I've loved other Natasha Preston books, but I had to DNF this book a little over half way. Too many aspects of teen life didn't ring true for me in this novel, as well as the fact that at this point nothing had happened yet! Ivy was getting suspicious of her twin Iris who had come to live with her, but I felt like Iris hadn't earned that suspicion yet.

This is only my second novel from this author and I have to say I have enjoyed them both.

The twin was definitely a fast paced read with a fascinating eerie plot and although I found it to be a bit predictable it was still entertaining and enjoyable.

I just love books that deal with good vs bad it makes for an exciting read and that what you get in this novel

I can’t wait to see what Preston has coming out next.

This was my first YA thriller and as such I was not sure what to expect. I’m a huge thriller buff but haven’t really read many books specifically targeted to a younger audience probably since I was in that age group. After reading this one I really do understand the appeal, it was a really quick, easy read, and was quite entertaining at points. I kept expecting something really dark and sinister to happen beyond the typical realms but was a bit hesitant to how it would play out. I have so many questions. I also feel like a lot of information was dumped in towards the end and would have liked to know more, I would have really enjoyed more background and some better character development. The ending was a bit frustrating, good but at the same time made me want to toss my kindle across the room. Overall I would give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 and with that being said I would still love a sequel to find out how things continued to unfold.

I didn't enjoy this book very much. Every chapter felt so cyclical. Twin did something weird. Main character second guessing it. Character asking rhetorical question to end each chapter. I was so slow reading this and was honestly surprised to find out how few pages it actually was. The ending was also incredibly unsatisfying. It had me question why I had cared at all about this book to begin with. Nothing is resolved. Ivy (whose name was changed after ARCs were distributed, which I found to be a positive change since the twins had such similar names that made the beginning confusing) was a bystander pretty much throughout the whole thing. Bottom line, this book wasn't for me. The interesting synopsis wasn't enough to save this book from its questionable writing and boring story arc.

2.5, rounded up to 3 because it's YA.

Revitalizing, or perhaps just revisiting, the evil twin trope, Natasha Preston's novel The Twin is serving up plenty of drama and tension as 'good twin' Ivy has her life torn apart by similarly-flora-named Iris. In the blurb about the book on Goodreads, it seems Ivy may have undergone a name change between the ARC and print, so if that's confusing, I think her name may actually be Emmy now, which feels less schlocky. As for the cover and why it's a rose that has been decapitated rather than an Iris, I'm not sure. Although that wouldn't make sense either, since Ivy/Emmy is the one being attacked. I did read another psychological thriller recently that featured decapitated roses being sent to a protagonist as a gift (Follow Me), but I don't recall anything having to do with that here.

Okay, okay, let me get down off my high horse, before I get too crazy with this review. This book is meant for a young adult audience, perhaps ideally suited for those teens who will go on to be avid fans of Mary Kubica, Gillian Flynn, etc. It's not too mature or gruesome, but it is diabolical enough to appeal to that audience, so I think it has actually achieved what it set out to do. It can't, or shouldn't, be compared to those great thrillers because it's in an entirely different sub-genre. This is meant to be compared to One of Us is Lying or We Were Liars, and I think it's of the same quality in terms of writing. Where it will struggle is that, while it has all of the same, soapy high-school dramz, it doesn't successfully build compelling relationships that are so necessary for YA. I didn't feel invested in Ivy's relationships with her friends, boyfriend, or dad.

The weakest part of this book is its ending. I think it was meant to be a cliffhanger, but it came across as rushed and unfinished, or else confusing and I didn't 'get it'. At first, I thought that Ivy being institutionalized was leading us to discover that she had been on her own the entire time and there was no twin. But I don't think that was actually the case. Instead, I think she's just locked up, with Iris on the loose, and we're supposed to want to read the sequel to find out what havoc Iris will wreak and whether Ivy is able to prove her innocence.

If you've read this book, would love to know what you thought of the ending in the comments!

I'm having a hard time with this review. The story was good - really good. But... slight spoiler alert...I HATE the ending. What a horrible way to end a book. I can only hope it's book one and there will be another one coming to finish the story, otherwise, that's just really an awful way to end a book. I'm actually kind of mad about all the time I invested in this story because of it.

If there is a book two, I'll definitely read it, because I need some closure. The author does a great job of drawing the reader in and spinning this crazy story. I would love to give this book more than 4 stars, but because of the ending, I just can't.

I can't resist books about twins! Unfortunately, I wish I had passed on this one. It was bizarrely stilted and formulaic. It really felt like it was a mash-up of a bunch of "suspense" tropes that was thrown into a computer and this is what was churned out. A big let down.

First I would just like to say that I would never be able to write a book so I hate to criticize a book or an author.

I just did not enjoy this book. I did not like Ivy or any of the other characters. They all seemed so one dimensional and it seemed that Natasha was trying too hard to be relevant "is it ok if I join your crew" three friends is not a crew. Especially three friends that are not popular and don't really hang out with anyone else.

Ivy repeatedly said that she is a fixer, she fixes problems but was completely unable to do anything to help herself and completely let Iris manipulate her whilst realizing that Iris was manipulating her.

I didn't feel that this was a psychological thriller. Some of the things that happened to Ivy were not nice but not horrible. A dead mouse in your locker is gross granted but not life altering. I felt the premise of the book was really good but the book just did not deliver for me. Also I have a twin and we spent 5 to 6 years apart so I get what Natasha was trying for but for me it was a fail.

The Twin is a new young adult domestic thriller.

Sixteen-year-old Ivy and Iris are twins. After their parents’ divorce, Iris moved in with her mother and Ivy stayed put with her father. When their mother dies in a freak accident, Iris moves back in with her father and Ivy. But things don’t go well from the start. According to Iris, “We shared a womb, share a birthday and DNA, but I’ve never felt like a twin.” Then weird things start happening in Ivy’s life.

I thought I had this bad twin-good twin plot all figured out by the fifth chapter. And I did mostly. However, now I wish I had done a buddy or book club read. The conclusion was not what I expected and left a huge door open. Hopefully, The Twin is just the first book in a series because I need to know more. 3 stars.

Thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really, really hate that I didn't like this one. Natasha Preston has been on my To Read list for a while now, and I am not opposed to still try other books by her, but this was just very painful for me to get through. There wasn't really one single character I even liked. I think we're supposed to sympathize and like the main character, but she's so insufferable it's next to impossible to like her. It's hard to believe anyone CHOSE to be around her. At one point she offered a gem of a line like, "You know it's only okay to wear band t-shirts if you listen to them, right?" Okay, gatekeeper. There was also a lot of food shaming? Food policing? Labeling foods as bad and putting way too much emphasis on why those foods shouldn't be had because being thin and fit and attractive were the only good qualities to have apparently. I'm not a big fan of that type of stuff. It's 2020. We can do better in YA books.

Overall, it just didn't even sound like teenagers. It sounded like really judgmental older women going to highschool. It just seemed wildly out of touch. The mystery wasn't much of a mystery. It was very predictable from the start. I just don't think it did what it was trying to do.

Sorry. I wanted to love it!

**Thank you Net Galley & Random House Children's for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!**

Ivy and her twin sister, Iris, will now be living together for the first time in six years. When their parents divorced, Iris went to live with their mother and Ivy chose to live with their Dad. Sadly, an accident has claimed the life of their mother which means both girls will be living with their Dad.

As they try to adjust to their loss, Iris is thrust into a new school filled with lots of Ivy’s friends. Ivy is happy to have her sister with her and introduces her to her friends. As they have different scholastic and sports preferences, Ivy is surprised when Iris wants to join Ivy’s classes.

Soon, Ivy realizes that Iris is trying to get cozy with her friends and tries to make her look bad. But when some things happen to make Ivy feels that someone is after her, she becomes fearful. Is Iris trying to make her look foolish in front of her friends or is something even more sinister going on?

A clever young adult mystery that should appeal to teens. Quite frankly, I did not realize that it was a teen book when I requested it because that’s not a favorite genre for me. However, I feel the author did a good job.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I had high expectations for The Twin. When I read the synopsis I thought oh parent trap meets single white female. And it was a little like that, but it was a little like that, but it also wasn’t at all. First, this book is young adult, and I mean very young adult. The characters were all very immature and I had trouble connecting. Which lead me to my other issue, I just didn’t care about the characters.
I think Ivy’s immediate dislike and suspicion of Iris is what really caused this book to not be as good as it could. The point of books like these is that the manipulative character even fools the protagonist for a while. Ivy’s immediate suspicions of Iris did make her seem a little crazy, and really just didn’t help her.
The Twin was a great concept, but not super great execution. I couldn’t get into it and I really just didn’t care about Ivy as all. The ending also irritated me and I felt like there was no real resolution, which may have been the point, but I wanted more.

I’m not going to lie...this book made me mad. But only because I needed more when it was over!! I love books about twins, especially when there’s an evil twin and a murder mystery involved.

I know this book may have different views on it, which I get, but it was definitely a different thriller that I've read. I love Natasha's work and even though sometimes it was a little slow, it still had a great plot. It kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time. Pretty good thrill ride.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A twisty psychological thriller. Good twin vs bad twin.

Parents divorced ten years ago thus splitting up twins Ivy who went with her dad and Iris to her mothers. But the mom unexpectedly passes leaving Iris to move in.

At first she only talks with Ivy. But then she slowly starts to dress like her. Get the same haircut. Act like her and even steal her boyfriend.

Things start happening to Ivy. But her sister can’t be behind them right? Or is losing her mind.

A real page turner. Complete nail bitter. That ending though.

* Received this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review*

After their parents divorce when identical twins Ivy and Iris are 10, the sister each decide to live with one parent and visit the other. This arrangement works well but the twins grow further and further apart over the next 6 years as their time together gets smaller and smaller due to visitation schedules and activities.

When their mother dies after a fall, Iris leaves the city life and moves in with Ivy and their father. Ivy is a champion swimmer, dating a jock from the football team and is reasonably well liked by everyone in her small school.

Ivy desperately wants that same life for herself and might just do anything to get it.

Is Ivy just jealous at having to share her dad and her school and her friends with the twin that has become a stranger or is Iris manipulating the situation to make it seem so?

While the cover art was great and the concept a good one, the pacing of this book was just very very slow and prevented me from enjoying it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Omg!! This was an insane story!! I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started reading this one but man oh man what a ride it took me on. Kept me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. And I definitely didn't see that ending coming.

Ivy and Iris are identical twins whose parents divorced when they were 10. They were split up and Ivy went to live with Dad and Iris with Mom. Six years later their Mom dies in a tragic accident and the twins are reunited again. Iris moves back in with her Dad and sister and they have to figure out how to start their lives again. Iris isn’t coping with her Mom’s death very well so Ivy promises to help her, including sharing her friends and all the things sisters do. What Ivy doesn’t know is her sister is taking this promise a bit too far. She starts to notice everyone falling for Iris and leaving her behind. She’s being pushed out of her own life, losing everyone and everything she once loved. But she’s just being paranoid, right? After all, they are sisters and they share things. But what if there’s more to it than that. What if an accident really wasn’t an accident?

Wow, I could not put this book down! It was so infuriating, but in the best way possible. Iris slowly starts to insert herself into Ivy’s life in every way possible. She hangs out with her friends, borrows her clothes, her car. But then things start to go wrong for Ivy and she begins to suspect her sister of these things. No one believes her because people think she is grieving her Mom poorly, but there’s more to it than that.

Sure some things were predictable, but I really enjoyed how the characters were written and how creepy it could be at times. Every time something happened and no one believed Ivy I wanted to scream! I was so frustrated with her friends, teachers and Dad, which is exactly the way I should have felt and I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Flinchingly creepy. Will have your heart racing and your blood pumping. And you won't be able to put it down. So don't. You won't regret it. Happy reading!

This story revolves around a set of twins. One who is crazy, and one who is becoming crazy. You basically get to witness her descent into madness because her twin is gaslighting and manipulating their relationship. I read half of this book in one sitting. It's definitely a fast read, but in a good way. And there's also some twists along the way that I wasn't expecting. A couple of them I was able to suss out, but the rest, no.

4/5 Stars