“On a chilly November morning at the University of Georgia, a fraternity brother steps off a busy crosswalk and is struck dead by an oncoming car. More than a dozen witnesses all agree on two things: The driver looked identical to the victim, and he was smiling.

Detective Marlitt Kaplan is first on the scene.”

A fast paced campus thriller with a murder filled with hazing, bullying, secrets, brotherhood, and power. There were many sub-stories within the novel. It felt more detective novel than whodunnit. The language felt a little cliche at times but it also seemed completely right for the character.

I did not love the main character but I don’t need to to love a book. She was a bad police officer who made some questionable choices but the character says that herself.

That fraternity was creepy! A cross between every negative stereotype of fraternity rituals with a heavy dose of an American Horror Story episode added.

The author is a former professor turned novelist with a Ph.D. in German literature, which makes me love the book even more.

There were some things that I criticized as reading but I couldn’t put it down so there’s that!

I’m not sure why, but I’ve always had a thing for secret societies, and sororities.  I think because there's just something super special about having a group of go-to people you know will have your back. Fraternity life is no different and you never betray brotherhood. Maybe its cliche and some of the characterizations in the book were cliche but a great debut for the author.

This book starts with a fraternity brother who steps off a busy crosswalk and in struck dead by an oncoming car. The witnesses all agree that the driver had a smile on his face and looked identical to the victim.

Female detective is first on the scene and determined to solve this case with any leads that come in. The lines between the current case and her past hit close to home. When something was taken from her years ago and she goes to all lengths for justice even risking her job. As she uncovers the hidden secretes of greek life and the unforeseen twist at the end.

Some parts were a little slow and there is one little political opinion jab that was completely unnecessary but overall enjoyed the read. A great reminder that our women instincts are something to recognize when we think something isn’t matching up to keep looking.

A special thank you to NetGalley for the read in exchange for a review.

The Resemblance was a thriller that takes place in a college town and the book is about a fraternity brother who was killed by a hit and run. I wouldn’t say this book was my favorite of the year - but I’m not mad I read it either. I loved the narrator but some parts of the book seemed to drag on. The ending fell flat for me. The majority of the book did keep me entertained - 3/5 ⭐️ - this is scheduled to be published on November 1! I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

While Detective Marlitt Kaplan is visiting her mother, a UGA professor, a hit and run occurs. She is first on the scene and immediately, things don't seem right. She is admittedly biased against fraternities- is she reading more into this death than is there?

I was on the fence about reading this one- I like police procedurals, but am not a fan of the whole secret society thing. Then I saw that Saskia Maarleveld narrated the audiobook and that tipped me towards reading (listening, lol).

I overall enjoyed it. The Greek Life stuff was more tolerable since Marlitt is so anti-fraternity. Nothing shocking happened here, but it did keep me entertained. This is a debut author and I'd pick up another book by her.

Saskia Maarleveld is always great, so pick up the audiobook for this one.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The Resemblance” is a crime novel but also a campus novel in the tradition of Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History” and more recent books such as “The Maidens” (Alex Michaelides) and “The It Girl” (Ruth Ware). For me, it embraced the best aspects of those books, with detailed descriptions of campus settings and loads of secrets and plotting, but the perspective of the police detective protagonist, Martlitt, allows the story to unfold in a different way. I was engrossed in this audiobook from the start. I did find the anti-Greek life theme that penetrates the novel to be a bit heavy-handed (although I did not disagree with it) and I’m not sure that the way in which Marlitt’s personal life intersected with the case was always clear and relevant. But I did enjoy the story, especially the twists and turns as it unraveled. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook!

I started this audiobook and quickly found I couldn't follow the plot very well. I have a physical copy of the book so I'm going to try that instead. It's a me not the book problem. The narrator was still great and I will still recommend the audiobook to others!

Maybe I'm reading too many mysteries lately, but this one just didn't ever really pull me in. I wanted to like this story involving a fraternity and a mysterious hit and run accident resulting in the death of one of the members, but it just didn't really work for me and I didn't connect with the detective/main character. I did finish listening to the book so it wasn't terrible. It didn't make me interested in more from this author though.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for "The Resemblance" but the book did not really work for me. I listened to the audiobook, so I'm not sure if it was the format and narrator. I also felt a very strong bias against all Greek fraternities in the book - the main character Marlitt Kaplan has personal reasons why she hates them, but it really went to extremes. I found Marlitt to be a very competitive character, and I did not like the way she interacted with her partner, Teddy. Characters that are selfish and difficult to like did not help my engagement with this storyline. I also just felt the storyline was unbelievable in many of the details - a miss for me.

Thank you MacMillan audio and NetGalley for the review copy of The Resemblance by Lauren Nesbett, thoughtfully narrated by Saskia Maarleveld.

This is a 4 star audiobook as the production was good and the narration was solid. It's a 3 star book though for me, I just never got into the rhythm of the narrative, I often felt just as the mystery was picking up I would be pulled out of the pacing and mystery and back into the related plot(s) with the main protagonist and some secondary characters. Where I wanted more was with the college students, particularly some of the female characters, and less about the detective (which is odd, usually I am all in for the detective lead). The book kept me too distant as a reader from the really emotionally engaging plot points and with the mystery and I think that is a limitation of the structure of the story. This would have worked more from the college students' perspective in my (humble) opinion. I expected the plot with the detective and her backstory/secondary plot to unfold differently as well, the ending did not quite land strong for me.

The Resemblance was a solid suspense novel. I loved the UGA backdrop and also the interesting premise. At times it was on the slow side and then it would pick up again. The narration was on target.

Greek life, brotherhood, privilege.

November - University of Georgia

A fraternity brother stepped off a curb into a busy crosswalk and was struck by a driver who did not slow down, smiled while he hit the young man, and looked like the victim. Detective Marlitt Kaplan is the first on the scene. Her father was a UGA professor, and she knows the universities dark history of the university. She will discover more while investigating the young man's death which leads her to the Greek system and students who have wealthy and powerful parents.

As the police investigation progresses, we learn about Marlitt's past. The book also tackles many issues concerning Greek life that we have been hearing for years - hazing, misogyny, bullying, power, things swept under the rug, money, and secrets. Marlitt (and the author) make a point about what her thoughts are on the negative aspects of Greek life.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a fine job. With investigations, this book does go off in different directions. I feel a little editing here would have helped. With many police procedurals, we see the investigators driven to solve the cases and while Marlitt was the same way, she annoyed me at times. She became a little too invested and didn't feel mature when throwing in her own thoughts and not following procedure. There were also parts that I just wanted to skim through.

2.75/3 stars

This was just an okay book, I kept expecting a big reveal to the mystery of the book but I felt that it never really came. It had a great concept and setting, and there was so much that could have been done with it, but I didn't think the book lived up to expectations.

The Resemblance is a murder mystery novel set on the university campus in Athens, Georgia. In the opening chapters a hit-and-run kills a popular fraternity member and our protagonist, Detective Marlitt Kaplan, was the first on the scene. After listening to several witness interviews, she starts to suspect that the driver looks eerily similar to the victim. Through many leads, intertwining theories, and unfortunate accidents, the plot starts to become clear. While the final “whodunnit” scene was a bit drawn out and predictable, there was enough there for me to make it to the end. Marlitt (and the author too) clearly dislikes fraternities. All the members were described as one-sided villains without redeeming qualities. Furthermore, Marlitt was emotionally stunted, making incredibly brash and irrational decisions that were just annoying. The novel also had a lot of unnecessary threads woven in that really had no relevance and I am so confused on why the Epilogue even exists. That entire story line was pointless and should have been edited out. I wouldn’t say I loved this book, but there was enough that kept me listening.

The Resemblance proved to be an intriguing mystery with some great social commentary. However, there is a trope that authors too often utilize in police procedurals that negatively impacts the story for me. It always makes me incredibly frustrated with the main character’s poor choices.

Regardless, this MC was an interesting one. Her backstory enhanced the narrative and the reveal was undoubtedly surprising!

I am immensely grateful to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my audio review copy. All opinions are my own.

My first NetGalley audiobook and unfortunately it was just ok. A hit and run that ends in murder, and the driver looks like the victim? Sounded like a win for me.

I felt like the plot was slow and that the characters were just too typical of who they were depicting. Not a terrible listen but not engaging either.

Never betray the brotherhood.

On a chilly November morning at the University of Georgia, a fraternity brother steps off a busy crosswalk and is struck dead by an oncoming car. More than a dozen witnesses all agree on two things: The driver looked identical to the victim, and he was smiling.

Jumping into this book I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere the author creates. This book is a great mix of mystery, murder, and dark academia. It shows the darker side of fraternities and sororities, from a very passionate protagonist. The main character is bullheaded and selfish. Sometimes this was enjoyable because she fought for what she believed in but must the time it made the character unlikeable. Having a main character that was generally unlikeable effected the enjoyability of the story.

The author may have bit off more than they can chew with trying to interconnect their many ideas. This book would have been stronger if she had broken it into two different stories. One of the big plot points felt completely out of the blue and had a terrible, useless, conclusion. This is where the book started to go downhill for me. The MC is the only character who got any useful back story and the others were very surface level. I wish at least the other two main characters would have had a past to build on.

My last gripe with the book is that there is no growth from any of the characters. They are all exactly the same as when they started. This caused the book to overall, fall flat.

I would still recommend this book to people because I do not think that every book needs to be a whole deep story. However, it was a below average thriller/murder mystery/dark academia that could have been much better with refinements. I will continue to read this author because I am sure there will be one that I like more in the future.

The narrator was fantastic. A wonderful audiobook and the narration was always appropriate for all scenarios.

I finished listening to THE RESEMBLANCE by Lauren Nossett and narrated by Saskia Maarleveld today and it definitely skirts the dark academia atmosphere. ⭐⭐⭐💫

Detective Marlitt Kaplan is first on the scene to a hit and run on the campus where she was visiting her professor mom. Several witness statements say they saw the driver and he was smiling, and the victim was a seemingly popular part of a fraternity on campus. As Marlitt and her partner investigate, the secrecy of the fraternity turn sinister and threatening. Marlitt has to reach deep to solve this case and it may cost her more than she knows.

This is the kind of story that confirms the negative stereotypes of Greek life. It felt a little bit predictable. I was waiting for the story to go darker and then at about 40% in it turned the corner! By the time it wrapped up, I felt like it was a good story that was almost there!

This book felt like an examination of the tension between being a unique individual and being accepted in a community. Both extremes being possibly harmful. Marlitt dealt with some interesting issues that rubbed against the story making it a fascinating personal journey for her. I think I was more interested in her than the mystery.

Maarleveld did a great job with narrating. I could hear the frustration and drive in Marlitt and was easily able to flow between the different characters. I listened to this at 1.75X and felt it was clear and clean.

Overall, this was a good audiobook that gave some interesting character study. It wasn't as dark as I expected and that might make this more accessible for many. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ALC. All opinions are my own. This book will be available on November 1st!

Lauren Nossett's novel, heard as an audiobook, is entertaining, but it also is a look at today's social pressures. A deadly hit-and-run on a Georgia college campus sets the tone for an investigation that centers around a fraternity and its house. The female detective isn't a fan of frat boys, but she's committed to doing her due diligence. She feels in her gut that more than one college student is hiding secrets, but what are they? She's thrown off her hunt temporarily after she's burned in a house fire, but she's determined to prove her point. Throw in cold parents, single childhoods, financial privilege and behaviors with no consequences. How far will someone go to be accepted? As the author writes, some go too far for their own good. Whether you read the novel or enjoy the audiobook, you'll be thinking about "The Resemblance" and its implications long after "the end."

I think the quality of this audiobook was great, and I was very pleased with the narrator. The book was well-written, and I will definitely read other books by this author in the future. The mystery was solid, albeit a little complicated and hard to follow at the end.

This book does have a clear bias against Greek life, and I think it may have portrayed all “frat bros” you meet in this story in a very stereotypical way. I wish there was a bit more nuance and morally gray characters, instead of just a “all fraternities are evil villains (except maybe one person)” theme.

I liked the writing style and felt like the author did a great job building a slightly unsettling yet atmospheric college campus. I also enjoyed the police procedural side of the book, and I liked the main character’s partner a lot – I may have liked him more than the main character?

There’s a major plot point that happens I’ve seen other reviewers were not a fan of, but I think it actually added a lot of interest to the story. It feels very random when it happens – but I think that’s in line with how the main character would have felt. I think it raised the stakes and really adds some danger to the plot. So I was a fan!

All in all, I think this is a solid debut and I will keep an eye out for other books from Lauren Nossett in the future! But there are some clear biases and kinks to iron out, which is understandable in a debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Talk about a gripping, twisty, thriller that everyone could have some sort of feelings towards! Whether you were a part of Greek Life in college or not, you probably have thoughts about fraternities/sororities from sort of influence in your life. Could be TV, could be athletics where it felt like a sisterhood/brotherhood, etc. Either way, I think most readers could find something relatable.

After reading the first two chapters, I was hooked. The premise and our MC, Marlitt, I found an immediate liking to. The instant “whodunit” question hung in the air, making me want to turn each page quicker. There were quite a few twists and turns that kept me guessing, and ultimately, I had no idea on the ending.

As the story progressed, there was an ebb and flow to the pacing that added suspense. I know some readers might not like how pacing can change on a dime, but it added value in my opinion.

The story takes a wild ride, to where some storylines were kind of out there, but I enjoyed the story overall. Marlitt’s disdain for the Greek System was so obsessive it was almost comical, but that’s only because I found fraternities and sororities to be annoying during my college days (I went to an SEC school).

Finally, I loved the tid bits about Athens and UGA!! It was fun recognizing areas or places mentioned since I live in Atlanta and have a UGA Grad of a husband.

Big thank you to Lauren and Flatiron for sending me an ARC!!

Content warnings: death, abuse, bullying, house fire, assault, racism, hazing