Member Reviews

Imposter is a fast paced, gripping, suspenseful page turner, I did not want to put it down!

The story has a medical setting with Bradeigh drawing from her background as a physician which I thought was very cool. Especially being in healthcare myself, I really enjoyed the medical pieces to the story.

Told from Beth’s side, we hear her thoughts and feelings as she processes everything that’s happened in her life recently. And although I don’t have her exact struggles I did relate to Beth and I really enjoyed her character. We’re also introduced to a few other key players who were well written, so solid characters all around.

As a thriller l knew something was up, so I was on the hunt for the clues. While I did get suspicious of a few things I could not pin down what exactly the heck was going on. Then things slowly started coming into clearer focus, building into a larger picture until bam. You’re left with the clever, perfectly twisty ending. It all came together so well at the end, it was just a perfectly crafted story.

So to sum it up: gorgeous cover, amazing writing, solid characters, enthralling plot, what more could you want from a book?! What an absolutely fantastic debut, I cannot wait to read more from Bradeigh Godfrey!

Was this review helpful?

This is exactly what I want in a psychological thriller. It was full of suspense and tension. I couldn’t put it down once it gripped me. The story is partially told through journal entries which I love too

Was this review helpful?

Wow just wow! This was a phenomenal book. I am incredibly impressed. I felt like this book was written by a seasoned author. Congrats bradeigh on your release!

This book releases 9/13 and you need to pre order it now if you haven’t!

I am still processing it all and will update my review later but holy cow that was just wow!

Bradeigh did a fantastic job representing post partum depression and anxiety. I personally deal with both and feel like she was reading my mind. You could tell she did her research and handled the topics very delicately.

TW - abuse, death, ppd, anxiety, mental illness, traumatic accident

Thank you blackstone publishing and netgalley for my e arc.

Was this review helpful?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I loved this book Wow I was on the edge of my seat reading this book, I could not put it down I had to know what happened. This book is everything a psychological thriller should be and more. It you are a thriller/Suspense reader you will love this. If it’s not your normal type of read it’s so good you might just find yourself loving Thrillers.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for this early release read. And Bradeigh Godfrey, I have to know: where have you been hiding?!

5 stars

My estranged sister wants to go to dinner, but on the drive to the restaurant she's acting really paranoid. She says she has something really important to talk to me about..."life or death". Then I'm suddenly waking up in the hospital. Someone crashed into us, I think anyways. Now my sister is suffering brain trauma and thinks her fiance and I aren't who we say we are, imposters. But what was is that she needed to tell me that was so important? Is it tied to this car accident?

Y'all. This book had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning. There's so many things to keep you guessing all the way to the end. I really loved how the author tied up almost everything at the end. I do wanna know what happened to Daniel. This is such a well put together book. Definitely recommend snagging it up asap!

My favorite character is Rosie. Ahh. So smart. Even through her ailment she was trying to tell her sister something VERY important through her art.

Read this if you love a good thriller, are a caregiver, and love art!

Was this review helpful?

Lilian was more than a big sister to Rosie when they were growing up. Their parents basically handed Rosie to Lilian and she was both mother and father to her baby sister until she left for college. When their parents die, the once close siblings have a falling out and 3 years pass before they attempt a reconciliation.

They never make it to the restaurant where they might begin to forgive each other. A snowy and icy night and a car that hits them leave Lilian with a concussion and Rosie with a traumatic brain injury. Lilian is convinced that this was no accident, but can she prove it? As she learns more about Rosie's life from her fiancé and diary, she begins to wonder which one of them was really the intended victim.

Lots of twists, turns, revelations, and red herrings. I was convinced I knew who the bad guy was, and I was so wrong. A very enjoyable debut that uses Rosie's journal and Lilian's account of the past and the present to bring this story to its conclusion.

Was this review helpful?

Wow!!! This was a fantastic debut thriller from Bradleigh Godfrey.

Synopsis: After two years of not speaking, estranged sisters Lillian and Rosie agree to get together. On their drive to dinner Rosie shares that she has something important to tell Lillian and it's a matter of life or death. Moments later, they are in a car accident and Rossie ends up in the hospital with a severe TBI. As Lillian tries to figure out what Rosie wanted to tell her before the crash, she starts to think the accident was in fact deliberate and her sister is in danger.

Thoughts: It is always hard to find a great thriller and trust me, you will not be able to put this one down!! It's fast-paced and relatively short, making it easy to binge in just one sitting! Part of what makes it so powerful is how Bradleigh integrates the knowledge from her day job as a physician into the story. Being an SLP, it is clear that she accurately portrays the recovery process post TBI, and I loved how Lillian and her husband were both doctors balancing personal struggles of their own. I also love how while this story was primarily told through Lillian's POV, we got to hear Rosie's perspective through her older diary entries. The end was just WOW!!!

Read if you like:
-Suspense thrillers
-Medical setting
-Stories that emphasize the recovery process
-Sisterhood


Thank you Blackstone for the ARC. Pub date: 9/13

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the copy of this ARC.

WOW what a debut! I could NOT put this one down. Lilian and Rosie are estranged sisters, who are finally getting together after 3 years. Rosie has something "life or death" to tell Lilian and then they get into a car crash, leaving Rosie with a traumatic brain injury, unable to communicate, and skeptical of Lilian. Lilian thinks the car crash was deliberat and is determined to figure out who's behind it.

Bradeigh is a doctor by trade and you can tell - the medical knowledge was spot on in this book and I really appreciated that. It totally added to the thriller element of the book, and memory loss, medical ailments, and secrets are all great elements in a thriller. Highly recommend this one for your spooky TBR!

Was this review helpful?

After Rose was born, Lilian took care of her like her own child until she left home to attend medical school, but three years ago, when their parents died in a tragic accident, the sisters had an explosive argument. They didn’t talk until Rose asked Lilian to have dinner with her, in Greektown, for old time’s sake.

Driving in a Chicago snowstorm in Rose’s ancient Beetle alarms Lilian, especially when it seems that Rose is nervous. She tells her older sister that she has news that’s a matter of life or death. Suddenly, the small car lurches into a ditch after being smashed in a hit and run.

Lilian wakes in a hospital room with a severe concussion, but otherwise unhurt. Rosie, on the other hand, suffered a traumatic brain injury that left her on a ventilator unable to speak.

As she revisits the awful events of the evening, Lilian becomes convinced that the car crash was deliberate. Having been absent from her sister’s life for three years, she has few clues, but as she starts amassing an impression of Rosie’s past, she realizes the depth of the secrets Rosie held.

Even as Lilian uncovers evidence of the danger she faces, she refuses to stop asking questions; she’ll never abandon her baby sister again, no matter the cost.

I feel like saying too much would spoil the reading experience, so briefly, the book is a slow burn that develops the characters and milieu. As a physician who works with patients who have had neurologic or musculoskeletal injuries, Bradiegh possesses an expertise that gives the book such authenticity in scenes set in the hospital or dealing with the aftermath of the accident.

After this, it’s: Oh no! Oh my god! Interesting! Does that describe me? No way!!! Don’t do it! What??? Agckkk! Whew! That’s all good by the way. THE IMPOSTER is an excellent thriller and unbelievable debut because it is well-written with lots of surprises and twists, but also because it seamlessly integrates important topics such as post-partum depression and domestic abuse, never forgetting that the heart of the book is the sisters’ love for each other.

Was this review helpful?

4.5⭐️

TW: car accident, brain injury, postpartum anxiety, sexual and emotional abuse, toxic relationship, death of parents, animal death, death of a child, leukemia, abandonment issues, infidelity

I find it very commendable when an author can write both romances and thrillers given they are such distinct genres. After having loved Bradeigh Godfrey’s romance debut with a co-author, The Beach Trap, I was excited to read her thriller debut - Imposter and I must say this is quite a solid debut in the thriller genre!

This is a medical/ psychological thriller, which is one of my favorite sub-genres. It was very obvious that Bradeigh used her own professional medical knowledge to write this story. She also mentioned in the acknowledgements that she conducted a lot of research interviews and requested feedback from other medical professionals, which made the story feel more authentic.

Imposter is the story of two estranged sisters, Lillian and Rosie, who get into a car accident on the night that they reunite, leading Rosie to suffer from a severe brain injury. When Lillian starts digging into Rosie’s past to find out the cause of the accident, she discovers shocking secrets.

It is always fun when the story is narrated by unreliable narrators, in this case - both sisters, because you don’t know who to trust, which keeps you on the edge of your seat and gripped to the story. I especially enjoyed the psych journal entries from Rosie’s POV.

The way Bradeigh successfully managed to interweave themes of sisterhood, brain injuries, postpartum anxiety, abandonment issues, emotional and sexual abuse, made the story feel very unique and unlike any other thriller I’ve read before.

Though I was able to guess some of the twists because I had a gut feeling something was off about one of the main characters, it was still an interesting and unsettling journey to get there.

I highly recommend this one if you enjoy:

- medical thrillers
- psychological thrillers
- unreliable narrators
- stories about sisterhood or complicated sibling dynamics

I’ve already preordered a physical copy!

Was this review helpful?

A fantastic debut thriller from Bradleigh Godfrey. I was so excited to be approved for an advanced copy of Imposter, so a big thanks to Blackstone Publishing. It did not disappoint, and had me turning pages well into the night to see how it would finish.

Sisters, Lillian’s and Rosie have not spoken in 2 years. They have finally agreed to get together and go out for dinner. On the drive there, Rosie is acting strange and tells her sister that she has something to talk about that is of life or death importance. It is a snowy night and there is an accident, which leaves Rosie in hospital with a traumatic brain injury. Lillian is scared for her sister and is determined to find out what it was that she wanted to tell her before the crash.

We put all the pieces together through Rosie’s journal entries and Lillian in the present day. It is full of suspense and tension and ai didn’t know what or who to believe. It came to a really clever conclusion that I didn’t see coming. Highly recommend.

Was this review helpful?

I was intrigued from the start, but then it just seemed to keep going on without any real suspense for a big chunk of the book, until the big twist towards the end (which I guessed). The last part was really good, and while I enjoyed it overall, it wasn't the page-turner I was expecting. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Was this review helpful?

Oh my gosh this was incredible!!! I’m a huge fan of Bradeigh Godfrey and feel so honored to have snagged an early copy of this mind bending thriller… throughout I think I did every surprise facial expression under the sun. I went in blindly to this knowing I was going to get a bit of medical jargon with family drama and OH MY WORD…. I’m still reeling from it. You could feel the tension… the cold… the pain… the shock that is written in this novel. She did an amazing job of writing medical terminology and making it understandable for readers like myself that really aren’t familiar with terms. There was no stone left unturned and everything came out in a way I had nooooo clue would happen!!! I’m a fan of Bradeigh’s for life!!!

Was this review helpful?

📖 Book - Imposter
✍️ Author - Bradeigh Godfrey
📕 Publisher - Blackstone Publishing
🗓 Publication Date - 13th Sept 2022

Lillian and Rosie haven’t spoken for 2 years. Finally one of them has mad a
Move, to invite the other out for dinner.
Unfortunately- on their way home …….. there is a bad car accident. One comes out unscathed but the other certainly does not!

This book hilights family bonds and how far someone will go, to help & support a family member! Having lost both their parents at a young age, I think this brought them closer when they were younger. One taking over the mothering role!

This book does have some triggers but this explains how their life’s have come to be they way they are!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Out of 5 for me.

https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagramshaz

#book #ban #bookstagram #design #books #teviews #islamiclaw #reading #bookstagroomshaz #vintage #bookworm #london #hustlenomatry #plasticpollution #bookish #read #nomorewaste #booklover #york #bibliophile #keepcup #booksofinstagram #art #volkswagen #love #writeon #booknerd #bookshop #nikon #instabook

Was this review helpful?

Thank you
This debut by was amazing! I'm a huge fan of psychological thrillers, and this did not disappoint.
Two sisters , secrets, and an accident that changed everything.
This story had me flying through the pages to see what was going to happen.....I had a little idea what was coming but not exactly and was pleasantly surprised by a few of the twists near the end.
I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read this , as I am a follower of bradeighs and love how humble and human she is.
Awesome job , and cant wait to see what you come up with next!
⭐⭐⭐⭐.💫

Was this review helpful?

4⭐️

Debut psychological suspense by an author who is also a physician working with veterans.

Estranged sisters Rosie and Lilian finally meet up. Rosie says that she has something really important to share, only she doesn’t get to share it before sustaining a car crash and a traumatic brain injury.
Lilian becomes suspicious that something is going on, and her sister can’t tell her what so she starts digging.
We hear both sisters POV, we get Rosie’s from her online journal.

There’s a big element of unreliability, so the readers is left wondering what is going on. There’s a good amount of tension created.
There’s some interesting brain injury information both minor with concussion and extension brain trauma.
I enjoyed it.

Was this review helpful?

What an absolutely fabulous thriller! It kept me on my toes; flying through the book to find out what was happening. The twist was awesome and the plot was so clever and so well planned out. It’s the perfect read for spooky season!!

Was this review helpful?

If there’s one type of book I’ll always read, no matter the genre it’s a story about sisters. Bonus points for a dark thriller about sisters so I knew this was a must for me the minute I read the synopsis. This is is told from both sisters viewpoints, Lilian in the present day and Rosie through journal entries from the past so you’re slowly fed the details on their relationship and everything that led up to their falling out and beyond. While the secrets are slowly revealed I still found the pacing to be pretty fast and I was definitely never bored. Not knowing if either sister was even reliable kept things exciting and a couple of twists in the end surprised me. Overall a solid debut and I look forward to reading more from the author.

Was this review helpful?

Imposter is a thriller that will keep you guessing and shocked clear until the last page! I knew something was up, I mean it is a thriller, but I couldn't quite pin down what was going on until that onion slowly started to get peeled! Then layer after layer of build up from the previous pages slowly exploded into a fantastic ending!

Two estranged sisters plan to meet up for dinner. As they are driving together, on the road of a stormy night Rosie tells her sister she needs to tell her something that is a matter of life and death. Then the screeching tires and halt of a car accident happens. Rosie is in a coma, and when she comes to she is not herself. Lillian is determined to help her sister in her long and hard recovery, but there's more to the story than meets the eye that Lillian will soon find out.

Perhaps what makes this book so powerful is the author and her day job itself! Godfrey is a physician who works with rehabilitation of patients after severe neurologic and musculoskeletal injuries. Therefore, she does a great job lining up the story and reality of what the character is experiencing--but in a way that you as the reader can easily understand and comprehend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advance e-book.

Was this review helpful?

After a serious accident, a sister tries to reconnect with her injured younger sister only to be rebuffed. Lillian works through her own self doubt and emotional attachments as she tries to protect Rosie from a serious threat. Compelling with a twisty plot that kept me on edge till the end, I am looking forward to this debut author's next work.

Was this review helpful?