The premise of this book was intriguing with twin sisters, a missing girl, something ambiguous happens to the patents. One sister is a crime podcaster and the other is an agoraphobia ghost writer. They live in a secluded campsite when things go amiss under the tide of this missing girl mystery. The story never really meshes once all this is laid out. Love is the driving force but the end is a mess. Too many holes remained unfilled.

Copy provided by Publisher and Netgalley

4.25/5 - Big thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing a copy of this book! It kept me deliciously confused until the big reveal. The web of mystery had me pushing through, trying to untangle it. With unreliable narrators, it was hard to know who to trust. Is Lenora so mentally unwell that she could commit murder? Is Cassie just as bad as her sister? Whose story are we glimpsing in the past—the twins'? Nothing is as it seems, and I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Highly recommend giving it a go!

Wow. I did not see this coming, but this was a fantastic thriller that turned from a 4 star at 70% into a 4.5-5 star read by the ending.

The twists and turns in this are spectacular. The author does a fantastic job at giving you enough to hook you and pull you in, while still remaining vague enough in details to keep things suspicious and suspenseful. I genuinely had such a good time reading this - especially the closer we got to the end.

- Cassie and Lenora were two fascinating characters - I truly never knew who I was supposed to like more or who was being sketchy and suspicious
- The setting is automatically eerie by having them live in a cabin in the woods, but add in the other mysterious happenings and you've got yourself a classic setup for a good thrill.
- The introduction of Sarah and then the Meadows family sets off a whole new slew of drama that keeps you guessing at what is truly going on those cabins.
- The flashback chapters are the perfect blend of uncovering secrets of the past while remaining just vague enough to really make you think "do I even know what I'm reading right now?" - the way these chapters do not use names to tell you who is who makes you really stop and think about which sister we're talking about and I loved that element.
- The underlying narrative of sisterhood and what someone will or won't do for their family is so good here and it's all so dark and twisted

This debut novel unfolds through the unique perspectives of two sisters, Cassie and Lenora, switching between present and past tense. While the dual narratives added depth to the plot, I occasionally found myself confused and had difficulty staying connected to the story. Although not a heart-pounding thriller, the book was definitely intriguing. I found certain sections to be slightly repetitive and believe while the twists were interesting, it felt a bit forced.

Overall I liked the book, but it wasn't the page turner I had expected it to be.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cassie and Lenora, identical sisters with past childhood trauma, both have been living in a cabin—isolated from most people, perfect place for Lenora who gets anxiety from being outside and surrounded by other humans. Their lives were peaceful enough until the new teenage girl at another cabin goes missing, and with so little people staying, there could only be small list of suspect.

I tried to drag myself reading through this. Somehow, I just couldn't stay seated. It was frustrating how they kept hinting of what had happened in the past, yet never came clean about it. The alternating POV is actually great, I like that in some books, unfortunately this one doesn't work wonders on me.

Two twin sisters managed to survive a tragedy. Now though, their fears are brought back when a teenage girl goes missing from a nearby campsite.

I struggled to get into this one. It did not give me a lot of suspense like I wanted. I think perhaps because it was a little unclear at first what happened to Cassie and Lenora.

What sets "Hidden Shadows" apart is its nuanced portrayal of the sisters' relationship—both their fierce loyalty and the underlying mistrust. Readers are drawn into a compelling mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. This book is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers who enjoy a deep dive into family dynamics and hidden secrets.

Solid debut! Looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.

Thank you #netgalley and #poisonedpenpress for the eARC.

This was a compelling read from a debut author. Identical twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have an extremely close bond. Cassie more of the nurturing one, and Lenora more of the dependent one.
The sisters reside in one of three cabins at an isolated campground. They have chosen to live hidden away from other people and keep to themselves for the most part, ever since “that night.” The story is told in the past and present. You learn that they had a very difficult relationship with their parents. ( check trigger warnings )
As a reader, we have a slow burn read to actually find out what happened years ago to make these very close sisters leave their old life behind.
In the meantime, a family has checked into one of the other cabins, and tragically their teenage daughter goes missing and is found dead. What happened to Tilly?
This book had a few good twists along the way, and although I felt it was repetitive at times, I enjoyed it all the same. The ending was great!
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

As an identical twin I was totally intrigued by this book after reading the synopsis because it follows identical twins isolated in a cabin on Tennessee campground. Cassie and Lenora are identical twins and prefer to stay away from prying eyes and true crime junkies when it comes to their past which is ironic given what Cassie does for a living. When a teenage girl at the camp goes missing, old memories and uncertainties come rushing back for the twins but something else happens causing them to fear for their lives.

I love an unreliable narrator and with the alternating POVs as well as a mysterious past pov, this book has you wondering who is the past pov and what are they all hiding. The isolated setting really gave weight to the story and helped with the mysterious factor. I did figure everything out with the plot but it didn’t deter me from finishing the story.


Thank you @posionedpenpress and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

3.5 overall!

I love a secluded cabin in the woods theme so I was definitely drawn to this one instantly. This book holds on to the suspense until the very end and it honestly has me guessing until the big reveal. I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and the Then timeline which really helped with the storyline. That twist too, my mind was blown.

I do think that this book could’ve been 100 pages shorter and not affected the story at all. I found it repetitive and a little boring at times and I just wanted a little more fast paced.

When She Was Me was a creepy, and addictive read. It was definitely a slow burn in the beginning but once everything started picking up I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the multiple POV's which made for an engaging read and since the narrator’s weren’t reliable you really didn’t know who to trust or whose point of view you were reading. I loved that! The past and the present timelines were also amazing and helped make the ending even more shocking.

This Is Marlee Bush’s debut novel and it was honestly fantastic. It’s probably my favorite read of 2024 so far! I can’t wait to read more from here.

I was not invested in the sisters lives and ended up stopping this book a few times before engaging again. While it did pick back up, it began much too slowly for me to want to keep coming back to it. I was slightly confused on the point of view and had to keep rereading to get it straight.

Identical twins, Lenora and Cassie, have been living in Cabin Two at an isolated campground in an effort to escape their past and “that night.” When the grounds come under new management, and the teenage daughter of a visiting family goes missing, Cassie and Lenora both start reliving the past and begin to question who they can trust.

WHEN SHE WAS ME by Marlee Bush is a really strong debut suspense novel!

The sisters were both intriguing characters with very interesting careers and the isolated campground setting was so so good!

The alternating past timeline kept the suspense up and also had me questioning everything I thought to be true.

This one is on the lengthier side, which I didn’t feel was completely necessary, but it still managed to be a quick read regardless.

I’m definitely curious to see where Marlee goes from here!

I listened to this one on audio and I will say that if you aren’t paying close attention you can easily get lost in the timeline and who is narrating.

This was a great mystery that kept me guessing until the very end and if I’m being fully honest I’m still not sure who is innocent and who is guilty.

I love a slow burn romance, but not so much a slow burn thriller. I need it to hook me from the get-go, or at least early on. I think I was around 40-45% of the way through before it started to grab me

It wasn't a bad thriller by any means, it just wasn't as fast paced as I enjoy

For readers who like a slower build up, by all means give it a go, Marlee has a nice writing style

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

[ thank you @poisonedpenpress for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own! ]

THOUGHTS:

Looking for a slow burn, psychological suspense novel to read? Check this one out!

I was hooked immediately when reading! I was sucked into this isolated campground setting. It was definitely creepy and had this eerie feeling.. I could totally picture it in my mind.

I loved the dual pov between the sisters — Cassie & Lenora. And the chapters with the mystery pov as well. I didn’t know what was the truth and what wasn’t. I was along for the ride and loved every minute of it.

I thought this was a great debut novel and I’ll be keeping my eye out for my books by this author in the future!

This was a slow one but if you keep with it the ending is a good payoff.

After a fateful night when they were younger, twins Lenora and Cassie have relied on each other. Currently living in a cabin on a secluded campground they live a pretty peaceful existence; at least from the outside world. After the passing of the owner of their campground a new woman has bought it and moved in. Then a couple and their teenage daughter come to stay for the weekend and all three of the cabins are occupied. When the teen goes missing and is soon found dead the twins start to suspect everyone that was there at the campground. They even start to suspect that each other knows more than they are sharing. Their peaceful cabin is now riddled with danger and they must figure out what's going on before one or both of them are next.

This book is very slow. Luckily the writing is good and it makes reading it enjoyable. I found both sisters to be frustrating but overall good characters and learning about them made reading it enjoyable as well. However, about halfway through I became frustrated. The story is told from the perspective of both Cassie and Lenora and also a third perspective that isn't revealed until the end. For the first half of the book I was collecting more and more questions and was not getting any answers which is why I was getting frustrated. Luckily I kept with it and by the last quarter of the book I got most of the questions I needed answers to. And the answers I didn't get weren't that pressing to the story. The twist was exciting and made sense which also made the payoff worth it.

I recommend but I'd go into this knowing that it's a slow build.

It was the book I never knew I needed so bad in my life until it popped up on my feed …

I am a sucker for thrillers, I mean let’s be real, I think we all are .

This book right here will forever haunt me. My world has been thrown off kilter and I’ll be sleeping with the lights on for the foreseeable future.

When She Was Me

This is the exact kind of book I love to read ! I want my world shaken up, I want to be scared! Make me check under the bed before hopping in!

This book sure does deliver! Every expectation I set was exceeded. Gosh dang it, I sure do love Marlee Bush.

How the heck is this a debut?

Before I slip up and spoil the big twist, check out this teaser:

There's only one way out of these woods…

Ever since that night, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable. As the sole permanent residents of Cabin Two, their refuge on an isolated Tennessee campground, they manage to stay away from prying eyes, probing questions, and true crime junkies. Just the two of them, Cassie and Lenora against the world. The peace and quiet is almost enough to make them forget what happened all those years ago. Almost.

Until a teenage girl camping at the neighboring cabin goes missing, and the memories come rushing back. As the crime becomes ever more recognizable―they know better than anyone that so-called 'happy families' can be anything but―each sister suspects the other knows more than she's letting on….

Trapped in the isolating, claustrophobic wilderness, Cassie and Lenora must piece together the truth of what happened―and the sinister truth lurking in their own pasts―before it's too late.

This is the debut novel by Marlee Bush. I thank Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Leonora and Cassie are twin sisters who prefer to live in isolation. The story goes back to their childhood and the events that led them to reside in a secluded cottage away from society. The book is a thriller, and I found it hard to follow at times and a bit confusing. However, I felt the mood and descriptions were great, and the plot was interesting. If you enjoy reading books about twins and exploring their relationships and dynamics, this one will likely appeal to you a great deal.

I hoped that when all the plot lines tied together, I would feel satisfied, but it didn’t quite get there. I recognize that this is a debut novel. It is a slow burn, and I generally do enjoy reading slow-burn books. I would rate this a 3 out of 5, and I look forward to reading her next book.