Erica Spindler weaves another good, fast-paced, suspenseful tale in The Look-Alike. Sienna Scott returns to Tranquility Bluffs, Wisconsin after spending ten years living in London with her Grandmother. She literally stumbled upon a dead body following a late night study group at her college. Snow was falling heavily and she couldn't see but a step in front of her. The shock of stumbling onto a murdered fellow co-ed was bad enough, but then she noticed that the girl had on the exact same coat as she was wearing, and they were on an off-the-beaten path shortcut that Sienna routinely took but few others used. Was she the intended victim? Was she starting to show signs of the paranoid delusions that have troubled her mother for years? Fearing for his daughter's physical and mental safety, her father sends her to London to live with her Grandmother.

Now she's back to help take care of her mother. The mother's mental illness is definitely a challenge that has and continues to impact her family in many ways. The author handles this subject very well. With Sienna's return, strange things start to happen and she wonders again if she was the one who was supposed to die that night ten years ago.

There are plenty of people to suspect and even though the author drops clues throughout the book, things are not as they seem. Spindler does a marvelous job of leading readers down many false paths before divulging the true culprit in a dramatic ending.

Psychological suspense, mystery, a family dealing with mental illness, a bit of romance thrown in, The Look-Alike has something for almost everyone and I found it a very good read. A 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars from me.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

What I Enjoyed:

I loved the story line!
The twists were fabulous.
The ending was perfect and I really enjoyed it. Lots of thrillers drop off with endings that are lame. But this one was really well done.
The pace of the story was fast paced.

What I Did Not:

I didn't hate the romance in the book, but the romance was annoying in moments.
The very last two pages made me gag!

Rating: 4/5

For those who: enjoy a good thriller

This was a very quick read for me. The story flowed by and was a fun read. However, I had a few issues with The Look-Alike that made me far from love it.

First of all, we "maybe" have an unreliable narrator, which makes the main character a bit annoying at time. While Sienna Scott's mother does suffer from paranoid personality disorder, this does not mean that Sienna herself has it, but every time something her mother says actually happens, Sienna thinks that she is suffering from the same disorder, which gets annoying. This thinking leads Sienna to hesitate in telling others about things that are happening, but then she doesn't seem to hesitate to tell the stranger across the street that she just met. I guess the thinking is that a stranger may buy her possible delusions as facts more than a friend or relative would? 

Second, since I just mentioned "friend", Sienna does seem to have friends, who call and leave messages, but we really don't meet any of these friends. Why are these "friends" not more a part of the story? Why does the main character not confide in her "friends" more?

Third, the potential buyers of The Wagon Wheel just happened to not be able to secure funding? Was this just to make the story have a completely happy ending?

Finally, I found that the plot and the mysteries were very predictable. I knew who the new neighbor, Jonathan, was right away. I also figured right from the start who the bad guy was, as he pretty much inserted himself in the Madison Robie murder right from the beginning. There weren't any of the twists or turns that I normally enjoy in a good thriller. 

I still enjoyed the movement of the story, and while the characters were not strong characters, they were still interesting, especially Sienna's mother. I loved that character. Plus, I found it a bonus that this story takes place in my home state of Wisconsin. Overall, I liked The Look-Alike, but I did not love it.

This was a fun little thriller with a tender backstory of loving someone dealing with mental illness. Sienna was a really cool heroine. She's a true badass but she deals with self doubt. Her development throughout the novel was really strong. I figured out the killer very early on but there were enough red herrings and twists thrown in that I too doubted myself along the way.

If you love great thrillers that are light on the gore, definitely pick up The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler. The novel was just released yesterday!

This was my first novel by Erica Spindler and it will not be my last.

I was dragged into this adventure right from the start and enjoyed the slow unraveling of, The Look-Alike. I liked that we learn there is mental illness in the family and a possibility the main character, Sienna, may be disturbed based on genetics. My only issue with the book were the characters, I didn’t find them the most likable bunch.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Erica Spindler never disappoints. The Look- alike is no exception. The storyline is intense and entertaining with twists you won’t expect. This is an awesome psychological thriller full of suspense. Great read.

Favorite Quotes:

Her mother released her and held her at arm’s length, studying her. It was like looking in a mirror, Sienna thought. One that bent time — herself thirty years from now.

She found each step akin to another crank of a jack-in-the-box, and with each a growing anxiety for what was going to jump out at her.

For a long moment, her mother was quiet. When she finally spoke, the words broke Sienna’s heart. “You can’t live in fear. And I can’t seem to live without it.”


My Review:

This was my first exposure to the devious word-stylings of Erica Spindler and I chose an excellent start point, if I do say so myself ~ well, honestly, how else could anyone recognize my genius if I don’t point it out? I instantly fell into this diabolically and ingeniously crafted, tautly written, and brain itching tale of intrigue, murder, family drama, and card-carrying mental illness. I conjured and cast aside a bevy of questionable and brilliant theories, as everyone was suspect at one time or another. The writing was stellar and the storylines were maddeningly paced and cunningly crafted while cast with a wide assortment of curiously compelling and brain-tickling characters. Now that I have had a taste of her word voodoo, I am greedy for all of Ms. Spindler’s clever words.

The book begins with a prologue. Sienna Scott, in Tranquility Bluffs, Wisconsin, is taking a short cut through her college campus in a driving snow storm. She nearly stumbles over a body, stopping short when she sees the red blood, bright against the white snow. Unable to catch herself, she does fall and the white gloves she was wearing sink into the red snow. Sitting back, she watches her gloves go from white to red with the blood of girl laying in the snow.

From there we fast forward to 10 years later, in Tranquility Bluffs. Sienna is back home and interestingly enough they have just reopened the investigation of the dead girl.

Sienna is living with her mother, who suffers from delusional disorder. She feels everyone is out to get her and her family. Sienna looks just like her mother and has always worried that she would inherit the illness. So, when Sienna starts to worry if maybe she was supposed to be the target of the murder and not the other girl, she can’t help wondering if this is the illness making itself known.

The books moves along at an even pace. It’s not page turning suspenseful, but all the events are laid out cleanly. A few options for the murder are thrown out there, but I guessed who it was about ¾ of the way through the book (something that almost never happens for me!) Only one or two mild surprises.

All in all a solid murder mystery, nothing to scary or riveting, though. I’ve read lots of Erica Spindler books and this one was a little below what I usually expect from her.

I received an ARC of the book.

A very twisty thriller that deals with meant alone issues. I found it to be very good and hard to put down. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Sienna has spent the last 10 years in England to escape her mentally ill mother, who has paranoid delusions, and the trauma of a brutal murder she stumbled upon walking home at her university. Now she returns home to help with her mother and stop living in fear. However, she gets more than she bargained for as the case of the murdered college student gets reopen and when strange things start to happen around her house she can't help but feel she's turning into her mother or worse, that she was the intended target that night and the killer is going to finish the job now that she's back.

I read this book in an afternoon, it is a very fast paced thriller that will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat til the end. I loved the unreliable characters, you couldn’t ever tell what was real and true and what wasn’t, and at one point and or another I thought every character was guilty! The big reveal wasn’t what I guessed and while I felt the motive kind of came out of no where and I slightly wish there was more leading up to that, it was overall such a great thriller read!

While not a perfect book, it was my definition of reading for joy. It’s one you’ll fly through and thoroughly enjoy the crazy, thrilling, and fun ride!

Thank you to St Martins Press and Netgalley for this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoy Erica's writing! I like that this one is centered around an unstable mother/daughter dynamic and also touches on mental illness. Sometimes when authors write about mental illness it feels forced, or feels like it's trying to sound factual yet falls short. Erica did a wonderful job relaying the facets of mental illness and how it effects those around you as well as yourself.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Erica Spindler hit it out of the ball park yet again with this fast paced thriller, Loved it! Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Coming home from her college library one night, Sienna discovered a murdered girl dressed in the exact same coat she was wearing. Shortly after she was sent to London allegedly to get away from her mentally ill mother's delusions.Years later, Sienna returns home, she finds that she may have been the intended murder victim and her life may still be in danger. This hair-raising book has a lot of twists and turns. Every time, you think you've figured out exactly what is going on, it takes a spin and veers off in another direction. Although the ending is not a complete surprise, it is not completely predictable either. There are a lot of different ways the story could go, and you will not be sure exactly which path it will take until you get there.

Solid suspense surrounding a young woman returning home as the mysteries of her youth deepen. Was she targeted as a young woman or was the college campus murder of a similar looking coed just a coincidence? Is she internalizing her mother's paranoid delusions or rightfully concerned for her safety.
The character was a little bit passive, allowing the men in her life (including a guy she just met!) to direct her thoughts and attention; the plot a bit predictable. But what I really loved was a lot of the symbolism in this book. Enjoy this quick read if twisted is your cup of tea.

This addictive fast paced thriller had me hooked right from the beginning! I loved how the suspense was built in this novel. The timeline of the chapters with a now and then prespective added to the story.

Sienna Scott returns to her hometown 10 years after the murder to try and deal with her past. Her mother's paranoia and delusion seem to be at a all time high. The murder case reopened, will the secrets of what happened that snow stormed night be uncovered? Who's the mysterious man living across the road? Will this family grow stronger or be ripped apart. This suspenseful read had me guessing until the very end!

4 stars. Set in Tranquility Bluffs, Wisconsin this psychological thriller follows the relationship between Sienna Scott and her unstable mother Evelyn, & surrounds the snowy, blinding conditions one evening 10 years earlier when walking back to her dorm room Sienna accidentally trips over the bloodied body of another college student with the same white coat as her. Sienna is shook up believing, as does her mother, that she was the killer's intended target due to her matching white coat.

Living with her grandmother in England for the last ten years, Sienna arrives back home in Tranquility Bluffs, which coincidentally the case reopens at the same time she returns.

She soon feels someone is following, watching her. Is it really happening or is her mind playing tricks on her. Was she really the target that snowy night or is she taking on the traits of her look-alike mentally ill mother as she’s been fearing? Playing detective, Sienna sets out to find if their predictions were right.

I liked Siennas character, she’s very smart but unsure of herself, and I enjoyed the added intrigue of her blooming romance with the mysterious neighbor. The Look-Alike is a well-thought-out, fast paced story loaded with mystery. I was guessing to the end.. very surprised when the murderer was unveiled. I love books that keep me on my toes, this one certainly did! 🖤

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for sending me this ARC for an honest opinion.

This is the story of Sienna Scott. Ten years before, she found a murder victim. Because of the stress involved with having seen the crime, she left home and headed for England and stayed there for ten years.

She decides to head home again to pick up the pieces of her old life. She has conveniently forgotten the pain of living with her mother, who has mental illness and causes much distress for her daughter.

There are three big reveals in this book, the whodunnit and two others. I solved all three within a page or two of meeting the pertinent characters. I don’t think it was too difficult to do so.

However, Sienna doesn’t seem to see the troubles lying ahead. Also, she falls into a physical relationship with someone she really doesn’t know and then, as quickly, falls in love with him.

I don’t like that in books. It is not real-life and it doesn’t have to be portrayed as such.

The writing was well done, but the plot and the characters did not catch my fancy as much as they might have. Once I solved everything, it was a little difficult to read as Sienna went from bad decision to bad decision.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

I'm pretty sure that the last time that I read one of Spindler's books, I was still in high school. This one caught my attention with the title and cover - and it's been featured, pre-publication on a few anticipated mysteries of 2020 lists. And so I think that my hopes were raised pretty high, though I don't remember particularly loving the book of hers that I read back in high school.

This book is simply written and the beginning feels a little clunky the way the backstory is introduced primarily through dialogue. Al lot of the plot comes through speech which makes the dialogue feel a bit unrealistic. The revitalized small town on the Wisconsin border also requires some suspension of disbelief for anyone who has driven through this area...

As far as the plot itself goes, there are definitely some surprises here - but some predictable parts, too. Some clues are laid with a heavier hand than others. At the heart of the novel, Sienna's mother's mental illness - a persecutory delusional disorder - is one of the freshest parts of the novel and is handled very well. But, I didn't like the fun show-down in the climax of the book - the grand reveal felt a bit contrived to me. And some parts overall struck me as just ridiculous - Sienna and the police both write off the idea that voice-changing technology would be too sophisticated for teens to use for prank calls (I mean, Home Alone 2 features a nine year old doing this in 1992). The book just never felt all that realistic to me. But, I did finish it, and it was a fast-paced read, but not one of my favorites.

This novel got off to a slow start. It was about a quarter of the way in before the plot became interesting. The psychological aspect finally showed itself and some suspense was generated. While there was the hook of a murder at the very beginning, I would have liked more psychological intensity early on in the book.

The strength of this novel was the unusual mental condition of persecutory delusional disorder. The mother of our heroine had it and it was always in the back of Sienna's mind that she would develop it as well. She looked like her mother and the fear was that the similarity would go beyond surface appearance.

The disorder was portrayed well. I really got a sense of the terror of always feeling someone was after you, of not being able to tell what was real and what was not. When it seemed Sienna's life was in danger, the possibility of her experiencing the disorder plagued her.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect of solving a murder from years ago. There were plenty of red herrings and characters with secrets that kept me guessing. There was a token sex scene I though unnecessary but other than that, an enjoyable psychological mystery after the slow start.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

A young woman comes home after years in a different country where she’s tried to forget a horrific event from her past. The minute she steps into town, however, it’s almost as if her life has spun backward. Worse, the mystery that sent her running from home is alive and well, a fact that could put her in danger. Author Erica Spindler excites readers in some places but leaves them shrugging in others in her newest novel The Look-Alike.

After spending a decade living with her grandmother in London, Sienna Scott has come home to Tranquility Bluffs, Wisconsin. Contrary to the name, Sienna’s experience in her hometown has been anything but peaceful. She left because of two main reasons. The first was the increasing difficulty she and her family had in managing her mother’s mental illness, persecutory delusional disorder. Her mom, Viv, is constantly fearful that someone or something is plotting to harm her loved ones.

The second reason is linked to the first. While in college, on a walk from the library to her dorm, Sienna came across the dead body of a girl named Madeline Robie. It was clear from Madeline’s condition that the killer had just left her, and after the police investigation that turned up no answers Sienna’s mother’s paranoia got worse. She was convinced the killer would target Sienna next, so her father sent her to England.

After spending ten years studying cooking and working in restaurants, though, Sienna thinks she’s grown up enough to face her worst memories. When she returns to Tranquility Bluffs, her half-brother, Bradley, warns her not to expect a magical turnaround in her mother’s condition. In the time she’s been away, Viv’s just managed to hang on. Sienna believes her coming back can only mean good things for her mother and moves back into her childhood home.

Then she receives word that the police have reopened the investigation into Madeline’s death. Now Sienna is looking over her shoulder, wondering whether random events are really random and whether the people she meets have benign intentions. All throughout her life, she worried that she would become like her mother, seeing threats where none existed and letting those imaginary threats send her into downward spirals of delusions and panic attacks.

Still, she can’t help but wonder if some of her wariness is justified. The cute guy who moved in across the street from her mother is a welcome distraction, but even though the attraction is instant Sienna wonders if he’s hiding something too. She decides to do a little investigating of her own into Madeline’s case. After all, if the police couldn’t find anything in ten years, what’s the worst that could happen?

As she starts to answer that question for herself, though, secrets and lies come to light. She thinks maybe there isn’t any harm in being a little paranoid. Then someone threatens her, and Sienna knows that looking over her shoulder may be the best thing she can do.

Author Erica Spindler sets up all the right mile markers for a murder mystery-turned-thriller, but the book meanders along the way. The story begins with a strong case of how much Sienna physically resembles her mother, adding to her fears of whether she’ll develop a mental illness like Viv. At some point, though, that fact falls away in a sharp manner that might make readers wonder why it was such a big deal in the first place.

The title of the book, in some ways, is a play on words, but it’s kind of a stretch. Red herrings lead readers to make assumptions about who the murderer is, and when the big reveal happens it induces more of an eye roll than a satisfying “aha” moment. The rhythm and cadence of the dialogue in that scene make a drastic departure from the rest of the entire book, which might pull some readers out of the story. Why the need for the formal language all of a sudden?

Certain parts of the story are predictable but somewhat enjoyable. Spindler manages to surprise readers a few times along the way, but overall this thriller reads like many others out there. Wisconsin natives might get a kick out of reading about the fictional town; otherwise, I recommend readers Borrow The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler.