📖My Thoughts📖

Where do I even begin with this one? I think my initial reaction to this book after reading it, is that it’s like a train wreck that you just can’t look away from, but not in a bad way. I’m not sure if that even makes sense. This was one hell of a dark a twisted ride, that’s for damn sure! As much as it was hard to read, I didn’t want to put it down! Why was it hard to read? Oh, where do I even start? One of the main characters was one of THE biggest and nastiest egotistical narcissistic pig ever. I couldn’t stand his character! He made my insides cringe and my stomach contents curdle because he was so vile! And his father?!? Don’t even get me started on his father! The man (and I use this term loosely) was such an enabler, feeding into this vile behavior, turning his head and refusing to actually deal with it. It just disgusted me on so many levels. On the flip side, all of this was some of the main source as to why this book was so damn good. You have the bad (as I pointed out) and then there was the flip side of the coin with the good; which consisted of the other main character and his mother. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of “mirror twins” so that was something new for me. There are a lot of triggers in this book, heavy on the abuse. This book will definitely give you the whole “This is so awful but I just can’t put it down” feelings. As disturbing and dysfunctional as this book was, I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It was just so dark and twisted and well, you’ll just have to see for yourself!
Thank you Netgalley, Leslie Kain and Atmosphere Press for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I loved this book! It was a slow burn at first but really picked up. The character development was great!

Wow! Totally enjoyed this dark and creepy novel by Leslie Kain. Just awesome for a debut. A deep dive into family, lies and complex personality disorders. Rich character development that kept the story zipping along. I stayed up past my bedtime flipping pages.
Thank you NetGalley, Leslie Kain and Atmosphere Press for the opportunity to read and review this new book.

A story of twin brothers who have very different personalities. Gavin, the nerdy one who wants to help his brother anyway he can, Devin, is his father’s chosen one and is the troubled one. Gavin is bullied by both his father and brother but still is there for them. He finally realizes that he needs to separate from his family. But, will his family and their connections let him go? A wonderfully written story about family drama, loyalty and the ties that binds a family.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for this review copy, I received this review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A psychological family drama thriller focusing on a set of mirror twins, Devon and Gavin. One good, one evil. Devon is considered to be the chosen one of the two by his father who only feeds and encourages Devon's narcissistic personality. The result is a miserable life for Gavin, who is constantly is abused by these two family members. Gavin continuously tries to gain their love and respect and finds it difficult to break ties with the twin he is determined to save.
Someone who relishes a truly disturbing psychological thriller might enjoy this novel. Kain created some very dark and emotionally abusive characters, and she delves into the mental aspects of their psych and the impacts of those in their lives. At times these descriptions slowed down the quick pace of a normal mystery/thriller. There were scenes which should have been dramatic and gut wrenching but had so many points of view to cover it was hard to connect with what any of the characters were feeling. However, I was constantly on edge on how Devon would next attack Gavin and there are several twists I did not see coming.
Thank you NetGalley and the author for me copy of this arc.

Secrets In The Mirror
by Leslie Kain

Book Blurb by Sylvia Jacobs

This is a fictional Novel about two twin brothers along with their family that are quite dysfunctional.They were teenagers at that time when a terrible car accident leaves one of the brothers in a coma? Will he survive? Will he be the same if he does make it out of the coma? Will he be able to go back to school? Will one brother save the other? So many questions need answers. What will we find about the car accident? So many interesting things are happening and going on in this book.

I rate it 5 out of 5 stars as it was written very well and will hold your interest throughout. I rate it because it shows you that two brothers who were twins were quite different in many ways. Yet, they were raised in the same household.

"With half the family gone, does the dysfunction go down by half?"

"The ghost of past dysfunction remains."

Secrets In The Mirror by debut novelist Leslie Kain is a riveting psychological thriller about mirror twins who are part of what is the definition of codependent dysfunctional family.

Gavin and Devon are alike in every physical way; seeing one another is like looking in the mirror. That's where any similarities end. Gavin is a decent human who would love to be a chef and bring happiness to people with delicious food. Now Devon would like the world to acknowledge that he is the greatest, toughest badass to ever be born. After all, that what his mob boss father tells him everyday.

The father is a vicious criminal and from the time Devon was born a few minutes before Gavin he has anointed Devon his heir to his mob dynasty. Gavin has been declared his brother's keeper. Keep him safe and out of trouble. The problem is Devon suffers from undiagnosed Narcissistic Personality Disorder. He is selfish, cruel, and without empathy for anyone. As Devon becomes more violent, a drug addict, and self destructive, Gavin must find a way to save himself if he can't save his family. Unfortunately, the ties between the twins are knotted so tight and everytime Gavin pulls away, Devon pulls him back in.

It is very impressive that this book is the author's first novel. She has crafted not only a tense psychological thriller but a very in-depth look into the connection of twins, nurture versus nature, mental health and when self preservation needs to kick in. I couldn't stop reading it and it left me very introspective needing to take a look in the mirror on my own self preservation actions.

I received a free copy of this book from the author via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a huge roller coaster, a lot of emotions. It has family drama and abuse so please check the trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Leslie Kain for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Secrets in the Mirror was a rollercoaster ride. It covered mental health, addiction, and abuse. It was compelling and heart-breaking at times. All of the characters were very well-developed.

"You can't save anyone unless they want to be saved. And you can't save anyone until you save yourself."

I don't think I've ever read about twins who were complete opposites. In their father, Tony's eyes, Devon is the "chosen one" and Gavin is "the loser." I couldn't believe half of the things that were said to Gavin by his father and Devon, and that Gavin kept helping them both out. They repeatedly put him down and called him names. I felt so badly for Gavin who was smart, talented, and wanted a better life for himself. The whole family dynamic was crazy dysfunctional. I can't imagine living with two narcissistic personalities in one house.
It was also interesting how Leslie Kain covered so many years of the twin's lives, and I felt I was able to get to know both of them on a deeper level. And the ending --- a total surprise!

Highly recommend this intense psychological thriller!

Come For The Twin / Mental Illness / Addiction / Mob Story. Stay For The Badass Twin Tattoo. This story is some interesting/ weird melding of a twin study and most any mob-based story. The driving focus is a pair of mirror twins and one of the twins' mental illness and descent into addiction, and this slow burn story - taking place over roughly a decade of their lives - does a great job of showing the havoc it can wreak. And yet, the story never actually feels preachy, and Kain even manages to convey just how giving the one twin is and how menacing the other twin can be. Along the way we even get elements of The Hundred Foot Journey, which was an interesting addition to the overall tale. A strong work for a promising debut author, and very much recommended.

Great story! Kept me enthralled the whole time I was reading it. Leslie Kain was a new author to me, and she's definitely an amazing writer. All these characters gave the story so much depth, and at times I found myself forgetting I was reading, because it was all playing out in my head so vividly.

This is a novel about a dysfunctional family that is centred around "mirror twins" from early years to adulthood. The dialogue was good, some strong, complex character and the explanations on mental illness was well defined. However I felt that whilst the storyline was interesting it could have been developed further - there were some gaping holes in primary elements of the story and too much focus on more commonplace topics. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy.

Gavin and his twin brother, Devon, may look the same but they are very different. Devon bullies Gavin and gaslights him at every turn. Gavin is desperate to break free but also wants to protect his brother.

This was a great family saga with some complex and well developed characters. I liked the mental health aspect and look at a character that you love to hate. In fact , there are a few characters you love to hate. I liked the character study in the first half a lot. The second half got pretty exciting but I wasn’t as into the mob and criminal plot.

“Colleen knew she must find a way to reverse the destructive and trajectory their family was on. To save Tony, their mortgage, their sons.”

Secrets in the Mirror comes out 9/13.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an electronic ARC of this novel, and to NetGalley for providing me with an outlet on which to read it.
Expected publication date: September 16, 2022
Leslie Kain’s debut into fiction focuses on two “mirror” twins, brothers who are, in every way, alike and yet the exact opposite. Devon and Gavin are two planets, circling each other since birth, and as they grow up and develop their own personalities, Gavin begins to realize how very different he is from his brother. But Devon refuses to let Gavin go, and will ensure that his twin stays by his side, regardless of his motivations, or Gavin’s thoughts on the matter.
“Secrets in the Mirror” follows the twins, initially as teenagers, all the way through to adulthood. Devon is “The Golden Child”, heralded by all who know him (including the twins’ father) to do “great” things. Gavin is merely the younger twin, the one who has been told since early childhood that his purpose is to ensure Devon stays out of trouble. “Mirror” is a tale of brotherhood and twindom, but it also includes deeper topics such as narcissistic personality disorder, co-dependency, addiction and abuse (physical and emotional).
“Mirror” has all the makings of a good novel, and it started out that way. I was captivated by the devious side of Devon, and immediately felt empathy for Gavin, who is merely a cog in his older brother’s machine. The novel is narrated in the third person, and mostly by Gavin, although other characters do occasionally take over. By writing in this way, Kain ensures that the reader is able to follow the plot, and I was easily able to recognize who the speaker was.
The novel, as mentioned, starts in teenage-hood, but it jumps months and years at a time. “Mirrors” highlights the important incidents that changes the landscape of each twins’ development so the necessary information is imparted, but giant chunks of time are completely ignored. Decisions are made in the background, with the outcome being the only thing the reader is made privy to, and this made me feel a little disconnected from the characters and the plot.
The conversational language between the characters wasn’t as developed as I was expecting, but again, this was more noticeable toward the end of the novel (e.g.: important conversations that should have happened were overlooked, however a mundane talk between Gavin and his friends was included in detail).
I loved the mental illness aspect of this novel and Kain’s depiction of the terrifying rollercoaster that is addiction; especially how the two go hand-in-hand and how the entire family suffers as a result. Gavin was as likable as Devon was detestable, and I did enjoy their fraught, co-dependent, one-way relationship. I would’ve liked more detail in the important areas, which may have been easier to do if Kain had picked a timeline to focus on as opposed to covering the entire young adulthood of the two brothers. Although including the twins’ father’s involvement in the mob made sense to help a reader understand Tony and how he became who he was, I wanted more of the twins relationship, and less of the mob “capo” business antics of the family. Kain is right on the edge of delivering a powerhouse novel, and I am looking to read more of her work as she continues to develop as a writer.

Nicely done. This seemed to pick up steam as it progressed, and it is not a predictable story, which was great, too. This has quite a few early reviews and high ratings, and I suspect this will be enjoyed by those that pick it up. Recommended.

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!

The psychological aspects of these characters is handled with such cleverness and detail that it makes the characters extremely engaging, even when you can’t like them. More than a good versus evil twin trope, this book explores family dynamics, the impact of toxic relationships and the struggles to come to terms with what you don’t want to accept. It’s also very well written with clear, crisp dialogue and contexts.

Gavin and Devon are mirror twine, but their personalities are like night and day. The story begins when they are children, with their father treating Devon like he is perfect, and Gavin, lacking in every respect. Not only is Devon cruel and calculating, but he also takes tremendous delight in making Gavin's life as miserable as possible.

Their father set up a dynamic that will follow both of them well into adulthood. No matter what Devon does, Gavin feels responsible, and there are numerous tragic outcomes. An awful lot of years are covered, and at times, it felt more like telling rather than showing us what happened.

This was a debut with an interesting premise and I would like to see what comes next.

Secrets in the Mirror is a compelling story about Narcissistic Personality Disorder mixed with family patterns of abuse and addiction. Fast paced, unpredictable and original with a twist that made me gasp out loud. Dramatic, atmospheric and fast paced.

Leslie Kains debut novel is a page turner - great storytelling and a cast of truly believable characters. I’ll definitely be following this author to see what she produces next.
Devon and Gavin are twins - mirror twins. They are brought up in a relatively stable background but Devon, the oldest by ten minutes, is favoured by their father and is constantly heralded as the best at everything whereas Gavin is treated like a nerd whose only true goal in life is to look out for his brother.
Don’t want to spoil this for you so I’m only going to say that this family saga is truly disturbing emotional character building friendship trust - every emotion in life.
Loved every word.

A true psychological thriller at its best. What makes this story is the characters. Definitely recommend