Young woman is hired to be a nanny for a wealthy family on a far away locale. When she arrives she finds the family is not yet there. The agency representative shows her the house and tells her where everything is located and instructs her to await the family arrival. Only one direction is to NOT OPEN THE DOOR of a particular room for any reason.
A day and then two passes with no family. She contacts the representative and finds that they are all still waiting on the family. She is told to continue to wait.
Then, in the night the power goes out and the door to that room is unlocked. She call the representative and is instructed to await an electrition.
She does. He comes and checks the room but cannot fix the lock. Still she stays out…But after days of waiting on the not present family, her curiosity gets the better of her. She goes into the room.
It is entirely empty except the green button on the wall. She just has to know what the button does. She pushes it. The door she came through slams shut and she has now become embroiled in what will be a terrifying trip through this house.
Very good, had to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.

Wow that was one wild ride. I don’t want to say much since I think this fun fast paced thriller would be better to go in knowing as little as possible. I picked this book up knowing nothing and I was hooked from page one and finished this in one sitting. This book was so action packed it really came to life for me. This is my second book by this author and another winner can’t wait to read more from her in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

Look, I'm going to give a bit of a mixed review here. Did I enjoy this, and find myself turning the "pages" (digital, anyway) quickly, eager to find out what was going to happen next? Yes and yes. Did I also find the ending to be absolutely wacky & out there? Definitely. Did I like the book anyway? 100%!

I truly could not put this book down. I've always enjoyed Steadman's sparse but suspenseful writing, and Look In The Mirror was no exception. While the ultimate reveal of the mystery felt a bit far-fetched, I had a great time getting there through multiple character POVs. This would make an especially great beach read for those looking for a summery thriller.

A solid thriller -a bit disturbing as all good thrillers are. This one is part escape room, part mystery. The ending was a little disappointing, but still I really enjoyed this. Overall worth a read.

Good read overall. It kept me engaged and coming back for more for the most part. This is a book is fast paced but there are some points where I was hoping it would move faster. If you enjoyed her other book, you'll like this one.

I forgot to review this on time and I'm so sad because I forgot the majority of my thoughts on this one. I do remember absolutely loving it! What a gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my toes, while still being intellectually stimulating enough to not be all about "who done it." Absolute perfection, would recommend to anyone and want to backlist Catherine Steadman now!

Catherine Steadman has quickly become one of my favorite thriller authors! I really love her characters and all the twists and turns. This one is perfect to bring on vacation or sit by the beach while reading. It was fun, fast-paced and I loved the element of British Virgin Islands. The ending was explosive as always and that's something I love about Catherine's books!

Catherine Steadman’s Look in the Mirror offers a psychological thriller that explores the murky waters of identity, memory, and trust—while having you second-guess every character in sight. Mia, our protagonist, wakes up from a near-fatal accident only to find herself grappling with more than just her physical recovery. Her fractured memory and unsettling sense of self keep the reader (and Mia) in suspense throughout the book. It’s a premise full of promise, and Steadman’s writing does a good job of keeping you intrigued.

The tension builds steadily, but at times, the pacing feels a bit sluggish. Mia’s constant self-reflection is understandable but can become repetitive, making you wish she’d just get to the point already. The twists, when they do come, are engaging enough but not as jaw-dropping as the book hints at, which leaves you feeling slightly underwhelmed despite the slow burn.

Still, Look in the Mirror offers a solid dose of psychological intrigue for fans of unreliable narrators and mind-bending mystery. The characters are compelling enough to hold your attention, and if you enjoy a slow, winding narrative, this will scratch that particular itch. Just don’t expect to be shocked into next week.

Catherine Steadman is known for her gripping thrillers, and while Look in the Mirror had a lot of elements I enjoyed, it didn’t quite live up to the excitement I’ve come to expect from her work.

The novel follows two separate storylines: Nina, who inherits a stunning vacation home in the British Virgin Islands after the death of her father, and Maria, a nanny for the ultra-wealthy who finds herself in a mysterious situation involving the same property. Both characters are dealing with secrets, but it takes a while to see how their paths will intersect, and at times, it was difficult to tell how the two storylines were going to come together. However, Steadman does a commendable job of keeping readers guessing. I found myself intrigued by the twists and turns, wondering how the two narratives would ultimately converge.

That said, the pacing felt uneven. The buildup was slow/ confusing to follow, and while the mystery surrounding Nina’s father’s hidden life and the forbidden basement was intriguing, it didn’t really kick into high gear until about 75% through the book. Even then, the climax felt rushed. The ending, in particular, felt abrupt, leaving me wanting more resolution or at least a deeper exploration of the story's key revelations.

While I’ve enjoyed other books by Steadman, this one didn’t fully resonate with me. The slow pacing, combined with some flat character development, made it hard for me to fully invest. Still, Steadman’s skill at keeping readers on edge with her unpredictable twists is clear, and while this wasn’t my favorite of her books, it does offer a decent mix of suspense and mystery.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine books for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was intriguing, yet the execution was less so. I felt like the book got very jumbled in the middle, and it took a long time for me to fully understand what was actually happening in the house. I think others may like this book more than I did.

"From the New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water comes“an utter white-knuckle ride that took me into a heart of darkness” (Lucy Foley, author of The Paris Apartment).

“Addictive, thrilling, intoxicating.”—Lisa Jewell, author of None of This Is True

“The vacation home of dreams . . . or nightmares? What a ride—I tore through this nail-biting, pacey read.”—Sarah Pearse, author of The Retreat"

this book was hard for me to read, the premise sounded amazing but the execution was not for me. I struggled to keep track of what was happening and the details about the red button, Maria not leaving the house when things were going off what she was told, etc didn't ring true to me. I was unable to even suspend belief they way you can in thrillers that engage you. This was not that book for me.

Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman is a tensely plotted thriller that takes some big swings, which I respect. The pacing is quick, making it an easy book to fly through, and the tension is palpable from start to finish.

That said, the story can get a bit confusing at times, and much of the ground it covers feels familiar—like territory that’s already been well-explored in similar books and films. While the ambition is commendable, it ultimately didn’t deliver anything particularly new or groundbreaking.

This was a very different book from anything else I’ve read but I really enjoyed it. Loved the puzzle-aspect!

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book. Book was fine, really good if you like the genre! I would read more from this author.

Four stars. I thought this was a clever read and unlike other thrillers. I loved the remote setting and the back and forth of timeline/characters. This one kept me in it until the very end.

Catherine does it again!! This book was insane. Like I couldn’t believe it. Highly recommend if you love any type of show or book about survival skills and trapped mazes. I literally felt like I was reading a screenplay. Can someone turn this into a movie? How does Catherine come up with this stuff? So many twists and turns and yet I was wrong on every single one of them. Overall a great twisted novel!

Nina’s father passes away and she finds out he left her a house in the BVI that she never knew about. Her father, a talented engineer loves games of all kinds. Nina thinks that this house, built with mysterious rooms underneath is another one of his games- but is it? Many twists and turns will have you rooting for Nina and a couple of other wonderful characters. A must read.

Catherine Steadman's Look in the Mirror is an unsettling story with high tension and stress from start to finish. It is the type of novel that an audience will want to devour in one sitting. When Nina Hepworth's father dies, he leaves her a mysterious property in the British Virgin Islands. Once Nina arrives she quickly realizes everything is not so cut and dry. Suddenly her father is a stranger who can no longer answer her questions, and Nina has plenty of them. Part "house of horrors", part mental games, Nina must power through the house in order to come out alive.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Publishing for the opportunity to read this novel.

This was a fun thriller. It was so different! I love escape rooms but make it life or death so the rich can watch? No thank you… The story had me hooked right from the start because I truthfully had no clue what was going to happen. It was a quick read especially since I listened to it on audio. Very engaging storyline and I was rooting for Nina the whole time. I also enjoyed the multiple POV and the way the POVs were done. The ending also really made me want a sequel.