Sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie. Eight years ago, Wayland walked into his home just in time to see his father kill himself. Now at sixteen, Wayland has questions about that day. Why would his loving father take his own life? Why was everything afterwards shrouded in mystery? Was it even his father? This book had so much potential and I really liked the first half...BUT...it took a turn down a dark gothic lane using a plot thats been done before. A plot line that I have never liked. It was well written, an the audio voice was great, but, unfortunately, I was disappointed.

Another new author for me. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. A story filled with secrets, half truths and lies. Slow start, but the ending blew my mind.

How will it affect you if you see your father kill himself when you are 8 years old?
Wayland believes it wasn’t his father that killed himself. Is he correct or is it just wishful thinking. As he gets older he starts to distrust everybody. The people he feels that are lying to him are his mother, his best friend and his girlfriend. It goes from bad to worse. In his obsession he is not to be reasoned with. The complete picture of a teenager angry with the world
Determined to prove his father isn’t dead he digs up some past secrets that maybe better be left in the past.
This is a very suspenseful story that will keep you guessing till the end and I’m sure you will not guess the ending.
On the audio version the Narrator Steven Weber did an excellent job in delivering the story and made it come to its full potential.

This book is by an author I have not yet discovered and I would now recommend after reading this novel. Thank you to Netgalley, Edelweiss and Eric Rickstad for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. The first eight years of Wayland Maynard's life are so dull they were wonderful, until the mid 1970s, when just eight years old, he witnesses his father kill himself and finds a note that reads "I am not who you think I am." Fast forward eight years, and Wayland has questions. With the help of his crush and Clay, he begins to investigate and try to discover the truth. I Am Not Who You Think I Am is a shattering tale of grief, obsession, and fate as those eight words lead to life changing events. The reader is fortunate that we are able to accompany Wayland on his investigation. As his investigation progresses, more questions than answers arise, and Wayland makes things worse since the more he discovers, the angrier he becomes. There were several times that I gasped out loud at the pain Wayland experiences. The story is engaging with twists and turns throughout, keeping me engaged—wanting to find the ultimate truth. The writing style was smooth and enjoyable, the transition between chapters flowed nicely into each other. The character development was on point and the twist at the end is nothing short of five stars.

The narrator was good and had me hooked. However, the story felt short for me. I couldn’t get into it from the get go.

The Lie In Wait trilogy were some of my favorite books in this genre so when I saw Eric Rickstad has a new book out I immediately added it to my wishlist. I usually get denied ARCs and ALCs because I’m fairly new to actually reviewing the books I read beyond a star rating so I was pleasantly surprised when the publisher approved me for the ALC of this book.

I’m not going to give a synopsis because if you are already reading this, you most likely know what the book is about and have read the other reviews that start with the synopsis.

The book started out captivating and you are left wanting to know the same answers Wayland wants to know. The more he searches for answers the more questions he has and the angrier he gets. Rickstad is amazing at character development and describing the things the main character is seeing and feeling without it seeming like extra words on a page, it all flows lyrically together.

As the book went on, I didn’t know if we were going to get answers to his father’s suicide or if Wayland was suffering some sort of mental break from his past trauma that was going to get exceedingly worse until he had a complete breakdown. Regardless I couldn’t stop listening until I knew what that was going to be.

About 80% through the book I started thinking of possible scenarios for the ending and going through what I thought the conclusion would be. I was completely wrong on all accounts. The ending was not even on my radar and completely shocked me. Not only was it a jaw dropping ending, it was presented all neatly wrapped with a little bow and answered all the possible questions that readers are sometimes left with at the end of a book.

Steven Weber did an amazing job on this audiobook narration. I most recently listened to him play the part of Harlan Coben’s Win and I was concerned that hearing him narrator this book that I would picture Win in my mind but that never happened once.

Excellent audiobook. So grateful I was given a chance to listen and review before it’s release date. I cannot wait for the next book by Eric Rickstad.

This was an interesting twist on the domestic-ish thriller. My struggle with it came from the believability of some of the characters' behavior. However, I think that is more a problem with me and a lot of readers will ultimately find this very compelling and readable. It will keep you turning pages to find out what happens.

This book was INTENSE!!!

Wayland Maynard is our main character and this is written in the first person.

Wayland comes home from school when he is 8 and sees his father take his own life. As he grows he begins thinking more about the suicide. He remembers things about the day and begins trying to find answers. He goes out and recruits his two friends to help him figure out what really happened to his father.

Oh my GOODNESS!!! 😳😲 I was hooked and let me tell y'all, Wayland..... now, I thought he was going CRAZY!!! This kid took me on the craziest roller coaster I have been on lately!!! This book was SO FREAKIN' GOOD!!!! I was freaked out throughout and completely emersed!!!! Great writing, INSANELY good plot, great characters, crazy town, I mean... You guys.... Read this book!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Eric Rickstad for this Audio-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wayland witnesses his father kill himself. The only reason his father left was a note that said "I am not who you think I am". Wayland keeps the note to himself. Eight years later and his mother, his sister, and him are struggling in many different ways. Wayland becomes determined to prove it wasn't his father who killed himself that day. With some help from his friends he is going to find the truth.

This book started off slow to me. I didn't seem to connect to Wayland at all. To me he came across as whiny, selfish, and a bit bratty. As the story went along I felt a little better about him but not much. He allows his little sister to become completely absorbed in a man who is all wrong in many ways. He resents his mother for what happened and the fact that they are poor. He treats his best friend like dirt and what ends up happening between them I find unforgivable. He criticizes everyone and is suspicious of those who are trying to help. Wayland just did not resonate well with me. As far as the twist that was unexpected and the only reason I enjoyed this book. The ending was a let down because Wayland does not get what he deserves I believe.

I Am Not Who You Think I Am
by Eric Rickstad
Audible Narrated by Steven Weber
A very dark look and family history and town history. The story based on a dying man's letter about his part in the deaths and fire that haunt the town. Eric Rickstad, formulates his characters to be so relatable, that understand their fear and their motivation. There is an interesting twist to the reasons and occurrences that draw the reader farther into the protagonist world. Steve Weber the narrator uses his voice to bring the inspiration of the characters to life.

I wasted an entire day listening to this book.

I knew it was a bit slow but intriguing enough to stay with it.

I hate myself for that lack of judgment.

A whole day I will never get back. I'm. Just. Sad.

Wayland is still recovering from the shock of seeing his father kill himself when he was only eight years old. Now sixteen, he begins to wonder about what really happened. He remembers the tall, creepy man who threatened his father days before his suicide. And he thinks about the fact that his father, whom he saw from the back before the man shot himself in the face, seemed oddly shrunken in those last few moments. But mostly, he wonders about the words left on a scrap of paper at the suicide scene “I am not who you think I am”. Part coming of age novel, part thriller, this is an absorbing read. Weber, as always does an exceptional job delivering the story

Suspenseful, keeps you guessing until the very end. I Am Not Who You Think I Am is an unexpected and refreshing mystery that I could not figure out, despite my many efforts, until the finale. It was so good, I stopped many times to draw plot lines together, playing detective on my own. This kept me reading, wanting to learn this character's story and the twists and turns surround a particular incident that occurred in his life (don't want to give any spoilers!). The ending left me a bit dumbstruck but came together and wrapped things up succinctly. Great book!

Wayland is eight when he watches his dad kill himself, leaving a cryptic note. Eight years later, Wayland has a realization that sets him off on a chaotic search for what really happened. He'll come to regret ever getting involved.

This was crazy, twisted, and dark, and I loved it for it. My favorite type of mystery thrillers are ones where I immediately need to tell someone what happened and this did not disappoint. There were so many moments where I just stopped and got wide eyes from what I just heard. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. I can almost guarantee you that you will not predict the ending. It's the sort of book where almost throwaway comments or descriptions make so much sense after the ending. I listened to the audiobook and could not love the narrator more. It was almost hard to listen to at some points, because it really felt like Wayland telling his story. All I know is that I can't wait to talk about this with someone. For me, this book was a 4.5/5.

If you like really dark mysteries, want to scream obscenities with shock, or just like a good intriguing read, this is the one for you.

I received a copy of this audiobook free from NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing- Audiobooks in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to the audio version of this book, I enjoyed the narration and felt it added another layer to the already complex story. The story started out slow but I was invested after an hour or so. I enjoyed the author’s way of describing things so clearly it feels like you could almost watch the scenes.

A quiet boy alone, made fun of at school, bullied, and of poor means. He has witnessed his father committing suicide one day as he was unexpectedly sent home from school, whereby he finds a man sitting with a shotgun to his head on his parents bed, Then……Boom!! It’s all over with - blood and brain matter is spread everywhere and the case is quickly dealt with, done, and buried.

However, before the body is removed from the bedroom, he finds a note nearby, and scoops it up.not letting anyone else know about it. It’s his secret with eight cryptic words.. Those words will lead to a lifetime of more tragedy and deeper secrets exposed.

Fast forward eight years, Wayland Maynard is still left reeling with grief and shock over his father. His mother is pulling a double shift to make ends meet; his sister is dating is dating a very egotistical and foul mouthed Shithead. Yet, he can’t let this go. - he can’t let go of what he saw and heard that day, and he’s convinced the man who died isn’t his father.. But, then who was that and what happened to his father? Who was his father if not the loving man Wayland knew?

I had hoped to enjoy this book a lot more than I did - I felt empty and disappointed when the story was brought to a finish. Wayland will regret he ever found the note, trusted his friends, or believed in such a thing as the truth.

I Am Not Who You Think I Am is a shattering tale of grief, obsession, and fate as those eight words lead to life changing events,

Enjoyable narration with proper sense stress and animation - 3.5 Stars overall.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an AAC , in exchange for an honest review.

I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad

Eight words on a piece of paper.

One secret!

Wayland Maynard was only eight years old when he witnessed his father kill himself. Waylanf finds a piece of paper that reads ‘ I Am Not Who You Think I Am’!

What does it mean? Who was his father? Is he hiding something?

Terrified, Wayland keeps the note a secret!

Eight years later, Wayland is determined to find out the truth behind his fathers suicide. Is he ready to learn the truth?

I enjoyed listening to this book. I did feel the story was a little slow going at times, but my interest was kept the entire time. Interesting story line, one I really didn’t have any clue how it was going to go.

Thank you Eric Rickstad, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the audio to listen to this book in return for my honest review!