I tried giving this book a shot a few times, but the storyline never grasped me and held my attention.

If you like Gothic reads, you must read The Woman in the Mirror!

Dare I say it? I enjoyed this so much more than Rebecca, the seemingly gold standard for the Gothic genre. Yes, yes I did.

This scary old mansion/castle - Winterbourne Hall, in a small coastal town, out on a bluff overlooking the ocean, with a widowed Captain and his two children seeking a governess. Delicious setting!

Foggy days, secrets among the staff, whispers in the house late at night. The eerie atmosphere was lovely.

The dual timelines allowed for a break in some of that tension on occasion and brought the old classic gothic genre to a current storyline. We are introduced to Rachel, who has just inherited Winterbourne Hall from a recently deceased family member. Rachel is adopted and is intrigued to learn more of her familial bloodline. As she enters Winterbourne Hall, she is definitely not prepared for what she will find!

As with all gothic stories, the pace is somewhat slow, chilling occurrences happen here and there but mostly the focus is on the unsettling, chilling atmosphere throughout the story. The writing in The Woman in the Mirror was spot of Gothic for me. I loved it!

And the painting! Ahhhhh! I think the painting will work it's way into my dreams. Or should I say nightmares?

Finally got around to reading this and I must say, it was worth the wait. While outside of my normal genres, I've been on a gothic kick for the past two months, and this came up at the perfect time that I had exhausted my regular list and was looking for something new. I really liked both of the timelines and perspectives, both for their own reasons, which doesn't often happen. Typically, I will gravitate to one storyline more (usually the one in the past), and drag myself through the other, but that was not the case this time. Both Alice and Rachel had compelling journeys, with compelling mysteries, that made me keen to know more. I also liked in particular that the perspectives didn't alternate every single chapter, and instead we got a few chapters from both women at a time. It allows the reader to establish more of a connection with the characters, over longer bits of their story, rather than being roughly shifted between centuries everytime you start a new chapter. Both women's stories had interesting side characters that supported their stories, and never once did I wish that I could move on back to the future, or to the past. I thought the author did a very good job of interweaving the stories together, revealing each part of the puzzle over the course of the story. I also liked how she kept the reader in the dark about certain aspects of the story - such as Alice's past before she gets to Winterbourne, and Rachel's tragic history. Sometimes it is nice as readers to remain in the dark for a bit, even if it does make the characters rather unreliable as narrators. It kept me wondering and on my toes, however. While I wasn't wholly keen on the romance between Alice and Jonathan, I did like the budding relationship being built between Rachel and Jack. I liked that it wasn't wholly about romance and instead was more about two opposites coming together, helping one another and finding the good they bring out in each other. I will say that I did not anticipate the plot twist at the tail end of the book - just as you think the story is about to wrap up, there's a last minute change of plans that alters the ending. Not enough to change the story, mind you, but enough that it's not an immediate happily every after. After this, however, I did really like how the story wrapped up, and things came to a conclusion. It seemed natural and right. Overall, I very much enjoyed this story, and it was a really compelling modern gothic tale that reminded me of the older gothic stories we love so deeply. Well done to Rebecca James! If her future books are in the same vein as The Woman in the Mirror, I will be keeping my eye out for sure.

The story started out promising. It reminded me of the novel Rebecca. The characters started out likable, but by the end, they took a different turn. The ending was a bit disappointing. Still, I recommend this for fans of Lauren Willig.

I absolutely loved this dark and creepy gothic novel! Everything about the description of the manor and the setting is so atmospheric I could see it in my minds eye. I really wish the love story had been further played out and I was surprised by the ending. All in all it is a great book.. If this is your genre you will not want to miss this one.

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read this amazing book for my honest review.

A haunting Gothic story that stays with you long after.

The woman in the mirror is a chilling novel that ties multiple lives together all attached to one house.

Alice Millar is brought on as a governess of Winterbourne after the second world War. Soon after her arrival Alice starts to see a strange woman around the property, followed by more strange events.

In the present day, Rachel Wright finds out she is the heir of Winterbourne. Never having known anyone of blood relation she goes to the Winterbourne manor to look more into her families history and the tragic past of the property.

The creepy, mysterious feel the woman in the mirror gives off while reading the story is perfect. The modern gothic style thats brought to life is so haunting. I did not want to put it down.

I would recommend this novel to people who like ghost stories and shows like the haunting of hill house. It gave me the same vibe.

I received an advanced copy through netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

A huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

The multiple POVs in this tale of suspense and secrets are compelling and unforgettable. I was inexorably drawn into a world shrouded in mystery and punctuated by loss and betrayal.

Alice and Rachel's parallel stories incorporate classic Gothic elements- the foreboding mansion, the windswept coast, the governess in search of a place to belong. The elements are seamlessly woven together to create an atmosphere of decadence and decay that will enthrall readers.

4.5 Stars.

Fans of Netflix’s hit series “The Haunting of Bly Manor” will fall right into this book, which is a double timeline story in which one of the stories, taking place in 1947, has a bit of a “Turning of the Screw feeling,” complete with gothic, isolated estate, creepy kids and a new governess who discovers that she’s stepping into a situation that is far greater than she imagined. In the present day, Rachel, discovers that she has inherited said creepy estate and that it may be hiding the secrets to her mysterious past. But what she discovers may not be the touching, loving family story she always imagined. And it may not be over.

The story is a classic gothic ghost story that is great to curl up with on a stormy, cold day. Be warned, this is one story where you can’t stop reading until the very last page!

Hopefully that summary conveys enough to get you interested, because this really is one heck of a story. I loved it! Both timelines were interesting, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened in both. We see Rachel uncovering her past as we see Alice living it out in 1947. In the end, it all comes full circle and everything is revealed. It’s worth the wait.

I really liked Rachel and Alice, though it became sad to see the things happening as they did (let’s just say the house, Winterbourne, has an effect on people) but that’s the nature of gothic novels and this one really stuck to the genre the whole way through. I was totally sucked in by the atmosphere and felt like I was there in that isolated house.

There’s plenty of twists that I enjoyed as well, so things remained really interesting right up until the very end.

Overall, this book is a great story with a fantastic atmosphere and great characters. If you’re at all interested in gothic fiction or ghost stories, you’ve got to pick this one up!

I read this as part of a buddy read and it allowed us to have great conversations each week. The story was such an atmospheric thriller that was spooky. You don't want to read this on in the dark! Definitely some great twists at the end I didn't see coming!

I love when a great, amazing Gothic tale just pulls you right in.

1947- Winterbourne is a creepy, mansion in Cornwall overlooking a cliff. Alice comes to be a governess to twins Constance and Edmund. The children are sweet at first but things soon turn darker. Their father, Jonathan de Grey wounded in the war and having lost his first wife, ignores all the goings on in the house.

Present Day-
Rachel was adopted as a baby. She received news that she has inherited Winterbourne and that she is the heir to the de Grey fortune.

I liked both past and present story lines. They blended well together. The past was more creepy and atmospheric to me and I felt like I was right there!

I read this dark and gloomy novel with a lot of pleasure. I liked the characters, the athmosphere, the whole dark and mysterious vibe of the book. The only thing I could say tha tis a bit more on the negative side, is that the love relasionship should...in my view , have been more developped... I did not understand one second the reasons that pulled alice to fall for jonathan. But once and for all, it was the perfect fall read.

Wow!! I absolutely loved this book! So hauntingly good I seriously did not put it down and read this in a sitting! New author to me and I look forward to reading more books by her! Fantastic!!

I love gothic thrillers. This book description sounded right up my alley. I was on the edge of my seat wanting to see how it ends. The alternating timelines were well written which I loved.

This book was incredibly thrilling! I usually don't go in for thrillers like this, and now I don't know why, because I was honestly sucked in and didn't emerge from my fright until it was over.....and even then my scared little heart beat at every sound for the next few days. I can say that the story, while being split in time hooked me from both aspects, both "back in time" and the "present day". The ending is absolutely gutting, which really made the story believable and all around amazing.

Did not finished. I did not liked the book. It was slow read and I stop by the page 100. Not very successful ghotic novel. Also I do not understand the title. Why Woman in the Mirror when the main character saw woman in teh painting.

I had a really hard time getting into this one. I was very intrigued by the cover and the plot. It started out with a great sense of mystery and the hope that it would be a kind of time period thriller. However I just found it a slow burn and the characters were not very likable to me. It was pretty predictable and not really what I expected. I loved the cover, but the writing just did not hold my attention very well.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James.

In 1940's London, when Alice Miller gets a position as a ward to twin siblings in the giant manor of Winterbourne, she had no idea what she was signing on to. At both, frightened, and compelled to the children, their father, and the haunting new home that she now inhabit's, she is constantly on edge. Not only is the behavior around her erratic, but her own behavior is strange as well.

Jump to present day Rachel, an art curator/ adopted orphan, just discovers that she has inherited a huge estate in England. Desperate to know more about her family, she rushes over, only to find even more mystery wrapped up in this spooky mansion.

I do like a creepy atmospheric ghost story, if it's done right. I feel comfortable giving this 3 stars. It was a bit hasty and choppy, not all of the storyline was convincing (mostly the relationships) but overall the this readable and enjoyable. I love being able to really feel the darkness and essence of a foreboding setting.

This is a book that sucks you into an eerie and enthralling world. A gothic haunted tale of women seeking to find their place in the world and personal happiness. I was completely entranced with this book. It’s the kind of story that has you always on the edge of your seat awaiting what is to come. Like one of those puzzles that you have to slide the pieces around to find the picture, that’s what the plot does here. Constantly shifts your expectations and distorts the picture until you can see it all clearly.

Wow...I wasn't expecting this book to be so good! This Gothic tale is eerie, atmospheric and creepy. Rebecca James did a wonderful job of crafting a story that leaves you wanting more.
Thank you for the ARC. This was my honest review.

The Gothic atmosphere of this book was palpable! Genuinely spooky, and the setting was beautifully crafted. I enjoyed the alternating timelines. The book started a little slow, but otherwise a good read.