I really enjoyed this! It's one of the most unsettling and disturbing books I've read in recent memory. If you enjoy disturbing books, I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Steena Holmes, Joffe Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this psychological thriller. I did however see some of the twists coming, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

The Twin by Steena Holmes is a captivating psychological thriller that explores the complexities of identity, memory, and the lengths to which people will go to protect their loved ones. The novel follows the story of Sarah, a woman who awakens from a coma with no memory of her past. As she struggles to piece together her life, she becomes convinced that her twin sister, Beth, is not who she claims to be.

The novel is filled with suspense and twists, keeping readers guessing as Sarah delves deeper into her sister's secrets. Holmes does a masterful job of creating a sense of unease and paranoia, as Sarah questions everything she knows about herself and those around her.

One of the strengths of The Twin is the complex and morally ambiguous characters. Sarah is a character who is both vulnerable and determined, struggling to find her place in a world that seems increasingly unfamiliar. Beth is a mysterious figure, whose motives are shrouded in secrecy. The novel explores the psychological toll of memory loss and the lengths to which people will go to protect their loved ones.

The Twin is a well-written and thought-provoking novel that will keep readers engaged from beginning to end. It is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers.

Wow what a creepy read!!! This story grabbed my attention & I couldn't put it down... housework had to wait!!!

If you are anything like me, you saw the title and you thought "okay, here we go again" .

When it comes to the thriller genre, we have ready many stories that circle around twins, evil twin, mistaken identity, identity switches, etc.

I know you think you might have read something similar before but I promise you, you are wrong.

Steena Holmes did an exceptional job weaving together a dark web of lies, secrets and deceit.

Chef's kiss

Check out this teaser :

My twin brother is the person I'm closest to. But now he frightens me.

We both have the same white-blond hair and clear blue eyes. All our lives people have stared at us. So we had to be there for each other.

Bryce tried to protect me from our dad. But when he died, I thought I was finally safe.

After the funeral, Bryce takes me aside: "Since Dad's passing . . . well, it's been going on for a few years now. I've been keeping a huge secret from you."

Now I'm lying bruised and broken on a cold floor in a dark room. How I got here is the question. And what they want from me is insane . .

To be honest cult plots are not my favourite, this played a major role in my rating. Parts of the book were predictable. I did get confused at times as well. I liked it but I couldnt say I loved it.

This story revolves around albino twins Bryce and Brynn who own and run their family's funeral home following their father's death. Their father was a high ranking official in a cult and Bryce takes his place following his death. Brynn tries to keep her distance from the "Family", but eventually gets pulled in by Bryce. Then, Brynn finally understands her and Bryce's role in the prophecy of the cult.

The elements were there for a good book, but it was lacking in execution. I found myself constantly irritated by how Brynn was a strong, but weak charachter. And the fact that she didn't expose the cult more and she allowed herself to be pulled into something she didn't want to be a part of was hard to read. Her actions make her appear to be a teen, though she is actually an adult. Also, the ending was quick and a let down for some of the build up.

Thank you to Joffe and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this and found that it was constantly twisting and turning. I never expected some of the revelations and it left me on the edge of my seat.

This is one of the creepiest cult stories I've read in a long time. The story centers around Brynn and her twin brother Bryce and the cult-like end of days society their parents help found. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say this cult is horrifying. The plot kept me glued to my air pods as Christina Traister brought the story to life. I think the audiobook added to the creepy factor which I absolutely loved. If you're a fan of creepy or dark thrillers, you'll enjoy this book!

I thought this book was really good. I’ve read other books before by Steena Holmes but they were nothing like The Twin was! This story grabbed my attention right from the start and it kept me engaged the whole way through. It starts out introducing you to a set of twins, a boy and girl, Bryce and Brynn. What makes them different or stand out is that they were born with a genetic condition called Albinism. In the beginning, the story starts out with their father’s funeral. His name was Anthony Kern and he was a monster! The family owns and operates the local funeral parlor in Bervie Springs. Brynn is content to live a normal life and continue to work and run the family business. But Bryce wants to be like his father who was a member of a cult. This is where the story gets interesting. There are parts that are somewhat disgusting but yet I found it all to sound quite believable. I can just imagine things like this actually happening in these cults. There were times that I felt I was holding my breath because I was nervous and anticipating what was going to take place. Overall, I felt it was an exciting read, I believe Steena must of done a lot of research about cults to make it seem so believable. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc that I believe I obtained off the Read Now section. I really enjoyed this book, I’m giving it a 5 star rating and I look forward to reading more by Steena Holmes in this same or similar genre.

Twins have a connection right? That connection is stronger than anything, right? How cold that possibly change? This is just a few of the intriguing things that will keep you turning the pages.

This book was a case of good/crazy ending, so-so beginning/middle for me. It took awhile to pull me in, but I couldn't put it down when it finally did.

The summary made me think it would be a pretty standard sketchy family thriller. It turned out to be darker and more disturbing than I was expecting. I'm not sure if I really liked all of it, but the ending made me nervous (in a mostly good way) so there's that.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I have read several books by Steena but this book was unlike anything I"ve read from her library, It's very upfront that Brynn is dealing with the fallout from her family's involvement in a doomsday cult but I was wholly unprepared for where this book went. When visits to "The Final Family" farm and then Wellness retreat turn into something much darker this book gets wild and fun to read. Right from the very beginning I was getting hinky vibes from Bryce's second fridge and I loved that I was right even though the reason is crazy. I won't give any spoilers so no more details but read the book and you can find out what was with the weird fridge.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for a copy of this book to review. It was great!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #JoffeBooks for the book #TheTwin by #SteenaHolmes. This book was full of suspense, secrets and a roller coaster ride of emotions. I read it in one sitting and highly recommend it. Bryce and Bryan are albino twins and are inseparable, well they used to be. Ever since their controlling father died, Bryce has changed. Now, Brynn is being held captive and what comes next will make your jaw drop.

This book is so scary in the sense that we have so many dooms day cult like activity that resurfaces. I was hooked immediately and couldn’t stop reading to find out what actually happens and was not disappointed.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. This book was not for me as I do not enjoy reading about cults and the crazy things that they do. I love this author and this is the first book by this author that I can honestly say I did not finish.

I love Steena Holmes’ books. She has written some of my very favorite books over the years. This one, unfortunately, fell short for me. I’m a huge fan of books about cults, so I was excited about that aspect of the book. I figured out the cannibalism part of the story very early on and I really tried to not let it deter me. But, I couldn’t help it. It really grossed me out. I think that I would have enjoyed the book so much more without that. The beginning was kind of slow and kind of rehashing the same things over and over. Overall, I think it has a good plot. There weren’t any earth shattering twists, but the ending was good. I did end up just skimming a lot to make it there tho. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

'Deliciously Dark' Sounds Apt But Becomes Problematic. Without going into spoiler territory, I can't find a better title for this review than "Deliciously Dark", and yet... well, read the damn book to find out why I have problems using that title. :D

But seriously, this is one *dark* book - and while I just can't bring myself to spoil anything... think whatever you feel would be the darkest a book could possibly go. Then go darker. Darker. Darker again. And again. Ok, now add a dying candle into that. Because that's about as light as this book gets. (Though I *will* note some things that you may imagine that *don't* happen here: no dog dies. No kids are sexually assaulted. And yet... the rest of this paragraph applies. Better to be prepared and have it be lighter than you expect, with this kind of tale.)

Holmes manages almost a Poe level of storytelling, where it isn't necessarily what is on the page, but what is clearly just *off* the page that is so intense... and, eventually, those things come onto the page in stunning fashion.

If you like dark yet not necessarily "heavy" books, you're going to love this one. If you're looking for something lighter... come back to this when you're ready for *dark*. :)

Very much recommended.

If the synopsis for this book had revealed more about its dark and disturbing themes, I'm not sure I would have chosen to read it. I have followed several cult-related tragedies during my lifetime which has always made me cautious about the signs of cult activity. The author did show some of the ways cult leaders are able to attract and control their followers. It was also interesting that the main characters were albinos since I personally know a family whose children have this genetic disorder. The ending of the book seemed a bit rushed and left me with unanswered questions. Thanks to NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author for an advanced copy to read and review.

2.5 STARS - This story is set around Bryce and Brynn, albino twins who run their family's funeral home. With sinister vibes, this slow burn story shows the complicated bond between the siblings and their creepy connection to a nefarious group that has long had a hold on the family.

I liked the concept of the story but not the execution. My main issues stem from Brynn's inconsistent behaviours. She ardently hates the cultish group known as The Family but if she hated them so much, why did it only take simple invitations for her to repeatedly visit them? Appeasing her increasingly controlling brother didn't seem like enough of a reason to me. This back-and-forth issue for Brynn was repetitive and became frustrating when I wish time would have been spent adding more to the story.

I am a fan of Holmes' previous work, including The Forgotten Ones, The Perfect Secret and The Patient but while this small-town, dark thriller had good concepts, it relies too heavily on the creepiness to pull readers through a simple story that may have fared better as a short story.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Joffe Books for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.