Even though I only give it 3 stars, I enjoyed the book immensely. My only fault is that I think when the story comes together it is disjointed and not fully put together. It left me wondering where Diane was for that 3 weeks and where June was for the year she was gone.

This one wasn't a hit for me, but it wasn't a miss, either. It was just middle of the road, twists were eh, characters were meh. 2.5 stars

This book is definitely unique. From the title to the creative characters . I look forward to what is coming next for her.

Well... welcome to Kendall's outlier island party.

Oh my goodness..... I don't really know what I just read. I read a lot of thrillers to my bars tend to be high for me to be impressed.

I'm sorry friends but this was NOT it. There were so many red flags and way too many inconsistencies.

Firstly, it's been over a year and no one is going to notice June is living in a wardrobe in Pat's house? Oh give me a break!

I felt zero emotional connection to the characters. It just felt like a bad B movie. It was cringe worthy for me.

The writing was also pretty bad and all over the place.

Also, not really any plot development and I can't recommend this one.

1/5 stars

I received an ARC from Netgalley

Original Twin was such an enjoyable and twisty read, and so someone who likes my thrillers to have a strong emotional core, this was perfect. The grief and anger of May is palpable on the page, and makes for some of the discoveries so gut-wrenching. If you are looking for a sister story that pulls all the emotional strings while keeping your heart rate high, I'd recommend!

One year ago, May’s twin, June, disappeared. Even without a body, friends and family want to hold a funeral and move on — something May cannot. When she discovers an old newspaper article revealing that their mother vanished at the same age on the same date as June, May determines to uncover the truth. The problem is her mother is dead, her family doesn’t want to revisit the past, and June, the only one who seems to have gotten close to the truth, is missing.

Paula Gleeson’s Original Twin reminded me of a Lifetime movie — entertaining though somewhat predictable and superficial. It started out slow and took me a couple tries before it gained enough momentum to keep me flipping pages. After that, it was a quick read, though it never snagged me as deeply as I would have liked. I didn’t connect with any of the characters, not even May, and she was probably the only likeable one in the cast. Her twin, June, never acted like her age at all. I’m not sure if the author intentionally portrayed June as immature and unsympathetic. Though described as a popular and magnetic person, neither came across on the page. The reason behind the sisters’ names was cute!

The premise of the story is interesting and one twist I didn’t see coming — nor have I seen it done often — which was nice, however, it lacked the punch I would have hoped for. Nonetheless, I saw potential and could give another book by this author a try in the future. After all, it is her debut, and I’m sure she will only grow from here.

I really liked this! The twists are good and I wasn't sure how it was going to end. The twists are unexpected. The characters are well developed. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Paula Gleeson, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am always drawn to twins books or story lines so of course I was so excited to read this one.
📖 The story of June and May twins who are complete opposite but when June goes missing May is determined to fine her. June leaves a trail of clues along the way that goes back to the mystery of their mother who was missing as a young teenager and on the same date as June, could it be just a fluke or is there something more at play.
🤔 I liked the different POV in the story and following the clues to what happened and I actually figured one clue out which was good but the story does go a different turn and I wanted a more thriller ending.

There was quite a bit I liked about this book. Interesting premise, kind of 2 stories at once, and relatable characters.
I will say that I figured out the twist really early in the book, downfall of working in medical before.
Overall I rate this book as 4 stars. It would have been a 5 of the ending didn't feel a bit chaotic and not thorough enough.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

Original Twin is a thrilling debut that skillfully combines family secrets and suspense. The story revolves around twin sisters May and June, who couldn't be more different. May is introverted and self-conscious, while June is charismatic and adventurous. When June goes missing, May discovers that their mother also disappeared under mysterious circumstances on the same date twenty years ago. This revelation sets May on a quest to uncover the truth about her family's past and find her sister.

The book employs multiple perspectives, including May's present-day narrative, June's letters from a year ago, and flashbacks to their mother's disappearance. This structure adds depth to the plot and keeps readers engaged as they piece together the puzzle. While some of the twists may seem far-fetched, they add to the overall suspense and make for an exciting read.

May's character is relatable and easy to root for, despite her flaws. Her determination to find her sister and unravel the family secrets makes her journey compelling. The writing style is engaging, though June's letters can feel slightly off in tone. Sam, another character, stands out and adds to the story's appeal.

Overall, Original Twin is a fast-paced and addictive thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you enjoy stories filled with family drama and unexpected twists, this book is a great choice.

A haunting debut mystery, not really a thriller or suspenseful. There's a lot of detail here but it does come together at the end and it is a unique plot, although not very plausible. The characters are weirdly hard to relate to and not likable. The story itself is clever but the writing was a bit bland and overdone. So therein lies my conundrum, I liked it but it could have been much better. My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved the premise of the novel and would recommend it, but it had its issues. It was almost nicely paced throughout and while twisty, wasn’t always page turning. Still, a fun novel if you got the time, are a fan of thriller, or family drama. I want to give it a 4-star rating, but I didn’t really care for the characters, and I feel like there were some things left unexplained.

Diana Wells has died with multiple secrets. When one of her twin daughters, June, finds out that Diana went missing while in college for three weeks she is determined to find out what happened, and why her mother never told the truth. But when June goes missing on the exact day that her mother disappeared May, her twin, knows it is up to her to find out what or who is responsible.
May is the antithesis of June in every way, but they have a connection that no one can break. May knows that her sister would never run away like the cops have suspected, she knows that something sinister has happened to her twin. As May finds solace in the local police officer who originally worked her mother’s case she soon discovers that her mother and sister have deceived her from day one and harbor a truth that she might not be ready to face. Can she find June? Or is she too late?
Overall rating 4/5
I got Gone Girl vibes at the beginning of this book but loved how it soon turned in a different direction. So many twists and turns that reeled me in as May uncovered secrets and lies that Gleeson delivered in such a unique and interesting way.

I had a bit of a rough time with this read, it was slow for my taste and felt repetitive. Once it got moving it was a bit better.

Original Twin by Paula Gleeson was absolutely riveting! From the very first pages I was pulled into the narrative and was captivated by the twists and turns in this mystery/thriller. Clues were satisfyingly sprinkled throughout, and the revelations were unexpected and unique. Highly recommend this debut novel!

Well this was one tangled story! It’s about a set of twin and one has been missing. The family wants to have a funeral for her and declare her dead, but her twin doesn’t believe she is dead. As she digs into her sisters life before she went missing, she finds out her mom was missing when she was young! Highly recommend!

This was a propulsive debut novel by an author whose career I'll definitely be following! The story was so layered and propulsive that I couldn't put it down until I reached the shocking conclusion. Highly recommend.

Although the premise caught my attention and I was excited to read this one, it unfortunately fell short. The start was great, but quickly it fell off track and I felt no sort of connection toward the characters. As with any thriller, I was excited for the twists, but even they were a bit out there and didn’t do it for me. Everything was just a bit too unbelievable and therefore it wasn’t an enjoyable read for me.

Thank you very much for this eARC that was generously provided by the publisher and author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting this review, I had a bit too much going on.

The premise of this book was promising: twin sisters, one of whom goes missing on the exact day their mother disappeared years before. Mom came back, but the sister didn’t. Mom has since passed away, so the twin that is left behind follows the scavenger hunt of clues her sister left her before she disappeared. I found this book a painful slog, the writing was choppy and disjointed, the characters did not seem realistic at all and the vaunted twists were so absurd they stretched my credulity well beyond its limits. And then the ending is all tied up neatly in a bow, based on way too many coincidences and way too little plot development. I seem to be an outlier, but I cannot recommend this book.

If you're looking for a quick twisty book then Original Twin is for you! The author artfully weaved multiple timelines with multiple POV and kept the suspense ramped up to the very end. A great debut novel!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the eARC of this book. Original Twin published June 1, 2024