Jeez!! What a messed up book! I have read a few by this author but this book had me HATING Emmeline and turning the pages so fast to find out what the heck was going on.Only one of my questions didn’t get answered which I really want answering, but the rest were and they were not the answers I was expecting.

This book is a wild ride indeed! Clever twists that really surprised me and it's a hugely gripping read. Can't wait to read more from the author based on this.

This was a creepy read with a very original story. Cole Baxter is always coming out with 5 star thrillers and this one was no exception!!!

What did I just read. Your husband looks the same but is different. A enthralling physcological thriller that had me hooked at every turn. At times I had no idea what was happening but that made it more exciting.

The Doppelganger by Cole Baxter.
Emmeline Hopkins-Keller is in paradise, sharing a luxurious holiday on a tropical island with her husband Jeffrey and his family. But it’s hard to relax and enjoy it when she knows her marriage is in deep trouble.
I really really enjoyed this book. Wow what a twister of a read. I certainly didn't see that coming. 5*.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emmeline was a character that grated in my nerves. She was whiny, spoiled, and kept resorting to the same thought processes throughout the entire book.

I started this book excited but towards the end I was bored. It was wordy and repetitive but I wanted to know the final outcome so I kept reading. I think the ending was well done and not what I expected.

I have never read a book by this author before and would be interested in reading some others to see if this wordiness is a constant theme through this books.

This book was very intriguing. Loved the storyline. Thanks for a copy in exchange for an honest review

I struggled to finish this book, I found it just went round & round with the same stuff. I've read other books by Cole Baxter & enjoyed them unfortunately not this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book for me by this author. Strange is not the word, but intriguing, although slow in places, I was going to give up on it half way through, but I persevered, and I am glad I did. Interesting.

3,5 -4 stars.

Jeffrey and Emmeline are about to spend a few carefree weeks at his family's private island. Everything seems up to a great start, when suddenly, the sunny days are overshadowed by a strange turn of events, when an impostor takes Jeffrey's place and Emmeline is the only person on the island to realise the truth...

It's difficult to rate this one. At times, it was a 5 star read, full of surprises and unexpected turns of events, clever and shrewd.

At other times, it was a bit lengthy. I agree that some of the scenes could have been cut shorter.

I decided to rate it 4 stars because even though some parts felt somewhat repetitive, the book still held my interest. Emmeline's voice was addictive. She certainly isn't a main character to love and sympathise with, but oh boy did she draw me into the story. Like a car accident you can't avert your eyes from. Terrible, yet spine tinglingly captivating. I loved following her into the depths of the story, even though I agree with other reviews that there was not one character in the book that felt loveable.

Then again, this is not a story that calls for loveable characters. It's a twisty tale of psychological suspense that kept me on my toes, guessing and eager to uncover the truth about fake Jeffrey together with Emmeline.

The Doppelganger was the first Cole Baxter novel I've read, and I'll be sure to check out his other works.

I received an ebook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and would like to thank the publisher for introducing me to a new favourite author.

This wasn't a bad read although I came close to not finishing it several times. The actual story was great but it got so repetitious with Emmeline's whiny pathetic character I could hardly bear it sometimes. Hate is a strong word but I really despised her. I have no clue what Jeffery ever saw in her. If that's what she considers love I wouldn't want any part of it.

I loved what happened here even if it did have me wondering "what the heck" a few times!

#TheDoppelganger #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley for this copy for an honest review.

He looks just like her husband. But who is he really? And what is he planning to do with her?

Emmeline Hopkins-Keller is in paradise, sharing a luxurious holiday on a tropical island with her husband Jeffrey and his family. But it’s hard to relax and enjoy it when she knows her marriage is in deep trouble.

One fateful night, a cataclysmic argument between Emmeline and Jeffrey sends him fleeing into the deep, dark forest. A day later he is still missing, leaving everyone shocked and bewildered.

Then, a miracle. Jeffrey turns up unharmed and wants to reconcile. But something is horribly wrong. He looks and sounds like Jeffrey, but Emmeline is 100% sure he's not the man she married. Even if everyone in his family is welcoming this stranger with open arms.

Which leaves her wondering, who exactly is this imposter? And how can he deceive everyone around him? And most of all – what are his plans for Emmeline?

Struggling to believe that everyone around her is lying, Emmeline begins to doubt herself, to lose her grip on reality. Only one thing is certain – when she finally uncovers the terrifying truth, her life will be changed forever.

Sheer perfection. The twists and turns were carefully crafted. Will recommend this story to others.

This was a good book with an interesting concept. Emmeline thinks her husband was replaced by someone else after he ran away due to her actions.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This was my second read by Cole Baxter. I fell in love with The Night Nurse and I couldn't wait to read his next book. This one was a little harder for me to read because of the main character. Emmeline is not a likeable character at all. But when you got closer to the end it really picked up and made the book worth the read. The Night Nurse was definitely better but this was good.


Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

Emmeline is celebrating her one-year wedding anniversary to handsome, obscenely-wealthy Jeffrey with a trip to Paradise Island, a luxurious private island owned by Jeffrey's family. Jeffrey's parents, Matthew and Odette, and sisters, Lynne and Jessie Maw, are there with them. After a knock-down, drag-out fight prompted by Emmeline's flirting, Jeffrey flees into the jungle, followed by Emmeline, and disappears. When he reappears 24 hours later Emmeline is convinced it's not him, but no one shares her concerns.

This was quite different from what I expected. First, I thought the reader would feel sympathy for Emmeline and would be rooting for her to figure out what was going on. Nope. Emmeline was a truly awful person, narcissistic, shallow and entitled. Her behavior is off-the-rails and her husband Jeffrey is justified in his anger at her actions and is not controlling or over-protective. Hunh, didn't expect that. I wasn't exactly rooting for Jeffrey and/or his family either, as they aren't exactly likeable. I was mildly interested in figuring out what was going on but it was hard to feel invested in the story when I disliked the main character so much.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'The Doppelganger' by Cole Baxter.


Read and reviewed for ZooLoos Book Tours, Cole Baxter and Inkubator Books.


Publication date 8th March 2023.


This is the second book I have read by this author. I have also read 'The Perfect Suitor' which I would highly recommend.


I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching and unique cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. I am a huge fan of Cole and if this is half as good as his 'The Perfect Suitor' then it is guaranteed to be a page turner!! I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Inkubator Books. I have yet to read a book published by Inkubator Books that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).


This novel consists of 40 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!


This book is based in the fictional Paradise Island.



This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist is Emmeline Keller. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.


WOW!!! I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT TWIST!!!


This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that really set the scene and put you in the storyline. The cover and synopsis suit the book perfectly.


The storyline was captivating from the first page until the last and I was completely invested in it. It was absolutely rammed full of family, secrets, shocks, deceit, tension, twists, suspense and everything you could ask for in a page turning psychological thriller. I just could not put this book down and finished it in one sitting. The atmosphere of Paradise was absolutely stunning and seeing how "the other half" live. This is one of those books that you just cannot put down!! Each and every time I said just one more chapter something happened and I had to read another and then another until next thing I know I had completely devoured the whole book in one sitting. I don't think I have ever read a book where I am constantly questioning myself and wondering what on Earth was going on and who was telling the truth as much as I did in this book. Cole's evocative writing skills puts the reader in the middle of the Island with all the characters coming to life around them.
The book began with a shock and ends in another one and I would absolutely love to see this turned into a movie. I was absolutely disgusted about what a certain character was doing to another and how they thought there was nothing wrong with how they treated them was absolutely mind blowing but sadly also realistic. I don't want to say too much as I don't want to spoil anything for future readers but I do want to say congratulations to Cole on bringing a certain "topic" to light and show it doesn't just happen one way. Arggh!! So annoying I can't say more but you'll just have to grab your copy today and find out what I mean!!


Do not start this book until you have cleared your schedules as you will not be able to put it down!!


The characters were all realistic and strong and I was completely invested in them throughout. Unfortunately I am unable to say anything on how I feel about any of them without giving any of the storyline away. Regardless of what I thought about who, each character worked perfectly to make this page turning psychological thriller!!!


Congratulations Cole on yet another huge success. This is EXACTLY why you are one of my favourite male authors!! Here's to your next success 🥂!!


Overall an absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller with an explosive twist!!



Genres covered in this book include Domestic Thriller, Suspense, Domestic Fiction, Thriller, Women's Psychological Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Mystery, and Suspense Thriller and Psychological Fiction amongst others.



I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Mark Edwards, Cathryn Grant, Daniel Hurst and anyone looking for an explosive psychological thriller with a shocking twist!!!


366 pages.


This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free on kindle unlimited and £10.99 in paperback (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews

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I had issues with the book, mainly because the self-absorbed, entitled, and cunning main character made it hard to empathize with her. The story was sluggish and repetitive, and I found myself skipping pages without missing anything important. The original idea had potential, but I was disappointed with the execution and bored throughout. Nonetheless, I want to express my gratitude to NetGalley for the chance to read and review the book.

3.25/5 stars! The premise of this book was creepy and intriguing, so I was excited to read it. Parts of the storyline really paid off, but others were pretty lacking. I thought the psychological aspects of the story were handled well and really drew on my empathy for the character. I think where I struggled was the pacing. The storyline was extremely slow and then suddenly full-speed-ahead. It made it a tough reading experience. That being said, I did enjoy the twist and the resolution of the storyline.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Rich family. Rich husband. A whole island to themselves. What more could one want?

Emmeline Hopkins-Keller (maybe the double-barrel name makes her seem posher) is off on holiday with her gorgeous husband Jeffrey to a luxurious tropical island his family owns. Yep, an entire island aptly named Paradise Island. They are the last to arrive with the family having already settled in. But Emmeline finds it hard to relax and enjoy herself when she knows her marriage is in trouble. And her husband watching her every move.

It seems she cannot escape his watchful eye as she flirts with young Patrick whom the family have employed to keep them all in the lap of luxury they have come to expect. But she's only having a bit of fun. Isn't a girl allowed to do that every so often? It's harmless. After all, she always goes back to Jeffrey. So what's the problem?

Then one night, after a doozy of an argument regarding her faithfulness (of course), Jeffrey slams the door of their cabin and flees into the deep dark forest. Emmeline, not wanting her husband to have the last word, chases after him. But hours later she returns, dirty and muddied, having not found her husband.

The following day, Jeffrey still hasn't returned and Emmeline begins to worry. Has he fallen foul in the dark forest? Is he laying somewhere injured? Or maybe he's been abducted? All of these fears go unfounded when a day later, Jeffrey turns up unharmed enjoying breakfast with his family. Emmeline runs to greet him but stops short.

He looks like Jeffrey. He sounds like Jeffrey. But he isn't Jeffrey. Of that, she is sure.

No one is more surprised than Emmeline when he apologises for their fight and claims he wants to reconcile. But she is speechless. She cannot reconcile with this man...this man who isn't her husband, despite him saying that's exactly who he is. Something has happened to Jeffrey and this stranger, this imposter, has turned up in his place. But no matter how much she tries to prove otherwise, nobody believes her. And the more she tries, the more unstable she makes herself look and the crazier she sounds.

And then strange things begin to happen, nightmares about chasing Jeffrey or being chased by his imposter, to revelations of him possibly being a Doppelganger. The more she reads about Doppelgangers, the more frightened she becomes and her nightmares only increase. Despite this, Emmeline continues to insist that fake-Jeffrey is not real-Jeffrey and nothing she does seems to help her cause. She only seems to be digging herself in deeper and deeper, as the storyline just gets even messier and delusional...much like our main character.

So what would you if you were Emmeline? Continue to protest the imposter's identity? Probably. Particularly if you were so sure he was in fact an imposter. Which begs the question, why is she so sure he isn't Jeffrey? She gives no valid explanation. Just a few vague reasons about his height, the colour of his hair, his muscular physique and a mole that he may or may not have had on his nose. But everything about him oozed Jeffrey. He even knew every private and intimate detail about them and their marriage. And yet, no matter what was thrown at her, Emmeline was so sure he wasn't Jeffrey. There are two logical explanations as to why she was so adamant - but which one is the truth?

It was so hard to sympathise with Emmeline because she was such a self-absorbed entitled manipulative gold digger, but funnily enough I did sympathise with her...to a point. But she just grates on your nerves. And everything, and I mean everything, is just so damn repetitive. There was no real plot surrounding this supposed switch from real-Jeffrey to fake-Jeffrey...just repetitive dialogues of "you aren't my husband" to "Of course I am" over and over. Where's the building tension? Give us a reason to believe like an accident and amnesia to other potential red herrings. And please, give readers something to like about the main character! How on earth are we to sympathise with someone so self-absorbed? Here we have a silly young woman carrying on like they've been married for thirty years citing "after all I've put up with this past year". A year, that's it. And then the whole doppelganger arc was a real let down, I thought. In fact the whole book was. When it could have been so much more.

This book had such potential. It really did. The concept itself was so unique. But what the hell happened? I should have known as I have read two thrillers by Cole Baxter previously and they left something of the same after taste as well. There is just something about his style I don't get. But why? THE DOPPELGANGER could have been so good. It could have been so much better. Instead it felt like I'd taken then Tardis to an episode of "Death in Paradise".

I really struggled with this book. I didn't like one single character. I couldn't form much of an impression of Jeffrey because who were we actually presented with? A real-Jeffrey or a fake-Jeffrey? I couldn't be sure. But even so, I didn't really like the one we were presented with. And no one else was remotely likable either.

Overall, THE DOPPELGANGER had a unique concept, the story so much potential, but it all just fell flat. What ensued was 366 pages of repetitive nonsense to the bitter end and final reveal which really, wasn't worth sticking at it for.

I would like to thank #ColeBaxter, #Netgalley, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheDoppelganger in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Thankyou to Netgalley, the publisher and Cole Baxter for allowing me to read this ARC.
This is my first title by Cole Baxter and i enjoyed this book.
I must admit that in some parts i did find it a bit slow but i really did enjoy this book.
I like the story line, i think it was very unique.
The main female character did annoy me alot, she was very unlikeable.
This book was full of suspense, gaslighting and betrayal.
This book had twists and turns and a ending that i did not see coming!
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Thankyou