I think I've been reading too many books that have been centered around mental illness because honestly I'm just tired of it at this point. It's honestly just grating on my nerves
This is well written and original but mental illness as a plot device needs to end. It does nothing but harm and this is a really bad stigma.

I do want to say I did enjoy everything else about this book but it's just such a disappointing cliche.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of my ARC.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
Sienna comes across a murdered girl on her way home from class.
Because both the girl and her were wearing white coats she wonders if the murder was meant for her or - is she suffering delusions like her mother.
At each turn it seems another person could be the murderer.
Will they make an arrest before there are more deaths?

This was a fun read that I finished in less than a day. It focuses on Sienna, who returns to small-town Wisconsin after spending 10 years in London, having been shipped there by her parents after witnessing the aftermath of a murder. Sienna's mom is a paranoid schizophrenic (though the author calls it something else- maybe my nomenclature is antiquated) and is convinced that her husband's ex-wife has been plotting to kill Sienna since she was born. Enough oddities happen related to the murder that Sienna stumbled across to wonder if she should've been the victim, but is she being paranoid too, or is she in danger?

There were many places in the book where I thought I had it figured out, only to receive more information that made me think it was someone /something else. Though one of my hunches turned out to be right, I went back and forth on it and was still surprised when it was revealed.

My only small nit with the book is the constant thoughts Sienna has about falling in love with Jonathan. Firstly, I thought it was unrealistic to fall in love with someone you literally just met, but secondly, it was just unnecessary for her to keep mentioning it to the reader. The reader understands that she likes him A LOT and the author didn't need to repeatedly bring up that she thought she was falling in love- it distracted from the story, in my opinion.

Great read overall- would strongly recommend!

Netgalley provided this book to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Good solid thriller, atmospheric setting and believable characters with a side of romance thrown in for good measure. Mental illness was handled sensitively in this whodunnit. The writing was fast-paced, the plot was the standard fare but well fleshed out and executed, though my only criticism was I had sussed out the murderer long before the end of the book! All in all, well written and if you're looking to kill a few hours with an entertaining read then this is the book for you. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Look-ALike by Erica Spindler is a moderately paced thriller where the main character Sienna is trying to live her life but the past continues to haunt her.

While this book did not bring a new type of thriller to the book community, Spindler’s writing and character depth are fantastic. I felt like I was in the world right alongside Sienna dealing with family and the past that haunts her.

I was not surprised by the way the book ended but I did thoroughly enjoy the twists and turns along the way.

Will definitely purchase a final copy of this book and look forward to reading more by Spindler.

Thank you to St. Martin’s press and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting concept but very predictable. Throughout the story, you pretty much figured out that the murderer was one of three men, taking turns throughout of which one it could possibly be. I’m not a genius but I did figure it out about halfway through the book. Good beach read.

This is the first book that I have read from this author. It was an interesting mystery. I felt that it was rather predictable but the author did her best to build suspense. I will probably read her next book.

Sienna hasn't been back to her childhood home, or even the States, in ten years. She's been living in London but has finally come back to face the past...and her mother. Ten years ago Sienna discovered a recently-murdered classmate on her way home from campus, and that incident and it's aftermath have haunted her since. Now that she's back, she will have to live up close and personal again with her mother, and her mother's mental illness, but she can handle that. It's the 'murderer who got away' that's proving mentally insurmountable.

Great story and I appreciate the exploration of mental illness. So many people and their families and friends are affected by mental illness every day.

This was my first experience with this writer but it definitely won’t be my last. This book had a perfect amount of characters, twists and turns. It kept me guessing until the end. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Full of suspense and action packed. This is a fast paced thriller with heart pounding moments. Great characters draw you in and keep you glued. I guessed the bad person from the beginning but it in no way took away from my enjoyment of the story. There are plenty of twists to the plot. Erica Spindler never disappoints.

I have read and loved all of this Author's books. I was invited to read The Look-Alike by the Publisher. I enjoyed it immensely. A chilling mystery with an ending I didn't see coming. (I usually don't.) Read it. You won't be disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Another interesting, fast-pacing thriller is centered on mother-daughter dysfunctional relationship and mental illness.

Thrilling elements, intriguing, attention taker clues was like breadcrumbs spread around the pages push you harder follow and catch them.

The author was completely genius of misleading. She definitely killed my spider senses and till the end I couldn’t get whodunit and she came behind sucker punched me at the end. Great job because as a born in the April Fool’s day kind of person (not kind of actually, literally I was born on that day and I never forgive my parents for the pranks I’ve been enduring for years) I always tried to more cautious to catch the clues hid behind the lines but the author’s misdirection was impeccable. One more time I became the fool one! (At least I am not floating clown! Bite me Pennyweise)

The characters were surprisingly fine and I didn’t feel itchy fingers to punch or slap them. Maybe I’m losing my touch or becoming sweeter or nicer person (The woman I screamed at today who was grabbing the last bottle of Chardonnay wouldn’t think the same but this is irrelevant! I’m still softhearted angel!)
Sienna turned back to her childhood town, gathered the dark and broken pieces from her past and took care of her mother who suffered from mental illness. (I visualized her as Sissy Spacek. She would be a great paranoid mother) By the way a murder case related to her reopens. She’d found the corpse and she always thought the killer had been behind her, he had wrongly killed the other girl.

As soon as she got back in town, she started getting suspicious phone calls. Maybe the killer learned she was back and he planned to finish what he had started. And look out the handsome neighbor who recently moved next door, acting like Sienna’s knight in shining armor. Yes : hottie boy next door alert! But is the neighbor trustworthy hottie or devil disguised behind angel face? Or does Sienna’s protective and goodhearted step brother have really good intentions about his sister or is he hiding something? Or could her mother’s paranoid thoughts be somewhat true?

No spoilers! Mouth zipped! Read it and get ready to be surprised! That book was not the best thriller I’ve read on this year because there is really serious competition. And there are many perfect examples I’ve read lately.

But it is still great, heart throbbing, witty, gripping, fast reading. I didn’t get bored for a second.

It earned my 3.5 stars rounded definitely and unquestionable up to 4 STARS!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press to share this amazing ARC COPY in exchange my honest review!

I was happy to see another Erica Spindler novel and this was a great thriller. When Sienna returns to her hometown and moves in to care for her paranoid and often delusional mother, she has no idea how the past will return to haunt her as she found a murdered girl years ago when she was a college student there. She's always suspected that she might have been the intended victim as she wore a jacket identical to the dead girl's. And her mother appears to be worse as she's not taking her medication and believes she's being targeted through her daughter because of her paranoia. At some point everyone is a suspect as new evidence comes to light and even family members appear to be guilty. But there's a nice twist at the end that you may not see coming and I enjoyed this as well as all Spindler's others.

i get so excited with Erica Spindler comes out with a new book! The Look Alike did not disappoint..... twists turns and an ending I didn’t see coming. This might be one of her best books yet!!!!!

I guessed the murderer long before the reveal but not from the beginning.

Sienna Scott's biggest fear is that she is like her mother - mentally unstable. When Sienna stumbles upon a recently murdered student wearing the same outerwear Sienna is wearing her father sends her to London to get away from the trauma. Ten years later Sienna comes home to relieve her brother, Brad, and help her mother. Suddenly Sienna is getting phone calls and surveillance drive-bys as Tranquility Bluff Police Dept reopens the cold case of murdered Madison Robie.

Fast-paced, page-turner.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. Sienna comes home to face her past and in doing so, must come to terms with her mother's illness and other family conflicts. In doing so, she is determined to find out whether she was the intended victim ten years prior while she was attending college.

This book had an easy flow to it. Was a very easy read and will keep the reader guessing until the very end.

This was a great book! I have read every book by Erica Spindler and have never been disappointed in any of them. This book was very well written and had great descriptive characters that were easy to follow along with. The book was a very easy read and I didn't want to put it down when I started it. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to read a great book!

The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler. Very good murder mystery with a dash of suspense and a bit of romance. Anyone could have been the killer at different points in the story but the guilty party wasn't clear until the end. Relatable and likeable characters (mostly) and chilling and descriptive atmosphere, still feeling the cold Wisconsin winter.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I have always loved every single book written by Erica Spindler and I looked forward to reading her latest and it was no surprise that it was another great Erica Spindler novel. This author writes such different story lines that have you captivated from the very first chapter. I did find the main female character Sienna a bit boring and hard to relate to and the book to me was slow but it still was a great mystery . Definitely would recommend reading this book and any book by Erica Spindler.

Fast paced, well-written ... Erica Spindler did it again. Great suspsense novel .

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the eARC.