Phoebe Glassman, a mortuary cosmetologist, is still reeling from the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter. I can't imagine working in a funeral home help matters any. Neither does having a dead woman brought in who is her doppelganger. That would freak me out. Phoebe is warned that it might freak her out as well. What it does is light a fire under her to learn more about this woman and her connection to her own life.

The plot as they say, begins to thicken. It sucked me in with the emotional aspects of this book.

What would you do when your look alike shows up in the funeral home where you work? That's a HUGE question. Phoebe must know all that she can and those in her life begin to worry even more than they already did about her. Poor Phoebe has a sad existence. You will either root for her or have difficulty connecting with her. I felt for Phoebe and yet had difficulty connecting with her as well.

This was a fast read. I wanted to know what Phoebe would learn. I wanted to know more about what her mother might divulge, what secrets and painful truths are lingering just below the surface? What family secrets are being kept hidden away? What will Phoebe learn about the dead woman?

I found this book to be enjoyable and hard to put down. Having said that, although I was compelled to keep reading, this book failed to completely "wow" me. It was good but there was something lacking here to make it great for me. Others are enjoyed this book more than I did so please read their reviews as well.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

In Another Light is a psychological mystery drama following Phoebe Glassman's emotional journey, a 43 years old mortuary cosmetologist, when she comes face to face with the body of Pauline, her doppelgänger. Aided by a colleague, Phoebe investigates Pauline's life and uncovers shocking secrets and revelations about her past and late husband.

With her simple yet descriptive prose, A.J Banner puts together an intriguing plot. She addresses the themes of loss, grief, infidelity, and mental illness through engaging characters and a captivating setting. The story gripped me from the very first pages, and the suspenseful mystery kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

The rich characters were nicely developed and drew me deeper into the story. Banner beautifully crafted the main protagonist's complexity and suffering. In Another Light was an enjoyable read with surprising plot twists and turns.

This is A J Banner's best book yet and she has written some great books. This one took a hold and didn't let go until the very last page. It had me guessing all the way through and I did not figure it out. It had me crying my eyes out and wondering what was going to happen next.

When I read the prologue of this book I was not expecting what came later. I thought it was going to be so different. I was very wrong. This book is so good. It is a very emotional story of a loss so great and so deep you will wonder how Phoebe copes. How she gets through each day. And mostly how she does the job she does. Dealing with deceased people day after day. She has experienced such a loss. More than you can guess at first. The lies are piling up but are they real.

Logan, Phoebe's husband is killed in a horrible car wreck. But what if it wasn't really him. What if... That is what will keep you turning the pages of this story. Wanting to know if it is him. Did his business partner maybe cover for him. Who is the woman with the butterfly tattoo who looks just like Phoebe? How does she play into this?

You will meet some pretty interesting people. From Renee, Phoebe's best friend since forever to Don, Barry and Mike. All who work with Phoebe. Did one of them do the unthinkable? Are any of them really trustworthy? Is Phoebe delusional or is there more going on than meets the eye? As you are turning the pages you will find all of the answers. You will have plenty of questions and guesses. Some things will come out that will have you holding your breath. It's a great book that gives you so many tears. How can a woman endure so much and keep on going? Or can she?

Thank you #NetGalley, #AJBanner, #LakeUnionPublishing for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 huge stars and a high recommendation. Read it. Have lots of tissues. Enjoy the ride.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Wow!! Once I started to read this book I literally could not put it down, a gripping psychological thriller, the pages turn themselves.
Phoebe works at Fair Winds funeral Home as a cosmetologist, having been a sculptor and artist, before the tragic accident that robbed her of her husband Logan and precious daughter Ava. She is really just a ghost of her past self, her life is now just work.
A body comes into the morgue, her colleagues advise her it may freak her out a little, the body is identical to her, she recognises the tattoo on the arm of the body, it’s a replica of photo her husband had on his phone at one time. She is puzzled and begins to dig into Logan’s past. She can’t leave it alone.
The story is packed full of twists and turns as Phoebe’s obsession that her husband and daughter may be alive spirals out of control, she is still grieving, her friends and colleagues try to help, but Phoebe is consumed by her need to know the truth and discover how and why the body is connected to her.
Phoebe is a raw emotional character and I could feel her grief and heartache.
This is drama, mystery and psychological suspense at its best. My second novel by A.J. Banner, I will definitely be reading more.

This was such a page turner! I was really hoping for a crazy ending for such a fun thriller, but I was left wanting more. Phoebe lost her husband and young daughter in a tragic car accident three years ago. And now she’s not so sure they are dead. Her husband Logan was possibly having an affair and leading a double life. And then she might have tracked him down, living as Ben and Ava as Mel. But wait there’s more. Phoebe works in a funeral home and in walks her doppelgänger. Well, she was dead so she rolled in on a slab. Pauline, the dead twin, looks just like her. But how? So many questions. Everything concludes at the end, but I just felt meh about the answers. Still liked the story, read it in two sittings. Would read the author again, just didn’t love it.

Thank you NetGalley for and advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was really hooked on this read, it had me on the edge of my seat. It's a mystery that is well crafted and where things are revealed systematically yet completely throws you off st the same time. You, yourself as the reader become a part of the story in the sense that you want to know who and what is connected and therefore this read was a real page turner.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: October 5, 2021

SUMMARY:
This is the story of Phoebe, a mortuary cosmetologist and artist, who finds herself on a quest for answers when she sees the body of a dead young woman, a dead young woman who happens to look exactly like her. Struggling to find her way back to normal life after the death of her husband, Phoebe latches onto the mystery surrounding this mirror image, but what will she find as she hunts for answers? Peace? An explanation that makes sense? Or more pain?

PROS and CONS:
A.J. Banner always sets her books in the Pacific Northwest, and I absolutely adore her descriptions of the area. An interesting plot with sympathetic characters, this one didn’t blow me away, but I did enjoy it a lot.

READ IT?
It’s a good solid read...calling it a thriller is a bit of a stretch...but it’s a good dramatic read if you’re into that!

4 Stars

I enjoyed this book well enough, but it didn't read like a thriller to me - more like a moderately mysterious tale. Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the electronic version in advance.

Interesting first part trying to find out about Phoebe's past, dead husband and who is the mysterious look-a-like. Interest peaked when investigating the second life her husband lead. Last part of the book not so interesting when you find out what happens. Some thrillers have dramatic plot twists but this was lacking.

Another great thriller by A.J. Banner. I loved The Poison Garden and this book was very different than anything I’ve ever read! Phoebe works in a funeral home and her next “dead person” she has to fix up looks identical to her! What?? Yep! Lots of twists and turns come into play. It grabbed me from the very page and had me guessing till the end. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Enjoyable read with some nice twists and turns. I enjoyed the first half more, felt the second half dragged a bit. Overall I enjoyed reading it and found the ending satisfying. Trigger warnings for suicide and death including children.

A.J Banner smacked another out of the park! I’m always captivated by the first page and never want to stop reading. I’m such a fan and am always excited when a new book comes out! 🥳

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Another tough one to review because I thought the beginning was great and enjoyed the first half of the book but then the second half felt to me like it was written by a different author. All of a sudden it just became “meh” to me and I wasn’t as interested as I kept reading. I don’t know if it’s because I felt so many different opinions on the main character, Phoebe. At times I liked her, at times I felt sad for her and then at times she really annoyed me. So it definitely could have been my mixed feelings about the main character. I felt like the book was just all over the place during the second half. My head was spinning but not really in a good mystery sort of way. Overall I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Please check out my Goodreads and Instagram accounts to see other reviews I’ve left:
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A. J. Banner always tells a great story and keeps you captivated until the very last page!! Thanks Netgalley for making this available.

This was quite the page-turner! Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. It was engaging thoughtful, and I just loved Phoebe’s character. I truly emphasized with her and wanted success for her probably almost as much as she wanted it for herself. There were lots of twists and turns that kept me going, finishing the book in one day, and an ending that pulls everything together in a nice, neat package.

I would recommend this to those who love suspenseful stories complete with emotion and plenty of second guessing.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I can not recommend this book enough! I read In Another Light in one day. This thriller/suspense book is one of best books of 2021.. I appreciate net gallery and selected publishers for this early copy

A.J. Banner's books are like literary junk food. Maybe not the healthiest (most intellectual?) choice, but certainly a lot of fun to read. This was not an exception! Pure fun.

Initially I didn’t know if I would like this book. The main character, Phoebe, works in a mortuary, which just gives me the creeps. However, that ended up playing a minor role in the story. The plot really took off when Phoebe discovers some truths about her deceased husband and his past. What if he’s not really gone or their daughter. A.J. Namner completely messed with my mind. The story is very twisted, yet circles back around to connect all,the pieces together. It was a great suspenseful read.

With the premise and Banner's previous books I was looking forward to this as an addicting twisty read. Unfortunately, I found the twists to be a little too average and there was too much filler for my taste.

I found this one to be a slow burn but overall an ok read . I felt the plot could have been a bit more fast paced but overall a good exploration of what grief can do