⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Identical - Saskia Sarginson

Love a book which turns everything on its head and this certainly didn’t disappoint.

Getting totally involved with the main characters - an empathy was grown towards them all and the desire to get to the root of what was going on.

Safe to say, that rug was swiftly pulled from underneath me just before the end!!

No spoilers here - but I definitely didn’t see that coming!

Great read - and will see what else Saskia has written now!

I hadn’t heard of this author before, but I was intrigued by the blurb and wanted to know moe about the story – and I’m so pleased I did. What an exciting read!
The book is about Alice and her twin sister Cecily, who had a very difficult childhood with their mother, domineering father and older brother Henry. They were brought up as Catholics and religion was very important, their father using it to enforce his long list of rules and his severe punishments for breaking any.
The story is told in first person, so we get to see the viewpoints of both Alice and Cecily. It is the present day and Cecily contacts Alice after years of being estranged and Alice not even being in the country. Cecily explains she is in an unhappy marriage, her husband is an alcoholic and she needs to get away for a few days to work out what to do and how to sort everything out. But she wants Alice to play her, while she has the time away. They’re identical twins, so she is the only person available. Alice accepts.
She moves into Hollyhocks Cottage with Cecily’s husband Gabriel (Thankfully they’re sleeping in separate rooms!), her teenage daughter Bea and the cat Sukie. She isn’t particularly happy about it, but feels she owes Cecily a favour and after all, it’s only for a week and then her sister will come back. She has a notebook her sister’s written, so she knows her routine, a wardrobe of Cecily’s clothes to wear, her special beauty products and even what kind of foods to cook. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, I absolutely loved this book! I do enjoy a good psychological thriller and this was fascinating. There was mystery and intrigue straight away, as you want to know what’s happening and why Cecily wants her sister to take her place. It becomes even more interesting as it soon becomes clear that what she has told Alice isn’t entirely true. Your thoughts run this way, then the other, as you try to piece things together and work out what’s actually going on and why.
I don’t want to say much else about the story, because it’s quite twisty-turny and I don’t like spoilers, but I loved it. It was a real page-turner, I was up until the early hours reading and was desperate to know what was going to happen next. This was the first of the author’s books I have read, but it’s unlikely to be the last.

Sarginson is definitely an author whose name is on my must read list now, just on the merit of Identical.

I flew through the book in several hours, the plot was so compelling and twisty, I couldn't put it down.

It's narrated across both past and present by the twins, allowing you to get a deeper insight into the there and then, and what had actually happened.

Characterwise, I found I couldn't form any emotional bonds with either sister, but this didn't in any way distract from my enjoyment of the book.

The suspense throughout was palpable, the plot dark and designed to confuse and bewilder, and the ending completely unpredicted.

Identical is definitely one to recommend and Sarginsonan author to watch out for.

The premise of this book had me intrigued as I am fascinated by identical twins. The beginning pulled me right in and had me so curious where Cecily was. The character development in this one was great. You really get to know the twins, as well as Cecily's husband and daughter. This story is told from dual POVs narrated by the twins. We also have dual timelines - the past that details the twins childhood (how traumatic!), and the present alternating between Cecily and Alice.

I did feel that the book dragged in the middle. I found myself bored through a good bit of the middle chapters. The last 10, 15% picked back up, and I was fully invested at this point. I felt that I had to wait too long for things to happen. This was a slow burn thriller that was an ok read. 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Identical is a well-written story about Alice and Cecily, identical twins brought up along with older brother Henry, in an historic, sprawling house. Their upbringing is traumatic with their religious father dominating their lives. Alternating chapters from the POV of each twin with some flashbacks. The characters are well developed and not very likeable. Novels about twins are not a new premise but this one was captivating and had enough intrigue to keep me turning the page. Twisty with a fast-paced ending. Recommend.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

The story was rather sad for most of the book until the very end and then it became bizarre.
Religious fanaticism is a backdrop for Cecily.
I couldn’t figure out what Cecily’s aim was and why she felt the urge to ditch her family.
The ending is something I had not anticipated .
The book definitely had unexpected twists and turns in it.

4.5*

Cecily has been manipulated and abused for years. She’s now turning to the tables and using the manipulation she’s endured to her advantage. Alice being the twin she is agrees to help her sister go through with her plan but Alice isn’t party to the full story. Has she agreed to something she can’t control?

I loved flicking between the twins’ perspective along their own timelines, Alice in the present and Cecily in the past. They may be similar in look but their mindset and thoughts are starkly different. Each chapter set at a different time kept me on my toes.

Throughout, I felt I was walking in the dark, the words giving me enough light to see just in front of me. I really didn’t know where I was going and I was unnerved not knowing what Cecily’s end game was – was Alice in danger??

Identical is a chilling tale that I was glued to. Alice and Cecily’s past and present lives captured this thriller lover’s intrigued mind and kept it guessing right to the end and oh boy, what an ending!!!!

This was such a good read it kept my hooked all the way through. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout that keep you on the edge of your seat, and the ending was a very unexpected surprise. The characters were great, the plot was excellent and suspenseful and the style of writing was perfect.
I have read a few of this authors books and have really enjoyed them. I’m looking forward for the next one to come out. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading psychological thrillers.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

What a creative plot and huge unpredictable plot twist, I didn't see that coming, I was totally off the scent basically until the end. I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 just because the author lingered a bit too long on some descriptive parts and this slowed down the reading process for me. If you like an unpredictable, a bit gloomy story with dreadful details and an old house in it that feels like one of the characters, Identical should be on your tbr!

Wow! I just love finding a ‘new to me’ author. My first book by Saskia Sarginson but definitely not my last. Awesome character development that kept me flipping pages long into the night. This was packed with tension, secrets, delusions and fantastic creepy vibes. Impossible to know who to trust.
Thank you NetGalley, Saskia Sarginson and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this cracker of a book. .

Woah, I did not see this panning out the way it did!! Such a heart racing, faced paced (in parts) and twisty read. At times it was slow paced, but this built up the character development and tension.

I was instantly hooked and felt so sorry all of the children in all they faced by their father and his religious beliefs. The different timelines/POVs were interesting and the last few chapters blew me away!

This is my first book by the author and I will be binging her previous works. This fantastic thriller needs to be added to your TBR

An addictive thriller that keeps you turning the pages until the shocking ending. Fantastic twists and turns, really enjoyed it.

Identical twin sisters, Alice and Cecily, live in an old mansion called Hawksmoor, along with their older brother Henry. Their parents are very rigid Catholics and their father comes down very hard on them if they do another wrong in his eyes.

When they finally escape the house, Alice lives as far away as possible doing what she wants. Cecily has maintained her strict Catholic upbringing. She is married to Gabriel, a history academic and they have a teenage daughter, Bea.

The twins have not seen one another for many years. So when Alice receives a letter from Cecily begging her to come to her home and pretend to be her for just one week so she can get away and think, Alice reluctantly agrees. As Gabriel and Bea don’t know Cecily has a twin, they can, hopefully, be easily fooled. Cecily has left Alice detailed instructions and she hopes to pull it off. But she doesn’t realize how troubled Bea is and how Gabriel worries about Cecily and the state of their marriage. When the week is up and Alice is ready to leave, Cecily leaves her a note begging her to stay for a few more days. With Bea as fragile as she is, Alice stays.

The story goes into depth about the strict and cruel upbringing the three siblings suffered from their evil father. His treatment left serious scars and more. As it headed toward the ending, I finally put two and two together and figured out the ending. What a spectacular and scary read. I have to add that Gabriel is a saint among men. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Identical twins Alice and Cecily have a traumatic childhood. Their Father is strict and religious and life with him isn’t easy. Their brother Henry commits suicide and the girls go separate ways. Alice is surprised to get a letter years later from Cecily asking her to take her place in her life with her husband and daughter just for a week while she sorts out a divorce. Alice agrees but things don’t go according to plan. I found this book a bit slow to start but did pick up as it went on. I award this book 3.5 stars

Oh my word this book was truly unputdownable. A dark and gripping psychological thriller that had my head in a complete spin at times. I loved everything about this book and really found it hard to put down. Excellent characters and I really liked the going back and forward between past and present. I don’t want to say too much more in case of spoilers but I will say this is a must read for psychological thriller fans.

Excellent thriller 👌 fast paced and suspenseful. Gripping from the start, the plot is unexpected but engaging. Twisted secrets and painful past experiences shape a person's present. Can't say more because I didn't want to reveal the shocking climax, but it's dealt in an impressive way. Recommended for psychological thriller fans

Identical by Saskia Sarginson is a psychological thriller that delves into the complex bond between twin sisters Annie and Isobel, whose lives are haunted by a traumatic childhood event. It took me some time to get into this book, but it did finally start to get a gripping plot and numerous twists which kept me engaged.

The twist totally got me at the end, and if you’re a thriller fan, I think you’d enjoy this book.

This is the story of a set of identical twin sisters, of which one sister, Cecily, demands that the other, Alice, come and take over her life for a week and all that entails-being a mother, wife, friend, etc, and not let anyone realize that they have switched, while she gets her head cleared out and not tell anyone that this switch is taking place, all with the plan that when she returns she will ask her husband for a divorce. And no one does seem to notice the difference when they swap, but then as to be expected, problems start surfacing when she doesn’t show up at the appointed time to switch their lives back.
This was a slow burn, and you do have to wait til almost the 85% point and then things speed up like lightning. It’s told in alternate chapters from the POV of each of the sisters, as well as past and present timelines and helped give a little more of their backstories. The characters were well developed but the twins were unlikeable. I think they were written that way on purpose though.
I will be looking forward to reading what the author writes next.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for another excellent eCopy to review

As an identical twin myself I am always interested in reading books about them, Identical was an exceptional new twist on this subject matter

Alice must take Cecily's place in her family so she can make preparations to divorce Gabriel. But when she doesn't return after a week as planned, Alice must start an investigation into what Cecily's real plans are. Can Alice give up the sense of belonging she has found in Cecily's family, what will Cecily do to reclaim it? Where does their father and Hawksmore their crumbling family home in the Lake District fit in? The final twist is something I did not see coming, I'm still reeling from the shock!!

A super book and another author I can't wait to read more books from

Identical is the first book I’ve read by this author. This was a really good book! There was some twists and turns. I did figure out some of the plot, but there was still a lot of mystery I didn’t figure out. I will be reading more books by this author! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC copy!