Very enjoyable, if not very believable. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a book with a cult involved. The sisters were both just the right amount of screwed up to keep things interesting. Looking forward to her next book.

I"ll Be You is more of a domestic drama than a thriller. It is divided into three parts. The story follows identical twins, Sam and Elli. This book deals with serious subjects such as addiction and disappearance. It was a good book but not what I thought I was getting into. There is a cult aspect that didn't appeal to me but the twist in the middle was good! Also the character development that was great and connecting to them easy.
Pick it up for a family drama that will connect you to the characters!

Contrary to what the blurb (and the neon cover) would have you believe, I'll Be You is not a "twisty thriller." Instead, it's a deeply psychological family drama with a lot to say about substance abuse, addiction, mental manipulation, and the ties that bind. I've read all of Janelle Brown's novels, and I think this is my second favorite behind Watch Me Disappear.

At the center of I'll Be You are Sam and Elli, identical twins and former child actors. As children, they were inseparable, but as adults, they are estranged. After the abrupt end of their acting career, Sam turned to drugs and alcohol to dull the pain of her failed career, and Elli -- who never wanted to act anyway -- embraced a life of domesticity: getting married, becoming a florist, and trying to start a family. But just over a year into Sam's latest round of sobriety, she receives a call from her parents: Elli is away at a mysterious retreat for what was supposed to only be a long weekend, but she hasn't returned, and they need Sam to come help them care for Elli's adopted daughter -- a daughter Sam didn't even know she had. As the days pass and calls and texts to Elli go unanswered, and as more circumstances about Elli's life come to light, Sam becomes convinced that Elli may be in over her head.

What I love about Janelle Brown's books, and her writing in general, is how perceptive she is. She writes deep, thought-provoking, insightful character studies about flawed, authentic, relatable people, and Sam and Elli are no exception. Even if you can't relate to their specific circumstances -- Sam, a recovering addict, and Elli, a cult member -- you will see something of yourself in each of them. In I'll Be You, she uses these fascinating sisters to explore dysfunctional relationships, the dynamics of being a twin, the psychology of cults, addiction, recovery, desperation, and forgiveness. This is definitely a character-driven drama more than it is a thriller; there is one solid twist around the halfway mark, but Sam and Elli and their evolving relationship is truly at the heart of this book.

Complex, well-plotted, and nuanced, I'll Be You just proves that Janelle Brown keeps getting better and better. I can't wait to read whatever she writes next.

Books about twins always interest me if they relationship is well written. It's not as much of a thriller as I was expecting, but I the family drama was quite interesting to me.

Oh my what a good read! I love the theme of twin sisters, and childhood actors. Unique story and great character development. The twins are so different from each other as they grow up. They loved to play “I’ll be you, and you play me”. As adults, they had a fallout and they haven’t spoken to one another for a couple of years, then one twin goes missing. The other sister is determined to find out where she has taken off to without her adopted daughter. Told from past to present, back and fourth, this story truly held my interest and I couldn’t wait to find out more as I read. I loved the book so much, that I purchased the audiobook so when I couldn’t read, I could listen. Excellent narration! I really enjoyed this mystery/psychological thriller and I highly recommend the book or the audiobook to anyone who enjoys the genre.
A very special thank you to Random House Publishing via NetGalley for the advanced readers copy, in exchange for my honest review.

The lives of former child actors and identical twins, Sam and Elli, have followed different paths since reaching adulthood. Elli has led a traditional life while Sam has dealt with substance abuse and many other personal issues. When Elli goes on an extended retreat, leaving her daughter with her parents, they reluctantly reach out to Sam to help with her care. What starts out as a retreat turns into a disappearance and Sam looks into the organization her sister is now involved with. GenFem is supposedly dedicated to female empowerment but what lies beneath is less about that.

Janelle Brown is also another author that I will always purchase a book by. She is one of those authors that never disappoints, and I'll Be You is no different. Her storytelling is phenomenal and in telling the story of two twins who are very different people, she does a great job of developing each twin and intertwining their story so that it all makes sense. I will say I was slightly disappointed with the end, as an ending for a book is make or break for me, but overall the book was great and I would definitely recommend it!

A fascinating page-turner. Keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Will Sam find Elli? Where did Charlotte come from? Will these formerly inseparable twins find their way back to each other? Well done. Highly recommend.

This book took me a long time to read because it had very few ups and downs in the story line and it all felt very flat. I really liked Sam and I felt like her portions of the book were by far the best. Then the POV switched to Elli and I just could not connect with her, which is sad as she is the one explaining how they both came to be in the situation they find themselves in. Overall I did not find the book believable or exciting.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Random House for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

How far would you go for your sister? Sam and Elli would do a lot!
I’ll Be You was a fantastic read and I would definitely recommend this fast pace, psychological story to anyone!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Very Britt Bennet vibes from this one in the best way. Truly a fascinating thriller about the two sisters. Thanks to Random House for the arc for my honest review.

This was an intricate novel of suspense. The main characters are twins Sam and Elli. Something is going on with Elli and Sam is asked to come help by their mother. When Sam arrives she begins to think there is something seriously wrong as she learns more about what has been going on. Sam and Elli have had their share of issues between them. It started as they were close twins and continued through their younger years of acting and into their resulting adult lives. The emotional memories of the whole family are revealed as the story unfolds.

I have been trying to get into this book for over a month with no luck. I am not connecting with the characters or the story. I am deciding to DNF at about 24%

An outstanding thriller with 2 childhood start twins, but when one of them goes missing, this is when the fun begins! The author did a fantastic job describing what it would be like to be in the eye of fame as a child. The book is told in both twins POV. Fantastic twist as always from Janelle Brown.

I am so sorry to say that this book just didn't work for me. I have liked other books by the author, but I couldn't get into this particular story. I am sure that others will love it, but I couldn't get pulled in.

I wanted to love this one but I just couldn't connect with the storyline. I love a family drama mystery, but the "good and evil twin" plot just didn't work for me. I love the way this author writes such nuanced and realistic characters and enjoyed Pretty Little Things so much, but this just fell really flat for me. Maybe it my was my timing but this wasn't a hit this time around!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my gifted copy.

Wish we could give half stars because it’s really a 2.5 for me.

I like the overall concept but the storytelling didn’t do it for me.

This book is weird. Not fun weird, not crazy WTF weird, just strange and kind of boring.

Didn’t get invested in either of the characters enough to care how it ended so when I finished the book the whole thing just felt like a shrug.

I started to read this one expecting a captivating and twisty thriller, and Janelle served it right in a silver platter!! I felt like there were many topics talked about in this story, and all of them kind of coherently came together. Slow burns must work hard to make me like them, and I enjoyed this very much. The plot kept me guessing which is hard not to love!

Thank you Random House for the e-arc.

I'll Be You is an outstanding thriller following former child star twins who have grown apart when one of them disappears. The story is unpredictable from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked with it's fast pace and delicious plot. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly addictive. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out I'll Be You today.

There were some excellent moments in this book! Janelle Brown did a fantastic job of digging into the dangers of child stardom without making it sound cliche or cringy. I started out (as many other readers probably did) thinking this might be an alternative story about the Olsen twins, but I realized that this book could have been about any set of twins working in Hollywood or any child actor really.

Of the two twins, Sam's story really spoke to me. Because we start the book with her and spend a considerable amount of time with her before moving on to Elli, we really get a chance to get to know Sam and realize that even though her behavior isn't excusable -- and she doesn't try to justify it, which I found refreshing -- it is explainable. There are legitimate reasons for her behaving the way she did. The best part was that she owned up to it in every instance.

Elli's story was a little less engaging. Maybe this was because her voice and Sam's voice sounded quite similar. They're identical twins, so I don't know if Brown chose to make them sound almost identical too. There was an eerie quality to that, though, that made me fidget a little. Also, even though Sam is the more troubled of the twins, and therefore the one with way more to lose, I found Elli to be much more fragile. I know their characters are set up where Sam is the dominant twin and Elli is the submissive one. But something about Elli just made me a little impatient with her.

The last third of the book fell a little flat to me. After all the buildup to the GenFem compound and everything that was supposedly going on there, I expected a much more dramatic climax and ending. I'm starting to find, though, that many books written during the pandemic are like this. They start out great with wonderful characters and tight plots and unravel somewhat by the end. Some unravel way more than others. This one still held together, for the most part, for me, but I found myself at the end feeling underwhelmed.

Still, it was definitely a compelling read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity!