Well this book was like the dysfunctional twins meet The Handmaids tale. Good storyline but it was a little drawn out. Very slow moving at times that when it went from time to time per chapter, I found myself confused and had to go back and re read. My second book by this Author, I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed her "Watch me disappear"
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House and the Author, Janelle Brown for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In a follow up to Pretty Things, Janelle Brown's I'll Be You is captivating and draws you in to the story of twin child stars Sam and Elli-now grown up and estranged. Elli, anxious to leave Hollywood behind, carved out a path of college, marriage and a new business opportunity, while establishing herself in her community. Sam, the more passionate (and troubled) actress of the two, struggled in Hollywood-with both addiction and career disappointments. After not speaking to Elli for over a year Sam is startled when her father asks her to return to Santa Barbara to help care for Elli's two year old adopted daughter. Sam had no idea Elli adopted, let alone that her husband Chuck has moved out. When Sam arrives home, she's even more surprised to find out Elli is on a mysterious retreat in Ojai-that was only supposed to be for a weekend. Just where is Elli? What is going on in Ojai? Is it really a wellness journey or something more sinister? Told in alternating timelines and perspectives Sam is determined to find out just what happened to Elli-and realizes just how intertwined and complicated their bond has become. While not as suspenseful and twisty as Pretty Things, I'll Be You is a well-written story with great character development, mystery and complications.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This was a quick read and compelling once you realize that one of the twins is trapped in some type of cult situation. It wasn't the best writing, but not bad enough to detract from the story. A solid psychological thriller with a neat & tidy ending.

I'm over the whole concept of identical twins taking each other's place, but I picked this up on the strength of the author's first book which I really enjoyed. This one was fun up to a point, with fairly believable characters and a good start. Sadly it devolved into detailed descriptions of drug use that bored me. Addiction recovery is a great topic but the addiction itself isn't. The rather silly details of the cult, and all the plot holes it produced, dragged the story down and I started skipping which actually took me almost to the end. The Charlotte subplot was cute if not in the least believable, and could have been the main plot thread without all the other detritus. Hoping for more from this author next time.

Identical twins start off as one and become two, so one twin stepping into the other's shoes should be simple, right? After all, they are essentially the same person. But just where does "nurture" come into play? At what point do our life experiences grab the reins and steer our lives in a direction other than nature intended?

Janelle Brown's new novel I'll Be You tests the twin theory with identical former child stars Sam and Elli Logan. Sam and Elli are virtually impossible to tell apart, but their personalities are like night and day. Sam is vibrant and gregarious, the exact opposite of her more timid and meek twin Elli. While Sam loved the idea of the sisters starring in their own Nickelodeon series as teens, Elli just wanted to shy away from the spotlight, which is when the girls started pulling the ultimate swap - "You be me, and I'll be you" - putting Sam in front of the camera while pretending to be Elli. Little did they know that their switch game would play a larger role in their lives down the line.

Now adults, Sam is a recovering addict and Elli, well, Elli has disappeared off the map. Estranged from her twin, Elli has disappeared to a mysterious feminist retreat, leaving behind a recently adopted two-year-old daughter, a beautiful home, and a soon to be ex-husband. When Elli doesn't return from her trip when she is supposed to, the twins' mom calls in Sam to help care for Elli's daughter. But Sam knows her twin better than she knows herself, and she KNOWS that something is wrong with Elli. Who better than her other half to figure out why she has abandoned her former beautiful life?

Growing up on the Sweet Valley twins, I'll admit that I have a penchant for twin stories. Lucky me, novels about twins are in abundance these days! If you enjoy reading books about the strong bonds between siblings, then I'll Be You is definitely a novel that you can get into as Sam and Elli's extraordinary connection is the common thread running through the pages of this book. The mystery/suspense aspect of this novel plays second fiddle to the intricacies of twin relationships, and works to highlight the curious ways that identical twins can almost live and breathe as one.

I'll Be You is evenly paced and distributes suspense throughout the story, never giving away too much at once. As the plot thickens, so does Sam and Elli's relationship in the reader's mind with Brown revealing intimate details of their twin-ship and sharing secrets from their past.

I personally loved that Brown chose to cast Sam and Elli as former child stars, highlighting the important role that twins play in Hollywood, and detailing how the girls use their identical looks to both get what they want out of their lives, not only on screen, but off as well.

Recommended to fans of Rose Carlyle's The Girl in the Mirror.

I've recommended this one successfully for fans of Saint X and The Last Thing He told Me. I found it lackluster, but for less avid readers it's a good summer read.

I'll Be You is part thriller/part family drama, following the story of now-estranged adult twin sisters who had previously found fame as children's stars. When one goes missing, the other steps up to help track her down. The book has multiple timelines and perspectives. The twists and turns were a bit predictable, but I still found the book fun and interesting. I especially loved the child star plotline, which really took the book to the next level to me. If you find twins creepily interesting, love stories about burned out child stars, or are interested in cults (don't ask), you should absolutely buy this book.

This book was amazing. I've always loved twin stories and this novel has so much going for it. The synopsis does a great job describing the plot. I won't give too much away, but one of the questions Janelle answers is, why do child stars always end up on drugs? A terrific story.

This was the first Janelle Brown book I have ever read. I found it enjoyable. It moved along quickly and kept me interested the whole time. I thought the twin thing was clever. It kept up the suspense for me until the end. I found all the characters likeable and relatable. and liked how things weren't always how they seemed with the two sisters. There was never a point where I wanted to put the book down. I thought there were a few minor little things that were off, but now in writing my review three days after finishing the book, I can't even remember them, so they were tiny. I especially like how the book ended. I feel like this review is lacking, but I can't write that much about it, other than what I liked.

I will be looking for more Janelle Brown books to read in the future. Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All the opinions expressed are mine and given freely.

WOW! It was a crazy read for me, especially because I have identical twin daughters, who were in the Hollywood TV scene as babies. Very well written, crazy story, and I couldn't put it down.

This book was fantastic! I first read Pretty Things by Brown, and loved the deep twists and turns that felt appropriately women's contemporary fiction meets thriller. Brown's latest is no exception.

This book is a page turner. I read it in one day because I had to know what happened. There were a few twists and they were well done but nothing too exciting. Overall, a good ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read. I recommend if you liked This Might Hurt.

This is a slow burn-but-worth-the-wait mystery. I loved the aspect of a sister looking for her twin. The writing was beautifully done, and I found myself caught up in the story at many different times.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I started reading the physical copy of this until I saw that the audio was narrated by Julie Whelan. I quickly set down my copy and put the audio on hold at the library because ANYTHING narrated by Julie Whelan is sure to be a 5 star read. Sure enough, this was no different. Janelle Brown does a fantastic job of voicing each twins POV and keeping the timeline straight for the reader. I found this thriller centered around identical twins to be fast paced, intriguing, and mysterious. I really wasn't sure where this was going to go until over half way through when the drama really ramped up. I loved the character development in this and felt like I really understood the characters and their motivations by the end. I thought the ending was just perfect and I wouldn't have changed a thing. Really looking forward to more from this author/narrator duo! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 amazing stars for I'll Be You by Janelle Brown. Captivating from the very first page and held my attention throughout. This was a true page turner! A book about twin sisters who chose two very different paths in life and the extent that family will go to save the ones we love. Thank you to net galley and the publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of I'll Be You.

I enjoyed this one very much. The identical twins swapping places while growing up in Hollywood, the smattering of Cults and kidnappings, it was all just so deliciously mysterious, I couldn't put it down! The plot twists hit at just the right times, keeping me on my toes wandering what was going to happen next, and y'all know how much I love my curveballs. The bond between these sisters is quite touching, and I really like how the author doesn't take it overboard; instead of butterflies all the time, this family holds a working, believable tone for their dynamic. I highly recommend this one! 5 stars

Thanks netgalley for giving me the advanced pdf so that I can share my thoughts and opinions with y'all 🧡

The bond between twins runs deep. I found the story to be pretty fast pace in the beginning as the story described their early years as child actors but once it got to the Cult topic, I found it hard to believe that the "good twin" would move in that direction. Overall the book was ok. The ending seemed unrealistic that you could kidnap a child and not get caught.

Solid 3.5 stars. I was immediately drawn to the plot of this story. Twin Child stars who have grown apart and living with their own secrets. It starts off a little slow but once it picks up I couldn’t stop reading!

This book wasn’t what I expected it to be. I was thinking it would be more of a suspenseful, on the edge of my seat type of read but the “suspense” advertised is very minor. Instead I read the story of twin sisters Elli and Sam- Sam’s struggle with alcoholism and Elli’s poor decision by getting involved in a cult. The book focuses on their relationship and their individual storylines.

In fact, just when I thought the book was about to get more suspenseful the narrator changed from Sam to Elli, leaving me wanting more from Sam and a little confused.

It was a good book just not what I was expecting.

Twins? Cults? YES, PLEASE!!!

I loved Janelle Brown's last novel Pretty Things and I enjoyed this one even more.

Sam and Ellie are identical twins but they could not be more different. Sam, an alcoholic and addict in recovery, tries to get back in her family's good graces when they call upon her to help with Ellie's adopted daughter while Ellie is away at a spa. But when she doesn't return after the long weekend, Sam gets the sense that something may be wrong. Digging into Ellie's whereabouts uncovers secrets that could destroy the twins' family and their lives.

I listened to this book on audio and I always adore Julia Whelan as a narrator. Part of me wished she had done the voices for both Sam and Ellie because they were supposed to sound similar. I also enjoyed Sam's parts of the novel more, possibly because I preferred Whelan's narrating.

A part of the end of this book had me literally sobbing and it's always a testament to great writing when I become that emotionally invested in a novel.

The character development in this novel was fantastic. Ellie and Sam were so different and I loved hearing about their pasts as child actors and the problems in their presents. Even though their stories were so different from my own, it was easy to connect to each twin and empathize with them. Ending this book almost felt like saying goodbye to good friends.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a copy of this novel.