⭐️⭐️✨ (2.5/5) — A Girl Like Us had an intriguing premise with its locked-room mystery set against the backdrop of immense wealth and power, but it ended up falling short for me. The pacing was painfully slow from the start, and the overly verbose writing style felt out of place for a reality TV star like Maya. The story, which promised a mix of high-stakes mystery and intricate family secrets, quickly became derivative and muddled; by about 40% in, it veered into goofiness with twists that never quite landed, leaving me confused about family relations and even tripping over an undercurrent of misogyny. While Arianna’s diary entries offered brief moments of genuine intrigue, the rushed ending and anticlimactic reveals meant that the suspense and emotional investment never fully materialized, turning what could have been a compelling read into a swing and a miss.

3.5 stars - I can’t take credit for the Saltburn meets Succession comparison, but it’s spot-on. The story centers around a super wealthy, old-money family battling for the top position after the mysterious death of their heir, Arianna. They have all the classic trappings of billionaire status: the compound, the cars, the secrets. However, they might have finally met their match in Maya, the mysterious newcomer who’s recently married into the family. The story alternates between Arianna's journal entries, where she reflects on the events leading up to her death, and Maya’s present-day perspective as she digs into what really happened to Arianna and what secrets she was hiding.

This book had a lot of potential but ultimately fell a bit short for me. It’s a slow burn, which I didn't mind here, but it didn’t need to be as long as it was. The middle dragged, and instead of using that space to really dive into these fascinating characters, the story just felt like it stretched on without much payoff.

The ending wraps things up nicely, and I can recommend it, though be prepared for a slower-paced read. As a side note, I think this would make a fantastic movie or TV series with some really good acting.

I'm finding this book quite difficult to rate and I think I'm settling around a 3.75. It was good, but also a bit weird and I think my mood just wasn't totally in it. This is definitely a me issue. It did have quite a few clever twists and turns, some predictable and some not, and this helped to keep me engaged. The whole premise was very intriguing, and the synopsis is what roped me in. I liked the family dynamics and the whole rich people behaving badly vibe. I also liked the flashbacks and the chapters that gave another POV. I think my main issue was with the pacing. It felt a little bit off. It started off really well, and I enjoyed the way the conclusion tied everything together. The middle was a bit slow though and I found myself losing interest at times.

Thank you Sourcebooks for the review copy! A Girl Like Us is a really entertaining read combining a lot of themes I like, such as bad rich people vibes, a compelling protagonist overcoming trauma, and a true crime/succession vibes. The plot is immediately engaging and filled with satisfying twists and turns that kept me hooked. Give me all the dysfunctional family drama and lead characters like Maya and Colin who you want to cheer on, and a the morally grey, ruthless/at what cost plot points and I am here for it!

Now I love any book with money, murder, mystery and secrets and A GIRL LIKE US by Anna Sophia McLoughlin was right up my alley. THIS ONE IS SOOOO GOOD!

Ex-reality star Maya Miller (Miss Mayhem on her show) has just married Colin Sterling of the rich and powerful global media empire family. When Colin’s cousin, Arianna, the heiress to the family fortune soon dies, the family is all called back to England. But is this to grieve or re-group? Arianna has had a very long history of mental illness and has been institutionalised frequently for her antics and unfounded accusations in the past. As the family draws together we meet an aunt, a sister, cousins, and employees who all seem to have both secrets and stories to tell. Arianna’s will proves a shock to the family and mere disdain turns to suspicion as the family struggles to protect what’s their’s. As the family remains in lockdown in their English manor, the question becomes, are they keeping secrets inside or the curious public out.

But Maya is not the innocent she could be perceived by others. She too, has secrets, has told some lies, and is not exactly the wide-eyed former party girl she used to be. As she searches for answers inside the Sterling family mansion she encounters hidden clues, secrets kept and begins to piece together the puzzle of Arianna’s life. Was she really as disturbed as the rest of the world believed her to be?

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Every word was like music to my ears. The dysfunctional family dynamics, the secrets kept and those revealed showed true manipulations from every angle. The writing was clear and concise and lead to such an enjoyable read, I did not want the book to end. I believe This is my first Anna Sophia McLaughlin book, but if she writes like this, it will certainly not be my last! I’m on pins and needles to see where she takes me next.

Thank you to NetGalley and source Books for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Rounded up. I’ll admit, it took me a while to warm up to this book, likely due to the third person narration that can create a distance, a separation from the protagonist. And yet, the more I read, the more intrigued and interested I became. This started a bit like an average ‘rich people’ drama… but turned into a twisty murder mystery, psychological thriller with a few reveals that I hadn’t seen coming.

Early on, I found the writing a bit too descriptive - there’s only so much interest I can garner for the details of a mansion and its contents - yet at others, the prose so beautifully evoked Maya’s inner upheaval.

“She tries to move away from the photos, the feelings that accompany them, to move toward her rooms with an air of imperturbability. But that’s bullshit. There’s an inner tremble she can do nothing at all to still.”

“Mind focused on her past, that old bruise…”

And at a certain point, the rationale behind the choice of 3rd person perspective for Maya becomes clear, used to contrast another key character’s first person journal entries.

Our MMC, Maya, is a former controversial reality tv star turned cosmetics entrepreneur who has married up, way up, into a family linked to a mega media empire (think the Murdochs). She and Colin, and new baby Becca, are returning from their honeymoon when they are redirected to the family estate in the UK due to a murder… and then it’s on: verbal sparring with the new in-laws, learning more about this family she’s married into, and discovering just how powerful they truly are - and not in a good way.

But Maya was raised by a grifter, and puts that early training to good use to blaze her own way through a minefield of coverups, manipulations and some truly twisted acts.

“Secrets beget lies, and lies beget more lies.”

I enjoyed this much more than I initially thought I would.

My thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

Taking place in 2004, former reality TV star Maya Miller marries Colin Sterling, heir to a powerful family whose wealth and influence rival royalty. When Colin’s cousin Arianna is murdered, Maya unexpectedly becomes the next heiress—and the prime suspect. Trapped in the family’s secluded estate, Silver House, Maya must uncover the truth about the Sterlings and their deadly secrets before it’s too late.

This book is definitely a perfect combination of Succession meets Saltburn, so whoever came up with that comparison, you deserve your kudos! The book had an intriguing premise, but the pacing was a bit uneven, with a slow middle that nearly lost me. I enjoyed the exploration of a wealthy family’s dynamics and the flashbacks to Arianna’s downfall were exceptionally portrayed and fun to dive into. The conclusion tied everything up well, but it felt drawn out, making the story enjoyable but slightly too soap opera'y for my taste. A GIRL LIKE US is perfect for fans of Liv Constantine or the ‘rich people problems’ trope.

What if an heiress you didn't know was murdered, and shockingly left her generational wealth to you? What if you didn't have an alibi for the night she died?

Former reality star Maya Miller has just parlayed her brains and beauty into a marriage with Colin Sterling, part of the famous and powerful Sterling family empire. When Colin's cousin Arianna is found murdered, and shortly after Maya is revealed to be the new heiress to the family fortune, everyone in the family is locked down in their palatial British estate while accusations are hurled and secrets protected. Maya has secrets of her own to protect, and doesn't know who she can trust and who is out to get her.

I loved this locked room mystery with its bright but morally grey protagonist, and enough twists to make your head spin! It was such a juicy, delicious escape and so satisfying.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for this book!

This story felt like an escape. A visit to high class with designer brands and a mansion with every luxury imaginable. But does anything that good come without its anxiety inducing murder mystery?

Protocol 202 brings maya, her new husband Colin and their infant daughter, Becca back to England. Arianna has been murdered. Maya, while new to the family has never heard of Arianna. Not only is she meeting the family, she’s learning more about her husband’s uncle and his cousin.

As the deceased heiresses story unfolds, Maya can’t help but to feel the parallels to her own life.

Some of the verbiage felt forced to me but the storyline was great. I was hooked from the start. I was also super excited to have guessed at least part of the twists. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks and Anna Sophia MacLoughlin for providing the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

"A Girl Like Us" features a tough main character, determined to uncover the sinister secrets of the wealthy family she married into. For those who enjoy a slow burn mystery with a twist ending, McLoughlin's locked-room mystery/thriller will leave you satisfied and wanting more.

**Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**

Who doesn’t love a good mystery where the underestimated, poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks wins big?
I have to admit when I first started reading I thought this might be one of my meh reads. But then holy Mary things got twisty in the best possible way.
I honestly had no clue what new twist was coming next. Everybody is morally gray in this family…and some are downright morally bankrupt.
You’ll love this if you like locked door mysteries with a bit of poor girl marries into really really rich old money.
I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

Set in 2004, Maya Miller is a former reality TV star who hits the marriage jackpot by marrying Colin Sterling. He is part of the very wealthy Sterling family who own a media empire. The couple gathers with the Sterling family at an ancestral estate in the English countryside after the death of a cousin. In a twist Maya is revealed as the next heiress to the family fortune.

The Sterlings are ruthless and greedy. And no one understands how Maya became the name heir. Fingers soon point to her as the killer and she must find a way to clear her name. This is a book where everyone is a little dodgy, but some more than others. There are twists and turns with some I could see coming and others more surprising. I did find the middle a little slow but the tension kept building. I like suspense thrillers, I just wish there were a few more likable characters in the story.

A Girl Like Us…

The title hooked me but it was the first chapter that completely captivated me .

I loveeeeed the English Countryside setting and the nod to the 2000s. There were moments of nostalgia.

Murder and Madness, oh my!

The whole plot was deliciously twisted, jam packed with characters you’ll love to hate (except Colin of course). I devoured this book in one sitting and can not wait to listen to it on audio!

A Girl Like Us, can not be missed .

Check out this teaser :

It's 2004 and former reality TV star and party girl Maya Miller has just married the most eligible bachelor on the planet: Colin Sterling, of the globally famous Sterling family whose history of aristocratic titles and land holdings rival a British royal and whose media empire is comparable to the Murdochs. To some, Maya represents the American dream. To others, a gold digger. But when Colin's cousin Arianna, the heiress to the family's immense fortune, is found murdered, Maya is thrust into the spotlight: first as she is revealed to be the next heiress to the fortune, and then as the prime suspect.

Swiftly, the entire Sterling family goes into lockdown at Silver House, the family's ancestral estate in the English countryside. They're told it's for their own safety—but Maya becomes convinced that it's not to keep threats out, but to keep secrets in. Now, she has no choice but to find and expose the truth hidden within the Sterling family, and why Arianna, a girl she had never met, chose her to take her place. But Maya has secrets of her own. And she knows that in order to survive the Sterlings, she'll have to beat them at their own game.

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookmarked for my #gifted copy of this book!

Wow, this book definitely took me for a ride! While a bit slow at the beginning and dialogue heavy, once this one got going, it REALLY got going!

Honestly, there were several twists in this and almost all of them shocked me! One I did half guess—but just the what and not the how. It was so well written and honestly, major kudos to @annasophiamcloughlin because this is such an amazing debut 👏🏻

This book is described as Succession meets Saltburn, but since I haven’t seen either of those 😂 the closest things I would personally compare this to would be Knives Out (although this book takes itself more seriously) meets the book The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.

Many of the characters give love to hate vibes, and while I could see why some wouldn’t, I personally liked the duality of our FMC, Maya. I feel like one of her secrets will probably bother some, but…it’s a very real part of life for many people, unfortunately 🤷🏻‍♀️ Although snippets are dropped throughout, I would have liked to know even more about her history with her parents. Also—absolutely LOVED the chapters from Arianna’s POV. What a super well-written character! Her personality and voice SHINES through her journal entries and I couldn’t get enough.

The ending is mostly satisfying, albeit a bit rushed. While some things that happen in the story are a bit unbelievable, I still felt on the edge of my seat to know what was going to happen and invested in knowing.

Overall, a great thriller, ESPECIALLY for a debut, and one worth checking out!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC.

This was a twisty ride and I enjoyed every second of it. The family drama, the press drama, all of it was so fun. I didn't predict every twist which added to my enjoyment.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the privilege of reading and reviewing this book. All opinions are completely my own and in my own words.

I know a book is well written (in my opinion anyways) when I read multiple books at the same time AND can keep trap of all the the many characters. I mystery that will keep you guessing until the endThis was a joy to read and I look forward to reading more books by the author.

If you like to read about rich families that have dark scandalous secrets than you will eat this book up this is definitely the type of book you read to get out of a slump

Happy Pub Day to A Girl Like Us ✨

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early gifted copy!

If you love the following this book is for YOU:
*Locked Room Mystery
*Unreliable Narrator
*Family Secrets
*Reality TV Character
*Riveting High Drama
*Big Twist

I highly think you should move this one up on your TBR - go in without knowing anything else and enjoy the ride! So binge worthy!

Happy Reading my bookish friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC. I absolutely LOVED this book! While it was long, it was written so well I blew through it. The writing was great at keeping my interest. I loved the bits and pieces of Arianna along the way. The twists and turns were very well done. There was a lot of characters to keep track of but I didn’t find it challenging. Cannot wait for more from this author.

Happy publication day!

Setting this in 2004 is an interesting choice since other than some cultural references and technology gaps the time doesn't seem too far off of now- which might say something about the lack of change over the last twenty years of how we treat women in the spotlight in tabloids. I like the idea of Maya, a discounted "nobody" in the eyes of the powerful family she's married into, taking control of both her narrative and the power she finds herself coming into in this story. Nice twists and plenty of dark family secrets to reveal.