The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I finished this almost three weeks ago and I'm still so baffled at this book. The Twin follows identical twins Ivy and Iris who are living together again following their mom's death. Iris is essentially the evil twin, trying to steal Ivy's life. Overall, the book was fast paced and enjoyable, but left me with more questions than answers. There wasn't a lot of depth to the characters, and the lack of support Ivy received from her friends and family was insanely lacking throughout the novel. Enjoyable, but I'm sure there are better twin horror stories out there.

The Twin will take you on a ride that you will not want to stop. I loved every moment of this one. I couldn't put it down. I even was yelling by the end of this one. Such a fantastic read. You feel for everything Ivy goes through and you just want to even help Iris along the way. Iris and Ivy bound as twins is never really there. You get why when you realize they were separated  during their parents divorce. You really have to read this one for yourself because if I say anything more about this I'll give everything away. Go one click this thriller today and be kept on your toes the entire read.

While this book wasn’t what I expected after seeing the cover and reading the synopsis, it was a decent read and written more for a much younger group than I am in. Well written, well developed characters it was a very interesting and sad book.

If you're interested in reading YA thrillers then I highly recommend The Twin by Natasha Preston! 🤩
The storyline honestly had me gripped till the very last page, (and I stayed up all night to finish it!)

It was scary to see how one person's manipulation could have such a drastic and even lethal effect, and I think the book presents a very important message because of this.

The writing style was really easy to follow and the author does a great job of defrunciating between the twins, Ivy and Iris.
Ivy was by far my favourite character, but I was also constantly hooked too see what Iris would do next!


Rating: 3.75/5

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Remember that movie Single White Female? This book has that vibe—but in a much more family-friendly way.

The Basics:
Sixteen-year-old Ivy’s parents divorced six years ago.  At that time, she opted to live with her dad, while her twin sister Iris decided to stay with their mom, causing a rift between the twins.  They are now little more than strangers.  When their mother dies in a tragic accident, Iris moves in with Ivy and their dad, bringing more with her than just her personal belongings, including her plans to hijack Ivy’s life.

“Do you want to talk, Iris?
Her haunted eyes look right through me. ‘I want so much more than that.’”

Like most females, I grew up with Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and the Sweet Valley twins, but I remember the first time I read a book with a little more of a sharp edge to it, and that sharp edge showed me the promise of what the books of my future could bring to my life.  The Twin gave me those nostalgic feelings of my earlier reading career.  It was a comforting experience.

Parents of teenage daughters should take note of this one.  It’s a great choice for your girls.  It has a bite to it.  It presents to younger audiences certain aspects of what make adult novels so great—mystery, psychology, personal relationships, and perhaps even a villain—without the language and the gratuitous or explicit teen intimacy that would make parents uncomfortable.  It does all of this while actually having something relevant to say about families and about grief.  It’s an all-around good time.

I wanted to love The Twin by Natasha Preston.  As a former Sweet Valley High reader, twin books are my favorites!  But this story just fell flat for me.  It was an easy enough read and I finished it fast.  The story did keep me interested because I was expecting a big twist at the end.  I never got that twist.  Even though the book ended differently than I expected, I wouldn't call it a twist.  

I had trouble connecting to any of the characters.  I get that the twins weren't close, but their relationship was just plain weird in my opinion.  I wish we had seen a bit of Ivy before her mother died.  I feel like the book needed a prequel.  As it stands the characters seemed too one-dimensional.

I do understand that this is a YA book and younger audiences may enjoy it.  I also feel that young readers deserve better than this.

Nope. Didn't like. Not what I thought it was going to be. Not a psychological Thriller. I felt it was not well written. It felt very one-dimensional, typical generic format. The ending felt rushed and I didn't feel satisfied reading it at all. I found myself flipping through the pages just wanting it to end.

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and exchange for a fair and honest review.

I didn't finish this book.  I usually like Natasha Preston books but I couldn't get past the main character in this one.

While I realize this is a young adult book, the writing felt excessively juvenile.  In fact, it truly felt like I was reading a 15 or 16 year old's diary.  I realize this may have been intentional, but for me it detracted from the story line.  I also have a problem with storylines where no one seems to believe the lead character and everything crumbles around him or her.  I feel like you have to give them an occasional win, or at least make them stop whining about it for a period of time.  Otherwise, I stop caring about the character because it's just all too exhausting.  I don't think Ivy had enough wins in this story, so by the time we got to a predictable end, I just didn't' really care.  Lastly, I really struggled with the similar names Ivy and Iris.  I realize it's a realistic naming choice for twins, but you don't know how many times I paused while reading because I was sure the author had mixed them up.  In summary, I might recommend this for an actual teenager to enjoy, but this book isn't quite up to par for an actual adult to enjoy.

Thank you Net Galley & Random House Children's for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
**
A dark twisted tale of two twins trying to figure out how to co-exist after 6 years living separately.  Ivy & Iris were separated since they were 10 and their parents got a divorce.  Ivy lives with Dad, Iris lives with Mom.  Until Mom dies unexpectedly while out running one day.  Iris moves from the city to the country where  her twin sister and dad live. 
From there things start going from bad to worse when it comes to Ivy.  She swears Iris is setting her up; but she can't figure out why.
FYI this book did NOT have the ending I was expecting; and I want to thank Natasha Preston for not giving her readers the cookie cutter, everything wraps up into a cute little bow ending.
Also she made me SUPER happy I don't have a identical twin sister.... although it's had me giving my own sister the side eye... =P

I didn’t realize this was a Young Adult book when I requested a copy.  My first one actually, always avoiding Twilight type books.  Actually, it wasn’t bad at all. A good drama and I imagine the target audience will rate it a five.   I’m torn how to rate it so I will give it a 4, rather than a 3 if it was targeted towards my demographic,  a seasoned thriller reader if that makes sense.

I'm not going to lie. I typically love Natasha Preston as her writing gives me a lot of Christopher Pike with some RL Stine Goosebumps, vibes and this book would be right up my ally. But the blurb tells you exactly what happened in the book. Why am I reading this? There's literally no mystery. 

"Emmy finds out that her twin sister, Iris, is trying to push her out of her own life—and might be responsible for their mother's death."

Awesome, I've just read the book because as I was reading it, I already knew everything I needed to know. Iris was evil and out to get Emmy. Everything that Iris does is to take over Emmy's life and push her out of, doing whatever it takes to do so. I thought, as I continued reading, there'd be more twists or something else would happen, but no. Even how it the book ended, I really wasn't surprised. I didn't hold out hope that Emmy would have a happy ending and she most certainly doesn't.

I really wanted to like this one.  I was craving a thriller but instead I got a high school drama.  Ivy has been rejoined with her twin, Iris.  Everything changes for her and she can’t figure out why.  It wasn’t very thrillery and seemed to take a bit for anything to really happen.  Would be good for the preteen age group.  Received an early copy through Netgalley.

I think this book falls victim to too much being given away in the synopsis. Nothing in this book was a surprise to me because I had read about everything in the book's description. 

I was also confused when I started this book, because a character's name was changed at some point. The description on Goodreads says the twins' names are Iris and Emmy, but in the book Emmy's name is actually Ivy. I'm not sure why Goodreads has a different name, but it was definitely confused when I first started reading. 

Overall, I found this book to be pretty standard and predictable. It was incredibly easy to read, bordering on cheesy. I think if you're a fan of comedy horror movies like Scary Movie or Scream then Preston's books may be for you. If you read a lot of thrillers and mysteries, nothing in Preston's books will impress or surprise you. 

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review!

The Twin by Natasha Preston is described as a young adult psychological thriller. Twins Ivy and Iris are separated at 10 when their parents divorced - Ivy lived with their dad and Iris moved to the city with their mom. Being separated for so long means their twin bond isn't very strong and less than sisterly.

When the twins mother dies in a tragic accident Iris is then forced to move full time in with her sister and father. Things start to change for the usually so well put together Ivy once her sister moves in and her life begins to fall apart.

This cover is awesome and pulled me in instantly; however the story isn't as strong. The story is very generic and feels like a rehashed version of the stories we've read before - the most recognizable one being Pretty Little Liars. The plot is lacking the thrill you look for when picking up this type of book, and you can see the plot "twists" and next moves coming from a mile away.

The ending is so unsatisfying and leaves you feeling disappointed and like the journey with Ivy was pointless - and even further disappointing that if you have read the summary, the whole story is given away for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I was interested in this book based in the synopsis. But if you read the synopsis, you have pretty much read the book. Just add in some darkness. It is not a terrible book by any means but it is not at all what I was hoping for. 

The Parent Trap but twisted with no happy family ending. 

The writing is meh. It is pretty tame for a psychological thriller. I'd put it more into the  level of a middle grade read. The writing was very basic with little to no descriptions.

The characters are nothing we haven't seen before and very one dimensional. There are some dark characteristics but we are left wondering why the one twin is the way she is.

The pacing is slow and at points and I almost stopped reading. I would probably have enjoyed this more if I were in middle school.  I would reccomend this to a teen just getting into thrillers.

The suggested reading level for The Twin is grades 7-9, and I can definitely see kids that age enjoying this book. That’s why I gave it four stars. As for how I enjoyed this book, reading it as an adult, I would be giving it two stars.
 
Natasha Preston did a wonderful job keeping the twists coming and the gas lighting to a maximum. I can see middle schoolers really being creeped out by Iris’s actions and enjoying the relationship between Ivy and her boyfriend, Ty. 
The Twin reminded me of all the Fear Street books I read by R.L. Stine when I was in middle school, it’s predictable, but at that age, kids love reading the same type of stories over and over… and even as adults, there are some people who will only read the same genre.
 
I can see both young adults and adults not enjoying the ending. I know I didn’t. It made me angry. But after I let my anger steep a bit, I came to like the ending. Life is rarely fair, so why should I expect a book to be the same? And if I want a happy ending I can always read a cozy mystery or a romance novel.
 
Now to review this book as an adult…. The first 20% of the book is Ivy going on about her mother’s death and wanting to give Iris space. If Prest0n w0uld have toned that down to 5% of the book and took the extra 15% and added it to the ending to flesh it out more and to not have it be over so quick, I think that would have really improved the book.
 
And I just couldn’t get over how mature Ivy and Ty’s relationship was. Their communication is better than a lot of adults I know! It just didn’t feel real to me at all. I did like that this could show middle schoolers what goals to set for your relationships though. Then there’s the point that even with how solid their relationship is, Ty who seems to be on Ivy’s side, just suddenly isn’t. This really ticked me off, and I think could have added another layer to the store if he would have continued to believe in Ivy.
 
Since Ivy is a straight A student, and seems to be street smart as well as book smart, I just could reconcile the fact that it took her so long to see how devious her twin was. I would think since they hadn’t lived together for over six years it would be even easier to see through Iris’s lies and schemes.
 
If you know middle schoolers who love to read suspense, they will probably really enjoy The Twin. But if you’re an adult and read a lot of suspense and thrillers, you may want to try You are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkenan instead!

I am so excited that I was able to read Natasha Preston's newest novel, The Twin. It was one of the new releases in March that I was most excited for! It gave me the feeling of "I'm screaming and no one is hearing me!"

"Somewhere over time and our parents' separation, our silly dreams died, and we stopped sharing any new ones." 'Do you want to talk, Iris?' Her haunted eyes look right through me. "I want so much more than that."

The entire time I thought the ending was going to play out a certain way, but not to my surprise Natasha Preston leaves you on the edge of your seat. The book was creepy, disturbing and uncomfortable. I was hooked and was desperate to know the ending.

The build up to the end was perfect. It gives you a good amount of time to try to figure out what's going to happen and to be shocked when your idea flies out the window.

I have a feeling if I was younger, I would have given this a solid 5 stars.

This book was CRAZY!! You have a set of twins who, due to divorce, are living apart. Ivy with her father and Iris with her mother. Of course they see each other, the twins tend to not spend much time together. When they visit their parents its always at the same time. So when the untimely death of their mother happens the girls are forced together and both are unsure what their relationship will be. However Ivy starts to get this feeling that Iris wants more then just a bedroom in her home. She gets the feeling she wants her life.....

This was a quick read and I wanted to give it 5 stars, however the ending for me felt a bit rushed. I also had the feeling that I needed more from the ending.

Overall a great read. The Twins were a great mix of sweet and spicy! Its one of my favorite YA thrillers this year!

I have read many books by Natasha and she still surprises me with all these twist and shocking discoveries all the way of The Twin. When there are twins theres double the trouble. The ending is unbelievable and throughout the story it gets tense each time. If you read her other thrillers you wont be disappointed.