Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of When She Was Me by Marlee Bush.

Have you ever been camping? Do you like it?

Cassie and Lenora are twin sisters living in a cabin in the woods, trying to hide from their dark past.
When a teenage girl goes missing, while their family is camping, Cassie thinks her sister did something to the teenage girl.

Can Lenora hurt someone? But who else could have done it? Both sisters try to figure out what happened to the missing girl.

The book was a little slow in the first half. Then it started getting interesting towards the ending trying to figure out who murdered the teenage girl. We do see a lot of in-between timeliness and learn more about Cassie and Lenora's childhood. At times I did feel lost not knowing who was who or what was happening. It was gripping and twisty but then it all made sense and

Such a fast paced fun read! I loved all the suspense and twists.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of When She Was Me by Marlee Bush.

Cassie and Lenora are identical twins living in a tiny cabin in a remote area in Tennessee. Cassie keeps an eye on the property, meets her neighbors and any temporary tenants in the area and cares for Lenora. Lenora hasn't left the cabin in ages. The two are harboring a traumatic secret that has damaged them both in different ways. All of that is brought to a head when a neighboring teen girl ends up missing. Now, everyone on the property is a suspect, and secrets may have to come out...

This had a great start, very foreboding, I loved the blacktop imagery, and the sparce neighbors. Everyone had secrets, and you had no idea who to trust. The end unraveled about as messy as a sweater sleeve on a loose nail. It had so much promise, so much potential, but this was just too much, I couldn't buy it at all.

2.5 stars rounded up

A great novel that was eerie, creepy and full of twists and turns. I loved trying to guess what was going on and what would happen next.

4 ⭐️ Happy Publication Day!! 🎉 “When She Was Me” is about identical twins Cassie and Lenora who are inseparable after surviving a past trauma. They live in an isolated home in the woods, far away from the rest of society. However, when a family shows ups at the cabin next door, and their 15 year old daughter vanishes in the middle of the night, their world is turned upside down.

This is a bit of a slow burn, but the twins are such interesting characters that it made me want to keep reading. I needed to know what happened to them that caused them to bond in such an unhealthy way. As a fraternal twin myself, identical twins have always freaked me out.

I like having multiple POVs in books, but I don’t love when two characters essentially tell the same story for the reader, rehashing things over and over. I did enjoy the glimpses of the past sprinkled throughout.

Overall, this story is unsettling and atmospheric and I would definitely recommend! The best part about this book? It’s a debut!! Insane! 4 stars!

Thank you to Marlee Bush, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for the complementary advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

What secrets do the woods hold? When She Was Me is a captivating debut that will keep you on your toes and shellshocked with the twists and turns inside of the pages.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on May 28th, 2024. Links provided.

Twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable since one fateful night years ago. As the only permanent residents of Cabin Two at an isolated Tennessee campground, they’ve been able to hide from their past by creating a refuge away from inquisitive minds and investigative questions. But, their serene existence is shattered when a teenage girl, Tilly, from a neighboring cabin goes missing, dredging up long-buried memories. As the mystery of what happened to Tilly starts to mirror their own dark past, each sister beings to suspect the other of hiding crucial secrets. In the vast wilderness but with nowhere to escape to, Cassie and Lenora must uncover the truth of what happened and confront the sinister reality lurking in their history before it’s too late.

I was fully prepared to give this story three stars until I got to the last 10% of the book. There were many aspects of this novel that I really enjoyed. The writing is haunting and beautiful, the story is intriguing, and the author’s ability to flow between the past and the present is seamless. The ending has a twist that I most definitely did not see coming and felt was very well done, hence the extra star. The only reason I struggled with this book was because I personally felt like the pacing was far too slow. While I really did like the plot, setting, and characters, I have a very difficult time remaining interested when I feel that the pacing could be faster. So, with that personal preference aside, I would highly recommend this book if you want an intriguing story with a well written twist at the end.

Thank you to Poisoned Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of When She Was Me in return for my honest review.

This was a bit slow paced for my taste. I did love the relationship between the sisters. Something else I really loved is the writing style and language the author used

Actual Rating: 3.5⭐

It’s not a bad read but I prefer fast-paced thrillers so this one was a bit challenging for me to finished. But I keep on reading because I wanted to know the answer to a bunch of questions that I had while I was reading this.

The pacing was slow and some parts felt repetitive like how Lenora and Cassie keep fighting back and forth throughout the story.

I felt confused sometimes about where this story is going and who to trust but it all made sense in the last few chapters where all the pieces comes together and the secrets are all out in the open.
The plot twist was totally unexpected and my mind was blown because it's a very smart twist that I didn't think of.

Overall, for a debut novel it wasn’t bad, I like the creepy secluded atmosphere of living at a cabin in the middle of the wood PLUS the plot twist was totally mind blowing!
I’ll give this author another try if the author releases another book in the future.

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: murder, violence, blood, rape, sexual assault, pedophilia, brief mention of animal death and cruelty, bullying

When She Was Me was an intriguing mystery-thriller. The story follows twin sisters, Cassie and Lenora, who are living in a remote Tennessee campground, after fleeing their hometown following a horrific event. Life has been pretty quiet for the girls until a teenage girl staying at one of the other cabins ends up dead. Now, the twins are thrown into a murder mystery and their own lives may be at risk.

I thought this was a well-written and compelling debut novel. I loved the isolated campground setting and the suspenseful atmosphere in this book. Cassie and Lenora were interesting main characters. They are very different- Cassie is outgoing and curious, while Lenora is introverted and cautious. I liked the dynamic between the twins.

I liked the mystery, even though parts of it were a little predictable. I did enjoy the ending and I thought it was a good conclusion to the book.

I definitely recommend this book to mystery-thriller lovers. I look forward to reading this author’s next book.

3.5⭐️

3.5 rounded up - intriguing debut thriller

Now, I preface this by saying I'm not really much of a thriller reader - I really enjoy psychological thrillers when it comes to film, but often find the violence too jarring in fiction. Thus, this wasn't my favorite read but I can appreciate it even though it was a bit out of my comfort zone. Moving on!

Twins Cassie and Lenora are inseparable. After the tragedy of "that night," they are all each other has and have virtually isolated themselves at a remote campground with only has a handful of cabins. They don't talk about the past, despite it shaping everything they do. When the teen daughter of the guests in cabin 3 disappears, the memories their past and their suspicions of each other threaten to destroy them. How far are they willing to go for each other?

This is told in three POV - the present for both Cassie and Lenora and an unnamed past POV. I liked the back and forth and the bit of confusion it started to create, there was tension there in the "who is who" of it all. I was really intrigued through the first half, but I do wish this was tighter. The story started to get bogged down after the halfway point in my opinion and I started to wonder how long it would take to wrap up - at 400 pages, I think the story could have been shorter and then the plot would have kept up pace. The ending was strong (violent) and I think the twist will get a lot of readers.

If you are thriller reader, this could be a fun one for you!

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

First I want to thank Poisoned Press and NetGalley for the eGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was quite surprised that this was a debut novel! It's a fun one, it's a quick read and very twisty.
If you are looking for a slowbuild and twisty mystery-thriller than try this one for sure!

The premise of this book was intriguing with twin sisters, a missing girl, something ambiguous happens to the patents. One sister is a crime podcaster and the other is an agoraphobia ghost writer. They live in a secluded campsite when things go amiss under the tide of this missing girl mystery. The story never really meshes once all this is laid out. Love is the driving force but the end is a mess. Too many holes remained unfilled.

Copy provided by Publisher and Netgalley

4.25/5 - Big thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing a copy of this book! It kept me deliciously confused until the big reveal. The web of mystery had me pushing through, trying to untangle it. With unreliable narrators, it was hard to know who to trust. Is Lenora so mentally unwell that she could commit murder? Is Cassie just as bad as her sister? Whose story are we glimpsing in the past—the twins'? Nothing is as it seems, and I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Highly recommend giving it a go!

Wow. I did not see this coming, but this was a fantastic thriller that turned from a 4 star at 70% into a 4.5-5 star read by the ending.

The twists and turns in this are spectacular. The author does a fantastic job at giving you enough to hook you and pull you in, while still remaining vague enough in details to keep things suspicious and suspenseful. I genuinely had such a good time reading this - especially the closer we got to the end.

- Cassie and Lenora were two fascinating characters - I truly never knew who I was supposed to like more or who was being sketchy and suspicious
- The setting is automatically eerie by having them live in a cabin in the woods, but add in the other mysterious happenings and you've got yourself a classic setup for a good thrill.
- The introduction of Sarah and then the Meadows family sets off a whole new slew of drama that keeps you guessing at what is truly going on those cabins.
- The flashback chapters are the perfect blend of uncovering secrets of the past while remaining just vague enough to really make you think "do I even know what I'm reading right now?" - the way these chapters do not use names to tell you who is who makes you really stop and think about which sister we're talking about and I loved that element.
- The underlying narrative of sisterhood and what someone will or won't do for their family is so good here and it's all so dark and twisted

This debut novel unfolds through the unique perspectives of two sisters, Cassie and Lenora, switching between present and past tense. While the dual narratives added depth to the plot, I occasionally found myself confused and had difficulty staying connected to the story. Although not a heart-pounding thriller, the book was definitely intriguing. I found certain sections to be slightly repetitive and believe while the twists were interesting, it felt a bit forced.

Overall I liked the book, but it wasn't the page turner I had expected it to be.

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

Cassie and Lenora, identical sisters with past childhood trauma, both have been living in a cabin—isolated from most people, perfect place for Lenora who gets anxiety from being outside and surrounded by other humans. Their lives were peaceful enough until the new teenage girl at another cabin goes missing, and with so little people staying, there could only be small list of suspect.

I tried to drag myself reading through this. Somehow, I just couldn't stay seated. It was frustrating how they kept hinting of what had happened in the past, yet never came clean about it. The alternating POV is actually great, I like that in some books, unfortunately this one doesn't work wonders on me.

Two twin sisters managed to survive a tragedy. Now though, their fears are brought back when a teenage girl goes missing from a nearby campsite.

I struggled to get into this one. It did not give me a lot of suspense like I wanted. I think perhaps because it was a little unclear at first what happened to Cassie and Lenora.

What sets "Hidden Shadows" apart is its nuanced portrayal of the sisters' relationship—both their fierce loyalty and the underlying mistrust. Readers are drawn into a compelling mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. This book is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers who enjoy a deep dive into family dynamics and hidden secrets.

Solid debut! Looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.

Thank you #netgalley and #poisonedpenpress for the eARC.