This one was solid for me . It was a good novel . I didn’t like the jumping around of the times and narrators but overall it was good. Thanks to Netgalley for letting me review this book

I wasn't impressed by this book. It was a very slow burn thriller that I was often bored with, because most of the plot twists were so blatantly obvious that I could see them a mile away. This is the first book I've read by this author and I definitely want to read some of her previous books in hopes I enjoy them more. Unfortunately, I will not be recommended this one.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

I am a huge fan of Janelle Brown’s writing going back to her very first novel. Pretty Things was one of my favorite novels back when it came out and I will read anything and everything that she writes unless it’s dystopian/science fiction, or fantasy. I was of course, very eager to read I’ll Be You!

The premise grabbed me right away. Take a look:

You be me, and I’ll be you,” I whispered.

As children, Sam and Elli were two halves of a perfect whole: gorgeous identical twins whose parents sometimes couldn’t even tell them apart. They fell asleep to the sound of each other’s breath at night, holding hands in the dark. And once Hollywood discovered them, they became B-list child TV stars, often inhabiting the same role.

But as adults, their lives have splintered. After leaving acting, Elli reinvented herself as the perfect homemaker: married to a real estate lawyer, living in a house just blocks from the beach. Meanwhile, Sam has never recovered from her failed Hollywood career, or from her addiction to the pills and booze that have propped her up for the last fifteen years.

Sam hasn’t spoken to her sister since her destructive behavior finally drove a wedge between them. So when her father calls out of the blue, Sam is shocked to learn that Elli’s life has been in turmoil: her husband moved out, and Elli just adopted a two-year-old girl. Now she’s stopped answering her phone and checked in to a mysterious spa in Ojai. Is her sister just decompressing, or is she in trouble? Could she have possibly joined a cult? As Sam works to connect the dots left by Elli’s baffling disappearance, she realizes that the bond between her and her sister is more complicated than she ever knew.

I cannot imagine what it’s like to be a twin and sharing everything. It’s interesting how these sisters chose to deal with their famous childhood, one goes in a direction of domestic bliss (or so it seems) and the other spirals into a life of drugs and destruction. But when its Elli who leaves for what seems to be a cult, its Sam who comes to her rescue. Or is Elli drawing Sam into something? Or is it Sam? Or what is going on?

Your mind will be racing trying to figure it out! This book is quite a ride of suspense with two broken souls.

Another great read from Janelle!

I enjoy reading books by this author and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The story is based around identical twin sisters who were once famous as child actresses.
As they get older, one of the twins wants to quit acting and pursue another path which infuriates the other twin. They take on completely different career paths with consequences that they have to come to terms with and they become estranged.
They both battle through their issues and choices that they make in their lives. It was a very engaging story and I would highly recommend this book.

I love a book that steps outside of the box and brings a completely fresh story with a twist. This one does just that. It starts with two identical twins estranged for reasons unknown. They grew up in Hollywood as child stars and now “has been” adults. One has spent her fortune and the other may be in a situation to lose hers. Their mother is in failing health and calls the “black sheep” recovering addict twin home to help her care for her twin’s toddler daughter. She is unaware her sister had adopted the girl. Now the girls mother, the responsible twin, is “missing” .The book is full of secrets revealed. It keeps you guessing. I enjoyed it and plan on recommending it. Thank you #Netgalley for an advanced copy. @JanelleBrown #I’llbeYou

Sam and Ellie are identical twins and became childhood TV stars oftentimes doing a shared role (like Michelle on Full House). They would often pretend to be each other. They have a falling out when they are grown-ups and Sam is surprised when she receives a call from her mom that Ellie had taken a relaxing weekend to recharge and decided to spend a bit more time away. She needs help caring for Ellie's daughter Charlotte until Ellie is back. After arriving, Sam's twin intuition tells her that Ellie is in trouble and begins to search for clues as to where she may have gone and why.

I liked how this novel was written. The first part was in Sam's perspective and the second was in Ellie's. It lets you see the voice and personality of each twin separately over a long period of time. I really enjoyed getting to know these two characters. There were flashbacks to their lives as childhood actors which I thought was super neat. I also how it touched on the difficulties with child actors and how easy addiction can be in that environment. The overall story kept me interested and pulled in. I wouldn't really classify it as a thriller. Maybe a domestic drama with a mystery attached. I was excited about the puzzle of where Ellie was and Sam's detective work to find her. Overall a great read!

A scary and enthralling story about 2 sister!
Now this is exactly what I wanted.

I found this story to both be thrilling and emotional, something that not often happens when reading a thriller. The characters were fantastic, and reading and finding more about our two sisters kept me on my toes. Great read!

I'll Be You centers around twin sisters, Sam and Elli. They are former child TV stars, all grown up and dealing with the consequences of their unconventional childhood. Sam, a recovering addict who desperately misses the lifestyle of being famous, and Elli, who absolutely hated acting and all that it entailed, tries to create a more conventional and safe life for herself.

The novel deals with both the present, and the past, showing us glimpses of their life as children on TV sets, but also now as adults. Sam is called to help her mother take care of Elli's daughter Charlotte when Elli surprisingly fails to return from a "weekend retreat".

The main action of the novel is Sam investigating where Elli has disappeared to and the resulting revelations of the mess Elli has found herself in, primarily from Sam's POV, with several chapters from Elli's POV towards the later 30%. Both narrators have their own unique voice and I found it very enlightening seeing their own perspectives on overlapping events.

This is a book about identity, and choices we make. This is not a suspense or thriller, but if one approaches it as an exploration of how 2 lives so entwined can have an impact, both positively and negatively, it is absolutely enjoyable and very worthwhile.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

Janelle Brown weaves a compelling page-turner as she explores the complicated relationship between twin sisters in I’ll Be You. Sam and Elli were famous child actors who, as identical twins, could take on each other’s role and no one could tell they had switched parts. The girls could even fool their parents, and they were close, parts of each other. But as their Hollywood acting careers wane and they grow into adults, they drift apart — Elli marries, Sam falls into a world of addiction — and they have stopped speaking. But when Sam receives a call from her father and returns home as a recovering addict, she discovers Elli has a child and has checked into a spa for relaxation, but suddenly stopped responding on her phone. When Elli does not return home as expected, Sam starts investigating and discovers that Elli’s life may not be all it appears on the surface. Sam must struggle through her addiction to reconnect with her sister, her other half, her shared history. Many twists, turns, and revelations make this an interesting read, although some readers may find the premise a bit far-fetched. Told in dual narratives the book focuses on the characters of Sam and Elli, creating a more character driven novel. Fast-paced, hard to put down, good writing!

3.5 stars
Identical twins, opposite personalities, totally different lifestyles. Sam and Elli are thrust into the spotlight at the age of 9 when their mother pushes them into acting roles on TV. Sam lives for it, but Elli hates it so Sam convinces her to pretend to be the other twin when working. Sam takes over the roles of both of them, but only as long as Elli is willing to play along. Of course Elli chooses a more normal teenage experience, leaving Sam unfulfilled. Sam's life spirals out of control, but Elli isn't all that happy either.

After a separation from each other, it is now up to Sam, the unreliable one, to try to help Elli and repay all Elli's efforts to save Sam. Can they still pretend to be the other? Can a dysfunctional upbringing result in a functional sisterly relationship for them now?

Good story. Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Janelle Brown caught my interest when I read Pretty Things. When this next book came across my NetGalley must haves… I knew I just have it. Gripping story with great characters! Loved it

Janelle Brown was a new author for me. The description of this book really caught my attention. I didn't love this book but I didn't hate it either. I'll Be You was a slow burn that kept my attention just enough to keep me reading to the end. I will definitely read more from this author in the future, I just didn't love this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not gonna lie, when I first started this I thought it was a little slow but hung in there because I love a good thriller about cults. I am so glad I that I stayed with it because the twist was EVERYTHING! Loved it!!

Identical twins Sam and Elli are discovered at a young age and begin acting together. While Sam loves acting, Elli is much more reserved and tires of it quickly. Since Sam adores the limelight, she tells Elli, "I'll be you!" That's where the twin switching begins. Flash forward years later, Sam has not done well for herself and is summoned home to help find Elli who has left behind her young daughter to visit a retreat. Things don't make sense because Elli is the responsible one. Sam is left to take care of a small child and try to figure out where Elli really is, why she left, and if she is ever coming home.
I liked this book, but it wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be.

I finished I'll Be You by Janelle Brown a little while ago. Sometimes I want to see if a book will stay with me for a little while, make itself hide out in my thoughts more than usual. Sadly, this one didn't. It's about identical twins who were once child actors. When the story begins, Sam and Elli have been estranged for awhile and they have taken different paths in adulthood. Sam struggles with addiction and the loss of her acting career while Elli has become a wife and mother, forging a completely different path than Sam.

The Hollywood aspect is something I didn't really enjoy. Just a personal preference. I love Janelle Brown's writing and this really isn't a thriller. It's more a mystery told in two POV. First Sam, then Elli. There are lots of twists and turns and I'll Be You is a hard book to put down once you start it. But some of it was overly dramatic, much like Hollywood. I think this made me not care about the characters quite as much as I would have.

Still, this book is a solid read about siblings, addiction, the power of cults and stardom. 3.5 stars

I’ll be You follows twins sisters Elli and Sam. The two grew up incredibly close and had a career as famous child actors. Eventually, due to Sam’s struggle with addiction and Elli’s desire to have the “normal” life that Sam didn’t want, they lose the close relationship they had as children. One day, after over a year of not speaking to each other, Sam receives a text from her parents saying that Elli has gone missing, and asking that Sam come to help take care of the newly adopted niece she didn’t know she had. When Sam begins to suspect that Ellie has joined a cult, she attempts to save Ellie by learning what’s been happening in Ellie’s life in the past year, what led to her joining the “self improvement movement,” and what caused her disappearance. 

This book was just a fun time. I had a great time reading it, and that’s why I gave it 5 stars. I love thrillers. I love cults. I love stories about twins. When I found out what Sam did that caused her estrangement from Elli my mouth dropped open and I audibly gasped. I was given drama, suspense, and plot twists. It was exactly my favorite kind of mess and was overall very well written. That’s why I gave it 5 stars.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: April 26, 2022

Sam and Elli are identical twins…inseparable as children/teens, but currently estranged in their adulthood. Once successful TV stars, Sam is now a recovering addict and Elli is married and living in suburbia. When Sam receives a panicked message from her parents asking her to help care for Elli’s young daughter Charlotte, Sam responds, hoping to mend the bridge she has broken. But what is really going on with Elli? And where has she gone?

PROS and CONS:
This is a slow one…an in-depth character study into the intricacies of a twin relationship. Told from two perspectives, Sam then Elli, we are able to see the trail of events that lead to their current lives, and just how much they might benefit by having each other close again. This book is completely different from Pretty Things (which I enjoyed a bit more), but still written very well and it kept me interested until the satisfying ending.

READ IT?
It’s a slow drama, one you can take your time with. I enjoyed it!

4 Stars

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I've read a couple of Brown's previous books and have been looking forward to I'll be You.

Sam Logan is a twin and has been child actor who is a recovering addict and estranged from her twin sister Elli, short for Eleanor for slightly over a year, for reasons we find out later. Sam is finally in control of her life, working at a café and living in a studio in Hollywood, when her mother summons her home to help out. She discovers that her sister supposedly adopted a 2 year old daughter named Charlotte, is getting divorced and needs her to help babysit for a week or so. Elli has gone on some kind of retreat and left suddenly.

We learn in flashbacks that Sam and Elli were discovered at a beach in their Santa Barbara town at age 9, building sandcastles by an agent named Harriet. (Elli later calls her Helen, maybe this error gets corrected in the final edition). Harriet books them jobs and they get a tv show where the twins play one child. Elli is more reluctant to act, but wants to please her sister. After the character they play gets killed off, they return to regular lives as high school sophomores. Until they get roles playing twins on a Nickelodeon show. That's where Sam's pill addiction really starts to veer into dangerous territory.

Meanwhile in the current setting, Sam watches Charlotte and takes her places but is worried about her sister. Where did Charlotte come from and when is her sister coming back? Sam discovers Elli may have gotten sucked into a cult called GenFem. She starts investigating with help from a guy named Caleb she met at AA, that remembers her from high school.

As Sam digs deeper into the mystery behind GenFem, and the alarming fear that Elli might be in danger, the narrative shifts to Elli's perspective recounting how she got into this mess. It builds the suspense to reach the conclusion, which was - in my opinion- slightly anti climatic. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book.

TW for addiction, cult and psychological manipulative behaviors, gaslighting, kidnapping, disordered eating/ punishment using food and rest.
4/5☆ release date 4/26/22

4.5 stars.

What a great book to binge in one day. I had zero expectations going in and I was blown away. I was very skeptical in the beginning- a story about a woman who was a recovering addict, she was detached from her family, someone was missing. It was riddled with tropes. But this was used so well in every way. The family dynamics were handled well and I loved seeing both sides to the twins stories.

Sam was a powerful character to follow and she wasn’t your typical unreliable narrator that make thrillers nauseating. She was on a path to being better and this made the book better. Her way of connecting to Charlotte was beautiful. The use of backstory was not overwhelming and it shed much needed light on how the characters were as adults.

After about 15% of the way through, I was hooked. The twists were well woven into the story and so well written it was easy for your jaw to immediately drop. They were so simple but so impactful that I wad amazed at how they didn’t need to slap me in the face for me to love them. It’s a slow burn for sure, but done better than most.

I highly anticipate this book hitting the shelves and will recommend this one to all my friends who love a great thriller! This one is absolutely worth the buy.

I have just read I'll Be You by Janelle Brown.

This story starts off with two young girls, identical twins, who are discovered one day on a beach and land acting jobs in a tv series.

Sam and Elli and quite different in many ways though. One gets into many problems over the years, with addictions and the other has what appears to be a very happy life, married with a lovely house and career.

Along the way there are many twists and turns in the story, and a great deal of analysis as well..

It is a book that is gripping, although not my usual choice as it really has quite a chick-flick feel to it, with a huge amount of drama, counselling, and issues.

However, I did enjoy it, as the twists kept me engaged

Thank You to NetGalley, Author Janelle Brown and Random House Publishing Group for my advanced copy to read and review.
#IllBeYou #NetGalley