Alice agrees to fill in and pretend to be Cecily, her estranged identical twin, for one week, as she is the only one that can help her sister. Alice soon learns that there was a dark, ulterior motive behind the plea. Chapters were told in alternating sister’s view points: mainly in the present from Alice’s point-of-view as she learns to be her sister as asked, and with flashbacks from Cecily’s point-of-view where secrets unfolded of their Catholic upbringing childhood and how their hypocritical father affected the twins in different ways. This thriller/mystery had a slow build up, did include a major twist (albeit with a somewhat abrupt ending), but I can see the entirety of the book offering up many points for a great bookclub discussion. The cover and title for sure drew me in…being an identical twin myself I had read this!

Alice cannot say no when she gets a message from her identical twin sister, Cecily to stand in for her.
Cecily will be gone for a week, and has left instructions on what Alice has to do, and say.
Alice discovers a lot about her sister in the time she is in Cecily's home, and discovers just how different they are.


Told from two POV's, this book was fascinating.
I was intrigued, and truly could not stop reading, I finally got to sleep around 3am!

Alice has not seen Cecily in 17 years and has to step into her life seamlessly, and not be found out by the husband and daughter that have known Cecily for so many years?

About half way through, I had a theory, and by the time I got to the end of the book, I found out that I was right.
Alice's entire family are flawed. Her father is a staunch Catholic, fanatical in fact. He spends his time writing a book that will never be finished.
Her mother never steps in when the children are punished.
Only Cecily is the perfect daughter, and fights for her father's love and attention, and always seems to be second best.

Like I said. Intriguing. Unputdownable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Identical
by Saskia Sarginson
Pub Date: May 28 2024

"Identical" is a fascinating story about two siblings going from the present to the past told by each sister's point of view. The sisters, Alice and Cecily are identical twins they have traded lives since they were young children playing games and now that they are adults they are finding it's not as fun! I liked the authors writing style, alternating between past and present as it kept my attention. I was guessing how this book would end and was not expecting the shocking ending! A definite must read!

Many thanks to #Identical #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for the opportunity to read this E-ARC.

I am really having a hard time reading this book. I am someone who picks up a book and I fly through it but honestly this just is not capturing me at all. I DNF books that I feel this way about.

The childhood timeline is really strange and so out there that I feel uncomfortable reading it. Not even excited, just straight up uneasy. The present day is so boring and honestly, a lot needs to be cut out or tightened up. I know it is there to build suspense but it goes on so long that there isn't suspense. It just DRAGS.

Identical is about twins that switch places. The story alternates between the viewpoint of each twin and gives us insight into current and past events. I overall enjoyed this book. First, I love the creepy atmosphere. There's a large decrepit house that matches the sinister parts of this book. Second, it was a slow burn but worth the wait.

This was a fun book. Thanks for the advance review copy.

Identical by Saskia Sarginson started off with a bang. I’ve always been intrigued by the life of twins and thought what it would be like to have someone who looked just like me. When the twins switch lives things take a dark turn. This book had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Great read! Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the eArc!

3.5 stars

I'm a sucker for a thriller with twins. And I did enjoy this book but my main issue with it was that the twins weren't relatable or likable. Maybe that was the point. I'm not too sure. But I struggled to connect to either of them and found the first half of the book a little slow and a little dull.

It soon picked up though! I flew through the last part of the book despite guessing the twist fairly early on. Did I like it? Yes! Because I've written a book that's similar!

However the ending was wrapped up far too quickly and seemed to just end. Yes there was some explanation but not enough.

I would recommend this book for thriller lovers. It has a unique twist (although I'm now starting to see more and more of the same) and an easy to read writing style.

Now this took over my entire life until I have finished it! Such an original premise and it's brought to life so vividly. The characters are well written and multidimensional, multifaceted people. The twists and turns had my head spinning and just when I thought I knew what was going on, I was completely blindsided again! Amazing. A perfect thriller

We meet identical twins, Alice and Cecily, they would trade places sometimes as children. When Cecily calls and wants Alice to take over her life with her husband and daughter for a week, she doesn’t hesitate to help her out. Cecily has left her all the instructions she needs. When horrible words appear on the mirror, Alice realizes her life is in danger – someone is out to get Cecily and thinks Alice is her! Alice finds herself in a bind when Cecily fails to show up at the deadline. What is going on and why didn’t she show up? The novel is narrated from Cecily's and Alice's POVs. Cecily takes us into her past with an extremely strict father who traumatized her childhood and that of her siblings. Alice instead focuses on the present, how she tries to make sense of her sister's disappearance and how she becomes attached to her sister's, Identical's intricate plotting makes it a real page turner with a story that keeps you completely intrigued, guessing and on the edge of your seat until you reach the shocking ending.

This book was completely intriguing and just when I thought I’d worked out what was going on there was another twist thrown in. It’s set across two time zones and goes back and forth between the chapters. the plot unfolds at pace and the writing is compelling. This is a new author for me and I look forward to reading more from them. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the chance to review.

This is my first book by this author. I was attracted by the cover and the blurb, One twin desperately demanding the help of her identical twin. It goes without a doubt Alice would f-drop everything and come to the rescue of Cecily. Everybody would do the same, right?

I liked the way the story was told by the two sisters in alternating chapters and the fact the past and present were woven together made it all the more interesting. It gave the reader a glimpse into the past lives of the siblings and helped us understand how they grew into the women they are now.

It was an intriguing story that made me keep on reading and I was shocked by the twisty plot. 

The only thing I liked less was the history about the house, but that is personal of course. Nevertheless, the story was interesting showing how someone can really mess up other people's lives with their beliefs and rules. 4 stars

Thank you

When Cecily asks her identical twin Alice for help to get out of a toxic marriage, she has no doubt that she will accept the proposal to replace her for a week. Alice finds herself in a bind when Cecily fails to show up at the deadline.
The novel is narrated from Cecily's and Alice's POVs. Cecily takes us into her past with an extremely strict father who traumatized her childhood and that of her siblings. Alice instead focuses on the present, how she tries to make sense of her sister's disappearance and how she becomes attached to her sister's family.
Characters that I liked for their well-defined personalities, Alice the rebel and Cecily the submissive, who also has a dark side, always seeking the approval of a religious and abusive father.
Identical's intricate plotting makes it a real page turner with a story that keeps you completely intrigued, guessing and on the edge of your seat until you reach the shocking ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Identical by Saskia Sarginson due to be published May 28, 2024.
Identical twins, Alice and Cecily, traded places sometimes as children. When Cecily wants Alice to take over her life with her husband and daughter for a week, she doesn’t hesitate to help her out. Cecily has left her all the instructions she needs. When horrible words appear on the mirror, Alice realizes her life is in danger – someone is out to get Cecily and thinks Alice is her!
I loved the way this book starts out in the present and then goes back to Cecily and Alice’s childhood for some background on their life as sisters and twins. The writing definitely kept my interest as the time periods alternated between past and present. Identical was spellbinding, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened to the twins and was shocked by the ending. It kept my interest and kept me guessing the entire book – it is not to be missed!
#NetGalley #SaskiaSarginson #BoldwoodBooks #Identical

What a different sort of story this is. It really messes with your head.
We go back and forth so we understand what a terrible childhood the children had and the up to date storyline is really tense and unnerving.
A book you will not be able to put down.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

From that very first chapter this book had me hooked. It was absolutely packed with twists. I am literally in shock from that ending, I definitely didn't see that coming!
A fantastic read that will capture your attention and not let it go till that last page!

This book definitely had me questioning who to trust and who to run away from a very thrilling read overall.

The opening chapters certainly drew me into this engrossing tale …… When Alice gets a desperate message from her estranged identical twin sister Cecily, she can’t help herself. She has to say yes. Pushing down the memories of the terrible childhood that ultimately tore them apart, she arrives at her sister’s house. I loved this book! What an enjoyable read! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, and so many crazy twists! That ending ! Just WOW!

Wow. What a great read. Never saw the end coming. Tragic, riveting and characters that were thoroughly believable. I will read other books by this author and hope there is more to come.