⭐⭐⭐ 3. 5 Slow Burning Thrilling Stars !!

Wow, just wow when I read the back story about the author and learned at the end this is a debut novel , I was truly shocked !! When She Was Me did not read like a debut novel and kind of gave me Alice Feeney vibes with that sense of eeriness not sure where the author is taking you.

"When I sit in front of the camera, I like to wear their skin. The victims. Slip them on like an evening coat and pretend their lives and mine are the same. I'm not just me anymore."

"I want to pluck your brain out and put it under a microscope. Roll it around my fingers and feel your thoughts."

Read this if you like:
* Slow Burn Thrillers
* Multiple POV's
* Alternating Time Lines
* Stories set in the woods
* Books that make you feel unsettled
* Creepy Atmospheric reads

With out giving to much away as I try to keep my page as spoiler free as possible , When She Was Me is a slow burn thriller that will have you jumping through many scenario's trying to solve the mystery!

Twin sisters Cassie and Leonora share a cabin together after escaping their dark past where they live and enjoy the solitude in the middle of nowhere . When a family decides to have a weekend getaway across from them in another cabin disrupting the twins daily routine , the two become a little too interested in what the family is doing , and then suddenly the family's daughter Tilly goes missing !!

The author takes on us on a long dark , creepy twisty ride . I was having difficulties at times trying to navigate what was going one ? Now we have a dead body , and your left to wonder , who killed Tilly ? Was it one of the twins , is there a serial killer lurking in the woods ? Is it some sort of paranormal activity ? Are the cabins haunted ? WTH is actually going on ??

The first 10 % of the book was so gripping and dark and then the next 70% I felt was quit repetitive, the build up just kept building and it's like your waiting for that punch line , but never happens and then suddenly at about 87% its like boom here you go !!

If creepy, dark, slow burn thrillers set in the woods is your jam , then When She Was me is the next read for you !!

I think fans of Alice Feeney, Stacy Willingham and Riley Sager will devour this book !!

Thank you Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Marlee Bush for this digital ARC.
Respectfully Another Read by Angie

3.5/5 (rounded up)

I nearly dnf. I just couldn’t seem to get fully invested in the story. There were a few things that surprised me, but a lot I guessed correctly.

Does a truly creepy thriller HAVE to take place in the woods? Honestly, yes, and you can’t convince me otherwise. When She Was Me by Marlee Bush adds in even more creepiness with twin sisters, a sordid and messy past, and a missing teenager. And the creepiest part is the secrets we learn as we switch between each sister’s point of view.
From the first chapter, Bush’s description of the woods and small campground the sisters stay adds to the creepy atmosphere. The isolation that each sister feels seemed to reach out the pages and pull me in instantly. Adding in the missing teenager immediately increased the tension that was already there, and fully grabbed my attention.
This is the kind of thriller that oscillates between psychological and physical. It’s hard to distinguish what’s real and what isn’t, and even harder to determine which sister to trust. There are so many different ways the story could’ve gone, which made it ALMOST impossible to see the twists before they popped. Overall, I think the balance of insane twists and believable outcomes was handled well, but could’ve easily tipped into being absolutely ridiculous.
Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a very impressive debut, especially for a mystery. Complete with the perfect setting, a really interesting plot and timeline, & contrasting twin characters who just added to the mystique.

Not for haters of the slow burn or repetitive timeline retelling... although I thought she did a good job with this and it worked well for the story.
For fans of suspense, twisty endings, dual timeline/pov, ominous atmospheres.

Thanks to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with the perfect little mystery to break up my marathon of Rom Coms!
Releases in less than a week - so look out for When She Was Me.

Unfortunately this one was a miss for me. Between the alternating timelines and narrators, it was difficult to follow at times. I love a good whodunnit, but this one just seemed random.

RATING: 4.5/5

I love reading a “Who Done It” story that keeps me guessing throughout. “When She Was Me” did just that. I thought I knew where the story was going, but then it steered me in another direction, only to distract me enough to shift me over again with a significant twist.

“When She Was Me” is a story of twin sisters with a unique relationship. One that leads them to live almost reclusively. However, when someone goes missing, the twin’s memories are triggered like a snowball effect. As the case of missing person is uncovered, as well as their memories, they find that there may be a connection, so much so that they become suspects.

I enjoyed reading “When She Was Me”. It was suspenseful and kept me guessing. The delivery of the story was told differently than I typically am used to, but I believe that may have been intentional. The overall story was entertaining.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press & Marlee Bush for the gifted advance reader copy of When She Was Me by Marlee Bush.

When She Was Me is a bone-chilling rollercoaster ride of a thriller with lashings of tension, flashbacks and tongue-gnawing suspense. Super impressive, especially for a debut!

Twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have always had each other's backs. After a traumatic event, they went to live in Cabin Two in a woodsy campground. One creates true crime YouTube videos, the other writes. But their lives are far from ordinary and their quirks are unsettling. They have suffered from childhood trauma and have great insight into the macabre. When a neighbour dies and a camper goes missing, their world grows even darker and suspicious. The past is dug up and the present is riddled with fear and paranoia.

If you like the feeling of being chased in the woods at night, this is your wheelhouse. It is darkly disturbing in the best way. My mind was so involved and riveted I lost all track of time. I live in the woods and while reading this my imagination went wild.

My sincere thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this wonderfully engrossing novel.

The same hair and eye color, the same nose, the same silhouette: identical twins share all sorts of physical attributes. But what about what’s lurking beneath the surface? In When She Was Me, two sisters must come to terms with their darkness and guilt to unravel the tangled web of their identities and find out what happened the night the neighbor girl went missing. Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy to review.

On the surface, Cassie and Lenora look alike, yet are polar opposites. One shines and thrives, while the other clings to her anonymity like a second skin. Fairly isolated by their mini home’s remote, peaceful location, the sisters cope with painful memories of the past in their own ways; Cassie examines the work and victims of killers in order to retell their stories online, and Lenora locks her anxiety away behind as many closed doors as she can find. They remain fiercely loyal to one another despite their differences.

When the new landlord rents out one of the neighboring cabins to a family of three, the sisters find themselves taking an interest in people who exist outside their little bubble. One night, the fifteen-year-old daughter Tilly disappears, and Lenora is the only possible witness. The problem is she can’t remember a damn thing. She was sleepwalking, so there’s no telling what she might have seen…or done. Delusions, love, old resentment, obligations, codependency, the illusion of escapism, and even happiness all culminate in an all-consuming obsession.

One of the things I admired about Marlee Bush‘s approach to revealing a complex, even sinister dichotomy within both of the main characters was her ability to put so much personality in each chapter as she switched from one sister’s perspective to the other’s. It really drove home that there is always another side to every story, and that the truth is never as simple as we might suppose it to be. Rather than simply rehashing events in slightly different tones, Bush holds Cassie and Lenora accountable for their part in the larger narrative, each a separate entity while also being one part of a whole. As a result, even the repeated information is fresh and new, which, to me, made When She Was Me one giant walking contradiction: at once abrasive and poetic, poignant and abrupt, tender and removed.

That being said, if any readers pick this up and wait for some grand revelation to tie everything up all nice and neat by the time they reach the last page, or even a speedy conclusion, they’ll be sorely disappointed. This is a slow burn, although certainly not of the romantic variety. It’s a tale of complex and sometimes toxic familial dynamics, the complexities of shared DNA versus individual identities, and what darkness is actually made of—all wrapped up in one juicy mystery.

For bibliophiles obsessed with psychological thrillers like Gone Girl and complex character analyses woven within a brilliant plot like those found in Where Madness Lies, When She Was Me would make a quirky, creepy and affectionate addition to your TBR lists.

Holy Bonkers. This one gave me whiplash from all the suspense and trying to figure out what was really going on. I never saw that twist coming and absolutely loved it! Great Debut!!

The twist! I did not see that coming! This book kept me interested and wanting to read more. I couldn't put it down!

This is a book that kept me on the edge of my seat. I was skeptical because of the lower page count (270), but the there were times where I was almost literally stressed out and biting my nails. My favorite aspect of the book was the mystery of it, the whole time I’m trying to fit these pieces together and they never fit quite right. I HATE predictable mystery/thrillers. It takes the fun out of reading. I can genuinely say the plot twist at the end is something I NEVER would have guessed and it had me REELING. 
Essentially, the book is about two traumatized sisters that went through a tragedy together. One sister is a bit more put together (the caretaker) and the other suffers with anxiety and agoraphobia. These sisters live out in a cabin in the woods of Tennessee. Life is fairly normal (for them) until a teenage camper in the neighboring cabin goes missing. Suddenly, the trust between the sisters begins to strain as one of them begins lying to other about their whereabouts the night the girl went missing. How can she trust her sister, when her sister can’t even trust herself and is losing grip on her own reality? 
Pick this book up. Add this to your TBR. You will not be disappointed. Marlee Bush is a rising thriller queen. 👑

When She Was Me by Marlee Bush is a sinister tale of twin sisters Cassie and Lenora, isolated in a Tennessee campground after a shared trauma that has left Lenora with persistent nightmares and anxiety. They are hiding away from the questions of that night, until a family come to stay in the cabin next door... and their teenage daughter goes missing.

The disappearance shakes both women, the details of the crime being far, far too familiar for comfort. Both in their own minds, the sisters are desperate to uncover the truth before their past crashes into their present, hell-bent on destroying them both


Marlee Bush creates a terrifying wildernss scenario, too far away from civilizantion for comfort, but the dichotomy is, that the twins cannot seek solace help from the local town for fear of the press and prying eyes. A very well thought out situation which set up a strong foundation for an excellent thriller. Brilliant

Thank you to Netgalley, Poisoned Pen press and the author Marlee Bush for this intriguing ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

*4.5
Wow. I don’t know how Marlee Bush did it, but this is somehow a psychological slow-burn and a chaotic page turner all in one!

This novel presents itself in a dual POV, taking you through the thoughts and lives of inseparable twin sisters, Cassie and Lenora. They reside together in a cabin in the woods, permanently, after fleeing a dangerous incident with their family that happened one late night many years ago.

Cassie and Lenora are used to being alone together and free of the chaos of the outside world. That is, until a small family rents the other cabin on the lot…and the young daughter turns up dead. Quickly, the memories of their past start flooding in, causing them to question what all truly happened that night, so many years ago…and how well do they really know each other?
I absolutely loved this twisty psychological thriller, and I can’t wait to read future novels by Marlee Bush! What a killer Debut. (No pun intended.)

3.5 stars.

I thought this one had an interesting premise about twin sisters. It was an atmospheric read told in the past and present and in multiple points of view. However, I found the voices not to be distinct enough so I had trouble keeping the twins straight at times.

The author did a good job of making the story creepy, in creating doubt as to which one was the dysfunctional twin, and the ending was cleverly unexpected. I definitely found this one to be a show-burn thriller and I prefer fast-paced ones so I felt that parts of the plot moved very slowly. I think lovers of slow-burn thrillers, family dysfunction, and sister relationships will enjoy this one.

Thanks to the publisher for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I read my share of thrillers and this one definitely is at the top for jaw dropping twists that I never saw coming. Cassie and Lenora are twins who are inseparable, especially after that fateful night. Now they live in a cabin in a remote cabin campground. When a young girl nearby goes missing, they are forced to remember events they've tried so hard to forget.

This is a fantastic book! It's the perfect creepy thriller that keeps you anxious, nervous to read at night, and checking that your doors are locked It's full of twists and secrets that you don't see coming up until the last page. The connection between Cassie and Lenora was so well woven together. The side characters were well thought out, and every interaction served to propel the story forward. The story is told in dual timeline and this format served the story so well. The setting is immersive and you feel like you're there with the characters trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the girl.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for an early digital review copy.

I found the build up to the tension very well done, kept me wondering what was happening and how everything was falling into place. I truly didn’t see the twist coming but I loved when it was revealed! Very fast reading experience the book pulls you right in

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC for my review.
For being a debut novel this is really good. It was a slower paced thriller book, but it kept me hooked. Some points I had to reread the section because I couldn’t believe what was happening. This book had twists all the way up until the end. I really liked how the book was about the twins Cassie and Lenora, it was awesome to see how much they were alike, but also so different. They were always there to protect each other. I can’t wait to read more books by Marlee Bush.

Great 4.5 ⭐️ read!

The twin dynamic between Cassie and Lenora was sweet and a bit creepy at times, but they're twins! I loved the dual POVs and dual timelines, switching back and forth between characters and between past and present. The pace was on the slower side for me personally for a thriller, but the twisty ending was worth the slow burn. I was pleasantly shocked to find out this was a debut! I'll be eager to see what this author has in store for us in the future.

I could not put this book down. It makes you question everything you think you know. What would you do for your sister?

When She Was Me by Marlee Bush delivers a gripping narrative that keeps you guessing until the very end. I cannot believe this is a debut! From the moment you step into the secluded world of Cabin Two with twin sisters Cassie and Lenora, you're drawn into their mysterious past and the secrets they harbor. The slow burn of the story sets the stage for a shocking twist that completely changes the game, and from there, it's impossible to put down.

Bush expertly crafts an atmosphere of tension and suspense, using the isolated Tennessee campground setting to heighten the sense of claustrophobia and unease. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the story takes an unexpected turn that will leave you reeling. Around the 60% mark, the pace picks up, and the intensity escalates, making it unputdownable as you race to uncover the truth alongside Cassie and Lenora.

What truly sets this book apart is its exploration of the complex bond between the sisters and the haunting memories they share. As they grapple with the disappearance of a teenage girl and confront the demons of their own pasts, the line between truth and deception blurs, keeping you on the edge of your seat until the final page. Bush masterfully weaves together suspense, emotion, and psychological insight to create a truly unforgettable read. Whether you're a fan of mystery, thriller, or family drama, this book has something for everyone. Don't miss out on this thrilling ride! The audio was so well done and I would fully recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Marlee Bush for an arc of When She Was Me in exchange for an honest review.