Reviews

This one is a twisty and wild ride! I enjoyed it and found myself really interested in figuring out what happened to (or maybe because of??) twin sisters Cassie & Lenora.

I really liked the setting - it gave the whole book a claustrophobic feeling while simultaneously being expansive and isolating.

The dual POVs and timehopping were a bit tough to follow at times, but it was necessary to the plot and the feeling of impending doom.

The final twist was good, but leaned to the "too much twist for the sake of an extra twist" side of things for me to really truly get behind, which is why it's a 3 for me.

candaceonline's review against another edition

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4.0

When She Was Me by Marlee Bush is a story about sisters. Lenora and Cassie survived a tragedy when they were younger and they have both been damaged in different ways by it. They are identical twins, split apart in the womb. For years they have been living in a cabin in the woods of Tennessee. Lenora doesn’t leave other than to use the bathhouse. Everything has been ok until their landlord dies and a new owner moves into the cabin next door. Then a camper from another cabin goes missing and the world the twins have carefully built starts to crumble. This book weaves in and out between the sister’s viewpoints and goes back in time. It is well executed and does a good job of building suspense. There were moments that my heart was in my throat from scenes that left me spooked. I wanted to pick this up and speed through it so I could find out what was going on. I couldn’t tell who to trust. I came up with theories in my mind as I was reading, and I was totally wrong. I had no idea what was really going on. Now I feel like I need to read it again to really understand what was what. This is a twisty, suspenseful book that kept me guessing. I enjoyed the ride. 4/5 stars. Thanks to the author I was able to read an advance copy of When She Was Me. It will be published on May 7th, 2024. I highly recommend you grab a copy.
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bookingwithjanelle's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was so good, I had trouble putting it down! The relationship between Lenora and Cassie is complicated, but at the core they are EVERYTHING to each other.... No one else matters. As I was reading, I thought I knew what was going to happen, but I was so wrong. The emotion, fear, strength, and determination that was represented in this book was just the right amount. Then we you add in jealousy, rage, confusion, and torment it just completes the story. Loved it!

marissae0630's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

volatilevampire's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

briacelest's review against another edition

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2.0

This one had potential but ultimately fell short for me. The premise was intriguing (see synopsis), but the execution left much to be desired. The characters felt one-dimensional, and I struggled to connect with them at all. The pacing was uneven, with some parts dragging (& I mean DRAGGING, it was painful almost) on while others felt rushed?? the plot twists were predictable, as well and I understand it’s hard to make a good twist these days but still. While there were moments of genuine interesting things happening and the writing style was decent, overall, the book did not engage me as I had hoped. It was a disappointing read unfortunately

readwith_hannah's review against another edition

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4.0

4 ⭐️ Happy Publication Day!!

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