I really liked the author’s Pretty Things, despite the book’s considerable bulk, despite my strong belief that books should contains themselves in under 400 pages (under 300 ideally) for optimal reading enjoyment. Pretty Things was a very good book, and it carried its weight with admirable grace, reading very quickly and dynamically. It wasn’t a conventional mystery thriller that is so insanely/oppressingly popular right now, it was more of a crime drama, a highly literary, character driven crime drama and a strikingly engaging one at that.
So I knew I was going to read more by the author and this book certainly didn’t disappoint. It’s more of the same in quality and style, though thematically it takes a somewhat different approach. This is a story of twins and all the ways their naturally strong connection is stretched and twisted over the years. And it’s quite mesmerizing in its own way.
Sam and Elli were born 11 minutes apart and, while being virtually indistinguishable in appearance, grew up to be very different people. Their innate closeness resisted this and so throughout the years they tried to compensate for it by making compromises. It didn’t work in the end, because compromises can only take one so far. And so, two bright and shining teen starlets grew into a barely getting by junkie and an addict, Sam, and a perfect suburban wife, Elli. And they followed along in their tracks until…well, until now.
Now Elli’s gone, missing. She left her freshly adopted baby girl behind and freshly sober Sam has to come and help take care of her. But the longer Elli stays away, the more suspicious Sam gets and decides to investigate this on her own. She soon finds out that her sister was involved in a self-improvement group i.e. cult and things unravel from there.
As much as I love cult stories, it wasn’t even the main appeal here. The main appeal was the writing itself, strikingly engaging even when the characters were difficult to like or love, overpowering even the potent estrogen/mommy streak throughout the novel, it had such a terrific energy, such dynamism, it was tough to put down. The sister act of Sam and Elli, their title predicted interchangeability and their variously unpredictable differences, made for a profoundly entertaining and wildly compelling read. And this time the author did manage to tell the story in well under 400 words, so yey. Very good read all around. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

I enjoyed Pretty Things and will loosely categorize this as the same caliber. But. It was a little slow for me. A couple of things that should have been compelling, possibly even suspenseful, just, sort of...weren't.

I loved Janelle Brown's previous book, Pretty Things, and hoped I'll Be You would be a similar thriller. This book wasn't what I expected, but I really enjoyed it. While it felt more about the relationship between the two sisters, the narrative was really moving and memorable. I don't want to reveal any spoilers, but the biggest part of Elli's backstory was especially interesting to me.

I loved this book! The fact that it was about former child actors was clever. Also interesting hearing how Sam and Elli’s perspectives were different.

The similarities/differences of twins was compelling. The “cult” aspect of the story was also interesting. The ending was very satisfying.

Really enjoyed the book. Never read any of Janelle Brown’s books before but will after reading this book. Great job! Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this book excellent book.

I devoured this novel in a long afternoon. It was addictive reading! Elli aNd Sam are twins. Sam is arried and supposedly emotionally stable. Ellie is a recovering alcoholic. Sam does missing and is found living in an all female cult named GenFem. The power of sisterhood is strong in this novel. I loved it and was sad to see the end.

I"LL BE YOU hearkens back to Janelle Brown's earlier thrillers/suspense novels. Here's what I mean by that. I enjoyed her earlier books but found them somewhat standard, meaning no better than others in the genre. Perfectly entertaining, just nothing "wow." However, I loved Pretty Things. I thought it was so clever and intricate and amazingly suspenseful. A book you keep thinking about. I"LL BE YOU does not have that same feel to it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Her standard thrillers are very good, and this one is no exception.

I took a little bit of time to feel connected to the first narrator, Sam. She seems kind of out of it - doesn't even understand what a two-year-old does and doesn't do (like, the basics). And that made me feel disconnected to her -- at first. Thankfully, she grew on me.

I'm glad I stuck with the book because it really picks up as you continue reading and the ultimate reveals and the ending are quite satisfying.

I do recommend this novel for fans of suspense/thrillers.

wow! such a good book! Janelle Brown does not disappoint in this suspenseful book.
Elli and Sam are twins who gained early fame in acting in Los Angeles. Their paths diverge - Elli into marriage and Sam into a spiraling addiction. In recovery at last, Sam receives a call from her mother, her sister Eli has gone away and left her daughter Charlotte with her and needs help watching her. The news that her sister is a mother is new news to Sam and Sam, being the family's "black sheep." s heads home to help. As Elli continues to not return to claim Charlotte, Sam becomes concerned about her sister's welfare and launches an investigation of her own. What she finds out shocks her.

This is a story that I have not read before…unique…however, I wish authors would just write in the time frame in which the story or setting takes place…the then and now is confusing and not always fun to read…the then and now stories are becoming so commonplace…that being said, the story of twin sisters is intriguing…the author is ingenious at making the characters come alive on the pages of the novel…this book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review…it is a quick read…there are so many surprises…I look forward to more books from this talented author…

I have loved Janelle Brown’s earlier novels, especially “All We Ever Wanted Was Everything “ so I was excited about reading this new novel. She has selected the subject of cults and wrapped it in the lives of identical twins, Sam and Elli. It seems to have been inspired by the recent NEXIVM Cult scandal which has been widely publicized during the past years, including a series on NETFLIX.

Of course Brown has woven this into an interesting novel about the incalculable financial and emotional damage created by this group she has named GENFEM. I enjoyed the beginning of the book, but I I honestly found the exploration of the internal machinations of the cult too noire for me.

So, this is a good read but it doesn’t live up to the high standard of her earlier novels. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

This book is diabolical. It’s nuts how good it was. I started it before the sun rose, and literally inhaled it the rest of the day. I had to make myself go on a walk, make myself make my toddler and myself lunch, make myself step away from the book just for a *minute* because it was all consuming. The way Janelle Brown writes is perfect. This book didn’t feel like a regular old thriller. It didn’t feel like fiction. It didn’t feel like fluff. It was intelligent, poetic, dark and twisty, with a sharp slap a little over half way through. I have been a fan of Brown’s books, so I felt like I knew what I was settling down with, but I truly had no idea what this book was. This. This book is going to be buzzy. This book is going to be huge.

I discoveredJanelle Brown’s Pretty Things a month or so into lockdown and it was the only book I picked up during that time that completely distracted me from current events and gave me the mental break I so badly needed. In her latest book, I’ll Be You, I was just as sucked in (although thankfully the world is not quite as terrifying as it was back then). The storyline is completely different and yet just as thrilling and layered and beautifully told. I cannot recommend this book, and this author, highly enough!

#IllBeYou #NetGalley
I felt like I was watching a Netflix movie.
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, in a house two 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?
I loved it's dialogues, tension, twists and narration. It was really really good.
I think it will become a good Netflix movie.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for giving me an advanced copy.

This book is so good. It’s absolutely a twisty thriller that will leave you wondering the entire book. The ending is equally satisfying as the beginning. I highly recommend this book.

Wow, fan freaking tastic. I'm so glad I got to read this early. I love anything twinsies. This is my sex nd book and love the twists. That's for the copy in exchange for an honest review.