An amazing up to date creepy book, concentrating on the misuse of social media, that puts fear into the reader from the very start. This was a book that I did not want to put down from the very start – it is gripping!
The story is plausible and there are so many red herrings as to who is responsible for trying to push Sarah over the edge as a punishment. Sarah has the perfect life and is well respected in the community but someone wants revenge but until the end the reader , like Sarah herself has no idea why. The characters are so well described, the pace of the story was perfect with short snappy chapters that keep you on our toes, Hopefully this may encourage people to take care on how much personal data that they give out to social media as this book demonstrates how easily it can be misused.

Another gripping read. Psychologically traumatising in the first half as we watch our main character spiral into self-doubt. I was less convinced later in the book, but it didn't stop me wanting to know who was doing this and why!

A creepy start had me hooked from the start. Sarah Havenant is happy with life - lovely British husband, 3 gorgeous children and a successful career as a doctor. Then she receives a friend request on Facebook from an old school friend who is moving back to the area. The only thing is, her friend has asked which account Sarah is using - the one Sarah knows about or the 'other' account for Sarah. Reeling from the information, Sarah finds the second account and there for all to see are pictures of her children, her husband, herself, At first Sarah turns to her husband and her best friend for support, but as parcels start arriving at the house ordered from Sarah's account and letters in Sarah's handwriting, it becomes harder to believe that Sarah doesn't have something to do with this herself. Her husband urges her to seek help, to have counselling and Sarah starts to doubt her own sanity. A gripping read that may make you think again about the information you share on social media.

TITLE: COPYCAT

AUTHOR:ALEX LAKE

Massive Thankyou for the lovely #FlissCity for inviting me to take part on this blog tour and to the publisher and #Netgalley for allowing me access to a pre publication copy.

THE SYNOPSIS:

Inmitation is the most terrifying form of flattery…

Which Sarah Havenant is you?

When an old friend gets in touch, Sarah Havenant discovers that there are two Facebook profiles in her name. One is hers. The other, she has never seen.

But everything in it is accurate. Photos of her friends, her husband, her kids. Photos from the day before. Photos of her new kitchen. Photos taken inside her house.

And this is just the beginning. Because whoever has set up the second profile has been waiting for Sarah to find it. And now that she has, her life will no longer be her own…

MY REVIEW:

This started a little slowly but very quickly picked up pace and believe me when I say this will have your pulse racing and your nerves frayed by the end of it!

As the story unravels we see events taking a more sinister turn -and my reading pace sped to match that of the story as  I started to really fear for our main protagonist Sarah's safety. The book is so cleverly written I also then swiftly started  to question her sanity- and couldn't decide if she was a victim or mentally unstable! I wasn't alone all her friends, even those closest to her including her husband start to doubt her. Is someone seriously out to get her if so they are predatory, manipulative and exceptionally clever , or is she suffering for a mental condition where she does things without remembering- crazy things that she wouldn't normally do?

One of the reasons this story is so very compelling is because it shows how easily someone you think knows you inside out can be convinced that you are behind the craziest behaviour! I was horrified as I watched Sarah's loving husband starting to behave as if he didn't know his own wife and didn't trust her anymore.  How frightening to be unable to convince your own husband that you are not behind a series of frightening  and unsettling events that are threatening to rip your family apart. It sent child's down my spine!

The pace is relentless and once I got into it I wasn't able to put this down, reading it in two sittings. The plot itself is clever and very well thought out- it unravels perfectly with twists and turns that leave you totally baffled as to who is behind it all. The last third of the book is incredible as the whole novel cranks up to a whole new terrifying level. The closing chapter are electrifying and let's just say the ' other ' Sarah Havenant is the most deranged, psychopathic lunatic you can imagine! BRILLIANT!!

Well written, with a cast of believable and well drawn characters this book will leave you reeling! I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. Questioning do you ever really know those you are closest to?

For fans of thrillers  that are adrenaline fuelled, psychological thrillers that keep you guessing and gasping, throughout I would highly recommend COPYCAT... it will make you think twice about what information you share online and begs you to question our modern age where our private lives are never private!

This is the second book I have read by Alex Lake, I loved After Anna and Copy Cat is another thrilling, captivating and unsettling read which I was gripped by after the first couple of pages.
A superb story with lots of tension and darkness throughout, fast paced, full of twists and turns and ups and downs. My kind of book. Highly recommended.

.I had heard of Alex Lake's previous book, After Anna, and remember seeing it advertised a lot, but I hadn't found time to read it; I didn't, therefore, have much of a clue as to what to expect from Copycat.

Expectations (or lack thereof) aside, this is what I got from Copycat:
* A night of three hours' sleep, because I was 'just going to read one more chapter'... 'ok one more, I can't leave it on a cliffhanger!'.... 'dammit, it's 4am, this is the absolute last chapter!'
* A compulsion to check and re-check my online security settings.
* One hell of a good story!

The book is well-paced, the characters are flawed but sympathetic, and the plot is superb. The narrative is mostly from the third person perspective of 'Sarah', with occasional chapters written from the first person point of view belonging to 'Fake Sarah'. This adds to the confusion over the existence of the Fake Sarah, and makes the plot development even more compelling.

There are moments when things are too neatly done, too saccharine, too overtly explained, but those moments are forgivable for the sake of the rest of the book.

I would definitely recommend this book!

Imitation is the most terrifying form of flattery…
Which Sarah Havenant is you?
This book will give everyone who uses social media pause for thought!
How many of us use sites like Facebook to put up photos of ourselves, family and daily lives without even giving it a second thought?
Even with all the privacy settings so only people on our friends list can see, this book certainly highlights just some of the risks associated with the digital age we now live in!
And it certainly isn't a slow starter. Our protagonist Sarah Havenant receives a message on Facebook form a girl she went to school with saying that she was moving back to the area and would she like to catch up over a coffee.
Nothing strange or sinister there but at the end of the message Sarah is asked if this is the right account as there are 2 different ones.
It turns out that someone has set up another account 6 months ago in Sarah's name, has photos of her, her husband and kids, even a photo from inside the house of her new kitchen. The account holds information that only Sarah, her family or someone very close to her would have had the opportunity to know.
And this is just the beginning, soon things start to escalate quickly. This is the work of someone more sinister than a random online troll.
Up until the fake Facebook comes to light Sarah is happily married with 3 children, a well-respected doctor in the community and can not think of 1 person who might have even the slightest grudge against her or her family.
So who is responsible for all of this and the big question, Why? Not long after the Facebook account odd things are happening, books arrive from amazon ordered from Sarah's account with a hand written note, in Sarah's own handwriting. Books on depression and bipolar.
Is this a subconscious cry for help? Now her husband is beginning to doubt her. Is Sarah doing this herself in a dissociative fugue, maybe she is suffering with some kind of mental disorder or depression. How can he help her if she won't accept the facts as they seem?
As the book moves on at a fast pace, things only get worse for Sarah until the book reaches its conclusion.
This book is a real page turner and throws its fair share of red herrings into the mix to keep you guessing and intrigued and ultimately racing to reach the end to finally find out the truth.
If you are a fan of psychological thrillers you will really enjoy this book, I loved it. I thought it is a very clever storyline, 1 that isn't beyond the realm's of possibility and has certainly made me think about what information we put out on the internet for the world to see.
This should be on your list of books you must read!

From the outset, this was a chilling thriller. Fast paced and totally absorbing and as the book went on, I was more and more drawn in. It had me guessing right to the end. It's an excellent book and by the time I was halfway through, I was totally hooked and couldn't put it down until I'd finished it as dawn broke.

After previously reading After Anna by Alex Lake and loving it, I didn't hesitate with the chance to read Copycat. Excited to see what else this author could do and I wasn't disappointed.

Copycat is the story of Sarah, who receives a friend request on Facebook from an old school friend Rachel who is confused as there are two profiles for Sarah. One is her real profile but the other is a fake profile, however, it contains photos of her family and her home...photos she didn't take. Slowly things begin to take a sinister turn for Sarah when she finds out that it doesn't stop at the Facebook profile. This stalker has been impersonating her in other aspects of her life, emails, hand writing and even her Amazon account.

This story really drew you in, its very well written and very creepy and really makes you think about what could really happen with social media. This is not a predictable story and keeps you guessing with lots of twists and turns until the very last page. I did find the story a little slow, to begin with, and was worried I wouldn't find it as well written as After Anna, but I'm really glad I pushed on as it turned out to be a very intriguing story! I cannot wait to see what the author comes up with next.

social media user's beware! Excellent psychological thriller, i couldn't put this book down , many twists and turns keeps you guessing until the end. I would highly recommend this book. Brilliant read.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book as an arc.
Sarah has a stalker, someone who is pretending to be her on social media, someone who knows her every movement. We find out that the stalker is hellbent on wreaking havoc upon Sarah's life and is determined to seek revenge for past wrongdoings.
I really enjoyed the book, there are plenty of twists and turns as the reader tries to figure out who Sarah's stalker is. However, as the story progresses, the genre turns from psychological thriller to horror as the stalker is unmasked and we find out they are truly psychopathic! The only niggle I have with the book is that the reasons for seeking revenge don't seem particularly strong or valid, but I guess the stalker is a psychopath and perhaps the reasons are valid enough to them!
Excellent creepy read with some really strong characters, would certainly recommend.

A really great read, had me hooked from the start, quite scary how easy it can be done in today's social media climate, characters were believable and easy to get to know, book wrapped up nicely after after a break neck speed read to the end

A fantastic read that kept me guessing until the end, I could NOT put this down!

WOW !!! A gripping book that I didn't want to end , even though I wanted to know what happened. Worth far more than five stars. I loved it

Sarah Havenant is 38 years old. She's a doctor, and she is married with three young children. Out of the blue, Sarah receives a friend request from.......well, from herself. Someone has set up a page in Sarah's name, using her details, and family pictures that Sarah has never seen before. Someone is watching her - and the profile is only the beginning. This is no ordinary troll - this person will not stop until they have destroyed everything Sarah holds dear.

This was good, I read it in one sitting. Every other chapter (or thereabouts) is from the person who's set on ruining Sarah's life - it was a little bit MUAHAHAHAHA *rubs hands together* at times (how many times do you need to say "she thinks this is bad... it will only get worse" or similar?) but it did explain little bits and pieces here and there that could have explained why Sarah was being targeted.

I did see the ending coming a mile off, and I was urging Sarah and Ben to get there quicker. The whole reasoning behind the campaign to "end" Sarah was a little ridiculous to me, and the ending was a little bit Pantomime, but the rest of the book was an easy, enjoyable enough read that by that point it didn't even matter.

I don't think I'll ever look at a sausage the same way again, mind.

A truly believable tale which keeps you at the edge of your seat to find out who is behind all this identity duplication and stalking. Great to highlight the dangers of social media. An intriguing psychological thriller with a difference.
Keeps you guessing and on your toes from start to end.
For those who liked “Girl on a train” would find this an great read.
I wouldn’t like to be in Sarah’s shoes throughout the story. I will be turning into a nervous wreck!

Copycat is a chilling psychological thriller set in Maine and very cleverly written .Sarah Havenant has a stalker who is taking over her life and she can't guess who it is or why .The story is ultimately about revenge but it is a book that as the tension builds it is difficult to put down .I loved that everything was explained in the end .I enjoyed this book so much .10 stars !!!

I really liked this book a lot, read it whilst on holiday and I couldn't put the bloody thing down and ended up getting sunburnt!!!! Yes it's that good lol.

So basically sarah finds out she has 2 Facebook accounts yet she's only opened one of them, the other account has up to date photos of her and her kids and even shots from inside her house that she hasn't taken or posted. Then some other weird stuff goes and and her life got overtaken by trying to figure out who her "stalker" is.

I found this book fast paced and I loved the little twists and turns it through out at you at intervals. It was a creepy read and had me on the eve of my seat. She has no idea who is making her life hell and suspects everyone even her husband.

It's a truly great read I can't say much more or I'll spoil it for everyone else. I've not read any other books by this author but I can't wait for more and will be recommending this book to all my friends.

Top read a must buy ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

When an old high school friend contacts Sarah Havenant via Facebook and asks to meet as she is moving back to their hometown of Barrow, Sarah is only too happy to oblige, but a throwaway comment makes her question her own sanity.

Is this the right account for you or is it the other one?

Sarah only has one Facebook account. Or so she thought.

Sarah decides to investigate and discovers a duplicate facebook profile in her name. One that she had no hand in setting up.

When she discovers that the owner of the account has posted recent pictures of her and her family, Sarah is rightly, freaked out. Initially dismissive of the account, Sarah's husband thinks she has just forgotten about setting it up.

But Sarah knows that she did no such thing. As she delves deeper into the mystery, determined to find the culprit, things soon escalate out of control; Sarah thinks her family is in danger and her husband thinks she is losing it.

Copycat is one of those novels that I don't want to say too much more about, I think you really need to go Sarah's journey right there alongside her.

Copycat is genuinely terrifying in that I’m not sure you’d have to be as mentally unstable as the perpetrator in this novel to set up a fake social media account and use it against somebody. Sure there are means of reporting these thing, but if you genuinely have no idea who’s behind it, then you have no proof to take to the police should things escalate...

Should you be brave enough, Copycat is a thrilling read with an ending that I never saw coming in a million years!

I really enjoyed this book it had a good story and I didn't work out what was happening until the end, which I was also unprepared for. A definite must read.