.

Do You Follow? is a quick & entertaining read and solid debut. Anyone else love reading thrillers about twins? I don't know what it is, but I always find it so fascinating!

Here we have the POVs of twins Alexa and Beth. Both are have well- developed personas and the writing keeps the pace moving. While I did guess the big reveal, it didn't take away from the entertainment value.

Pick this one up if you want some quick thrills! And books about twins! I will definitely read more by the author.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley to the eARC in exchange for my review.

Title: Do You Follow?
Author: J.C. Bidonde
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Do You Follow" by J.C.Bidode

My Assessment:

'Do You Follow?' was quite a fast-past thriller that will keep you intrigued, turning the pages to see what is coming next for these twins [Alexa & Beth]. The author worked with the readers giving them one interesting twisted read. Be prepared to be led in different directions of thought in this read because if one follows well, one will know many clues to what is going on. When one thinks they are on the right track of what is going on in this story...there it is... the reader may have or may not have missed the final twist of the story. It
After all, is said and done, it is worth reading to find out what this story is all about.

Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really, really tried to push through with this novel but I ended up deciding to put it on my DNF shelf at the 79% mark. While I thought the audiobook narrator did a great job I just really could not stand ANY of the characters in the book and the plot twist towards the end was not written in a smooth and believable way. For the first 65% of this book I felt like I was reading a romance novel instead of a mystery/thriller book. By the time I got to the main twist I really didn't even want to continue on with the last 20%.

I see by the reviews that people out there are enjoying, this book was just not for me.

Thank you to Greenleaf Book Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read and early copy of this book!

This is an odd but interesting book about twins, Alexa and Beth who have "issues" with each other. We see that they were once close, but that led to feelings of jealousy as they were never apart. Alexa is getting psychiatric help and lands a new job and a new man but things begin to get crazy from there. The point of view alternates between women and the doctor so we are always a little off-base as we attempt to figure out what's going on. Overall, I enjoyed it more than I anticipated even though it may be a little predictable if you work really hard. But it's my favorite kind of thriller so I was all in!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Psychological Thriller? Check
Twins? Check
Mental Illness? Check
Great story? .. Miss

This book has a good concept. A sheltered girl finally moves out to live on her own. Her mentally ill twin shows up at the door and wants to stay with her. The sheltered good girl has a great new job, a boyfriend that is too good to be true. The mentally ill twin is suspicious and tries to warn her.

Sounds good, right? sigh.

The problems were many. I didn't like any of the characters. At all. I didn't connect with anyone in the book. The foreshadowing was so obvious that I thought maybe the author didn't WANT you to be surprised.

I know how much effort an author puts into a book and I feel terrible giving this such a poor review, but I skimmed the last half of the book just to get through it. I did finish it - I was curious enough for that..

A psychological thriller with dark secrets, mental illness, and twins!
I was a little intrigued by the synopsis. It had potential, but it failed to stick the landing.
I have been trying very hard not to judge books on how easily I guess the twists, as I'd never rate a book very high if I continued to do that. However, the twist in this one was not unique. It was about as subtle as a semi, and I've seen it used many times, and in much more entertaining ways.

There were quite a few moments of suspending belief, which gets old when done too frequently in a thriller. This includes the description and display of a particular mental illness. I'm not opposed to the use of mental illness in thrillers, but this one just felt too distorted and left a lot of holes within the plot. There's also my minor nitpick about the story being set in a "post-pandemic" timeline, one where we overcame COVID and everything is back to normal. But that could also just be my cynicism being too harsh.

There was one twist that I didn't see coming, in the epilogue, but I felt like it didn't belong. I understand what the author was trying to do with that twist, but it almost could have been it's own story.

Positives: It's very quick, the writing was decent, and the characters were mostly interesting. The story itself is what knocked down all those stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is just a terrible book. I have nothing good to say about it. The premise is ludicrous and the characters lack any believable characteristics whatsoever.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.

Do You Follow is a slow burn psychological thriller about twins, Alexa and Beth who, despite being twins, are at different stages of life. Alexa wants to go out into the world and experience things for the first time—a new life in the city, a new job and a boyfriend, while Beth wants to maintain her comfortable status quo, almost trapped in the past.

At about 65% through the book, Alexa really starts to grow into her new life, and things start going wrong for her. It’s hard to go into detail without giving away the twist, but, for me, this was where the book should have started.

I guessed the ending early on, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the draw card of this story is the interaction between Beth and Alexa, and the secret from their past that is always looming.

A fun read for fans of contemporary thrillers.
3.5 stars