REVIEW: My Name Was Eden by Eleanor Barker-White

My Name Was Eden was a ride! This book dives deep into identity and how blurry the lines between what's real and what's not can get. The story kicks off with a teenager who goes through a near-death experience, and suddenly, her personality starts to shift. It’s a cool premise that keeps you on your toes.

That said, the pacing was a bit all over the place. Sometimes, things dragged on too long, and other moments felt like they were zooming by too fast. I also wish the characters had a bit more depth. Lucy, the main character, often feels more like a passenger in her story than someone driving the plot forward, making it hard to connect with her.

Even with these issues, My Name Was Eden does offer some deep thoughts on grief, trauma, and how we deal with everything that life throws at us. The ending might not satisfy everyone, but this book will keep you hooked if you enjoy a creepy vibe and some unexpected twists.

Thank you, Netgalley and William Morrow, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

DNF - started off strong but then it lost me. The premise was great and I was very intrigued when Eden “woke up” as Eli but it just got a little convoluted and lost me after that. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

This book kept me up all night, rushing go figure out what was happening. This book is unlike any book I have read recently. I highly recommend this book.

I read this because i was intrigued with the vanishing twin plot.

This felt like it was trying to do a lot of things in the beginning thru midway or so of it. Throughout the experience, I have no idea where the story is heading. I was very intrigued and it felt like I was always on the edge trying to figure out what the big twist is.

At the end of it, it didn't feel so big to me but the ending, including the epilogue, was a nice wrap up. Maybe the epilogue wasn't that necessary but either way, it is good for what it is.

This is a damn thriller of a story!!!!!!! I was on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what would happen next. Loved this story!!!!!!!!

Eden was a twin in her mother’s womb, but then her brother disappeared. It’s a real medical situation, vanishing twin syndrome. At some point in the pregnancy, the second fetus is absorbed by the mother and the other twin. Eden’s mother Lucy has never completely recovered from the loss of that second baby. She did love her daughter, Eden, though. Lucy is also dealing with the death of her mother and the fraught relationship they had, not to mention being gaslighted by her husband. It’s not surprising that the woman suffers from depression.

One day, 14 year old Eden, one her way home from school, somehow wound up drowning in a nearby lake. Luckily, neighbors found her and called paramedics who were able to revive her. But something has changed with her. She throws off her life as Eden and takes on the identity of her twin, Eli.

This is a story of a mother-daughter relationship complete with love, acceptance, difficulties, and conflicts. It comes across with a good twin-evil twin vibe and a husband manipulating his wife. Be prepared, there are many deaths and near-deaths.

This was an interesting read, but it could have been a bit shorter. I also found it a bit hard to believe and predictable. Overall though, it was a thought-provoking read.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

Creepy psychological thriller!
Lucy and her husband James have Eden, but her twin Eli, vanished in the womb. Now, Eden is a teen, and becoming sullen. She and James always got along, but not so with Lucy. One day, Eden is found in water, drowned, but through CPR, she comes back. However, she now says she is Eli.
Lucy tries to cope, but at the same time, believes her marriage is crumbling. She suspects James of cheating, but can't prove it. Eden's friend Charlie is in love with Alex, but Eden doesn't think Alex is right for her. When accidents start happening to people that upset Eden, Lucy worries - and remembers another Eli.
Absolutely creepy and spine-tingling.

Ehhh, this book was just okay. I ended up not finishing it because I couldn’t get past my disdain for Lucy

In Eleanor Barker-White's gripping psychological thriller debut, "My Name Was Eden," a mother's relief at her daughter's survival after a drowning incident soon turns to unease when the daughter begins acting strangely.

After being rescued from a near-drowning incident, Lucy's daughter Eden insists on being called Eli, the name reserved for her unborn twin. Despite assurances from doctors and her husband, Lucy senses something is amiss as Eden's behavior undergoes unsettling changes. As she grapples with the truth behind Eden's transformation, while confronting her own suppressed traumas, she realizes that her daughter may not be who she seems, raising chilling questions about identity and survival.

Vanishing Twin Syndrome is not a topic usually seen in novels and the focus on Lucy as the primary narrator, with occasional insights from Eden's best friend Charlie, leaves readers grappling with an unresolved puzzle. Barker-White's decision not to directly explore Eden's perspective adds to the ambiguity, culminating in a frustrating twist that offers little clarity. Moreover, the portrayal of a character struggling with gender identity within a female body feels disjointed and underexplored, casting a disconcerting shadow over the narrative. While the novel offers intriguing insights into the "evil twin" trope, its ambiguous execution ultimately leaves readers longing for more clarity and depth.

Although Thrillers are not new to me, Ms. White is. I take the middle ground when it comes to thrillers because everyone's thrill level is different. I am not a big of flashbacks or repeatedly referring to the past.

The book was very good very well written and had a good plot and a,very interesting plot twist it was a very unique perspective I was expecting it to be from Eden's point of view and it turns out to be the mothers which is good but go and expecting that it's not the character's name in the book that is the character that is narrating the story

' My Name Was Eden' by Eleanor Barker-White has a great premise and so-so execution. It is one you don't want to put down even as the plot holes emerge and disappointment in the possibility of a great book being lost emerges.

My mouth is still open from the shock. What an excellent story. Super unnerving throughout in the best way. Definitely one of the better debut novels I have had the privilege to read.

Thank you HarperCollins, Eleanor Barker-White and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

My Name Was Eden was hyped as a psychological thriller. This book was interesting, but unfortunately was not a hit for me. I found myself wishing for more of the psychological part. I think parts of the story were a bit repetitive, and I was a bit confused about the different points of view of the story at times. The ending left more questions for me, though it was a bit of a WTF moment, which I appreciated greatly.
Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

My Name Was Eden by Eleanor Barker -White was a great book! It is a dark story with themes of motherhood, family relationships, marriages, and mental illness. I flew through the pages of this book. It had a dark and disturbing feeling to it, which I enjoy while reading. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

When her teen daughter, Eden, survives a near-drowning in a pond near their home, Lucy is relieved she’s OK but then unnerved when her daughter insists that she is not Eden but Eli. Eli is the name Lucy chose for the twin she was carrying early in her pregnancy with Eden. But Eli just vanished, leaving her with one baby. And she’s never truly gotten over it.

She didn’t get along well with Eden, but now Eli, as she’s calling herself, is truly a different person. “Eli” is shunning Lucy’s husband, with whom Eden has always had a good relationship, and clinging to Lucy.

Of course, she knows there’s something wrong; it shouldn’t be happening. But she is pleased to finally be close to her child. She takes Eden to therapy, goes to therapy herself. Her husband insists everything is fine and Lucy is being weird again about the whole “Eli thing.”

But as time goes on, cracks appear in the family, and it’s difficult to see the truth of what’s happening and why.

My Name Was Eden is an interesting psychological thriller that has you guessing about the truth. Is Eden truly now her vanished twin, or is she going through a phase of some kind? Is Lucy herself a little unhinged? Are external forces at play? I had to keep turning pages to find out what the author came up with.

I don’t know if I’m completely satisfied with the result, not the actual plot points and denouement, but in how convincing the author made it. I felt that the parts that led to the ending needed a bit more fleshing out. But I think the author has promise.

I was intrigued by Eleanor Barker-White’s idea of using Vanishing Twin Syndrome as the basis of her story. Lucy had heard the two heart beats and chose the names Eden and Eli for her children. When Eli disappeared in utero she grieved for the loss of her child. Eden grew up favoring her father James. At the age of fourteen she drowned in a pond on their property. When she was revived she insisted that her name was Eli. Doctors explained that there could be some temporary changes in her personality, but she was otherwise healthy. James wants his daughter back and refuses to acknowledge Eli. Lucy sometimes resented Eden and her close relationship with her father and comes to accept Eli. She never got over the loss and Eli is everything she hoped her son would be. As they grow closer, Eli is determined that no one will come between him and the life he wants, including his father. This was where the creepy element came in and continued to build.

Barker-White alternates her story with that of young Lucy. Her infant brother’s death changed her life and left her in a broken home. Now the disappearance of Eden leaves both her and James questioning her mental health. Overall this was a good psychological thriller. There is little to like about the major characters, but Barker-White’s story will keep you engaged to the very end. I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for providing this book for my review.

This book was eerie. I had never heard of Vanishing Twin Syndrome before reading this book. The author took an interesting concept and created a creepy story based on this phenomenon. I appreciated the different points of view, and I always prefer short chapters.

I appreciate both the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a twin myself, I was drawn in by this synopsis. The first quarter of this book had me invested and I was thoroughly spooked imagining where the book would go. Unfortunately, the book sort of just went around in circles with a lot of redundancy and never really took off. It was a bit of a struggle to finish, which was unfortunate as I had high hopes based on the Eden/Eli storyline. I was left feeling underwhelmed and a little confused.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for my chance to read this in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book started out strong, but the change of point of view actually hurt instead of helped the story. I also don’t feel that the Eli and Eden crossover was ever truly flushed out.