Member Reviews

So this is like... a grown-up parent trap, but the identical twins are switching to date a guy. When Margaux is too sick to go out on a date with her boss' nephew, she asks her sister, Sloane, to go in her place. She swears she would never ask her to do it if she didn't think this would give her a leg-up on a promotion. Obviously, this has disaster written all over it. Especially when Sloane realizes how much her and Roman have in common, especially their love of art, and catches feelings for him. And of course, after not dating for 3 years, he catches feelings for Sloane. This totally bummed me out once I found out why Roman was single- but then he is also keeping from secrets from Sloane. Their chemistry was amazing and Sloane really brings Roman to life again- but I felt like I spent majority of the book waiting for the other shoe to drop. It didn't ruin the story for me, I just found myself saying "okay, NOW tell him!" Also, Margaux is a narcissistic little troll. Cute, quick read.

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Loved this emotional read. Sloane agrees to help her twin sister by going on a blind date in her place, since she can't go herself and her job is on the line. The plan? To be as boring as possible so she can say she tried, but 'it just didn't work out'... to please her boss, the aunt of said blind date. Should be a breeze for good old boring Sloane. To help matters, when she learns of her blind dates name, she's already had an altercation with him, and has no problem keeping him at arms length. BUT... things happen. Both have connections to the art world so once that comes out, they have plenty to draw them together. One of the things that I enjoyed about this book, was that he was a wealthy, attractive man, but wasn't an 'alphahole' or come across as a bastard or a playboy or stubborn, or whatever other characteristics that are normally associated with a billionaire. He may have had some broody moments, at least in the beginning, but he was a good guy. The fact that he was a single dad just added to his appeal. ;) We do get inside his psyche a bit with his narration, as we do with hers, but he is the one with the most damaged soul. She has a good heart and a kind soul, and even though she wants to tell him the truth about her identity, she also wants to help her sister. It was really a lose lose situation for her in the end. I mentioned this was an emotional read, and it was. His wife had died a few years prior, and he's been a bit of a black hole ever since. Really only living for his daughters. Another thing I really enjoyed was the fact that after the inevitable breakup, he was the one who realized she was put in a tough spot and hadn't intended to make me look like a fool or play games with him. He was the one who made the grand gesture, even though he had been a victim himself. There are lighter and happier moments throughout the book, of course, but there was always that underlying heaviness... her lies/guilt, his secret, the deceased wife, and even the twin sister's situation... it was all playing in the background. It alternates between POVs. There is only one sex scene, and while it's graphic enough to know what's happening, it's not smutty. This romance isn't all about the physical, it's more so about their mental/emotional connection.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

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You or Someone Like You was an impulse request on netgalley. I am supposed to be trying to work my way through my netgalley queue rather than adding to it but I couldn’t resist the cover. I’ve only read one other book from this author (also with a great cover) but I was keen to get started.

This was an easy romance to get into and finish and would be enjoyable for fans of Lauren Blakey. It’s set in one of my favourite fictional (and IRL) settings - NYC. This is a dual POV narrative and the story follows our two main characters Sloane and Roman. They meet when Sloane goes on a blind date with Roman in place of her identical twin Margaux.

As you can imagine anything that starts out with hidden identities the story unfolds with the anticipation of the truth having to come out and someone getting hurt. Sloane is conscious of this but unfortunately doesn’t get a chance to rectify it in time. I called the twist in this one quite early on but it didn’t detract from the story overall and this was a solid four star read for me.

This one’s coming out in July so keep your eyes out for it!

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A widow and single father of two young girls, Roman, is stuck going on a blind date set up by his aunt. Sloane is stuck going to a blind date because her identical twin sister is sick. It was just suppose to be one date and that would be all, yet one date turned to two….
Roman is still grieving his wife, but its been years and he is still grieving her, but meeting Sloane was something unexpected and he never saw coming. Sloane wasn’t looking for anything, really she was just helping out her twin sister. But these two had a connection and their love of art was something that was connecting them on a different level.
There is some drama, some spice, and some sweet moments throughout this book. There felt like build up in the beginning, but then the ending felt very rushed and fast paced, especially when it came to how easily and quickly Roman forgave Sloane. But overall, it was still an enjoyable book and one that I read in a single sitting.
If you’re looking for a single dad, hidden identity, grumpy/sunshine romance check this one out.

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You Or Someone Like You was a heartwarming read. I finished this book in one sitting!
It is a story of how Sloane switched with her identical twin sister to go on a date with a reclusive billionaire art collector Roman. Incidentally, Roman was responsible for getting Sloane fired from her dream job years ago. And in the present, Margaux wants a promotion she believes is hinged on his date.
Their first date gave me second hand embarrassment. But because Margaux's boss (who is also Roman's aunt) is so pushy, and because Roman saw a keychain by an obscure artist a la Banksy on fake Margaux's keys, he decided to ask her out again. And again. And again. Until sparks start flying between the two main characters and things get serious.
The book had great pace, a nice (if not new) storyline, and main characters with great chemistry. Sloane is definitely a more forgiving person than I will ever be, considering how quickly she got over everything Margaux did. The cutest parts of the book were probably the interactions of Roman with his daughters. I am a little sad that there were no interactions between the girls and Sloane during the main storyline (although this is probably a good thing, considering the identity swap that was going on).

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for an ARC.

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Ms. Renshaw outdid herself in this book and as always her awesomeness prevailed. I like the characters in this story they were very interesting and each of them were quite different and entertaining. I enjoyed every part of the book that came alive in every episode.

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You Or Someone Like You is a pleasure to read, heartwarming romance, with a well written, wonderful storyline. I love Roman and Sloane, the chemistry between them is engaging and heartfelt throughout, making this another brilliant book by Winter Renshaw that I’ll read again and again.

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A great love story about two people who aren’t interested in finding love and do anyway! When Sloane pretends to be her twin sister, Margaux, on a date with the city’s hottest, most available but unavailable bachelor, she never expects anything to come of it.

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Roman and Sloane’s story is hard to put down. There is uncertainty, heartbreak, and forgiveness. All with a shot of mystery. Roman’s secret and sweet soul will have you wanting to read this over and over. I received an advanced copy and this is my honest and voluntary review.

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I've read everything Winter has published, and she never lets me down. I am so grateful to have the privilege to be on her ARC team and get to read her amazing work before it's released.

You or Someone Like You was hard to put down. Thankfully I read it on vacation so I could sit by the pool and soak it all up at once. Sloane and her twin Margaux are a study in opposites. The English teacher in me could have a lot of fun examining the foil Winter created with these two. Sloane is an incredibly likeable character, made even more likeable by the fact that her twin sister is incredibly selfish. I found myself getting a little frustrated with Sloane's inability to stick up for herself, but was pleased to watch her grow into her own a bit through the book.

Roman is a fantastic romantic hero. In a lot of ways, he fits the rich, mysterious city guy trope, but Winter managed to make him so much more multi-faceted and realistic. This combined with the double uses of dramatic irony (Roman's secrets and Sloane's secrets) were why I couldn't put this down -- I just had to know what would happen when one found out about the other.

I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a smartly written romance with depth and wonderful characters. Any chance the selfish twin will get her own book? It'd be great to see Winter take the character and make her into someone worthy of her sister!

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Thank you for this ARC read. It was a fast paced and easy read. I enjoyed the story. Both of my parents are identical twins so thought this should be fun. However, reading about these twins I felt so bad and got angry with Marguax being the narcissist and Sloane the victims throughout their lives. In turn damaging not only her own heart but that of a poor widower. I kept saying, "tell him now. If he doesn't want to be here, he'll understand." Sometimes you put so much of your trust and faith in "family" only to be hurt by them over and over. At some point you have to say enough is enough!!
The main characters were perfectly suited for one another, but with the lies between them there were barriers. Not to mention the fact that Roman was not over his late wife. I really loved that he did allow his heart to open for Sloane regardless of any time frame. When you know, you know!
Although I wish we got to see/read more of what went on while he was exploring new love and bring the children into the know. How they felt about missing their mom or if they wanted him seeing someone else? He brushed things off and never mentioned again. More detail on once Sloane was brought to meet the children would have been great in the epilogue! I just thought, "oh, I guess there were no problems 3 years later." I always want more.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing the Arc.

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This was a relatively quick read with lowkey heat (which worked well for the storyline). As usual with a Renshaw book, the story is plot focused and rich with emotion and a lengthy roster of characters. Plus, you can't have a Renshaw story without a twist. In this case, even though the twist is no surprise, the reveal is beautiful and came at just the right moment in the story.

The story begins when Margaux's boss sets her up on a blind date with her nephew, Roman. Hoping for the promotion at work, she believes declining the suggested date would be a bad move. But when date night rolls around, Margaux battles food poisoning so her twin sister (Sloane) steps in.

As far as the characters, I loved Roman. He was strong, confident, yet a total softie when it came to his daughters. His devotion to his deceased wife was beautiful and heartbreaking to read at times. I especially loved his level of maturity and how he used logic and communication near the end to try to decipher the situation. Sloane was kind-hearted, and the perfect match for him and his mending heart. Margaux, well, I really didn't like her. At all. She annoyed me (badly) with her repeated selfishness.

I did have an issue with the deception. For me, starting off a relationship with a twin swap was tough, especially when it involved a widower finally getting the courage to put himself out there. That mix is just a setup for an emotional bomb, and if I was going to go anywhere near that hot potato, it had to be in the skilled hands of a gifted author. And Renshaw did not disappoint. She captured the emotional struggle of Sloane's deception and then later had Roman handling things with a level of maturity I really appreciated.

Some scenes felt a little more rushed than others, but otherwise, the story was beautiful, emotional, and the chemistry between the main characters was tangible. Overall, this was another good story from this author.

/I received an early edition of this book from NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book or content of my review./

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This book was a great read. It starts off as a blind date where one twin is filling in for the other twin who is sick. Slone is everything her sister Margaux is not. The problem is, Slone is everything that Roman is interested in. She likes the arts, as she is a director of an art gallery, and he's into the arts. Where the real Margaux is as Aunt Theodora, (Roman's aunt and Margaux's boss) is full of life, a good time girl, but well not in that way. The story line is sort of a run away train, as the reader knows at some point Roman's going to figure out he's dating the wrong twin.
I received this book as an ARC for an honest and voluntary review

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You or Someone Like You is a very sweet romance filled with twin drama. I love the single dad/parent trope. It's one of my favorites.

I didn't connect with the characters/story as much as I hoped I would. I think there was so much emphasis on the art that I lost them. I wish they found more similarities besides art to talk about. It seemed to kind of take over the story IMO.

I also wished we could have seen Sloan get to know his kids at some point before the epilogue. Having the kids fall for the significant other is the best part of this trope, and we didn't get that until the epilogue.

Overall this book was okay for me. I have read several of her other books, and I didn't feel the emotional connection here as much as her others. It's probably a me thing, because I love her other books.

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Sloane agrees to go on a blind date in her sister’s place. As her sister. Clearly this is going to end in a disaster. Right?!?!
Luckily for her, the first date is boring and he doesn’t seem interested at all. He just seems to want to get it over with as fast as possible.
But then Roman calls for a second date. And then she starts to fall in love with him. Too bad he finds out she’s been deceiving him this whole time. I was torn between feeling sorry for her and wanting to call her an idiot for not telling him sooner.
I thought this story was cute. It was a little hard for me to get into at first, but it does pick up.

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5 *****

I was a little concerned given the premise (twin pretending to be the other twin), it could have been unoriginal. However, this story exceeded my expectations.

The characters were well drawn and engaging from the beginning, and the events progressed organically. The specifics (careers, family relationships, etc.) individualized the story and made it easier for the reader to engage. The main characters were likeable; their worlds drawn with enough information to keep me interested but not overwhelmed.

I will seek out more books by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley for a free preview copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Summary:

Sloane and Margaux are identical twins, Margaux is ambitious, independent and strong willing. Sloane is softer, loving and will do anything for her sister. Including pretending to be her on a blind date.

Roman is a single father, recovering from the death of his wife. The last thing he wants is to date.

After an awkward start Roman and Sloane’s relationship develops but will he still want her when he finds out who she really is?

Review:

The is a sweet and easy romance read.

Told through dual perspective it is great to see the two main characters deal with their unexpected feelings. Roman is strong and protective of himself. He’s torn between his love for his wife and his developing feelings for Sloane.

Sloane is a great character. It was great to read a story where the female main character is in the wrong and has to beg for forgiveness.

The concept is a great one, but I felt Roman forgave Sloane too easily for her deception. I would have liked to see this drawn out a bit more to add to the slow burn romance.

All in all, a cosy, fast paced, heartwarming romance

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A really fun twin swap story - I thought this was such a unique premise, I thought this would be cliché however there was loads of twists and the characters were really developed and diverse such as Roman is a caring and loving father. I thought this was such a light-hearted fun and cute romance, perfect for a heart-warming read.

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Amazing read, I love all of this authors books and I love this one. I loved every word of this book from start to finish. Highly recommend reading

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Oh, my heart! This story had me riveted from beginning to end.

I was a little uncomfortable with the length of time the lying about the identity swap continued but, I guess, if it was addressed sooner, there would not be the story. The relationship between Sloane and Roman occurs over a short period of time which seemed a little out of place given the depth of Roman’s grieving but the story was so emotion felt, I couldn’t put it down. The spice level was pretty mild but it did not feel lacking. I loved the epilogue although I wished there were more scenes of Sloane interacting with Roman’s daughters since they were an integral part of his life.

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