“Whatever you do, do not go in the basement.”

Maria is a nanny hired to mind the children of a wealthy family at a smart house on a tropical island. She is given the instructions that the door with the blue light is off limits, but she should try to enjoy herself until they arrive. When the family doesn’t show, Maria’s curiosity gets the best of her and she opens the basement door.

Nina’s father just passed away and she is still grieving. When she is told by the solicitor that her father left her a house on an island in his will, she is shocked. She did not know of its existence. Curious, she flies to the British Virgin Islands to check it out. While she finds signs that her father did live there, something is not right about this smart house. Why is the door with the blue light locked?

How do these two women’s stories connect? What is in the basement?

Look in the Mirror is a fast-paced thriller filled with an intriguing game of cat and mouse. I read the first 75% in one sitting and couldn’t wait to get to the reveal. Unfortunately, the twists are ill-constructed and underwhelming. If chapter 50 is meant to be a twist, it just simply does not work. This book has so much potential, but it quickly loses steam due to several plot holes. The first 75% is an easy 5 stars, but the ending just receives a generous 2 stars.

The house is a creepy character and I immensely enjoyed this aspect of the book.

3.5/5 stars rounded down

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of Look in the Mirror in exchange for an honest review.

LOVED this book from the beginning. I was hooked and couldnt wait to see how this played out. Go read this book right now!

This story centers on two women with no obvious connection. One of them is Nina, an academic living in England and grieving the loss of her dad. She lives a quiet and secluded existence, made even more so by the loss of her last living relative. As she gets his affairs in order, she discovers a piece of mail from a company handling her father’s estate that informs her that he had a house in the British Virgin Islands. She finds it bizarre that she has never been told about (or visited) this second home, but once the company tells her the estate will cover her travel to come see the property, she figures she might as well go take a look. The house definitely looks like something her civil engineer dad would design, but how could he afford this? And why did he never mention it or share it with her?

Maria is a New Yorker who has put medical school on hold while she works as a short-term nanny for the ultra-rich until she can make enough to comfortably afford her tuition. Her latest contract is for a father and his two young children. When she arrives to the house in the British Virgin Islands, she is given a long list of rules and a contact phone number for the women who let her into the house. When the family still hasn’t shown up after a few days, she starts to let her guard down, after all, she’s getting paid to stay in a luxury home alone.

So how do these two women’s storylines connect? And what’s really going on in the house? At what point does it go from being a vacation to something more sinister?

I really enjoy Catherine Steadman’s books and this might be my new favorite from her. The alternating narrators and suspense made this a page turner. If you enjoy locked room mysteries and fast paced thrillers, you will thoroughly enjoy this one. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Look in the Mirror is only the second book I’ve read by Steadman but I immediately need to go find her backlist. Addicting and engaging, I found this to be a page turner. I was fascinated by Maria and how she moved throughout the book. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil but let’s just say, I wasn’t ready for some of these twists.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4!

I think what Catherine Steadman does really well is having unique books that subvert my thriller expectations. I can appreciate this because as someone who reads 50+ thrillers a year it makes my experience more enjoyable.

It's so hard to write a review for this book because so much is uncovered and discovered that ultimately the best way to go into this book was to be blind. I had no clue what was happening until the very end and Catherine Steadman had me on the edge of my seat as she transitioned between Nina, Maria (and other) POVs. Like other Catherine Steadman books, this was very well written with decently flushed out characters.

Where this didn't work perfectly for me is that it's not 100% my type of thriller. I like to lean more on the solving murder side, which was really not the objective of this book. Also, I did feel like the ending was a little bit rushed and I'm not sure I understood everyone's motivations. Fun epilogue though!

Thank you to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow! What a ride! This book is intense and at times terrifying. This book keeps you constantly guessing and wondering what is real and how things fit together. The first third of the book is a bit of a slow burn but once it gets going I didn't want to put it down! I would love to see this book made into a movie - it would be awesome. This is one of the most edge of my seat books I have read in a long time. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an advance copy of this book for review.

This was a really good thriller. I didn't fully predict most of the twists, which is always a big win for a thriller. I had absolutely no idea what was going on throughout a lot of the book - but in the best, edge-of-your-seat way not in a this-was-too-confusing-to-be-fun way. Wha an excellent, twisty thriller ride.

I've seen some reviews saying it required a lot of suspension of belief, but I disagree based on sufficient news stories of what we know happens. I can't say more without risking spoilers, but your mileage may vary in this vein.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I inhaled Look in the Mirror and it quickly reminded me that Catherine Steadman is amazing. Immediately after finishing, I searched her bibliography in the hopes there was a title I hadn't read yet. This book has it all - family secrets, strong female survivors, riddles that your life could depend on, lifestyles of the very wealthy and a house with an off limits room that's too intriguing to ignore.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Catherine Steadman for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Look in the Mirror.
This is a locked room mystery in a state of the art, modern home in the British Virgin Islands. As readers, we wonder if the main characters are playing a dangerous game or confused by advanced technology or being controlled by outside forces. This is just me but I am not interested in technology use to operate things in my home. I also am not interested in elements of escape room competitions. So it was hard for me to get into the plot of this story..
This is fast paced with some twists and turns but the characters are flat and dull. The ending is quick and confusing. I was disappointed that I couldn't be more involved in the action, I was watching it from a distance. I loved The Family Game by this author but my interest level in this one was lacking. I still want more from this author and hope to see more in the future.

I loved the last book I read by Catherine Steadman. This one really pulled me in. I felt like the story wasn’t anything new but the book really threw me for a twist. I do feel like there were some plot holes and some very irrelevant characters that somehow make a big impact but overall I really liked this book.

A woman is pulled to an unknown house her father owned that she has unknowingly l inherited. As she’s there, it’s nothing as she seems and things slowly start to unravel. Meanwhile, a woman is house sitting where she is told to never go into the basement, but can’t not explore what’s down there.

Nina’s father has recently died and has left her a vacation home in paradise in the British Virgin Islands. This is a home she had no idea even existed nor did she believe her father had the means for a second home. She goes there seeking answers.

Maria is a nanny who works for the rich. She’s saving her money to complete medical school and is so close to her dream. She’s accepted a job watching two young children for their father and has been given only one rule. Do not enter the locked basement door.

I found this to be an interesting premise with a lot of promise. Though it started slow, it picked up and held my attention. There were some very exciting parts and I really enjoyed the explanation at the very end but the main drama stopped abruptly and it felt like some things could have had better or more in-depth clarifications.

I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Intense! Your father dies of natural cause and leaves you his estate. You're wealthy, but there's a mystery house in the Caribbean. You visit it only to find it has a locked door and some malfunctioning, high-end technology. At the same time, chapters alternate, and readers learn about another woman who's visited what appears to be the same house at either a different time period, or a similar house at the same time period. Both women are trapped by the house, and different people try to save them. Look in the Mirror borders on thriller and horror, and as the story begins to unfold with its clues revealing the truth, the book becomes truly unputdownable. "Look In the Mirror" is a daring story of secrets, lies, and the blurred lines between reality and illusion. So, if you're looking for a read that'll keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you questioning everything you thought you knew, do yourself a favor and dive into this book. You won't regret it.
Highly recommend!

"Look In The Mirror" by Catherine Steadman is a gripping thriller with a touch of horror. The story alternates between the perspectives of Nina and Maria, who both find themselves in a mysterious house on a beautiful island. Nina inherits the house from her late father, while Maria, a nanny, awaits the arrival of her wards. The fast-paced narrative and suspenseful plot kept me hooked, with several heart-pounding moments. While the beginning and middle were strong, the ending felt rushed and slightly underwhelming. Despite this, it remains a compelling read that I recommend to thriller fans. I give it 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great read this was! I spent the whole book wondering what was going on!? It hooked the reader immediately and had a fast pace to it. The chapters alternated POVs but did not let the reader know the timeline or how or when they would intersect. The setting on a beautiful island with a mysterious house was excellent and ramped up curiosity and tension. There were several parts of the book that had my heart pounding and I was terrified. I had several ideas of what I thought could be going on, but none of them proved correct. I ended up surprised in the best way. The ending was a little rushed, but it was a satisfying ending that fit the book. I have read several books by this author and this one is my favorite!

Look In The Mirror was a fast paced thriller with a bit of a horror vibe. This book took an unexpected turn which kept me turning the pages. With this one I loved the beginning and middle, anticipating it would be a 5 star rare, but the end wasn’t my favorite so it only gets 4 from me. I would still recommend this book to thriller fans and definitely Steadman fans should give it a read!

Nina Hepworth inherits the house from hell from her father.
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 that will be released July 30, 2024!

It took me a HOT minute to get into this one. But once I did I loved it. I didn’t expect the book to take the direction it did. The books follows 5 different characters and their connection to a high tech house in the BVI. I felt Nina character was all over the place and had some major daddy issues. The suspense was held once you got past the first 30% of the book. The first part doesn’t have a lot of dialogue so it’s just a lot of backstory and descriptive writing about the area. Which was good, just very boring. I loved The Family Game and I give this one 3.5 stars rounded up. I look forward to Catherine Steadman’s future books as she is an auto read author for me. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick read that kept my interest, though it became a bit predictable in the second half. The basic premise drew me in immediately and the first half had me thinking this was going to be one of the best thrillers I've read this year . Then it took a turn into a predictable tale told before in movies and books. I was a bit disappointed as the story revealed what was really going on. 3.5 stars rounded down.

Can a house be sinister or evil?
Nina has recently inherited a luxurious beach home in the British Virgin Islands from her father.
A house that she had no idea he owned.
Maria is an enterprising contract nanny for rich families. She is currently inhabiting the beach house awaiting the arrival of a family and children. There is only one rule for Maria. She is not to open the basement door.
Although decent, the book lagged and became unbelievable in places with a rushed ending. But overall if you are curious to know what these two women have in common, you must read this complex locked room thriller. Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books.

Wow. Thriller from start to finish!! Such a quick read because I just HAD to know what happened!! The nitty gritty and development of the book was just meh but didn’t take away from the thrill!