So very dark and twisty with a dollop of the supernatural on the inside. It’s creepy and you are kept wondering what is going to happen next. Our main character is Lucy and although her own story unfolds as Eden/Eli’s story is told, we never fully know her and are left with some assumptions about what drives her relationships which is great because this is not a lazy book. It kept me on my toes.

When I say I could not put this one down! This book was captivating and unique from the first page. I had never heard of "Vanishing Twin Syndrome" and found this to be a very insightful look into the disease despite the fictional setting.

I found this book to be well-paced and I thought the alternating perspectives and timelines to be attention-getting. I particularly loved Charlie's chapters and wish we got more of her perspective! I could not BELIEVE the way this one ended - my jaw was on the floor for the last fifteen pages or so. Even I found myself second-guessing who I could trust and the writing made me anxious in the best way. I thought the ending was a bit rushed but other than that, no complaints!

This was a book that started with a ton of potential. A child drowns, is brought back to life and then takes up a new name...of their twin who died in the womb. This was set up to be a wild and creepy tale, but instead, this was full of annoying, gaslighting characters who I just couldn't care about.

I think some people might like this, and this style of writing, but it's not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

I have to admit that the premise to this book was too much for me to resist. Imagine your daughter drowning, being brought back to life, and now claiming that they're the vanishing twin that was lost in the womb. How creepy is that?

That's what happens to Lucy. Her temperamental teenage daughter, Eden, now claims she is her twin Eli. Eli, the son Lucy has never forgotten. Eden the once aggravating and sloppy daughter is now the calm and courteous son she has always wanted but at what price?

I wanted a creepy story and I didn't get that. This is another book that starts strong and then loses it's way by the half way mark. I could not stand Lucy at all. She's a pathetic, whiny, paranoid mess of a woman. I never understood the whole Eden / Eli thing and it is never explained. The chapters from Eden's bff's point of view, Charlie, were like nails on a chalkboard. Add a heaping of gaslighting and a sprinkle of infidelity and you've got yourself a bubbling pot of shit stew. 2 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for my complimentary copy.

This book deserves a standing ovation and I am SO here for it.

My Name Was Eden

I cant even tell you what I thought I was going to read compared to what I actually did read but I can tell you, this book is one that I will never be able to stop talking about and it deserves every bit of the hype it is about to get..

Here we go...

My Name Was Eden, had me addicted to each turn of the page. I was squealing in delight as each secret was revealed . I was completely consumed and transported straight into the book. The characters came alive before my eyes and I felt every emotion they felt. The narration was executed with perfection and the plot twist was not only incredible but believable too! When everything came together I was left in sheer disbelief with my jaw on the floor.

How the heck is this a debut?

5 stars 5 stars 5 stars!

Teaser :

One twin vanished. The other twin remained. Until now...

When her daughter Eden came home from the hospital, Lucy was profoundly relieved. Eden had survived a drowning incident and had no apparent brain damage, no serious injuries, not even a scratch on her. Lucy fervently welcomed having a second chance at being the good mother she should have been before her teenager’s accident.

Until Eden tells her that Eden isn’t her name. Until she starts calling herself Eli. The name Lucy had reserved for Eden’s unborn twin.

Don’t worry, says the doctor. Eden is completely fine, says her husband. Of course I’m fine, Eden says, with that strange new smile of hers. I didn’t die. I’m here.

But Lucy knows something’s very wrong with Eden. She’s not her maddening, complicated teenage girl anymore—this straight-backed, even tempered, steady-eyed child in her house is someone else entirely. Eden, it seems, is the twin who disappeared…

Lucy's daughter almost drowns. When she wakes up, she insists that she is not Eden but Eli, her unborn twin. Has the twin that vanished in utero taken over Eden's body, is Eden having a mental health breakdown from almost drowning, or is Lucy's own grief over Eli's death influencing Eden's current mental state?
The premise for My Name is Eden by Eleanor Barker-White is creepy and intriguing but unfortunately, the plot falls flat. The story is all over the place and hard to follow. The characters are not developed well and are all unlikeable. The story was as struggle for me to finish and the ending was disappointing and unclear. I was not a fan of this story but you may be.
Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for this ARC. My feelings after reading this book are complicated. There were many things I liked about it, and a few that I didn't like so much. For much of the book, there is a creepy feel that I really enjoy in this genre. It has an interesting plot. Some of the dialogue was a bit cringe. It felt like there were definitely some things left unanswered. On the other hand, it was not a predictable read and there are constant turns. I would like to see what this writer does in future projects.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. When Lucy's daughter is home from the hospital, she is completely different. She is unsure of the changes in her teenager. This was a good read.

I received a free copy of, My Name Was Eden, by, Eleanor Barker-White, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Imagine your child goes into the hospital as herself and comes out as her unborn twin. Creepy. Wow this book, is different, creepy and imaginative.

My Name was Eden
Eleanor Barker-White
Pub Date: February 27, 2024
William Morrow
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.
When her daughter Eden came home from the hospital, Lucy was profoundly relieved. Eden had survived a drowning incident and had no apparent brain damage, no serious injuries, not even a scratch on her. Lucy fervently welcomed having a second chance at being the good mother she should have been before her teenager’s accident.

Until Eden tells her that Eden isn’t her name. Until she starts calling herself Eli. The name Lucy had reserved for Eden’s unborn twin.
What a premise to base a book on! Others really enjoyed this book, but it just didn't keep me interested.
3 stars

I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley

Lucy was pregnant with twins, but only Eden was born. There was a drowning incident as Eden was coming home from school one day. When she came home from the hospital after that Lucy was relieved that there was no brain damage, or serious injuries. She was not very close to her daughter before the incident and she was hoping it would change once she got her home.

She was closer to Eden after this, but then Eden tells her that her name is now Eli. Eli was the name they reserved for her twin that was not born. This is where is starts getting strange, her husband thinks it she is still Eden, as well as the doctors. But Eden insists that Lucy call her Eli. Lucy does start doing this when they are alone in order to have that closeness she always wanted.

Lucy realizes something is not right because Eden has totally changed her personality. She now eats food that she never liked before. So, who is her daughter really?? And what happened to Eden??

This book really grabbed me and kept me guessing till the end! Very good story!

This is a dark, twisted thriller that kept me in suspense throughout. Lucy and James' only child, Eden, has survived a drowning accident and the doctors all say she is fine. But she now insists she is Eli, the twin brother who vanished in the womb and was never born. (Called Vanishing Twin Syndrome, a documented medical condition) Her total personality has changed. Lucy and James fragile marriage starts to come apart under the stress of the accident and Eden/Eli's personality change. The book alternates chapters and narrators between Lucy and Eden's best friend, Charlie, as world for all of them splinters and spirals down into darkness and doubt. The characters and their histories are complex, but the characters themselves are not particularly likeable. The final conclusion of all the plot twists comes in the epilogue and was definitely a surprise! Thank you to the author, publisher, Scene of the Crime, and Netgalley for my advanced copy. The opinions of my review are my own.

What a trippy ride! I wasn’t sure who or what to believe in this story and the twists kept me guessing through the end. I really disliked the dad from the start and little Eden/Eli wasn’t much better. The mom, I felt, was too naive for her own good. I gave this 3 stars instead of 4 because I was confused about what was happening during some parts of the story. But overall it is a great premise and storyline.

My Name Was Eden was an interesting thriller, but the suspense wasn't quite as there as it could have been.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Thanks to @bookclub, @netgalley, and @williammorrowbooks for this copy of "My Name Was Eden".

After Lucy's daughter Eden's near-drowning, Eden secretly tells her mother that she's really her twin Eli. But Eli was Eden's unborn twin brother. And then the strangeness starts...

I can't wait to talk about the ending with other readers so I hope this becomes a book club book!

This is absolutely not a classic story of issues between mothers and daughters but oh my god do they have issues!
Eden drowns in a canal behind her home and is found by a neighbor. Her mother comes upon the scene and is forced to watch her receive CPR. Eden survives, kind of, but she comes home demanding to be called Eli and not acting at all like herself. Eden was always difficult for her daughter, much like my own daughters, but this is something else.
We also get some other perspectives, like Charlie, Eden's best friend.
Honestly, it is spooky. There is a whole mood throughout the book. It is extremely creepy.
Read his one if you like creepy spooky stories that don't seem like they'd be that way.

The book has short chapters and was right to the point when it comes to storytelling. But it didn't actually had me on the edge of my seat. The story has potential and even though I did not like it the way others did, I still admire the flow.

This book was well written and kept me coming back to see what was happening. Lucy’s young daughter Eden nearly drowns, and when she wakes up in the hospital she tells her mother she’s not Eden she’s Eli. Eli is Eden’s twin who didn’t make it to birth because of vanishing twin syndrome. Lucy doesn’t know what to think when they bring Eden home she dresses differently and her whole personality has changed. Is Lucy going insane or is Eden? I kept reading to find out how it would all turn out but the ending left a lot questions unanswered. Thanks Netgalley for this arc.

This was such a great psychological debut, it had a great concept that was terrifying concept overall. Eleanor Barker-White does everything that I was hoping for when writing this and the characters were perfect for the genre.