Steadman is an author that is really hit and miss for me. I really did not like Something in the Water, which everyone else seemed to love. But I did really enjoy The Family Game. Look in the Mirror fell somewhere in between the two for me. I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it. To be honest, this book was WAY different than I was expecting. Not in a bad way, it just went in a crazy direction that I wasn't expecting.

The book is told in alternating perspectives between Nina (who inherits a lavish vacation home in the British Virgin Islands), Maria (who has been hired to nanny for a wealthy family at the same home in a different time period), and Joon-gi (the electrician tending to the home). I didn't necessarily connect with the characters, but I still found their perspectives interesting.

Steadman successfully creates an unsettling atmosphere set against the beautiful backdrop of the British Virgin Islands. It becomes clear pretty quickly that not all is as it seems. The book also feels like a nod to The Family Game, in that there is a clear "game" theme to this one as well.

Look in the Mirror was a quick read, but the plot was a little over the top and unbelievable for me. I also felt like the end was rushed and didn't necessarily tie up all loose ends in a way that left me satisfied.

I loved this book, it was my first time reading anything from this author, and it will not be the last.
This was such a fun book, I highly enjoyed it

Catherine continues to be one of the most bingable authors in the thriller genre for me! The overall concept of this story was incredibly intriguing, but unfortunately the delivery fell a bit flat. Regardless, this was the perfect summer time thriller with a domestic twist!

Catherine Steadman's Look In the Mirror unfortunately lands as a pretty average psychological thriller. While it tries to be twisty, its central premise feels quite contrived.
The main issue is that the plot often stretches credulity, which makes it hard to get fully invested. It feels like the story is manipulated just to deliver twists, rather than the twists naturally emerging. If you don't mind a premise that asks for a lot of suspended disbelief, you might find some enjoyment. But for those seeking a truly believable or deeply engrossing thriller, Look In the Mirror might leave you wanting more. It's not bad, just a bit forced.

Two women, Nina and Maria, are drawn to the same luxurious, high-tech house in the British Virgin Islands—Nina through an unexpected inheritance from her late father, and Maria through a mysterious nannying job. But the house holds secrets, and both women are warned: don’t go in the basement! Naturally, they do.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for this fun ARC!

This thriller is a masterclass in tension, with every chapter building to a pulse-pounding crescendo. The twists are smart and satisfying, woven seamlessly into a tightly plotted narrative. Its characters are vivid and believable, pulling you deeper into the danger with every page. A gripping, high-stakes read that delivers thrills from start to finish.

Look in the Mirror is a fast-paced thriller filled with an intriguing game of cat and mouse. The book starts out with alternating POVs and then it just takes off. After Nina’s father dies, she receives a letter stating that he owns a three- bedroom Beachfront Estate in the British Virgin Islands. Nina and her father were very close (or so she thought), and she never knew that he owned this property. Nina now has to go to the Islands and visit this beautiful house that she knew nothing about. When Nina arrives to the house, she learns that the house (mansion) is called Anderssen’s Opening - which is a chess move that her father taught her about many years ago. We then have Maria, who is a nanny that works for the very wealthy. She gets to the house where the family never shows up. She only has one rule at the mansion that she is staying at- Do not go into the locked door in the basement. The twist on human trafficking is one unique and disgusting but so many sick people in the world. Definitely pick up this thriller and flip through the pages as it keeps the reader engaged and up late reading. Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and the author

Did not read. Have way too many books on my shelf - need to cut back. Hoping to get to it in the future though.

This was a different type of read. I enjoyed this one with the dual timeline and the game that was being played. I liked that some of the ‘bad’ characters found a way to help the good and innocent characters. There was a satisfying ending too which I appreciate. Catherine Steadman did a good job with Look In the Mirror.

NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine, thank you for the advanced copy.

Look In the Mirror by Catherine Steadman centers around two storylines of Nina and Maria, but really it's about a house that they both inhabit. The house has an "off limits" room in the basement that reminds me of both Harry Potter and the Sourcerer's Stone and Squid Game. I was drawn in from the word go, which, to be fair, I have been with all of Catherine Steadman's books. This book had so many twists and turns down to the very end. I made all my friends read the book after so I could discuss it with them because I couldn't get over all the details. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of thrillers, and I highly recommend suggesting your friends read it with you.

Thank you Catherine Steadman, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in return for an honest opinion.

I was so excited when I was approved for this one. The story sounded so intriguing and let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint. It’s full of secrets and mystery.

The story is told by Nina and Maria.

When Nina’s father passes away, she discovers he owned a house in the British Virgin Islands that she didn’t know about. She goes there and finds a very expensive house built on rock. The house is named Anderssen’s Opening, which is a Chess move her father taught her years ago. The mysterious name isn’t the only mystery she finds in the house. She soon discovers a locked room that’s off limits. What secrets could that room hold?

Maria is a nanny that was hired to take care of 2 children. She goes to the house where she is supposed to meet the father and children, but they aren’t there.

Two very different stories, how will they intersect? It’s a fast paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I really enjoyed the mysterious way it was written. 4/5 stars.

This was a quick read by Steadman. Pace was good. The back and forth between the characters and with time but overall the plot moved.

Nina inherits a house from her father on an island. Nina goes to the house to check it out. The house has a strange room. Nina finds herself inside an escape room where she has to do multiple tasks to get out of the room. If she does not do the task she may be trapped inside the house forever or the house could even kill her because If you answer the clues wrong some consequences will be dealt out

I finished this in one afternoon, it was that good. A locked room thriller (escape room) set in a beautiful house in the British Virgin Islands. Nina inherited this house soon after her father dies and begins to wonder if her father was the man she thought he was. Pulse racing and claustrophobic

While very different than I was expecting this book kept me wanting to know more!!!

Alternating POV from Nina, Maria and Joon-Gi.

Nina is told she has inherited a house after her father’s passing, a house she never knew existed.

Maria is a nanny hired to come to fill in at this island mansion.

Join-gi is the electrician on the island.

Three storylines that blend together at the right time and kept me guessing. The house itself as it unfolds is quite terrifying!

Thanks to netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I liked the family game but this just felt like the same book only different. It was still a page turner and I didn't mind reading it but I wasn't left with a clear impression after even though the story was different. It was too formulaic. It was a solid average from me.

This book just ended up not being for me. I liked it conceptually but it was a slow read and I couldn't enjoy it.

**3.5-stars**

After Nina's beloved father passes away, she learns that he left her a property in the British Virgin Islands. A property Nina didn't even know existed. She's thrown for a loop by this information. She felt like they shared everything with each other, but apparently he had been keeping some secrets.

Curious about this hidden side of her Dad's life, and hoping to find some answers, Nina travels to the BVI to check it out for herself. What she finds couldn't be further from her what she expected. It seems nothing like her Dad. An impersonal, uber-modern, waterfront property, all glass and marble. Cold, almost clinical. How did he even afford it? Something doesn't add up. Nina is anxious to settle in and poke around. If she's gonna figure this out, she's gonna need to dig deep.

Maria is a nanny for the super rich, which often includes staying in exotic resort locations. Her new gig, set in the BVI, should pay enough for it to be her last job. When her new charges don't show up at the anticipated time though, she's told to just settle in and enjoy herself. Though it's difficult at first, ultimately she does just that. What else is she gonna do while she waits?

As she starts to let her guard down, she begins to notice things that lead her to believe, maybe she shouldn't. She was given one rule, not to go in the basement, but as her curiosity grows, that starts to feel like an impossibility.

Look In the Mirror is another novel that I had a difficult time rating. I was so into this in the beginning. The intrigue of Nina discovering she inherited a luxury property that she didn't even know that her father owned. I wanted to know everything about that. The other perspective, Maria, was also quite compelling, but the story itself managed to go off the rails for me at the end. I just did not care for the direction it ultimately went, and I'm pretty burnt about it, if I'm being honest.

There were some great twists along the way though. I also felt Steadman had a good amount of intensity added to the mysteries of both perspectives. For me, there was a point where one of the characters gets themselves beyond the circumstance in which we initially found them. It was after that point that it started to lose my interest. It sort of sucked a bit of the intrigue out of it.

With this being said, it was a pretty even split right down the middle for me. The 1st-half was like a strong 4, maybe even a 5, and the 2nd-half was a high 2 or 3. I think 3.5-stars is a fair portrayal of my overall experience with this one. I do feel like this author always shows great creativity with her plots. She's not afraid to take risks and I appreciate that. Sometimes her stories hit with me, other times, less so. Nevertheless, I'll always pick them up.

Thank you to the publisher, Ballantine Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm looking forward to seeing what Steadman comes up with next!

This was a fun read with lots of twists I didn’t see coming! It had me on the edge of my seat at times trying to make sense of everything. While I did enjoy it, it wasn’t my favorite thriller and did have me confused at times- but that could just be a me thing! Overall, still an interesting read!

2.5* I really enjoyed Catherine Steadman's novel The Family Game when I read it, but unfortunately this one was a miss for me. My issue isn't the unnecessarily convoluted plot or the fact that we get way too many povs. That's pretty much expected in a commercial thriller. I just thought this novel was missing a lot of tension, and maybe more importantly, fun. The "games" or "trials" the main character goes through are solved pretty instantly with some form of background knowledge she conveniently already has. Which makes for a pretty boring reading experience when the reader doesn't even have the opportunity to try to solve things alongside the mc. There was also zero character building happening around this whole thing. I want to care for the characters and their relationships because I feel moved by them not just because the author tells me I should!!!!

Anyway thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!