This review will be posted on April 1, 2024 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

Wowza. First off, don't pay the description to much mind. This wild ride is far MORE COMPLEX than you think. Second off, buckle up, puppies. You are in for a psychological thriller that is dark af, twisted af, nuanced af, and truly shocking af. I saw none of the twists coming and I was truly shook by how insidiously plotted this was. Hat tip, @marleebushwriter, hat tip. #WhenSheWasMe Rating: 🙂 / liked it
•
This book is scheduled for publication on May 7, 2024. Thank you @poisonedpenpress for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What an excellent debut thriller.
This one definitely has that spook factor to it and would be a great fall read.
There is an amazing twist that I did NOT see coming, that will leave you with a limited review because I do not want to spoil it. I found myself getting annoyed with parts of the timeline jump prior to the twist which is why it’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, but once it hit I was like “OHHHHHHHH, now I get it”.

Cassie and Lenora are not just any twins, they were complete surprises formed in the same sac-undiscovered until 20 weeks. The doctor’s explanation to their parents was that they were initially one, and miraculously split. As the girls grew up, and even into adulthood, Cassie was always the stronger twin and looked out for Lenora.

Fifteen years ago, tragedy struck their family and the twins have been on their own ever since. Now residing in Cabin Two at a secluded campground, Lenora is an agoraphobic with CPTSD and Cassie is a true crime podcaster. When the owner of the campground passes away and a new owner takes over, promising the twins to honor their contract, their life begins to turn upside down. It’s possible the campground is haunted. But it’s also possible that Lenora has begun sleepwalking…again.

As the story takes you through the mysterious current events, it also takes you through flashbacks of one twin’s POV leading up to the big tragedy.

I received this debut novel as an ARC from NetGalley and my review is 100% voluntary. It was quite the emotional roller coaster as I tried to understand and connect with each sister both in the present and in the past POV’s. It was definitely mysterious, haunting, thrilling, and an expression of how sisters will do anything to protect the other.

3.5 stars. Lenora and Cassie are twins with an inseparable bond who share a traumatic past. This ultimately results in them living a secluded life at a campground. When a fellow camper is killed, wounds are opened. I will say I had a hard time getting through the first half of the book. I actually took a little break from it and read two other books. But once I came back to it, it picked up in the second half and actually came together fantastically at the end. Definitely did not see the twist! Overall a great debut novel! Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

4.5 stars

When She Was Me by Marlee Bush had such a satisfyingly dark atmosphere that it made reading it an experience filled with paranoia and uncertainty, fully immersing me in the story. With the amount of uncertainty and unreliability of the narrator it leaves the reader with so many questions while reading, digging through the story and each narrator to piece together what has happened and who’s responsible for what. It was very well done and kept me invested in the story and finding out the truth.

The intrigue of the story expanded across two timelines. There is the present, where sisters Lenora and Cassie seem to be hiding from their past, and their is the events of the past itself which untangle to reveal the source of their trauma and the reason why they moved off deep into the woods to live with very little around them. The past has clearly very deeply affected the sisters, forcing Cassie to keep everyone but her twin at arms length, and Lenora to fear leaving their little cabin to go outside for any reason. Yet it’s unclear what they are hiding from as they hold deep secrets between themselves, protecting each other and not letting anyone else in. This has me flipping the pages because it was kept so carefully just out of the readers reach, while drawing you in to the story and this need to unravel the secrets these sisters held for one another.

As for the past chapters, they are even more intriguing in their obscurity because it does not actually reveal whose point of view the events are being told by. This leaves you questioning who has done what and whether events are being told behind rose coloured glasses, or if you’re getting the whole story of what happened in the past of these characters. Not to mention there is the uncertainty of what the unnamed narrator is hiding or what she has done, and the paranoia of not knowing how this affects the present with the unknown of who the narrator is.

Honestly the experience of reading this book was like a constant feeling of eyes on the back of your neck. It’s hard not to feel the paranoia the one sister experiences relentlessly. And there was a sense of violation in not knowing what was going on and whether the culprit might appear at any given moment, out for blood. Or why the sisters were at the center of the events taking place in a way that made it feel so targeted. I think I got so far into Lenora’s headspace of paranoia for everyone and everything and it just seeped into my very being whenever I was reading this book. It was fantastic writing because it was so incredibly immersive in its atmosphere of creeping horror.

I don’t even know how to summarize my thoughts entirely. This book had me back and forth on my ideas, second guessing everything, and had me believing one thing before realizing it was another. Particularly with the past chapters versus the present and how obscure the narrator of the past was made, this story was so masterfully written and through me completely off by the end. I cannot wait for more from this author because I just know I have to get my hands on whatever she writes next after this thriller.

Wow! What a great debut novel! I really enjoyed this book and the back & forth chapters throughout. There was so much going on with the characters of the book that have you needing to read more.
I especially loved that the main location was in Maryville, TN. That’s where I live and most people outside of TN have no idea where it is. I’m curious how this author thought to use this location since she’s in AL.
I’m excited for another book from this author.

The plot twist in this book WOW my mouth literally fell open and I had to re read it!! Highly recommend! I didn’t see that one coming

I would absolutely recommend reading this psychological thriller! It's about identical twin sisters that are inseparable, and live together in a cabin at a campgrounds. Life is good until a murder happens. This book has shocking twists and turns that make you think you have it all figured out but not everything is always as it seems. Read it and LMK if you've figured it all out or if you're as shocked as me!!!

This book was.. interesting. This is one psychological thriller that left me psychologically drained. I get that the author tried to leave things mysterious in hopes of creating major suspense, but unfortunately it was a little too mysterious for my liking, which made everything seem so vague, which led to more annoyance than suspense.
Cassie and Lenora are twin sisters who experienced something very traumatic some years ago. They ran and are now living in a cabin in Tennessee. There's not much surrounding their cabin, mostly woods, however there are 2 other neighboring cabins. When Mr. Wayne died, a woman quickly buys the cabin and starts living there. She is Sarah Hill, and she seems nice.. almost too nice.
One night, a teenage girl, Tilly, goes missing and is found dead in the woods. This triggers Cassie and Lenore, and memories of their past trauma immediately resurfaces (although they have never really forgotten it). Lenora, however, seems to be affected the most. She has a history of aggressive behavior, is usually misunderstood, and finds it hard to face certain situations. Because of this, she is greatly dependent on her sister, Cassie. Lenora does not leave the cabin except to use the outdoor wash (which is due to past trauma). She also sleepwalks.

This was most of the book for me. Whenever their past experiences were brought up, they were always so vague. It took chapters to learn something so simple, like that their parents died. We don't learn what has happened in their past until about 80% through the book, and it was honestly a letdown. The ending was also alright, very predictable though.
This book just wasn't the kind of psychological thriller I enjoy. 2.5 stars for me.


Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC!

I started the book a few hours ago and finished it in one go.
it was AMAZING, I loved it so much.
It switches between multiple POVs which I do like, there were times I wished I knew what happened to the sisters earlier, it is hinted a lot throughout so I knew enough to still really feel for them.
I can see myself picking up a physical copy and rereading the book when it comes out!
I think Marlee did a really great job keeping the reader engaged the entire book and on the edge of their seat

Thank so much to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a free review. Wow…is all I have to say! So fast paced, fleshed out characters and a plot twist that floored me! Can’t wait to read more from this author!

Cassie and Lenora are twin sisters with an inseparable but toxic bond. They live in a secluded camp in Tennessee and appear to be hiding from their past. What they don't know is secrets and suspicion also live there. When teen Tilly goes missing one night, the twins attempt to piece together what happened. As the plot thickens, the girls begin to unravel the mysteries of their pasts that inevitably brings tension to camp.
This was not a great read for me. The read was interesting and did have some good plot twists with an unexpected amount of death, however the beginning of this story was so slow and somewhat boring. The back and forth from character and timeline made it difficult to keep track of who was speaking and what timeframe we were in making it easy to lose interest. I found myself rereading certain parts trying to figure out the who and when, the storyline just got lost. I could see readers being easily confused by this one.
The story overall was not terrible, but not my favorite.

Thank you Marlee Bush, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When She Was Me is a novel about two sisters with a traumatic and twisted past who move into a cabin in the middle of nowhere. The land that houses three cabins was just purchased by a new owner after the passing of the older man who owned it. Cassie and Lenora are identical twins and have coped with their past in different ways. From their small cabin, Cassie creates videos about true crime victims while Lenora is a writer who is agoraphobic. One day, a family comes to stay in one of the three cabins and their teenage daughter goes missing in the middle of the night. Lenora, who has a history of sleepwalking, realizes she was out in the woods that night but cannot remember what happened. The story unfolds in a past to present timeline and is told from multiple points of view and once I was 25% of the way through, I couldn't wait to see what happens.

This novel was incredibly well put together and I can honestly say I did not see the end of this coming, which is rare for a lover of thrillers like myself. I will say that this thriller is more graphic and the psychology of the characters was a bit more sadistic than I expected, which is something to note if this is a dealbreaker for you as a reader.

This is a dual timeline book with 2 different murder mysteries. The chapters shift between time and viewpoint and it can be confusing to know who is who at times, but I think that is by design. I really enjoyed this book, it kept me guessing and I think it was quite unique. I will definitely keep an eye out for the authors next book.

One of the best written books that kept me looking over my shoulder the entire time. I read this in one sitting because I was so invested in the story! I caught myself holding my breath and turning pages as fast as I could read! I cannot wait until the next Marlee Bush book!

I'll admit that I was often confused with this one. It jumps back and forth between two sisters and starts fairly slow. I struggled to get through the first half.

But, things pick up pace and the second half is non-stop action, but the third perspective (set in the past) is confusing which I think is the point.

Ultimately, the two co-dependent sisters harbor a secret which has bonded and traumatized them in life. But, they love and care for one another the best they can. I appreciated the character development and felt the themes is trauma and love we're explored nicely in this twisty debut.

This book did grip me from the start and took a little getting into but I’m glad I read it. I didn’t see the end coming at all. I wasn’t a fan of not knowing what happened to the girls in the past for the whole book though I constantly felt like I was missing something

Twins Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable ever since that night. They live in Cabin Two on an isolated Tennessee campground. The quiet and serene woods help them to almost forget what happened that night. That is until a teenager from a neighboring cabin goes missing. Now they must piece together what happened to Tilly and what happened to them in their past. Will Cassie and Lenora be able to piece everything together before it’s too late?

I really enjoyed the dual points of view of both Cassie and Lenora as well as the flashbacks to the past interspersed throughout the book. It was interesting to read how both twins look so much alike but have such different personalities. I also enjoyed the atmospheric setting of the woods in the middle of nowhere. However, this one was a slow burn. The action is slow in many places. Although, I did enjoy the ending twist. Overall, a good debut thriller. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys stories about twins or slow-burn thrillers. I give it 3.5/5 stars.

What a fantastic debut!

"When She Was Me" follows twin sisters Cassie and Lenora who endured a traumatic event and found themselves permanent residents of a cabin on a campground. When a teenage guest goes missing and later found dead, tensions rise and secrets are revealed.

This is a dual POV story, with each chapter switching between Cassie and Lenora and sprinkled with some of the past, labeled "Then," but the narrator is not named during these sections, creating a guessing game as to whose voice we're hearing. I particularly liked that, because it made me want to keep reading to 1) see if I could figure it out and 2) get to the reveal. About 2/3 of the way through, I developed a theory on who this narrator was and am pleased I was right. This is why I love thrillers!

Overall this was pretty fast paced for me and I enjoyed the writing style. There were some slower bits and definitely a lot of frustration around the main characters, but I would recommend this debut to anyone who likes to play the guessing game. I audibly laughed at one of the last little details as things were wrapping up about the origin of the campground - well done.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for this advanced copy and opportunity to review.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advance copy of When She Was Me by Marlee Bush!
I have never read a book by Marlee Bush before and I was literally hooked from the first sentence to the last! As soon as I finished this book, I pre-ordered a copy to go on my shelf!! I can't wait to read more of Marlee's work!

What a debut from Marlee Bush! It was tense from the start, and I couldn't figure out what was true or who I could trust.

Cassie and Lenora are twins living in a cabin on a secluded campground in Tennessee. Their traumatic past sparked a true crime passion in Cassie as she runs a successful YouTube channel. Lenora, however, seems to be anxious and likely agoraphobic. As I progressed through the story, I thought there were a couple directions it could go. It felt a little repetitive with so much talk about "that night", the partial memories, and the dread-filled self-talk. Then I got to about 80-90% and gasped. I haven't been surprised by a twist like that in awhile! It all made sense, and I appreciated how details from the beginning were referenced in the end.

This could be a good fit if you're a fan of:
- sibling drama
- thrillers set in a cabin in the woods
- unreliable everyone!