This book was fascinating for many reasons: the story, the locale (I live in the next neighborhood over from Park Slope so know it well...), and the characters. I'd never heard of the author before but would definitely read other books she's written.

Think: dark, secret pasts. Lots of marital compromises, in an upper middle class setting (the main character's husband cheats and she knows it.); psychotherapy (she works as a therapist); self transformation; mental illness; first world problems. These make for a very interesting read. Claire, the main character, is not sympathetic and, as a well-groomed, urban therapist she's like a dime a dozen, but that doesn't matter: her secrets make her interesting. I'd recommend this book if you're interested in any of the themes I mentioned above.

This is a psychological thriller with a lot of depth and intelligence. It moves slowly but builds. It is a unique storyline, told from the viewpoint of three people, over two timelines. A therapist with lots of secrets, a woman who has been kidnapped and the prior neighbor of the therapist when she was a young teen. Disturbing and thought provoking and very interesting.

📜Tell Me Who You Are
✍️Louisa Luna
📠Farrar, Straus and Giroux
📚Mystery/Thriller, Fiction
🗓️Pub date: June 4, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨Thank you @NetGalley and @fsgbooks for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

✨When Brooklyn psychiatrist, Dr. Caroline Strange, sees a new patient, Nelson, for the first time, she is surprised to hear him say that he’s going to kill someone and he knows who she really is.

✨Chalking the revelations up as untruthful, Caroline is surprised to receive a visit from a pair of detectives the following day. Somehow, Caroline has become the prime suspect in a missing persons case, a woman she had ties with long ago.

✨Realizing that she is her own best bet, Caroline races to uncover the truth and figure out who Nelson really was, the dangers she may be in, and if she can ever outrun her past.

✨I liked bits and pieces of this. There were times I was confused with timelines and characters. There was also quite a bit of covid-related dialogue that I felt could have been skipped altogether.

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While I'm not the biggest thriller reader, if you ask me for a thriller recommendation, I will immediately say LOUISA LUNA!!! I have been obsessed with her Alice Vega detective series, and was not disappointed with her first (for me) stand-alone book. I went in blind and went on SUCH a roller coaster with this fun, page-turner of a novel. This book has everything: an unreliable narrator, multiple personality disorders, multiple POVs that are actually super fun and surprising, and twists and turns that will leave you speechless.

This book may not be for everyone, I'm sure it's similar to a lot of big thrillers that I've missed but I admire Luna's audacity in finding plot twists that are both surprising and still make sense. It's a bit fantastical, but I really really had a lot of fun. A psychiatrist (Dr. Caroline Strange, what a name!) has a dark past which is brought up unexpectedly by a new patient one hers - ones that also tells her he plans on murdering someone soon. As the reader, though we are in the heads of the characters, we are still left in the dark for most of the book, trying to figure out the mystery and going back and forth between time (in a good way!) to help solve the crimes, both from the past and the future. I can't recommend this fun book enough, as well as anything else Luna has written!

Very well written. Enjoyed the dual timeline and found that I was speeding through the book to find out what happens. Well written and I would consider this book a very fun ride. Loved the way the plot flowed.

An unreliable narrator, a woman in captivity, a creepy villain who seems to suffer from multiple personality disorder - wow, that's a list of thriller tropes I really dislike.

But I really love the way Louisa Luna writes, so I had to read this book.

It's well-paced and thought-provoking, but the real star of it all is the irritating, complicated, and ultimately fascinating character of Dr. Caroline, the therapist who seems to mostly despise her patients (she gives them snide nicknames) and who thinks she's the smartest person in the room - certainly more capable than the police who wonder what she might have to do with a missing person, a journalist who put her on a clickbait listicle of the worst doctors in Brooklyn. Given the woman's cynical and self-aggrandizing personality, it's hard to blame the cops.

In the course of the story we get the perspective of the missing journalist in captivity (disturbing) and the viewpoint of the therapist's adult neighbor when she was a child in Wisconsin, where a terrible crime happened (even more disturbing). Seeing Dr. Caroline as a messed-up manipulative teen adds depth to an already complex character with a memorably snarky voice. It's all nicely plotted and if the bad guy is a bit of a loony cipher, all the other characters are vividly drawn, with distinctive personalities and voices.

Finding out who these characters are is a dark and delicious treat.

Huge Louisa Luna fan! This book is about Dr. Caroline Strange, a therapist who has an odd encounter with a new patient that causes turmoil as she tries to figure out what it means. We also go back in time to learn about a family murder that she was a a neighbor to. It was a quick read and I didn’t want to put it down!

I received an early copy through Netgalley but all opinions are my own.

I think this book could have been great with certain things left out and more cat and mouse added between Dr. Caroline and her mysterious new patient. I think the long chapters on Gordon and Dr. Caroline prevented the ending from being a twist. If some of those would have been cut out and more chapters added about the backstory behind her new patient added in; it would have made the book more compelling. Overall, I would give the book 2.5 stars rounded up. I liked Dr. Caroline's voice and the motive behind why her new patient was so obsessed with her. Thank you to Louisa Luna, Netgalley, and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

* A big thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I have some key points/takeaways after reading this and would like to share them.

One of the first things I noticed about this book is the consistent mentioning of COVID. Personally, when I read a story I want to escape, I don't want to be continuously reminded of reality which is what this book did to me. I get maybe the author was trying to make the book "relatable" in that it took place during the pandemic we all went through but for me it was just annoying and took me out of the story every time it was mentioned.

Another point I wanted to raise since I did get to read this early before release is that every other chapter there were typos. An example of the kind of typos would be: "She put the lipstick in bag" it left out the word HER bag instead of just in bag. There were similar typos every other chapter and I would of course recommend that gets corrected before this book is officially released.

Something I enjoyed is the fact that our MC is a therapist. As a person who has always been fascinated by psychiatry I found it very interesting reading from her pov as a therapist as I do often wonder what's that like. For me, that was unique as I have not read very many books featuring a therapist/psychiatrist MC.

That being said, her being a therapist juxtaposed with her thinly veiled psychopathy throughout the story was very clever. Early on you could tell something was off about our MC Caroline, she had lack of appropriate emotions in certain situations and just generally showed a lack of concern for anyone but herself and to top it off she was a narcissist and believed she was the smartest person in the room constantly. The fact that she is also a therapist and either lacks self awareness or just simply does not care was something that I enjoyed reading about.

Caroline's reveal at the end if you even want to call it that was not much of a reveal or twist at all. I kind of saw it coming and was actually expecting more than what we got. It felt the book was building up to something big the whole time only to let us down at the end. I expected more of an impactful ending but that is unfortunately not what I got. The author could have done more with that big reveal at the end it could have been a very big unveiling of who the character truly was and so for me it was a missed opportunity.

Moving on to the chapters in the past from the pov of Gordon, Caroline's next door neighbor as a kid. These chapters dragged like no other... they were so boring and never got to the point. I already am not a fan of past and present dual timelines in books but I have read books in which it worked and I liked it but in this book it just did not work. I was even skimming some Gordon chapters because of how much it was dragging and found myself wanting to go back to Caroline's pov. On to the actual character of Gordon I feel his character could have been a bit more complex and nuanced if he had at least SOME redeeming qualities. It was easy to hate him and it was a cop out to me I wanted to feel that struggle of liking him but knowing he was going down a dangerous path. There was none of that, there was just a man who got worse and worse nothing more to it and nothing less. Needless to say, Gordon's character was very two dimensional to me.

The ending with its motive made absolutely no sense and was kind of haphazardly thrown at the reader without much follow up or explanation. I would expect a detailed explanation as to why the culprit did the things he did after investing my time in reading the entire book but as the reader you just don't get that. It was a half baked reason that was never questioned or revisited again and that is just not enough for me as a thriller reader. It wasn't even one of those open ended endings no it just simply was a half baked reason for what happened and it felt lazy to me.

With that said, was I entertained? I would say for 80% of it yes I was entertained but when I put the book down I wasn't thinking about it after and I wasn't dying to pick it back up. It is never a great sign when I have no problem putting a book down that I'm reading. The best fiction in my opinion are the ones that you compulsively read and can't put down. The COVID mentions were abundant and unwelcome and took me out of the story which did impact my enjoyment of the story.

Engaging and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where darker psychological thrillers are popular.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I requested it because I enjoyed Luna's Alice Vega series so much, but this was very different. It began well for me - I loved therapist Dr Caroline's caustic voice. But then there started to be chapters from two other perspectives: a missing woman called Ellen, and Gordon, Caroline's neighbour growing up. The Ellen chapters were disturbing and unpleasant to read. The Gordon chapters began to drag for me as I waited for the narrative to get to the point.

I found this well-written, but none of the characters were likeable or particularly relatable (except possibly Ellen, but I was skimming over her pages for the sake of my mental health). The resolution to the plot as a whole was a bit convoluted and not particularly emotionally satisfactory. (And what was the story about son Theo calling a friend a bad word - did that ever go anywhere? If it did, I missed it).

"Tell Me Who You Are" is a compelling psychological thriller that grabs your attention and doesn’t let go. The protagonist, Dr. Caroline Strange is a psychiatrist whose world is turned upside down by a patient who threatens violence and seems to know her secret history. As she's caught up in a missing person's case and becomes a suspect, she digs into her past to clear her name.

Each chapter builds suspense, and the twists keep you guessing. It’s a straightforward, fast-paced book that thriller enthusiasts will enjoy, making it a strong four-star read

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Louisa Luna is a wonderfully talented author, and Tell Me Who You Are is Her Best is her best offering yet!

This novel is a captivating thriller with likeable and relatable characters who you can easily empathize with.

I read this book in one sitting (luckily not during a workday).

An easy five star rating, I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys mysteries and psychological thrillers.

Grab this book as soon as it hits the shelves, you won't be disappointed!

I did enjoy the plot of having the therapist delving into the crime and exploring her secrets and past but it didn't keep me hooked and I lost interest at points.

Yes, yes yes to more therapist thrillers! Fresh take on the trope, the doctor has one session with a new client and women turn up dead, and the police turn up for her! Loved it.

The premise of Tell Me Who You Are immediately grabbed my attention, but I struggled to connect with the writing style. As other reviewers have noted, the voice is fairly blunt and gritty. I love that the author committed to this tone, and it does work well, but it wasn't what I was looking to read. I'm sure this will find its audience in other readers.

This was pretty decent! I do love a book where the main character is a medical professional so that was quite intriguing. A secret past is also always fun. This was not my favorite but it was very readable!

3,5 ⭐️

Tell Me Who You Are
by Louisa Luna

Dr Caroline Strange has it all under control. Her patients, family, life in general. Until a young man arrives and proclaims that he knows all her secrets and will kill somebody.

She is very much used to dark secrets and disturbing outbursts. Until a detective arrives at her doorstep, a woman is missing. But not Nelson is a suspect, it’s Caroline who ends up under investigation. That’s when she takes matters into her own hand. But what will it take until/when the truth comes out?!

Is file this in the ok/good category. My opinion is very much on the neutral side. I didn’t feel any special emotions or anything that would have stayed with me after finishing.

It’s a solid thriller which will appeal to people who are very much into psychological thrillers. This is a bit more intricate and rougher than what I usually read, even though I might have enjoyed this more at a different time.

The idea of this is very intriguing and interesting. I imagine as a therapist you hear all kinds of things. What do you take seriously and what not? What is a threat and what will be done with it. It was curious how Caroline ended up being the suspect. But in the end I liked the idea more than the execution.

The writing is good, compelling at times. As I am a bit of a mood reader, this did not fitting my current state of mind. Which is a personal issue and has nothing to do with the book/author.

I personally felt unable to connect with the characters, whilst I liked the story/idea itself. I struggled at times
To keep up with the storylines even though they made sense and I did not bump into any obvious plot holes.

Publication June 4th 2024 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, MCD. ARC received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you so much. I was under no obligation to review, all opinions are my own.

I rate this book 2.5 stars. I enjoyed reading the perspective of the therapist, but I found the overall tone of the story much too gritty for me, and much more than the usual thrillers I read. I tried to finish it but I was finding the various storylines very disturbing.

However, this is definitely a personal preference, and I can see how this book would appeal to a wide audience of people less sensitive to the descriptions than I am.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this novel for review.