Elli and Sam are identical twins. They had a falling out and have not talked in some time. Sam's dad calls one day to tell her that Elli went on a spa retreat and has not returned. They are worried and need her help. We learn Elli has a young daughter, Charlotte, that she adopted. Sam knew nothing about any of this. When Sam goes home will she be able to find out what happened to her twin sister? Was it really a retreat she is on, or is it something more sinister?

This was a fast-paced exciting novel. It is told in three parts, past and present time-lines and alternating points of view between Sam and Elli. I love the backstory of these characters, the author really did a good job explaining everything so you get a good grip on the story and where it is going. Another excellent novel by Janelle Brown. I just love her books. Be sure to add I'LL BE YOU to your TBR list.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Very captivating with amazing character development. Twins who has perfected the ability to step into each other’s lives and trick others around them when they need a break. And when a twin goes to a retreat for a week and doesn’t return why isn’t anyone worried - except for her twin? And why isn’t anyone wanting to learn a little more about a place where she is willing to leave her own child? I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I want to start off with saying I really enjoyed this book! This is the second book I’ve read by this author. Brown is very creative, she’s an excellent writer & storyteller!

The one thing I wanted to touch on before getting into my review is that I didn’t really get the twisty thriller vibe with this one🤷‍♀️ I feel like it was more of a domestic psychological messy family book with some wtf added in. The other thing is there’s a lot of cult talk in it. I personally don’t like reading about cults (at all!) it’s just not for me.. BUT even with it having a cult storyline to parts I still really liked it & was entertained by the direction the author took with the story/characters.

Besides the cult based aspect of the book there are a few things/triggers that could be a turnoff to some readers. There’s heavy drug & alcohol use, as well as maintaining sobriety. Also the topics of fertility from being infertile to not choosing to keep the child such as being an egg donor & adoption.

In the book we alternate past & present with identical twins Samantha (Sam) the “bad” twin & Elli the “good”. Elli goes out of town for a little alone time getaway but Sam, estranged from her sister, thinks it may be more complicated than that & is seemingly the only one concerned about her sisters whereabouts & recent life choices. I liked reading from Sam’s point of view best, she was more relatable & I just enjoyed her personality more. Elli’s pov was a great addition though to give perspective on their past as far as their childhood (like 2 sides to a story), and to shine some light on what was currently happening in her life vs Sam’s perspective since a lot of her end of it was unknown & guessing or finding out along the way. Some of the things that happened in this were jaw dropping (had me saying “what the eff” out loud lol) & emotional at times. I think the first half of the book was my favorite, there was some dragging in the second half, and a lot of the second half was Elli’s POV so maybe since I liked Sam’s POV better is why it felt draggy? Overall it was interesting & I was curious to see how the author was going to wrap it all up. As I already mentioned I do not feel this was what I’d consider a thriller.

Great book, definitely worth a read - I’m looking forward to what Janelle Brown comes out with next!

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! If I hadn’t had the opportunity to read an ARC for this as well as her last book I probably wouldn’t have come across this author, and I’m thankful I did🤗

Sam and Elli are identical twins from Santa Barbara. They are discovered when they're young and get signed on to a TV show, taking turns filming to stay within regulations. However, life has a way of creating twins who wish to have separate lives - no longer wanting to be part of a package, but finding their own identity.

Elli goes to a retreat in Ojai, which results in Sam being called back to her parent's home to help them care for her sister's child. They haven't spoken in over a year, so Sam is somewhat taken aback that her sister has a 2 year old, but comes home to help out.

This is a story about family, self worth, self discovery, and the ease in which one can take on different personas, even if you're not a twin. "The only thing that we can hope to change is the path forward." Looking to the past may give us clarity, but you can't change what happened. This becomes more clear as the book progresses and we learn about Elli's whereabouts and how her child came to be.

This was labeled a thriller/suspense genre, but I didn’t get that feel.
Sam and Ellie , twins, were child actors and now adults with very different lives. Ellie is married. Sam has struggled with addiction her whole life.
When their parents call to ask for help when Ellie has gone on a weekend away, Sam comes. Only to find Ellie has a daughter, 2 yrs old. She is divorced and selling her home and has most likely joined a cult.
While their mother doesn’t believe she is anywhere but a spa retreat, Sam is convinced Ellie needs to be saved from the cult.
There is no drama, nor suspense or thrill in the book. More like a sad story of loss.

This was a great story about the bond of twin sisters. The beginning was intriguing felt like a thriller, the middle slowed down a bit. There were a few twists I didn’t see coming, the ending wasn’t what I was expecting, felt a bit rushed but all in all it was a great mystery.

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Identical twins Elli and Sam spent their early years as child actresses, their lives constantly intertwined by shared interests in supporting each other. They continued to grow further and further apart as they approached adulthood, such that by the time they are adults they aren't speaking and headed in completely opposite directions. When Elli heads off to a self-help retreat, Sam comes in to help their parents care for Elli's newly adopted daughter. Sam starts to worry that Elli is in over her head with this self-help program and begins playing detective to find out what's really going on. You won't see the twists and turns that come next.

This is my favorite kind of thriller. Suspenseful, but not scary or violent. This book kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning. I recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a twisty storyline that is entertaining, even if not completely realistic.

This is actually the first Janelle Brown book I’ve ever read, though I’ve always wanted to try one of her books. I’m glad NetGalley gave me the opportunity to review “I’ll Be You”, as I really enjoyed it. It was based on a set of twins, former child actors. A “good”, responsible twin & a “bad” addict twin. But in this case, the “bad” twin has to help & look after the other, as she’s gotten involved with a woman’s help group (cult?) with possible nefarious motives…..😮

Great read!!

Identical twins Sam and Elli have been inseparable since birth. They took pleasure in pretending to be each other, doing so numerous times. Dubbed the “new Olsen sisters”, they rose to fame in their early teens doing tv shows and the occasional movie. As the girls grew older Elli decided that she wanted out of the Hollywood life, pursuing college, and later a family. Sam on the other hand couldn’t get enough if the glitz and glamor. However, her solo career didn’t last long. She crashed and burned reveling in the night life, drugs, and alcohol. Think Lindsay Lohan circa 2007. A few huge mistakes and an unforgivable fight later, Elli and Sam stop speaking. A phone call from their father to Sam would change everything.

Sam learns her seemingly perfect sister adopted a two year old girl named Charlotte, and that her husband left her. Her father asks her to come home to look after Charlotte until Elli returns from her spa trip. Sam struggles taking care of the toddler and as the days pass with no contact from her sister, she begins to think something is wrong.

Her hunch takes her down a rabbit hole leading to a compound where women follow strict rules in order to better themselves. The deeper she digs into this organization, the clearer it is that place is a cult and her sister is in trouble. Will Sam be able to free her sister and ultimately mend their broken bond?

I enjoyed this book. Told in alternating time lines as well as the point of view of each sister, you truly understand that they are not simply twins but they are individuals. A few good plot twists didn’t hurt either.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

"I*'ll Be There "is an engaging, character driven book that falls somewhere in between a mystery/thriller and general fiction. It is the story of twin sisters, Sam and Elli who have a close bond but also a estrangement which has prevented the sisters from speaking in over a year. Sam is the wild child, a struggling alcoholic and someone who strives for the spotlight. Elli is more quiet and passive and has always been torn between wanting to please her sister and wanting to please herself. The book begins when Sam's mom calls her and says that Elli has gone to a self-help retreat and has not returned and she needs help taking care of Charlotte, a little girl Sam didn't know her sister had. Sam becomes concerned when her sister doesn't answer her texts and at the same time she begins to think about the past and how the sisters ended up so far apart.

The book is told through Sam's viewpoint for most of the book and we learn how the sisters became child actresses, a career which worked for Sam more than Elli. Sam turned to drugs and alcohol while Elli married and became a florist. In the present day story, we slowly find out Elli has become part of a cult, and now it is Elli's turn to save her twin. Books about cults are always fascinating to me, especially when we see how easy it is to lure troubled people into believing in their methods. The last third of the book is partially from the viewpoint of Elli where we find out how and why she became a victim to this evil cult. I really liked the idea of the sisters working together to save Elli and to finally have the supportive and adult relationship they needed to survive. I enjoyed this book and it's themes of sisterhood, forgiveness and starting over as well as the mystery portions regarding the cult.

5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I would definitely be recommending this book to readers on my Instagram bookstagram account.

This thriller started off amazing. I was very invested and couldn't put it down. The ending kind of ruined it for me though. I didn't feel like there was much of an ending for me. I wanted more. Overall I didn't enjoy reading this book.

I really enjoyed this title. I liked the twists and turns and the writing style is nice and smooth. The story flows well and kept my attention. Thank you for the opportunity to read this title. I will be recommending this one to friends.

I'll Be You A Novel by Janelle Brown. Random House Publishing Group, 2022.

Identical twins Sam and Elli grow up as child actors; Sam wants to be famous while Elli just wants to be normal. As their differences emerge, each tries to compensate for strengths the other lacks, leading to an irrevocable relationship breakdown.

Readers’ sympathy for to the sisters’ situations will grow stronger as details of their victimization and multiple, separate, and overlapping crimes, emerge.

There is a lot going on in this book. Well-written and easy to follow despite a complex plot told from the perspective of each; one surprise after another. Warmly recommended.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of I’ll Be You for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #IllBeYou #NetGalley.

I was so invested in this fast paced thriller until probably 80%. Then the last 20% was so anticlimactic and the ending was rushed. It left me wanting more!

Janelle Brown has done it again!! I absolutely loved ‘Pretty Things’, it was one of my favorite 2020 reads. When I got an approval for ‘I’ll Be You’, I was ecstatic! I devoured this book in 2 sittings! I read this on my kindle, and I don’t think I have ever highlighted so much of a book. There was just so much good, here.

The story is about identical twin sisters, Sam and Elli. They were once child TV stars and held such a strong bond. They were inseparable, they completed each other. Sam would look back on that time and reflect on how she felt she didn’t need any other friends or to be close to anyone else as long as she had Elli by her side.

As they grew older, their desires for what they wanted out of life began to not only differ but tear them apart. Elli moved on from acting, she wanted a normal life out of the spotlight. She became a housewife and started her own little business from home. It was the quieter, simpler life that she had always craved. Meanwhile, Sam was addicted to the spotlight. When she realized her acting career as a solo actor would never take off, her addiction to fame and attention turned into addiction to pills and alcohol.

Sam’s perspective in this book really got to me. I am a young recovering addict, myself, so everything she said just seemed to make sense to me. It was almost as if her words, at times, were taken from own diary. Janelle Brown managed to perfectly portray the mind of someone in recovery. Not just someone in recovery, but someone who lost everything and ruined relationships -someone who was really clawing their way out of rock bottom. It was realistic and believable, which I very much loved and appreciated. When Sam would talk about how early sobriety made her life so “safe” and devoid of excitement, to the point it sometimes made her feel “dead inside” – I felt that!

Elli’s perspective was also so incredible believable and real. We have all seen or heard of how easily people can get sucked into these cult-like “self-help’ programs. Elli spent so much of her life doing what other people wanted and just wanted so badly to please everyone, that she ended up not knowing who she even was. She was desperate for her own identity and to feel in control of her life. I think that we can all, in some way, relate to Elli.

Overall, this was a stellar book! 10 stars! It was engaging, thought-provoking, mysterious, twisty, suspenseful, and so well written! It doesn’t get much better than this! Thank you for yet another masterpiece, Janelle Brown!

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Review is copied to Goodreads.

Where to find reviews closer to pub date:
-Amazon, Barnes & Noble
-Instagram @Allison_in_Soberland

My first book by Brown but it won't be my last. The premise was compelling (twins! cults!) and the story delivered.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel successfully pulled together so many threads, I really enjoyed it! The twin sisters at the center of the plot were both sympathetic, complex characters.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Random House Publishing Group-Random House, Random House and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This starts off great, has duel perspectives, flashback timelines. You find yourself drawn into the story of the past, present and *spoiler* cult.

Suddenly that’s it.

The end is abrupt. As well as unlikely. I’d give it one star but the beginning is quality work.

Sam and Elli are identical twin sisters, but although they may look alike, their personalities are very different! So when they get an acting gig when they are nine, Sam--the more gregarious one--can take on either role with a simple, "I'll be you and you be me." Simple, yes? Well, not if you've read anything else by Brown! I won't give you more of the storyline, just know there is a cult, devious undertakings, but a lot of nice people too who are determined to get to the bottom of this very weird (but wonderfully thrilling) story! So buckle up and enjoy the ride because you won't see any of it coming!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!