First Born by Will Dean

Right from the start of this thriller, I felt it was intended for a youthful audience.

We're following a woman whose twin sister was just murdered. As the story unfolds we find there is a slew of possible suspects and everyone has something to gain and everything to lose.

The writing felt a little loose, and there were a lot of unnecessary details that led nowhere. It felt like the author was throwing things at me to see what would stick, hoping it was smart enough but not too much so.

The plot was pretty basic and clear, making it really easy to understand and follow. I was never confused and had fun guessing the twist. I think some readers will enjoy that and others definitely will not. I landed somewhere in the middle.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the advanced copy!

First Born...⭐️⭐️⭐️

At first the character names really put me off in this book. Violet Roseberry? Molly Raven? Bogart Deluca?! But then I have to say the disappointment came from the obvious “twist” that was clear from the start. I hoped I was wrong about it, but I wasn’t. I think this story would make a great miniseries though with the right casting. It’s not a bad read just not very hard to figure out.

You’ll want to read this one! OMG A page turner from the start, i loved it!
It will take you on one of the best thriller journeys I’ve read in a long while!
I cannot wait to listen to it on audio, the second time around is going to be another eye opening experience.. yup. You will think you have it figured out.
You’ll. Be. Shocked!

This is my first book from this author and I definitely enjoyed it! It started a little slow, but once the twists started coming I was hooked. Ended up choosing this one as a BOTM pick so I could have the physical copy!

4/5 stars

Goodness, the first half of this book really pulled me in. I loved the concept of twins, who are so very different, living in different countries, living different lives, and wondering how this family became this way, the stories behind the sisters and the parents, secrets that they seemed to be holding. However, the second half just lost me with how unbelievable the plot change, but I do think others are going to love it!

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley and Atria!

“Imagine knowing a version of yourself exists in the world. A physical manifestation of all your worst traits and weaknesses. A constant reminder of what you could become.”

Synopsis: Sisters. Soulmates. Strangers.

Molly Raven lives a quiet, structured life in London, finding comfort in security and routine. Her identical twin Katie, living in New York, is the exact opposite: outgoing, spontaneous, and adventurous.

But when Molly hears that Katie has died, possibly murdered, she is thrown into unfamiliar territory. As terrifying as it is, she knows she must travel across the ocean and find out what happened. But as she tracks her twin’s final movements, cracks begin to emerge, and she slowly realizes her sister was not who she thought she was and there’s a dangerous web of deceit surrounding the two of them.

Personal review: 4 stars

For the reader who loves a clever plot, murder mystery, twins with sibling rivalry, and the Big Apple. I was mega stoked when this book was chosen as a BOTM selection, but even more hyped when I received an advanced copy mere hours later! This novel kept me guessing until the end and was full of belly dropping plot twists. Was it the dad? The sister? James DeLuca? Someone we don’t know! The main character Molly threw major Nita Prose “The Maid” vibes with her hyper vigilance on security and health, but had me sympathizing and often times rolling my eyes at her level of actions! The author did an excellent job of creating a novel that kept me engaged for most of the plot!

Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

First Born by Will Dean is a thriller about twin sisters who are opposites. Molly appreciates routines and lives in London, but Katie is very spontaneous and lives in New York. When Molly gets a phone call from her parents that Katie has died, Molly travels to New York to see if she can find out what happened. This story started out very interestingly; but as it went on, it became less and less believable to me. Or maybe I just found the characters to be too unlikable? Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

This is my first book to read by this author but I cannot wait to read more by them! This is such a uniquely written story that you will find yourself thinking about long after you finish it. Highly recommend!!

What a fun ride! First Born was a very fast paced thriller that kept me entertained from first to last page! I already knew going into this one that I like Will Dean's writing, which makes it extra satisfying to continue enjoying his work! I have read half of his Tuva Moodyson series, and now both of his stand alone thrillers, and the talent this author has is evident. His crime fiction series feels very different from his stand alone thrillers, which I think is very impressive. It shows just how dynamic Dean's stories can be. If you like crime fiction, check out Dark Pines!

First Born tells the story of twin sisters, one of whom mysteriously turns up dead. The surviving sister does all that she can to find out what happened to her departed twin, and all the loose threads she chases made for a hard to put down book! The pacing was absolutely perfect, it was non stop action and super fast! There were lots of fun twists throughout and the ending is mind bending!

This is one of those books that is so twisted that it's hard to write a more detailed review without giving too much away, but just know that this was a very fun read! If you like thrillers and sister stories, you will love this one! This one will be on my list for favorite books of 2022!

**I received a free copy of First Born from the publisher, all opinions are my own**

I LOVED Dean’s The Last Thing To Burn, but unfortunately this one wasn’t nearly as good. I did think the twin thing was cool, and there were definitely a lot of twists and turns, but ultimately it wasn’t my favorite thriller.

First Born started off slow until the big twist I didn’t see coming. It was a fast, enjoyable read and I recommend.

(Very) slow burn mystery with unlikeable characters. Good unexpected twist ending, but I wanted more from it.

This twisty story will have you turning the pages ! I really enjoyed this thriller! Sometimes your closest family member isn’t who you thought she was!

This book was so incredible. Will Dean really can write a book. I read this book at night most of the time and it shook me to the core so that's how I know it was great.

First Born was my first book by Will Dean, but it definitely won’t be my last. This story was so interesting and well thought out with methodical and peculiar characters. The twists are actually surprising, and although the book starts off a bit slow, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. The attention to deal was on point and I was very impressed with how much thought had to go into this story and the characters. I definitely recommend this to thriller/mystery lovers!

The hype surrounding First Born on social media had my FOMO in overdrive. There was no way that I was going to miss out on a book that had the whole internet buzzing.

Well, bookstagram once again made me do it...

First Born is out of this world. The storyline is unique to anything I have ever read before and my attention was completely focused on feeding my addiction to turn the page. The suspense grew with every chapter. I could not get enough. Everything I had planned for the day completely took a back burner, clothes would go unwashed, dinner would not be made and my husband would spend the night alone. I could not help it, I just had to know what was going to happen and I could not stop until I knew.

First Born, definitely broke the internet but the hype was well deserved. I have never in my life read a book THIS good. I will be recommending this one for years to come.

Kudos, Will Dean, you knocked this one out of the park.

Five flaming hot stars!

I’ve read a few twin thriller books and at this point I’ve decided they are just not for me. They’re too cheesy – you always know what the twist is going to be; and that was the case with First Born.

Molly Raven lives a structured, quiet, safe life in London. Her twin, Katie is the exact opposite and moved to New York. Molly learns that Katie has been murdered and is thrown into a tailspin – she must help avenge the death of her sister. Molly methodically sifts through her sisters life to determine who killed her and along the way learns that her sister was not who she thought she was.

This was a solid book, good writing and well structured, but it wasn’t the thriller for me. I give this 3/5 stars.

This started out a little slow but once the first twist was revealed, I couldn't put it down. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because there was too much going on at the end. I lost track at times and didn't find some things believable. Overall it was enjoyable and I look forward to reading more by Will Dean!

I read this with #thrillerfriendsbuddyread and look forward to our discussion on the 26th!

Thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the e-arc of this book.

Molly and Katie are identical twins and complete opposites. Molly is living a recluse life in her hometown in London while Katie is living a much better life New York, Molly receives a phone call from her parents who are in New York visiting Katie telling her that her sister has been murdered. Although Katie fears pretty much everything including traveling, she immediately travels to New York to be with her parents. Once she arrives, she is desperate to find out what happened to her twin. I loved all the author’s references to New York having traveled there several times myself.

So, this book didn’t grab me until the 50% mark and once it grabbed me it did not let go and I was completely invested in the story. The twist in the middle was insane! Was the ending a little unbelievable? Maybe. But I was still completely blindsided, and I loved every minute of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Atria Books for my eARC.

I've had to take some time to figure out how I feel about this one. Overall, it was twisty and did a good job of keeping me guessing, but in the end, it still felt kind of formulaic. However, I think readers will have fun trying to guess what's going on.