Thank you so much to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for allowing me to review this ARC.

Una a young blonde girl starts working as a live in carer for Elspeth Mckenzie.
Things don't seem to add up when Una discovers that the two previous employees before have died.
Una sets to investigate the truth of how the girls have died and not become just like the other girls.

This thriller had me on the edge of my seat from the start. It was so twisty, full of suspense, Claire had me guessing right to the end. This read will keep you on tender hooks, all my theories were totally wrong, which is great as no one like a predictable story.

A must read and I highly recommend you pick this one up.

5 out of 5 from me.

I have read a number of books by Claire Douglas and not been disappointed. This is my favourite to date. The sign of a good thriller is when, at no point in the book do you have a clue "who dunnit?" and why. This was one of those books.

The book is told from the perspective of the main characters and to a lesser extent the killer and I must admit I like this style of writing.

Una having recently lost her mother, is at a crossroads in her life and decides to leave her low paid job in a care home in favour of a well paid job as a companion/carer to wealthy widow Elspeth who lives in a grand house in Bristol. Early on she discovers she had 2 predecessors who had died in suspicious circumstances and suspects all is not as it seems. Una is determined to get to the bottom of these deaths, even at risk to herself. It becomes clear that Elspeth is not really as in need of a carer as Una was led to believe. Still, it is well paid and will help Una put aside the money she will need fo go travelling with her friend Courthey in the future.

Elspeth's adopted daughter Kathryn figures heavily in the book and does not come across as a particularly nice person. Clearly not liking either Una or her predecessors, and there are underlying tensions and insecurities in her relationship with her mother. I like how the author keeps you thinking about what involvement, if any, she may have in these deaths.

A real page turner that kept me guessing and what a brilliant "out of the blue" ending. I love a book where I can't figure it out and this was surely one of those. Well done Claire you did it again!

I highly recommend this book and I would like go thank Netgalley UK, the author and the publishers, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for allowing me a an advanced arc copy of the book for a fair and unbiased review.

Just Like the Other Girls by Claire Douglas is a clever and twisty story that hooked me in straight away. Thought I’d sussed it out a few times but I couldn’t have guessed that ending, although, the story did come together perfectly. A very enjoyable and recommended read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I have read most of Claire Douglas' books and she is getting better. This is a bit different from other psychological thrillers and that is a welcoming development as some are a bit repetitive these days, especially when you have read a lot of them.

This book doesn't have many characters therefore it seems easy to guess the culprit, but it is not. Furthermore, you think you know the motive, it looks fairly obvious and you know you might be on a false track as it is too obvious. Then comes the surprise.

It is the story of Una who after losing her mum accepts a job as a carer for an older woman who is not as helpless as she claims to be. There is also her daughter a rather unpleasant woman that does not treat Una too well. Then Una finds out that the two previous carers have died in strange circumstances and she is getting suspicious. Is the old lady a killer or her daughter?
Fast and twisting this is an excellent read for the summer months, finally a psychological thriller that has actually kept me awake as I wanted to see how it ended.

Set in Bristol, this book tells the story of an elderly lady and her companions. The book starts with an advertisement for a companion. We meet Una who is delighted to get the job. As she settles in though it is clear that all is not well in the house. What happened to her predecessors? Why does Esther's daughter have such a negative attitude to Una and her new role?
The story is full of twists and surprises, some of which stretch the bounds of credibility a little. For somebody who does not know the area, locations are well drawn. An enjoyable read

This book had a lot of plot twists in. I was sure that I knew who was responsible for the murders of the girls but was proven incorrect. I only liked the girls in the book but the other characters were not likable at all. Some parts of the plot did not make sense to me and that made the book difficult to believe.
Overall I enjoyed the story but can only give it 3.5 stars.

What an outing by Claire Douglas in her latest book. I've been a fan of hers for a long time, and I wondered if it was starting to get a bit stale, but this one just blew me away. Just Like the Other Girls is a story about Elspeth an old lady who lives on her own and the helpers that she employs. But what the story entails is twisted and dark and full of so many layers it was impossible to peel them all away.

I was surprised by some aspects of the books, things happened that I wasn't expecting, and that I didn't think an author would have the courage to do (I really am trying not to give anything away). But it made it fascinating and intriguing and a really great read.

A twisty turny psychological thriller about a young woman who becomes a live-in carer for an elderly lady.

It should be the job of Una's dreams. A huge house. Little actual work to do. No expenses. But something's off.

Elspeth, the lady she's looking after, doesn't seem to need much care at all. She has a daughter who's hanging around, glaring at everyone, and there's the small matter of the carers who came before Una. What the hell happened to them? And why doesn't anyone seem to care?

The more Una asks, the more she wishes she didn't...

As I say, there are plenty of twists and aha moments, and the need to answer all the questions above propelled me through the book - I picked it up this morning and finished it this evening, and even made vague attempts at looking after my children in between. Occasionally a character makes an annoying decision or is somewhat frustrating in themselves (ahem Kathryn) but it all adds up to a pretty good whole.

This one was ok but not as good as other books by this author. It was well written and full of mystery and twists and turns however I did find it extremely far fetched in parts. I also detested the characters of Elspeth and her daughter Kathryn so I found myself feeling irritated whenever they were mentioned. The ending wasn’t predictable which was refreshing but overall it was a little too unbelievable got me to score it any higher.

Just Like The Other Girls
Author: Claire Douglas
Publisher: Penguin Michael Joseph
Publication Date: 6 August 2020

Tense, gripping and full of twists with an unpredictable and satisfying ending, I loved this book. Set in Clifton, an area of Bristol I am familiar with, the descriptions of the place and characters felt very real. I liked that it was unpredictable all the way through, one twist in particular left me open mouthed and desperate to read on to find out what had happened.
I haven't read any other books by this author but I will definitely be seeking them out.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Not the best thriller I’ve read. Found a little too hard to believe and I likable characters. Comes together well but not upto my expectations

Who is manipulating whom? What secrets does the aptly named Cuckoo house in Bristol hide? Una arrives as live-in carer to wealthy Elspeth and discovers previous girls in her position have mysteriously disappeared. She suffers Elspeth’s moods as well as her rules and gets the cold shoulder from Elspeth’s daughter. To relieve the boredom she tries to find out more about the family. However, there is danger around every corner with chapters voiced by the different characters as well as one unidentified voice who is zeroing in on their next victim.

Kept me guessing all the way through. Half way the action gathers momentum and still the surprises come right to the very end but it all ties together.

I thought this book was excellent. I loved the characters, it was well written and I was totally engaged by it. I thought it was going to be pretty predictable to start with but it was not (no spoiler here). It is a clever and well written plot. It kept me guessing for most of the book but equally I was satisfied with the ending. I highly recommend this.

This book would make a good holiday read, as it is a light novel and romps along at a good pace from the very start. The main characters, Una, Willow and Courtney, are all very likeable and realistic. Other aspects of the story do stretch credibility but the author gets away with it. I will look out for other books by Claire Douglas.

Didn't particularly like any of the characters to begin and it took til part 2 to really get into the book. Not my favourite book by this author but compelling reading none the less.

I’d like to thank Penguin UK-Michael Joseph and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Just Like the Other Girls’ by Claire Douglas in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Una answers an advert placed by Mrs Elspeth McKenzie in the Bristol Daily News for a carer/companion. As Una’s mother has recently died and she’s unhappy in her present job she applies and is immediately given the position by Mrs McKenzie who takes a liking to her. Una is similar in appearance to the two previous girls, Matilde and Jemima, neither of whom stayed long and then mysteriously disappeared. Both Mrs McKenzie and her daughter Kathryn are secretive and won’t talk about the girls but the longer Una stays in the house the less safe she feels.

I thoroughly enjoyed the three previous books I read by Claire Douglas and had been looking forward to reading ‘Just Like The Other Girls’ so I’m very disappointed that I haven’t enjoyed it. Although it had an interesting plot, I found I couldn’t empathise with the characters who I thought were insubstantial and unconvincing, nor could I find anything thrilling or exciting in the story. I’m sure my views will be in the minority as other readers appear to love it and I won’t be put off from reading other books by this author but I’m afraid this one didn’t do anything for me.

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

Not my favorite from this author- definitely not her best. Hope the next one is up to snuff

Una has had a rough ride in the last year, her mother who she was very close to died and her boyfriend betrayed her. So, for a new start and to earn some money so that she can go travelling and realise both her and her mother’s dreams she applies for a live-in job as a carer for an elderly lady in a grand house in Bristol.

She soon discovers that there are some dark secrets and weird goings on within the family and the previous employees of the lady of the house have all died and mysteriously looked very much like her.

What I really liked about this story and wasn’t expecting to happen was that the main character would change half way through although it flowed really well.

To begin with it appeared that fate had finally granted Una some good luck. She had been able to move out of the pokey flat that she had shared with her best friend Courtney and into a stunning house where she had her own massive room that actually had its own en suit. She was earning good money and all she had to do was spend five days a week being elderly Elspeth's companion.

But as time passed Una starts to suspect that something isn't quite right within the opulent walls of the grand old house. A suspicion that is confirmed when she learns about the fates of the previous two companions.

Una can't resist trying to uncover the truth but in doing so,she is placing her own life in danger because someone is watching. Someone who knows the truth and is prepared to go to any lengths to keep their secrets from being uncovered.

This incredible thriller is split into two parts and voiced from the perspectives of numerous characters including Una and her best friend Courtney, Elspeth's daughter Kathryn and a fantastic character called Willow. All of the main characters were relatable and each had their own unique personality traits I really liked Una and I loved the interactions between her and Courtney, I also liked Aggie, the motherly cook. My absolute favourite character was free - spirited Willow with her multi coloured clothes, Doc Martin boots, tattooes and don't take no crap attitude. I really didn't like Elspeth, it was seriously eerie how much she reminded me of my own mother and I can't say that I liked adult Kathryn for most of the book although she did go up in my estimations when it finally dawned on her the mistake that she was making. I almost cheered out loud when that happened. Interspersed throughout the story was chapters that slipped back in time and gave the reader some background information about Kathryn's younger years and her interactions with a character called Viola. The secondary characters were a mixed bag of diverse individuals, some likeable,some not so likeable and a few who were masters of manipulation and deception.

As readers have learned to expect when you settle down with one of Claire Douglas's awesome thrillers Just Like The Other Girls is a extremely well written, intricately plotted thriller. The reader is hooked in from the very first page,drawn into her characters fictional but realistic lives and captivated by every word on every page. The story is packed full of twists,turns and red herrings, keeps you guessing and frantically turning the pages.Her settings and scenes are beautifully described from the ice sparkling on the pavement to the fog enshrined suspension bridge. Outstanding as always, worth far more than five stars and very very highly recommended.

I have read other books by the author and enjoyed them, however, this one missed the mark for me. It felt more of a young adult book particularly with some of the language. A surprise came half way through the book that I wasn't expecting and I was able to guess the 'culprit', although the reason came as a surprise but mostly because there were no hints prior to the big reveal.