After the kidnapping of one twin, the second twins life is never the same or her own....

This book took me a while to really get into it. Loved the premise of the book but felt predictable. It does have some twist and ultimately is a good book.

This is a book I quite literally couldn't put down! I read this in one sitting (while staying up entirely too late for a work night) as I had to know where the story was going and how it would end. After finishing the book, I would describe it as haunting. I felt both sad and angry for the MC, Eve, as she had to carry the burden of losing her twin sister and having no support from her own family, who, in fact, made the situation much, much worse. The fact that Eve doesn't see what's happening as abuse initially is sad, and it's heartbreaking when she does recognize and call what is happening to her abuse. This is a heavy book as it deals with mental health issues, abuse, loss, and sexuality through the eyes of a teenager living in an unstable home. While some people feel that the book gets too repetitive in the middle, I think it makes sense as Eve is ruminating on the issues in her life. If you've ever dealt with mental illness firsthand, you may understand getting stuck in your own head and the repetitive thoughts that cycle constantly, so I find that it makes sense for Eve to be thinking over and doing the same things without actually making the changes she desperately wants to. My only critique is that the book shifts between reading as a YA book and an adult book throughout the story, so a more focused voice in the writing on either side would make for a stronger overall narrative.

I like how the book ends and feel like everything was resolved in a satisfying manner. I want to go more in depth about the ending, but that would be full of major spoilers. Overall I think it was an excellent book, and I hope Melanie Hooyenga writes more psychological thrillers in the future.

This book was an interesting read, and the plot was original, which I was happy to see. I saw the main plot twist coming from around chapter 3 of the book, but I still enjoyed seeing how the author went through with it. I also enjoyed the other twists that I wasn’t expecting. Overall, it was a good book, and I’d read from this author again.

I thought this book had an interesting premise but the execution was not well done. It was messy and it frequently felt as though it was biting off far more than it could chew. There's something to be said for an ambiguous ending but this one was more frustrating than that.

I’m honestly mixed on my reviews on this one. I like a good psychological thriller but when the story has no answers for some of the questions throughout the book and leaves me feeling like the end of Squid Game season 2, then I cant really leave an honest review. I liked how it started. The tension. The broken family vibes. Those were gravitating me in. Then, I reached the middle. Unfortunately it felt a little repetitive. I felt like I was flipping through pages but not really going anywhere. I really wanted to like this one, but I got to a point where I felt like I had to throw in the towel. But then I picked it back up, hoping the ending would give me the happiness I needed to finish the novel but instead, felt empty. I might give it a second go just to make certain of how I felt, but right now, it just wasn’t my overall go to for recommendations.

The premise of this one sounded so good, but unfortunately for me it was way too slow to hold my attention and I was not able to stick to it. I just couldn't get into it at all and had to call it quits.

The Quiet Unraveling of Eve Ellaway follows 18-year-old Eve whose life is anything but normal.
Born a twin, her sister's kidnapping has hung over Eve's life before she was even aware of it, with desperate actions taken to protect her mother's wellbeing chipping away at Eve piece by piece until she feels as though perhaps she's better at being her imagined identity than herself.

The premise of this book was too interesting to turn away from, and although aspects of the plot and backstory were initially confusing, these things are resolved and explained in due time within the book, after which the writing and the story flow at what is mostly a slow to medium pace (with fast paced moments when necessary).
The book features multiple plot twists which don't come as obvious to the reader and are therefore gripping and thrilling and continue to move the plot along - albeit in a direction you don't quite expect - with a shocking finish that, although open-ended in some regard, captures the messy unknown of a reality like this.

Melanie Hooyenga manages to write about serious, often taboo topics in a way that doesn't glamorise or make light of them, instead presenting the raw and often uncomfortable reality as exactly that.
Additionally, her inclusion of queer characters and coming-of-age storylines amidst the main story was very much appreciated and was interwoven in a way where neither storyline fought to overpower the other

If you're a fan of messy/dysfunctional characters, unreliable narrators, psychological thrillers, YA suspense and mystery, this is definitely a book I'd recommend picking up.

4.5⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Left-Handed Mitten Publications, and Melanie Hooyenga for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was slow with plenty of melodrama-in-the-mundane alongside the heartbreaking and strange, but I think that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be. If you enjoy psychological tension, fractured family dynamics, and YA romance, you may really like this—just be prepared for a slower middle section and a few unanswered questions by the end.

Energy: Vacillating. Affected. Ingenuous.

🐺 Growls: The writing gets repetitive going over the character’s plans and the realizations. Some of the dramatic musing on things like romance, friendships, and the future fit the tone at first, but eventually it felt tedious and more like filler.

🐕 Howls: It was often ambiguous when the main character was pretending to be her twin vs imagining hearing her voice. I liked the ending in theory, but the execution felt a little written-into-a-corner and sudden.

🐩 Tail Wags: How the ending made me re-examine everything in hindsight. The YA romance was a mix of swooning and cheesy lines, but I know that’s because I’m an adult - I can imagine it as sweet and hopeful to my younger self.

Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in small town on the shore of Lake Michigan, USA
Perspective: A twin whose sibling was kidnapped as a baby and never found. To stave off the complete mental breakdown of their mother, our main character has been pretending to be both themselves and their twin sibling, but they’re questioning the health of this charade.
Timeline: Current (2010s or 2020s). Spring. Linear.
🔥 Fuel: What happened to the twin sister kidnapped as a baby? Is she alive? What will happen to the mother if they get her to understand reality? Who will our main character choose as a romantic partner?
📖 Cred: Suspended disbelief to plausible.

Mood Reading Match-Up:
Friends TV show. Crashing waves. Knitted scarf. Treehouse. Beach jogs. Baseball game. Sweatshirt. Prom.
• Separated at birth sibling loss
• Dysfunctional family drama and tragedy
• Long chapters, heavy on reflecting and ‘telling’
• Multiple romantic interests trying to win over the main character
• Conflicted feelings teen romance
• One-sided relationships
• Twisty ends
• YA romantic suspense
• Unhinged situations
• Deep in the character’s mind getting their tunnel vision perspective and thoughts/interpretations

Content Heads-Up:
Abduction (child). Abusive parent (emotional abuse, distant; physically abusive brief recall). Agoraphobia. Bullying (outing, passive aggressive, gaslighting). Homophobia (parental disapproval). Loss of child (as baby). Mental illness (dissociation, C-PTSD, delusions). Murder. Outing. Trafficking (human; discussion, class project).

Rep: American. Second generation Honduran American, Indian-American peripheral character. Queer. Hetero. Lesbian.

📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from Left-Handed Mitten Publications, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Titles and NetGalley.

Eve Ellaway can’t wait to go to college and start her own life for a different reason than most. Since her twin sister Gen disappeared when they were babies, Eve has sometimes pretended to be her sister Gen to protect her mother’s fragile grasp on reality. Transitioning back and forth between Eve and Gen, Eve is no longer sure what she wants in life.

This was my first book by Melanie Hooyenga and it definitely won’t be my last! Hooyenga does an excellent job exploring the complex topic of mental illness. I didn’t see the twists coming and was shocked at them. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys thrillers! I give it 4/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This book was definitely a slow burn. It started really slow so that for a long time I didn't know whether or not I was going to enjoy it. I'm glad that I stuck with it though because the development of the Eve was something that I never would have expected. Eve has had to play the role of her twin sister, Gen, her entire life. Her mother is mentally, unstable and after her twin sister was kidnapped, her father is afraid that telling her mother the truth will push her over the edge. As a result, Eve must pretend to be both herself and her sister while in her home. With the start of a new school year and a new next door neighbor, Eve begins to fear that her family's secret will get exposed.

Eve grows more unhinged as developments into her secret home life threaten to get exposed, but can she keep herself from unraveling before she has the opportunity to start a new life post high school?

The uniqueness of this story pulled me in from the start. I was intrigued by the depths of Eve's secrets, it seems like each person in her life knows a different side of her with no one, not even Eve, really knowing her true self. I was confused when Eve was having conversations with Gen at times and even more puzzled at Eve's desperate need to keep those conversations going, but overall those scenes served to carry the story forward. Eve is diagnosed near the end of the book, but she also admits that she isn't telling her doctor everything so I am not certain the author included the diagnosis to act as an actual answer or just as a filler to the story.

I wish the book would have revealed who kidnapped Eve's twin sister when they were babies. Even if it was another crazy twist, like the dad gave up Gen all along. This would have at least left all questions answered by the end of the book and the dad theory still wouldn't have felt too farfetched, since there was so much build up in Eve's hatred towards her father being the family manipulator throughout the course of the novel.

Eve is an unreliable narrator but the final two scenes really clash with one another, not because of what Eve believes happened which of course will be askew but because the author chose to include outsiders' testimonies to what happened and they don't line up with the actual outcome of the final event. I know that is super vague but I am also trying to not include spoilers. I only wanted to point this out because why even shift the novel's POV to 3rd person for .01% of the novel if it isn't even going to serve as truth?

Overall this book was just ok enough to keep me reading. Maybe if you're someone whose super into thrillers, twins, and mental health this story will read better for you.

DNF @ 11%. Honestly, j usually will get at least a quarter through the book before giving up, but everytime I attempt to read this, I want to take a nap. I’m bored!

The premise sounded REALLY intriguing, so it’s a bummer that I couldn’t catch on with this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Left-Handed Mitten Publications for this ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt it was cleverly written. I was sucked in shortly after I started. This book is such a page turner. I don't want to spoil anything. I felt it was beautifully written and would like to read more by this author.. I did review on goodreads

I enjoyed parts of this book but some of it was far too predictable. I enjoyed the premise but I felt it became quite difficult to determine which character was narrating half the time.

It’s worth a read, but not as gripping as I hoped

I thought the premise of this book was absolutely brilliant - A girl having to pretend to be herself and her missing twin sister just to stop her mum from losing the plot - reminded me of What Happened to Tuesday.

Unfortunately, it was only the plot of the book that forced me to keep going as long as I did. The writing style didn't really work: sometimes it read like a YA and other times an adult novel, which was very confusing and often irksome because when we got to the more adult writing, I started to enjoy it, but then when it became more YA, I really had to push through.

Elle seemed way too mature for a newly turned 18 year old in terms of her level of introspection and self-awareness. I understand that you probably would be quite self aware for someone who had to carry the secrets and weight of her mother's sanity that she does, but it's very much bordering on unrealistic.

I pushed through until the point we start to find out what happened to Elle's sister, but when I realised I was still only 79% in, I gave up because I can't imagine what more needed to be covered in all that time since the book already felt way too long as it was.

So, unfortunately, this book wasn't for me, which is a real shame because I went into this book with a lot of hope and expectations.

The cover and the title grabbed my attention immediately. The premise of the unraveling is quite unique and I was ready for something different to read. Along with Eve and let’s just say Gen, as well, readers, from the outset, enter a world of complex family trauma and mental illness. The story fully centers on Eve, a teenage girl forced to live in the shadow of her twin sister, Gen, who was kidnapped as an infant and never seen again. Eve’s mother refuses to accept the loss of her daughter and views Eve sometimes as herself and many times as her twin, Gen. I wondered why Eve would perpetuate the ruse but realize I must understand she was protecting her mother and her profound denial and mental health struggles. Even Eve's father buys into the ridiculous ploy and compels his daughter, to assume the role of both twins, creating a life where she must alternate between her own identity and that of her missing sister. This bizarre, heartbreaking arrangement shapes Eve’s adolescence, leaving her grappling with her own identity and unresolved grief.

As the story pretty slowly unfolds, the author focuses on Eve’s teenage experiences, including relationships complicated by lies and misunderstandings due to her fractured home life. But once you get into Eve’s story, the plot is full of surprises, including two major twists that left me incredulous, as I was not preoared for either twist, both occurring toward the end of the book.

Overall, this psychological thriller is a well written gripping exploration of identity and mental illness. You may find situations unsettling, as Eve searches for wholeness in the midst of psychological turmoil.

If you like dark, disturbing novels, you will be captivated examining this teen’s life that blurs between reality and delusional.

5 stars. Highly recommend. Once published, I plan on suggesting this for my book club to read.

The multiple layer story of her imprisonment is heart tugging and captivating. She’s stuck as a prisoner with her mother, another with her father, another with her secrets from her friends, her sister, and then with herself.

While it was a little slow to start, it quickly became intoxicating. I didn’t want to put it down once things started to change for Eve. As the reader, it was easy to be pulled into the psychological thriller aspects of the story while being eager to solve the mystery and keep reading to see what comes next. It wrapped up perfectly for the genre and left me with a sense of “yes, this is how it should be”. I love when you finish a book and it lingers on your thoughts and emotions.

I have mixed feelings about this book, half I enjoyed and the other half was extremely predictable.

It was well written and as much as some was predictable I didn’t expect the plot twist at the end, although I’d of liked more information on that, it had me doubting if sky was real or was just one of Eve’s personalities.

Overall a good book though :)

What in the world?!! This was an interesting book about a girl who is forced to play her twin after she goes missing. However, the ending absolutely threw me! I definitely was not expecting it and I don’t feel like the story really set up that ending! But it was definitely shocking!

I received an early copy through Netgalley but all opinions are my own.