Member Reviews
There is so much packed into this book and it is brilliant. The story centres around a set of twins and one of the twin’s husband. It is quite difficult to write a review without giving any spoilers but suffice to say it kept me gripped and turning the pages until the very last one. Definitely worth a read.
It's very hard to believe that this is a debut novel, Sarah Bonner has written a book that will blow your mind. I've read so many thrillers that take you on a rollercoaster of twists and turns but I can honestly say that this had me so confused, (in a good way) i was so enthralled and invested in the storyline. I was pulled in so many directions by the protagonists, each of them was convincing enough to pull the wool over the readers eyes. This book is a must read for any fans of psychological dramas. Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. I am under no obligation to provide a review
Many psychological thrillers are described as having 'jaw dropping twists' and ;Her Perfect Twin by Sarah Bonner not just lives upto this description but actually surpasses it. Honestly, I now looking at friends of mine who are twins and wondering "Which is which?"! Hahaa.
Anyway back to my review. At the start of the book we meet Megan, one half of the infamous Patterson twins. She is in a state of panic having just discovered a photo of herself on her husband;s phone. The problem is that she is wearing clothes that she does not own in the photo and she also does not recall having the photo taken. As she husband Chris enters the scene, the reader encounters the slow burning sense of fear from Megan - a sense that all is not well in the marriage, and that Chris may be dangerous. Though whether in a physical or psychological sense, we are not yet sure.
Megan then tells us about her challenging relationship with her twin Leah. And the terrible drama that results when one of the twins is murdered. And the games of cat and mouse begin.
Stories involving twins can often descend into cliches but Bonner rises above such issues with indepth characterisations and providing each character the opportunity to tell their own version of the story.
What a rollercoaster of a book #HerPerfectTwin is! Absolutely unputdownable! More twists and turns than a fairground ride. Also gives us a great insight in to what life was like during the Covid Pandemic! Psychological thriller of the best kind. I will definitely be looking out for more from #SarahBonner Great read!
LOVED this! It's so well-written. The first thing I've read in ages that is properly twisty-turny. I kept thinking I knew what was going to happen, then each time the story would take a different turn. Really clever book.
A very dark and twisty psychological thriller, which grips from the very beginning. Identical twins Megan and Leah have always had a rather disturbing relationship, but when it comes to husbands, there are limits. This book will keep you guessing to the very end, and as a fist novel shows signs of a great career to come.
I finished this book in two sittings flat. So dinner is not prepped and nor is any work completed so maybe start this book when you have three hours to finish it else you will be in the same position I was - reading at work! Fabulous storyline and characters. A must read!
You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family.
With a stack of 2022 books already lined up on my digital bookshelves the decision as to what to pick up first is a lovely dilemma (if you can even call it that!) to be faced with. I chose Her Perfect Twin on the basis that as a twin myself the title was instantly intriguing. OMG!! What a fantastic utterly brilliant choice I made. I’ve been shying away from reading many psychological thrillers of late because whilst some are good many are simply average and a few are downright disappointing. However this is a psychological thriller to blow your mind! Even more impressive is the fact it’s a debut! Brace yourself for a dizzying, jaw dropping high octane and discombobulating read that will leave you wondering whether you’re upside down, the right way up, or if your heart is in your mouth or your stomach. My eyes were popping out of their sockets along with my head which was still spinning after I came up for air, reeling from shock but revelling in all the calculated cunning and dirty double crossings. I had to constantly remind myself to breathe, my heart hammering in my chest, blindsided by every audacious, duplicitous twist and I loved every single second! This is exactly how psychological thrillers should make you feel. I think it’s fair to say this is without doubt one of the best thrillers I’ve read in ages.
As a twin I’m fascinated by the dynamic that exists between siblings born just minutes apart. From my own personal experience I’ve found there’s a special, unique bond that’s pretty much unbreakable even allowing for the usual petty jealousies and rivalries that are part and parcel of any sibling relationship. However having lived in the shadow of my elder twin since childhood I maybe held a smidgeon of sympathy for Megan (for all of five minutes!) whose dysfunctional relationship with twin Leah is off the scale in terms of hatred and competitiveness. There’s no love or loyalty lost between these two! Dysfunctional is the key word here, describing not only the twins relationship but their childhood too, the family blown apart by a most shocking revelation. It would appear Megan has swapped one damaging, destructive relationship for another since her marriage to Chris is just as toxic, trapping her into a life where manipulative mind games are the norm. Obsession, possession, paranoia, power and control denote these characters lives so from the outset the atmosphere is tense and threatening, verging on the absolute terrifying as the plot progresses. In this metaphorical game of tug of war at least one of these characters is going to snap, the outcome of which is insanely, fiendishly wicked and then some! By trying to redress the balance of power anything goes in the most outrageous, scandalous cutthroat case of one upmanship I’ve encountered. I couldn’t get enough of it!
Told from multiple points of view, one character at a time,I liked the construction of this psychological thriller which definitely messes with your head and keeps you on tenterhooks. The twists are superb, the suspense almost unbearable and the effortless way the author has integrated the country’s first lockdown into the narrative, making it a crucial element of the plot is very clever. It’s so well plotted although certain aspects are probably implausible but for entertainment value it’s a knockout. The reason this psychological thriller is so good is largely owing to the characterisation. Some of the best characters are the ones who seem to possess not an ounce of humanity so if you love vile, amoral, dangerous, conniving characters you’ll enjoy spending time with this despicable bunch. The auras surrounding these characters are black through and through so by rights I should have found myself loathing every single one of them. Instead I found their dark natures bizarrely entrancing, hoping for further acts of malice and treachery and lapping up every single instance of warped, behaviour with relish. The more twisted their lives became the greater my overall enjoyment!
It’s probably obvious that I was mightily impressed with Her Perfect Twin even though neither of them can claim that title! On the basis of this debut Sarah Bonner is one to watch. I didn’t have to think twice about awarding this novel 5 ⭐️ and recommend you add this to your TBR post haste. I’m excited to read more from this author in the future.
My thanks as always to the publisher Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely LOVED this book!
Very intriguing premise, and excellent delivery. The story is twisted and dark, and switches the characters' POV always at the point where you thought you were starting to figure out the truth... only to have everything turned upside down again! I always enjoy thrillers where the main characters are twins, as they are usually quite dark, but this one exceeded my expectations! Every character has a very shady side, but that doesn't mean I didn't warm up to them... as bad as it could sound I was actually cheering them up at the end, despite their bad choices and actions.
Last but not least, FINALLY a book where COVID and lockdown are not only swiftly included in the story, but play an important part in it. These last years changed our lives considerably, and I was glad to finally see these events recognised in a thriller.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, who granted me a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The joy of finding a book that you get so caught up in cannot be underestimated…having read so many of Bonner’s reviews on Twitter, I was desperate to read her debut. I am stunned!
Due out in January 2022, I’m so grateful to NetGalley for letting me get my hands on this early…and I’m desperate to read it again to try and make sense of the twisted mind-games and genius plotting that I’ve been fortunate enough to read.
The book started with a humdinger of a quandary. Megan finds a picture of herself on her husband’s phone wearing electric blue underwear. Only she doesn’t have any. I cannot imagine what would go through your mind in this situation, but when we learn Megan has an identical twin her behaviour and subsequent actions make sense. At this point I imagined we’d get an engaging thriller as we followed Megan try to cover up her actions, but really wasn’t expecting anything too out of the familiar.
If I could only take back all my pre-judgments I would be happy, because within a relatively short space of time we are given a complete bolt out of the blue. Nothing will be given away here, but it didn’t take long for me to realise we were in far from familiar territory and being played. And there were more shocks to come!
Told in four parts, this story was so cleverly constructed that I really want to go back and reread it to see which elements I’d missed in the initial read. The characters were far from idealised, but those flaws actually played a key role in the success of the plot.
I am so excited to see what friends make of this when it’s released…though I’m still not entirely sure there isn’t something I missed!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Her Perfect Twin by Sarah Bonner is a twist-filled psychological thriller that will have you guessing until the end! The story revolves around Megan, who believes that her husband has no idea about her identical twin Leah. Leah has always taken everything that Megan wanted. Leah is also living the perfect life. She's famous, a bestselling author, and has plenty of designer clothes. One day, Megan finds a picture of Leah on her husband's phone. How do they know each other? Has Leah been pretending to be her?
Here is a gripping excerpt from an opening chapter from Megan's point of view:
"That was the summer before everything started to change. Before Leah began to look at anything that was mine and want it for herself. Until we were sixteen things had been ours: our toys, our clothes, our bedroom with the bunk beds and the weekly fight for who got to take the coveted top one...
Nothing was safe from Leah's sticky fingers: my make-up pillaged, clothes bought with saved-up wages from my Saturday job stolen and ruined, books destroyed. But her greatest pride came in stealing away my friends. And, of course, the occasional boy who looked my way. I had begun to shrink away into her shadow, and she seemed to draw strength from watching me suffer."
Overall, Her Perfect Twin is an amazing psychological thriller with more twists than I could count. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, the perspective would change and there would be a twist This book will appeal to fans of thrillers involving twins, like GIrl in the MIrror and Mirrorland. If you're ever thought about what it would be like to be an evil twin, this book is for you! I did take off 1 star, because I felt like the plot has been done before and there wasn't much that was "new." If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of psychological thillers, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in January!
This was actually surprisingly a good psychological thriller! I simply couldn't put the book down and got so engrossed into the book from the beginning till the end!
Megan discovers a photo of her estranged identical twin sister Leah on her husband's phone. Leah Patterson has everything--fame, money and she can get any man she wants. Then Megan kills Leah and is trying to live a double life...until COVID lockdown happens.
The story is told from the multiples of POVs--the first part of the story is told from Megan's perspective, the second part by Chris, Megan's psychotic husband, the third part by Leah and the fourth part by Chris' lawyer Jeremy. So it's a bit interesting to get into these characters' heads and see what they are really thinking about and all these emotions, feelings and thoughts. The writing was intense and the author has done a tremendous job drawing the reader into the story and making the reader feel like they are a part of the story! I feel like I am watching a really a good psychological thriller movie as I was reading the book, wondering which of the characters should I trust, who is actually telling the truth and who is the actually victim and killer. I was surprised that this was actually the author's debut book and she did a good job writing a damn good fast paced thriller.
Yeah, there were so many twists and turns that your mind get confused and the ending was unexpected with a slight cliffhanger in the end. I just felt like I am on a roller coaster ride while reading this book!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.
This is one the most deliciously dark and evil books I have read for some time and I absolutely adored everything about it.
So this was a very different premise to a lot of thrillers it has a completely unique plot line that had my head spinning and it was written in such a brilliant way that I just couldn’t guess what was about to happen or predict the ending and thats what made the book so amazing, gripping and full of twists. When you read a lot of thrillers as I do you do sometimes become a little jaded with similar type scenarios but this was so clever and imaginative it was a joy to read and I just raced through it!
I don’t rehash plots it’s always better to just pick a book up not knowing what to expect I think and my goodness I defy anyone to not to get completely sucked into this one right from the start so please do yourself a favour and grab this it really is going to be a big hit so don’t miss out it honestly is that good.
Many thanks to the author Sarah Bonner you have a sure fire 5 star winner here girl !
My thanks also to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
HIghly original and very readable - raced through it and would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a page-turner.
When Megan discovers photographs of her estranged identical twin sister on her husband's phone, she wants answers. Leah already has everything Megan has ever wanted. Fame, fortune, freedom to do what she wants. And when Megan confronts Leah, an argument turns to murder.
The only way Megan can get away with killing her twin is to become her. But then lockdown hits. How can she continue living two lives? And what happens if someone else knows her secret too?
This book is a rollercoaster with more twists and turns that you can imagine. Dark, gripping, it makes a perfect use of the lockdown. Very cleverly plotted too.
I enjoyed this novel about Leah and Megan who are identical twins - one of them finds herself in a terrible predicament and has to take drastic action. Although I didn’t find the twins very likeable the plot has several twists and turns and I was impressed with the way the pandemic fitted into the story adding a sense of fighting against the odds. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy of this book.
Wow this book is a real page turner - I kept thinking ‘right I know where this is going’ but then a few pages later changing my mind.
An amazing book by an amazing writer.
i was really intreagued by the plot of this book. as i got further into it i lost interest, it just seemed really complicated to grasp and didn't make a lot of sense.
I received an E-ARC copy of ‘Her Perfect Twin’ by Sarah Bonner through NetGalley when the publisher Hodder & Stoughton approved my request in return for my honest review. Thank you to the publisher for my approval.
This book follows Megan who is stuck in a cheating and abusive relationship. Her Husband is not only cheating on her, but with her twin sister Leah.
Megan confronts her twin, but the argument turns into murder.
She starts to live as both Megan and Leah, until she can work out what to do next.
Then lockdown hits, how can she continue being both twins?
How will she survive lockdown with her husband?
This book is amazing, it is intense, emotional and has a strong female lead character.
The characters are believable and the way the author writes from the different characters points of view delves into their personalities even more.
There were times I was on the edge of my seat, others where I was angry and upset. (With the characters, not the book).
You never know where the storyline is going to take you next and there are plenty of shocks along the way.
Overall, an intense and emotional thriller with shocking revelations and secrets.
Finding a shocking, questionable photo on your husband's phone can trigger all kinds of actions or reactions.
Leah has always taken things from her sister, Megan. All sisters do that, right? She didn't even share the huge money pot earned from an exposé-style, best-seller of their family story.
Was that the final straw or are there other factors?
You just know this is going to be a tense storm in print from the start.
This definitely isn't your average 'thriller' - if there even is such a thing - I'm sure everyone will have several shocker moments along the way! Just when something makes your mind race & you think ahead, something else will surface to spark another 'OMGosh' moment!
Sisterly love is one thing. Being a twin is extra special but as we see, deep in the pages of drama, it can get darker than you'd ever imagine.
So many threads of paranoia, greed, deception & jealousy are cleverly woven together in a carefully crafted work of art! You'll be second-guessing your second guesses throughout this story.
How different can two lives be but also have such an undeniable, parallel existence? We'll find out how much difference a brief moment or one quick decision can make.
It's all in the details.
I'd definitely recommend this one & will be looking out for Sarah Bonner's work in the future.