I loved this book so much! So many twists and turns you will never see coming! "A Girl Like Us" by Anna Sophia McLoughlin is a gritty, fast-paced thriller that dives deep into the complexities of trauma, survival, and justice. The novel features intricate storytelling and a compelling protagonist who grapples with personal demons while seeking the truth, creating an unforgettable reading experience for fans of crime fiction. "A Girl Like Us" explores a number of powerful themes, including family and trust, trauma and healing, and justice and corruption: The book highlights the difficulty of achieving true justice in a world full of moral compromises and systemic corruption.

Such a fun, cozy, thriller that truly does give off Succession energy, but what if the heir taking over is a complete shock to all? I enjoyed reading the familiy's exploits and backstabbing, you will be truly entertained!

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

The first thing that drew me to this book was its cover, which instantly captured the vibe and mood of this story. I am a sucker for locked-room mysteries and this one did not disappoint! I loved the themes of power, wealth, and secrets, which are something we can all relate to at some level. Maya was a strong protagonist and truly drew me into the story, rooting for her along the way. I couldn't put this book down and enjoyed the ride with every twist and turn!

Maya, a gamblers daughter inserts herself into a family whose generational wealth has set them up as American royalty. Then one of them is murdered and everyone in the family is put into lockdown on the family estate. When Maya is then named the heir it sets off a chain reaction that opens up the many skeletons hidden in the family closet. A great read with a surprise twist that I could not predict.

"Girls Like Us" will be available on February 11, 2025. I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I love a good mystery, and "Girls Like Us" delivered a page-turning psychological thriller that I couldn’t put down. The story follows Maya, a reality TV star turned billionaire’s wife, as she returns to her husband Collin's estate after the murder of the family’s heiress, Arianna. McLoughlin takes the reader through Maya’s vivid descriptions of the all-encompassing Sterlings family estate, which is wildly entertaining. After Collin and Maya’s arrival, the family is informed that Arianna has named Maya the new heiress to the estate. The entire family is put on lockdown as the murder investigation begins. Maya must learn to play the game of the ultra-wealthy in order to keep her sanity and her secrets to herself. The journey that ensues is full of family drama, greed, deception, and unexpected twists.

There are quite a few characters in the book, but McLoughlin does a great job of reminding the reader how they are all connected. I wasn’t confused about who was who, as I have been with other novels featuring large casts of characters. While the final big plot twist was a bit predictable, overall, I really enjoyed this book.

"She always knew what her dad meant about the secret angel of vengeance. The little girl with her nose against the glass and the pulsing in her throat always understood that a sure way to get on the other side was to take a crowbar and smash her way through. Shock those people on the inside eating their hundred-dollar steaks in thousand-dollar dresses. Make them see her."

WOW. This was book was such an incredibly welcome surprise. As a 90's baby who grew up on 2000's trash TV and celebrity gossip, I was immediately intrigued by the blurb, but this book surpassed all my expectations.

Maya Miller, ahem, Maya Sterling, is a girl who grew up a poor kid cleaning rich people's houses on Long Island. After her mother leaves and her father goes to prison, she ends up clawing her way to success by starring on a reality show called The Springs, taking on the persona of Miss Mayhem. Through a series of quite interesting events, she ends up marrying Colin Sterling, a member of the highly respected (and extremely rich) Sterling family. Unfortunately, in the same weekend that the couple marries in Mexico, the family's heiress, Arianna Sterling, is found murdered.

Maya, Colin, and their baby Becca abruptly have to fly to the family's illustrious (and creepy) English mansion, Silver House, in hopes that the Sterlings can figure out what's gone wrong - and what will happen to the family's fortune. Suddenly, it is revealed that Maya has been named Arianna's sole heir, despite having no recollection of ever meeting her in her life. This immediately puts a target on her back.

All while Maya tries to discover why she would be named heir and guard herself and her family from the cutthroat, secretive family that all seems to want her gone, she's protecting a major a secret of her own. Unfortunately for them, she's willing to do anything it takes to protect it. And, unfortunately for her, while trying to piece together the mysterious dead heiress's motivations, she's about to discover way more than she's bargained for.

This book made me feel INSANE in such a good way. Silver House has such a dizzying, opulent haze to it, and I never really felt like I understood the way anything was laid out - much like Maya - which helps plunge you into her state of mind that much more. While I had my guard up reading this book, I was genuinely shocked by every single twist. I was clutching my Kindle and gasping more than once. All in all, if you're someone who lives for 2000's pop culture, you love to see rich people behaving badly a la Gossip Girl, and you love a good book that takes you in a million different directions at once, this is your book. I am simply begging you to pick this one up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book just kept getting better and crazier as it went! Maya a past reality tv show star ends up marrying into a wealthy family. This family is anything but ordinary and after the death of one of their own, they all go to their big family estate, and the past starts unraveling. Will Maya’s husband stand beside her and support her against his own family as she uncovers some crazy family secrets?
This book is full of family drama and twist and turns that you never see coming!

A Girl Like Us felt like reading a reality show, which is appropriate considering the main character is a reality star. I don't mean that negatively, either - it drew me in just like so many of those shows do. And furthermore, who doesn't want to be the underdog, the girl with a less-than-glamorous upbringing who hits the lottery with an uber-rich (and, as a bonus - *nice*) husband?

Maya Miller made a name for herself on a reality show as the quintessential bad girl. It was all an act, but the rest of the world didn't need to know that. When she got pregnant with Colin Sterling's child and married him, she ensured she would have everything she needed. With that kind of summary, one would think that Maya would be insufferable, but I actually liked her character. I found her relatable and intriguing.

When the young Sterling family heir, Arianna, winds up dead, the family is summoned together to 1) ensure they also aren't in danger and 2) determine the new heir. When Maya and Colin arrive, Maya is given a rather cool welcome by the family because, let's be real, they suspect she's in it for the $$$.

So imagine the entire family's surprise (including Colin) when the lawyers announce Arianna had changed her will before she died and named Maya as the next heir.

*cue family horror*

Up to that point, it was a 5-star read for me. I couldn't put it down and was flying through it. After this proclamation, I struggled. The webs that this family wove and the random connections this person had with that person...I started to glaze over. I can appreciate setting it up so the reader doesn't guess the "whodunit" but I started to get to "whatishappeninghere?"

Overall, it was an enjoyable read but the second half of the book wasn't as gripping as the first for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is a brilliant and wild ride of a book! Succession as a murder mystery!

It is fascinating with so much commentary on new and old money, how the wealthy relate to each other. Maya is such a brilliant character and I didn't expect to root for her. We follow her as she seeks to clear her name and dealing with the Sterlings who are also so compelling.

It is a riveting, twisty, unputdownable, and irresistible thriller that I highly enjoyed. Anna Sophia McLoughlin is a really good writer and i look forward to reading more of her works in the near future!

I did go into this one thinking it was a thriller, it is not. I would not label it as such. It was sometimes slow, sometimes more of a family mystery drama? The plot was okay but it just left me underwhelmed, I felt like there was something missing to make it a truly memorable book.

This was a wild, chaotic, and enjoyable read! Maya, a former reality show star, is now a member of one of the most powerful families on the planet. When a death in the Sterling family causes everyone to be locked down in their palatial estate, Maya starts to discover just how dangerous the Sterlings might be…

I never knew quite what to expect and was slightly confused by the dual perspectives though my patience was rewarded as the story concludes in a surprising and satisfying way. Definitely a thrilling read though I would have loved to know even more about Maya and what motivates her. Recommended to anyone interested in wealthy family drama/rich people problems! 3.5 stars.

Thank you very much to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

This was so MESSY! I loved it!

Family drama + reality tv + murders, lies, and deception = my cup of tea! ☕️

Not going to lie though… I had a bit of a soft spot for Marcus🙈

⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"A Girl Like Us" by Anna Sophia McLoughlin is about Maya Sterling, a party girl turned socialite as she deals with her new family who has just discovered that their heiress has been killed. And that the fortune has been passed onto Maya.

McLoughlin did a wonderful job of creating a plot line that kept me interested all through the night. However, that was the only part of the novel that I liked. I didn’t know anything else about the characters besides what was helpful to the story and as a character focused reader it was then hard to get into the book.

I thought the plot twists were really interesting and I liked the alternating chapters between a character’s journal and present day Maya’s point of view. But, it was hard to connect with Maya when everything I knew about her only helped move the plot along. I felt like I didn’t really know who she was, which in the end I think will make the story forgettable.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants a quick, family mystery drama, with no strings attached.

Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Maya Sterling née Miller was a poor girl turned reality star who has now married into the powerful Sterling Family. “SterlingCo, one of the first global media companies. Operations in dozens of countries, a massive portfolio of cable channels, publishing houses, newspapers, magazines. A family business with extensive reach.” As Maya and her new husband Colin Sterling land in New York after coming back from their honeymoon in Mexico with their infant daughter Becca men in black suits swarm the airplane and they are told they have to initiate protocol 202 because Colin’s cousin the infamous Arianna Sterling Heiress to the Sterling fortune was murdered while in Mexico, so now since there has been a murder in the Sterling family all immediate family members are now forced to travel to England to Silver House until the killer is caught. Colin’s family already thinking Maya has married him for money dismissing her from family meetings but then when Arianna’s will is read and she names Maya who supposedly has never met her as the new heiress to SterlingCo everyone is starting to wonder who she really is.


A tale of twists, lies and deceit with a lot of character introductions. It definitely was a slow start but once it got going I wanted to read more. Great plot twist! I wish Colin had more of a backbone though. Four stars

This book is about Maya, a former reality TV star married to the most eligible bachelor Colin. She became part of the Sterling family. Colin’s cousin Arianna was murdered Maya became the next heiress. She later became the prime suspect. Maya had to keep the threats out of the Sterling family, especially tabloids. The book is pretty good with a lot of secrets and other things. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book and do a review.

This held so much promise and I had high expectations going into this because the blurb seems so intriguing, however I was slightly disappointed. I still do think its a decent thriller in a sea of boring thrillers that put you to sleep, this had some good twists and turns and I always appreciate a spooky atmospheric setting. The writing style seemed a bit choppy and therefore took me out of the story at times, but I do think people would still be able to enjoy this story!

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
A Girl Like Us releases February 11, 2025

<i>argentum semper vincit — silver always wins</I>

Upon landing back in New York from their honeymoon, Colin and Maya are immediately rerouted to England to convene at the Sterling estate after being told there was a death in the family. But not just any death — the murder of the Sterling heiress.

It’s later revealed that Arianna named Maya as the new heiress in her will; someone of no blood relation.
With an extensive history spent in psych wards, it’s anyone's guess why Arianna left the Sterling inheritance to Maya.

Is it just a coincidence that Arianna was found dead in the same city where Colin and Maya’s honeymoon was held, and on their last night of festivities? Does this have anything to do with Maya’s time spent on reality tv before she married into such a wealthy family?

<i>A Girl Like Us</I> was a bit underwhelming as a whole, and I definitely wouldn’t go around calling it a thriller.
My main takeaway is that the characters weren’t used to their full potential. The Sterling's all have such a strong presence, so I wanted Maya to have had to interact with them more. It was like she wasn’t even newly married with how little she talked to Colin!
The author could’ve even played off of the staff to layer more suspicion or loyalty towards one person, but they failed to do so.

cw: infidelity, gaslighting, manipulation

a great debut! akin to knives out with some fun twists and turns. a thriller that you won’t be able to put down so make sure you check this out Feb 11 2025!

Thank you NetGalley and. Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC.
This was a great book, full of intrigue, nasty rich people and a couple of murders. This English family greets Maya, an American ex-reality tv star, married to one of their own, with hostility they don't bother to hide. She's not one of them, end of story.
Soon there's an event whereby Maya's life is threatened and sets her on a path of seeking the answers to all their secrets. A very dangerous game!
None of the characters are likeable, not even Maya, but that didn't take away my enjoyment of this book. I loved it and thought the ending was great. A must read!