This was an interesting book and story line. It was entertaining, however I found it hard to keep track of who was who most of the way through. And just had so many questions. They did all get answered at the very end. But the confusion throughout threw me off a it. I enjoyed the suspenseful parts and did enjoy the book as a whole.

Twin sisters Cassie and Lenora are inseparable. Following a tragic event, the sisters have isolated themselves at a remote campground. The sisters do not rehash the events of the past; despite the impact that it has had on their lives. But that all changes when the campsite changes ownership and a family guest staying in cabin three disappears. Her disappearance triggers the sisters memories of the past and threatens to destroy their close relationship.

The story is written from three POV's - each sister and an unknown individual, not revealed until the end. I found myself frustrated with the first half of the book as the reader will find themself with a list of questions and no answers. However, I am glad I pushed through as by the end I had all of my answers and a great twist that I didn't expect.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley, and the Author for the ARC!

This was an ARC from NetGalley. Quick read that kept me intrigued enough to find out what was happening. Solid mystery.

Okay so I have had this arc and have tried to get through it literally since it was sent to me but i can't. There should've been trigger warnings for animal killings as well as everything else and the fact that there wasn't makes me not enjoy this.

Ok. I cant explain why this book took me so long to finish. It was great and so fast paced, I just got into a mini reading rut I suppose.
Anyway, that being said, don’t let the amount of time it took me to read this book judge it’s greatness.
Cassie and Lenora are twins living in a cabin secluded on the woods. The book picks up at a weird place, right after the owner of their property dies and it’s sold to Sarah, a kind woman who seems to be alone in the world like them. Pay attention y’all because it gets a bit twisted and confusing and unreliable, in the best ways.
Great book. Would recommend. Can’t believe this is her debut.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

When She Was Me is unsettling in the best way. The story follows Lenora and Cassie, sisters that are survivors and victims of "that night." Secrets lie in the sisters' codependency and pasts. As the mysteries slowly unravel, readers are left haunted when they realize how unpredictable things can be.

When She Was Me is an incredible read and must be added to any thriller lover's reading list.

I won't give anything away, but what I will say is that this is the thriller genre done right, with the correct amount of twists. I feel like I have to read it again, and it will be like reading the story for the first time.

Many thanks to the author and to @poisonedpenpress for offering me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t like to say negative things about books, especially debut novels so I’m going to keep this short, especially since I ended up skimming a good bit of the book because nothing was happening.
The premise was great-a set of twins stuck living in a cabin in the woods of Tennessee as a result of an incident in their past and then a murder takes place…are the two related? There’s lots of “hints” about their past but nothing is really revealed and the plot twist was Uber predictable.
I’m sure this will have lots of fans, I’m just not one of them.
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

(Actual: 3.75⭐, rounded up) This was actually a solid debut and Psychological Thriller read! I feel like I always end up reading about twins or siblings when it comes to this genre (lol idk why, it just happens), so I was a little hesitant/nervous that I would get bored or make too many inferences/comparisons to past books I've read, consciously or not. However, I was pleasantly surprised that was NOT the case here at all and found the twists to all be very unexpected & shocking (that ending!!); I also appreciated the dual POVS, because I'm a firm believer in that it [typically] adds extra layers of depth and perspectives to a story. I'd def recommend this book out to others and would certainly be interested in reading more of Bush's work in the future!

"When She Was Me" follows identical twins Cassie and Lenora living in seclusion. Cassie creates videos focusing on crime victims while Lenora struggles with anxiety indoors. When a neighboring family's daughter goes missing and Lenora was the last one outside, the mystery deepens due to her sleepwalking.

I was captivated by the twins' contrasting personalities and unwavering bond. The shifting perspectives between them and glimpses of their past added depth to the story. The small list of suspects in Tilly's disappearance made the mystery more intriguing, keeping me on edge. Cassie's job added an interesting twist, blurring the lines between work and reality.

I highly recommend this compelling read! Thanks to Marlee Bush, Poisened Pen Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.

*** 2.5 STARS ***

This book had a very interesting setting and it’s also been a while since I’ve last read a thriller similar to this one. However, it took me a while to get into it and the story also felt a bit slow sometimes. Furthermore, I was kind of disappointed by its ending because it felt a bit unrealistic.

This book is about Twin Sisters Cassie and Lenora. They are inseparable. They live on a campground in a Cabin by themselves. They left their home, family, and friends, etc. when something terrible happened one night 15 years ago in their life. Their lives are going great at the campground until one night a family with a teenaged daughter Tilley goes missing and is found murdered at the campground. Of course everyone is questioned about Tilley’s whereabouts and murder. Cassie and Lenora are scared now and they are wondering and questioning each other about that night Tilley was murdered. They are not even sure if they can trust each other anymore. This is a great Debut novel. It goes from present and past in both Cassie and Lenora’s POV as well as a Then POV. It also has some surprising and shocking twist in it too. Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review a ARC of this book.

⭐️ 4 ⭐️

When She Was Me

Summary:
Twin sisters Cassie and Leonora have a difficult past. Trapped and isolated at a Tennessee campground their love for true crime leads them to piece together the truth of what has happened in their present and their past.

Thriller | Mystery | Dual Timelines

My Thoughts:
The beginning of this debut was thrilling and captivating. I loved the connection between Leonora and Cassie and feel like they stayed trued to themselves throughout the whole book. The dual timelines was interesting and it was fun switching between past and present.

Congratulations on your debut novel Marlee Bush.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this eBook. This review contains spoilers.

If you want a slowburn thriller that is dark, as well as sometimes genuinely upsetting and uncomfortable (definitely check the content warnings if there are topics you’d like to avoid in that wheelhouse), consider When She Was Me for your next read. Marlee Bush weaves conflict and tension throughout every page of this book incredibly well, but I do wish there were some opportunities for relief (maybe to be snatched out from under us, maybe to make the payoff a little more satisfying). I think if the book had a little more moments of rest to get more attached to the cast between the page-turning conflict and anxiety, I might have given it a rating in the 4 to 5 star range. I’m definitely interested in checking out Bush’s future work, especially considering how strong her writing style is already and how well she writes tension.

This narrative overall is incredibly strong, and the twists don’t feel like they’re pulled out of no where; I like that it goes against the assumption many people going to make based on the title and premise that the twins have switched or will switch places and still manages to put down clues for the real twist without being too obvious. That’s where the twist did surprise me: my running theory initially was that Cassie was the violent sister in the flashbacks, then that it was Sarah. That it was neither, and that I had picked up on the right red flags around Sarah’s character, made it satisfying on both fronts. The parallel arcs between the two pairs of sisters were very interesting—overall, it makes sense, and I think the juxtaposition between them was well done.

When I started reading, I was wary of Cassie and sympathetic towards Lenora (probably more because of my own experience with agoraphobia than the book itself—I imagine a lot of other readers will feel more inclined towards Cassie). Ultimately, both were characters whose motivations I could process and who I could, for the most part, root for; I’ll admit I very quickly distrusted Sarah primarily because she was the landlord and when the book started dropping breadcrumbs about her, I assumed she would be the villain. I was a little uncertain throughout the book of what the reader's takeaway is intended to be, with its themes of unreliability, intention, and the tenuous bonds of trust, truth, and sisterhood, but I do like where it ended. The choice for Sarah to have to be the one to finally stop Emily, mirrored against Cassie absolving Lenora, showing that, metaphorically, Emily chose to take up the knife while for Lenora, it was put into her hand, is thematically potent and striking.

While I consider this a page turner—after all, I started reading it one night and finished the next afternoon—the plot itself is definitely a slower burn. Conflict is slathered throughout the book to the point that it's kind of a stressful read, especially when done in very few sittings and digested fairly quickly—in other words, it's pretty effective. The structure was elaborate—two timelines, three character perspectives, all told in first person with one including a second person element—but effective for the story being told. It creates a claustrophobic, gothic atmosphere that suits the plot well. A majority of the scenes felt necessary within the narrative, though I wish the Cassie/Parker subplot had been a little more developed and woven into the tapestry of the book—the very brief interactions with him don’t fulfill the things I need to get invested (positively or negatively) in a romance subplot or in him as a character. If there were a bit more screentime dedicated to that and tying it into the narrative, I think it would only make the book stronger.

The writing style is interesting, balancing out the slow pace of the story with sharp, direct sentences, utilizing fragments stylistically. It creates a fast, steady rhythm that suits the book well. Description is visceral, vivid, and incredibly clear, while depth of perspective is appropriate, zoomed in close on each point of view character’s psyche. Grammar was consistent, though some of the grammatical style choices stood out to me; none of it is technically wrong, so it doesn’t lose points for that, but it did take me out just a bit. Character voice doesn’t vary a whole lot across the board, between dialogue and narration, which has its pitfalls in characterization but benefits the twist by making the unspecified flashback narrator difficult to pinpoint down.

In "When She Was Me" by Marlee Bush, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora navigate the aftermath of their tragic past. Orphaned after the murders of their parents, Lenora is left traumatized, confined to the safety of their cabin, while Cassie grapples with guilt, feeling responsible for her sister's condition due to their prenatal circumstances.

Despite their isolated existence, they find purpose and success through their popular podcast, which delves into true crime stories that highlight the lives of victims (since they were once victims themselves).

Their lives are upended once again when a new resident of their remote community is found murdered. Cassie begins to suspect Lenora's involvement in the crime. As tensions rise and secrets unravel, Cassie must confront the possibility that the person she knows best may be capable of murder.

If you enjoy stories of sibling bonds that defy all limits of loyalty, this book is a must read for you! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this advanced copy!

When She Was Me
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Marlee Bush

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Poisoned Press and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: There's only one way out of these woods…

Ever since that night, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable. As the sole permanent residents of Cabin Two, their refuge on an isolated Tennessee campground, they manage to stay away from prying eyes, probing questions, and true crime junkies. Just the two of them, Cassie and Lenora against the world. The peace and quiet is almost enough to make them forget what happened all those years ago. Almost.

Until a teenage girl camping at the neighboring cabin goes missing, and the memories come rushing back. As the crime becomes ever more recognizable—they know better than anyone that so-called 'happy families' can be anything but—each sister suspects the other knows more than she's letting on….

Trapped in the isolating, claustrophobic wilderness, Cassie and Lenora must piece together the truth of what happened—and the sinister truth lurking in their own pasts—before it's too late.

My Thoughts: For a debut novel, this was great. Cassie and Lenora are identical twins. They live in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by the woods. Their lives are quiet and they can almost bury their traumatized past. Another family moves into the cabin next door for the weekend. Their teenage daughter, Tilly goes missing in the middle of the night. The only other person that could have witnessed what happened is Lenora, however, she does not recall anything as she was sleepwalking in the middle of the night. With a short list of suspects, Cassie and Lenora must try to get to the truth, before the trauma from their past is exposed.

The story was narrated by Cassie and Lenora, in their POVs, with past flashbacks sprinkled in. Our protagonists are unreliable, at best. Cassie is more extroverted, while Lenora is more introverted, does not like to interact with anyone other than her twin sister. Cassie uses the trauma she has been through in a job where she focuses on victims of murderers. Lenora hides from her trauma and is barely surviving. The twins have very different contradictory personalities but have undying loyalty to one another, that they would not break for anything.

The characters were well developed with mystery, secretive, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, compelling, twisty, and engaging. The author had me invested from cover to cover. The author does an amazing job at setting an atmospheric, claustrophobia isolated setting in the woods. The descriptions and scenery paints a picture that draws you in and makes you feel like you are there. The characters were built up in a slow burn manner. There is a bit of internal monologue, but it works well for this novel. The plot was fantastically delivered in twisty layers, even twists within the twists. Then the final conclusion was clever and unpredictable.

I had the pleasure of having the digital and audio book ARCs. I leaned more on the audiobook. This has all of the elements of a good thriller, it was creepy, dark, twisty, captivating, compelling, and gripping. Watch out for Bush, with her master storyteller abilities, she will quickly make a mark in the thriller genre. I highly recommend picking up or borrowing from your library today.

I'll start with the bad. I found it really hard to understand the setting of this book. The premise says remote Tennessee campsite, and I could not envision what that looked like, especially in terms of the cabin that the two sisters live in.

I also had a hard time completely understanding Cassie and Lenora in general and their relationship. I felt like a lot of things were left in the dark and maybe I would have enjoyed this novel more with better explanation.

This novel moved slowly for me, which is another reason for my 3 start rating. However, when things finally started coming together, I couldn't read it fast enough. The ending was definitely interesting, and I think had the entirety of the book read more like the ending I maybe would have enjoyed this story more.

For a debut novel, I think this author did great! I loved her writing & the story is so different than others that I have read. I thought this book was really unique! I love that Lenora & Cassie are twins, but soo different. I enjoyed them both. I definitely was not expecting the ending at all. I’ll definitely read more books from this author.

This book was great. It was creepy, it was such a thriller. There's identical twins that hide out in this campsite, something bad happened to them in their past. something happens at this campsite and the sisters end up in the middle of the whole thing. You get the perspective of both the twins and it has you go on a whirlwind. You don't know who is lying and who is telling the truth. it was so good.

4.4 ⭐️
What a bag of emotions this book has left me in! Such a unique story with a jaw dropping twist from a new author 👏🏼

🌑 I felt in the dark for much of the book, but was so intrigued with the mystery that I was fully invested as my mind raced with possibilities.

✍🏼 The writing style was not my preferred. It wasn’t bad, but it was written in a way that slowed me down. But still worth reading for sure.

💧This books oozes with secrets, loneliness, darkness, jealousy, mystery and unbreakable bonds.

“There’s an intimacy between Tilly and me. One formed last night as I spent hours becoming her friend online.”

👯‍♀️ The twins own mother held resentment for them, literally since the day they were born.

“…that baby cried helplessly on her chest, our mother could only stare at her husband across the room and watch the way his eyes followed the pretty nurse down the hallway.”

🌪️ This book threw such a crazy twist at me that I never expected. My jaw dropped so hard that I had to put it down and walk away for a moment to recollect my thoughts. love being shocked!

Thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Marlee Bush for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!

What an amazing debut novel for Marlee Bush! The story flowed and was written so well * it was hard to believe this is a first time author! The dynamic between Lenora and Cassie is so fascinating. Their undying devotion to each other was pivotal in laying the groundwork for the rest of the story. Bush executed this task beautifully! There were so many intense scenes that I'd have to take a short break to slow my heart rate. The twists kept my head spinning, and the ending left me feeling so satisfied. Well rounded, well written, and well worth the read!