Look in the Mirror
by CAtherine Steadman
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
When Nina’s father dies, she is left something in his will: a gleaming dream vacation home in a balmy tropical paradise.

Still grieving her father's death, Nina learns 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?
So this book was not what I was expecting… this was definitely different. I will say that this was a decent read, but not my favorite by Steadman.
This story is told in alternating POV’s between Nina, Maria, and Joon-gi (the electrician on the scene). I will say that I did enjoy Maria’s chapters the best. The rest of the story was a little too outlandish for me. I do enjoy thrillers and suspense, but this book had more of an escape room/survivor vibe. So if you like games with lots of rules, then you will enjoy this book.

I would also like to point out that this was a fairly short read with quick chapters. However, the ending was very abrupt and rushed. There were also some twists at the very end that were thrown in to try and redeem this story, but they didn’t quite work.

I've loved several other Catherine Steadman books and was excited to see this one available on NetGalley. However, I found it disappointing. The writing was engaging, and the author kept up the suspense., but parts were hard to follow, and in the end, I didn't understand the motive for the forever anonymous, evil antagonist.
The story is told mainly from the POV of two different women with little in common who each end up trapped in the basement of a secluded luxury mansion on Virgin Gorda. The house is rigged as a type of deadly escape room where participants must rely on survival skills to advance to the next section without dying.
We first meet Nina, a young professor whose father has recently passed away. She's his sole heir. She receives a letter stating she has inherited a property in the British Virgin Islands, about which she knew nothing. She elects to go visit the place before putting it on the market; perhaps it will help her see another side of her father that he has hidden from her.
Then we alternate to Maria's POV. She's an American medical student who earns extra money to help with tuition by taking on nanny jobs with wealthy clients, often allowing travel to exotic locations. Her new assignment is on Virgin Gorda, and we soon realize it's the same house that Nina just inherited.
I was a little confused with the timeline, as the chapters do not have time stamps. I assumed the story was being told more or less chronologically. So I was waiting for Nina to find Maria and perhaps rescue her. But much later, I learned that Maria's experience took place months before Nina arrived on the island, even before Nina's father died.
A few chapters are told from the POV of Yang Joon-gi, the electrician who works on the house. He has similar encounters with each woman, which further confused me about the timeline.
Some attempt is made to wrap things up at the end, but I didn't find it very satisfying.

Catherine Steadman pleasantly surprised me with Look in the Mirror. I truly thought I had her writing style pegged, but wow, did she knock this book out of the park. I have been a fan of hers since the beginning, and every thriller gets stronger. But there was something especially badass about this one. The female main characters were seriously fierce. They were driven. They were strong. They were intelligent. It seems redundant to say, but they were badass. That’s the best way to sum them up. The women in this story needed no heroes, because they figure fit out themselves. The men were supporting characters and WOW I loved it. What a fun book. What a fun ending. I really loved this one.

This one was WILD!!!!! I did not expect what was coming in this book at all…def got vibes of a semi-current headline! (Don’t want to give any spoilers but is rhymes with Bernstein)…

This follows dual POVs from visitors at the same house. One a nanny & one whom inherited the house. &&& OH WHAT A STORY they both had to tell. This was suspenseful & pretty tricky! I got the final twist before it was revealed but this was still a wild read that I enjoyed.

Lovers of suspense & cat & mouse will love this one! This was a fun, quick read! Enjoy my friends!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

This was a mixed bag for me. The novel utilizes a couple viewpoints--most notably, a young woman who arrives at a state-of-the art home to accept a post nannying (for the uber-rich) and another young woman, a professor in London, whose father has just died. The set up started out quite strong for me; however, once I saw where things were headed, my enthusiasm tempered a bit.

The events of the story are possible but immediately plausible. I think had I known more of the genre going into this I might have liked it a bit more. This is a high concept thriller, one that plays around with the world of the uber rich and what they might do with their voluminous wealth. However, it is a page turner and could be a fun summer read. I'm glad I had the chance to give this a read and will read Steadman again.

This was really intense! The setting of a beautiful location on a remote island, in addition to a house of horrors, made for an interesting read. It was difficult to know who to trust and, the intertwining of Maria and Nina’s stories made it that much more perplexing.

This is the third book I’ve read by this author and my favorite so far. Thank you to #NetGalley for an eARC of #LookintheMirror by #CatherineSteadman in exchange for honest feedback. -4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It got me out of my reading slump. This book was fast paced and I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I really enjoyed the characters and this made me want to keep reading. I would highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

At this point it's hard to write a mystery/thriller that feels fresh and unique, and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. That's what Look in the Mirror is and does. I had no idea where the plot was going to take me--with so many twists and turns and reveals. Even the epilogue threw one last surprise in.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This was a fast pace book, that keeps you very entertained. Make sure you check it out on its released date July 30, 2024.

This book was really quirky and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. That probably makes it a winner when you keep thinking about it later.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Ballantine Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

MY SYNOPSIS: After her father’s death, Nina unexpectedly inherits a picturesque vacation home in the British Virgin Isles. Nina is shocked and intrigued by the homes existence; desperate for one last connection to her father, she travels to the BVI to discover why he kept such a large secret from her. Nina soon finds herself questioning everything and in imminent danger.

Maria, a med school student turned nanny to the insanely rich, accepts a job caring for two children in the gorgeous cliffside estate. But soon finds herself alone in the house awaiting their arrival, doing everything by the handbook.

Both Nina and Maria are intrigued by the locked room at the bottom of the stairs, which may hold the key to the houses purpose and unanswered secrets.

MY REVIEW: This sort of reminded me of Steadman’s The Family Game in the sense of rich people playing twisted games for their own enjoyment with no regards for the “participants.” I found myself thinking about this book when I wasn’t reading it; immerses you in the BV island culture and all of its beauty.

The first 60% I was absolutely invested, then it fell off a bit for me because the plot felt very far-fetched and improbable, and dragged on a bit. But the mystery of the house itself kept me invested until the end. But everything does start to come together, and the final few chapters and epilogue left my jaw on the floor and mind blown.

This book is a suspenseful, locked room, psychological thriller that will make you question what you’re reading, while simultaneously leaving you horrified and cheering on the main characters. If you can imagine the most horrifying escape room experience and multiply that by 1000 you may have scratched the surface of what is in store. There is a series of smart puzzles to solve and nearly every chapter ends in a cliff-hanger. While this book was not my favorite, it was extremely original (to be honest I’d love a map of the layout of this place)!

If you like cat and mouse games, anonymous ominous notes, and creepy thrills, please do yourself a favor and read Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman.

3.8 (rounded up)/5!!!!!

As part of my new foray into NetGalley reviewer, I was lucky to score an advance copy of Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman, coming out July 30, 2024. Steadman is a very well-known British actress, screenwriter, and author. You may have seen her as Lady Mary's rival for Lord Gillingham in Season (series) 5 of Downton Abbey. I'm more impressed by her previous four novels, including the bestseller, The Family Game.

Steadman's latest book introduces us to Nina, who has recently lost the father that raised her own his own. She is shocked to discover he owned a house in the British Virgin Islands and she has inherited it. Desperate for one more connection with her father and to learn why he kept the home a secret, she sets off to explore the strange, remote property only to find herself in imminent danger.

Truly, this is the best book I've read in a long time. It strides the line of being a gripping thriller without becoming overly dark, and keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire way. I read it in a day (and I wasn't even stuck on a plane!) Fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, or Riley Sager will definitely want to pick this one up.

Respectfully wtf did I just read

I went from horrified to aggressively cheering to horrified to more horrified while also cheering (for Nina in case that is unclear) so many times. There were continuous twists and turns. I was filled with rage and also fear.

The ending is both vaguely encouraging and then immediately terrifyingly ominous so I feel like I need to take a nap or possibly a Xanax.

Rarely do thrillers surprise me anymore but this one did several times. I wanted it to end differently but also this is scarier 😂

Unputdownable. Catherine Steadman has done it once again. Making me stay up late and getting through this book in two, maybe three sittings. I always look forward to her books every year. I know it's going to make my anxiety spike and make me basically go through the five stages of grief by the end.

I've been a Catherine Steadman fan since The Disappearing Act. I was beyond excited to get the ARC of this.

I was hooked for the first 70-75% but lost a little steam towards the end (but only because I was rooting for a certain character very hard and was having a "good for her moment") and as per usual, the epilogue had me gutted. I loved it.

I will refrain from posting spoilers or quotes because it's not out yet but wowie, I cannot wait for the audiobook or to be able to talk to my book friends about this!!!

Thank you to Netgalley, Catherine Steadman, and the publishers for the ARC of this. Now, I'll be refreshing Goodreads for months to see if she posts about a new book, lol.

First 50% of this book I was hooked! I’m a huge fan of The Family Game. But some how the book sort of dragged on for me.

I really liked the plot in this book. I read a lot of thrillers and often times the story is overdone and predictable. I have NOT read a story like this- escape room meets evil villain! I think the author did a nice job of developing enough characters and povs to keep the reader guessing about who exactly was the mastermind. Additionally, while the end didn’t shock me (I won’t say why for the sake of spoilers), I thought it was a strong way to end the book. It tied up “just enough” loose ends while simultaneously leaving the reader satisfyingly unsettled.

Thank you for this advance copy. I really enjoyed this book. It kept me up all night reading, I just could not stop!

Catherine Steadman is one of those authors that I automatically buy. Whatever she writes, I want to read. This one didn’t disappoint. Her books are always so smart, puzzles to be solved. I read start to finish in two sittings. Short chapters, fast-paced, action-packed!

WOW. This book is a prime example of why Catherine Steadman is one of my favorite authors. Look in the Mirror is a great psychological thriller that makes you question everything. The beginning was a little slow for me, but after 45% I could not put the book down and finished it in one sitting. I do wish the ending was a bit more detailed and not so rushed. But the twists and turns until the very end make this such a great story!
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for the ARC!

I absolutely loved the first half of this one. It was creepy, atmospheric, and suspenseful. It went in a direction I wasn’t expecting and didn’t completely love, but kept me entertained, nonetheless. The surprise at the ending was a nice addition. 3.5 stars rounded up.