A very clever plot with alternate storylines. I wasn’t sure I would like that but it worked. There were twists along the way and I was kept engaged.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jane Connor is estranged from her beautiful sister Esme. One stormy night Esme called Jane from NYC to come pick her up . After a an incident that happened fifteen years ago Jane is reluctant to do so . This book shows how one small moment change everything forever .The book tells us two stories ,one Jane picks her sister up the other she doesn’t . full of twists and the butterfly effect this is thought provoking thrilling book

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Atria Thrillers for this copy of "The Split."

When Jane's sister (Esme) calls to ask for a ride in the middle of a storm, Jane has to decide whether to fight her panic and brave the storm to pick up Esme (Home) or tell Esme to find another ride or stay with friends until the storm passes (Gone).

Each decision sets off a wild string of actions resulting in completely different outcomes.

Events from Home and Gone are told in alternating formats with the same timeline and the ending was amazing.

3.5 stars
I enjoyed the character development and the “sliding doors” type format of the book.
I liked the sisters story, the “mystery” wasn’t the best; but I still liked the book and would recommend it.

A twisty, beautiful thriller. I love sister stories, and this grittier Sliding Doors is the perfect read for thriller fans.

i really enjoyed this book. it has an interesting narrative structure--it uses the sliding door device in which two different events are happening at the same time. the only other book i have read that uses this device is Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which is a contemporary fiction book, so i have never read a thriller book like this. i thought it was well-executed! you get similar details in each storyline, but different things are happening. i was invested in both storylines and wanted to know what was going to happen. it could get a little confusing at times because the two stories blended together, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. i liked how we got certain information, but got even more context for said information later on. this is the type of book where the reader is piecing together everything that happened along with the protagonist, Jane.

i have never read anything from Kit Frick before; i know she writes YA mysteries, but she should write more adult novels because i really jived with the writing style! there were great quotes, and although the story could get a bit slow at times, she does an excellent job establishing the characters' dynamics and keeping the reader intrigued. i will be keeping an eye on Frick's future adult releases.

this book explores ideas such as: can a single decision affect a particular outcome, or was it just bound to happen that way? how much do our decisions matter? can a bad, or a simply flawed, person change? how can your childhood and past trauma affect your actions? what are the consequences of keeping secrets?

i would recommend this book if you like:
- sliding door device
- investigating along with the character
- flawed characters with secrets
- discussions of decision-making and trauma
- sibling dynamics (particularly with sisters)
- books set in and around NY/CT

The Split is out now. thank you to Atria Books, Kit Frick, and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

the double narratives made for an interesting concept and it was definitely well written, but i just felt like the mystery itself wasn’t that intriguing. i felt like it was pretty obvious who the main baddie was early on, i believe this is Frick’s adult debut so it makes sense that it’s laid out a little too cleanly. but it was fun enough to follow both stories and i’d read again from this author.

This book presents two distinct narratives about two sisters, Jane and Esme. It encompasses elements of mystery, drama and family conflict, among other things. The stories are written in a manner that is both distinctive and captivating. It isn't my usual reading preference, but I am glad I gave it a chance as I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved this book! The way it was written was genius!! Following two outcomes of a decision was so intriguing. I was so into both stories! Very well written!

This is another fantastic audiobook that I flew through in one day. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to basically write two books and merge them together as alternate timelines while ensuring the reader isn’t confused but @kitfrick accomplished it with surgical precision!

This book shows exactly what would happen on both sides of one small choice. Jane gets a phone call from her sister. She’s in trouble and needs Jane to come pick her up…in the middle of a terrible storm all the way in NYC from Jane’s comfortable home in Connecticut. Should she brave the storm and pick her up or should she force her sister to stay with a friend for the night? Both stories unravel simultaneously and there are vastly different outcomes. The same main characters come into play but in different capacities. This book is twisty and suspenseful the entire time and it makes you wonder just how much could change with one simple decision.

This is my first book narrated by Kelsey Navarro Foster and I absolutely love her voice and delivery! She’s a new (to me) name that will be added to my list of narrators to look for!

I enjoyed this “sliding doors” slow burn suspense: a unique plot device to explore the impact one decision can have.

I thought the character development was strong and the story line kept me intrigued with the two different concurrent timelines. It was a tad slow in parts but overall, I liked this first read from Kit Frick.

Thank you Atria for the review copy of Kit Frick's The Split. I love sliding doors type stories, I don't read them often but anytime I can get into a book that plays with time and identity and what ifs I am all in. The Split was a whole different level of a sliding doors study as it was an intense mystery along with a series of twists and backstory that merge the two disparate sliding doors stories.

A solid suspense story filled with twists that come together and just work as the plot unfolds and a nuanced character study of two very different people but also an examination of sisters and identity and the chaos of lies, secrets, and family.

I was intrigued by the way this story was told. Two alternating POV's based on one choice the main character makes in the beginning. For me, I don't feel like the ending wrapped up like I was expecting. I enjoyed it for the most part though.

3.8 ⭐️
In a selfish moment, caught in our own fears, we are often faced with a decision. How we react can cause a domino effect, and sometimes be the difference between life and death. Especially for the MC in this book.

🔎 This thriller explores the possibilities of two different paths through a parallel dimensional lens, written in 2 alternatives of each chapter. One rainy night, the MC receives a frantic call for help from her sister. One path explores what life was like after she picked up her sister, while the other follows the MC in a search for her missing sister when she didn’t follow through with picking her sister up.

🧶 So many things to unravel with what’s going on with her sister, while balancing the rekindling of an old flame. Each path with its own very unique sequence of events, teasing at a recurring theme of how our choices have consequences that can lead to regret.

👀 I was enthralled by the “gone” version right away, and finally got pulled into the “home” version about 50% in. The stories really started playing off of one another around 58%, which I enjoyed. At 92%, strap your seat belt on because it gets intense! 🫣 And ends with 2 completely different alternative endings - which challenges the question - do you think our choices can impact the outcome of our futures?

🐢 The story itself kept me engaged, but the chapters swapping back and forth got a little exhausting for me to transition my thoughts on what happened in which version of the story, which slowed me down. I definitely recommend reading this book quickly, to keep everything fresh on your brain.

👏🏼 All-in-all, I was able to figure out the ending but I definitely didn’t know all the why’s and how’s until the last chapter. I was left with one plot hole question, but the story carried well so it wasn’t a huge deal.

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Kit Frick for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!

3.5 stars
While I really enjoyed the whole concept of the book, not only the alternating timelines but exploring the complexities of toxic family dynamics, I don't think it was done really well. Overall, the book had a really strong start. At first I was a little confused with the changing timelines, but once I get into the rhythm, I really liked it. The writing was very good, the mysteries were layered and kept me guessing, and the characters, while not entirely likeable, were very realistic and interesting.
However, the closer we got to the end the more I was getting worried the ending would not be good. I was unfortunately correct. I really wish there could have been a connection between the two timelines. Obviously some big plot points happened in both stories, but it really just seems like the author had two different ideas for the mystery, couldn't chose between the two, and just decided to write both in the same book. I think a part of this disconnect is that we never get Esme's POV. The entire story is from Jane's POV, so everything we know about Esme is through Jane's perceptions of her. We never get Esme's inner thoughts or too much motivations for her actions besides what she eventually tells Jane. Because of this, Esme (in both timelines) seems really one dimensional and incredibly unlikable to the point that I really liked the ending of the Gone timeline. There is also a very stark difference in her personalities in the two timelines so it just seems so unrealistic that both endings are the same person. If we had gotten even just one chapter from Esme's POV explaining just a little bit of her feelings and actions, I think both personalities and endings could have been so more cohesive.
Maybe the whole point of the story is that one small action can lead to wildly different endings, but if that was the case it was not done well. It was a fast-paced book, which I really enjoy in mysteries, and I didn't want to put it down at times. There was so much potential that was so close to being fulfilled.

Jane Connor has always felt like the plain Jane of her family, especially given the way that life in it has always seemed to revolve around her beautiful, magnetic younger sister Esme. Not that Jane begrudges her little sister much. After all, their sibling bond was what kept the girls going in the wake of their parents’ own tumultuous relationship.

Carl and Marjorie Connor divorced some time ago, and the girls have spent as little time with their father as possible since. Bad enough that he was a womanizing college professor: he was also emotionally controlling and abusive. More relevant to Jane’s present life, he has checked out entirely of helping her care for her mother, who has early onset dementia. Jane is now the primary caretaker, both of her mom who lives in a memory-care facility as well as of the childhood home where she and Esme grew up:

QUOTE
There was a time when Mom remembered, and then a time when she did not. Her move [to memory care] was a stark inflection point for both of us, the acknowledgment that a different future, one in which she spent her golden years rattling around her too-big house with its stately bones, was no longer possible.

I suppose all lives have such pivotal moments, paths diverging, cracking in two–though the finality of the split registers only when we take stock of the universe we now inhabit, surrender to the swift death of the other.
END QUOTE

A moment like this happens for Jane herself one night when Esme calls out of the blue, asking for a favor. The sisters haven’t spoken in a while, Esme storming away one Thanksgiving and refusing to say why. Jane is thus almost absurdly grateful for Esme’s phone call, for a moment of familial support given their father’s neglect and their mother’s fading away. She’s eager to help with whatever Esme might need, until Esme explains exactly what that is.

On the face of it, it seems like a pretty simple request. Esme is stuck in New York City and wants a ride from Jane back to their childhood home, an hour’s drive away in Branby, Connecticut. Esme has finally decided to leave her wealthy husband Mark and needs time and space to map out her future. Even though she knows Jane never approved of Mark, their family home is still her place of refuge.

While Jane is thrilled that Esme has turned to her for help, she’s also scared. The weather outside is terrible, and Jane doesn’t know if she can brave the storm lashing down to come to her sister’s rescue:

QUOTE
I shift back into park and press my eyes shut. I should call Esme, tell her to take a cab or find a friend’s couch to crash on for the night. Surely I’m not her only option.

But she asked <i>me</i>. She wants me to swoop in and save her like I always used to, when we were kids. It’s a role I know how to play, and it’s been such a long time since she’s needed me like this. Fear pricks at the back of my neck, but beneath it, there’s the hope I’ve felt since her name flashed across my phone screen–that this could be a fresh start for us.

Fifteen years ago, I nearly killed my sister, and every day since I have lived in her debt.
END QUOTE

Fifteen years ago, Jane and Esme drove out into a storm and barely survived. Now Jane has a choice: either brave the elements again or let her fears get the best of her. This thriller explores the consequences of both decisions, as the sins of the past threaten to destroy the sisters’ relationship and lives for good.

Told in alternating narrative chapters – titled Home or Gone depending on whether Jane successfully brought Esme home or whether Esme disappeared after Jane failed to overcome her phobia – the plot lines weave around one another, hitting similar marks and introducing the same important characters but with definite twists. When Jane drives through the storm, she discovers that her secretive and somewhat insufferable sister is being threatened by someone who isn’t about to let distance stop them from getting what they want. In the alternate universe where Jane leaves Esme to fend for herself, Esme’s subsequent disappearance compels a guilt-stricken Jane to leave no stone unturned in her pursuit of the truth. The narratives have vastly different endings – I definitely preferred one over the other – but they’re both fascinating looks into the power of seemingly small decisions to change entire lives. Almost two books in one, The Split ultimately champions the powers of honesty and selflessness in healing grudges held too close and rifts long thought unmendable.

The entirely unique premise of The Split was too good not to read for my thriller-loving mind. The beginning hooked me instantly, but as the story played out it quickly lost my interest. While I’m used to split timelines, the alternate realities are a very different approach. I understand the necessity for some facts to repeat themselves in both realities so you can still add up the pieces of the mystery to come to the same conclusion, but the repetitiveness within the same realities almost felt like the author was trying to hit a word count. After being initially sucked in then my interest fading, the first 2/3 of the book was painfully redundant and boring to read. It was a serious struggle! Then the last 1/3 gave me intense whiplash as the twists were almost too unbelievable.

If you can handle a very slow burn mystery where the FMC basically plays detective and suspend reality for a mind-blowing finale, this is definitely the book for you!

3.5 ⭐️ rounded down

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

I checked out the audio for this book on pub day last Tuesday from my school library, and then later that day grabbed a copy from NetGalley - thanks to Atria for granting me pub day access in exchange for my honest opinion. I loved pairing the audio with the ebook to fully dive into this book!
The Split starts with main character Jane getting a call from her sister Esme asking Jane to pick her up. It's a stormy night and Jane is in suburban Connecticut, where they grew up, but Esme is in Manhattan. Jane doesn't want to drive to pick her up, but Esme is stranded and the trains aren't running. In the split timelines, Jane drives to pick up Esme (Home) and Jane says no and leave Esme to fend for herself (Gone). Each chapter starts with the Gone portion then splits into the Home portion.
I could not put this one down - I was so engaged in both timelines. The narration by Kelsey Navarro Foster was excellent - I had no problem following the interspersed different timelines, even when some characters overlapped. I am intrigued to look into more of the author's work because this was a top thriller read for me. The Split is available everywhere now and I definitely recommend it!

Jane has always thought of herself as plain but practicable. Nothing like her beautiful and wild sister, Esme. When Esme comes to her asking for help, she can either help or let her try to help herself.

Hold on tight because this one is quite the roller coaster ride. There are a lot of twists and turns that make sense once more of the past is divulged to you. I love books with sisters, and this one really hit the spot for me.

“It’s so clear-cut it’s staggering, but that’s Occam’s razor for you.”

The Split comes out 2/13.