Although Thrillers are not new to me, Ms. White is. I take the middle ground when it comes to thrillers because everyone's thrill level is different. I am not a big of flashbacks or repeatedly referring to the past.

The book was very good very well written and had a good plot and a,very interesting plot twist it was a very unique perspective I was expecting it to be from Eden's point of view and it turns out to be the mothers which is good but go and expecting that it's not the character's name in the book that is the character that is narrating the story

' My Name Was Eden' by Eleanor Barker-White has a great premise and so-so execution. It is one you don't want to put down even as the plot holes emerge and disappointment in the possibility of a great book being lost emerges.

My mouth is still open from the shock. What an excellent story. Super unnerving throughout in the best way. Definitely one of the better debut novels I have had the privilege to read.

Thank you HarperCollins, Eleanor Barker-White and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

My Name Was Eden was hyped as a psychological thriller. This book was interesting, but unfortunately was not a hit for me. I found myself wishing for more of the psychological part. I think parts of the story were a bit repetitive, and I was a bit confused about the different points of view of the story at times. The ending left more questions for me, though it was a bit of a WTF moment, which I appreciated greatly.
Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

My Name Was Eden by Eleanor Barker -White was a great book! It is a dark story with themes of motherhood, family relationships, marriages, and mental illness. I flew through the pages of this book. It had a dark and disturbing feeling to it, which I enjoy while reading. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

When her teen daughter, Eden, survives a near-drowning in a pond near their home, Lucy is relieved she’s OK but then unnerved when her daughter insists that she is not Eden but Eli. Eli is the name Lucy chose for the twin she was carrying early in her pregnancy with Eden. But Eli just vanished, leaving her with one baby. And she’s never truly gotten over it.

She didn’t get along well with Eden, but now Eli, as she’s calling herself, is truly a different person. “Eli” is shunning Lucy’s husband, with whom Eden has always had a good relationship, and clinging to Lucy.

Of course, she knows there’s something wrong; it shouldn’t be happening. But she is pleased to finally be close to her child. She takes Eden to therapy, goes to therapy herself. Her husband insists everything is fine and Lucy is being weird again about the whole “Eli thing.”

But as time goes on, cracks appear in the family, and it’s difficult to see the truth of what’s happening and why.

My Name Was Eden is an interesting psychological thriller that has you guessing about the truth. Is Eden truly now her vanished twin, or is she going through a phase of some kind? Is Lucy herself a little unhinged? Are external forces at play? I had to keep turning pages to find out what the author came up with.

I don’t know if I’m completely satisfied with the result, not the actual plot points and denouement, but in how convincing the author made it. I felt that the parts that led to the ending needed a bit more fleshing out. But I think the author has promise.

I was intrigued by Eleanor Barker-White’s idea of using Vanishing Twin Syndrome as the basis of her story. Lucy had heard the two heart beats and chose the names Eden and Eli for her children. When Eli disappeared in utero she grieved for the loss of her child. Eden grew up favoring her father James. At the age of fourteen she drowned in a pond on their property. When she was revived she insisted that her name was Eli. Doctors explained that there could be some temporary changes in her personality, but she was otherwise healthy. James wants his daughter back and refuses to acknowledge Eli. Lucy sometimes resented Eden and her close relationship with her father and comes to accept Eli. She never got over the loss and Eli is everything she hoped her son would be. As they grow closer, Eli is determined that no one will come between him and the life he wants, including his father. This was where the creepy element came in and continued to build.

Barker-White alternates her story with that of young Lucy. Her infant brother’s death changed her life and left her in a broken home. Now the disappearance of Eden leaves both her and James questioning her mental health. Overall this was a good psychological thriller. There is little to like about the major characters, but Barker-White’s story will keep you engaged to the very end. I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for providing this book for my review.

This book was eerie. I had never heard of Vanishing Twin Syndrome before reading this book. The author took an interesting concept and created a creepy story based on this phenomenon. I appreciated the different points of view, and I always prefer short chapters.

I appreciate both the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a twin myself, I was drawn in by this synopsis. The first quarter of this book had me invested and I was thoroughly spooked imagining where the book would go. Unfortunately, the book sort of just went around in circles with a lot of redundancy and never really took off. It was a bit of a struggle to finish, which was unfortunate as I had high hopes based on the Eden/Eli storyline. I was left feeling underwhelmed and a little confused.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for my chance to read this in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book started out strong, but the change of point of view actually hurt instead of helped the story. I also don’t feel that the Eli and Eden crossover was ever truly flushed out.

This is the story of a single-twin who lives a double life. Wait what? Yep....this is a hard review to write without give away a lot of information.

Eden has an accident. Mom has always mourned the loss of Eden's twin in utero. (vanishing twin syndrome). After Eden's accident, things just aren't the same.

From here you have to read it. I can't even summarize without giving things away. I didn't like the Mom and Dad characters but Eden (and her twin).....holy crap....hang on!

**Many thanks to Scene of the Crime, William Morrow, and Eleanor Barker-White for an ARC of this book via NetGalley!**

Lucy was so thrilled to FINALLY be pregnant...but even more excited when she discovered she was having twins. She had the names picked out (Eden and Eli) and the pregnancy was the center of her world...until one day, the unthinkable happened. Lucy experienced what is known as Vanishing Twin syndrome firsthand, where one twin embryo absorbs the other, leaving the second embryo 'vanished'...and leaving Lucy devastated and mourning the second twin who would never be born.

Many years later, she has worked through her grief and thrown all of her energy, attention, and love into the Twin Who Lived, Eden. Eden can be a bit of a handful, and Lucy has always been jealous of Eden's back-and-forth banter with her father, but overall she manages to put those feelings aside and fights to be the best mother she can. So when Eden doesn't return home one day, Lucy's motherly intuition tells her that something is wrong...and she is absolutely right. Eden is found by a body of water, nearly drowned, but she has survived, and doctors determine that she hasn't suffered any brain damage or sustained ANY significant injuries at all.

But there IS one major development: Eden asks...well, actually DEMANDS...to be called Eli. This aside, she starts behaving strangely, getting a bizarre haircut, and no longer feels like the 'Eden' her family and friends knew. Lucy knows that something is wrong, but there's something strangely satisfying about 'Eli' and she starts to wonder if Eden's journey into the deep may have actually been the conduit to bring her lost baby back to life. But does 'Eli' have dangerous intentions? Is this NEW version of Eden determined to eliminate all traces of her former self...no matter WHO might get hurt along the way?

Vanishing Twin syndrome is not a trope I often see in thrillers, so I was intrigued enough to give this debut author a try, and at first, I felt fairly confident this was a good decision. The opening chapters of the book (until about 30-40% or so) were intriguing, with the detailing of Eden's strange disappearance, her time in the hospital, and the chilling behavior displayed once she returns home. We are given some background on Lucy (enough to make you as the reader question her mental acuity, that's for sure!) and also the strain in her marriage, etc., so there was a lot of emotional push and pull to balance out the suspense, and the book at this point was giving me sort of the 'bad apple' vibe of stories like The Omen, where an evil spirit has infiltrated the child (or in this case, teenager) and I have to admit, I had NO Idea where this was going or what to expect from the rest of the read.

Well when it came to what to expect...the answer was "not too much."

The second half of the book almost got to the point of redundancy, as we trod over the same territory over and over with Lucy's issues which includes her spiral into her 'accepting' Eli (?!)...but then the bodies start piling up too. There are lots of unnecessary deaths that seem sort of randomly thrown in to create more tension, and to say there is an inadequate level of follow through from the police is probably a wild understatement. I was baffled by the way some of them were glossed over, and also couldn't understand why Eden's best friend Charlie had to have so many sections of narration. The author made an effort to have these sections truly feel like they were written by a teenager...but it just didn't work. On top of all of this, we ALSO get glimpses into LUCY'S tortured past (going back to her childhood and a traumatic incident) and even all of this felt more like red herrings than fully-formed backstory. I still clung to hope that all of this was leading somewhere...

And then came THAT kind of epilogue.

You know the one I mean...the kind that makes you want to actually HURL the book across the room.

I haven't had one of these in a while, and I honestly forgot how terrible they can be to read, especially when you were HOPING the last chapter would be the end of it and you just keep asking yourself "Why?" I don't often do this, but I actually felt a compulsive need to lower my rating for this book based on the ending alone. Not only is it unsatisfying, but it pointed out JUST how many loose threads there were throughout the story and made me question WHY I'd stuck with this one at all.

But by the end I think that my interest, my patience, and my appreciation for this premise might have gone the way of Eden...

...

Did anyone happen to look for it at the bottom of the river?

2.5 stars

My Name Was Eden is the debut novel by Eleanor Barker-White. When I first learned about this book I thought the premise about the disappearing twin sounded fascinating. But quite honestly I’m not really sure how I feel about this story. It was definitely different. The characters were all a little odd. Especially Lucy, the mother of Eden or Eli. I think she had been dealing with mental issues since childhood. And the father, I thought was an okay kind of guy until the question of infidelity came up. And the situation with Eden becoming Eli after the accident has me baffled. I just thought they were a really strange family and even now that I’ve finished the book, I’m not really sure what to make of it. It left me feeling a little confused as to what actually happened and why. I’d like to thank the Scene of the Crime Early Read program, Chris Connolly, Publicity & Marketing Manager @ William Morrow and NetGalley for the arc to read and review. I’d consider this to be a psychological thriller with short easy to read chapters that left me feeling puzzled and full of questions. Because of this I’m going to rate this book at 3 stars.

The story is intriguing and keeps you reading, even through its shortfalls., like a rather unlikable main character and inconsistencies in the plot line. An easy read and the short chapters helped me to,stick with it.

This book was such a good time!!! Jaw dropping thriller that had me waiting for the next twist! The characters were developed well throughout. I could not put this book down once I picked it up

The premise of this book is so intriguing and I was really engaged, wanting to find out what was going on. Sadly, for me, it never delivered. Not only did I find all of the characters unlikeable, but I had questions that were never answered. The story was not terrible, I just wanted more and am left feeling just as confused as when I started it.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to preview this book.

3 1/2 ⭐️’s
Fourteen years ago, Lucy, was pregnant with twins. When one was absorbed, Lucy wasn’t ready to let go and has celebrated Eli right along with his sister Eden for Eden’s whole life. When Eden tragically drowns in a neighborhood pond, she is saved without a scratch. BUT …. She has come back as Eli! Is it all from the trauma or is there more to the story. Eden and her mother had a trying relationship, but Eli loves his mom. Lucy isn’t sure what to do with it all, but is basking in the attention. Accidents seem to happen around Eli, but is it all just a coincidence? Is “he” manipulating the narrative and changing the entire world that Lucy now lives in? Lucy is even questioning her marriage, is she crazy as so many think, or is there more to the story? This book definitely has a creepy vibe throughout, but doesn’t pack the punch needed to take it to the next level. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

When the lifeless body of her teenage daughter, Eden, is pulled from a nearby lake, Lucy goes cold with fear, thinking the worst has happened — until she hears her sputter and cough. At the hospital shortly after, she’s relieved to find out Eden suffered no physical injuries or brain damage from her near drowning. But as Lucy, her husband James, and her mother-in-law gather around Eden’s bedside, she delivers shocking news. She’s no longer their daughter Eden. Eden died in the lake. Instead, she’s Eli, Eden’s unborn twin brother who disappeared in utero.

James and his mother don’t believe what they’re hearing. Who would? It’s unfathomable if not impossible. However, Lucy’s secretly pleased with the idea of getting a second chance to be a good mother. She’d never been close to Eden. Eden loved James, not her. It’s the opposite with Eli. He’s affectionate and sweet to his mother, willing to do anything for her including turning against his dad. Yet, Lucy can’t shake the feeling that something’s off about him, especially after another family tragedy occurs. But before she has a chance to figure things out with Eli/Eden, a string of other devastating events occurs that call Lucy’s sanity and character into question. On top of it all, she’s still struggling to work through her own childhood trauma resulting from the death of her infant brother Elliott.

Gripping, complex, and tinged with just enough creepiness to make your spine shiver, “My Name Was Eden” is the psychological debut by Eleanor Barker-White. “My Name Was Eden” starts out as one of those incredible, unputdownable reads. You’ll race through the pages as Barker-White quickly introduces the main narrator Lucy, drowns her teenage daughter Eden, then turns Eden into her twin brother Eli who disappeared in utero fourteen years ago. Vanishing Twin Syndrome is a real-life condition, but Barker-White turns it into something straight from a horror flick. After her death, Eden’s body is possessed by her twin brother. Even though he seems sweet, there’s something in his smile that makes you want to run for the hills.

The book is definitely mind-blowingly good. At first, that is. However, as quickly as she introduces Lucy and Eden/Eli, she switches to a six-year-old Lucy’s point-of-view whose infant brother Elliott dies after a wasp-sting. It’s clear that adult Lucy never processed the trauma she suffered from his death and the events that occurred after. It’s poisoned her life in the present.

“My Name Was Eden” is full of mystery, suspense, and chilling twists. It was an uber-addicting read when it focused on the seeming possession of Eden by Eli and Vanishing Twin Syndrome. But all of the sudden, intergenerational trauma bursts onto the scene. It explains a lot about Lucy’s family dynamics, as well as her horrible relationship with Eden. Yet, just like with the Vanishing Twin Syndrome aspect of the book, it’s not fleshed out completely before you have to figure out everything else that’s going on too. There’s a lot, and it’s never 100% clear if Eden’s really dead or Eli’s really real.

“My Name Was Eden” introduces quite a few storylines, gives you a lot of questions, but doesn’t ever give complete answers. You’ll never even know for sure who narrated the prologue. That’s how untied some of the loose ends still are by the end of the story. That’s not to say this is a bad book. It may be hard to believe after the review I just gave it. But trust me, I don’t take this much time to review bad books. It was good enough. Nevertheless, without a satisfying conclusion, it missed out on being great. I’ll definitely be reading the next book Eleanor Barker-White puts out, though. By then, she’ll find her sea legs, so to speak, and it’ll be brilliant.

This was a very unique psychological thriller. The plot was intriguing and started out strong. I had never heard of vanishing twins so the idea that one of the main characters who was involved in a near drowning and woke up telling everyone they were now the vanished twin was interesting.

The family dynamics were confusing but the more I read the layers peeled back and revealed what I needed to understand for the most part. I still think there are holes that weren’t answered but that could be intentional.

I did not find the characters very likable but I don’t think they were meant to be likable.

The ending was phenomenal.

Overall a good read. Solid 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC.