Becoming Marlow Fin by Ellen Won Steil was a really great read!
This story has the same great pace, interesting characters and so many twists that I couldn’t stop reading until I turned the last page of this book.
The mystery was engaging and I was kept on the edge of my seat.
Suspenseful and intriguing, I was completely enthralled throughout the entire story.
With twist after twist makes this book impossible to put down.

Thank You NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I love complex and unique stories and this one really surprised me. It was full of twists, secrets and lots of drama. Multiple POVs, one of them told as an interview, I loved that, it was a bit of a slow burn, but it kept me guessing until the end.

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours for this tour invite.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗙𝗶𝗻 by Ellen Won Steil releases tomorrow July 23, 2024.

BECOMING MARLOW FIN by Ellen Won Steil is a twisty, engaging, marvelously well-written thriller of a ride. From the very first lines, this is a story that grabs you with intrigue and keeps you reading with taut, vivid details, robust characters, moments so everyday in the midst of tumult, tragedy, and shifting realities. The title, the cover, the every detail about the story is tight, complete pleasure. I stayed up way too late reading this one, never knowing what was going to happen and next and thrilled to be in the hands of such an exceptional writer. Truly a wonderful read! I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Once I finished it, this book felt weird. It seemed like everything made sense, but something still felt off. It's like a thread that still needs to be taken care of. Overall, it is an engaging story that kept me interested throughout. The story is told in alternating chapters of a TV interview and flashbacks that run between the 1980s through the night before the interview. I think that was brilliant because you never knew which piece of the puzzle was coming next. There were some things that I figured out before the end, but there was also a big twist that I did not see coming, so the predictability balance worked out in my favor. I recommend it to anyone who likes something with an exciting mystery but without the extreme thriller aspect.

3.5 Stars

This book is a mystery, family drama, romance, and psychological thriller.

In 1995, a six-year-old Black girl is found abandoned in the woods and is adopted by the Baek family that finds her. Stella and Patrick bring her into their family which also includes their eight-year-old daughter Isla and Patrick’s Korean mother known by all as Moni. That abandoned girl, Marlow Fin, becomes a supermodel. In 2021, she grants a tell-all interview in which she discusses her life and her role in some tragic events within her family. The nature of these tragedies and a number of family secrets are slowly revealed.

The book has multiple points of view. Isla’s sections, narrated in first person, focus on the past: how life within the family changed with Marlow’s arrival. Marlow’s section, in the present, is in question-and-answer interview form. There are also some third-person chapters from the perspective of a young woman named Wren; she describes events in her life in the 1980s.

There is considerable suspense. It becomes clear that there is an undercurrent of anger and tension within the family. Stella is reticent to accept Marlow and the husband and wife argue regularly, though Moni tries to protect the girls from witnessing these angry exchanges. Then as the girls grow up, jealousy arises between them. Marlow’s beauty tends to upstage Isla, though Marlow seems envious of her sister. And there is definitely a dark side to Marlow: “She was beyond the realm of control.”

The only truly likeable main character is Moni who loves everyone in the family. She is kind and welcoming to everyone. When the girls become friends with Sawyer who moves in next door with his grandmother, Moni welcomes them into the neighbourhood and ends up feeding Sawyer almost daily. Other characters prove to have less than admirable qualities and all have secrets.

There is a vagueness about some events that is problematic. Exactly how certain events happened is never explained. The ending also does not answer all the reader’s questions. This nebulous quality affects the novel’s credibility. I want details so I can believe that what supposedly happened could realistically have occurred. The somewhat open-ended closing may bother some readers.

The plot is carefully constructed to maximize twists. There are layers of family secrets, some of which I guessed though others are worse than I expected. These revelations leave the reader to re-evaluate impressions of characters so a re-reading might be interesting.

This book is recommended to those who enjoy trying to find the truth amongst secrets, lies, and rumours.

The story of Marlow Fin by Korean-American author Ellen Won Steil, is a thriller and mystery anchored in family dynamics and drama. The Baek family once finds a girl in the woods near their cabin by the lake. The family takes in the girl, Marlow and later adopt her. We find out how Marlow became Marlow Fin over the years up until present day when Marlow Fin, now a celebrity, is giving an interview. Meanwhile, there is one other POV on a past timeline that gives us an observer narrative of the Baek parents. We only find out who this POV belongs too and the very end; a hidden secret attached to the family since the 1980s destroys the family in present day as it is uncovered.
I recommend 'Becoming Marlow Fin' to readers who like a good thriller and mystery with tropes around family dynamics and hidden secrets.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me an ARC to review.

Marlow Fin, a 6 year old girl, is found during a storm outside a family's lakeside cabin. She ends up being taken in by them when it becomes clear she has no one else.

The book starts in 1995 and travels through the years to the present. Most of the story is told from Isla's perspective but in the present, Marlow is an actress/singer and is recounting an event that happens in 2020 to an interviewer. I mostly enjoyed the story but I did not like how it ended and that Stella seemed to disappear and there was no interaction between her, Isla and Marlow when the story was concluding. I did like that everyone had flaws except Moni. I absolutely loved her.

I would like to read Ellen's other book and will look out for her future books.

A storm rages outside Isla’s family holiday cabin by Lake Superior, where she has come with her parents and grandmother Moni. As she looks out into the darkness, the face of a young girl is looking back at her. When the girl turns and runs, Isla darts outside, following without thinking. That fateful night brings Marlow into their lives as, with Marlow having no memory of her life before, and no one coming forward to claim her, Isla’s parents slowly draw Marlow into their own family. Years later, Marlow, now a highly successful model and actress steps in front of the camera for a hugely anticipated prime-time interview to have the conversation everyone wants to hear. Who really is Marlow Fin? And what happened to Isla?

Moving back and forth in time, between several timelines and perspectives, including Isla’s and the transcription of Marlow’s interview, Becoming Marlow Fin traces the trials and tribulations of this newly created family through Isla and Marlow’s childhood, adolescence and into adulthood.

I loved Isla’s character development over the years, in particular her relationships with her childhood friend Sawyer and with her Korean grandmother Moni, a nurturing and wise character who in many ways is the heart of this family. Marlow herself is an unsettling and enigmatic character but we see flaws in all of the characters bar Moni. Steil beautifully explores the bonds and strains of sisterhood created under such strange circumstances, while also exploring themes including the families we have and the families we long for, love and the lengths it drives people to, loss and trauma, secrets and envy, addiction, self-destructive behaviour and the devastating consequences, identity, and how people can seem to have it all yet feel like they have nothing.

The writing is atmospheric and I really enjoyed the format, shifting from narration to the interview transcription, adding to the sense of tension and mystery as we move towards what we know will be some explosive revelation. A haunting novel that gripped me more the more I read, where at times we are served only clues rather than full answers, with a powerful, gut-punch ending.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the DRC.

In 1995, six-year-old Marlow Fin is found abandoned in the woods by young Isla Baek near the family's lake cabin. Marlow, traumatized and with no memory of her past, becomes a part of the family and grows up to be a world-famous celebrity known for her beauty and her recent troubles. The story is told from Isla's point of view over years, and through an exclusive interview given by Marlow in the present, where she has promised to reveal all her secrets. As time passes, the seemingly perfect Baek family's underlying issues and tensions begin to surface. Moni, Isla's grandmother, is the glue that keeps everything together for the two girls as they grow up. Once they become women, a tragedy tears the family apart.

Ellen Won Steil's Becoming Marlow Fin is a domestic mystery thriller with many surprises. The unveiling of family secrets and lies keeps the story tense until the very end. It was a decent read but I was disappointed with some of the revelations. It's an intriguing story which started out very strong but lost some of its appeal for reasons that would be a spoiler. I seem to be in the minority on this one.

Rated 3.5 stars.

A great page turner - I flew through it. I loved the premise and some good twists. Some interesting characters too. Will keep an eye out for future offerings from Ellen Won Steil. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Becoming Marlow Fin is a story full of an interesting family full unexpected twists and turns.
Won Steil weaves several characters stories and perspectives throughout the story. Marlow's story is told through a prime-time interview and Isla's through first-person narrative. The contrast between the two leaves you wanting to keep reading to fill in the gaps. The interview chapters ended with you wanting more and you just had to read on to know more!

The story leaves you thinking through morally what is right, what would I do and why are people acting the way they are. It all makes sense at the end! Won Steil has done an excellent job of leaving little nuggets throughout which seem insignificant at the time, but have importance as you go on!

I really enjoyed reading this novel and look forward to many more by Won Steil. If you love a messy family story full of drama, with a hint of mystery and suspense, this is the book for you!
I found myself getting lost in Marlow/Isla/Moni's world and just having to read on! I felt thoroughly invested in the characters and felt the emotions with them along the way.

A family-based thriller, Becoming Marlow Fin by Ellen Won Steil has an expeditious narrative of the impact on a family, when they find a young girl in the woods. It begins in 1995 with a Korean-American family at their holiday cabin, enjoying the Labor Day weekend. During a summer storm, five-year-old Isla Baek runs into the woods and discovers a young girl curled up under a tree. Gradually, through flashbacks and a 2022 television interview of Marlow Fin (now a famous model), we learn of a 2020 incident and other major events that cause family upheaval. The implications of that original discovery are played out over time with the various family members, leading to the fatal climax and an ominous tension-building mystery thriller. The narrative immerses the reader in the tale of an unraveling family which makes for a four and a half stars read rating. With thanks to Lake Union Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

This book was listed as Women's/General Fiction. I think suspense could be added to the genre. And, the title could be WHO IS MARLOWE FIN?

There are 2.5 timelines. One is the past, starting in the 1990s when a young girl discovers an abandoned 6-year-old in the woods. The second timeline is the present, in the format of an interview with Marlowe Fin, the child who was found and has become a famous model and actor. During the in-between, it seems that something tragic and horrific had occurred. The interview very slowly reveals the incident by the end of the book. Finally, there is a snippet of a timeline from the 1980s and a character that doesn't seem to belong. This pops up a few times throughout the story. I had no idea of the significance.

There are a lot of unknowns in the story. I suspected that there were huge secrets too. The characters are enigmatic, especially the Mom of the family. Interesting, but hard to figure out. That fits in with the tone of the story. A favourite is Moni, the grandmother of the family. She has no agenda, she is a caregiver. She shows love to everyone. Marlowe seems to have some strange and disturbing characteristics. By the time I had read 50% of the story, I had no idea which way this story would turn. The journey is interesting. But I couldn't guess.

It wasn't too much later that I had an inkling of the upcoming twist. It turned out that I was partially right.

In summary, the plot line is good. But, I had problems towards the end of the book, when all the twists and turns were being worked out. The writing became somewhat disjointed, it didn't flow as well as the first part of the book. And, there were too many pronouns being used, causing me confusion as to which character was involved in that moment. I had to re-read some sections to make sure I got it right. I found this frustrating.

I rate this 3.5 stars, rounded down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

THIS is the perfect summer read and if you haven’t heard of it you have now and you need it!

I absolutely loved this book!
I loved the interview sections the most! I felt that’s where a lot of the emotions and reveals were happening and I couldn’t get enough!
I stayed up all night devouring this book!!!!!

I absolutely loved the story and mystery
Loved the characters except the parents they were sus the entire time I just couldn’t figure out why
Moni has my heart and I bawled my eyes out
ABSOLUTLEY LOVED the twist I didn’t see coming
This was just so good and juicy I couldn’t get enough!!!!!!
Oh and the ending ?!??? What?!

Steil uses multiple time lines, narration by Marlow's sister Isla, and snippets of an interview given by Marlow herself to tell the story of this woman who was found abandoned on a stormy night and then adopted by the Baek family- and who is now a big deal. Marlow isn't as simple as anyone would have you believe. She's been a challenge over her life. This is all about family, identity and celebrity. The mixed format made this a more interesting read than a straight narrative. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers from me.

This book starts off really well - creepy night at the holiday cabin, little Black girl lost in the woods, but it quickly looses steam. There are three timelines - one in the 80s, probably to provide background, one in 90s and then an interview in the now. The now is an interview with the beautiful Marlow Fin, and reading transcript is not my idea of fun. The whole book is building to a twist or three, but I didn't really feel any tension. I certainly didn't feel anything for the characters, most of them felt very two dimensional. The author uses a lot of overblown metaphors and similes, that I cruelly started reading out loud to my husband, LIKE "He never got the urge to separate himself from me like the bad part of an apple that gets lobbed off". That's not the only apple based simile. My main issue, other than not caring about the two dimensional characters, was I couldn't see any motivation for most of their actions.
All of that said, I started this on a Saturday morning and finished it on Sunday afternoon, so it was a quick read, if nothing else.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was executed so perfectly! It had just the right amount of mystery, intrigue and physiological thrill. It very much gave me the same vibes as The Push by Ashley Audrain.

Marlowe Fin is a stunning, world renowned model who has been accused of killing her sister. The question remains, what exactly happened and did she do it?

Certain families are more complex than others. Supermodel Marlow Fin talks about the circumstances of a certain evening that permanently altered her and her family's lives in her one and
only interview. Isla, Marlow's sister, was last seen one night, and a puddle of her blood was discovered on Marlow's clothes and in a shed. Is it possible that Marlow killed the one person she claimed to love more than anything?

The story of the Baeks, Patrick, Stella, their 8-year-old daughter Isla, and grandma Moni is told in detail in Becoming Marlow Fin. The Baeks appeared to be just another working-class family on the block. However, when the Baeks discover 6-year-old Marlow abandoned in the woods on their final day of vacation at their cottage, their whole world changes The house of cards begins to collapse. Marlow's beauty and minor eccentricities become more apparent as the years go by. Marlow, who is currently at the top of her game, is being investigated for her sister's disappearance and potential murder.

Intricately plotting over multiple decades and characters, Ellen Won Steil tells a captivating tale of a couple's need to start a family and the consequences of leaving behind people and falsehoods. The tale jumps around a lot, and while I would have preferred a bit less herky-jerky action in that area, Steil neatly ties everything up so that the reader can follow along.

This book is really worth reading.thank you netgalley and the publisher Lake Union for an ARC of this book.

This is a very dark book around the story of Marlow Fin. Who is she really, where she is coming from. She first appeared outside the Baek's cabin. She was lost, mute, without a story, without a family, and the Baeks took her in and ended up adopting her. But the daughter of the family, Isla, never 100% warmed up to her, and the mother, Stella, had this hatred toward Marlow. What is the back story? What happened?
The only people who treated Marlow like family were father Patrick and grandma Moni.

I did not like Marlow and wished her downfall throughout. My favorite part was the love story.

A devastating story, which left me a little cold at the end. This is why I am giving it 3 starts. But the writing was elaborate, and the characters were realistic yet mysterious.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"What was it like? What does it feel like when you're drowning?"

I was frustrated, disappointed, angry, confused and so, so utterly sad and heartbroken that I did not even feel the rage anymore. This thriller made me question the description of the book as a thriller. It did not feel like a thriller for the majority of the book for me. Just an imperfect family with mistakes, problems, missteps and whatnot, but what family is perfect? And while I was still grabbing for the puzzle pieces and struggling to see the full picture, I realized. I realized, and all the seemingly unnecessary details snapped together, and I saw the whole picture. 😭

"Marry me.
This is where I should have said the end.
Where it should have ended."

This was so much more than I expected. It was actually one of my very first arcs that I applied for and - I don't know why - always ignored and set aside for a future read until I could not ignore it anymore last Sunday with the fast approaching release date (July, 23). And how was I wrong to wait. The writing was amazing. I felt so much within short chapters and sometimes only a single short sentence made me stop reading and stare at the wall while the tears dropped instead. And any book, that can make me cry over fictional characters... well it is something special. 💔

"In a hurry for anything else but him."

"Becoming Marlow Fin" surprised me. The writing, the storyline, the plot twists, the characters, the family dynamics,... I don't read that many thrillers, so maybe this is not as surprising to everyone else, but the switch between Interview in the now, and different time slots in the past made it so interesting and unputdownable to read.
So, lastly, I highly recommend this to anyone into thrillers, complicated family stories, or just as something different for a change. 4.5 stars 🫶🏻

"He didn't feel anything. He felt no pain," she said.
I shuddered and nodded. I fell onto the cold, tilted floor."

Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Ellen Won Steil for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily.