I really really loved this. It has one of the best unreliable narrators I've ever read and I don't think I've read a thriller this unputdownable in a long time. The first 30% or so was a little slow and took me awhile to get into, but the last two thirds totally made up for it. It was very well written with juicy and incredibly rendered characters. It gave me Woman in the Window vibes, but it was darker and twistier, and less predictable. And I was thrilled to find out this was a debut because holy cow this woman can write. And I honestly did not see the ending coming which doesn't usually happen to me (if I'm being honest, it might have been the first time I didn't guess ANYTHING right).

This is how you do it. This is how you write unreliable narrators. This is how you write a fast paced and suspenseful thriller. This is how you create a cult following. This is how you show these dime-a-dozen authors what real originality is.

I loved this one. 4.5 stars.

I enjoyed this book, though at times I found myself a bit distracted and confused while reading. However, sticking with it was worthwhile, and now that I know the ending, I'm tempted to give it another read. It's a solid debut from the author, and I'm excited to see what they write next.

Eerie creepy book with twins, in which one is not quite right…Cassie and Leonora are living in a remote campground in the woods. A teenage visitor to the campground goes missing and no one is quite sure about the people around them. The details seem so familiar to Cassie and Leonora. The sisters have quite a strange dynamic, so reliant on one another that I almost believed that one must have been a ghost or even made up. Something happened to them in their past that really messed them up for life, hence almost hiding away at this campground. Cassie has a social media show about the victims of true crime, it has helped her to work through the trauma they experienced all those years back.
The book is definitely a slow burn. You have alternating view points between the sisters, then and now, and an almost rehashing of events by both. There were times where I was so frustrated by the choices of the main character, like in a scary movie :Don’t go in the basement!
Good debut by Marlee Bush. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC.

“When She Was Me” by Marlee Bush follows twin sisters living at a campsite in a cabin. One sister is trapped inside the cabin by fears, the other feels trapped by her need to keep the other safe. When a girl goes missing from the neighboring cabin, each sister realizes that the other is keeping secrets- and that those secrets could be dangerous.
This book read a little slow for me. We do a lot of jumping between timelines and even when I thought I knew what was going on, I didn’t really have a clue. Which I guess made for a good twist at the end, but I wanted a little more hinting towards the big twist so I at least had a shot at guessing the ending.
Overall, this felt like a solid 3 star read for me. It was interesting and kept me guessing, but it didn’t grip me the way I want a thriller to.
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is out now!

Okay, I had to DNF this at around 50%, which is so sad because it’s an eARC kindly gifted by NetGalley/the author, and I hate requesting books and not finishing them.

The vibes in this are spot on, super spooky, and it really made me feel uneasy, more than anything I’ve read. But I found myself slipping into a reading slump and kept grabbing my phone instead of focusing on the book, which I never do if the book grabs me.

I really liked the premise: two twins stranded in a cabin in the forest because of their past, and then a murder happens... could it be related? But at 50% in, literally nothing has happened. We don’t know anything about their past; they just keep hinting but don’t reveal anything. I can already tell the plot twist is going to be the twins swapping places at some point, past or present, which would be kinda... predictable.

This is a story about twin sisters and their battles with each other as well as their own battles coping with some of their decisions.

I really enjoyed Marlee's writing and how well her writing put perfect visions in my head of what was going on, without over detailing every description.

I read this book by emersion reading the ebook while listening to the audiobook. I did find the narrator of the audiobook enjoyable and would recommend the audiobook.

Unfortunately, I lost interest in the book about half way through. I didn't find this thriller to be as 'gripping' or 'twisty' as the other thrillers that I have enjoyed.

I am still very interested in reading Marlee in the future because I did love the writing and potential in this book.

I also believe that while this book didn't work out great for me personally, lots of other people will enjoy this book, and I will recommend it for the people I do believe will be able to have a better connection with the book than me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

Unfortunately, this thriller was a miss for me.
The plot was very interesting at first, but by the end it changed so much and I found it to be unrealistic.

I really enjoyed the Marlees writing, but the switch up between first and second POV was also confusing at times.

I’d recommend to fans of slow burn thrillers!

I actually gave this a ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 stars and overall I enjoyed this book. I liked the isolated cabin vibes and of course it’s a thriller . The POV from both twins was great and your able to experience each twin and I also enjoyed the past sections. The ending was great too and I was surprised by the twist didn’t see that coming so you may say why the 3 1/2 stars then… my issue was it was a slow read and it lost my interest for awhile. It seems a lot happens at the beginning then it just drags a bit too long before you get interested in the story. I still liked it but felt too long.

A stunning & suspenseful debut from Marlee Bush! The atmosphere created is ominous enough to keep you on the very edge of your seat, and you'll find yourself unable to be fully confident in any character's innocence. This beautiful, medium-paced thriller touches on the themes of familiar trauma and the unconditional love of sisterhood in a way that will likely appeal to fans of Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. At times, the alternating narrators and timelines could be a bit confusing, and I'd find myself having to flip backwards a few pages to remind myself who was currently speaking. Aside from that one minor critique, I can find absolutely zero other faults with this novel and will be praising it for years to come.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press & NetGalley for the ARC! <3

When She Was Me is the debut psychological thriller from Marlee Bush.

Cassie and Lenora have moved to an isolated campground to heal from a traumatic event referred to as "that night." Bonded not only because they're twins, but also because of their shared trauma, Lenora has become agoraphobic and Cassie will do anything to protect her. After the owner of the campground passes away and a new owner moves in, a family comes to stay for a short visit in the cabin next door. Soon, the teenage daughter is missing, and her body is found a day later, which starts Lenora and Cassie spiraling. Can this really be happening again?

Told from three viewpoints, this is a character-driven thriller filled with shadows and secrets. We get to see things from Cassie and Lenora's point-of-view in the present, interspersed with chapters from "Then" with an unknown narrator. Is it Cassie? Lenora? Both? Neither? As the story moves along, we learn more about that night, what happened, and why Lenora can only leave the cabin to go to the bath-house. Cassie seems to barely be holding it together once Tilly's body is found, and she starts to wonder if Lenora did something to her while sleepwalking. She knows Lenora is keeping secrets from her, and as the puzzle pieces start falling into place, it's up to them to save themselves and protect each other.

All in all, this was an okay book for me. It was a slow burn, and I enjoy more plot-driven novels. For readers who enjoy a character study on trauma, strong bonds, and protecting your loved ones, this would be a great choice. If you enjoy Kiley Reid, then you should like this.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @PoisonedPenPress for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

“I believe in ghosts more than therapy.”

When She Was Me by Marlee Bush
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️


This one was slooooow, and I did get to the point where I wanted it just be over but it picked up again towards the end and it finished well enough for me to give the rating I did.

I found myself getting lost quite often with the flipping back and fourth with POVs and timelines.

If you want a good whodunnit with some psychological to it, this would be a good one.

** I received this book as an arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Ever since that fateful night, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable, living as the only permanent residents of Cabin Two in a secluded Tennessee campground. Hidden away from prying eyes and intrusive questions, they manage to find solace and nearly forget the haunting events of their past. However, their fragile peace is shattered when a teenage girl from a neighboring cabin goes missing, dredging up old memories and suspicions. In the oppressive wilderness, Cassie and Lenora must confront their dark past and uncover the truth before it's too late, all while questioning how much the other knows.

Overall rating: 4.2/5

Ratings:
1. **Plot and Storytelling:** 4/5. I felt the plot of When She Was Me was well-planned, with a compelling storyline and an excellent twist. My only complaint is that it felt a bit too long; some of the filler could have been cut down.

2. **Characterization:** 3/5. The characters were interesting, defined by their flaws, which contributed greatly to the haunting aspects of the story. However, their growth was minimal and predictable, which was frustrating.

3. **Writing Style:** 4/5. I enjoyed Marlee Bush’s writing. Although the pacing was a little slow, the story was very well-told and well-plotted.

4. **Originality:** 5/5. This story felt very original, especially considering the twist and all the revelations that were made.

5. **Emotional Impact and Resolution:** 5/5. This book had me completely absorbed. It kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat, wrapping up with a satisfying conclusion.

If you enjoyed When She Was Me, you might like these books that offer similar themes of suspense, psychological twists, and deep character development such as Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn, or The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.

Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me. It was much too slow of a burn. The multiple POVs and timelines / flashbacks felt intentionally confusing and it made it exhausting to read for me personally. For those reasons I didn’t enjoy it much.

The premise of this book of 2 twins secluding themselves in the woods because they are hiding from something from their childhood caught my attention. The story was a slow burn buildup that had me struggling through at the beginning with the childhood flashbacks and then the teen girl, Tilly, going missing.
I found the the back and forth between POV of the twins Cassie and Lenora to be odd in some parts and hard to follow. I predict this is going to be one of those books that people either really really like or falls flat.

Thank you Mandy Chahal and Poisoned Pen Press for gifting me this arc. This was a fun read centered around two identical twin sisters. I enjoyed the dual timeline of this story. I thought it was very well thought out and written

Loved this book...suspenseful, twisty and page-turning!!! My favorite kind of book!!!

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book. Will be recommending to all my book-loving friends!

This was an interesting debut. I liked the characters and that helped keep me intrigued enough to keep reading. While I wasn’t sure what was happening I wasn’t totally caught off guard with the twists. The book is told from two perspectives of two sisters Cassie and Lenora and then present tense and a past tense perspective. Leona and Cassie live in a remote cabin with two neighbor cabins one for the owner and one that gets rented. They both have trauma but Leona struggles to leave the cabin. When a family with a teenager stays in the third cabin everything is fine until she goes missing and turns up dead. This isn’t a on the edge of your seat thriller but it was definitely intriguing. I thought it was a little repetitive at times and I think it could have been cut down a little. I also felt like the author tried to up the twisty factor by being intentionally confusing at times.

3.75 there were parts that were extremely confusing. Lots of odd choices and lingering secrets. It did the job and kept me going to find out what the secrets would be. I certainly didn't guess anything close to the end. Most of the writing is good, you're able to picture the scene and build the characters well from the descriptions given. Parts read like scenes from a movie so it's easy to get into.

As I was reading this book my brain got jumbled and I was questioning everything going on. The multiple POVs and trying to connect the story lines really kept me going. The book tied up the loose ends so well and i was taken back by the ending

I enjoyed reading When She Was Me by Marlee Bush.   Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

This is what thrillers should be. Dual POV. Past flashbacks. This was a medium paced book, that turned fast in a heartbeat. Kept me on my toes and guessing the whole way!