Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced reader copy.

This week’s headline? Doppelgängland
Why this book? Synopsis sounded interesting

Which book format? ARC

Primary reading environment? Train

Any preconceived notions? I’ll prob like this
Identify most with? As much as it pains me, Harper

Three little words? “knot of dread”

Goes well with? Wine and painting, rabbit’s foot, Brigid’s cross

Recommend this to? People who like open-ended questions

Other cultural accompaniments: https://www.therobey.com/

Grade: 2.5/5

I leave you with this: “We were made from the same ingredients—same hair color, eyes, nose, lips—but she was brighter and better somehow.”

📚📚📚

Well, this turned out to be… something. I went into this thinking I’ll at least like it, but hoped to love it. What ended up happening is indescribable. This book is a mess. Just like Harper. It started out somewhat strong and I was hooked but then the last third of the book veered into uncharted territory. This may be spoilery, but there is no real resolution to the story. I’m left feeling cheated, honestly.

One of Those Faces is available today.

tw: family abuse, murder

Her debut novel, One of Those Faces by Elle Grawl is a standalone psychological thriller. When a woman is murdered outside her apartment, Harper Mallen is struck by how similar the victim’s appearance is to her. A struggling artist in Chicago, Harper investigates and finds two other similar victims and another doppelganger. Increasingly suspicious to the point of paranoia regarding most people, Harper even fails to trust herself. A popular noir this flawed, vulnerable protagonist premise is overrepresented in psychological suspense thrillers lately. In this case, the characters failed to inspire and the tension was somewhat tepid, making this a passable two and a half star read rating. With thanks to Thomas & Mercer and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

I’ve occasionally gotten oh you look like so & so, but no more than a few times – in my entire life! I think I struggled with trying to fathom this because it’s not something I see as plausible.

Harper has only known sleepless nights – or those filled with nightmares. She’s struggling to survive as an artist in Chicago. One night a woman is murdered right outside her apartment – and the woman looks just like her. Then Harper realizes a woman was murdered a little while back that also looked just like her. Is someone targeting her? Why? Harper fears her past is coming back to haunt her, and she isn’t sure she’s going to survive.

I wanted to like this one, but come on, how can one woman be mistaken for 4 other people? I can’t fathom anyone having a face that like that many other people within the same city, nonetheless. Also, why was she targeted actually? Sure, we found out who was targeting her, but the whole reason as to why they picked her was elusive. And what the heck was that ending? It didn’t even make sense to me. This book just didn’t work for me. It wasn’t great but it left me all frustrated which I do not enjoy feeling that way. I will read additional books from this author, as this is her debut novel, and I see a lot of potential.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher Thomas & Mercer for gifting me this advanced e-arc in exchange for this honest review. I am always so grateful for all the books I am gifted. This one is out soon – December 1st, which is like, days away!

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a huge hot mess, and my feelings upon finishing it can be described as a combination of confusion, relief that it was over and disappointment. Yes, the premise is interesting, but the plot is murky and full of gaping holes, the book is badly written, the characters are all self-absorbed with a large helping of self-destructive behavior and stupid choices, awful ending with zero resolution... I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

The description of this book got me intrigued in seconds and I was looking forward to reading it and find out why that hook is so powerful.
It’s an interesting story overall, one with a great start that builds up a lot of tension and suspenseful moments. Some twists are very unpredictable and some moments felt just too flat for me.
What I really liked to know was who was the actual killer? Because I feel like we haven’t really found out in the end.
Yes, I have my theories and I’m thinking that I might know exactly who that one is, but I also need it confirmed because there are way too many unanswered questions in here.
Many will enjoy it as well as many others will just feel like me , that it’s an interesting story but it’s missing something for me to love it.


📖Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley

I flew through this book. It had some really creepy/thriller pieces and left me with a few head scratching moments too. I liked the story and the plot. It was confusing, but I could still follow it. That ending just didn't do it for me. We get pumped up and ready for this big reveal....and then it just falls flat. It almost felt like it was rushed.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Harper Mallen is an insomniac artist who has escaped from an abusive childhood. She gets paid doing free-lance gigs in the studio and is mostly kept to herself. But just in front of the apartment where Harper lives, a woman was murdered brutally. The woman bore strong resemblance to Harper. Harper soon finds out that two more women were murdered and all these women look so much like Harper.

I do like the plot of the story. I was also instantly hooked into the story from the beginning of the chapter and fell that this book might be a really good and engaging psychological thriller. However, I felt that there are too many questions in the story. Harper in my opinion seemed to be a disturbing and toxic character in the book and it seems that people around Harper are literally dying! The ending was a bit rushed but confusing with sort of a cliffhanger. Who really is the killer? What is the motive behind the murders? Why was Harper targeted? These are the questions that never seemed to have answered in the book.

I think in my opinion, this was an OK book--could have been better. Worth three stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the piblisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I enjoyed One of Those Faces for the most part and it had me questioning everyone and everything. The twists and turns were great, and I found most of the story thrilling and exciting. What let it down for me was the ending. The main mystery of who the murder was, was solved, but too many questions were left unanswered....and the last paragraph just left me thinking - what on earth was that....
If makes sense if the book is set up as a series, however there is no indication it's a series and I'm just left on a cliff hanger. This bought the stars down from 4 to 3 for me.

This was a quick read, and for the most part well written. My main bug bear with this is the implausibility. I don't mind suspending belief occasionally, especially if I am invested in the characters and book. Unfortunately there were too many improbable situations and quite often very confusing. The premise, especially for a debut was great, I look forward to what the author brings out next.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reading copy.

One of Those Faces is a twisted murder mystery. Runaway Harper Mallen has suffered from her father's hands a lot of physical and mental abuse. She sufferers from sleep walking, sleep deprivation, and nightmares. Harper is a struggling artist, and her life is basically a mess. She begins to notice that there is a woman who looks like her around town. One night a woman is murdered in the alley behind her apartment. Harper hears something but in her present state she doesn't realize that it's a murder. As she begins to investigate, she becomes aware that there are a few women that resemble her are being murdered.

There are several men in her life Danny a reporter that knew her when her father was hurting her, Iann a student in one of her paint and sip class, Det. Wilder who is investigating the murders and how they connect to Harper, and Jeremy boyfriend of her friend Erin who owns the paint and sip business.

The character of Harper seems to be very troubled from her past and as a result makes poor decisions. Her friends also make poor choices. But since she was a runaway, she really didn't have many good role models to follow. There aren't many likable people in this story, but unfortunately due to her past these are the people she attracts.

The book is an action-packed thriller that keeps building throughout with many twists and turns. I suspected who the killer was but depending on what was happening I kept switching between two. Still, it was an entertaining story.

3 Stars
* * * Spoiler Free
One of Those Faces by Elle Grawl starts with an intriguing idea. Unfortunately, this was not working for me in the actually reading. There was much to digest, many people and issues pointed to throw off the reader.

How reliable is Harper as a narrator? She's abused pills and alcohol, she's sleep deprived, she had a traumatic and abusive childhood. Now an adult and an artist, she's keeping it together except that someone is killing women who look like her. Except that she does have "one of these faces," a face that might seem familiar until you get up close. No spoilers on this thriller, which has some interesting twists. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A nice debut.

Vivid, suspenseful, with surprising twists!

Elle Grawl is a lawyer by day and writer by night. After obtaining her B.A. in English Literature, she took a detour into law before returning to her love of writing. Her lifelong interest in true crime and experiences as an attorney have provided her with plenty of writing material. Elle enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and their two dogs.

Her debut psychological thriller, ONE OF THOSE FACES, is coming December 1st, 2022 with Thomas & Mercer.

An insomniac artist discovers a shocking truth about a recent spate of murders in her city: the victims all look just like her.

I love psychological thrillers and this one definitely kept me guessing right up until the very end. Harper, a fragile survivor, and the book’s protagonist tries to uncover the killer behind a series of gruesome murders after one of the victims is found in the alleyway across the street from her apartment. The worst part is, they all look like her. Grawl did an awesome job at keeping the stakes and tension high throughout. There were so many scenes that forced me to keep turning the pages and reading into the late hours of the night. All I wanted was for Harper to succeed. But after a brutal upbringing, it was clear her unhealthy patterns were carried from childhood into her present relationships. There was so much going on in this book between each character and yet, it was easy to keep up with every single twist and turn Grawl introduced. The world she built was immersive, her characters realistic. The pace was quick and the subject matter dark, perfect for a fall read.

One of the most disturbing scenes for me saw Harper enter Jenny’s apartment only to be caught by a man who mistook her for Jenny. He proceeded to kiss her inside the closet, pinning her against the wall. The only option she had to escape was to play along until she could figure out a way to leave without alerting him of her true identity.

I would have liked more clarity around some of the deaths in the book. More specifically, Jenny’s, and if Harper had anything to do with it. That always had me on edge given her history and problematic memory.

3.5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
For readers who enjoy unreliable narrators, psychological suspense, and compelling female characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I found "One Of Those Faces" by
debut author Elle Grawl to be an addictive, intriguing, dark, disturbing, original & twisty thriller that pulled me in right away & didn't let me go until its final page.
My only reason why I couldn't give a 5 star review, was the ending.
To me, the ending was a huge disappointment because it was confusing & didn't answer or address some very important questions.

On starting One of those Faces I was super excited. The synopsis sounded good and the opening pages were actually fairly enticing. But I'm afraid for me that's where things kind of dropped off. From around the 20-30% area my mind started to wander a little. I was having trouble staying invested. But alas I should explain why and it's only one reason, or should I say character that was causing this... Harper.

When you have issues with the main character in a book it can make reading exceptionally hard. In honesty, I disliked her a lot. And that's me being polite. Maybe its my age, I definitely am a mature reader (Well 46, not completely past it but don't get the 'new life styles of millennial' etc). But Harper even seemed way off on my eldest daughter and her ideals. I felt that yes, she had a VERY hard start in life with everything that happened (And boy was that a slow burn finding out!!) and I got she had issues. But for someone who could NEVER make rent on time managed to spend $5 every morning on coffee or the taco truck? Then was off in nice bars in town etc. But would 'slum' it when doing her art class drinking 'cheap wine' and working for minimum wage there. Yes she had a job illustrating, but no focus what so ever doing it?! Lets then talk about how 'reliable' she is, well she isn't. There I said it. Issues with pills? Yep. The only thing I liked about her was taking Woodstock in I think when he finally trusted her after the tuna. Moving on as I think I've bashed poor Harper enough, then we have the men. Sorry but that just got a little confusing too as things progressed in the story.

If I take Harper out of the equation, the story its self is a good idea. I just don't think it was executed as well as it could have been. I am by no way bashing the author either! I admire all authors for putting words to page and coming up with something - I could not do that! I just felt (For me) things could have been better. The ending left me with a lot of loose ends and no answers. I like answers. Sorry but I do. Plus I lost some interested but felt I'd come far enough towards the end that I owed the book to finish it. If I hadn't had this as an ARC I might not have bothered.

So for this this was a 3 star, maybe a 2.5 star read. It was just ok. There's a mystery there and an adorable cat - but I don't think anyone is going to just read this for Woodstock. I wasn't wow'd but I was entertained at times. I just needed... More.

Thank you To NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Harper is a struggling artist and an insomniac. She is dealing with nightmares that keep her from havin a restful night sleep. She has secrets that she is determined to keep hidden in her past. Murders are occurring around the city and they has one strange commonlity, the victims all resemble Harper. As she investigates the victims, she makes a shocking discovery that brings her past rushing back towards her. A captivating story and plot, with mesmerizing characters. There’s enough twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

a tense, intriguing thriller. A damaged main character, who at times is unreliable due to alcohol, pills and lack of sleep. I cared about her, the writing was good, easy to read and was left in awe/full of questions with the ending. The premise is that young women who look like her are getting murdered. Is she is danger, Is she the one they" really want as more and more people around her get hurt. Her back story was slowly told. There is animal abuse in this book, which is my main criticism. 4.5 except for that

This psychological thriller follows Harper, who has "one of those faces" that seems similar to many others. She often gets mistaken on the street as being someone else and thinks nothing of it. Until, woman after woman who look like her are murdered by a killer. Will Harper be next?

This is one of those thrillers where the plotline sounds amazing however you will need to suspend disbelief to enjoy it. I was intrigued throughout the whole book however I admit, there were a few times when I thought it did go a bit overboard. I was also hoping for more closure at the end as I believe some questions remained unanswered. Told solely from Harper's POV and with short chapters, it was a quick and easy read.

I loved this book! It is gripping and had me mistrusting and suspecting every character at some point in the narrative. The writing style is very easy to read, and the characters are real and believable, with just enough depth to make you think you know them; essential in a psychological thriller. Every now and then the timeline had me slightly confused, but not to any detriment in the storyline, and in hindsight, as I think about this, it fits the narrative rather well. As with many good thrillers, there are still some unanswered questions at the end of the book, which I like. My thanks to the publishers, Thomas & Mercer, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read it.

Talk about dark, devastating, and damaged. Elle Grawl’s One of Those Faces paints a vivid picture of a troubled protagonist whose doppelgängers are getting murdered. Is it connected to her? That question kept me turning pages late into the night. The writing is beautiful, intense and fast-paced. The book has all the twists and turns you’d want in a thriller. Bravo!!