Lucy is desperate to have a baby and thrilled when she falls pregnant with twins, however very quickly it’s clear that one of the twins is no longer present on her scans and she is informed she has experienced vanishing twin syndrome. Fast forward 13 years and we follow Lucy’s journey as her surviving twin Eden has a tragic near death experience and wakes up claiming to be her vanished twin brother, Eli.

Here’s the thing, I was so certain until about the 50% mark that I was going to rate this highly. Psychopathic tendencies in children is a buzz word for me in thrillers (not sure what that says about me, but here we are!) and the whole premise of this book is just so unique and creative. I just feel once we passed the middle, the book became repetitive and unnecessarily long winded. I didn’t enjoy the resolution of the book and could certainly have done without that epilogue!! I do think this would have been better if it was around half the length because the premise was so brilliant and it started out so strongly.

Thank you to the publisher, author and netgalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Let's start with the positives. This book was a complex, dramatic thriller, with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing. If you enjoy a psychological thriler, with tense moments and a bit of fast-paced action thrown in for good measure, then yes, you should definitely read this book. 

One element I found particularly interesting was that all the characters seemed incredibly unlikeable. I mean, I wasn't rooting for a single one of them! However, where this usually has me wanting to put a book down, it had the opposite effect here. Instead, I felt myself quite desperate to find out who was eventually going to get their comeuppance for their awful behaviour. And I think the ending was both satisfying and infuriarting in equal measure - a sign of a book I was very invested in!

On the other hand, the sheer number of dramatic twists in this novel seemed a bit excessive. By the end, I did find myself rolling my eyes somewhat, thinking "surely, nothing more ridiculous than this is going to happen', but then something a bit more ridiculous would happen. But if you're here for that kind of melodrama, then this is the book for you!

All in all, an intriguing dive into complex psychological issues with dramatic (sometimes excessive) thriller moments.

What happens if someone you love wakes up with a new identity - but it scares you? When Lucy’s daughter has a near death drowning experience, she wakes up calling herself not Eden but Eli. We learn that Eden and Eli were twins but Eli unfortunately passed in utero. Lucy struggles with her child’s newfound identity at first but starts to embrace it once she realises she can potentially build a far stronger relationship with Eli than she ever had with Eden.

This is a very interesting premise exploring identity with a hint of the spiritual / supernatural. However, the plot never quite comes together. The chapters narrated by Eden/Eli’s best friend fall short of actually sharing what it would be like if your best friend changed personality and gender identity overnight - that would be a huge deal! I felt Lucy’s struggle with the incident from her childhood took too much space and didn’t fully explain the link between her and Eden. The twist at the end at the end was interesting but came somewhat too late and out of the blue.

I will say though, Lucy deserves better people in her life all round.

I really enjoyed this book. When Lucy's teenage daughter Eden nearly drowns in the local lake, Lucy is so relieved when she pulls through unscathed. However, Eden has been changed by her near death experience and starts dressing as a boy and calling herself Eli, the name Lucy gave to the twin who disappeared inside her during pregnancy. This is an intriguing story with some good twists and I particularly liked the ending.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

In the aftermath of her daughter Eden's near-drowning accident, Lucy experiences profound relief when Eden wakes up in the hospital. Grappling with unresolved grief over the loss of Eden's twin sibling during pregnancy fourteen years ago, Lucy sees this moment as a second chance to be the mother she believes she should have been all along.

However, as Eden recovers, she drops a bombshell revelation: she claims that she isn't Eden, but rather Eli – the name Lucy had reserved for the unborn twin who vanished years ago. This revelation throws Lucy's world into disarray, forcing her to confront the possibility that her grief may have been misplaced all this time. As Lucy grapples with the truth behind Eden's identity and her past trauma, she realises that the daughter she thought she knew may be the one who's truly disappeared.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

When Eden almost drowns, she says she has come back as her twin who died and was absorbed by her in the womb. Her mother, who has always missed the lost twin, accepts this willingly, due to always having had a troubled relationship with Eden. Her father does not.
This is a fascinating story, exploring how a mother’s mental health issues affect their child.I really enjoyed it.

Engrossing psychological thriller in such the characters have very full and relatable lives - the relationship between mother and child is drawn with tenderness and tension.

I was expecting so much from this book, the blurb of this was so enticing. I was expecting a thrilling psychological thriller with a few twists and turns. Unfortunately this book didn’t do it for me. After Eden’s accidental brush with death she apparently comes back as Eli, her twin who “vanished” in the womb. Her mother, Lucy, never forgot Eli and appears to believe that the behaviour shown by Eden/Eli post accident is somehow Eli.

There was never an explanation for the behaviour, it was never explored apart from Lucy talking once or twice to the consultant who saw her in hospital. She appears to accept this behaviour and revels in the fact that Eli is closer to her than Eden was. Throw in the gaslighting of Lucy’s husband/Eden’s dad and the killing of various people this book felt very confused and although I wanted more, it was only by way of explanation.

Lucy is relieved that her daughter, Eden survives a near drowning.
But after recovering, Eden is claiming to be Eli, the twin that vanished as a foetus
Lucy’s experiences of vanishing twin syndrome triggers disturbing changes in her teenage daughter
“Eden is completely fine” says the husband. “Of course I’m fine”, Eden says, with that new smile of hers, “I didn’t die, I’m here” But Lucy knows something is wrong with Eden, she’s not her maddening, complicated teenage girl anymore - this straight backed, even tempered, steady eyed child in her house is someone else entirely, Eden, it seems is the twin who disappeared”
Was it trauma induced or has Eden really disappeared.
A fabulous debut edge of your seat thriller.
It was creepy and tension filled and the chapters were short, leading to lots of cliffhanger moments.
However I struggled with the different timelines and additional storylines, it was difficult to piece together and left more questions than answers. Then ending was such a shock.
Thanks @eleanorbarkerwhite @harpernorthuk & @netgalley for the amazing debut psychological thriller

A tense and quick read, this story pulls you along as you try to unravel what’s really going on and why. So many possible psychological outcomes present themselves as you try and fit them into this messy family narrative.

I am so torn on this book. The premise was fabulous! Eden almost drowns and after the incident insists she is her unborn twin brother, Eli. Fascinating! I was fully invested in this one.

It started brilliantly, fast-paced and the great writing style drew me right in. But then it all fell a bit flat in the middle. I kept reading, excited for the outcome, but it never resolved. What happened to Eden? What secret had she told Charlie?

There were flashbacks to Eden's mum's childhood, which I didn't feel were relevant and a cheating husband, which again, brought nothing to the main plot. All in all, a messed up family, but with no explanation or resolution to what started off very promisingly.

2.5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Eleanor Barker-White and HarperNorth, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

When Eden drowns but it saved in the nick of time she regains consciousness as a completely different person.
The change in personality is so well written that it is completely possible to believe that Eli and Eden are two people inhabiting one body with the links to vanishing twin syndrome adding an extra level of disturbing interpretation. The response of her family to the changes adds to the creepiness and the events that unfold leave you questioning everything!

This one was so good, seriously creepy in parts though. Full of suspense and intrigue, this book had me guessing until the final reveal. Absolutely brilliant!

What a fantastic premise! I would have liked to get inside Eden/Eli’s mind at some point because I’m still not 100% on what they were thinking and I don’t like to be left guessing!

My Name Was Eden starts off with a thrilling scene of a mother waiting for her daughter, Eden, who is discovered drowned in a lake close to the house. The daughter, recovered from the lake dead, was resuscitated back to life. However, Eden is no longer her name and everything has changed.

The suspense created from the beginning of the book keeps you hooked to find out how the events are even possible and what exactly is happening. Unfortunately, holding onto Eden's change of identity as the premise of the plot of this psychological thriller, left me disappointed as the book ends without and resolution regarding how Eden is no longer Eden.

I did enjoy the reading experience of the book but I left feeling like I had been on a journey without every getting to a destination.

Excellent and riveting read that kept me intrigued. Beautiful writing and an emotional narrative that was brimming with astute observations on human life.

I loved the ending.

After an accident, Eden finally comes home. Her mother, Lucy is overjoyed but then Eden insists her name isn’t Eden, it’s Eli… the name of Lucy’s unborn twin that vanished.

This book surprised me in that it held my interest much more than I thought it would. I haven’t heard much about vanishing twin syndrome so this was a really intriguing plot. I enjoyed the writing style and the short suspenseful chapters and thought the characters and relationships were done very well. I also enjoyed the dark, creepy atmosphere and I wasn’t bored at all while reading, instead engaged in the story and finding myself having to see what happened next. Overall an enjoyable read and I’ll definitely read another book by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Lucy’s teenage daughter, Eden, late home from school is subsequently found floating in a nearby pond, to all intents and purposes dead. Miraculously however she recovers in hospital – or has she? She now claims to be Eli, the unborn twin brother, lost somewhere in the womb. Weird and just a tad creepy, huh?

What I thought was going to be a real nail-biting page turner of a book (well, kindle) turned out to be nothing more than pages of Lucy whingeing and whining as she wanders down memory lane every few seconds. This book - well what I’ve read of it so far – is full of inconsistencies. Take Lucy’s BFF Bex who has two small boys who are suddenly, three sentences on, girls. Mind you with today’s fashion for transitioning maybe that’s not actually a mistake. Who knows? Who cares? I don’t. I’ve had enough.

Possibly one of the worst books I’ve tried to read this year (2024). Based on the admittedly short bit I’ve read I cannot recommend this to those who enjoy a really good read with a plausible plot, and believable characters

The story started off ok, however I found it a bit long winded and far fetched at times. Eden is the twin that survived and after being submerged under water she comes back as her dead twin Eli. The story seemed a bit unrealistic at times and the only part I really enjoyed was the twist at the end.
Sadly not for me this one.

Just could not get into this one unfortunately. I think it was mainly the mother main character who was really bothering me and just constantly moaning and complaining.