What a wild, wonderful ride this book is.

Nina has recently lost her father, who left her a massive property she knew nothing about. Now, as she’s visiting the house for the first time, she’s discovering she has far more questions than answers.

Maria is a nanny whose client hasn’t showed. So instead she relaxes around the house and pool. But she’s struggling to follow the one rule-stay out of the basement.

This book is so good. It in no way ever goes where you expect it to go. Every twist is intense and surprising, and the chapters are packed with so much drama. I also loved the surprising romance, and the really strong female characters. I won’t say anything else so I don’t give anything away. I definitely recommend this book.

What a whirlwind of a book! I could not put this down until the very end. I was honestly surprised when it ended because I was so wrapped up in the story I was wanting more.

This was my favorite Catherine Steadman novel. Just like in her other books, I always feel frustrated with the actions of the main characters. It always takes me out of the story because their actions are so unbelievable. Why would they do that? If someone told me to lay on a beach for 10 days and the only thing I had to do was leave the basement alone, I would comply, no questions asked. Regardless of the idiocy of the characters, the storyline kept me wondering what was going on for most of the book, like the main character Nina, and clues were revealed at a timely pace. The overall story made sense, but if things were more fleshed out and given more explanation it would have made for a tighter story and upped my rating. Overall, it was a fast and enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman focuses on several characters and their role related to an expensive house near the island of Tortola. At first it’s very difficult to see how the various POV fit together. Overall, this book was an interesting lot, but VERY different from what I expected.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new thriller by Catherine Steadman. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Nina, a college professor, is grieving the loss of her father when she discovers that he left her property in the British Virgin Islands - a home she knew nothing about. The house is completely state-of-the-art and Nina has trouble understanding how her father could afford it. Was he hiding something? Maria, a medical student who dropped out to earn money as a nanny for wealthy parents, is assigned to watch children at a home but the family never shows up. She is told to relax and is given only one rule - don't go into the basement.

How are these two stories connected? Told from both their POV, along with that of an electrician assigned to maintain the house, this book will keep you on your toes. Yes, it's over-the-top but I couldn't put it down. It's creepy, suspenseful, tense, atmospheric and will have you holding your breath and keeping you guessing until the very end. Go into it as blind as possible so that you can experience it just like the subjects! Another great thriller by Catherine Steadman!

4.5 stars
I’ll admit that I was unsure about “Look in the Mirror” when I first started it. The author is the narrator so that’s usually a bit cringe. I hadn’t listened to her first novel, which she also narrated, and wasn’t sure what to expect. I did love “The Family Game”, so I gave it a try. The first chapter heavily used second-person language (you) & that was another potential sticking point but it was just the first chapter. After that, we were off to the races. Nina arrives in the British Virgin Islands to claim her inheritance after her father’s passing- a house she never knew he’d built and owned. We’ve also got another POV who has also been to this same house. We don’t know whose timeline is first and what’s going to happen to either of them. It’s most definitely an edge of the seat suspense/thriller. I wish I’d started the book earlier in the day because there was a 0% chance I was going to bed before finding out what happened. Yes, I finished it in one sitting so I could go to bed!
A book like this lives or dies by the ending. I’m glad to report that it did stick the landing for me. Definitely recommend!
*Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ebook copy

4.5⭐️! Thank you to #netgalley & the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc for review purposes. I loved The Family Game, and I also am happy to say I loved Look In the Mirror! I ate up this psychological, action-packed thriller that was full of puzzles & games. Not the fun kind though. The scary kind. I read this within 24 hours. I absolutely couldn't get enough.

After a single woman that works in acadamia loses her father, she feels like she has lost her whole world. She comes upon some mysterious papers that show her dad had a secret hideaway in the Virgin Islands and the property has been left to her in his will. She goes to explore this house and her steadfast dad's possible secret life. As she stays on the property, not all is what it seems. Everyone is a suspect, and the author did such a good job of making your psyche scream the whole time as I looked for the "why" of it all. The multiple viewpoints worked so well. I can't wait to see what Steadman does next!

Inventive and creative as always, Steadman brings another round of intensity and adventure in Look in the Mirror.

I had a really fun time reading this. I enjoyed the different narratives and all of the twists and turns.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own..
I enjoyed this book for the mystery, intrique and well crafted characters. It takes the reader on a journey that keep you turning pages into the night. I tire of the inheritance stories theme in womens fiction of today but this is quite a different outlandish inheritance turned to mystery that saves the story . I enjoyed the sleuthing and the location of a extravagant beach island home.

Escape Room from hell? I think that’s a good description of this book.

Nina discovers her father has a secret house on the island of Gorda that she inherited after his death. She knew nothing about this house and she was suspicious. When she arrives things are not what she expects. She ends up venturing into the basement where a deadly escape room awaits.

I have to say when I went into this I wasn’t expecting the story to go in the direction that it did. I didn’t mind it though, it was very fast paced and I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. There are a few characters in this story and it’s interesting to see how they are connected. I would say this is a quick read and definitely a popcorn thriller type read. If you like escape rooms and puzzles you will enjoy this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this unique concept for a mystery thriller. It kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen and how it was all going to connect together. However, I did find it to be a little all over the place. Which I personally just wasn’t able to get past. I liked the dual pov and didn’t object when it became a multi-pov in the second half of the book. What got to me was being confused by the multiple timelines. It might have just been me but I had a slight hard time keeping track of what was going on. Hoping it was all going to get figured out and I just felt the ending was lacking. Didn’t rap up and explain it all to a way I would have liked. Overall still enjoyed and will continue to read more from this author.

This book was fun - it's one of those thrillers that had me hooked because I needed to find out what was going on. There are multiple narrators and they way the characters intersect and come together was interesting and a bit surprising which I loved!

The audio is narrated by the author - Catherine Steadman - who is also an actress so she definitely brought the characters to life and I loved listening to her tell the story. In saying that though, I think this would have benefited from having multiple audio narrators to differentiate the main characters and really give them a unique voice.

Overall it was a fun, fast read and I would definitely recommend it - there are some elements that worked well and some that didn't work, but I do think this is one I will remember a tad more than others due to a few unique "twists" or devices the author used. This one would actually make a really great movie to see the house and all that happens in it on the screen!
Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Random House Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nina has just lost her father and finds out that he had a massive secret. A will executor reaches out to Nina to let her know of this unheard of inheritance, and she finds herself trying to sort through a mix of emotions as she decides what to do about this new home that no one had ever heard of. As Nina tries to piece together the puzzle of unknowns her father left behind, she realizes that nothing is as it seems and begins to question the relationship with the father she thought she knew.

Maria is hired as a nanny for a high end client and sent to a luxurious home in the British Virgin Islands and told to wait for her client to arrive. The instructions are simple, the house is hers until they get there, but there is one room that is off limits. The longer she’s there alone, the more that room seems to call to her.

What does Maria have to do with Nina? Can anyone figure out what’s happening before it’s too late? Read the book to find out.

This book is a fast paced roller coaster of a puzzle that the reader and characters are trying to solve together. It is a very quick read with an intriguing plot, I just wish there had been more character development. It gets to the end with a few twists and turns, but there could be so much more breadth to the story itself. Overall a good read, especially if you're looking for something to read in one sitting.

Wow this book was so good! It was so unique from any thriller I’ve ever read and I loved the escape room-vibes! The fact that it was set on a tropical island was the icing on top. This book had such a thrilling story that I found myself unable to stop reading!

Look in the Mirror is about a two women, Nina and Maria, who through different circumstances and in different timelines find themselves staying at an ultra modern mansion on an island in the British Virgin Isles. Nina’s dad recently passed away and she is surprised by a phone call letting her know about a vacation house her dad owned that seems way out of his budget. Maria is a nanny for wealthy clients and she shows up at the house to take care of a couple of kids but the family never shows.

I absolutely loved the adventure this book took me on. The interweaving storylines of Maria and Nina were so well placed together that they really helped build up the tension of the story. I could not predict a lot of where this story went which led to me frantically turning the pages because I just had to know what was going to happen next.

The setting of this book was probably my favorite part. I love a story where the house is a major feature and I was pleasantly surprised by how important the house was to this story. I loved how unsettling the house was despite (or maybe because of) how modern and rich everything was. The more we learned about the house the more claustrophobic the isolation felt.

Along with getting Maria and Nina’s perspectives we did get the story told from a few side characters as well. It did help to give the story a bigger picture perspective but I don’t know if it was always necessary. I also found parts of the story too unbelievable that it took me out of the story. The pacing builds up to a frenetic pace but then a few over the top things happened that shook me out of that tension.

However, when I look back on the story I did think it was overall a fun time and would make a fantastic movie.

Catherine Steadman has done it again. I was a big fan of The Family Game because of its twisted, out-of-nowhere, bizarre premise, so I was eager to read LOOK IN THE MIRROR. If anything, her latest thriller is twistier, further out-of-nowhere, and more bizarre. It would be fascinating to live in Steadman’s mind for a day. What a strange place it must be.

Summarizing this book is impossible without giving away major plot points. Suffice to say, you won’t see most of it coming, but you sure will enjoy the ride. So much of this book is unexpected. It’s diabolical in its uniqueness and oh, so wickedly evil. Enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

This book was a page turner for me! The thriller equivalent of a fun pop song. Thoroughly entertaining! Thanks so much for this copy!

"Look in the Mirror" offers a promising premise but ultimately falls short. While Steadman’s writing is polished and her characters well-developed, the plot fails to deliver a compelling or original narrative. The mystery unfolds predictably, lacking the suspense and depth that might have elevated the story. The pacing is uneven, with some sections dragging while others rush to conclusions. Readers looking for an engaging thriller might be disappointed, though Steadman’s prose shows potential for future works.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Look In the Mirror by Catherine Steadman is a gripping psychological thriller that follows Nina and Maria, two women whose lives intersect in a luxurious but mysterious vacation home in the British Virgin Islands.

Nina, mourning her father's death, discovers she has inherited a stunning, state-of-the-art house she never knew existed, raising questions about her father's secret life. Meanwhile, Maria, a nanny for the super-rich, finds herself alone in the same house, with a strict rule to avoid the basement. Her curiosity leads her to uncover chilling secrets.

Steadman's writing is sharp and the plot is filled with well-timed twists. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the setting adds to the suspenseful atmosphere. Look In the Mirror is a captivating, edge-of-your-seat read, perfect for fans of psychological thrillers.

Nina still grieving over the loss of her father, discovers that he left her a vacation home in the British Virgin Islands. She had no idea that the house existed until after his death, so she wonders where he dad came up with the money to buy this house. Now, she wonders what else he was hiding from her.
Maria is a nanny for the super-rich. She decides that this will be the last job & then she can retire. When no one shows up at the house, she begins to make herself at home. Then she can't resist the lure of the one room she is not supposed to go into. Can she survive her curiosity?