This book was not what I was expecting at all but was very happily surprised. Gorgeous setting, with unsettling/menacing stories it. I really enjoyed how the POVs of all the different characters intertwined. Great summer mystery/thriller. Only wish the blurb matched the story a bit more.

Thank you @penguinrandomhouse @netgalley #partner for the gifted copy of this book!

This was such a wild concept of a book! WOW. Wowza. What the?! Grab a glass of champagne and don’t forget your popcorn because this my friends was insanity. This was one frenzied, demented and deranged story! 😂 I liked it and I’m here for it. I think in my opinion you’re going to have to go into this one suspending belief in what really would/could happen! If you can do that then you’re going to be just fine! I absolutely love are games in books so this one definitely wins in that category. I don’t want to spoil anything but let’s just say Nina (one of our main characters) gets way more than she bargained for when her father passes away and leaves her this dreamy estate in the Virgin Islands. What’s odd…she never knew it existed. And soon discovers she doesn’t really know her father…at all. 🙃 There are hidden rooms, shady characters, lies, games, puzzles, and one massive race against time. If all of that is your cup of tea make sure you grab this one at the end of the month!

Nina recently learned that her deceased father has left her an estate in the British Virgin Islands in his will. Nina was never aware that lavish, state of the art smart home existed. Nina is trying to understand why her father kept this information from her, only to leave her the home following his unexpected passing.

Maria is a nanny for the well-to-do and has recently been assigned a job with a family who lives on a stunning coastal estate. Oddly, the family does not show. Maria takes it upon herself to settle in…making note of the only house rule which is to never go into the basement.

The story is told from alternating POV’s and due to the storylines, I found it to be a bit confusing at times. As a reader, we are crossing time periods, trying to unravel stories that are never fully explained, basically just piecing everything together until the abrupt end.
Overall, this was a decent read. It felt rushed and upon completion I didn’t feel closure – I kept waiting for something that never came.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballentine, NetGalley, and the author for this ARC.

Had an absolute great time reading LOOK IN THE MIRROR by Catherine Steadman. It's a thriller, yes, but there are some creepy horror elements at play, too. The overall premise of this was so neat: a daughter inherits this mansion off an island that she never knew her dad even had. What?! Why!? But let's go check it out! There are quite a few twists in this one... and I am a huge fan of escape rooms so this whole book just really checked off a lot of boxes for me.

Catherine Steadman wrote something unique, intriguing and utterly different in this book! The premise of escape is often seen in domestic thrillers - but actual escape, to save your life, is a new concept in the psychological thriller genre! I found I was unable to put this down because I wanted to know WHY? Without spoiling, readers need to be patient until the end in this one! Thank you so much for the advance copy - I will be looking for more from this author!!!

Catherine Steadman continues to prove to be a favorite author of mine. This book had me all in and fully engaged from the jump. It honestly it hard to say much beyond the book blurb for fear of spoiling anything. Just know it's a great read and you will not be disappointed!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

this. was. so. INTENSE. like, truly could not put it down in a way I haven’t experienced in a hot minute. I really can't say too much about it without giving anything away, but this is a wild ride I highly recommend you take. it had decent twists and really enjoyable characters with a lot of dimension. this might be my favorite @catsteadman book? thanks to @netgalley for this advanced copy, this book will be available to the public on 7/30! (reviewing a book before pub date - who am I? really makes me feel like I have my life together 😂

Well, count me as an official Catherine Steadman fan! I didn’t realize I have been devouring her books until I was on here looking at her bibliography and realized I’ve read an throughly enjoyed her two, make that now three, last releases. I’ve just been so pulled in by the premises and intense settings.

Take this one: a young woman who inherits a house from her father in the British Virgin Islands that she never knew existed. When she gets there, things immediately feel off - and her suspicions are confirmed. Meanwhile, in a parallel story, we read about another young woman, hired as a au pair for a wealthy family, who is in a creepy house, trying to figure out what she’s gotten herself into. I don’t want to say much more.

These young women are both really great characters that you get invested in, right from the beginning. And I was rooting for them to figure things out as their stories progressed. I was absolutely hooked watching them and waiting to see how things worked out. It took everything in me not to jump to the end of the book.

But Mazel Tov to me - I held out this time! And it was worth the wait!

So, bottom line: pick this one up….then head on over to check out Steadman’s other books for ,ore great atmospheric reads with intense plots and thrills. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long for the next one!

Maybe it was the sunshine, maybe it was the bottle of wine but this book had me in a chokehold. This is an easily read in one sitting thriller. Absolute wild summer entertainment. I’m not going to say a lot as it’s best to go in blind and enjoy the ride.

I absolutely loved this book!! It was the perfect summer read. I was hooked from the first chapter and enjoyed every minute of it. I wanted to know what the heck was going on and once things were revealed, I was floored. It was fast paced, gripping, and satisfying in the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for a complimentary copy of this novel!

Maria is a medical student who’s taken time off to earn money to pay for her education. So, she takes up short term nanny positions for the super-rich. While she is waiting for them to show up, she tours the place to familiarize herself with the house. She is told she my use all of the facilities, pool, sauna, etc. But one room is off limits...the basement!
Nina is a 34-year-old, who was raised by her father. When he passes away, she is shocked to find out he has left her a high-end vacation property in the Caribbean. She keeps questioning how he was able to afford such a place with his income. With too many questions and no answers, Nina goes to visit the property with the lawyer. She sees it is located atop a rocky cliff. Nina still cannot wrap her mind around how her father was able to afford such a place and why he never told her about it. Soon, notes begin to appear that warn her to leave the place.
Two women, Maria and Nina, seemingly unrelated have their stories told. How are they connected? Why is the basement where Maria is to babysit off limits? Will she listen and not try to go in or will she enter the basement? And what lies beneath? Will Nina get her answers and discover new secrets about her father? How are Maria and Nina connected?
This novel pulled me in from the very beginning!!! It was a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat wild ride!!! I finished it in 24 hours! 5 stars!! AVAILABLE July 30, 2024

Nina Hepworth inherits a house from her father that she knew nothing about.
Maria is a new nanny staying there waiting for the owner and kids to arrive and wondering why they are not. She has been warned to stay away from the basement but her curiosity eventually gets the best of her. They are in for the fight of their lives as they struggle to survive. This action packed story kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing.
Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this ARC.

Catherine Steadman wrote something unique, intriguing and utterly different in this book! The premise of escape is often seen in domestic thrillers - but actual escape, to save your life, is a new concept in the psychological thriller genre! I found I was unable to put this down because I wanted to know WHY? Without spoiling, readers need to be patient until the end in this one! Thank you so much for the advance copy - I will be looking for more from this author!!!

If Catherine Steadman writes a book, I'm going to read it. I have yet to be let down by her novels and Look In The Mirror was another fantastic book.

This one is packed with action, never a dull moment thankfully. There’s always something happening and with two characters, Nina and Maria. You know there is a connection between them but what is it? How will their stories come together?

I was hooked from beginning to end.

Nina, still grieving from the loss of her father, discovers that she has inherited property in the British Virgin Islands — a vacation home she had no idea existed, until now. The house is extraordinary: state-of-the-art, all glass and marble. How did her sensible father come into enough money for this? Why did he keep it from her? And what else was he hiding?

Maria, once an ambitious medical student, is a nanny for the super-rich. The money’s better, and so are the destinations where her work takes her. Just one more gig, and she’ll be set. Finally, she’ll be secure. But when her wards never show, Maria begins to make herself at home, spending her days luxuriating by the pool and in the sauna. There’s just one rule: Don’t go in the basement. That room is off-limits. But her curiosity might just get the better of her. And soon, she’ll wish her only worry was not getting paid.

The buildup and backstory were very well done with a lot of information provided to the reader without dragging it out. A really enjoyed the out of the box thinking this book took to right. Offering readers a different style of mysteries, twists, and connections from other novels. I did feel however that the needed, for me, was rushed. Any book that ever uses the words, “and the rest is history” automatically takes down a star. Overall a great book I definitely recommend!

Huge thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 📚

If you like high-stakes action then this is for you. I prefer my thrillers more on the psychological side with more character development then we get in this story. That said, the premise of the book is a good one and it did keep me engaged and turning the pages. I enjoy this author's previous books better but will continue to read what she puts out.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
This book was such an unexpected surprise…in the best possible way! It totally was not what I was expecting, but I loved every minute of it. I always enjoy Steadman’s books, and this was no exception, except don’t go into it expecting it to be her typical domestic suspense or thriller. It definitely is on the fine line between being a thriller and horror book. The less you know about this one when you start to read it, the better…just trust me on that. Steadman creates amazing characters, a great premise, and so many wild and twisty surprises throughout. I really enjoyed the alternating POV’s and all of the craziness that unfolds throughout🤯😳 This book had me on the edge of my seat and once I started this book I did not want to put it down.


𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦Thrillers mixed with a bit of horror
✦Amazing characters with an awesome premise
✦Tons of wild, crazy, and twisty moments that unfold
✦Alternating POVs
✦A book that leaves you on the edge of your seat


𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫4.5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a netgalley copy.

Really enjoyed the cat and mouse game in this one. This and Steadman's last one, The Family Game, are so twisty and fun. I read this in two sittings in one day and honestly only put it down because I HAD to go out. The intricacy of Nina and her dad' s relationship played well into the plot as well.

The Maria interludes at some points felt like they were slowing the pace a bit, as her inner dialogue was super repetitive, but it wound up tying in nicely.

Go Catherine Steadman! This was something else. Really creepy and full of tension. Harrowing at times.

Nina, still grieving from the loss of her father, discovers that she has inherited property in the British Virgin Islands—a vacation home she had no idea existed, until now. The house is extraordinary: state-of-the-art, all glass and marble. How did her sensible father come into enough money for this? Why did he keep it from her? And what else was he hiding?

Maria, once an ambitious medical student, is a nanny for the super-rich. The money’s better, and so are the destinations where her work takes her. Just one more gig, and she’ll be set. Finally, she’ll be secure. But when her wards never show, Maria begins to make herself at home, spending her days luxuriating by the pool and in the sauna. There’s just one rule: Don’t go in the basement. That room is off-limits. But her curiosity might just get the better of her. And soon, she’ll wish her only worry was not getting paid.

This book is dark. Quite the nail biter. And it simply clicks along. Varying POVs. It was smashing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy. The novel is available now!

Catherine Steadman is quickly becoming the reigning champ of fun, game centric, thrilling books for me.

In this book we are following two main characters, Nina and Maria, in two different time lines as they both navigate a super high tech secluded home that they suddenly find themselves occupying. The synopsis does not give you much more than that so neither will I but there is so much more to this book than what that synopsis gives. We are also introduced to the point of view of other characters through random chapters thrown in between Nina and Maria and that added so much more to the story. It is through those character chapters that we really learn more of the backstory of this house and explanations for the current events taking place while we watch Nina and Maria, in their respective time lines, try to survive.

At the heart I would classify this book as a psychological survival thriller with a game element. It was an adventure roller coaster from the first few chapters and definitely maintained a fast paced plot the entire time. I think it is interesting that this is the second book in a row that this author has put out that contains game elements to the plot. That seems to be a strong suit for them and I will continue to eat up any thrilling survival game books that they want to put out after this one. Listen, sometimes you just need a fun and thrilling book with no big mystery to solve and no crazy twists. This book gives you that. It is just two intelligent and badass women struggling to get themselves out of a dangerous situation that they never could have imagined being in and you just get to go along for the ride.

The only reason this is a four star read and not a five star read is because these kinds of books never become favorites for me. They are good times and fast reads that I really enjoy but am unlikely to revisit or take a big impact from. That said, if you love games then you should pick up this book. If you loved a certain movie that came out in 2019 and starred Taylor Russell and Logan Miller then you should pick up this book. I'm being vague about the movie title because I think divulging what kind of games are involved in this book could be spoiler-y so google can be your friend here. If you just want to get lost in a thrilling adventure for a few hours that requires no thought or analysis then pick up this book.

Nina has just inherited a house in the British Virgin Islands after her father dies. A house she had no idea he owned or ever visited. Nina travels to the island and finds a luxurious house with state of the art features. She tries to find out more about how the house came about and looks into the building of it. The builders tell her they removed huge amounts of rock underneath the house and she realizes the house goes down deeper with more rooms below than she was aware of. We also are introduced to Maria, a nanny waiting on the island for her new clients with children to arrive. She is waiting in the beautiful house, using the pool and enjoying the time waiting for the family to arrive - but they don’t show up. This was an interesting book that I can’t say much more about without giving the plot away. It was suspenseful and nerve wracking at times and really held my interest. The two main characters, Nina and Maria, were both well written. Although very different, both were smart determined women you really cheer on. I recommend this book for a fast paced exciting read. I give the book 4 stars out of 5, for the good characters and interesting plot - even though it’s a bit unbelievable in some spots.