This book was not exactly what I thought. Most will love it, I felt it was a little more horror than I first believed. The pacing was a little slow to build, although the plot itself was interesting and took many turns along the way.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“Look in the Mirror” by Catherine Steadman is a mystery/thriller. This book mainly follows two women - Maria and Nina, who don’t know each other and seemingly are not connected to each other. This book was different from what I was expecting - but I’m not quite sure what I was expecting. The explanations are a bit out there but I did enjoy the locked room concept. I’ve rounded this book up to 4 stars as it did hold my interest - even if I felt let down by the rushed ending.

SYNOPSIS
- Nina’s father recently passed away. She is informed that she has inherited a house in the British Virgin Islands, and she had no idea that her father owned said property. She travels there, and she discovers it is a luxurious, state-of-the-art, smart home on a secluded island.
- Maria is a nanny for wealthy families. For her latest assignment, she is sent to a coastal estate. When she arrives, the family doesn’t show. She continues to stay, and she hopes they show up & that she will be paid. She is told that the only rule is she should not go in the room in the basement.

MY THOUGHTS
- Fast-paced.
- Multiple POVs.
- Hard to say much about the plot because I don’t want to give it away.
- Unique premise.
- Enjoyed Maria’s character the most. She was fun to root for! She was scrappy and smart.
- Overall, enjoyable read. Some aspects were very far-fetched & ending was rushed. Also, it takes bit to piece together what is going on.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️fast-paced thriller with multiple POVs. pretty far-fetched & ending a bit rushed.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchanges for an honest review. This book will be published on July 30, 2024.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR
Catherine Steadman

I'm not sure why this is called LOOK IN THE MIRROR. Perhaps it hasn't dawned on me yet.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR by Catherine Steadman stars Maria. Maria is a nanny who usually works for very wealthy clients. She often gets to travel to exotic locations and mind the children of some of the richest families.

She receives a curious job offer to sit in a house with no children and just a mysterious handler to get her information. She doesn't know a lot but she does know she is not allowed in the room at the end of the hall. Which makes it the only room she wants to go into.

Nina’s father just died and in his will he leaves her a vacation home that she has never known him to own during her life. When she arrives she finds that her father must've been a lot wealthier than she knew.

The house is luxurious and extravagant and much beyond anything she could've imagined him owning in his lifetime.

How these two women are connected and the story of the mystery surrounding the house is the plot of Catherine Staedman's latest thriller, LOOK IN THE MIRROR.

This is not my first reading experience with Catherine Staedman. I've read a few of her thrillers and I have really enjoyed her more recent ones lately.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR is quick and fast-paced. There are twists around every corner. Just when I thought I had some part of the maze figured out, a hole would appear and I'd be dropped into a new maze with a completely different set of restrictions and barriers.

It was a lot of fun trying to figure it all out!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the advanced copy and the opportunity to provide feedback!

LOOK IN THE MIRROR…⭐⭐⭐

✨book review✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thanks NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Catherine Steadman for the AEC of Look In the Mirror!

Nina inherits her late father’s house, one she didn’t know existed and which was built for games—deadly ones. Only she isn’t the first to enter, and likely wouldn’t be the last. But why was it built for this and did Nina really know her father as well as she thought, leaving her with questions as to whether or not he was capable of building such a monster or who can survive it?

As my first of Steadman’s books, I was eager to dive into this read! It wasn’t quite as fast paced as I would have liked and it didn’t hook me the way most thrillers do.

The plot is twisty with multiple perspectives and timelines, leaving the reader looking for connections and answers. The characters and their stories are developed and interesting, but somewhat confusing in moments. While this is overall well crafted and constructed in a disturbing way, it felt like it was trying too hard to be chillingly disturbing and creepy. The mood didn’t achieve that for me fully, but instead felt a bit forced. I enjoyed the read overall and would recommend it to anyone who would love a slow burning thriller meets Hunger Games!

When Nina’s dad passes away, she discovers that he’s left her a house she didn’t know he had - on an island she doesn’t think he’s ever even been to. When she arrives, there’s a mysterious locked door that no one has been able to access. Meanwhile, Maria finds herself alone in a luxurious vacation home when the family she’s been hired to nanny for never shows up. She’s told that she can enjoy the property at her leisure, as long as she stays away from the locked door in the basement…

It’s hard to say much about this book without giving something away. If you like the kind of stories that present a challenge, with riddles and puzzles and locked doors with secrets behind them, you might like this. I personally found it more stressful than enjoyable, but the story itself was well constructed and unfolded neatly as I tore through the pages to find out what happened next.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Catherine Steadman for an ARC of Look in the Mirror! This was a wild ride - it was a little show at first, but oh did it pick up. Even with the slow burn, it was well worth the journey. My first book of Catherine’s was The Disappearing Act and I remember how much I loved it so once I saw this was coming I had to grab it! I loved the character arcs in this book and the multiple POV’s. There are some parts of the book I had to re-read over and over again to understand - it may be due to it being an ARC or just my brain, but this is well worth the read!

Nina’s father has passed away and she finds out she has just inherited a house in the British Virgin Islands that she has no knowledge of her father ever owning or visiting. It is an absolutely beautiful home - glass, marble, exquisite lines. Not the biggest property, but surely the finest. Nina believed she and her father had the greatest connection and she goes to the house in hopes to learning why he kept this from her and what he is hiding. Maria, who is a nanny for rich clients and a med school drop out, decides to do one more gig so she can get her life in order and maybe to back to med school. The money is great and the homes are spectacular. She goes to her final gig and she keeps waiting for the father and sons to show up, but they seem to be held up somewhere. She decides to take this time to relax and enjoy the amenities. She has only been told one rule: do not go into the basement. She needs this last job so she can resume her life, but curiosity is sometimes stronger than will.

Look in the Mirror opens with a woman who has just lost her dad. I instantly connected with her, because I recently have, too. She then finds out she’s inherited an expensive house in the British Virgin Islands. If I was a little jealous at the nice surprise of that at first, the rest of the novel got rid of that!

I found the initial premise – what can Nina still learn about her dad after his death – fascinating to begin with, but the book had a bunch of twists up its sleeve, so I got to read several other plots, too. It was the best kind of suspense, where I have no sense of where the story will go next.

I imagine at the end of the year I won't be able to remember the plot of this book. But it's exactly what I want to happen when I open a thriller - to be glued to the pages, stay up late to finish, and say 'what was THAT?!'

This was not what I was expecting at all - it was more survive-the-house horror than the thriller I thought it was. I felt the explanations were a bit far fetched but I still had a good time reading! Though I do wish the blurb described what kind of story it actually was so my expectations could have been adjusted.

Steadman is at it again with another WILD whirlwind thriller.

The book opens with Nina, who has inherited a secret mansion in the British Virgin Islands after her father's passing. Upon her arrival at the house, Nina finds a locked room in the basement, and threatening notes telling her to stay away from it.

Look in the Mirror has many twists and turns, and several "WHAT!?!" moments in true Steadman fashion. The chapters are quick-paced, (always a plus) and the characters are engaging, though perhaps their motives are not always fleshed out in a satisfactory way. The ending also feels a bit rushed.

All-in-all, I would rate it a 3.5 if Goodreads would let me, and I'll continue to read everything Catherine Steadman puts out, as she never fails to deliver a plot crazier than her last.

I’m sorry WHAT. This book was literally nothing like I thought it would be, in the very best way. Thank you so much to Catherine Steadman and Random House for my copy of this book. It was about Nina, a woman who has just lost her father. Still grieving, she finds out that she has inherited a house in the British Virgin Islands that she had no idea existed. Nina has so many questions about how her father had money for this property and what the purpose of it really was.

Then there's Maria, a nanny to the super rich. She takes a job that will have a huge payout, but the family never shows. Maria starts to enjoy herself, waiting for the family and enjoying their beautiful house. There is just one rule- don’t go into the basement. But why? And how long can she really stay away?

Thoughts: This book is nothing like I could have ever imagined. The story was so fast paced and I couldn’t put it down. Nina was a strong character, and I really liked Maria as well. The premise was a true mystery, and I had no idea where the story was going. I can’t honestly say much without spoiling it, but this book was WILD. It almost had an element of horror to it, besides being a unique thriller.

If you enjoyed her book The Family Game, you will love this book as well. The ending was a bit far fetched, and there were some things just happened to work out, but it was such a fun read. If you liked the movie The Game, this book is perfect for you. 4.5 stars!

Nina is still grieving the loss of her dad when she learns that he left her a house n the British Virgin Islands. She had no idea it existed and rushes to see what it looks like. When she arrives she is amazed, the house is stunning, but things aren’t exactly as they seem.


I loved The Family Game last year so I was super excited to read this years release by Catherine Steadman, and oh boy I was not disappointed. I don’t know if all of her books are similar, but I need to find out ASAP. I can’t really go into the similarities, because that would give too much away, but know, if you enjoyed how twisted The Family Game was, this book will not let you down. This thriller was just how I like my thrillers written as well, lighting face paced. Once I started reading I didn’t come up for air until the 50% mark and I had no idea I was that far into the story, it was perfect because I was loving the journey. But then before I knew it the book was over and I was so sad for that, but satisfied because things not only wrapped up nicely but it just gave me a nice feeling knowing I’d finished a great book.

This book made me feel everything I enjoy while reading a book and I highly recommend it. However, if you do have trigger warnings you may want to check them out because this book is a little twisted. You’re also free to DM me and I’ll answer whatever questions I can.

The story is told from multiple points of view. This can be tricky, but I feel the author did a great job with this and the different voices were clear. Sometimes this can be an issue and characters seem to sound the same. Not so in this case.

First there is Nina, a young woman grieving the death of her father. When she is left a property in his will, Nina begins to question how much she knew him. The vacation home is in the British Virgin Islands, a place she is certain that he never ventured. Nina has no idea how her father would have built this state-of-the-art home. She struggles with understanding how he could have ever afforded such a home, or why he kept it a secret. Nina then begins to wonder what else he could have been hiding.

Then there is Maria, who makes her living as a nanny to wealthy families. Her most recent gig is for a family in a tropical paradise. She arrives before the family and is shown around the property to get ready for their arrival and her coming duties. The only rule Maria is giving is that she must never go to the basement. Ominous, right? I'd would be peacing-out right away with a warning like that. But Maria brushes it off and makes herself comfortable until days pass and the family never showing up. You can guess where her boredom and curiosity lead her. An electrical malfunction in the home opens the locked door in said basement and from there, chaos ensues.

Despite parts being far-fetched, I throughly enjoyed this ride. Some things I saw coming from a mile away and some were unique surprises. It ends up being something of a locked-room mystery which I don't think is a spoler, and would be kind of obvious with the LOCKED DOOR IN THE BASEMENT thing, but just want to clarify. I enjoyed trying to figure out the connection between Nina and Maria, whether they were at the property at the same time or not, two different properties that were part of a bigger game, etc. It was a lot of fun to figure everything out.

Both women were brought into this under false pretenses, which should be obvious. Nina is told that the house is called Anderssen's Opening, which starts to convince her this is all real, as that is a chess move her father taught her at a young age. Nina begins ot believe she did not know her father at all, that he must have had some secret life to have been able to afford building the home. Seeing Nina question everything she knew about him, while also seeing what Maria is dealing with, it certainly makes sense to wonder who this man was, after all.

I feel like I have not said much about the story itself, and with a book of this kind I am not sure that there is any other way to do this. The basement and its locked door is key. What happens beyond that door is where the locked room feel comes into play. I have heard and seen others compare the book to Squid Games, which I can not confirm or deny because I have never seen it.

As a result of some of events being far-fetched as I mentioned above, I could not give this one five stars. It was hard to know who to trust, but it was fun to figure it out. Some events never really had plausible explanations, which was frustrating. I feel like some backstory is missing to fully explain why everything happened the way it did, or why it happened at all. Even so, this is a quick read and not a bad way to spend a summer afternoon.

I am a big Catherine Steadman fan, so I was really excited for the opportunity to read this book! It kept me on my toes and had me guessing. I really enjoyed the story!

I was totally hooked on this book! The chapter endings were spot-on, always leaving me eager for more. Just when I thought I had the story figured out, bam!—the twists kept me guessing right to the end. Catherine Steadman is definitely one of my top picks now! I'd absolutely recommend this book, as well as anything else she writes. Big thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the copy!

Catherine Steadman is my favorite author of the thriller genre and this book shows why. It’s everything a thriller needs to be. Unique storyline, keeps you on the edge of your seat without being gruesome or scary and throws in surprises. I loved it!!!

Surprised to learn she’s inherited a property in the British Virgin Islands that she never knew existed, Nina comes to question everything she thought she knew about her father. Desperate for answers, she heads to the BVI, but what she finds is shocking. A potentially deadly secret is hiding in this tropical paradise.

Maria is a nanny who’s on assignment to care for a family at this beautiful state-of-the-art house in the BVI, but when no one shows up and crazy things begin happening, it’s clear this is a trap - and will she be able to escape with her life?

Told in 3 person POV, this locked room mystery is as riveting as it is action packed. Edge of your seat thrills are guaranteed as the story unravels and the connection between these two women is revealed.

This is definitely one of those stories that requires a suspension of belief. It can get convoluted at times and is very detailed (which only makes me more scared of the author - lol!) You’ll never guess who’s pulling the strings on this extensive game of survival, but one thing is for sure… money talks.

While not my favorite book from this author, it definitely was a unique plot and takes the reader on an unforgettable and thrilling journey. If you’re a fan of Squid Games or Saw movies, you’ll definitely enjoy this twisty ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Told in alternation POV's, Nina, Maria and the electrician Joon-gi. It started a little slow for me but quickly revved up. A bit atmospheric and dare I say a bit creepy at times! Kept me glued with the delicious twists. Not my favorite ending, but I didn't hate it either. I love her books!

After Nina’s father’s death she inherits a house in the BVI. The house is so unlike her father. Why did he keep it a secret? How could he afford it? Nina goes to the island to find those answers. Maria has been hired by the owners of the house as a nanny but no one ever shows up. Thus the story is told both by Nina and Maria as they try to figure the locked room that no one is allowed in. It is a suspenseful thriller that is at times creepy. If you like suspense, thrillers and creepy events, this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of Look In the Mirror by Catherine Steadman.

Another suspense filled book from Steadman, but this latest one definitely had more of a horror vibe to it. Steadman is good at getting inside the head of her characters, and readers. A perfect thriller beach read sure to please her fans.