Holy Crap!!

Dr. Caroline Strange is a bit Strange... to say the least!

She is a psychiatrist in Brooklyn, NY. She is married to a Swedish artist. Their marriage is a bit quirky (if you ask me…), but it seems to work for them.

The story is told in two separate timelines. One, present. Another from her school days with her bff and their families.

Caroline’s family is nothing like her friends. Her father is an orderly who’s going to school to become an EMT. He is very involved in her life.

Her friend (I can’t remember her name for the life of me right now…) lives with her Mom, Dad and brother. The Dad (Gordon) is a drinker and eventually loses his job. The Mom works various jobs to help make ends meet.
The kids spend A LOT of time together.

A horrible event happens when she is a child, and her life changes forever…

The weird thing is, the way it’s told, well…it just keeps you guessing who did what??

So then we jump to present day. Dr. Caroline has to have everything just perfect. Her home. Her office. Her life. Basically, she comes off as a snob that NO ONE can like. BUT, she has a great reputation as a shrink.

Then, one day a new pt arrives, and tells her he’s going to kill someone.
And then, just like that, he walks out!

Then we learn of a young woman who’s gone missing…and when the cops come to interview Caroline… and, well, there are questions…
Seems like their paths might’ve crossed…

As the investigation intensifies, Caroline decides she’s going to look into stuff on her own…

Lots of twists. Lots of characters NOT to like. Lots of guessing who did what…

And finally, some answers!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook which already released on 6/4/24.

#TellMeWhoYouAre by #LouisaLuna and narrated beautifully by #MeganTusing, #RobMoreira and #StephanieNemethParker.

4 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rounded up to 5.

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It’s hard to like a book full of unlikable characters, but here we are. This book includes multiple timelines and points of view, which weave the storyline together in a delightfully chaotic way.

I didn’t find the twists shocking, and I wasn’t completely satisfied with the conclusion. I was hoping for a BIG final reveal or AHA moment at the end, which didn’t come. That said, the story included enough drama and tension to keep me entertained all the way through. A fun, well-paced read. Definitely recommend.

4.1 rounded down to 4.

*Thank you NetGalley*

"Tell Me Who You Are" by Louisa Luna is an absolute gem of a novel, and the audio version elevates the experience even further. The story masterfully unfolds through multiple points of view, giving depth and richness to each character's narrative. This technique not only provides a multifaceted understanding of the plot but also keeps the listener thoroughly engaged from start to finish.

The narration is superb, with each voice distinct and perfectly suited to the character it represents. The narrators bring the story to life with such authenticity and emotion that you feel as if you're right there with them. Their performances add an extra layer of immersion, making it hard to pause the audiobook.

Louisa Luna's storytelling combined with the excellent narration makes "Tell Me Who You Are" a must-listen. Whether you're a fan of thrillers or simply appreciate well-crafted stories, this audiobook is sure to leave a lasting impression. Highly recommended!

𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘔𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘳𝘦 introduces readers to Dr. Caroline Strange, a Brooklyn therapist, who lives in “a wealthy neighborhood in a wealthy city where botox meets craft butchery, and even the homeless people can do a mean upward-facing dog”.

When she takes on a client without a referral, Nelson Schack tells her he is going to kill someone and, then, claims to know Caroline’s true identity.

The same day, two detectives arrive at the therapist’s office to question her about a woman’s disappearance. Surprisingly, it is Dr. Strange who is “a person of interest”.

Impatient and contemptuous of the authorities' inadequacies, Dr. Strange takes matters into her own hands, pursuing Nelson and plunging into her tumultuous past, a past that she has strived to bury all her life.

Edgar Award winner Louisa Luna’s characters are desperate. Dr. Caroline is highly intelligent with an icy core. She is also determined and deadly.

Luna’s writing is both sophisticated and accessible. Her prose is laden with dark humour (which I love). The story pivots between past and present. It is told from three points of view, which, add to the complexity of the plot.

𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘔𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘳𝘦 offers more than chills and thrills. It leaves an impression with its tension and moral questions, its forays into the nature of identity, and the facades people maintain. The author resists neat closures.

Megan Tusing, Robb Moreira, and Stephanie Németh-Parker are talented narrators and well chosen for their roles.

🔪 🩸My thanks to @macmillanaudio and @NetGalley for the #ALC of 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘔𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘳𝘦. 🩸🔪

Dr. Caroline Strange, psychiatrist, is a pompous, arrogant,know it all, who thinks normal rules don’t apply to her. She is a very unlikable character, and possibly an unreliable narrator. Throughout most of this I just wasn’t sure. When a new patient comes to her office the visit is short, but far from sweet. He tells her he is going to kill someone and that he knows all about her. The next day a young woman goes missing and the police show up at Carolyn’s door. She explains about the patient but the police don’t believe her. Where does the truth lie?

The book rotates between the past and present, and we soon hear the narration from a man in Caroline’s past. Usually a book that has unlikable characters would cause me to put the book down. Not the case here. The slow unraveling of the plot, the insidious tone, I found intriguing. I was curious to see where this was going. Sometimes the past comes back to haunt with dire consequences.

Love her Alice Vega series but this one is a standalone.

The narration was terrific.

This is a moderately-paced, twisty, high-stakes thriller with a little mystery involved. Our protagonist, Dr. Caroline, may or may not be an unreliable narrator in that she may be telling the truth, she may be lying, or she may be having a psychotic break. I flip-flopped throughout the book. She's a curious character and an unlikely therapist given how judgemental and brutal she is with her patients, but that's part of her damage. I found her nuanced, scary, funny, and ultimately unknowable. Yes, there's a missing woman, an investigation, and Dr. Caroline is a suspect, but it's really quite a character study of her uniqueness. And she keeps you guessing the entire time. Fun book with lots of psychological tension.

Another winner-winner-chicken-dinner from Louisa Luna. The reader was also fantastic. This book grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go.

TW/CW: Language, cheating, divorce, drinking, toxic family relationships, misogyny, fat shaming, sexual harassment, covid, domestic abuse, child abuse, alcoholism, use of c-word, Eating disorder, child sexual abuse, death of child

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Brooklyn psychiatrist Dr. Caroline Strange is certain she knows what's best for her patients, her family, and pretty much everyone else, but that all changes when a troubled young man arrives for his appointment and makes a pair of alarming confessions: I am going to kill someone, and I know who you really are.Dr. Caroline is accustomed to hearing her patients’ deepest, darkest secrets, but it seems Nelson Schack may be one step ahead when detectives show up later that day, inquiring about a missing woman. It looks like Nelson has made good on his threat—yet somehow it’s Dr. Caroline who becomes the prime suspect.Convinced the police are incompetent, Dr. Caroline takes matters into her own hands, chasing down the elusive Nelson and running headlong into a past she has spent her entire life trying to forget. As she closes in on her target, all the polished pieces of her manicured life splinter when people begin to question who she really is.
Release Date: June 4th, 2024
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 352
Rating: ⭐(one star only because the writing was good)

What I Liked:
1. Writing style was good

What I Didn't Like:
1. Everything...

Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}

Wow I hate her Gordon he's a piece of shit. The way he talks to his son and then tells his wife to lose some weight.

Plot twist Billy looks like Nelson so are they just twins? Why go to that he has borderline?
Author dismisses DID as though it's all made up. That people only fake it to get away with a crime. I don't get why she doesn't think Billy can be twin?????

It's not Legos it's Lego blocks!!

Don't worry I just know that this book is going to be one of those books that uses mental health as a crutch to kill people. I keep wondering if Caroline is the one killing the women and she's thinking these people Billy/Nelson are real.

So is Carloine that young version. We're in duel timelines.

Then we find out Caroline was talking to Billy and he says red rover red rover, but then when talking to the man he mentions that Caroline plays red rover with his kids.

"Grunt like a baby Frankenstein" ummmmm Frankenstein is the doctor not the monster.

This lady being kidnapped is just acting so causal about being abducted. She's laughing to herself and being so cheery. Weird.

Caroline has these moments where she passes out. She calls it falling asleep.

Omg omg omg Caroline's mom eating gross food from the garage deposal. Ew. But then also fat shamming her mother.

This book is so offensive. There's a character that struggles with an eating disorder and Caroline calls her dysmorphia. It's all so terrible.

"Nelson" calls Caroline and we all know again that Nelson is apart of her disorder.

How is Carloine able to just make calls and sit in her car all while the police are looking for her.

Omfg! That ending! Can I unread this book?

Soooooo Caroline is 13 and decides to set up this whole plan to make Gordon disturbed. He ends up killing his family and then Caroline's mother sells her to talk shows about how she survived it (she was staying the night the night it happened). Skip to like 15+ years and a child named William becomes obsessed with what happened to Caroline so much so that he ends up murdering his family too and then strives to get her attention by kidnapping a neighbor. There's just so many questions to this. How did he know that Caroline would care enough to actually follow him? How did he know that Caroline was going to be like him? It wasn't her family it was the neighbor's family. She just survived it's not like she was the one that survived because he was after her. This whole ending is completely convoluted.

Also I was completely wrong Caroline really is Caroline and William really is William so DID isn't a thing in this just something for the author to make fun of and says doesn't exist.

Final Thoughts:
Oh my God these characters were absolutely terrible. They are all bad. I didn't know who I was supposed to be rooting for.

I'm not political but there is a lot of things mentioned that are anti-Trump so for people who don't want to have that in your books then steer clear of this

If you love books that use mental health for a reasoning to kill then this is your book. Just your standard Thriller that has no understanding about Mental Health and uses it as a crutch to turn someone into a murderer. Just a horrible book. No offense to the author but there was nothing redeemable about this book. The characters are terrible. The story is ridiculous. And the way mental health is treated in this book is absolutely comical.

Every once in a while a character comes along that I just have to know more. Dr. Caroline Strange is one of those characters, and I hope that we haven't seen the last of her, because the parts of Tell Me Who You Are that are told from her viewpoint are just so delightfully twisty. Right up until the final page of the book, I wasn't sure if she was inherently good or bad or somewhere in between.To be fair, I'm still not convinced, and it doesn't matter, because I was so throughly entertained along the way. While one mystery was cleared up at the end, I still want to know more about what makes Dr. Caroline tick.

I could not get into this one... A colleague at my library really likes the Alice Vega series and talked Luna up, so I decided to give this one a try as the blurb and cover really drew me in. Unfortunately, I simply couldn't connect to the characters (difficult personalities, to say the least - although admittedly I expected that going in) and the plot just didn't engage me. I couldn't find the threads that would let me fall into the story. - I'm not really sure why, as I like the concept and tend to enjoy psychological thrillers (and creepy doctors). This one just wasn't for me.

The split timeline was so good! Pay attention to the names of the characters so you don’t get confused. The narrator is unlikable and suspicious, but she ends up being likable in the end. Without giving too much away, the last couple of chapters were insane! The twists at the end were unpredictable and u expected.

This review is for the audiobook. What a fun book, well acted, I enjoyed all of the voice actors. Several very unlikeable characters, two simultaneous mysteries that we uncovered along the way. This revolves around Dr. Caroline Strange, a modern therapist with a concerted opinion on multiple personality disorder. Really fun book, easy to follow even through audiobook because of different characters and enough repetition to help me follow. There weren't a ton of redeeming characters, so not too much to root for, but kept me engaged.
Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ARC.

Tell Me Who You Are is a twisty, enthralling, onion-peeling book about a psychiatrist with a chaotic past and the journalist who picked the wrong listicle target.
The quick cuts between the present day police investigation, the therapist's own investigation, and flashbacks to her childhood incident; along with the current state of poor Elsa, make for a fast-paced novel, and quickly the therapist's self-assuredness and hubris cast delicious shadows on her reliability as a narrator.
This is a very fun read to keep you on your toes and delve in to the root of one's personality(ies).

This was an enjoyable listen, was it my favorite no. It kept me intrigued enough for me to get through it. It just fell a little flat in my opinion.

This is definitely a psychological thriller, but a good one. It was a lot of back and forth with Caroline’s past and the present as now she’s a psychiatrist and had a patient that says he’s going to kill someone. This book had me wanting more and even when it ended I didn’t want it to. It was intriguing, entertaining and gripping. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time. I like the plot of the story and the twist at the end. It was really good, I would recommend it. I would rate this a 4.5 stars.

Tell Me Who You Are is a psychological thriller that literally has a psychiatrist as a main character. Dr. Caroline Strange has a new client that states he is thinking of killing someone. Someone that Dr. Strange knows. But he leaves before the session is even over. Not long after, two police detectives show up at her door. A woman is missing and the police see Dr. Strange as a person of interest.
The story is told from three different perspectives. There’s Caroline, Ellen Garcia, the missing woman and then there’s Gordon Strong, an unknown third MC. I found Caroline snarky and hard to like. Let’s just say, she does nothing to make me think more of the profession. Ellen had a lot of gumption for someone kidnapped and trapped but as I learned more about her, she had taken some shortcuts with some of her reporting. And then Gordon is just old plain loony tunes.
I’ve been a big fan of Lina’s Alice Vega series. This stand-alone didn’t work for me nearly as well. It made me realize that while I don’t need to like a main character, they have to be able to at least interest me. And none of these three MCs did that. I will give Vega credit for a fast moving story with several twists I didn’t see coming. But the big supposed reveal was obvious.
I also found fault with the ending, which came across as rushed, unbelievable and lacking in explanations.
It worked well to have different narrators for each of the main characters and they all did a good job.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.

Wowzers. There was a lot going on in this book. It took over 50% of it just to figure out who everyone was and where they fit. To say that this book was intriguing and held my interest would be an understatement. I love how much it made me think. The characters were well developed and every single one of them was a little bit hateable. This was my first experience with Louisa Luna and I loved it! The writing style, plot and character development, dark humor and unreliable narrators - it was all great.

The narration was excellent making this a quick and enjoyable listen all the way around.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audio of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date: June 4th, 2024
Page number: -
Audio length: 10 hours 47 minutes
Narrator: Megan Tusing, Robb Moreira, Stephanie Nemeth- Parker
Genre: thriller
POV: multiple
Setting: Brooklyn

Unique/refreshing plot. Unlikable but interesting characters. Did keep me hooked throughout with the twists and turns and wondering how the story would unfold.

The pause between the chapters was VERY long.

Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced audio copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

I love a good psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns and this one delivered on that. The writing was solid but I just struggled to connect to the characters or the story at times. Unfortunately, this one did not hold my attention or keep me wanting to turn the pages.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC.

Tell Me Who You Are is a standalone novel from Louisa Luna (no Alice Vega in this one)

"Dr. Caroline Strange is a Brooklyn psychiatrist. A new patient, Nelson, comes in and claims that he is going to kill someone and that he knows who she really is. Suddenly, Dr. Caroline is a "person of interest" in the disappearance of a woman who happened to write an article claiming she was one of the worst doctors in Brooklyn. Caroline doesn't believe the police are competent enough and sets out to find the missing girl and clear her name."

This is a psychological thriller from Luna. Caroline is always searching for the reasons that Nelson is what he is. There's a semi-duel timeline. It took a few pages for me to make the connection with the present, but it's a husband/father that's slowly losing it - with horrible consequences. That's the character that you will dislike the most.
There are red herrings galore in this story. Just when you think you know what's going on and who the bad guy/girl is, Luna throws another one in there. It keeps you guessing and the tension high.

Megan Tusing, Robb Moreira and Stephanie Németh-Parker all do a great job with the full-cast audio. Even though Robb has to voice a despicable character, there's just enough whine in his voice to make you dislike a character trying to get through life taking shortcuts and justifying his actions. The other two are great as Dr. Caroline and the missing girl - one is cool intellect and the other is desperation.

There was a moment where I thought the story was going to veer into a trope that I'm not a fan of but Luna addresses it and moves along.

Another good story from Luna.