Going into this story blind made it so surprising! I had no idea what Nina was getting herself into as she unexpectedly inherited a house in the British Virgin Islands, but the feeling of doom came on slowly as her POV and Maria's interspersed. The short chapters helped lead me to turning the pages faster and faster - this would be a great beach or plane book. (There was a little bit of over the top-ness, but I've come to expect that with this author and think of it as a feature, rather than a bug. )

Nina Hepworth is grieving for her father. She lost him suddenly, and she is heartbroken. And then she sees a letter on his table that she had missed. It was on weighty paper, and it was addressed to her at her father’s home. When she opened it, Nina found that the letter was from an attorney who informed her that her father had a house in the British Virgin Islands, and that house was now hers.

Nina travels to the islands to see the house, and she finds a beautiful house right with a private beach. It’s filled with luxuries as well as small reminders of her father. But Nina doesn’t understand. Her father never said anything about this house. In all the years they were together, when they did crossword puzzles together and talked about books, when he shared his favorite poetry with her and they learned Morse code together to have a secret language. But in all that time, he had never mentioned a house in the Virgin Islands, nor did he give Nina any reason to believe that he had the kind of wealth that would get him a vacation house.

Nina tries to research the house, to get a copy of the building plans, but she finds out that someone else was impersonating her and got a copy of the plans just months before. Although, there are only plans for the parts of the house that are above the ground. The rest is a mystery.

Maria is a medical student who took some time off from school to work as a nanny for the ultra-rich. With just a few years of short-term nanny stints (usually for when the full-time nanny goes on vacation), Maria can pay off her entire medical degree, and maybe buy herself a house besides. She is offered a two-week job in the Virgin Islands, caring for two small children, and she jumped at the chance. She gets to the house and settles in, and then starts preparing the house for the family to show up. However, they don’t show up that first night.

The next day, Maria wakes up, puts on her uniform and again readies the house for the family. She makes some snacks for the kids and inflates some pool toys, in case they want to play in the pool after their long journey. But again, no one else shows. As the days tick by with no family for her to nanny, Maria starts to wonder exactly what it was she was hired for. And then she finds her way into the mysterious room in the basement, and everything changes for her. Her life as she knew it is over.

Look in the Mirror is the latest thriller by Catherine Steadman, and it is chilling. As young, single women learn the secrets of that house in the Virgin Islands, they find out just how far some people will go to feed the evil inside them. This is as dark a novel as I’ve read for quite some time, but it is brilliantly plotted, with writing that pulls you in deeper to the mysteries lurking at the center of this house.

I was drawn into the characters in Look in the Mirror almost immediately. I found both Nina and Maria sympathetic and strong women, and I was rooting for them, even though I had no idea what it was they were fighting. And once I did know, I was rooting for them so much harder. These are intelligent, driven women put into excruciating challenges, and I really wanted them to win. I wanted them to escape and find joy and meaning in their lives. I can’t say that the ending is completely satisfying, but it did feel honest to the story. There is sadness here, and evil, but there is also kindness, self-sacrifice, determination, and human connection. This is a powerful story, honest about some of the ugliest parts of humanity, but it also shows the will to survive, which is the most human thing we all ultimately share.

Egalleys for Look in the Mirror were provided by Ballentine Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I really feel like this book was ALMOST great. It contains some elements that I am an absolute sucker for, that are unfortunately spoilers to mention in my review. Ultimately I feel like the book was trying to tackle too much in addition to the fun spoilery parts, and I got lost in trying to keep the character POVs straight and understanding the family element that takes up the entire synopsis but has very little to do with the book itself. A better version of this book, to me, was The Last One by Will Dean. Definitely a bummer after loving The Family Game and enjoying Something in the Water, but I’m sure I’ll keep up with whatever Catherine Steadman writes in the future!

The book synopsis left me saying.....how can the two women be connected? I don't think I was the only one asking the question and that's the point in the quickly evolving LOOK IN THE MIRROR. As we followed the stories of the two women, their paths will cross/ merge in a disturbing manner. A genre crossing story of horror brought to life with simple actions and surprising consequences.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine for the book #LookInTheMirror by #CatherineSteadman. This book was such a roller coaster of emotions and I could not put it down. Two different women, Nina and Maria. They don’t know each other. How are they connected? And more important, what’s in the basement?

This book was such a wild ride! I throughly enjoyed all the twists and turns that were in it! Nina has inherited a house on a Caribbean island from her father. But what lies beneath the house? This book was not what I was expecting, and I loved it so much!

Catherine Steadman never fails to deliver a page turner.

Look in the Mirror was an unhinged and fun ride. The mystery surrounding the house kept me engaged, but along the way I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be entirely satisfied with what that mystery was. I think that ultimately it was the fact that the mechanics of the house and the premise was just so hard to believe for me that it wasn’t an absolute win, but this was entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books.

Look in the mirror is a thriller by Catherine steadman. When Nina’s father dies, she is shocked to find out that she has inherited a beautiful three bedroom on an isolated island in paradise. Nina didn’t know her father owned this house so she’s excited to take a trip to see the house. However, once there, she begins to get a creeping sense of dread and feels like someone has eyes on her.

Meanwhile, Maria is a nanny who finds herself trapped in a babysit of the house she’s staying. Maria doesn’t know why she’s there or who has her locked there.

How do the two stories overlap? And what sinister forces are at play?

This takes some unique turns as the plot unfolds, and eventually more points of view are introduced as the plot unfolds. This is a bit of a departure from typical steadman fare, and I was surprised by what ultimately was happening. The pacing is strong and I did find myself turning the pages to find out what was happening, as the chapters are relatively quick and the pov switches between different characters. A great beach or pool read for fans of page-turners!

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars
What a ride!

This heart pounding story is told in multiple POVs, without spoiling anything, primarily two: Nina and Maria. Nina is dealing with the loss of her father, and the inheritance of a secret home on the British Virgin Islands that he left her. Maria is a nanny waiting on her charges on a coastal island, in a luxurious home, where the only rule is to stay out of the basement. I stayed up late reading this one a couple times. This is a twisty, twisty ride, if you’ve read and enjoyed any of Catherine Steadman’s earlier books, you’re in for a treat. Pub day this week!

This was my first Catherine Steadman (despite owning a few). This book had a lot of promise, but definitely felt over complicated at times. I think that one place that really made me struggle with this book is not necessarily understanding how some of what was happening was made possible. But maybe that is because I have an over analytical brain. I will say that I really enjoyed the ending - if you know you know. I overall really enjoyed this one and will be interested in picking up more of her books in the future.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Catherine Steadman for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m in a thriller slump so this took me a bit to get into but I did enjoy it once I got farther into it. I kept trying to figure it out but didn’t get it all pieced together by the end (I wouldn’t make it in THE house, that’s for sure!)

The story is told in two timelines and by two main characters (and then a few others towards the end).

Wow was this book a page turner. It’s definitely not what I thought and you want to go in blindly so you don’t have any spoilers. I highly recommend this book!

Catherine Steadman books are always a good mixture of a little fucked up and creepy but this was really not for me. If you like more high stakes action thrillers or have a thing for escape rooms, this book is for you. If not, then I think you’ll feel about this book the way that I do, that it’s just GOOFY. I felt like the bones of a good story were there but as we got closer and closer to the ending the more my eyeballs rolled in the back of my head. Nothing really made sense or connected and there was not a single *gasp* *aha!* shocking twist moment. I felt like I just kept going “….. okay?….”

Overall, this is a skip for me! Overall it just felt like a story that wasn’t fully flushed out and it left me wanting more!

Look in the Mirror tells the alternating story of two women. Nina’s father dies and leaves her a beautiful home in a tropical paradise. He wasn’t well off so Nina wonders where he got the money. Maria, a nanny, has acquired a job in a luxurious home with one rule – don’t go in the basement.
The book goes back and forth between the two women, and I sincerely wondered how in the world these two women were remotely connected. It was interesting but confusing. About halfway through it all comes together and takes off from there.
It keeps building, with a few more characters built in, to an exciting finish that I did not see coming.
This is a good one for psychological suspense!

I did not love this one.

This is a concept we’ve seen before. And while this is an overall entertaining concept, it was just wasn’t all that different from things we’ve seen before.

I found this story to be a bit difficult to follow. There were kind of a lot of characters and the focus bounced around quite a bit.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad book but it wasn’t my favorite.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballentine for the opportunity to read the advance copy of this book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Look in the Mirror is an outstanding psychological thriller, that will have you on the edge of your seat as you read about the main character who is stuck in a reality show with nightmarishly high stakes.

After reading this sensationally imaginative book, from the talented author Catherine Steadman, you will never view locked room mysteries in quite the same way again.

Steadman, is an impressive author both in writing skills and her ability to tie the subject matter of her books to today's current obsessions, while racheting up the tension a slight notch past the boiling point.

After loving The Family Game last year, I was ready for another dip into the Steadman world. It was a fast-paced thriller that kept me dipping in and out to see where we were headed, but it maybe went a little too far off the rails for me to fully get onboard. I think many will still enjoy this for what it is - a gripping read that will have you turning the pages as quickly as you can!

Look in the Mirror, the new thriller from Catherine Steadman, is absolutely bonkers.

"Nina is reeling from the loss of her father, especially after she finds out he left her a house in the Virgin Islands. She didn't know anything about a house. Where did the money come from to pay for this multi-million dollar estate? Why did he keep it from her? What else was he hiding?

Maria shows up to her new temp nanny job. The family is delayed so Maria is told to make herself comfortable - but under no circumstance is she to go into the basement room. Can she really stay out?"

This is more of an action thriller and Steadman keeps you guessing. Everything centers around the house and the basement room. There's plenty of tension with Nina and Maria because nothing works the way they expect things to.
I could not put this down. Steadman writes with incredible pace in this book. If you're looking for an escape this is a great option.

There's still time to take it to the beach! Great read from Steadman!

I really expected to love this one, but I found it felt like it was lagging in the middle. I am more and more becoming a fan of super fast paced thrillers, though, so if you like a slow burn with a touch of horror, this one might still be for you!

Look in the Mirror is a fast-paced, gripping mystery thriller that keeps you frantically turning the pages until you reach the end.

Still reeling from the loss of her father, Nina finds herself with the keys to a vacation home tucked away in the British Virgin Islands. Eager to uncover the secrets of the property, Nina sets off for the mysterious abode, which has an equally mysterious locked basement door.   

Another plotline follows a nanny named Maria. When Maria arrives at an empty house with no children and a mysterious locked door, she finds herself drawn into the house's mystery. Warned away from the locked basement door, Maria dares to break the rule...and faces what's on the other side.

Steadman has a gift for plot. She knows how to pace her writing to pump the reader's adrenaline without giving too much away. Clues are tucked into corners, making the reader feel like a detective along for the ride. Steadman's twists and turns feel fresh and never predictable. 

The book has multiple POVs, which gives the readers different perspectives about the unfolding events. Each point of view was short, which added to the quick pace of the novel overall. At times, I wished each chapter was a bit longer, so I could settle into the characters' perspectives more fully.

The book had a puzzle/escape room/horror vibe, which made it feel original. Steadman found an interesting way to tie Nina and Maria's arcs together. I was surprised at the soapy end reveal. While suspension of disbelief is a necessity at the end, it adds to the shock value.

If you are looking for a quick, twisty, well-plotted mystery, pick up a copy of Look in the Mirror. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for sending this ARC in exchange for an honest review.