A fast-paced and engaging thriller debut! Definitely kept me on my toes and I absolutely did not see that ending coming!

Name : Original Twin
Author : Paula Gleeson
Genre : Psychological thriller
Copy Courtesy : Netgalley

[03/01/24 2.12AM ] Well, fvckity fvck!! * in aunty Sue voice *

My first Netgalley read 🤓! Wow I CANNOT believe that I just read the debut work of a new author! The author's writing was so fluid and captivating that I stayed up till 2 AM on a weekday night and I have office tomorrow. I am writing down the review now when it's all fresh in my head because YESS I have lots of thoughts on this! (I will definitely regret my late night reading during my meeting tomorrow 😖)

The plot! Omg! Soo sooo interesting! I am always in love with psychological thrillers and now add in twins, I'm ✨ obsessed ✨. I think this is probably the most twisted twin thriller I have ever read. The multiple POV increased the suspense tenfold!

To my credit, I was correct about my hunch being the twist. But what I didn't know was that there were multiple twists at the end that kept me ramrod straight and chased away all the sleepiness from me this late at night. The main twist led me to learn a new scientific term which when I Googled, turned out to be true. But this twist felt subpar to me compared to what certain 2 people did. Umm no, make it 3 people. Believe me, at one point, I suspected every character in the story to be the main culprit 😂. And you guys can't blame me, some of the characters seemed realllllly crazy. Or maybe they were 😉?

I feel REALLLY bad for a certain character in the book (can't even name them without spoiling everything UGH) for receiving so much hate throughout the story that it's almost comical. They turned out to be right. But the bomb they have right under their nose OMG! I hope they realise it soon or ☠️.

Guys, I am so happy that my first 2024 read turned out to be so awesome! I swear there are so many talented authors whose works are wayyy underestimated, compared to the okayish so called famous authors.

If you love Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn, read this book.💯

“This was the start of a treasure hunt. A treasure hunt that would lead her to June.”

I’ve always been fascinated by twins so I was immediately drawn to this story due to the title and haunting cover.

Original Twin is told from three perspectives, May, June and their mother Diana. I particularly enjoyed June’s wry sense of humor. Along with the multiple POVs, there are multiple timelines and the chapters alternate in a non linear format; a favorite of mine.

Where Paula Gleeson excels is painting a complete picture of how each character sees themselves, verses how others see them. It was fascinating to have the differing viewpoints which also lead to unreliable narrators. Where is June? What happened to Diana? Are the two disappearances connected? Which perception is reality?

This is a fun and fast twisty little read full of family secrets that will keep you guessing to the end! I did suspect the final reveal but WOW is it a doozy, quite satisfying and made the whole story come full circle.

Favorite quote: “Your eyes give away all your secrets—never forget that.”

Thank you Paula Gleeson, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Whew! I love a good mystery thriller with twins. You think that all the ideas have been done and then you find a new one like this. My jaw dropped and I couldn’t put this book down. If you need a book to root for this year, this is the one.

Original Twin is a fast paced and twisty read! May and June are vastly different twins with well written characteristics. June disappeared one year ago and May is certain she is still alive. She follows a strange series of clues left by June, constantly putting herself in dangerous situations. She also discovers their mother, now deceased, also disappeared for a few weeks on the same date as June, when she was 19 as well. There are many unusual family members and a very involved detective. Readers will enjoy the surprises in this book, and wow, that ending! With thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC. My opinions are my own. susanh_bookreviews

This book sounded good on paper: twin sisters (May and June) and the latter goes missing, May then discovering June disappeared on the exact same date their own (now dead) mother went missing when she was younger - a secret kept from the twins.

The book opens a year to the day since June went missing, with a funeral of sorts... despite the lack of a body. It doesn't make sense to May and she believes her sister is still alive. While at home she discovers a newspaper article in June's room referencing their mother (Diana's) disappearance almost two decades earlier.

It perplexed me somewhat that May didn't immediately get the whole truth from her father, grandmother or aunt, but she gleans some information and then discovers her sister has left her a trail of breadcrumbs to follow and realises June was also looking into their mother's background and assumes her disappearance is related to that. And given the family knew June went missing while looking into Diana's story, I couldn't believe they still didn't divulge what they knew, to prevent May coming to harm when following in June's footsteps.

May feels guilty a year has passed and she's now only just coming across these clues and again this was something that just didn't sit well with me - that they'd remained in place for so long and coincidentally appeared when needed.

The story unfolds through May in the present and Diana in the past, but there are also letters June has written to their mother after Diana's death, as part of therapy and in those she's documenting her investigation.

This had a lot of potential but ultimately missed the mark for me. Some of the dialogue was a bit off, (though in June's case it may have been an attempt to reflect her personality) and - when we learn what happens in both cases - it doesn't seem feasible, particularly in relation to June's disappearance.

I made a note on my e-reader that emphasis often seemed to be on the wrong things. Important elements were underdone: such as the aftermath of Diana's reappearance and May's realisation about the nature of her relationship with June and how she's misremembered so much; and detail included that felt unnecessary.

Perhaps it was an issue with pacing as the conclusion felt rushed and incomplete.

Having said all of that, I read it in a sitting and liked that I ended this book wondering 'what comes next?'.

2.5-3 stars

ORIGINAL TWIN kept me absolutely hooked from the first page! A suspenseful and eerie rollercoaster of a read that I simply could not put down. I devoured this in less than 48 hours (staying up late the second night because I just HAD to know what happened next!) And that ending?!? Did not see that coming at all. What a brilliant, heart-pounding debut!

I might be biased, but this was a great read with a ton of twists and turns that keep you guessing right up until the end. Would highly recommend this debut thriller and author.

I saw this book on a Goodreads list for upcoming thrillers in 2024, and when I went to request it on Netgalley, saw that it was already available for any Netgalley member to read early and review, so I jumped at the chance. I love the concept of family mysteries, and a twin sister getting wrapped up in one, leading to her disappearance occurring on the exact same date as the disappearance of their mother. Such a unique concept in a sea of thrillers that all usually have the same plot, more or less.

I don’t know why but I really struggled to get into this one. Not sure why, because the synopsis is so interesting. But while I generally will finish a book in one or two sittings, this one took me FOREVER. I just couldn’t get into it. Nothing about it was particularly bad, the writing was good, plotting was good, I had no complaints. I guess as I continued on, I just simply couldn’t have the motivation or desire to read this. I just didn’t find it particularly gripping, at least not gripping enough for me to be motivated to keep picking it up.

The book got better by the 60% mark and I was able to slog through the rest, but it was mainly a sense of obligation to finish it. The ending was just ok, and I didn’t personally think this thriller was gripping enough for me. The writing was pretty good though, I think with a better story and more gripping plot, this author could write some pretty solid thrillers in the future. This one just wasn’t interesting enough for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by how good this book was! I was immediately hooked as the book dove right into the plot which I liked, there was no waiting for the build up. This book is a classic, “I think I figured out”, followed by “nevermind, that’s a curveball”. There were some instances were I had an inkling for what was to unravel but then other things occurred that kept be seconding guessing myself. Also that end?? Are we kidding? I did not see that coming at all! One of my favorite aspects was how the author showed the twins each viewed themselves in their own eyes in the world and how each point of views is completely different. If you’re looking for a book that has is a fast paced easy read to get you out of a slump, this is it. I will recommend this book to all my friends as I would love to see their reactions as the book unfolds.

Don’t trust anyone here because everyone is hiding something. This was so lucky for me to get an ARc for this because I’m pretty sure this is gonna be the big hit thriller of this coming season. So take a look my fellow book lovers!

Wow. This book was just twisty and amazing. Every single character seemed suspicious in a way, even the narrators. I think those who have read Gone Girl and House of Hollow would really enjoy this book. I enjoyed the simple chapters and the letter-style writing. It was a very quick and easy read but also very mysterious, tense, and thought-provoking! Would love to read more from this author.

Mindblowing novel. Very intriguing and thrilling. A bit sad, however the story was amazing and captivating.

I would definitely recommend this novel.

The story started off strong but then I found myself losing interest. Some parts just didn't make sense. It was almost like the two characters were mixed up during parts of the story.

I will say the ending was surprising though.

I was given an ARC of Original Twin by Netgalley for my honest review.

A terrifically tense & twisty read! I was lucky to get an ARC of this book, and devoured it in pretty much one heart-pounding sitting. The story has everything I love – a mysterious small town, clever cryptic clues that you can puzzle out along with the characters, flashes of knife-sharp humour, and even...references to The Secret Seven! Paula deftly blends surprising characters and twists with both sweetness and terror, and each chapter keeps you guessing right up until the MIND-EXPLODING end. Original Twin is 100% one of my fav thrillers of the year!

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had creepy suspense, Action, intrigue, mystery, murder, revenge, a sort of who done it, great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle!! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I was immediately drawn in by the premise of this book - the main character, May, finds a new clue in the search for her twin sister, June, who has been missing for a year. With each new revelation, things get more and more complicated. I loved the wild plot and all the twists and turns throughout - the author did a good job of misdirecting me, or at least making me second guess myself.

While I was hooked by the story, the writing could have used more editing. Every page was full of sentence fragments, distracting from the flow of the story. Some of the dialogue also made me cringe - people just don’t talk like that.

The ending had a few great twists - some of which I had guessed, and some that I hadn’t! Overall a satisfying read with a creative premise and (mostly) wrapped up neatly at the end. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

A brilliant debut full of twists, turns, and intrigue!

ORIGINAL TWIN follows two very different twin sisters: May is quiet and reserved, June is spirited and outgoing. June has also been missing for a year, and is presumed dead. May has always believed that June is still alive, and on the day her family holds a funeral for her sister, she discovers an old newspaper article that shows their late mother disappeared too... on the same date. When she was 19 years old. Exactly like June.

Following a series of clues left behind by her sister, May dives headlong into investigating both her mother's mysterious disappearance in the past and her sister's in the present, but what she finds threatens to turn everything she thought she knew about her mum, sister, and herself, completely upside down.

I really loved this thriller! I loved the clues that were left in the story and how the reader puzzled along June's cryptic messages alongside May. May was a relatable character to follow along and I liked the splicing of her mother, Diana's POV, and June's letters to her mother alongside May's POV. The side characters were enjoyable, especially in the case of Sam, the detective, and the twin's grandmother, Pat, even if I didn't entirely trust everyone in the story at times - a testament to the author's strength of sowing intrigue and distrust among the cast of characters!

My favourite part of the book was ultimately the twists and ORIGINAL TWIN handled them really well. I didn't get twist fatigue at all, the twists were really well-paced out, and although I had an inkling of a couple of them, that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story at all because I was invested in the story and the characters' lives and I knew I was in good hands with the author. As we got toward the end, the twists intensified and I was really shocked by a couple of them - the final one absolutely took me OUT because I hadn't anticipated it AT ALL.

Overall, I had a brilliant time with this debut. Full of unexpected twists and turns, would recommend it to everyone who loves a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance eArc.

Original Twin is a mystery thriller about twins; May and June. June vanished and left a series of clues for May indicating her whereabouts. Another odd thing is that their mother also disappeared years ago on the same day June did, only that her mom disappeared for three weeks.

Unexpected twists and turns.

Overall, it’s a great story and I’m glad I had the chance to read it! In my opinion, it seemed to start off a bit slow and the writing, while good, wasn’t my favorite.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC.
This debut novel is so good! Very difficult to put down.
It centers around twin sisters May and June. June has been missing for a year and presumed dead.
But May refuses to believe her twin is dead and goes on a wild trip, determined to find her, as more questions than answers crop up.
I liked and empathized with May, wanted to smack her Aunt and loved Sam, the detective. But the best part was the ending; wow, quite shocking, it made my head spin! Excellent read!