Does a truly creepy thriller HAVE to take place in the woods? Honestly, yes, and you can’t convince me otherwise. When She Was Me by Marlee Bush adds in even more creepiness with twin sisters, a sordid and messy past, and a missing teenager. And the creepiest part is the secrets we learn as we switch between each sister’s point of view.
From the first chapter, Bush’s description of the woods and small campground the sisters stay adds to the creepy atmosphere. The isolation that each sister feels seemed to reach out the pages and pull me in instantly. Adding in the missing teenager immediately increased the tension that was already there, and fully grabbed my attention.
This is the kind of thriller that oscillates between psychological and physical. It’s hard to distinguish what’s real and what isn’t, and even harder to determine which sister to trust. There are so many different ways the story could’ve gone, which made it ALMOST impossible to see the twists before they popped. Overall, I think the balance of insane twists and believable outcomes was handled well, but could’ve easily tipped into being absolutely ridiculous.
Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

As the only permanent residents of a secluded campground in Tennessee, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been isolated since the dreaded incident. Lenora a shut-in who only watches people from comfort of Cabin #2’s window. Her only contact with the real world, other than her sister, is when she has regular meetings with her therapist. Cassie on the other hand has a job that focuses on victims of the most notorious killers known to man, putting her in the spotlight. They have created a co-dependent life together which almost blurs the events of their past. That is until a girl visiting the campground goes missing. The twins can’t help but think maybe one of them knows more than they are telling. This incident starts to dredge up memories that are all too similar from their past. What was the tragedy from all those years ago? And what happened to the young girl, but most importantly, who is to blame?
Overall rating 3/5
The way Bush had me convinced that this was all in Cassie’s head and how (given context from the book) that she thought she absorbed her twin in the womb. I would actually rather have that be the ending to this book than what we were left with in the ending. I felt there were so many hidden innuendos and side plots that could have been great if given the opportunity to play out. I was also wanting a “Patricia” moment indicative to Split to happen when Lenora was talking to her therapist. I do like that we got a small glimpse into how traumatic events can play into our day to day mental health if not dealt with, and how two similar people can deal with it differently.

2.5⭐️

This book started off really slow. I was almost at the point of DNFing, but I’m glad I read through the end because I really liked the premise and twists of this book.

About halfway, the book really started to pick up. I was absolutely hooked by the secrets these twin sisters had and I loved the switch between past and present. I also didn’t see the twist coming, so I applaud the author for that!

However, along with it being a slower pace than I prefer, I also didn’t fully vibe with the writing and had a hard time picking it up when I had free time which is unusual for me. Every time I did read, it felt repetitive and like I had already read that part of the book before. I attribute this to trying to draw out their secrets for as long as possible.

This isn’t a bad book by any means, just not one that I could fully get into, especially at the beginning.

• mystery thriller
• super slllooowww burn
• poetic prose
• campground setting
• twin powers activate…or not
• The prose was ultimately a deal-breaker for me…but I tried, I mean I did finish it, after all.
• NARRATION: Imani Jade Powers did great with the narration of twins.