Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book. If you enjoyed The Family Game you’ll most likely enjoy this one. It is an engaging story that takes some wild turns. The novel follows Nina, a young woman whose father has unexpectedly left her a Caribbean villa in his will & Maria, a nanny who has arrived at her latest job to find no family & only one rule- do not go into one specific room in the basement. It’s definitely a good thriller/mystery.

First I would like to thank Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books, NetGalley, and of course Catherine Steadman for the Kindle ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is an extremely suspenseful closed room psychological thriller. I was intrigued from the very beginning where we begin following Maria, a nanny for the super rich, who doesn't seem to have any family. Then we start following Nina, whose has just lost her father, the only family she had, as she is contacted by a lawyer in the British Virgin Islands telling her she has inherited a vacation home from her deceased father.

Both of these young ladies are questioning their individual stays in this immaculate home made of glass and marble built into the cliffs along the ocean. Maria stays at the house about a year and a half before Nina. Maria is told that there is a hold up in the arrival of the family with kids and is told to enjoy the house but to stay away from the basement. Nina is told that there is a problem with the access door to the basement when she first arrives.

There are many twists and surprises in this story that will keep you reading because you will want to understand what is going on. It all comes together in the end, but it is a non-stop wild ride until you get there.

I thoroughly enjoyed “Look in the Mirror” by Catherine Steadman. For the first third of the book I was just as confused as the characters as to what was going on in the alternating stories of Maria and Nina. I became engrossed as more character viewpoints were added to the story. The plot moves quickly and there are jaw dropping twists throughout. It was also an original idea, purposely being vague to avoid spoilers, which was refreshing. It was a great read and I will be recommending it to fellow readers. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of “Look in the Mirror”.

Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman is a gripping and suspenseful novel that kept me on the edge of my seat. . With its intriguing storyline and mysterious atmosphere, this book had me guessing and questioning what in the world was going on here and why .
Nina receives a shocking revelation when she is informed that she has inherited a house in the British Virgin Islands that belonged to her father. This news leaves her stunned, as her father had never mentioned the property before, and she is perplexed as to how he could have afforded such a valuable asset.
In the story you also meet Maria and her story eventually parallels with Nina's story. I don't want to give anything away about what happens in the house. I had no idea what was happening or why and I just had no idea what to think about what went on in there.. The author really brought the story together.. The ending kind of took me by surprise as well .

Meh. The plot here was too blatantly obvious from the start. The perspectives lent nothing further to the story. Might have worked better and been less obvious from a one person narrative. As it is it just didn’t work for me. The ending was laughable.

This is a fast paced action thriller and my 2nd read from Catherine Steadman. Nina, is somewhat of a loner, a professor in her mid-30's who is dealing with the death of her father after a long illness. She and her dad were inseparable, to the detriment of her having other relationships,  and he formed a major portion of her life growing up with his riddles, mazes, and words of wisdom. Not only did she idolize him, but thought he was the smartest person she ever knew. Upon dealing with all the events and details surrounding his death, she neglects to open a letter from a law firm in the British Virgin Islands. When she finally gets around to it, she's informed that she's inherited a million dollar mansion on the island that overlooks the ocean. Stunned that her upper middle class mathematician father could afford such a luxury, she flies out to BVI to claim the property andto try to find out more about the secrets her father has kept from her.
That is when her treacherous adventure begins. This story is told in 3 points of view, Nina, the main character; Maria, the maid who is trapped in the house, and Yang Joon-gi, the electrician and contractor responsible for the security and electrical components in this space age, modern house. When Nina first views the house, she is astonished. The lawyer gives her a tour, answers most of her questions, then leaves her to get acquainted with what her father left behind. But it turns out her father didn't actually own the house, he designed it for a client, who decides to use it for his despictible game of cat and mouse, viewership limited to the highest paying bidder. This reminded me of 'The Escape Room' by Megan Goldin, but this is on a much larger scale as the house has rooms upon rooms of underground tunnels built into the walls, hidden from the main floor. You could be trapped down there for days and never get out, which is what the owners hope will happen to you. As each riddle is displayed on the screen, you get to advance to the next level, in the hope of winning your freedom.
Nina soon is embroiled in the game and becomes a pawn in the larger scheme of things, her only hope being a local handyman who might stop by to check on her. There is a lot going on and a lot of questions I still have about some characters' motives and the plot. It wasn't clear if the father was aware of what was going on in the house, or that what he designed had been repurposed in such a way. What is the role of James, the lawyer, who seems innocent, but how much does he know? And how does the maid Maria have such incredible combat survival skills? Some additional background on her would have been interesting. She is the more intriguing character than Nina and the others. This is well paced, the characters are fully developed, and you root for the right people at the right time. This is a much more complex thriller than her prior book 'Something in the water', so it's nice to see the author grown and stretch her talents in this genre.

Catherine Steadman's books have been really hit or miss for me, and Look In the Mirror was a miss. This thriller tells the story of Nina, whose late father has left her one last puzzle to solve - in the form of his Caribbean island home. Not knowing her father owned this home, Nina visits the island and immediately recognizes her father in the home, from the books and photos down to the secret puzzle rooms. However, Nina isn't the first to visit this home and become sucked in by the puzzle, as the dual POV also tells the story of a woman named Maria in the same home, also forced to solve puzzles to survive.

While reading this thriller, I often had to go back a page or two to ensure I hadn't overlooked anything important. I always felt one step behind, like I was missing a vital chunk of information about the house or the characters, and I could not figure out how anything was related. I really enjoyed The Family Game by Ms Steadman, but Look In the Mirror was a huge miss for me. I feel like the ending just wrapped up and the epilogue didn't really answer any of the many questions I had throughout the story.

I will still read more from Ms Steadman in the future, as I have truly enjoyed some of her thrillers! But sadly, this one was not for me.

Nina is surprised when she inherits an island house from her deceased dad. She had no idea it existed, and has questions when she goes to the island to settle affairs. Things become even stranger when she gets anonymous letters telling her she should leave the island. Little does she know she will soon be part of a game she has no control over.

This one was a lot different than I expected. It was much less of a thriller and more of a escape situation? I don't know how to describe it except as a nonconsensual murderous escape room situation. We also get a really plucky character Maria who it is easy to cheer for and whose end is so tragic after all we see her go through. I will say this was very quick to read - most chapters were pretty short and the writing is quick paced. However, if you want a thriller, this probably won't really do it for you. Looking for a murdery escape room situation? Then yes, you'll probably enjoy this one.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Look in the Mirror

A Novel

By: Catherine Steadman

Publish Date: 30 July 2024

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine/Ballantine Books

General Fiction (Adult)/Mystery and Thrillers/Women’s Fiction

#LookintheMirror#NetGalley

200 Book Reviews Professional Reader

I would like to thank both Random House Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Book Review:

This is the third book of Catherine’s that I have read and so far, so good. I haven’t been disappointed in any of them. This one was a little different and I was confused for a while because I couldn’t understand what was happening and how two events in one place could be happening without the other person noticing. That was cleared up about 2/3’s of the way through. With that being said I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 because of that. There are two timelines one about a Nanny named Maria and the other about Nina who just lost her father.

Maria was going to medical school and to fund the classes she took up Nannying on the side to pay for her classes. Soon she had to pick because the classes were taking up all her free time. She decided to put school on hold to work and save up to finish. Maia is very good at her job, and she always was able to get the rich clients. One day she is hired to Nanny for a single for a dad with two small children. They fly her out to the Caribbean, and she is shown the house where she will work by the client’s agent. The job is only for ten days, and she will receive 10,000 dollars for her efforts. The family never shows up and Maria gets a hold of the agent worried she won’t be paid but is assured that she will. Also, the only rule she is given is not to go downstairs in the basement to the locked door. As Maria is waiting for the family the door becomes unlocked because of an electrical issue. Maria can’t let the room go so she breaks the rules and enters the room. Things start to happen once she enters.

Nina has just lost her father and she thinks all of his things are in order, then she gets a phone call from a firm in the Caribbeans that there is a piece of property that her father has left her. They want to know what to do with it. After a while Nina decides to go there and take a look at it to figure out what it is how he got it because she doesn’t remember him ever leaving her long enough or have the money to get this property.

That is all I will say about the book hopefully that will give you enough information to pick it up. I do enjoy the friendship that Nina gets from one of the islanders and the help that comes for both of them.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR by Catherine Steadman is definitely NOT a book you want to read when you’re alone (or think you are), and maybe not even if you have a basement!

When Nina inherits a state of the art vacation home in the British Virgin Islands after her brilliant mathematician father dies, she is in shock! She never even knew it existed. She travels to see it with plans of putting it on the market and is startled to say the least. How could her father have afforded such a home and why call it a vacation home when they never vacationed there. As Nina visits, she begins asking questions of the neighbours and construction workers about the property.

Meanwhile, taking a break from medical school to help pay for it, Maria has become a nanny for the super rich. When she is hired to care for two children on vacation, she gets to their home awaiting their arrival. When it appears that plans have changed, Maria is permitted to spend the week at the home. The only stipulation is that she not go in the basement. But we all know what curiosity did to the cat and it does not disappoint in this one either. Of course Maria enters the basement and almost pays with her life!

I always enjoy a book that shows me how the one percent lives but I think I’ll pass on this one. I love to feel as if I am luxuriating in the pool and sauna but the sweat was breaking out on my brow as Nina and Maria found their lives inextricably linked to each other, totally unaware. If you want escapism in the truest sense of the word then LOOK IN THE MIRROR will be right up your alley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Catherine Steadman presents us with a far fetched but still engaging premise. Nina and Maria tell the story, along with a few chapters told by a hired electrician. Nina’s father has recently died when she learns from his will that she has inherited a house in the British Virgin Isles that she had never heard about. And what a house it turns out to be.
Maria is a student earning money by taking short term jobs as a nanny for extremely wealthy families. Unfortunately the family never showed up but she became fixated on a room in the basement that she was prohibited from entering. An electrician she sought help from cannot forget her and is thrust in the midst of the action. Although these women were likable I think if I was better able to identify with either of them, the tension inherent in the story would have definitely been heightened.
The house itself has many secrets that are eventually revealed after heart stopping action/survival sequences that had my heart racing.
I did think the ending was a bit rushed and did not answer all my questions but it kept me engaged.definitely. Mirrors and escape rooms have taken on a whole new level of paranoia for me.
Many thanks to Catherine Steadman, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this fast paced novel, to be published on July 30th.

Calling all thriller/suspense lovers! Don’t skip Look in the Mirror!

This book starts as two seemingly unrelated storylines, both intriguing and mysterious. Quickly things start to become frightening. The whole second half of the book I just wanted to curl up in the fetal position and cover my eyes. This is how a thriller is supposed to make you feel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review..

I always enjoy this author and have read all of her previous novels so I was excited to see what she would do next. She does a wonderful job writing very different stories that all have lots of different mysteries to be unraveled and this book is no exception. I think her writing continues to improve with tighter pacing and interesting characters. This book was impossible to put down and I finished it quickly. As stated in the description we have two different women who both have very different perspectives as their timelines alternate. I was very interested in seeing where they would intersect and I’m usually great at figuring it out but I definitely had no clue this time and was very wrong about where it ended up. This book will keep you guessing while it keeps you hooked.

As with some of her previous books I found the ending far too abrupt and almost as if they called scene in the middle of the climax of the events. There are definitely far fetched events and characters that are pretty easy to overlook for the sake of a great story but again I would have preferred a different choice with the ending. There is some attempt at playing politics with an unnecessary and very thin backstory for a character. Hopefully the author does not start to ruin her books by going further down that road.

As far as content goes it’s mostly mild in terms of any sexual or violent content. There is some mild violence referred to but nothing graphic. There will be characters in peril however so take that into account for younger or sensitive readers.

I have liked this author since her debut. This one seemed more of a horror story to me than a thriller. The suspense was great. I started to have visions of Saw. The beginning is confusing as it is different timelines but starts to make sense towards the end.

Wow, this book was really out there and is perfect for anyone who is looking for something completely different.

One part horror house story, one part escape room, Look in the Mirror is the story of a woman who inherits a house she never knew about. She travels to see it and ... this is not a normal house!

Horror adjacent, this is a great read for summer or the spooky season.

This is an intense thriller that had me glued to the pages. This is not your typical domestic thriller and it gets pretty dark as it progresses, so be prepared! Recommended for fans of Black Mirror.

From the moment I started reading this book I couldn’t put it down. Readers will receive surprises through the very end of the story. The plot is engaging and dramatic and will totally hold the reader captive. The story is told from the perspective of four characters which each play a significant role in the story. For readers who love a good dramatic mystery this story will be a solid choice. Get a copy and enjoy.

This was a seriously messed up plot. Except that it has been done before. Like in every single Saw movie.

Nina Hepworth just lost her father, a meticulous and genius man, who was well respected around the world. As she is settling his estate in the UK, she gets a letter from another law firm in the British Virgin Islands about a home her father has left her there. However, as far as Nina knows he never left the country, let alone had another international property. She is lured to the island to settle the estate and quickly becomes caught up in a game of cat and mouse involving this weird house she inherited. She convinces herself she sees her father everywhere in the home and she is determined to unravel this one last puzzle that he left her.

The book is written from alternating perspectives, one by Maria, a medical student who is nannying at the same property Nina inherited. There is a whole other situation there. I wish this had been explored more, as it sounded far more interesting than what was going on with Nina. Maria would have made a better main character. Or at least given more attention in the book.

The other perspective is from an outside electrician, although he only warrants a few chapters. All stories come together in the end though.

I read this book in one sitting. I felt unsettled and a little cheated. I know I gave the book four stars because obviously I cared enough to read it that quickly but the ending felt too rushed and I felt like there could have been more to Maria's story that would have made the whole book even more sinister. It felt like a missed opportunity.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

Nina is adrift after the death of her father. When she finds out an island property she’s never heard about was left to her, she goes to find out more. Maria is a former med school student, turned nanny to the ultra rich. She takes “one last job” to make some more money. The only rule at the remote island house: don’t go into the basement.

Look in the Mirror has a storyline I did not expect from the information above. It has really fast pacing, so I was turning pages quickly once I got into it (about a third of the way through). There’s action and suspense, and I definitely wanted to know how everything was going to play out. But overall, this book was just ok for me. I didn’t feel hooked like Something in the Water or The Family Game. And I found myself needing to reread parts to make sure I was clear on what was happening. Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance.

From “something in the water”, to “the family game”, I am consistently entertained and intrigued by Catherine steadman/ this one is no different!

4/5, there are points I think could have been shorter, but that’s a preference