4.5 stars out of 5!

I really enjoyed reading this sinister book! It left me on the edge of my seat and I could not devour this quick enough. I have not read anything like this and thought the book had a great plot with well developed characters. It's perfect for fans of twisted, psychological thrillers. I was not expecting a lot of the twist and turns of the book and that end, wow! The story is told in multiple point of views so you really get a good idea on whats going on in the characters mind. Overall, I would highly recommend this book!

I don't want to give much away but, in Look in the Mirror, we meet Nina. Her father has just passed away but she ends up getting a call saying he left her a house in the BVI. She never knew her father owned the house which left her wondering about who her father really was. She ends up going to the BVI to check the house out and finds something shocking.

In another timeline we meet Maria who is a med school drop out, but currently a nanny for the rich. She gets an assignment in the BVI for a family with children that needs her for 10 days. She gets to the house and gets the tour from a lady that helps the family and then patiently waits for their arrival. A few days pass and still no one shows up but the lady insists she should stay and wait.

Both Maria and Nina figure out there is something sinister going on at the house. Read on to find out!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Look In The Mirror is about two women with seemingly unrelated stories. Nina, a British woman, has just learned that her father, who recently died, left her an island property in the British Virgin Islands. Maria, who works as a nanny for the rich and privileged, has just landed a nanny job at a beautiful island property with a pool and a sauna. The property Nina inherited is a smart house of sorts, with voice activated controls and a locked door in the basement that begs to be opened. Meanwhile, Maria soon learns that her family that is supposed to come will not be coming, and begins to enjoy her stay, until she finds the locked room in the basement. Catherine Steadman does a masterful job of weaving the two stories together, making the reader fit the story together like a jigsaw puzzle. I love her books because she creates such a unique and tense atmosphere every time. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I have read and loved all of Caroline Steadman’s previous novels, so I was very excited to obtain an ARC of her latest thriller, “Look in the Mirror.” It does not disappoint. In this novel, the main protagonist, Nina Hepworth, a 34 year old “literary academic” in Cambridge, England, is clearing out her father’s house in West London following his funeral. While at his house, she discovers a letter in his mail from a solicitor in the British West Indies which informs her that she inherited a house from her father on one of the islands there. She is surprised, because she and her father were very close and he never mentioned owning a second home, nor had she ever known him to leave England, much less live in the British West Indies. Moreover, although he was fairly well off financially, he was not extremely wealthy.

Her curiosity piqued, Nina allows the solicitors to arrange her travel to the islands to see the house for herself, hoping that it will answer some of her questions about her father. After arriving on Tortola, the solicitor arranges a helicopter ride to the remote island of Gorda, where she is astonished to see a modern glass house perched high atop a ridge overlooking the bay. The house has only one floor above ground, with two more below the surface. A locked door at the end of the lowest floor hints at further rooms hidden within. Alone in the house, Nina finds a note warning her to leave at once. Perturbed, she walks 35 minutes to the nearest house, begging her neighbor to let her in so she can find out more information about the house. Oksana, a Russian emigre, tells her that she never met Nina’s father, but she did see a lot of excavation when the house was being built and also saw one woman who seemed to live there for a time. Oksana gives her the name of the company that performed the excavation, and Nina takes a taxi to the harbor where the company is located in hopes of finding house plans that would provide information about the hidden rooms. However, the only available architectural drawing showed two rooms with an indication that there might have been more.

In an alternating narrative, Maria, a former medical student who has taken a break to earn money as a high priced nanny, has been hired to take care of two children of a single man, who will arrive on the island after she has had a chance to get set up there. However, several days pass without any sign of them. Finally, she relaxes and enjoys the amenities of the property, including indoor and outdoor pools, and a well equipped kitchen. The only provisos of her stay are that she can’t leave the property and she is not allowed into the locked room at the end of the hallway. This warning, along with the sudden unlocking of the door following a partial power outage, causes her to obsess over the mysterious closed door.

Both Nina and Maria in their separate narratives realize that something sinister is going on in the house, particularly in the hidden rooms. What each of them discover there will change their lives forever.

“Look in the Mirror” adds a unique twist to the “small, isolated island” themed thriller, and will draw the reader in as the plot becomes increasingly tension filled. I finished this book in one day because I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend this book to all thriller fans, particularly those who like exotic locales.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The beginning almost lulls you in and then this fast-paced book really takes off. Fans looking for a suspenseful and twisty psychological thriller are going to eat this one up. Catherine Steadman's books are hit or miss for me, but this one is a winner. The mysterious house and escape room narrative completely sucked me in. The two female leads are relatable and interesting and they pull the reader in. The author does a wonderful job of keeping the tension high. While the ending felt a bit abrupt for my tastes, it does wrap up the story in a satisfying way. This is a rollercoaster of a novel--super fast-paced, super twisty, super fun.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are 100% my own.

An escape room like no other, that you may not leave alive - do you have what it takes?

Nina's beloved father passes away and leaves her an island mansion she never knew he had. Her father was a lover of puzzles and the two of them shared this passion - but would the biggest puzzle he left for her be something she must solve after his death? And will it be the puzzle with the highest stakes yet?

Wow! I read a lot of thrillers, and this one was so unique - it kept me guessing and thinking about it in between reading! This is my second book by Catherine Steadman, and it does not disappoint! If you love thrillers, twists, and page-turners, this book is for you!

Catherine Steadman can do no wrong! The Family Game is one of my all time favorite thrillers and Steadman’s next novel, Look in the Mirror, is equally as exhilarating.

Unlike The Family Game, this story is completely plot-driven. There is little to no character development, although you can easily emphasize with the characters and their plights. I loved this concept, more so because it seems all at once highly unrealistic and at the same time I have no doubt these types of people and places exist. It’s eery in that way. This story explores the human need to survive, shows how there are in fact good people in this world, and also highlights how dangerous money can be in the hands of the wrong people.

This story kept me on my toes. It’s extremely fast-paced and I could not put it down! The ending was shocking but also tied up that one last remaining loose end. It was perfect. If you’re looking for your average psychological thriller, this story is probably not for you. If you’re looking for an off the rails, fast-paced, unbelievable, can’t look away thriller, then I highly recommend Look in the Mirror as your next bingeable read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A nice light escape and a good beach. read. Nicely written. Good luck with the book and thanks for the opportunity to read.

Look in the Mirror is a gripping psychological thriller that intertwines the lives of two unrelated female leads, drawing readers into a maze of lies, suspense and deadly escape rooms. The narrative masterfully navigates between the perspectives of the two women, whose paths converge within the confines of a mysterious house.

The author skillfully builds tension, which hooked me into the allure of the house and the secrets it holds. The fancy beach house serves as the backdrop for a series of hidden and deadly escape rooms, and lures the victims into a perilous game of survival. Their lives hang in the balance with each twist and turn of the challenges set in each room that are catered specifically to each player. With its face-paced plot, well-developed characters, and spine-tingling suspense, Look in the Mirror is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. The ending left me eager to read more!

This book was so good! I did not expect the plot to take the turn it did. I was held in suspense for most of the book which I enjoyed. The ending was a little strange and abrupt but I still overall really liked the book!

Book: Look In The Mirror
Author: Catherine Steadman
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine
Pub Date: July 30, 2024

Meh. I was disappointed with this one. I found the storyline to be boring and I struggled to finish it. There was no hook….no motivation to read it. There was no real character development and I really never made any connections to the characters. There are two alternating stories and it seems like it takes the whole book to connect the two stories. It was hard to follow and the story didn’t feel worthwhile to have to work so hard trying to connect the dots. It was a miss for me but I enjoyed Something In The Water by this author.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is July 30, 2024.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this early! I was so intrigued by the premise of this as I am a sucker for an island/vacation thriller so the idea of this was so promising! I really enjoyed the beginning, but lost a bit of that at around the 30% mark and then even more so at around the 60% mark. I enjoyed the ending, but something got lost for me in the middle? There was a lot of different perspectives, and perhaps that is what got me a bit muddled, BUT I would say this feels very Black Mirror-y to me, so if you enjoy that show, give this a try!

📜Look In The Mirror
✍️Catherine Steadman
📠Random House/Ballantine
📚Mystery/Thriller, Fiction
🗓️Pub date: July 30, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨Thank you @NetGalley and @randomhouse for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

✨Nina is surprised to learn when her father dies that she’s the sole beneficiary of a house on a tropical island she knew nothing about. How did her father acquire all this money? Why didn’t she know this place existed?

✨Maria is a nanny to the rich and famous, and when she is called to a secluded mansion in the Caribbean, she arrives to find the family nowhere to be found.

✨As Maria has one rule—don’t go into the basement—and of course she does, this begins the trickle of a thrilling ride.

✨The story jumps back and forth between the two FMCs. I had a hard time with this book—the locked-room mystery was too unrealistic and sci-fi at times for me. I did love Steadman’s The Disappearing Act, however, and will continue to read her work.

#netgalley #lookinthemirror #catherinesteadman #randomhouse #summerreleases #advancedreadercopy #arc #bookreview #ivegotbooks #killmewithwords #idratherbereading #thrillerfiction

“Look in the Mirror” will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. The writing is so vividly graphic and immediately draws the reader into this creepy and disturbing thrill ride.

Nina Hepworth has been left an extravagant vacation home in the British Virgin Islands by her recently deceased father. But Nina is confused as to how her father could afford such a luxury and why he never mentioned it to her. When her curiosity gets the better of her, Nina travels to the estate to find a piece of her father she feels must be in the house.

Maria Yossarian is a nanny to the super rich. She left her medical education midway through to pursue a more lucrative career catering to the rich. When assigned a job in the BVI, Maria jumps at the prospect of making enough money to leave future jobs behind. But when she gets to the house, the family she is tasked to care for is nowhere in sight.

The story alternates predominantly between the two woman’s perspectives with a sprinkle of other perspectives as well. The two seemingly unrelated stories eventually intersect in a disturbingly spine-chilling revelation.

The beginning is extremely engaging and I could not dismiss the persistent urge to know more. I furiously flipped the pages until I didn’t. By sometime in the middle of the story I began to feel there was too much repetition. Reading about the disturbing “games” definitely played a key role in this story but also had my interest fading in some parts where I felt I had read enough. But the story did culminate into a quick ending that was both unexpected and desirable.

It is clear how amazing the writing is when an inanimate object feels like a character itself. The house was definitely multi-dimensional. I enjoyed the mystery and thrills related to the house.

If you enjoy suspense and a bit far-fetched scenarios (that actually could happen considering the world we live in), this book is for you. It will definitely catch your attention and keep you guessing.


Thank you to Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books, NetGalley and Catherine Steadman for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest review.

Look in the Mirror was a twisty (though very unrealistic) thriller. I really don't know how to describe this story without giving away the plot, but it's told from the point of view of several of the main female characters. It revolves around a mansion on an island and the twisted, crazy things that happen there. Definitely an interesting read, but again, totally unrealistic. It kind of reminded me of a adventure movie. I enjoyed the book though and it was a fast read.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6301784166

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Publishing group for access to read Look In the Mirror before publishing date!

This story sucks you in from the start. A story that you can tell is not what it seems, but you just have no clue what to guess. Learning information slowly keeps you on the edge of your seat while reading this fun thriller.

Readers who also love The Family Game will love this one from Catherine Steadman too!

I could not stop reading this one. It absolutely blew me away with the wild, creepy premise; the dual story lines (I wanted more Maria!); and the amazing setting. Seriously just read it, go in blind like I did, and let it sweep you away. I’m stingy with my stars and this is absolutely a 5 star thriller.

I have enjoyed several of author Catherine Steadman's back-list and find her pretty reliable, and her latest "look in the Mirror" is just amazing - a very well written thriller with lots of short chapters and twists that kept me up flipping pages late at night. Two MC's - seemingly unrelated women on a tropical estate - you know it all comes together - but how?? This is a "locked room" type mystery that's a bit different & fresh - I highly enjoyed it, though a bit over the top at times. My sincere thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for my complimentary review copy - my pleasure to review it.

What a ride! I think this is going to be one of my favorite thrillers of the year!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a huge fan of Catherine Steadman from her debut novel.l, Something In the Water. Once again she does not disappoint! From the very beginning of the book when Nina reads the letter about the secret house her recently deceased father left her, to the epilogue that I did not see coming, I was enthralled. The book takes escape rooms to a whole new level. I read the book I'm 24 hours since I didn't want to put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Westminster Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman due to be published July 30, 2024.
Look in the Mirror tells the alternating story of two women. Nina’s father dies and leaves her a beautiful home in a tropical paradise. He wasn’t well off so Nina wonders where he got the money. Maria, a nanny, has acquired a job in a luxurious home with one rule – don’t go in the basement.
The book goes back and forth between the two women, and I sincerely wondered how in the world these two women were remotely connected. It was interesting but confusing. About halfway through it all comes together and takes off from there.
It keeps building, with a few more characters built in, to an exciting finish that I did not see coming.
This is a good one for psychological suspense!
#NetGalley #CatherineSteadman #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine #LookInTheMirror