Imagine yourself looking at a picture of you and a friend, and then realizing that you’re ‘twinning’ – but not in a good way.

Traci Calloway Cole is the best thing that ever happened to Simone Phillips. What seems like admiration in the beginning turns into obsession, and then things start to get a little creepy — nope, I take that back — extremely creepy.

The Good Stuff:
1. I really liked this story. There was just something so refreshing about it. It was a straight-to-the-point, no-nonsense kind of book and that totally worked for me.
2. I loved how things built up. “The copying” was so gradual that it actually felt normal and harmless at first.
3. The book was not unnecessarily long. Everything was described well without 10 pages being wasted for every single character. Simplicity is often the ultimate sophistication.
4. It was really interesting. I think what made it such a page-turner was that it’s a story that nearly every woman can relate to. We’ve all had at least one point in our lives where we felt like we needed something (we didn’t really need) or wanted to be a certain way just because someone else had it or was that way.
5. The story highlights the fact that there are so many women out there who have serious issues stemming from childhood trauma (mental and/or physical) and probably have no idea that they need help. In the beginning, I was really creeped out by the extent to which Simone was ready to go in order to be exactly like Traci, but then I felt really sorry for her later on because she was completely oblivious to the fact that she was doing something wrong.
6. The red sleeveless sheath dress from Talbots – I couldn’t stop myself from doing a quick Google search to see what the hype was about (ha ha!).

The Issues:
1. Although I really liked this book, I still felt like there was something missing that I can’t quite put my finger on. It was like having a meal that tasted great but could have been a bit better with an extra pinch of salt to add more punch to the flavor. Does that make sense?
2. Everything unravelled a bit too quickly at the end

Random thoughts:
– Page 96 – Simone is creepy! Run Traci run!
– Page 161 – What is Simone’s secrettttt?! I must know!
– Epilogue: I liked how this part was written. It felt like I was watching the ending of movie

Overall impression: A very satisfying read!

When Simone runs into her favorite writer, Traci Calloway Cole, she seizes the opportunity to befriend the woman. As Simone delves deeper and deeper into their friendship and strives to be just like Traci, her fixation becomes creepy and goes a hair too far. As Simone and her secrets unravel, danger abounds, and Simone's sanity and obsession both plunge over the edge...

Sounds rather exciting? I wish the plot wasn't so predictable, the characters not so cliche, and the writing not so painfully juvenile and elementary. I was expecting something marginally smarter, literate, and suspenseful, and I got a read that I could've phoned in myself. Overall, a true mass market read, 'not for one of any literary sophistication.