Molly & Katie are physically identical twins with wildly different personalities. Molly is anxious and operates with strict order and rules, while Katie is more spontaneous, fun, and adventurous. Katie is murdered while she’s in school in New York, so Molly travels from London to meet up with their parents and try to figure out what happened to her other half.

I was really into this book for the first half and thought the first twist was fun, but then everything went downhill and devolved into crazy nonsense. The second twist was beyond maddening, and the subplot with The Man felt like it came from another book entirely.

There was potential for a good thriller, but this one missed the mark for me.

4.5 stars

This was a fantastic read, and it took an interesting turn that I wasn’t expecting!

Molly Raven lives a very structured, routine-laden existence in London. Her twin, Katie, who lives in New York, loves adventure and spontaneity. They couldn’t be more opposite. But when Molly finds out that Katie has died, she is suddenly thrown into the deep end and must navigate her way across an ocean to be with her parents and find out what really happened to her sister. It doesn’t take long for her to map out her sister’s last few days and get to know those who were closest to her. It became very clear that Katie hadn’t been as open and forthcoming as Molly had once thought. But everyone keeps secrets…Molly included.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was paced very well and kept my attention from beginning. The huge twist in this story is what truly wowed me. I think I was more surprised that I didn’t see it coming. I was so caught off guard, but in the best way. Well done, Mr. Dean!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Emily Bestler Books for providing a copy of this book to review.*

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4802280323

Molly Raven lives in London. She prefers a quiet life and keeps to herself. Always conscious of being safe and taking precautions. Her twin sister, Katie, live in NYC and is outgoing, active, and spontaneous.

When Molly gets the phone call from her parents that her sister is dead and most likely murdered, she travels to NYC where she goes on a mission to find her sister's killer.

This book begins as a slow burn with Molly traveling to the US to meet her parents who were there visiting her sister when she was found dead. In the beginning of the book, Molly is obsessed with safety and taking precautions. Being in NYC, she throws some caution to the wind as she decides to track down the person responsible. This was for me was a complete turnaround from how the book started but I chalked it up to her desperately wanting to know the truth.

As the book progresses past the 50% mark, it became more enjoyable for me. There are some twists and turns toward the end and at the end which shocked me. Things went a little over the top and I found myself frequently annoyed by this family. Molly's parent’s vagueness in the beginning and not saying what had happened directly. Stop pussyfooting around and get to it, already I kept thinking.

I had high hopes for this book but sadly it was just an okay read for me. I am not a fan of slow burns and struggled a little with this book. I'll still be on the lookout for Dean's next book. I enjoyed this but can't say that it wowed me even with the twists and turns at the end.


Thank you to Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I went into this book completely blind and what a ride it was. A twin thriller is always fun and I didn't see the twists coming. However, the second half lost me a bit. I'm someone who likes to understand the "why" and the "how" and this is definitely one you have to suspend belief for.

This would still be a great pool read if you're looking to fly through a book in a day.

What a fun, twisty, wild ride. Seriously, Will Dean does not disappoint. I wasn’t sure if this book would be as good as The Last Thing To Burn but it totally was. Both books were awesome and very different from each other.

If you’re looking for a solid read with fantastic characters in crazy circumstances than you can count on Will Dean.

I can’t even explain the different details of this book because I don’t want to give anything away. There were so many great quotes but I can’t bear to spill any content. You’ve gotta immerse yourself in the experience that is First Born.

I’m so excited to see what he comes out with next.


So I feel like I cannot properly review this book to tell you all what I loved about it because…spoilers! I’m going to do my best to do it justice.

This book was so well crafted. Will Dean, as I’ve come to expect has fantastic character development in his books. I loved all of the characters, bad guys and all.

There were several jaw dropping moments, at 2 points in the book I literally had to put the book down and take a breath. Legit WTAF moments.

I loved the twists…I was so engrossed with the story and learning about the characters that I half forgot to try to try figure it out. I love when that happens.

The ONLY reason I didn’t give it a full 5 ⭐️ is because there was a pretty abrupt time jump towards the end that kinda threw me off a little. I still rounded up to 5 ⭐️ for all review sites though because this really was an excellent read.

I highly recommend anything Will Dean writes. Would this be a good movie!? Absolutely, but I think it’ll be your good ol’ “the book was better” because his writing is just so captivating.

Twin sisters Molly and Katie are inseparable, until Katie decides to go to school in NY. Even though the distance created a slight rift in their relationship the girls tried to stay close and present in each other's lives. Sadly, this is short lived because Katie soon gets murdered. This story follows Molly as she travels to NY for the first time ever and meets her parents there to assist with the situation. While navigating the scary streets of NYC with a major anxiety/paranoia complex she starts to investigate who killed her sister on her own and comes to some shocking discoveries.

I love a good slow-burn whodunnit mystery, but this one just wasn't it. It was very repetitive and the writing was choppy at times. The killer was revealed around the 60% mark and even though the way it was revealed was twisty and juicy; I just didn't care for it. The last 40% wasn't what I was expecting and there was another interesting twist or two, but not enough for me to feel invested. This book was kind of a drag to be honest. The ending was very short and unsatisfying.

It had it's interesting moments but all in all, I'd say skip this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

3.5⭐️ I really enjoyed the first half of this story and the slow-burn suspense. It felt very much like a Lisa Jewell read, and I was eager to see where the plot was going. I loved getting to learn more about Molly, her quirks, and structured lifestyle. Also, the descriptive NYC setting felt like a true love letter to the city buried within the story. At around 50% and onwards the author throws in some great twists, some I predicted while others quite shocking. My biggest reason for not rating this book higher was the ending. I don’t have a problem suspending disbelief but the direction the story went was so implausible, and I finished needing so many more answers.

Read if you like:
-Slow burn thrillers
-Twin stories
-NYC setting
-Quirky characters

This author is becoming an auto read for me, the way he can twist and turn and mystery is amazing!
Molly and Katie are identical twins but polar opposites! Molly is a worrier and a bit OCD she plans and makes sure she goes over each detail for every scenario before she leaves her apartment, she won’t even leave the room if her phone is charging in case it bursts into flames. Katie is a happy-go-lucky, a party girl who makes friends anywhere she goes, she’s always looking for the next exciting moment that’s why she left London and headed to New York for college. Even though their opposites they have always been close I mean their twins! But with Katie leaving Molly to attend Columbia they stopped talking, Molly felt Katie abandoned her. When Katie is murdered while her parents are visiting her in NYC it’s her parents who find her body in her bed, Molly joins her parents and tries to find out what happened to her twin sister why would someone murder her? Molly begins talking to everyone who was in Katie’s life beginning with her friend, boyfriend and the creepy neighbor who lives in the basement of the apartment complex. Soon Molly begins to realize she didn’t know her twin sister at all, her sisters life was filled with lies, jealousy, and sneaking around and Molly is soon tangled in her web of lies. With the police searching for clues and Molly digging into everyone’s life, Molly is soon finding herself all over New York on the hunt for a killer. Wow the twist I didn’t see coming how did I miss it?? I loved this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me a digital and physical ARC of the new book by Will Dean. I was a huge fan of The Last Thing to Burn and this book is so good as well - 5 stars!

Molly Raven is a young, single woman living in London. She is ultra-sensitive and concerned about her safety and security to the extent that it controls every part of her life. Her identical twin, Katie (Molly calls her KT), lives a much more outgoing life in NYC. When their parents are visiting Katie in NY, she is found dead, possibly murdered, and Molly has to get past her obsessions to travel to be with her family. Once there, she begins investigating the people in Katie's life and what could have led to her death.

Wow - I just love Dean's writing and this story kept me intrigued, gripped and gasping with the twists and turns. With all the psychological thrillers I read, it takes a lot to really shock me but this book kept me in that state. The skillful writing kept everything believable and had me questioning everything and everyone. Don't miss this one - and if you haven't read The Last Thing to Burn, do it now! Both books are highly recommended!

I was drawn to this book because of the author. I liked a prior book a lot and was excited to read another one by Dean.

I read a book many years ago that featured identical twins and have been fascinated ever since. A favorite author and a twin story: win/win.

The story begins with Molly getting the call that her twin sister has died in NYC. Molly is afraid of well, everything. She tackles her fear of flying in order to help her parents find out what happened to Katie.

The book is slow going at first, but picks up greatly at the halfway point. The characters were interesting if not always likeable. I couldn't wait to find out what really happened and why.

Another great read by Will Dean.

Thanks to netgalley and Atria Books for the arc.

First Born opens in London with Molly getting a phone call from her parents telling her that twin sister had been murdered in NYC. Molly travels to NY to help the NYPD crack the case.

This one starts out slowly as we get to know the principal players, but the second half definitely makes up for it! Will Dean has an engrossing style that will suck you in, and have you guessing at possible perps, but the ending is definitely unexpected.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A story about two identical twin sisters, Molly and Katie. Although biologically they’re are the same, they’re personalities are polar opposites from one another. Molly, is overly precautious and fanatic about safety. Katie is carefree and outgoing. Katie moves to America and is murdered. Molly, although fearful travels to the US to solve her sister’s murder. Just as the reader starts to become comfortable with the storytelling, surprise! So many twisty turns and a shocking revelation. A stunningly written psychological thriller story.

“Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review”

What a ride. I have never hated a main character so much, but also loved a book so much! This book is about twin sisters, Molly, and Kate. Kate is the life of the party and loved by all. She got a full scholarship to Colombia in NYC and is truly living her best life when she is tragically murdered. Her twin, Molly, is distraught by Kate's death and vows to solve her sister's murder. Molly is the opposite of Kate- anxious, annoying, and basically like a doomsday prepper. However, Molly puts her fears aside to fly too NYC to find out what happened too Kate.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish, but the second half really picks up! It is one twist after another. I thought I was smart because I guessed one of the twists, but the second one left me speechless. This is one of those books you want to go back and reread to figure out how you missed the twist.

Overall, I loved it! I will read anything else Will Dean writes! Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a slow burn for me. It took about 80% of the book for something to happen. The twist was unexpected, yet expected. I’m not sure I understand the point or the ending to the book. It just seems like it didn’t really go anywhere, and the ending lacked closure. This one just did not do it for me.

Whoa!!!! What did I just read?!?! So many twist, I got whiplash!!! First Born was sooooo goood!! Molly's twin sister Katie is murdered in NYC. Molly flies in from London and wants to find out what happened with her sister in the time she's in town, worried that the murder would remain unsolved and pushed on the back burner once there was no family to put pressure on the police. The first half of the book's pace is a good slow build. But the second half is explosive and I could not put it down!! Finished this in one sitting. Kudos to Will Dean for his creativity!

In First Born we meet Molly Raven, who has spent all of her life in her twin sister’s shadow. While the daring and charismatic Katie is living her life in New York, Molly has stayed in England, struggling with day to day anxieties and disaster scenarios which plague her thoughts. However, when her sister is found murdered, she makes the trip across the pond to help investigate what has happened.

The book starts very much as a standard crime thriller but then there are two sensational twists that I did not see coming which shake up the plot and left me racing through the pages to find out what would happen next.

I won’t discuss the plot in any more detail for fear of giving anything away, but I really do recommend you read this book to find out more. My only criticism would be that as the twist is so great, it does throw up some plot-holes and questions about certain characters if you look back on the rest of the book with hindsight. However, I think that fixing this would have given everything away too early!

Overall, Will Dean has produced another brilliant and twisty thriller and I can’t wait to read whatever he writes next! Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Someone killed Molly's twin. Katie was living in New York, in grad school at Columbia, and someone killed her during the week that their parents were visiting from their home in the UK. Molly, who has some issues, joins them and sets off on a journey through Katie's life looking for answers. What's the story with her boyfriend Scottie, her friend Violet, the downstairs neighbor who is an Intel, and most of all her professor? And who is the mysterious Delucca who claims to be a PI? I liked this for Molly- all of her quirks and intelligence- and for the terrific NYC atmospherics. And, to be honest, I really really liked the whole thing up until the twist. Things got a tad confusing, start to go over the top and to my mind a bit sideways until it hits a crescendo. That's not tot say, btw, that I didn't keep reading, even faster, in fact, to find out what happened. No spoilers from me. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It's a page turner.

4/5 stars. This book follows Molly, who finds out her twin sister was just killed. Molly and her family travel across the world to New York. Molly tries to help the police figure out who did it. The story was a little graphic at times. But it kept me guessing and I did not see the ending coming. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

Buckle Up— A wild roller coaster ride!

Will Dean's FIRST BORN is a mind-bending, cleverly plotted murder mystery/psychological crime thriller of twin sisters, two opposites—that will have your head spinning a 180. Nothing is as it appears. Trust no one with an unreliable narrator.

A woman investigates her twin sister’s murder—which evolves into a dark and twisted tale.

Meet identical twin sisters who grew up in Nottingham. Molly now lives in London, and Katie took a scholarship at Columbia University and moved to Manhattan.

Molly Raven, an introvert — lives a quiet, structured life in London, finding comfort in security and routine. She is cautious and plans everything to steer away from danger and carefully controls every situation. With high anxiety and fear, she calculates risk. Molly, the narrator, knows she and her sister are not alike at all.

Her identical twin, Katie Elizabeth Raven, now lives in New York and is the opposite of Molly. She is an extrovert, pretty, funny, outgoing, adventurous, carefree, and often reckless.

Katie is the first born. Three minutes before her sister, Molly. Often times they would pretend to be each other, as something twins do, whether to shock parents or friends.

As the book starts out, there has been a MURDER. Molly's parents call from NY with the devastating news that Katie has been murdered. They want her to come as quickly as possible

After arrival in the states, the family meets with the NYPD and detective Martinez. Appears there are not a lot of answers. Of course, Molly needs more. What happened? A horrible tragedy.

Molly then takes it upon herself to begin doing her own sleuthing to learn more about her sister's life, friends, work, and anything that will lead her to the killer. Soon she learns her sister's life was not as it appeared from her best friend, her boyfriend, the landlady and her strange son, and the Columbia professor and the students. Also the scholarship.

Molly meets private detective Bogart de Luca and he tells her he is working for Columbia to ensure that nothing connected to Katie's case blows back on the university.

All this occurs in the first half of the book and you think this will be a regular murder mystery about a twin sister's tragic death.

Well, think again.

The second half of the book is fast-paced and mind-blowing. A shocking sinister dark TWISTY FLIP psychological crime thriller. This is where you need to hang on for your life.

FIRST BORN is a highly creative CHILLING novel of deceit and lies. A twin book on steroids! Where everything is smoke and mirrors.

Straightaway, the first thing I noticed about Dean's writing is his vivid settings. He draws you into his character's world. You see everything around them; their thoughts and innermost feelings. I look forward to reading more from this author and enjoyed his author note.

I have read three TWIN thriller books recently, and FIRST BORN is by far the WILDEST! If you can suspend (your) disbelief, it's an enjoyable twisty tale.

A special thank you to #AtriaBooks and #NetGalley for an ARC to read, enjoy, and review.

Blog Review posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: July 5, 2022
My Rating: ✨✨✨✨
July 2022 Must-Read Books

4.5 stars, rounded up!

MUST READ FOR ALL THRILLER LOVERS!

This book exceeded my expectations! I enjoyed the author's last book, [book:The Last Thing to Burn|54303965], and I thought this one was even better!

Many reviews say this started off slow, but I was actually hooked right from the beginning. It started off with a bang - a phone call from Molly's parents in NYC, urging her to hop on a flight from London to NYC asap, and it didn't let up from there.

This kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
(No spoilers - but I did predict something early on, so one of the final twists wasn’t as shocking to me, however at 51% my jaw dropped!)

MUST READ!

Thank you @atria / @netgalley !