My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Welbeck Publishing UK for the electronic copy.

This is a really good psychological thriller, full of twists and red-herrings and interesting characters. I really liked it.

Told from Margo's and Cora's points of view - they are identical twins but have taken different paths in life since an accident happened when they were 18yrs-old in which their younger sister Annie died. They were part of a wealthy family, travelled the world, and had a house in Switzerland. Their Nanny was Miss Patricia - a retired ballet dancer who coached all three girls in dance. The family moved to Switzerland following the accident - that was 9 years ago. Now, Margo is Nanny to a wealthy professional couple in Kensington and their twins; she has a life of luxury and is excellent at her job. Although Margo danced as well, Cora was the most talented and is living with Nav in a dingy flat in London. Cora uses her feminine charms to secure work and lands her dream role in a contemporary dance production of "Mirror Mirror".

Margo is addicted to the pills she's taken, on Cora's advice, for the past 9 years, but they've run out and she nervously awaits a new supply. As she does so, she experiences flashes of memory - but she just can't remember how Annie had died - why not? She searches for answers through a therapist as well as contacting Cora's ex-boyfriend to try and unlock those memories - with devastating results. Is she ready to face the truth?
Why won't anyone tell her how Annie died?

Does Cora know the truth?

Totally absorbing - a really good read!

As a reader who finds tales about twins fascinating I was thrilled to be approved for this story by LV Matthews. Cora and Margo lead completely different lives; Cora is a broke dancer living in London with only enough money for her daily needs, whereas Margo works as a nanny for an upper-class Kensington family, enjoying the material fruits of her employers' wealth.

I just love LV Matthews' compelling writing and her characters are so richly drawn. This dark, twist-filled novel leaves you wanting to read another chapter as it plays around with memory, secrets and relationships as well as deception and obsession. Told from alternating perspectives I was held in its enthral until I reached the shocking conclusion. This book should be on the lists for all enthusiasts of deep, suspenseful mysteries.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Welbeck Publishing UK via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

The twins is another must read story I will recommend.

I loved “The prank” last year, and this one is so much more suspenseful and twisted.

And these two have their plate overflowing with buried secrets.

I’m not even sure who I was rooting for more all along because I was always changing my feelings between one or the other while discovering more of their lives and scenarios with each chapter.

One trying to forget and the other trying to remember everything from that unfortunate night.

It’s a fast-paced story that kept me up way into the night because I really wanted to know how everything will unveil and there were quite a few moments when I had to reread certain scenes because my theories were so out of place compared to what I was reading!

Twisted, addictive and intriguing story that many readers will enjoy.

Puzzling and haunting family drama, with a needle-sharp sting that will pierce your heart!

I was a really big fan Matthews debut novel, The Prank, last year and had really high expectations for The Twins. Matthews does not disappoint and The Twins demonstrates what a gifted writer she is. In many ways, this is a more accomplished book than The Prank (which is very hard, as that is such an engrossing and satisfying thriller!), with a complex yet exhilarating plot and exceptionally developed characters. Not only does Matthews deliver a tense and twisted narrative, she writes some incredibly beautiful prose that is woven seamlessly into the dark tale between these pages.

There’s something very Hitchcockian about The Twins, with the core characters skirting around obsession, madness and deception. I can fully see how the master of cinematic thrills could have adapted this novel and brought it to the screen (and I hope that someone does do this, even though Hitchcock himself can’t). This novel is very much about its central characters and I was immediately drawn in to both Margo and Cora’s lives. Unlike a lot of twins, these two are like chalk and cheese and I was absolutely fascinated by the contrasting lives and personalities of both sisters. As Margo delves deeper into past traumas and Cora’s role in Margo’s life begins to become clearer and clearer, I can honestly say that neither sister was who I initially thought they would be. The format of the book really helped with this too and I really enjoyed the chapters alternating between the two distinct voices of Margo and Cora. Matthews is a master herself at leading readers down a certain path, only to unceremoniously rip the rug out from under and completely flip the story on its head. It makes The Twins an exciting and pacy, character driven read that is nigh on impossible to put down.

Without revealing too much of the perfectly plotted story, this book deals with some incredibly difficult and affecting issues too. Matthews does this with sensitivity, whilst also packing a massive, powerhouse of a sucker punch ending that I didn’t see coming until exactly when she wanted me to. It’s an incredibly satisfying conclusion that neatly brings all of the different elements of the story together and immediately made me think, “Of course!” and berate myself for not picking up on all of the clues that are so expertly dropped like Hansel & Gretel’s proverbial breadcrumbs through the course of the narrative. As the final revelations come to the forefront, I found this a heart-wrenching and powerful story in a way that I wasn’t expecting. I will be thinking about it for a long time and highly recommend it to those who enjoy a solid thriller with a deeper, thought-provoking meaning.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be really well written with likeable characters. The plot ws very engaging nd tense and kept me guessing on the edge of my seat throughout.

This review is so difficult to write as I do not want to give anything away regarding the plot as you absolutely must go into this without knowing anything otherwise you will ruin the epic twist that blew my mind!!

I will say that this is brilliantly written and fast paced. I couldn’t put it down and for the majority of it I was sure I knew what was coming…..how wrong I was.

Both twins lead completely different lives, yet I warmed to both of them and wanted them both to succeed in their lives and careers. However I definitely think Cora was my favourite, she was completely wild and reading about what she got up to was brilliant along with the intense pressure of being an upcoming dancer.

As mentioned there is a mind blowing twist which at first I thought was revealed a little too soon, but everything that came after it was needed to fully explain everything and I was very satisfied with how it all concluded.

Overall this was a captivating and jaw dropping story that is a must read!

L V Matthews has done it again! The Prank is one of my top favourite thrillers and now The Twins is right up there too.

This was an unputdownable read that had me gripped from beginning to end. Quite often I’ll theorise when reading thrillers and sometimes predict the twist, but wow this utterly blew me away!

It’s hard to say much more without giving any spoilers, but seriously if you love a gripping page turner, I highly recommend you give The Twins a read ASAP!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Welbeck and L V Matthews for an advanced copy of this gem!

The Twins is a great read. It's fast paced and gripping from beginning to end. I loved the writing style and will be looking for more books by LV Matthews in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Welbeck Publishing UK for my ARC.

Twins are usually stereotyped to be two halves to the same person - well not in this book. They are as different as chalk and cheese.

Margo lives as a nanny in Kensington, in a four storey house; looking after a set of twins herself. Her life is ordered, structured, kept together by those little white pills.

Cora on the other hand lives hand to mouth in a flat with her friend Nav, finally earning the part dancing on the play Mirror, Mirror; a role made for her.

What does connect them however is the loss of their younger sister Annie: a loss that Margo has blocked out and is trying to remember; and the evening that Cora is trying her damnedest to keep forgotten.

Jeez! That just blew me away! I really wasn’t expecting the twisty ending until the last minute when the penny (or should I say Bad Penny) dropped!

What a fantastic psychological thriller with some great characters throughout. I loved the tortured poet Raff, who had always loved Cora, his muse, his inspiration.

I can’t say any more or else I’ll give the game away but needless to say it was AMAZING!!

This book was exactly what I needed pace wise after reading a few fluffy and easy books. It starts with introducing us to Margo and Cora, twins with very different lifestyles and alternating chapters which I loved.
#gifted from NetGalley, do not make the mistake I did and forget to send to kindle as the app is extremely frustrating and not at all user friendly. Plus when the book is this good you just want to delve in and not get a headache from an app 🙄
I loved the writing, it hooked me right in from the first chapter and it had absolutely everything I want in a thriller.
Short chapters ✔️
Suspicious characters ✔️
Fantastic pace ✔️
I am definitely bumping up The Prank now and reading it very soon.
This one is out on the 17th February and it’s brilliant 🤩

Great great read!! Fast past and just doesn't let you put it down until the very last page.
First for me from this author but someone to look for more books from.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book


.

Absolutely unputdownable, intense and shockingly gripping until the very end. Five stars without a doubt.

This really reminded me of early Virginia Andrews, which is one reason why I loved it. It went on a bit in much the same way but the story was perfect and had just the right amount of twists in all the right places. I would definitely read others by this author

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Twins by LV Matthews is an unputdownable thriller about two sisters on opposite sides of the tracks. Margo is living a glamorous life as a livee-in nanny for a wealthy family. Meanwhile, Cora is a dancer who doesn't make a living income. She'll sleep with anyone to get the part that she craves. But what secrets from the past are the twins hiding? And what will happen when the secrets are revealed?

Here is a glamorous excerpt from Chapter 1, which is from Margo's point of view:

"My jobs provide me materially with everything I could ever want. The softest mattresses, Egyptian cotton linen, heavy blackout curtains for my bedrooms, cosy armchairs for my own lounges, organic food to cook, Le Creuset sets to cook in, Ottolenghi books to cook from. Sometimes it's hard to remember that none of it is really mine. At the end of a job I say goodbye to it all and I take away only memories and my limited wardrobe of clothing, and cash. Lots of cash, because families pay for outstanding service and they are also generous with donations as birthday or Christmas gifts. I dont even know how much I have in my account - I only know I have more than I would ever need. What would I ever buy myself? What do I like?"

Overall, The Twins is an unputdownable psychological thriller that will appeal to fans of The Ballerinas or The Turnout. One highlight of this book is the gorgeous prose. As you can tell from the excerpt above, the book is full of lovely descriptions and details. I could not stop reading this book. I had to keep reading to find out what happened next. I ended up finishing this book in a day.

There was one twist that I predicted, but there was another one that I did not see coming at all, and the ending was satisfying. I would also read the trigger warnings for this one unless you don't want to see spoilers. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in February!

An enjoyable, fast-paced and well-executed, read where nothing is as it seems. The kind of book I want to read a second time to clue spot.

Having read Matthews' previous book, The prank, I was very excited to have been approved for this one too! And not surprisingly it was a delight to read, this book is a winner.

A fast-paced psychological thriller, the characters were so authentic, and when the twist came it took me completely by surprise! Up to then, I really didn't know where the story was going. Loved the ending!

Recommended!

Thank you NetGallery and Welbeck Publishing UK for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Two sisters. An intense bond. A bitter rivalry. Margo is a solitary live-in nanny for an upper-class Kensingon family. Cora is a promiscuous dancer on the cusp of a big break, living hand-to-mouth in a run-down London flat. Different though they are, an unspeakable incident from childhood haunts them both. When the terrible secret comes to light, their fragile existences shatter, pitting them against each other in a race for survival. But can there be a winner when a secret is so dark?

I really enjoyed this fast paced read which I would put as a psychological thriller. Identical twins Cora and Margot alternate chapters and we learn a little about their far from idyllic lives at school before Margot became a nanny to rich families and Cora became an unreliable, headstrong dancer. A minor support cast flesh these two out as very much not identical characters. I loved it, really couldn't wait to get back to it to find out what happened next and the ending really made me gasp ( I had a completely incorrect theory, annoyingly). Wonderfully dark and twisty and I thoroughly recommend this. Now I'm off to read 'the Prank'.

With thanks to NatGalley and Welbeck for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Two sisters. An intense bond. A bitter rivalry.

Margo is a solitary live-in nanny for an upper-class Kensingon family. Cora is a promiscuous dancer on the cusp of a big break, living hand-to-mouth in a run-down London flat.

Different though they are, an unspeakable incident from childhood haunts them both. When the terrible secret comes to light, their fragile existences shatter, pitting them against each other in a race for survival.

But can there be a winner when a secret is so dark?

This is the first book I read from this author and I found it a totally gripping thriller, fast paced and unpredictable. The characters were very interesting and well crafted. I’ve really enjoyed it and it was hard to put down before the end. I would definitely recommend this book.

Yes, yes, YES!!!! This book is brilliant, I could not put it down!

This is the story of twin sisters who are worlds apart, one is a quiet, well mannered nanny and the other is a party girl who loves to dance. The past is firmly locked away for them until Margo runs out of her medication and the cracks start growing quicker than Cora can patch them up.

The suspense and pacing was perfect, this is not a book I will forget. I loved trying to pick up on all the subtle clues the author was giving us through out the book and I managed to work one of the main threads but in no way did that take away from my reading pleasure, in fact it added to it as I was dying to know if I was right!

If you haven't already then go and get a copy of this book, its nail-bitingly good!