Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This book was definitely a slow burn. It started really slow so that for a long time I didn't know whether or not I was going to enjoy it. I'm glad that I stuck with it though because the development of the Eve was something that I never would have expected. Eve has had to play the role of her twin sister, Gen, her entire life. Her mother is mentally, unstable and after her twin sister was kidnapped, her father is afraid that telling her mother the truth will push her over the edge. As a result, Eve must pretend to be both herself and her sister while in her home. With the start of a new school year and a new next door neighbor, Eve begins to fear that her family's secret will get exposed.

Eve grows more unhinged as developments into her secret home life threaten to get exposed, but can she keep herself from unraveling before she has the opportunity to start a new life post high school?

The uniqueness of this story pulled me in from the start. I was intrigued by the depths of Eve's secrets, it seems like each person in her life knows a different side of her with no one, not even Eve, really knowing her true self. I was confused when Eve was having conversations with Gen at times and even more puzzled at Eve's desperate need to keep those conversations going, but overall those scenes served to carry the story forward. Eve is diagnosed near the end of the book, but she also admits that she isn't telling her doctor everything so I am not certain the author included the diagnosis to act as an actual answer or just as a filler to the story.

I wish the book would have revealed who kidnapped Eve's twin sister when they were babies. Even if it was another crazy twist, like the dad gave up Gen all along. This would have at least left all questions answered by the end of the book and the dad theory still wouldn't have felt too farfetched, since there was so much build up in Eve's hatred towards her father being the family manipulator throughout the course of the novel.

Eve is an unreliable narrator but the final two scenes really clash with one another, not because of what Eve believes happened which of course will be askew but because the author chose to include outsiders' testimonies to what happened and they don't line up with the actual outcome of the final event. I know that is super vague but I am also trying to not include spoilers. I only wanted to point this out because why even shift the novel's POV to 3rd person for .01% of the novel if it isn't even going to serve as truth?

Overall this book was just ok enough to keep me reading. Maybe if you're someone whose super into thrillers, twins, and mental health this story will read better for you.

DNF @ 11%. Honestly, j usually will get at least a quarter through the book before giving up, but everytime I attempt to read this, I want to take a nap. I’m bored!

The premise sounded REALLY intriguing, so it’s a bummer that I couldn’t catch on with this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Left-Handed Mitten Publications for this ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt it was cleverly written. I was sucked in shortly after I started. This book is such a page turner. I don't want to spoil anything. I felt it was beautifully written and would like to read more by this author.. I did review on goodreads

I enjoyed parts of this book but some of it was far too predictable. I enjoyed the premise but I felt it became quite difficult to determine which character was narrating half the time.

It’s worth a read, but not as gripping as I hoped

I thought the premise of this book was absolutely brilliant - A girl having to pretend to be herself and her missing twin sister just to stop her mum from losing the plot - reminded me of What Happened to Tuesday.

Unfortunately, it was only the plot of the book that forced me to keep going as long as I did. The writing style didn't really work: sometimes it read like a YA and other times an adult novel, which was very confusing and often irksome because when we got to the more adult writing, I started to enjoy it, but then when it became more YA, I really had to push through.

Elle seemed way too mature for a newly turned 18 year old in terms of her level of introspection and self-awareness. I understand that you probably would be quite self aware for someone who had to carry the secrets and weight of her mother's sanity that she does, but it's very much bordering on unrealistic.

I pushed through until the point we start to find out what happened to Elle's sister, but when I realised I was still only 79% in, I gave up because I can't imagine what more needed to be covered in all that time since the book already felt way too long as it was.

So, unfortunately, this book wasn't for me, which is a real shame because I went into this book with a lot of hope and expectations.

The cover and the title grabbed my attention immediately. The premise of the unraveling is quite unique and I was ready for something different to read. Along with Eve and let’s just say Gen, as well, readers, from the outset, enter a world of complex family trauma and mental illness. The story fully centers on Eve, a teenage girl forced to live in the shadow of her twin sister, Gen, who was kidnapped as an infant and never seen again. Eve’s mother refuses to accept the loss of her daughter and views Eve sometimes as herself and many times as her twin, Gen. I wondered why Eve would perpetuate the ruse but realize I must understand she was protecting her mother and her profound denial and mental health struggles. Even Eve's father buys into the ridiculous ploy and compels his daughter, to assume the role of both twins, creating a life where she must alternate between her own identity and that of her missing sister. This bizarre, heartbreaking arrangement shapes Eve’s adolescence, leaving her grappling with her own identity and unresolved grief.

As the story pretty slowly unfolds, the author focuses on Eve’s teenage experiences, including relationships complicated by lies and misunderstandings due to her fractured home life. But once you get into Eve’s story, the plot is full of surprises, including two major twists that left me incredulous, as I was not preoared for either twist, both occurring toward the end of the book.

Overall, this psychological thriller is a well written gripping exploration of identity and mental illness. You may find situations unsettling, as Eve searches for wholeness in the midst of psychological turmoil.

If you like dark, disturbing novels, you will be captivated examining this teen’s life that blurs between reality and delusional.

5 stars. Highly recommend. Once published, I plan on suggesting this for my book club to read.

The multiple layer story of her imprisonment is heart tugging and captivating. She’s stuck as a prisoner with her mother, another with her father, another with her secrets from her friends, her sister, and then with herself.

While it was a little slow to start, it quickly became intoxicating. I didn’t want to put it down once things started to change for Eve. As the reader, it was easy to be pulled into the psychological thriller aspects of the story while being eager to solve the mystery and keep reading to see what comes next. It wrapped up perfectly for the genre and left me with a sense of “yes, this is how it should be”. I love when you finish a book and it lingers on your thoughts and emotions.

I have mixed feelings about this book, half I enjoyed and the other half was extremely predictable.

It was well written and as much as some was predictable I didn’t expect the plot twist at the end, although I’d of liked more information on that, it had me doubting if sky was real or was just one of Eve’s personalities.

Overall a good book though :)

What in the world?!! This was an interesting book about a girl who is forced to play her twin after she goes missing. However, the ending absolutely threw me! I definitely was not expecting it and I don’t feel like the story really set up that ending! But it was definitely shocking!

I received an early copy through Netgalley but all opinions are my own.

A one of a kind novel with a truly unique and interesting premise. An emotional roller coaster between loyalty to family and individuality.

This is an emotional rollercoaster ride with an unreliable narrator that made me constantly question who she really was. One likeable, popular twin and one self-isolating, self-depreciating twin--who, if either, was our storyteller?

This novel explores mental health in ways that felt authentic and often brought out so much anger from me at what was happening to Eve as well as what she believed was the right choices to make.

The twists were ones I never saw coming and I even gasped out loud at the first major twist and had to reread the second one because it was unbelievable and heartbreaking.

This novel will stay with me for a long time. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for my early digital copy for an honest review.

I really loved this book! It was a mind blown story all the way through. Imagine having to spend 18 years playing a part that right when you're fixing to escape it all the lies, and the secrets hidden all blows up right in your face when the person you've been actually shows up! Mental chaos abounds.

This book had so many twists that I felt like I was on the edge of my seat for the whole ride. I loved every second of it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC! This story hooked me in from the description. A book about a girl being forced to essentially cosplay as her kidnapped twin sister is absolutely wild. Hooyenga takes readers into the mind of Eve Ellaway, an 18-year-old girl being forced to pretend to be her kidnapped twin sister Gen for her mentally ill mother. I loved the concept of this book, and I loved the side characters of Ember and Wes. I did, however, find the book a little slow for the first 2/3, but it quickly picked up pace by the last 1/3. The ending of the book is WILD!

This was a delicious read from page one. Couldn't put it down. Shocking twists and breath taking thrills. I was intrigued by the premise but didn't expect so much suspense.

This book was WILD and the premise grabbed my attention immediately. While the writing was good and it had me turning the pages, it didn’t evoke any sense of fear or suspense

What a nice book! I could not stop reading. It's so thrilling and the twists take you by surprise. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really liked this book. It was intense. I didn't expect that at all. A 5 star read from me. I read this on the way to the store, doctors offices, and waiting to pick my daughter from school. I didn't wanna put it down. Thank you netgalley.