I gave this one a chance. I got halfway through and it felt laborious. I decided to give up then and try another book.

While the book was interesting and caught my attention I found that some aspects of The Resemblance weren't to my taste.

Perhaps it was the harshness of the main character or some of the external aspects of the plot that weren't to my taste but I found it kind of lost my interest at some points.

As the book progressed it did grow more interesting but then it got REALLY confusing when certain things happened (I won't share because of spoilers) and while this may have been due to listening to it as an audiobook, I just got confused about who was who etc.

Overall, not a bad book at all, but just not one that truly held my attention so much. I also felt the personal aspects of the MC's life came out a little too late - left us wondering to the end when perhaps an earlier reveal could have helped explain a few things? I also had this odd feeling like I had missed reading a book 1 but have looked and this doesn't' seem to be part of a series?

Not a bad book at all and perhaps it just wasn't to my taste but others would enjoy it.

!Note: Language in this one.


My rating: 3.5*

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Thanks to NetGalley for this gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

A fraternity brother is killed in a hit and run, and the detective on the case uncovers chilling secrets about the Greek system as the lines between her personal and professional life start to blur. I liked the character development and I thought the focus on Greek was like interesting and fresh. I enjoyed the first half more than the second, but do recommend for anyone who enjoys a detective mystery.

Read this if you like: Procedural cop thrillers, college student stories, whodunit

On a chilly November morning at the University of Georgia, a fraternity brother steps off a busy crosswalk and is struck dead by an oncoming car. More than a dozen witnesses all agree on two things. The driver looked identical to the victim, and he was smiling.

Detective Marlitt Kaplan is first on the scene. An Athens native and the daughter of a UGA professor, she knows all its shameful histories, from the skull discovered under the foundations of Baldwin Hall to the hushed-up murder-suicide in Waddel. In the course of investigating this hit-and-run, she will uncover more chilling secrets as she explores the sprawling, interconnected Greek system that entertains and delights the university’s most elite and connected students.

Wow. This was wild, suspenseful, and shocking. This had a good pace. I enjoyed the characters, especially Marlitt. I didn't love the ending and there were parts that left me with questions. The general story was great. I was shocked to see it's a debut. I highly recommend this!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Flatiron Books for the gifted e-book ❤️

This is Lauren Nossett's debut novel, and she blew this one out of the park. Fantastic writing, great storytelling. Marlitt is a police officer investigating a hit and run at a university. Witnesses say that not only didn't the driver slow down, he looked like the victim. Marlitt embarks on a quest to prove that she deserves to be on this case-even when her own life is at risk-and begins investigating the fraternity the victim belonged to. Marlitt gets a lot of pushback on this. The list of suspects is endless, and the end definitely took me by surprise. Nossett did a fantastic job of detailing her characters and telling this story. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

The Resemblance is a police procedural, with fraternities at the core of the mystery. I found this to be well-done and was quickly wrapped up in the story.

I have to say, the whodunnit was a surprise and that rarely happens to me. Despite knowing what happened, I couldn't quite grasp the WHO that made it happen, so the ending was indeed enjoyable LOL. That alone is a huge plus for me.

The main character was another plus for me. She's annoying at times, and makes questionable choices, BUT it's relatable and drew me to her even more. I love strong female leads, but I also love ones who can be strong, and vulnerable too.

If you enjoy mysteries, campus settings and police procedurals, I think this is a solid read to snatch up. I sincerely appreciate Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Started my 2023 off reading The Resemblance and it did not disappoint. I love a good detective novel, especially when said detective is a little reckless.

Detective Kaplan is a complex narrator, though it’s easy to understand her faults and impulsiveness as the story unfolds. Despite incredible loss and a near-fatal fire that leaves her scarred for life, she does not stop until the justice she seeks is delivered.

This novel explores the all too common scandals of Greek life as Kaplan seeks to change the system of sweeping things under the rug. But will she take things too far? Has she become obsessed with a narrative she sees only because of her past trauma?

Thank you Netgalley for sending me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

The Resemblance is Lauren Nossett’s debut novel. On one level the novel is a dark academia thriller set at the University of Georgia in Athens. The main character — Marlitt Kaplan — is a campus police officer who investigates a hit and run committed by someone who looks exactly like the victim, a male student and member of Kappa Phi Omicron fraternity. She and her fellow officer, best friend and love interest, Teddy White investigate the crime itself as well as broader issues involving hazing in the Greek system. The novel is elevated by the question of how Marlitt also resembles the fraternity brothers she has investigated. The author does a good job developing her characters — Marlitt in particular — and I would love to see them again in a sequel. Highly recommended. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary galley of this book.

Although the book was a little slow at points and hard to get into at first, The Resemblance was definitely a book worth reading. I enjoyed the different plot twists, but wish the ending had been a little different. All in all though, I recommend giving it a try!

One of the best academia debuts ive read in a long time. This one truly from the mystery to the secrets was everything you could hope for. Thank you to Flatiron for the advanced copy

The Resemblance by Lauren Nossett

Detective Marlitt Kaplan is visiting her mother, a professor at the University of Georgia, when a student is hit by a car. The student, who’s a member of a fraternity, is declared dead on the scene. When Marlitt starts investigating what happened, some aspects of her past resurface and deep, dark secrets come to light, threatening to expose some of the most elite students and alumni of the University and the Greek system.

Dark academia meets true crime in this very intriguing thriller full of twists and red herrings. It explores topics such as nepotism, misogyny, corruption, and privilege in academia. I didn’t love the pacing and the development of some aspects of the story, but it kept me intrigued until the end. Merlitt was a great, complex character and her arc was what I enjoyed the most throughout the book.

The audio version is narrated by Saskia Maarleveld who was a new-to-me narrator and I really enjoyed her performance.

Thank you Netgalley, Flatiron Books and Lauren Nossett for my complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this one based on the blurb, but, it just wasn't executed as well as I had hoped. Greek life and the brotherhood of fraternity are the driving force of this story and for me it just didn't catch me the way that I had hoped it would. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Great setting! I can't resist a campus and Greek/secret society. However, I felt like a lot of the characters were based on stereotypes and didn't have a much of a coherent backstory. This made the book feel very flat. It was very difficult to want to finish.

"On a chilly November morning at the University of Georgia, a fraternity brother steps off a busy crosswalk and is struck dead by an oncoming car. More than a dozen witnesses all agree on two things: The driver looked identical to the victim, and he was smiling. Detective Marlitt Kaplan is first on the scene. An Athens native and the daughter of a UGA professor, she knows all its shameful histories, from the skull discovered under the foundations of Baldwin Hall to the hushed-up murder-suicide in Waddel. But in the course of investigating this hit-and-run, she will uncover more chilling secrets as she explores the sprawling, interconnected Greek system that entertains and delights the university’s most elite and connected students."

I read this blurb and immediately requested the ARC. This had such an interesting premise: a murdered student and a detective with a mysterious past. I adore mysteries, and I expected this to have a side serving of academic scandal/conspiracy with the emphasis in the blurb about the secrets of the University. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Rather than a mystery, this read like the transcript of a law and order knockoff. Marlitt comes across as a biased and unprofessional detective as she disses Greek life throughout the book and ignores procedures at time. Halfway through, I was struggling to read this, and eventually, I just skimmed the remaining chapters.

I really thought I was going to love this, but it was pretty slow for my preference. It was a slow burn mystery, which I’ve never really gotten into. The Greek life was what I was expecting but it was just a little flat.
If you like slow burn with Greek society, you’ll probably love this!

This was a slow burn mystery. The hazing aspect is accurate in my experience with Greek Life and I think a story related to that could have been more interesting than the fake identity story.

The story is excellent with an unforeseen twist at the end. I cared about the main character more than I did the victim of the hit-and-run accident. What she went though felt very realistic. I would be interested in reading a follow-up book!

I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. I felt like the pace was slow and it was hard to make connections. The plot points were a bit vague. When I heard the title and read the beginning of the book, I thought the resemblance between the murderer and the victim was going to play a larger role. Instead, it seemed to only be a big deal in the background of the book's plot.

The topic of hazing in fraternities was interesting and the prospect of the book taking that turn was great, but unfortunately this plot point fell flat. The author had some great ideas, but the execution left both the plot and characters underdeveloped. I couldn't really figure out what to focus on - was there a love story? a story of friendship? Was the hazing a significant portion? Was the detective trying to get revenge for her friend or the kid who died? I think all of the above, but there was too much happening to focus on any one thing.

The Resemblance was a book with lots of potential, but for me it ended up being just ok. 2.5 stars rounded down.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #Flatironbooks and Lauren Nossett for the advance readers copy of her debut novel The Resemblance. My opinions are my own and are given voluntarily.

as a Greek life member myself, the blurb of this one instantly interested me, and I knew I needed to read it. Also unknowingly, I requested both the book and audio of this one, so I was able to do what I love and bounce between reading and listening. It gives the story so much depth and you can fully immerse yourself in the plot and feel like you're in the story.

on the campus of University of Georgia, a fraternity brother steps out into a busy crosswalk and was struck dead by an oncoming car. All witnesses agreed on two things: the driver looked identical to the victim, and he was smiling. Detective Marlitt Kaplan is first on the scene, and she quickly becomes immersed in this case, because of her past. lines start to blur between her work and her will to take down an institution that took so much from her in her younger years.

This one had so much that it hooked me immediately. I always love a good whodunnit. and this was exactly that. and what a wonderful debut novel for Lauren Nossett. I could see this becoming a series following detective Marlitt Kaplin.

the narrator was enjoyable and gave such depth to the storyline.

This was a good book with a solid plot. The characters were likeable, al though at times, the story dragged Overall, this was an easy read.