Having never read anything by Joe Hart before, I didn’t know what to expect. I thoroughly enjoyed this page turner. It was a quick suspenseful read that keep you asking yourself what on earth is really happening until nearly the end. It came together beautifully in the end and I thought it was very clever.

𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏. 𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒖𝒈𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇. 𝑨 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆. 𝑨 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏.

Imogen has been married to Lev for ten days, and they're on a honeymoon cruise in the Mediterranean when Imogen suspects Lev of being unfaithful. After a tense confrontation, Lev ends up in the open sea. Imogen is frozen in shock, and she's even more incredulous when Lev is found alive hours later with no memory of how he ended up in the water.

The couple returns home and tries to restart their married life, but all the while, the fear that Lev's memories will return is palpable. However, Imogen can't shake the feeling of his infidelity, so she starts to dig. She starts by locating the social media account of the waitress she's sure she saw Lev with and sends her a message. A little more digging unveils the shocking discovery of a woman from Lev’s past he never told her about--a woman who has been missing for years. The tension skyrockets when Imogen begins to suspect that Lev remembers exactly what happened that night on the ship.

Unreliable hysterical wife or cheating gaslighting husband? Told from alternating points of view, I had no idea who or what to believe, and when I got to the line that inspired the title, I screamed. I felt SO DAMN STUPID that I didn't figure out what was going on. Well played, sir.

This book is everything a thriller should be. I was invested immediately, and I felt every bit of the tension, fear, and paranoia the MC felt. This author became an auto-buy for me many books ago. It's not just the genuine twists and exceptional storytelling; it's the fact that he knows how to write female characters without turning them into stereotypes, and he has such deep insight into what it means to be human. He totally nails the flawed familial relationships, past traumas, betrayals by those closest to us, and all the little detritus that makes up who we are.

A huge thank you to Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse and Thomas and Mercer for the early copy. This stunner publishes August 26, 2025.

I liked this book. The story held my attention throughout and the ending was pretty good. I found I had to suspend disbelief a little with Imogene's character though, she was completely off-kilter at times and her past was not beyond reproach. Hard to have sympathy for her on many levels. Overall though this was a quick and satisfying read.

This book was an enjoyable read. There was a good mixture of mystery and suspense that kept the reader interested. A few twists added to the storyline. This is a book which I would recommend to those who enjoy a quick read mystery.

It took me a little bit to get into this book but once I did. I was invested.
I like how you we get the different POVs

An accident
Secrets
Life on the run

So much to take in but it was a good read.
For some reason there were points where I got a little lost where I felt like we moved into something new without really noticing or back tracking

Imogen is on her honeymoon when she suspects her new husband Lev is unfaithful. But she isn’t 100% sure. Is she imagining things? We might never learn the truth when Lev goes overboard. It must be his lucky day though because somehow, he survives. Even though he’s suffering with what the doctors hope is just temporary amnesia. While Imogen is grateful that he survived (since she maybe to blame for his ‘accident’), she is left with many doubts and many more questions.
When they go home, Imogen spends all of her time, trying to find out who her husband really is. Her work suffers, her relationships suffer, and even when Lev seems like the perfect partner, her hackles are up. For quite a while, I thought she may have been going down the wrong path until… Bam… Everything became crystal clear (or so I thought). That was not the only surprising twist, and I just kept flipping pages to see where the story was actually headed.
This was a treadmill read for me, and there wasn’t a moment when it didn’t keep me moving. Even though the ending worked, I found myself wishing for just a little bit more story. Maybe an epilogue?

Review of ‘I Become Her’ by Joe Hart due for publication on 26 August 2025 by Thomas & Mercer.

Newlyweds Imogen & Lev are on their honeymoon when Imogen begins to suspect that Lev is being unfaithful (they’ve only been married for 10 days). Accusations, denial of betrayal and anger results in a shocking accident and a loss of memories of what happened before.

The past comes back to haunt them, bringing with it secrets and lies resulting in fear and wondering who exactly they have married.

I Become Her by new to me author Joe Hart, published by Thomas & Mercer, is a thriller of its finest. Intriguing, suspenseful, with twists and turns I never saw coming. An unputdownable pageturner that deserves all the stars, I recommend the book, 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc.
Only ten days into their marriage, Imogen and Lev Carmichael are on a honeymoon cruise in the Mediterranean when Imogen suspects her husband of being unfaithful. Amid the recriminations, denials, and rage, Lev falls overboard into the water. It’s a miracle he’s found alive. And with no memory of what pushed him—and Imogen—over the edge.

Back home among family and friends, Imogen and Lev are finally starting to readjust. As terrified as Imogen is of Lev’s memories returning, it’s her suspicions of infidelity that get the best of her. Then, searching for clues, she discovers a woman from Lev’s past he never told her about…a woman who has been missing for years. More alarming is that Imogen soon has reason to believe that Lev remembers more than he’s letting on. But why would he lie?

The man Imogen loved, married, and trusted is a man she’s now beginning to fear. And she must decide how far she’s willing to go to uncover the truth.





this was an okay book. But I would definitely read more from this author

All I can say is wow ! Expect the unexpected and always follow your gut ! This kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t put it down ! A thrilling ride indeed ! Imogen is a true bad ass !

One word gripping... If you’re looking for atmosphere, drama and suspense, then this is definitely book for you!

This book was totally unexpected and explosive, but you’ll need to read it to find out why! I was glued to my kindle all evening until I finished it and devoured it in one sitting! I never expected the ending at all totally shocked me!

The blurb drew me in immediately I couldn’t put it down! This was a wonderful 5 star read! Love, love, loved it!

Everyone who gets married wants that fairtyale ending . I feel like i was sharing the same emotion more and more throughout with the character Imogen. It shows the real edge of manipulation at its finest . It makes you question and value trust and people in the role they place in your life. Well written by the author and it was read very quickly purely as i felt so engrossed in it !

I received this ARC from NetGalley and these are my honest opinions :) Book summary at the end of the review.

This book was a damn near perfect thriller that had me confused and gastered my flabbers. Twist after TWIST from about 55% on!
It's a dual perspective jumping timeline book. In following Imogen's narration, she would go back to memories that provided much needed context and I liked that a lot. Every detail of the book felt like it added to the story and wasn't just filler.

Some people don't like an unreliable narrator, but I had so much fun following Imogen. I wanted more for her, wanted to root for her through her confusion. From the beginning, my girl was unhinged and I didn't know what was real or what she was making up in her head.

I thoroughly was confused until about page 300 when it all clicked and my jaw dropped. I guessed several times who the culprit was, what was going on, but I was wrong each time.
There were a couple of points made by the characters advocating for women and how hard it can be to be a woman and usually it comes off as pandering from a male author but I think Joe Hart did a good job.

Why didn't it get 5 stars from me?

There are some things that are pet peeves for me/I just can't get past and the use of the same time of phrase multiple times throughout the book drives me absolutely up the wall.
Imogen mentioned her stomach churning in some shape of form 17 times. SEVEN. TEEN. "My stomach clenched. My stomach flipped. My stomach constricted." Oh. My. God. Not, "my heart stopped. Adrenaline surged through me. I went cold with realization." Nope. "My stomach tightened." or something to that affect. Drove me nuts.

Imogen also "flipped" her brother off 4 separate times and her mouth was consistently dry another 7 or 8 times. I need diversity in explaining these types of feelings and interactions.

I felt that the ending seemed slightly improbable and fell a bit flat for me. I was left with too many logical questions at the end for the ending to feel real.

Final thoughts:
Be that as it may, I still was up late reading and did NOT want to put the story down and I definitely want to read more from this author.


Book Summary:

A wife's search for her husband's true identity spirals into a nightmare of fear and paranoia in a twisting novel of psychological suspense.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Fast read with all the elements of a well written domestic suspense

A wife’s search for her husband’s true identity spirals into a nightmare of fear and paranoia in a twisting novel of psychological suspense!! Wow! Fantastic read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! It had shocking suspense, murder, mystery, gaslighting, gripping and tense moments and a few crazy twists and turns! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me! Definitely don’t miss out on this chilling thriller!

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

The book begins at a leisurely pace, drawing you right into the complicated relationship between Imogen and her new husband Lev.
On the outside everything seems idyllic but after the accident, doubts and mistrust start to take their toll on Imogen who finds herself surrounded by some characters who aren't exactly helpful.
From that moment on things start to change and the pace increases with surprises that keep the tension going, making you start to read more and more frantically.
An ending with more twists and turns makes this psychological thriller a tremendously addictive read.

Gripping and unique, with just a few bumps along the way

I Become Her had me hooked from the start with its original premise and eerie atmosphere. Joe Hart does a great job building tension, and the twists kept me guessing. I really enjoyed the psychological elements and the way the mystery unfolded. That said, there were a few moments where the pacing felt a little off, and I didn’t fully connect with some of the characters. Still, it was a compelling read overall—definitely worth picking up if you’re into dark, twisty thrillers.

I really enjoyed this book , from the get go you are submerged into the characters and their lives. It was very easy to become immersed in this book that keeps you page turning. The plot is good with lots of twisting events, different perspectives from the characters . Everyone who gets married wants that fairtyale ending . I feel like i was sharing the same emotion more and more throughout with the character Imogen. It shows the real edge of manipulation at its finest . It makes you question and value trust and people in the role they place in your life. Well written by the author and it was read very quickly purely as i felt so engrossed in it !

I read this book over a couple of hours because I couldn’t put it down. I thought I had seen the twist coming and boy was I wrong, and happy to be wrong! I do hope that when this book is published there is a trigger warning for animal death, even if it’s only alluded to and not shown, because when I realized what had happened I was dreading reading it (luckily you don’t get the details). Other than that, very Gone Girl-ish to a point with some really great twisty bits. You’ll be hooked from the first chapter!