Well--it started out really cool. A luxurious house with a forbidden room -- but then it got a bit too far-fetched--though it was entertaining enough.

This, although straightforwardly written, was one of the most convoluted plots I’ve read in recent years. Maria, a nanny looking for wealthy clients, and Nina, a woman who had just lost her father and inherited a house in the Caribbean, are the protagonists. The house is the star. Each woman comes to the house at a different time and each is left there alone. Both “investigate” the house and find an electronically locked door in the basement and are warned never to enter it. Every thriller reader knows what this leads to, but the do they? Thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for an ARC for an honest review.

Was a little confused at times but otherwise loved this book! Will definitely be recommending to fans of mysteries and thrillers

This book took me a little bit to get into. I'm not sure if I would've had a different experience if I read a physical copy instead of a digital, but I did struggle to get into at first. I was mostly confused about who the different people were. It definitely was a good thriller in the sense that it kept me on the edge of my seat, but in the end I just wasn't wowed by it. I think there are other thrillers that are a bit better done, but this one was interesting. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC!

Nina's father passed away and left her a mysterious house she never heard of in the British Virgin Islands. However, having a house she didn't know about isn't the only mystery, but also what is in the basement and who is leaving threatening notes for her.

Look in the Mirror approaches the story from different points of view, Nina and Maria (mostly), who are staying in this house alone at different times. I'm not sure what it was, but it took some time to really catch my attention. When if finally did, I way dying to understand what was going on. There were some twists, but it wasn't my favorite.

Nina’s dad just died and she’s got no one else in her life now. The two of them were both guilty of being academic loners, finding more comfort in their books than in others. So how did Nina never know about her dad’s house in the British Virgin Islands? When it’s left to her after his death, Nina realizes there’s more to her dad and this house he left her and she’s going to find out all about it.

Read if you love games, escape rooms, and screaming “omg no don’t go in there dummy!!! This was definitely a fun vacation thriller that would be perfect for a medium flight!

When Nina inherits a house from her dad, she decides to visit since she had never heard of it. Meanwhile there's another story of Maria, who was hired as a nanny for a family that never arrives. Overall, a thriller with each woman trying to figure out what is happening and how they can survive, as they discover more secrets about the house. This one wasn't as gripping as her previous books and the twist was unpleasant. Fans of Ruth Ware might like this one.

This one is different for Steadman. I’m left with a lot of locked room vibes…. Sort of. Multiple points of view, but also a very disjointed and often times feels rushed. Decent read but also a few plot holes that could have been filled to be a better read. Thanks to NetGalley for the read.

loved the secret island setting / premise at the beginning but then it took a turn that I didn’t love (kinda just gave me the ick) but overall was a quick, bingeable read — nothing to rave about in my opinion

This was a fast-paced thriller, but ultimately felt too similar to Steadman's other book The Family Game. While I really enjoyed The Family Game, Look in the Mirror didn't hit the same way.

Okay, okay. This book is WILD. I mean seriously this book will take you down one trippy read of your life! The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking what is going on?

Nina just lost her father and is in deep grief over his passing. To her compelte surprise, Nina's dad, has left her a luxurious vacation home in thr British Virginia Islands. But Nina can't quite understand how her father could afford such a luxury vacation home. Things start to get weird when mysterious notes keep popping up. As well as Nina discovering some pretty creepy things in the house.

Then we have Maria who is at a home to nanny for a family. But the family doesn't show up. She is told to make herself at home and enjoy all the amenities. But there is only one rule, do not go into the basement. Will Maria be able to resist temptation?


This was not what I expected at all! This was a pretty interesting premise. I normally would break down what I loved. But I don't want to spoil anything! 4 stars out of 5. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I read this quickly. It was a thrill ride and made me realize I do not want a house this. I did sometimes wonder why Nina made some of the decisions she did.

This book is a wild ride, and one that made me hold my breath multiple times as I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what would happen next. This story is told from multiple perspectives, and from different timelines, which made it a little confusing at times, but I think in a good way, because it made me question again and again what could possibly be going on. The ending was really interesting and unpredictable. This is a fun thriller/mystery that I think everyone who is a fan of this genre will enjoy. Solid 4 stars!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. the entire time i thought i had read this already but figured it out when i was almost finished-it's very similar to steadman's previous book the family game but set at a beach house. it was a quick read for me, it was engaging enough.

This was okay but I feel like I would enjoy it more as an audiobook. I just kept getting distracted. That is on me. I love a good weird book. Thank you for this!

I am a huge fan of The Family Game by Catherine Steadman so I was jumping at the chance to read her newest book Look in the Mirror. This one follows Nina who has recently inherited a house that she had no idea existed and a nanny who breaks all of the rules unaware of the cost. If you've liked her previous works you're sure to enjoy Look in the Mirror.

This is not my favorite by Catherine Steadman. This one kind of dragged a little to me. I look forward to see what she writes next!

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Look in the Mirror is a strange book. We follow two women who are somehow connected. We have Nina who recently lost her father and she inherited a house that she had no idea about. She travels to this house a finds some weird stuff. Maria is a different woman who was hired to be a nanny at a mansion. While there, she is told she can do whatever she wants but she can't go into the locked room in the basement(surprise, guess what she does). When the clients never show up, she starts to wonder what is going on with the house and things quickly go downhill. We have some other characters sprinkled in as well.

I gave this book two stars instead of one because it did intrigue me and I wanted to find out what was happening. The writing was pretty good and I would probably check more out by this author in the future.

This book was just so far fetched for me. It just kept getting worse and worse for me as I went on reading and a lot of it just didn't make sense. The characters were also just dumb to me. A lot of their choice had me shaking my head. I also didn't like the conclusion or the reasoning behind the whole mystery.

While I appreciate the author trying to be unique, it was just too far fetched.

Nina is grapping with the fact that her dad has passed away, leaving her everything. She's on sabbatical from teaching so she can take the time to piece her life back together having lost the only family member she's ever known. Or at least she thought she knew him? Shortly after a firm reaches out to tell her her dad had a secret house in the Caribbean and she's now the sole owner, but she never knew of this secret house. As she goes to the house, it's not all as it seems and there's a secret room downstairs. Once inside the secret room, there's no telling how, or if, you're going to get out.

While I loved the concept of this book, I think a lot could have been fleshed out more. While it wasn't all explicitly said, and a lot of was "read between the lines", I think we could have done with more details. If you liked Squid Games, you'll like this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Nina has recently lost her father and is the sole beneficiary of his modest home. But then she is contacted by a solicitor that her father has another luxury home on a remote island in BVI. When Nina goes to check out the property, she is startled by how large it is. She immediately asks for blueprints and is ready to tour the house. But something is very strange about this place. It is stocked with all her dad and her favorite foods. But as she explores the home, she realizes that this is a very unusual house, left with clues by her father and possibly even dangerous.

The premise to this thriller is certainly unique. I can’t say more without giving spoilers. I didn’t quite understand the necessity of one of the parallel storylines, though. All in all, it was a quick page turning read.

Thank you to @netgalley @ballantinecorp for a #gifted advanced digital copy of this novel.