This is the first book i have read by Alex Lake and im pretty certain it will not be my last.
I really loved the style of writing and this book just pulls you in slowly, slowly then hits you with a cracker of a twist or a turn.
This is a story about Sarah who finds herself cloned as it were, someone is starting to stalk her and she doesnt have any idea why or who it is. It leads you on a twisty turny tale of wrong guesses until the end.
Terrific read, brilliant characters and superb amount of suspense. Go read it!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and of course Alex Lake for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Was excited to read the story, but unfortunately it was a bit of let down for me. Plot-wise, there were a lot of gaps and holes in the story. The relationship between the main character and her husband was a bit dodgy, it didn't make a lot of sense (if you've been in long term committed relationships, you'll see what I mean). It was also pretty easy to predict who was the copycat - was it as obvious for everyone else? The story wasn't badly written, but it's not a book that would jump on my 'to recommend' list either. A quick summer read.

This book really makes you think about just how easy it is for someone to set up a bogus account on Facebook and the damage and heartache it can cause.
When an old friend of Sarah Havenant gets in touch with her, she's shocked to find there are two profiles on Facebook with not only the same name but the same photo's that she has on her account. Not being too sure what's going on, Sarah sets about trying to find out who's behind it. Little does she know at the beginning that this other person has a twisted score to settle with her. Her friends and family think Sarah is suffering from some sort of mental breakdown as nothing makes sense.
If only they had believed her.
This is a great thriller and I for one was quite shocked at who was behind it and why.
It gets a full five stars from me.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review

I did enjoy Copy Cat although I had to suspend belief in several places. The twists weren't really twists as I could see them a mile off. Enjoyable but not really suspenseful until the last few chapters. I did think the Sheriff was pretty thick not putting two and two together.

An interesting read which I am sure will be a bestseller.

Copycat by Alex Lake is a chilling contemporary psychological thriller. It messes with the minds of both the characters and the reader. As I read, I was unsure - what was reality? What was imagined? What was really going on?
Copycat was marvellously written. It had an incredible plotline. The reader heard a voice from ten years earlier, witnessed the story being told in the third person and heard the menacing first person voice. As I read, I searched for clues - who was the menacing one? Male? Female? Real? Imagined? More questions than answers.
The reader is drawn into the world of the main character. We 'see' and 'experience' life through their eyes, all the while questioning their sanity? Are we witnessing a slow decline? Is the person really who they say they are?
The novel jumps from Maine to London and back again. As an English woman, it was great to be able to recognise the London locations.
Copycat is about love - a sacrificial love, caring only for the well being of the family.
The novel is also about friendships. Friendships that will support through thick and thin.
Copycat is menacing. It plays with your mind and has you questioning from the start. The psychological torture is mirrored with the threat of physical torture. This book will have you checking behind the doors of your mind. Do not read it alone.
A marvellous read, definitely to be devoured with the light on!
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC of this book. When read the burb and it says an unputdownable thriller than this is for me.
When Sarah Havenant old school friend contacts her on Facebook and asks her which of the two profiles on there is the genuine profile. She has to take a look at the other profile and she is horrified to see the pictures of her life with her family and inside her home. But, it someone else’s account. She is even more worried when she gets a friend request from herself. The owner of the profile has been waiting 6 months for Sarah to find the account. What is going on? Her life suddenly changes.
The Facebook profile was just the start of it. People start getting texts and emails she never wrote and packages start arriving from Amazon that she never ordered. But when she looks into her account the order is there. Her husband thinks that she is depressed and she can’t remember what she is doing. Even getting advice from a shrink and old friend Rachel Little. But, this is not her but, the stalker taking over her life and eventually wants to end it.
This is well written, creepy addictive thriller, that you will not want to put down. This is a real page turner. This is one of them books that you want to close yourself away, and switch your phone off and read in one sitting. The only disappointment, when we find out who the stalker is. I thought the author went a bit over the top, with the reasons why they were doing all this and it was a bit rushed.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this for an honest review.

When I seen Alex Lake had brought out a new book, I couldn't wait to read it. Loved his last books very much.

This one started off so well. Sarah is happily married gp with 3 children. Perfect life, nice friends shes had since childhood. But then an old friend Rachel from school gets in touch and things seem to start going downhill. 1st a fake facebook page made in her name. Pictures she never took, whats going on? The plot thickens as it goes on. The book is told in 3 parts. The 1st 2 parts were great, but come to the 3rd it started to get rather dull. Which is why I marked it down. Did pick up towards the end but not enough to give 5 stars.

COPYCAT follows Sarah Havenant, mother of three and loving wife to Ben, whose happy life takes a chilling turn when she discovers two Facebook profiles in her name. One profile she recognises as her own but the other she has never seen before, yet everything in it is accurate, even photos of her new kitchen taken from inside her house. Who has set it up and why?

Soon, the creepy annoyance quickly turns into something far more sinister as the ‘copycat’ starts to take over Sarah’s life, imitating her handwriting, accessing her Amazon account and texting her friends. With increasing anxiety and mounting disbelief, Sarah's grip on reality gradually starts to unravel, leaving her to question not only her family and friends but also her own sanity.

Strange, sinister and deeply disturbing, COPYCAT is psychological thriller for the digital age. If you own any kind of social media account, the synopsis alone is enough to send a shiver down your spine. The book has all
the elements of a great psychological thriller - an intriguing synopsis, relatable characters and plenty of twists and turns. The complex tale is well written with short, snappy chapters heightening the tension and suspense. The fast paced plot also sees sections of the narrative written from the point of view of Sarah, interspersed with sections written from the viewpoint of the copycat, which adds further to the suspense and intrigue.

In terms of characterisation, the main protagonist, Sarah, is likeable, real and plausible and her relationship with her British husband Ben is immaculately portrayed. The only real disappointment is the abrupt ending, which feels rather rushed and unfinished. The reader is so caught up in the mystery that when the plot twist finally does reveals itself, it feels almost hurried and far-fetched in parts.

That said, COPYCAT is certainly an enjoyable read with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end.

Sarah finds a facebook profile, that doesn't belong to her but is her and is worryingly accurate, it seems strange but these things happen...... or do they? When more bizarre material emerges relating to Sarah it begins to get very creepy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a modern day stalking story. I liked the way it addressed the social media issue of how easy it can be to steal your identity, and the doubt this can potentially bring into all relationships. It also shows that you never really know what goes on behind closed doors, no matter how well you think you know someone.

I found this book extremely gripping from the beginning and it was one of those books I just couldn't put down. The writing style is excellent keeping you wanting to know more throughout It does become a bit far-fetched at the end but I still really enjoyed the whole story.

Original Post can be found here: foxtrevert.wordpress.com/2017/08/27/copycat/

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the chance to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Creepy, dark and unnerving. This book will have you gripped.

About this book:

An old friend of Sarah Havenant tries to add Sarah on Facebook when she decides to move back to Barrow, Maine. However, there are two Sarah Havenant’s on Facebook; exactly the same as the other. When Sarah finds out, she is unnerved. This profile has private photos of her kids, her husband, and even the inside of her house, not only this but photos have been uploaded regularly for six months. Sarah believes it is some sick practical joke at first but letters begin to arrive in her handwriting and deep secrets are revealed. Soon, Sarah realises that something much more sinister is going on.

What a roller-coaster! I do not read many psychological thrillers but the description of this book had me very interested. People have far too much information out there on the internet and you hear some awful horror stories so I was interested in reading a fictional novel of what could happen with all of your information out there.

Alex Lake is a great thriller writer. She will have you gripped from the first page. The book is 416 pages long but Lake writes at such a fast-pace that you feel as though you read the book in an hour. I could not put the book down. I even learned to read whilst the TV is on or the family are talking so I could keep reading. The book is told in the third-person but the reader can identify with the character of Sarah and truly feel her terror every time a letter or e-mail arrives. If you want a great ‘guess-who’ novel then I would definitely recommend this. You will be guessing right until the end.

The book is separated into three parts and each part begins with a ‘ten years earlier’ excerpt, which will confuse you until pieces are put together closer to the end and you have that ‘ahhh’ moment. I must admit the first two parts are much better than the third. The third part is used to discuss the outcome of the ‘big reveal’ but I found it incredibly rushed and to be honest, some of the reveals were far-fetched and I was disappointed. I thought the reveal was incredible but then you learn more and it is wrecked. There is also a point in the book where you get to 96% and things have not been tied up. That is a cause for worry as it usually means a rushed ending. However, as I said, the first two parts are incredible.

The first two parts follow all of the stalking incidents and Sarah’s attempts to prove she is not insane and that someone really is messing with her life. You learn about her life and family without it being too long winded and you get just enough character development to understand the characters and identify with them. I was not entirely in love with Sarah but if you read the book, you will understand why. She is not perfect and neither is anyone else in the book which I suppose makes it much more real. I just like to feel sorry for protagonists and at some points, I was also calling her crazy or stupid. I suppose that is part of the story though! The reader must guess along with Sarah and wonder whose side to be on.

All in all, the book is a good, fast-paced novel that will make you feel shock, terror, and worry. I believe it would be a good winter read (when the electric goes out) or a holiday read! Just be warned, some of the plot points are a bit unbelievable but as long as you know that, you can get through it.

I gave the book 4 stars because I really enjoyed it but there were a few too many problems that I could not get past!

Sarah has everything; job, husband, children, home and friends. Everything seems perfect until she learns that someone is impersonating her - two facebook accounts, two e-mail accounts.
Sarah's perfect life is ripped apart when her identity is taken over by another Sarah Havenant.
I thought that this was a very clever idea, every time I thought I knew what was happening the rules changed and I was directed away to another scenario.
Worth a read.

The tag line for this book really drew me in and after reading the blurb I knew that it was definitely a book I wanted to read!!  The book is skilfully written to keep you engaged and guessing throughout and you do get an adrenaline rush at times especially when you think things like this do happen in real life with identity theft - could happen to you?!?

The author throws in a few red herrings but I did ultimately guess what was happening before it was revealed but it still kept me gripped right up to the last page!  Definitely a five star read for me, it is an excellent psychological thriller - does make you wonder who you can really trust!!

Copycat

This psychological thriller has a slow but, scene setting start and a truly explosive final section where all the clues and red herrings come together making a sense of the whole. Wow! The pace suddenly ratchets up several knots and I was racing through the text, keen to know how it would end.

Basically, this is a story of marital trust. And lies. Along with deep seated jealousy and resentment and opportunity for revenge and retribution offered in a digital age. It's a chilling reminder that the Internet has such easy potential for deadly use. It can be threatening, negative, uncontrolled and a medium for the maladjusted to exploit, so, so easily.

What starts out as a simple family story, with a bit of dark undercurrent soon develops into real threat. Sarah and Ben are happily married with kids and a circle of friends. But there's more than one Sarah. Are they two different people? Does Sarah have a personality disorder? Who are the real friends, who have something to hide.

This is creepy and satisfying in every way. Strong, plausible characters, a plot the racks up tension with every page and a final section where my heart rate was truly palpable. Never expected the final few twists and as for the last pages...oh my.

Fabulous read, kept me gripped and I'm now a big Alex Lake fan.

I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller that was full of twists and turns. It was certainly quite disturbing but very well written. I will d finitely read more by this author in the future. Would highly recommend this book

One of the many attractions of this book is that it is a warning that social media can be used with devastating effect. It is hard to put this book down as it keeps revealing something new. The reader has to guess who is the perpetrator and I have to admit I got it wrong. This is a very good psycho thriller.

Liked it but didn’t love it.
After the first couple of chapters I needed to find out what happened in the end, I was concerned that she had mental health issues and really needed to find out what happened. After that I did continue to read the book and was interested in the general concept of the story where it did continue to keep you guessing for about three quarters of the plot. The final part, which I will not disclose for those of you who're still reading or about to start, was not what I expected and was not, for me, consistent with the way I expected the psychological aspect to develop. I am no author so not really sure where I thought the plot was going but somehow wished it had continued with the mind games. Perhaps other readers will like this twist, may just be a personal wish.
Altogether a well written psycho which I did enjoy reading.

The premise of this thriller was pretty terrifying and kept me turning the pages, but it could have been better edited - the dialogue didn't seem convincing and it went on a bit! Also, I have no idea whether the author is male or female but the main character struck me as more of a man's idea of what a woman is like than a real woman. Lines like "she wished there was a secret sauce that could get her in shape" had me rolling my eyes.

Entertaining, fast paced and thrilling, Copycat is an engaging book from beginning to end.

It starts with Sarah, a married mum of three, who stumbles across a duplicate Facebook profile in her name. The pictures and status updates are about her, but she didn't write any of it. It soon becomes clear that this is not an innocent coincidence but something a lot more sinister...and no one will believe her.

This would be a great pick for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

I was automatically approved for this book on Netgalley and despite never hearing of it or its author, the synopsis was enough to get me interested. It follows the story of Sarah Havenant who one day stumbles upon a Facebook profile with her name, her details, photos of her family and recent updates. The only problem? It's not her profile. What follows is twists and turns as the stalker gets closer and closer to Sarah and her family. As much as I was sucked into this book, I gave it a three star rating purely because of its pacing and the chapters that took place through the eyes of the stalker. It made me picture them on a swivel chair, stroking a white cat and doing the MWAH HAHA laugh. Despite that, this book was tense and you are kept guessing until the very end (except me as I guessed the stalker pretty early on.) I would still recommend it but TW suicide ideation and mentions of child abuse towards the end of the book.

What a fantastic read! I loved every bit of this book. The book flowed beautifully and was a real page turner. Finished it in one sitting. Highly recommended!