I received an ARC of,Are you Sara? by S.C. Lalli. Which Sara was supposed to die, Sara or Sarah? What a gripping novel, it left me guessing til the end. I did care for the language though.

What started out with promise quickly fell apart for me.

I appreciate that William Morrow made this book available to read through its Scene of the Crime group.

Sara, an Indian law school student has a chance encounter with Sarah, a rich girl drunk out of her mind in the bar where she works. They share a joint, which gets Sara higher than she’s ever been in her life and then the two women order rideshares to get home.

Unfortunately, they get in the wrong cars, and when Sara ends up in rich suburbia, she walks back to “the other side of the tracks” to her apartment. But when she gets there, Sarah is dead. Was she the real target or was Sara supposed to be?

Anyways, it sounded interesting, but I’m probably not telling it well because, it’s not written very well.

In fact, it’s a little bit of a stereotyped mess. You’ve got the rich entitled doctors who come storming in to comically yell at the cops for not doing their jobs correctly, the white bank employee who tells Sara she must be an affirmative action case, because of course, and the black seven-year-old who tells Sara to f off. Why would a seven-year-old be such a foul mouth? Oh, there’s his respected law school professor mom just casually dropping the c word.

And I can’t read anymore of Sarah’s diaries entries—they read like the worst written YA character.

I gave this a shot, but it’s just not my cup of tea, and the unrelatable characters don’t make me care enough to know what the twist is.

3.5 Stars

Are You Sara? is a great mystery/suspense story that follows two POV. Sara and Sarah meet in a chance encounter and one ends up dead after a ride share mixup. I really enjoyed the storyline and the premise of the mystery. Sara and Sarah’s lives are complicated, real, and messy. Good book!

Thank you to William Morrow and Company, Scene of the Crime, & Netgalley for the Advanced Copy.

An unfortunate wrong place, wrong time death or a case of mistaken identity?

Law student Saraswati “Sara” Bhaduri holds down two jobs in order to make her way through school, but it’s still a struggle. She’s had to do things to pay the bills that most people wouldn’t expect from “a nice Indian girl.” It seems like an ordinary busy Tuesday night at the local dive bar until her boss demands Sara deal with a drunk girl in the bathroom. They both realize they have the same name and when they both order rideshares home, they tumble in the back of the cars and head out into the night. But when Sara awakes in her rideshare, she finds she's on the wrong side of town—the rich side—and she realizes: she and Sarah took the wrong cars home. With no money, Sara walks back to her apartment on the shady side of town only to discover police lights flashing and a body crumpled on her doorstep: Sarah.

Was Sarah Ellis or Sara Bhaduri the target? And why would anyone want either of them dead?

This book had me on the edge of my seat! I was expecting a normal mystery/thriller, but Are You Sara captivated me with commentary on topics such as race, class, and being an immigrant, and a woman. I felt myself rooting for Sara even though I questioned the choices she made. The book switches from Sara's present day perspective to Sarah's notes app journal (which she started two years ago). I loved this writing choice by S.C. Lalli. Its very Gone Girl-esque, as your trying to figure what is going on in present day and piecing the clues together from the past. This book is filled with twists and turns that shocked me to my core, but I was very pleased with myself as I was able to guess the killer before the reveal!

I do wish we got more character development for Sarah Ellis beyond her journal entries, but other than that, the story wrapped up perfectly....leaving you wanting just a bit more.

My response to the title is, "Why, yes, actually I am!" Hard to resist a book with your name in the title, but having read the description, I was further intrigued and the book did not disappoint. It's a thriller that is very cleverly done and it kept me engaged to the last page. I also enjoyed learning more about both girls and where life had taken them to the point where one of them was killed. The ending was a true surprise for me. I'll look forward to more from this talented author!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book, and never mind that it kept me up way too late since I could not very well put it down!!

When Sarah Ellis passes out in the bathroom at a local dive bar near her University, bartender Saraswati “Sara” Bhaduri is sent into the restroom by the owner to “deal with” her. They share a joint, and some small talk, before Sara helps Sarah out the back door, where their rideshares are waiting.

“Are you Sara?” the driver confirms…

It’s only when our protagonist, Saraswati, awakens in the backseat of the car upon reaching its destination that she realizes that she must’ve gotten into the wrong rideshare, as she doesn’t live in the affluent neighborhood where she has just arrived.

But, when she makes it back to her own apartment, she is greeted by flashing police lights and a crumpled, dead body on her doorstep-the other Sarah.

Was Sarah or Sara, the intended Victim?

The Police make assumptions based on the fact that one had a reputation for being a bit wild, and the other was a “good Indian girl” and a Law student, working two jobs while studying -the dutiful daughter of immigrants who embraced the American Dream….

Of course-not all is what it seems.

Told from alternating timelines-the first is the POV of the surviving Sara, who becomes convinced that she was meant to be the target, because of things she became involved in, to gain money for tuition-and the second being the backstory of our Victim, Sarah, beginning three years ago until the fateful night of the Murder.

Unfortunately, I loved the title and premise more than the execution of the story.

Our Victim Sarah’s chapters definitely read like YA, which I have outgrown, and our protagonist Sara, got involved in a risky “lifestyle” which didn’t interest me, and seemed like it would be implausible to maintain as a student in her final year of Law School.

Neither woman was particularly likable, either.

However, the story will keep you guessing until the end about who the intended target was , so that was definitely a plus!

Expected publication date-August 9, 2022.

Thank You to William Morrow & Company for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

4.25/5 stars

I didn't know where this one was going for a while, but I sure was pleasantly surprised!

This was a twisted, psychological and quick thriller that left you guessing until the very end. I thought I knew what happened, but I was extremely wrong and I am so satisfied with the way it ended! I read this in less than 24 hours and while at first I didn't get hooked, I couldn't stop reading once I got about 20% in.

I loved the representation and social commentary on nepotism, economic inequality, elitism, racism and gender. Being a woman and first-generation in the legal field, I resonated with so much of the main character and I was enamored by her charm and wit.

I would absolutely read more of this author, and she definitely has a talent for thrillers and plotting a story!

Are you Sara finds 2 ladies leaving a local bar and mistakenly get into the wrong rideshare meant for the other. One a poor college student and the other a rich privileged one. One of the Sara’s winds up murdered at the other’s home and the story quickly unfolds. It is told from the point of view of the Sara who wasn’t murdered and the other’s diary entries leading up to her murder. Sara can’t help but wonder was that murder meant for her or was it a mugging gone wrong? She then decides to try to solve the puzzle as to what happened.
This story also touches on sexism, socioeconomic issues, how women are passed over simply for being women, and poverty. There were some uncomfortable and very realistic topics discussed. These are issues women face while simply going through life.
This was a 4* read. Thank you to William Morrow/Harper Collins and NetGalley for the EArc and the chance to review it!

This book's premise was great and it basically lived up to it -- I couldn't stop reading! The narrator was compelling, there was a ton of tension, and I really felt invested in the resolution. My biggest criticism was that one of the reasons I couldn't stop reading was that I wanted to see how the two threads (Sarah's murder and Sara's "secret") tied together and the answer was just...they didn't. It probably would have felt contrived if they had, but I still thought that plot could have been tighter or treated differently. I also found some of the Jason/Ollie stuff kind of muddled and I think readers who are hoping for everything to make perfect sense at the end may be disappointed. Still, if you're just along for the ride (so to speak), this is a great read.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – Gave me chills. Solid five star debut

I could not put this book down! It's a twisty mystery with complicated and powerful female heroines. Sara B, a working class law student, is toiling night in a bar for extra money. When she helps a drunk young woman one night...another Sarah they wind up in the wrong ride cars. The Sarah, a young, white, beautiful college student winds up dead. Sara, an East Asian Indian with immigrant parents, who has a lot of complications in her life wonders if the killer meant to get her. There are plenty of twists in this novel and Sara is such an engaging complicated character. She knows what she wants and isn't going to let the privileged and powerful stop her. The writing is taut, the book is totally modern, and it's a page turner. This would be a great book group read.

This book took a long time to get started. The first half is almost entirely our protagonist Sara wondering who killed Sarah Ellis and going about her normal life. It sets up that Sara's life is currently in flux; struggling in school, barely stayed afloat last semester and lacking funds to pay for school/rent/food. However as the book moves into explaining Sara's involvement with a shady attorney (who she suspects of killing the other Sarah) and delves into Sarah Ellis' life, the two stories genuinely do not connect in any meaningful way. Sarah Ellis' murder is just the typical "fridging" to move our Sara into the path she wants her life to take. We're told Sara is smart, driven and wit - and a bit of a liar. The story following her through law school/working for Jason feels like a standalone book. It just doesn't jive with the Sarah Ellis story. Sarah Ellis just serves to make her afraid of her decisions and company she keeps, ultimately pushing her further down that path to keep the future Sara dreams for herself and family. The two stories never mesh for me and Sarah Ellis feels like a 2D flighty character that only serves to push our main character forward. Ellis deserves better and so do we.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks and Harper Collins Publisher for the advanced readers copy of this book.

While I usually enjoy two different view points this felt flat. Sara was an interesting character and I just didn’t connect with her. She made lots of strange decisions that even after explaining her reasoning made no sense to me. The other Sarah (Ellis) was more intriguing but her story line didn’t go into as much detail as I would have liked.

The premise was good but very vague. At the end I had more questions than answers. The ending felt very rushed. It wasn’t really a thriller as much as a mystery.

There were a few parts I enjoyed but overall I didn’t enjoy it. I really hated 80% of the decisions Sara made and they were so rash and confusing more of a teenagers rather than a 28 yo woman.

Wow! I loved this book. I have not read any of Lalli's prior books but this one hooked me from the beginning and had me reading late into the night (and again early the next morning to finish it). I loved the premise and pace of the book and cannot wait to recommend this one. I've been seeing this book mentioned in summer reading lists quite a bit, and am so happy to have received an advanced copy. Five stars! Thank you again to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

The premise sounded really intriguing but unfortunately the story didn't deliver like I'd hoped. The plot was kind of all over at times and there was just so much extra in it that wasn't necessary. Also, Sara acted much younger than 27 but somehow at the end got it together and was wise beyond her years? Where did that come from?

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Are you Sarah breaks out of the traditional mystery mode. Socioeconomic issues, identity and the roles that finances play in shaping one's life are all part of this satisfying read.

Two Sara's. One Sara, one Sarah.

Sara, an Indian woman, is a law school student working hard to put herself through school. She meets the other, wealthy, Sarah when she is told to get the drunk out. A friendship blooms.

One night two taxis are called. The women are delivered to the wrong addresses. Sarah H. is murdered and her body turns up on Sara's porch.

Is the right or wrong Sara(h) dead?
This book will keep you turning the pages long after you should be asleep

I recently had the very good luck of receiving an ARC of "Are you Sara?," the first suspense novel by one of my favorite romance authors, Sonya Lalli writing under the pseudonym S. C. Lalli. Reading it, I found out that it was amazing as expected: the main character is the law student Sara, short for Saraswati, and she accidentally switches rides with another Sara, a privileged white girl from a much wealthier neighborhood, who then is murdered in front of the narrator Sara's house.
The novel is gritty and angry and reflects on class, race, being an immigrant, and a woman. It is more of a family member to "Gone Girl" and novels by Ruth Ware or Flynn Berry than to Cozy Mystery, even though the author previously wrote romance. What Sara does have in common with Lalli's previous heroines is that she is a strong independent South Asian woman trying to make her way in a society doubly stacked against her.
Absolutely strongly recommended! The final chapter gave me goose bumps.

Are you Sara? This book was not what I expected at all. I read this so fast. Laid in bed hours after bedtime to finish it. I appreciate every twist and turn. 4 stars.

I was disappointed with Are You Sara? by S.C. Lalli because it started off good and then fizzled out. The story is about Sara and Sarah (Ellis), who get in the wrong Uber rides and end up at the wrong locations. Sarah (Ellis) ends up murdered. The story unfolds from there. I liked that the main character was a person of color. However, most of the characters had no real redeeming qualities, using each other to get what they wanted.

The story started strong, and I was hooked until about 45% in, and then the story lost me. It was too long, the killer was a bit contrived, and why the murder happened seemed overdone and not really believable.

#AreYouSara #NetGalley @WmMorrowBooks @customhousebks

I really enjoyed this one. The two Sara’s definitely were not who I thought they were, which I always like in a book. It kept me guessing the whole time.