*3-3.5 stars

Another story about identical twins! These two, Molly and Katie Ravens, were always close until Katie accepted a sponsorship to attend Columbia College in NYC--the first separation in their lives. A year later, Molly is totally shocked when her parents, who've been visiting Katie, call to say they found her dead in her bed. Molly, who is nearly paralyzed by fears and phobias, gathers the courage to fly to NYC from her home in London, to be with her parents, and hopefully to learn what happened to her twin.

A shocking twist at the midway point sends this story in a new direction. That's where I found myself drawing back from the story. The rest seems too contrived.

I received an arc from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I absolutely loved The Last Thing to Burn so First Born was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Wow, was this a mess. Molly was a very difficult character to like and even as the story unfolded I still found myself annoyed having to withstand it all. It was simply exhausting. The twists and turns while plenty were over the top and so unrealistic. Such a disappointment after his last.

A dark, psychological thriller about twin sisters living an ocean apart. When one sister dies mysteriously it is up to the other to get to the bottom of her death. Lots of secrets and whodunit pacing. Overall a solid read that held my attention but not necessarily a memorable execution on a familiar trope.

It took me weeks, literally, to finish this book. At first I was intrigued by the idea of a twin story, but the pacing was so slow & boring that I wanted to DNF it. I slogged through chapters of repetitive prose, confusing motives & eventually ended up skimming a lot of it so I could finish it.

There is a twist or two that you may or may not see coming. That said, I really didn’t care about the protagonist’s life at all, I can’t call her the hero or the book because she’s not. I was actually rooting that she’d get caught the entire book. That’s not a good position to write or read from. I will say that I identified with the twins’ parents only because they’re British & my parents were as well. I’m American & live next to NYC, so there was some comfortable settings there as well. I’ve lost my parents, so I’m all too familiar with the grief they felt. But, what the twins do to each other & the parents is unconscionable.

So, that’s where the identifying ended & annoyance began. The book jumps all over the place, has paragraphs that don’t follow each other & history & motives which make no sense. The 1 twin, Molly has so many fears, phobias & OCD level traits that there is no way she would’ve been able to pull off what she does. In the first few pages, her phone is charging, but she’s afraid to touch it because there’s a 1% chance it will electrocute her. Same thing with water towers, the Subway, planes, etc etc ad nauseam along with reams of “proof” why they can kill you. But, murder is just fine. ENOUGH it’s too much!

What you end up with is a really disturbing, sick tale about a couple of sociopaths, who supposedly learn CIA level skills from YouTube videos! While I’ve learned how to fix things & other useful skills from YouTube, I don’t think it makes me a master mechanic! The plot is implausible & unbelievable. For example, supposedly one of the twins blackmails a handsome billionaire to do her bidding, and he capitulates so his reputation isn’t ruined by her! Really? I would think a billionaire got that way by being smart, & he could’ve & would’ve crushed her like the irritating bug she is.

As much as I appreciate the free e-ARC book in exchange for my unbiased review, I can’t recommend this book at all. I thank #Simon&Schuster & #NetGalley for giving it to me, though. I just don’t know how it got published. I’m probably going to have nightmares from it for awhile. Sorry.

Omg, Will Dean @willrdean and your clearly devious mind to invent such a twisty tale of twinery. I’m quite sure “twinery” isn’t an actual word, but it fits, and so I’m using it. Swipe right to see who is manning the complaint department today.

With every new Will Dean book, it cements my #fangirl status, and I will be forever grateful to my booksta pal Candice for telling me to make him one of my auto-read authors. Also, his dog is pretty cute, too! 🐾

First Born is out now in all the forms, and so a huge thanks to my friends at @atriabooks @atriathrillers for my early copy and my pals at @simon.audio for the addictive audio version. Also, a shoutout to Will for the Maine mention on page 20. You know what’s a great spot for a twisty thriller? Hint:🦞🌊🦞

Thanks for the opportunity to review!
Link to Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfreWEVL6oi/

Molly and Katie are twins...their looks might be the same but their personalities are completely different. Molly is a ball of anxiety and Katie is a free spirt who is always up to try new things. Molly lives in London and Katie moved to New York City. Molly gets a call from her parents that Katie has been found murdered in her apartment. Molly then has to give up her routine and fly to New York to say goodbye to her sister, and try to get to the bottom of what really happened to her twin.

As someone who has problems with anxiety I felt bad for Molly at times. That girl struggled with so many things. At times it drove me a little crazy. However, I enjoyed this book. I was completely caught off guard by the twists. I said "what" out loud and had to reread a paragraph to make sure I read it correctly. Now that's a good book. The author did such a great job at telling the story. I can't wait to get my hands on more of his books.

The beginning pulled me in, but there's nothing unique about this story line and it's a very slow-burn, which I hate. I also guessed the twist very early on. I wanted to DNF and honestly I ended up skipping chapters to get to the end, just to find out I had correctly guessed what happened. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Molly and Katie were identical twins. Katie moves to New York for school and adventure. Molly stays in London for routine and security. Katie is murdered in New York while her parents are visiting. Molly must step out of her comfort zone to fly to New York. Once there, Molly is consumed by learning who her sister’s life and all the secrets unravel.

I was very excited for this book, but it just didn’t deliver for me. The first half was very slow. Then the twists started, and it was just so unbelievable in my opinion. I had a hard time finishing the book.

Wow! What a page turner!
Acclaimed author Will Dean gives us a riveting psychological thriller involving the murder of a woman's twin sister.
I was immediately drawn into the story about Molly who lives in London and her twin Katie who has moved to New York. Molly is devastated to be told that her identical twin sister has died and she flies to New York to be with her parents who are there visiting. Molly won't rest until she discovers what happened to Katie and having chronic anxiety (constantly worried about natural disasters, muggings, being followed, etc) doesn't aid in her pursuit.
A truly unique story with plot altering twists make "First Born" a fantastic thriller that you won't soon forget.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for the free netgalley.

I appreciated the plot of this book. I appreciated that the author was going for a twist. But I found the twist to be a mixture of intriguing and making the rest of the book make way less sense.

I have major mixed feelings on this one and the direction it took.

Read this if…you like twisty thrillers and unreliable narrators.

Molly and Katie are identical twins who were very close until Katie moved to NYC for college. Molly, the introverted one, has always been overly obsessive about safety and chose to stay behind in England, deeming it to be the safest option. Katie, the extroverted one, prefers to take chances and live life to the fullest.

Molly is forced to face some of her greatest fears when she gets the worst news she could ever imagine-Katie has been murdered. Molly takes it upon herself to investigate her sister’s murder, determined to get justice for her other half.

The Last Thing to Burn was one of my favorite books last year, so I’ve been really excited about this author’s latest novel. I’m happy to report that it did not disappoint! I was surprised how quickly I became invested in Molly and her mission to uncover what happened to her sister. I was excited to see this as a BOTM choice for July because that means more readers will discover this talented author!

The first half of the novel is a slow burn, as the reader is introduced to Molly and her odd quirks. As she goes about conducting her own investigation into her sister’s murder, it reminded me a lot of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. And then we get hit with a major twist that sends the story in a completely different direction and speeds everything up. The rest of the book is an intense thrill ride that will keep you guessing to the very end! The only reason I’m not giving this one 5 stars is because the murder didn’t really feel justified by the motive for me. Other than that small complaint, I’d highly recommend this one!

A huge thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler books, the author, and Netgalley for a gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review!

My rating: 4.5/5

Twins, especially identical twins, have a stronger bond than any other humans. So, when Molly hears that her First Born twin, Katie, has been murdered, she rushes to New York City to solve the crime. It isn’t helpful that Londoner Molly is uber cautious, anxious, and scared of her own shadow. But she has to do this for Katie.

Molly finds four initial suspects in Katie’s life: shallow boyfriend Scott, creepy neighbor boy Shawn, best friend Violet, and a professor from Columbia. As she investigates, she begins to feel her own father is acting suspiciously too. Will Katie’s murderer ever be found? Or will Molly join Katie in death as a result of her investigations?

Hmmm, this is a difficult book to rate. The first half features Molly’s investigation and it is a slow slog. Molly’s mental issues are interesting, but the investigating methodology is very familiar from other, better, books. Then the first twist hits. It is surprising to say the least! It does take a bit of suspension of disbelief. I immediately predicted the final twist of the book. Hoping against hope that the author would instead surprise me with another ending. He didn’t.

I think both psychological thriller and twisty mystery fans will dislike at least half of First Born. I expected more from the author of the excellent psychological thriller, The Last Thing to Burn. 3 stars.

Thanks to Atria Books, Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

okay WOW! I’m not sure what I was expecting going into this book - but it wasn’t this!

if you’re a slow burn thriller with MEGA plot twists, this book is the one for you!! 😨

I’ve read a few twin MC thrillers before so I kinda knew what to expect when starting this one. I knew there was going to be some twin shit plot twist, an unlikely alibi, and allllll of the drama that comes with sharing identical DNA with someone.

HOWEVER - I was so engrossed in the story and following around super unlikable MC molly in her investigation, I … did not see the major plot twist coming 🤯🫢😨

the ending, nonetheless, did not live up to the expectation I got after the twists ran their course. the motives behind the kidnappings and murders was pretty weak, in my opinion, and I was confused at how the entire investigation was able to be derailed by a 20 year old 🥴

I absolutely adored will dean’s writing style, and this book certainly won’t be my last by him!!

thank you to netgalley and atria thrillers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! this one’s out now!

rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: alsace gewürztraminer

I loved Will Dean's previous book The Last Thing to Burn so I was thrilled to hear he had a new book coming out. First Born is the story about twins Molly and Katie (KT) who look alike, but whose personalities are complete opposites. Katie is a free spirit and Molly is the neurotic worrier. When Katie dies suddenly, her twin is put in a precarious situation as she tries to find out what happened.

The book starts off strong (albeit a slow burn) and I was intrigued by Katie's murder. Readers see the story through reclusive and obsessive Molly's POV which I felt was equally fascinating and uncomfortable/irritating. Despite my lack of love for Molly, this first half of the book was the strongest part and Dean drops a doozy of a twist.

But the second half felt repetitive and unbelievable, requiring me to suspend disbelief too far outside my comfort zone. There is a big final twist but by that time things got too outlandish and confusing, and the twist didn't hit me like it was expected to. Sadly, I felt disconnected from the characters, and I still don't understand how some things were connected or why they were included.

While this slow burn book was too over-the-top for me, Will Dean remains on my must-read thriller authors and I'm eager to read his Tuva Moodyson series and whatever he comes up with next.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks Atria/Emily Bestler Books for my complimentary copy of this book which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

First Born by Will Dean is a tale of two twin sisters, one dead and one alive. Molly has always been careful, guarded, and safety minded. Katie is a risk taker who thrives in new environments and with new experiences. When Molly gets the dreaded call that Katie has died, she cautiously boards a flight to NYC to meet her parents and figure out what happened.

The first half of this was really fun - I liked getting to understand Molly and her neuroses in a new place as she grieved the death of her sister with her family. Once the *killer was revealed* things started to go off the rails for me. I felt like there were loose ends that were never tied up and overall there was a lack of depth to the most essential parts of the thriller.

I enjoyed these characters, and the twist at the end was fun (even though I expected it). This was a quick, entertaining read but could also easily be a skip for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC. First Born is out now!

“I don’t use the term identical twin because it’s a blatant lie. A travesty. Our base DNA is identical, sure, but that’s about all that is. We were once one person. We are not anymore.”

“Revenge, retribution, punishment, karma, whatever you label it: rebalancing a wrongful act is a powerful sensation.”

When I saw that Will Dean, who wrote The Last Thing To Burn, had a new book book coming out I was like ahhhh MUST. READ. NOW. I immediately requested the arc and was lucky enough to get a copy!

OH. MY. GOD. Will Dean is a friggen genius. This is one of the most clever and intricately woven mysteries I have ever read (think The Silent Patient). You’re sucked in from the first page and the twists come when you least expect them, to the point where I was rereading entire paragraphs trying to figure out how in the hell I missed this clue or that little breadcrumb. Holy crap.

The book is phenomenal. Trust. Just read it. Buy it. Listen to it. Add it to your tbr. You can thank me later.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books, Simon & Schuster, Emily Bestler Books, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Pub Day to this incredible, gripping book. Right from the start, I was fully invested in this novel. The writing style drew me in and the story just flowed. The twist totally shook me. I did not see it coming at all. This was such an entertaining read and perfect for reading on the beach or by the pool!

This is my first book by Will Dean and I must say I couldn’t put it down. Molly gets a call in London telling her that her twin sister, Katie has been found murdered in NYC . Molly, the obsessive compulsive and neurotic twin, gets herself to NYC and is determined to find out who killed her sister.

Dean does a great job of introducing a bunch of characters that could all be potential suspects. It is a twisty and somewhat twisted page turner that will have you thinking you figured it all out at multiple points only to be wrong again!

I think I will be reading more Will Dean soon!

First off, thank you Atria and Netgalley for the advace copy in exchange for my honest review.

Now onto the review - I love a story about twins. I don't know why, maybe its the 90s kid in me that loved The Parent Trap, but I love reading about twins, their connection, their differences, everything about this unique sibling relationship. I was excited to start this one and dive into their dynamic. While I enjoyed it, I did find that the pacing of this story was wildly off.

There would be roller coaster moments followed by dull, drawn out segments.

Overall, this had some great twists and turns and was enjoyable, but not one of the better thrillers in my opinion.

🌟rating: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4
📖genre: psychological thriller / suspense / mystery
#️⃣pages: 368
📆pub date: TODAY (7/5/22)
✍🏼same author who wrote THE LAST THING TO BURN

Thank you so much to @atriabooks for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!🫶🏼

Ｓｙｎｏｐｓｉｓ
Sisters. Soulmates. Strangers.
Molly Raven lives a quiet, structured life in London, finding comfort in security and routine. Her identical twin Katie, living in New York, is the exact opposite: outgoing, spontaneous, and adventurous.
But when Molly hears that Katie has died, possibly murdered, she is thrown into unfamiliar territory. As terrifying as it is, she knows she must travel across the ocean and find out what happened. But as she tracks her twin’s final movements, cracks begin to emerge, and she slowly realizes her sister was not who she thought she was and there’s a dangerous web of deceit surrounding the two of them.

Ｍｙ Ｔｈｏｕｇｈｔｓ
If you like books with a slow burn then this one’s for you! I had a hard time getting into it until about 55% in when the story takes one sharp + crazy turn. Then the pace REALLY picks up after that. I flew through the last half of the book! I just couldn’t get enough!😱
Just when I thought I had everything all figured out, the author comes right in with an unexpected twist to shake things up.
If you’re looking for a dark, twisted, page turner set in the Big Apple then I definitely recommend First Born so go pick this up today, you won’t regret it!👌🏼