I’ve read a lot of thrillers, so when I start a new one I am always ready to flag if I am seeing a classic route being taken. That was NOT the case here. I could not have told you what was going to happen next and I loved every minute of it.

This book didn’t stress me out or make me anxious reading it at night but it def counts as a great thriller.

Thank you Netgalley & Poisoned Pen Press for an eARC 🔥

"When She Was Me" is a seriously good debut book! It's about these identical twins, Cassie and Lenora, who have been through some heavy stuff. They deal with it in different ways, like Cassie making vids about victim stories and Lenora struggling with major anxiety. Then, a neighbor's teenager vanishes and things get wild! The author does a great job switching between the twins' perspectives, showing how their bond is both strong and messed up. Cassie's work blends with the real-life mystery, making it hard to tell what's what. Plus, the other characters are all suspicious in their own ways. I was hooked till the very end, man! It's a psychological thriller that'll keep you guessing and leave you thinking about it afterwards. Give it a shot, for sure!

This story is about twins, Casey and Lonera and a cabin in the woods, and a mysterious past they can’t out run. Casey always protecting Lonera, the find themselves in the middle of a missing teenager situation. As the tension builds, the plot thickens and the pace picks up . The setting in the woods just adds a mystic, spooky feeling. The girls begin to unravel the mysteries of their past and the predicament they now find themselves in. While I did find the beginning a slow start, the book did have some unexpected twists and overall a good thriller.

Twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have relocated to live in isolated life in the woods after an experience of profound trauma changed their lives forever. The past is something they are desperate to put behind themselves, seeking distance from anyone appearing interested in it, not least the true crime brigade.

Unfortunately for the twins, their peaceful existence, pregnant with secrets, is about to come to a shattering end. When a teenage girl, Tilly, who is staying with her family in a neighbouring cabin - part of the isolated three cabin campsite setup, where Cassie and Lenora are the permanent residents of Cabin Two - suddenly goes missing, the subsequent search brings certain things into sharp focus.

Although they are identical twins, the women have very different personalities and very different coping mechanisms. And despite their closeness, there is an undercurrent of suspicion that allows Bush to ramp up the tension in this tale of an obsessive sibling relationship that is as supportive as it is toxic. An interesting read with well-drawn characters, it gets 3.5 stars.

When She Was Me follows twin sisters Cassie and Leonora. After a traumatic event that changed their lives, they escaped to a desolated cabin campsite deep inside the woods.
After a girl in their neighbour cabin gets killed everything comes undone.

Let's start with the characters:

I simply loved Cassie and Leonora. Their obsession and overall dynamic with each other was so interesting and brilliantly portrayed. I'm a lover of obsessive friendship stories so this was right up my alley from the very beginning.

Cassie, the protective caretaker, refusing to show her sister how much she's suffering.
Leonora, being portrayed as the more fragile of the two, still being concerned about and so protective of her sister.

I loved following Leonora's struggles with PTSD and anxiety. Her panic, her coping, her wanting to get better but also feeling save with the familiarity that being unwell brings. Her quiet obsession not only with her sister but others as well.

Cassie, I didn't really care so much for her YouTube plotline but I did enjoy her venturing into the pro and cons of true crime, of the humanity and inhumanity behind it. I loved how you could feel how exhausted she felt but the endless love she had for her sister.
I still don't get the no shoes though tbh.

Side characters were satisfying too.
Tilly with her short role, Karen, Sarah. All of them had enough character but it was more important how the twins perceived them, what pictures they painted of them.

Let's talk about EVERYTHING ELSE.

Bush has a real KNACK for writing about obsession. Truely, this was masterfully done. The deep ache they had for the other. The way guilt and love were so intertwined. Amazing, just amazing.

I adored the "then" chapters. I finished one and couldn't wait to read the next one. The different perspective of view was such a nice touch that really put you into the store. The obsession was so much more intense. These chapters made me feel truly sick and claustrophobic, I couldn't get enough.

Now, one of my two complaints:
I think Cassie and Leonora overlapped quite a lot. Maybe it was thanks to their proximity or the fact that they're twins, but it could also just be the writing. Sometimes they had the same voice. If you read me two lines of each character I probably couldn't tell you who is who. But each character has some characteristics that are so stark that you could seperate these two from each other, so in the end, I can overlook it.

My other complaint is that I think this book could've been around 50-100 pages shorter. After a while it got so repetitive to a point that I was just exhausted reading about it.
Event, fight, immediately forgiven, sleep, event, fight, immediately forgiven, sleep, and repeat. The book could've shined just a tiny bit more if some of those scenes were cut/rewritten.

But truly, no matter how often I was exhausted by those scenes, the ending did make it worth it. That was crazy and so well written. I'm the one obsessed now.

Anyways, I did enjoy this and I will be back for Marlee Bush's next book!

Thank you to Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Marlee Bush for the dig tal copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cassie and Lenora are identical twins who suffered the same terrible tragedy as teens. In order to outrun their past and heal from their trauma, they move to a cabin in the woods. They need the seclusion and they feel safe from prying eyes.

When a family rents the cabin next to theirs, their safety and isolation is at risk. But when the teenage daughter of this family disappears, old demons threaten Cassie and Lenora’s happiness.

The book starts out a little slow but picks up speed and really takes off. It is dramatic and unpredictable and a showcase for the unbreakable bonds of twins. The surprise ending was a punch in the gut!

Thank you, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy of this 4-star book.

enjoyed this debut novel from Marlee Bush. I love her beautiful style of writing. It was very immersive and thrilling. I loved the two POV’s of the twin sisters and THEN throwback in the plot. It was very interesting and added another level to the story. I kept questioning what was going on and who did what and I feel like that’s always a sign of a good thriller.

I do feel like the story could have been a bit shorter. Some of it felt a bit dragged out, but overall I loved this! I felt that the twist was very well done and did not see it coming.

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable ever since “that” night. As permanent residents of Cabin Two, they law low and stay below the radar. The solace that they experience almost allows them to forget what happened all those years ago, almost.

When a teenager goes missing at a neighboring cabin, the memories of that night come rushing back. As the crime becomes more recognizable, the twins know better than anyone that “happy” families can be anything but.

Cassie and Lenora must piece together the truth of what happened, and the truth lurking in their own pasts before it’s too late.

This was an interesting debut thriller with the twin trope front and center. Twins always fascinate me, and this book was no different, though notably Cassie and Lenora had very contrasting personalities. I found the pacing to be on the slow side, which was a struggle for me because I prefer my thrillers to have a faster pace. I did enjoy the past and present timeline, and how they came together in the end. I always enjoy it when books do this well, and that was the case here. In the end, I did find this book to be predictable, the twist wasn’t very twisty. I do think that this book was creepy, but not spooky and I did enjoy the setting. Books set in wooded areas are always favorites of mine. For a debut, I think that this was great, and I’m excited to see what the author comes out with next.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

This thriller was unfortunately not a favorite for me. I loved the setting but the characters and the plot fell a little flat for me. I’m so sad that I won’t be able to recommend but I look forward to trying this author again.

Pleasantly surprised by this debut thriller from Marlee Bush. It had a lot of twists and turns most that I did not see coming! Definitely a creepy setting isolated in a cabin the woods at a campground. I really enjoyed this book rounded it up from 3.5 stars to 4 for the final twists that caught me by surprise. Looking forward to more from this author. I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of When She Was Me by Marlee Bush due to be published May 7, 2024.
Twin sisters Cassie and Lenora live in an isolated campground of Tennessee in Cabin Two. Cabin One is for the owner and Cabin Three is a rental. When Tilly, the daughter of the renters in Cabin Three, goes missing, each sister blames the other for what they are hiding, and their past comes back to haunt them.
This is a new-to-me author – I looked for others by her and couldn’t find them so I’m going to assume this is a debut novel.
Even though the twins are identical, their personalities are not. The descriptions in this book are phenomenal – of the people and the surroundings – Marlee Bush makes the people and places come to life that you can picture in your mind.
One of my favorite quotes was, “To be afraid for someone you love is one thing. But to be afraid of them is another entirely. And to feel both is all-consuming.”
When She Was Me relates dual timelines – mainly the present time at the campground, but occasionally going back to Cassie’s and Lenora’s childhood and their family. So many secrets – Cassie, Lenora, Sarah (the cabin owners) - who is telling the truth?
You won’t believe the ending – highly recommended!
#NetGalley #Marlee Bush #PoisonedPenPress #WhenSheWasMe

When she was me follows the lives of two identical twins, Cassie and Lenora. Cassie is convinced that they were once the same person in the womb, split apart by ruthless fate, whereas Lenora always thinks they were separated by Cassie’s ability to shine whilst she stays hidden in the shadows.

They are currently living in a mini home in the middle of no where, surrounded by woods and far away from any other people. They have been bonded for life by childhood traumas. Cassie channels her traumas into working on a video channel where she talks about the victims of killers, bringing the focus onto the life of the victim, Whereas Lenora is barely coping and spends her life locked behind closed doors, too anxious to spend time outside or around other people.

When a new family show up in the cabin next door for a weekend getaway, their 15y/o daughter Tilly goes missing in the dead of night. The only other person outside that night was Lenora, but the problem is she can’t remember what happened as she was sleepwalking.

I fully immersed myself into this story right from the beginning. I found the contrasting personalities of the twins combined with their undying loyalty to each other to be so interesting. I really enjoyed each chapter switching between their POVs as well as occasional glimpses from the past.

The lack of people present when Tilly went missing made for a short list of suspects, which made the mystery even more interesting. With so little to go on except for gut feeling and suspicion, I wasn’t at all sure where this one was headed.

I thought Cassie’s job was an intriguing addition to the plot, blurring the lines when work crosses with real life events playing out in person and the similarities are too much to swallow.

I definitely recommend this book! Thank you to Marlee Bush, Poisened Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

2.75 stars rounded to 3.

This book wasn't for me and I struggled with it. It is a very slow burn that switches between different POVs in the past and present. I thought the characters were well written and I didn't see the twist at the end coming. The plot sounded really good but the execution wasn't there. The book definitely had dark, creepy vibes to it.

When She Was Me centers around 2 twins that seem to be running from something. Cassie and Lenora are living in the woods, secluded from everything. One day a couple and their daughter Tilly rents out Cabin 3, which is close to their cabin (#2). Tilly ends up going missing one night, and the twins try to piece together what happened.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cassie helps her twin sister Lenora hide out in their small cabin on a mostly deserted campground. Their lives are very
until the campground is sold and the new owner seems a bit familiar or a bit mysterious.

When a young girl camping at the neighboring cabin goes missing the twins are immediately reminded of what brought them to the old campground and what they are hiding from. Can they help with the disappearance and keep their secret?

Twisty little thriller!
#poisonepenpress #whenshewasme #marleebush

I really loved this book. I don't typically rate thrillers very high because I a lot of the time find the story line very predictable or the writing kind of sloppy.
But "When she was me" kept me on my toes and was so hard to put down. I read the book in one sitting and really loved the writing style. It was emotionel, scary and filled with suspense. I would really recommend this book and will definitely read whatever Marlee Bush writes next.

Not a book I would typically gravitate to! Marlee did an excellent job keeping me on the edge of my seat the entire ride! What a great debut novel!

his is a debut novel by Marlee Bush. What a fantastic job for a debut. This is a psychological thriller about 2 identical twins, Cassie and Lenora. This took me a while to read. It is a very very slow burn. I always have problems with slow burn books. But that's not the author's fault, that's just me.

The book goes back and forth between Cassie and Lenora and a part called "then". In the then part, it doesn't tell you who is talking or which sister is doing what. The then part is the defining part of the rest of their lives. Cassie watches over her sister as Lenora is the weaker one, perhaps committing crimes in her past? We don't know that until the end. The atmosphere is dark, creepy and chilling. I was always waiting for the next bombshell to drop.

The book accomplishes whet it was meant to be... a dark, creepy thriller. It is so involved, I can't explain it all without giving the entire book away.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I do recommend this book. It is a good read.

This debut novel is one that you are not going to want to put down. Just when you think you know what the book is about you have to re-read parts to see if you missed something. The characters is this book are engaging and realistic and provide a great example of a crime that would happen to anyone. Filled with twists and turns, this novel will keep you engaged to the bitter end.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this book.

Looking for an on the edge of your seat book? This could be what you are looking for. The characters that portray a crazy sister life and the actions that follow. Lots of crazy turns thru this publication. This book will keep you on your toes.

Highly recommend.

The story of Cassie and Lenora immediately intrigued me and I was excited to read about how they got where they did and what transpired beforehand to make them want to live in the woods. The story jumps back and forth between POV's and timelines and slowly builds up to the end which I did not see coming. I did enjoy this book but did find myself distracted a bit while reading it but I'm glad I stuck with it. Great book for a debut author and I look forward to reading more from them in the future.

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Marlee Bush for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.