This fast paced thriller made for a quick and enjoyable read. Highly enjoyable even if the ending was a bit over the top.

What a crazy ride. I can’t stop thinking about this one. I am not sure if I liked it but I respect it. It kept me on edge though and I had to keep reading. The crafting was well planned. I would say it is best to go into it without knowing too much about the story. The Family Game was much more twisty.

I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book as it had a consistent WTH is happening, that kept me wanting to read more. I felt that the last part was rushed and needed more twists maybe? It was entertaining and I really didn’t have a clue what would happen or how it would all come together.

It is an extremely fast paced thriller and I will read more by this author.

I loved this one - I loved the twist of the game. I loved how we didn't know what was going on from each perspective we were in. This was great

A classic thriller bolstered by settings to which I have a personal connection, LOOK IN THE MIRROR entertained me and made me roll my eyes in equal measure.

We’ve got two female protagonists: Nina, who while grieving the loss of her father discovers that he (and now she) owns a house in the British Virgin Islands - a location she’d never even known him to visit. Then there is Maria, an ambitious medical student taking a pause from her studies to build up her savings working as a nanny to the super wealthy. When she takes on a temp job and the family never shows, she’s left with too many questions and too much time on her hands to investigate.

I’ve read two of Steadman’s previous thrillers, one I *really* didn’t care for and one, THE FAMILY GAME, that I thoroughly enjoyed for its’ marriage of plot and family dynamics. I was hoping for more of the same in LOOK IN THE MIRROR, but unfortunately the family dynamics very much take a backseat to the plot in this one.

Speaking of, the plot is entertaining — I was always glad to have a moment to read and it is well paced. But, I ended the novel with the same complaint I have about many thrillers: it veers from the realistic to the ridiculous as the story progresses.

The setting was a fun surprise! I don’t usually read the synopsis before reading a novel, especially in thrillers, so was delighted to find this one set on the island where my husband and I honeymooned. I loved the opportunity to flip through my photos from our time there and daydream about drinking a Carib on the white sand beaches (swipe for a few of my favorite snaps 📸). There was also a coincidental and brief mention of my college town where I met my husband 🥰

Overall: I picked this one up during a busy work week to keep me company on commutes. It absolutely filled what I was looking for, but isn’t one that I’ll be thinking about or returning to long term.

If you want a short, sweet, and action packed thriller, it could absolutely be your ticket! Thanks to @ballantinecorp for my e-ARC — this one published on July 30th and you can find it wherever books are sold.

extremely unique thriiller by Steadman that kept me guessing at every moment and elicited so many shocked gasps you have no idea

I've read another book by Catherine Steadman that I really enjoyed so I was excited to pick this one up! If I'm being totally honest, I wavered between 3 stars and 4 stars and I didn't really know where to land. I loved that this took place in an inherited home in the British Virgin Islands. The story bounces between two main voices, with different timelines. This was a fun ride, it kept me engaged, but it wasn't my favorite. I did love the mystery of the house and the basement. Definitely kept me wondering!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

3.5 rounded down to 3.

Look in the Mirror is a psychological thriller with dual POVs. We have Maria and Nina as our lead characters. I can't say too much without giving the entire plot away. Both women find themselves on a Caribbean island, in very different circumstances, but both facing a strange basement situation. The question you'll ask from the beginning is if these two women are connected in some way. It will all be revealed in the end.

I've heard people say they thought this book is unhinged and crazy, but I didn't think that at all. I actually thought it was a bit flat, with a somewhat predictable storyline that's been done before.

This book really intrigued me at first, but it seemed to fizzle out at the end. I wasn’t a fan of the timelines between chapters being so out of order, but I did like that each chapter was from a different character’s point of view. I thought the ending seemed rushed. I would have liked to rate this a 3.5. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC

After Catherine Steadman's last novel, I was so excited to read Look in the Mirror. I am generally drawn into multiple POV and books with questionable/mysterious timelines and connections, so I was a fan of this novel very quickly. It absolutely drew me and had me wondering where it was all leading. Overall, I gave it 4 stars as a really enjoyable read that I would recommend to others. Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy! I will always be excited to read this author's work!

I wanted to love this so much. I loved the setting. The house was so descriptive, I felt like I was in the house with them. Unfortunately I think the storyline jumped the shark and became so unrealistic and over the top that it lost me.

Thank you to Random House for my copy of LOOK IN THE MIRROR. This one is out July 30.

This book is fast paced and full of wild imagery. I really enjoyed it but some of the content wasn't my fave. I still recommend it but maybe read the synopsis first, because I sure didn't.

I couldn't put this one down!! I loved the entire concept and thought it was very easy to follow along. Will be recommending to everyone!

Intense! You're 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. Who should we trust? What an awesome kickoff to the book... Look in the Mirror borders on thriller and horror, and as the story begins to unfold with its clues revealing the truth, the book gets stronger in some areas but a little messy in others. Loved the premise, but figuring out why people are either lying or doing certain things is never quite explained. Murder for murder seems a little much if there's no backstory. Some comes, but ultimately, I felt this missed the mark on what could have been a 5-star read. Still worth reading and I will continue to pick up Steadman books!

This was a ride - one I didn't necessarily enjoy but couldn't figure out and wanted to see through. Premise was a little too out there for me.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I was hooked reading this book but then it fell flat. I have read her books in the past but this one seemed different. A different king of writing. I am hoping that she changes back to her old style. I felt confused at times and had a hard time finishing.

A literal page turner - your head will be snapping back & forth faster than you can turn the pages!

“Look In the Mirror” transports you to the sunny isles of the Caribbean from dreary London as main character Nina works to close out her father’s estate. As she visits a second home she didn’t even know he owned, Nina finds herself on an unknown adventure that appears to have a very sinister ending.

I could honestly not believe how this book unfolded. Each time I thought I had the plot figured out, Catherine Steadman took the story in a completely different direction, which kept me on my toes through the final pages. Be ready to stay up all night - you won’t want to put it down!

"Look in the Mirror" by Catherine Steadman is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into themes of identity, self-perception, and the complexities of relationships. The story follows a protagonist who finds herself entangled in a web of deception and betrayal after a shocking incident forces her to confront her past and the choices she has made.

Okay, wow. This book was deeply frightening and unsettling. I actually had to go check GoodReads to see if it was categorized as horror--it's not, but I think it should be. It was far more unsettling than the thrillers I usually read.

Steadman did an excellent job with the pacing. The way each chapter ended made me not want to stop reading, so I stayed up VERY late to finish the book. I was happy with the conclusion, but I don't like it when I'm rooting hard for a character and their ending isn't what I want. But, such is life as a reader. (For spoilers, I won't say who I'm talking about in this book.)

I thought the main character, Nina, could have developed more when it comes to the relationship with her father. It took her a long time to get to a conclusion based on her knowledge of her father that I felt she should have reached faster. There was one "room" that I felt like could have been developed a little more, but overall, a really interesting story!

I would definitely recommend Look in the Mirror to thriller readers with the warning that it was pretty intense. I would also recommend this title to horror readers that might be looking for something in a different genre but still gives them the anxiety and unease of horror. Look in the Mirror gets a 3.5/5 (rounded to 4) from me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Catherine Steadman's Look in the Mirror is a wild, twisty and dark ride. Professor Nina is grieving the loss of her beloved father, well-known for his brilliant mind and designs, when she finds out she's inherited his beautiful home in the Caribbean. The house is more than a house-it's a state of the art mansion with a private beach and state of the art technology. Nina is stunned and concerned-how did her father afford this home and manage to keep it a secret? She begins to investigate and feels he must be hiding even more. Maria, a nanny to the VIP and 1% has a goal to take on one more contract and she will be set to pay for medical school. Her job-two weeks in the Caribbean with two young children. Maria, entering the house, is given access to everything-except the basement. Days pass and her clients are a no-show. She makes herself at home but her curious nature gets the better of her. Told in alternating timelines and perspectives, Steadman takes readers through a back and forth of two seemingly unrelated characters that comes to a startling realization. Twist after twist abounds and Steadman has crafted a diabolical plot that readers will fly through. The synopsis of the novel does not allude to the major plot points which allows the reader to go in slightly blind and dial up the tension. Another great novel by Steadman!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I wanted to like this one, I truly did.. but I absolutely hated it. The first maybe 20% pulled me in, but then it just kept getting more and more boring and I found that I kept forcing myself to finish in hopes of it getting better. I won't say don't read it because this is something someone else would love, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.