Ack! What a fast-paced ride in Tranquility Bluffs! An easy and enjoyable read with a questionable cast of characters, any one of whom could be Madison Robie's killer. Looking back I would have liked more character development for some of the peripheral characters (and even Jonathan). The epilogue, while satisfactory, left me with a couple questions about Sienna's family. Guess you should bring her back in a future novel! Thanks to #Netgalley for the opportunity to preview #TheLookAlike by @EricaSpindler

I have read every single one of Erica Spindler's books. I am a huge fan and I always get very excited to see a new release from her, especially since apart from those, I finished all her previous books years ago. As always she holds the title in a fast paced, yet slow burning, atmospheric thriller. Sienna returns home after many years away. She left because she found a dead body and her mental health was drifting down toward mirroring her mother's fragile psyche. Not much has changed with her mother's mental health, if anything things have gotten worse. The case into the murdered girl she found has been reopened. This takes us on a wild ride of trying to figure out if Sienna was the target of the original girl that was murdered or if she is going down the path of inheriting her mother's illness. A lot about mental health and being the caretaker or loved one of someone with this particular condition is discussed and plays a well thought out central role in the book. Let's see if you can guess the ending or if you were wrong like I was. Don't miss out on yet another thriller by the Queen of Suspense.

Ten years ago, Sienna Scott stumbled onto a gruesome crime scene -- the body of another college student, brutally stabbed to death. The scene alone would unnerve anyone. But when Sienna realizes that the dead girl was wearing the same coat, and walking the same path that Sienna takes every Wednesday night, she begins to wonder if SHE was actually the target of the violent attack? Ten years later, Sienna returns to her hometown and begins to search for the truth.

The Look-Alike was a captivating thriller. What I liked most about this book was the lack of predictability. Erica Spindler sprinkles countless red herrings throughout the book, making her reader second guess every move. This was a great read with lots of twists and turns!

I love a good mystery. I generally avoid books where mental illness is a big part (my mother suffered from mental illness). This book didn't bother me though. The storyline was good and I fell victim to guessing the killer and being wrong more than once. My only struggle was how quickly the main character fell in love.

Interesting read. It was dark and creepy! And full of twists and turns I never saw coming!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have always been a huge fan of Erica's books so I requested this book without even reading the premise of it, and with that being said, you will not be disappointed! This is Erica at her finest, an interesting main character in Sienna, the unstable mother and caregiver brother that bring her back to her hometown after being away for a decade after witnessing a murder. The plot goes back and forth between present day and a decade earlier and they intertwine seemlessly with interesting characters that tie both timelines together. With Sienna back in town, the murder investigation is reopened and once again she wonders if she was the intended victim after all... definitely worth the read.

Hot Take:
The prologue was really, really good. Unfortunately the rest of the story failed to live up to that one masterful paragraph. It was short, well-written, and intense. Everything else was a little too trope-reliant for me. I don't know how much more "am I mentally ill because I look just like my mentally ill mother everyone says so" I could have handled. Probably none. I would have preferred several times fewer than I got, honestly. Look, I get that hereditary mental illness is a terrifying prospect - truly. But damn, Sienna! If you're really so worried that you might be suffering from a mental illness TALK TO THAT PSYCHIATRIST YOU KEEP SEEING ABOUT/WITH YOUR MOM. Mental health scares as plot devices are kind of frustrating, y'all.

That being said, outside of my misgivings about her another is she just imagining all the things mystery story, the writing is pretty solid. The story is well paced, and I never found myself bored. Although while I'm here, I did find the constant "bro," " sis," and "sib-" ing between Sienna and her brother really bizarre. Do people really do that? I have both a brother and a sister, and I have never even considered addressing either of them so...weirdly.

My Rating:
2.5 out of 5 arbitrary items of rating. it was ok, but ultimately relied on some plot devices that I find tiresome. If you like books about ladies who don't trust themselves because there's a possibility they might be mentally ill, but they would rather find out based on external validation by random happenstance than go to a mental health professional this might be the book for you. Ultimately, it just wasn't really for me.

Unfortunately, I did not love this book. The writing was nice and it sounded like a book I would enjoy. However, I found this book to be a little disturbing. The main character's mother is extremely disturbed and makes some awful comments in the book. I thought the writing was predictable. The story isn't awful by any means. It was a very easy reading book.

Sienna returns from London after a ten year absence, having been sent to live with her grandmother after a gruesome murder in which she might have been the target. Her mother suffers from a severe form of delusion in which she thinks someone is after her all the time.

As the story unfolds, Sienna tries to unravel the still unsolved case. With enough red herrings and leads that don’t pan out, this is an easy and pleasant read, despite the fact that I really didn’t find the characters relatable.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

Excellent and well written story!

Sienna comes upon a murdered school mate, and based on the location and what the girl was wearing, Sienna thinks maybe she was the intended target. Many years later the case is reopened and there are many possible suspects, including Sienna's mom, who suffers from mental illness.

This book kept me interested and I did not figure out who the killer was until the very end. So glad I got the opportunity to read and review this book!

Psychological thrillers have always interested me. I enjoy reading them, trying to get into the characters’ heads and solve the mystery. So, when I was offered the opportunity to review The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler, I jumped at the chance.
Sienna Scott’s mother has been suffering from paranoid delusions from the day Sienna was born. It was one reason she was sent away to live with her grandmother in London. Another reason, was the unsolved murder that Sienna stumbled upon while in college. The fact that the Madi, the young victim, was wearing the same style coat as Sienna and walking the same path home that Sienna always took after studying did nothing to lessen those paranoid delusions. In fact, they grew, with her mother – and eventually Sienna herself – believing that somehow she might have been the intended victim.
Now, a decade later, Sienna has returned to her hometown…returned to her mother and her paranoid delusions…and returned to that unsolved mystery that has been recently re-opened. Sienna’s dream of returning to her old stomping grounds to make a fresh start opening a new restaurant in town are shattered as she realizes her mother’s illness has not gotten any better and her finances are not what she expected them to be. Couple that with a mysterious stranger that she finds herself drawn to and the unsolved murder that has come back to haunt her and Sienna finds herself on the verge of moving back to London.
The longer Sienna stays, the more the past catches up with her and she begins to second guess her sanity. Could it be that she is not only her mother’s look-alike, but that her paranoid delusions have passed from mother to daughter? Or are Sienna’s nightmares about the killer’s intended victim be true?
When I started this book, I thought I had the murder mystery solved right away, but then author Erica Spindler had to throw me for a loop, throwing in characters who are hiding secrets, making the brother less than likeable, adding in jealousy factors and some violent tendencies with the mother. While still in the middle of the book, I was so confused (in a good way) that I had no idea who the killer was. Three quarters of the way in, I thought, “I got this!” But then the author said, “Nuh-uh!” and threw in another twist.
Needless to say, The Look-Alike definitely had my attention from start to finish…a credible finish at that which took me full circle to the person I originally thought was the killer. Not to shabby on my part! The Look-Alike is a great page-turner with interesting characters, plot twists, a little romance and more. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

This is a really good psychological thriller. It kept me guessing right till the end. Sienna came upon a murder victim when she was in college. The scene haunted her because she was wearing the same coat as the victim. Had she been the intended target? The authorities do not believe so and shortly after she was sent away to live with her grandmother for 10 years. The murder has not been solved. Sienna returns home having just heard that the case has been reopened . She is staying with her mother who suffers from a severe delusional disorder. Sienna becomes involved with the case and worries she is becoming like her mother, suffering delusions. There were many possibilities as to who the murderer was. This story kept me enthralled and it was hard to put down.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another creepy, twisty, scary work of art by Erica Spindler.

This was one of those stories where I was genuinely creeped out the entire time I was reading the book (which to be fair was like four hours over two days - I devoured it) and then the answer was SO obvious the entire time that I didn't know how I missed it. That's one of the hallmarks to me though of an insanely good book - when the author is pulling you alongside the characters on this journey and you think you know, but you never actually figure it out, and then the big reveal happens and everything adds up.

A good thriller is one of my favorite reads, and I'm sure this is going to be one of those ones that shoots to the top of everybody's must read lists!

A mystery thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat! There are so many red herrings in this book, you don't know who to trust, who to believe, or who may be out to hurt Sienna and her family.

Sienna comes from a dysfunctional family (her father left another woman to be with her mother) and her mother suffers from mental illness. 10 years ago Sienna was on her way home from her college study group when she finds the body of a murdered girl in the snow. Her mother goes over the edge believing that it was supposed to be Sienna that was killed, which then makes Sienna paranoid that her mother is right. Her father sends her to live with her grandmother in London.

Ten years later, Sienna comes back and immediately begins to get creepy calls telling her she was supposed to be the one. Is someone tormenting Sienna? Why didn't the police ever catch anyone? Do the people around her have good intentions or not? This thriller will keep you guessing, and enjoying a fast, engrossing read!

Good solid mystery thriller. Kept me guessing which I like. I love Erica Spindler and look forward to her next book. Definitely recommend.

A fast paced read; good murder mystery. I actually pegged the killer, however the author did a great job of making me doubt many times with many twists and turns to keep me thinking that I might be wrong on this. Sienna makes a lot of stupid choices throughout the book; she tries to be fearless to not be like her mom who suffers from a delusional disorder. Definitely recommend! Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This is my first time reading a book by Erica Spindler but it will not be my last! This thriller had me glued. The storyline was engaging and the characters were relatable, you couldn't help but feel for the protagonist throughout the story. This story will have you guessing and re-guessing until the final chapters. Thank you much for the opportunity to read The Look-Alike, I highly recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller.

Crazy neat thriller of who-did-it while accurately touching on the real effects of loving someone with a mental illness.

Sienna has come home after being away for ten years. Hoping to be able to help her brother take care of her mother. Hoping everyone doesn’t think she is as crazy as her mother. Ten years ago she was sent away to London after finding a murdered girl her father sent her away hoping that being Away from her mother would protect her from going insane. Now that she is back the police have reopened the unsolved murder of the girl Sienna found and strange things are happening is she going crazy like her mother are is something else going on.

This book is the story of a woman finally confronting her past and the terrible discovery which changed her life forever. Sienna Scott discovered a fellow student's body in college and subsequently was sent to live with her grandmother for ten years. She always had a feeling she was the one who was meant to die. Her family and the police dismissed her fears. When she returns to take care of her mother, she begins to put together pieces of the still unsolved murder which may prove she was right after all. A solid book by Erica Spindler.