I don’t even know where to start this book review. The twist and turns and different storylines has me guessing until the very end of the book. I honestly didn’t know where or how this book was going to end.

Well written and thought out!

This book heavily features the themes of a sisters love and family trauma. Overall, it was a good book. I did find that characters a bit hard to love, but maybe that was the point. I definitely was not expecting the ending but it did feel a bit over simplified. It was a new idea and not “the same ole thriller” that you see over and over again.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy of When She Was Me by Marlee Bush.

Identical twin sisters, Cassie and Lenora, are bonded together by more than DNA ever since one fateful night...and they are living together peacefully at an isolated campground in Tennessee ever since...But bhen a girl goes missing from a neighboring campsite, memories come back and nothing is what it seems.

For a debut novel, this was AMAZING. Typically I find myself bored with slow-burn thrillers, but this one had me captivated since the first chapter. Told from dual POVs (as Cassie and Lenora), you truly have no idea who you can trust as a narrator; for me, both were shady and unlikable for various reasons. Additionally, there are flashbacks to the night years prior, which caused the sisters to flee...however there is no way of knowing which sister is telling the story from her viewpoint, versus who was actually responsible for the incident that caused them both to flee. It was BRILLIANT. There were so many moving parts to this story I was 90% into it and had no idea how it was going to end. Not only was the plot cleverly set up, but there were also many spine-tingling , claustrophobic scenes that gave me chills and had me on the edge of my seat. This was an extremely well done, well-thought out thriller and I'm looking forward to more from Marlee Bush!

Identical twins are such a creepy trope in books and this book definitely hit the nail on the head with the creep factor.

When She Was Me follows Cassie and Lenora, identical twins, who are living in the woods to escape something from their past. When a teenager from a nearby campsite goes missing, things start to unravel.

This book had me confused the entire time. Even when things were explained..so much was still left unclear. I don’t mind not fully knowing what’s going on throughout a book but in this particular case, it wasn’t done well for me. The twist definitely shocked me but you have to suspend a LOT of disbelief.

I know some people are going to absolutely love this one but it was sadly just a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC!

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

This book kept me guessing until the very end! Twin sisters that live in an isolated campground. Their neighbors daughter was murdered. Who murdered Tilly???’
Book kept me interested. But I wish it kept me more excited!

The story of Cass and Lenora hooked me immediately. I loved every second of this. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I found this book to be a bit confusing. It was written to be that way with the twist, but it was not confusing in an enjoyable way. I don't want to give out spoilers, but it was easy to see someone was lying from the start, and with whole unreliable narrator thing. This psychological thriller just didn't do it for me. 2/5

Big thank to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review!

"When She Was Me" is a slow-burn thriller. Marled Bush does a good job of character building with the twins, and I enjoyed the dual timelines. The rural setting was a winner, and I definitely think this is worth reading if you enjoy mystery/suspense novels, stories with sisters (twins), and stories with creepy woodsy backgrounds. I would recommend this for readers who enjoy more character-driven stories with twists. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I could not put this book down! I can't believe this is a debut book? It feels like Marlee had written hundreds of books before just based on the quality of the writiing. I literally read this in a day because it was so suspenseful and I just could NOT stop! The dynamic between Cassie and Lenora was so sweet yet incredibly skin-crawling at the same time. I was very impressed with the pacing, it never felt like we were at a stand still at any time, it just kept on going and going until the story blew up and I was left gasping and crying and shocked with the twists and turns. 5 stars from me!

I’ve read a lot of thrillers, so when I start a new one I am always ready to flag if I am seeing a classic route being taken. That was NOT the case here. I could not have told you what was going to happen next and I loved every minute of it.

This book didn’t stress me out or make me anxious reading it at night but it def counts as a great thriller.

Thank you Netgalley & Poisoned Pen Press for an eARC 🔥

"When She Was Me" is a seriously good debut book! It's about these identical twins, Cassie and Lenora, who have been through some heavy stuff. They deal with it in different ways, like Cassie making vids about victim stories and Lenora struggling with major anxiety. Then, a neighbor's teenager vanishes and things get wild! The author does a great job switching between the twins' perspectives, showing how their bond is both strong and messed up. Cassie's work blends with the real-life mystery, making it hard to tell what's what. Plus, the other characters are all suspicious in their own ways. I was hooked till the very end, man! It's a psychological thriller that'll keep you guessing and leave you thinking about it afterwards. Give it a shot, for sure!

This story is about twins, Casey and Lonera and a cabin in the woods, and a mysterious past they can’t out run. Casey always protecting Lonera, the find themselves in the middle of a missing teenager situation. As the tension builds, the plot thickens and the pace picks up . The setting in the woods just adds a mystic, spooky feeling. The girls begin to unravel the mysteries of their past and the predicament they now find themselves in. While I did find the beginning a slow start, the book did have some unexpected twists and overall a good thriller.

Twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have relocated to live in isolated life in the woods after an experience of profound trauma changed their lives forever. The past is something they are desperate to put behind themselves, seeking distance from anyone appearing interested in it, not least the true crime brigade.

Unfortunately for the twins, their peaceful existence, pregnant with secrets, is about to come to a shattering end. When a teenage girl, Tilly, who is staying with her family in a neighbouring cabin - part of the isolated three cabin campsite setup, where Cassie and Lenora are the permanent residents of Cabin Two - suddenly goes missing, the subsequent search brings certain things into sharp focus.

Although they are identical twins, the women have very different personalities and very different coping mechanisms. And despite their closeness, there is an undercurrent of suspicion that allows Bush to ramp up the tension in this tale of an obsessive sibling relationship that is as supportive as it is toxic. An interesting read with well-drawn characters, it gets 3.5 stars.

When She Was Me follows twin sisters Cassie and Leonora. After a traumatic event that changed their lives, they escaped to a desolated cabin campsite deep inside the woods.
After a girl in their neighbour cabin gets killed everything comes undone.

Let's start with the characters:

I simply loved Cassie and Leonora. Their obsession and overall dynamic with each other was so interesting and brilliantly portrayed. I'm a lover of obsessive friendship stories so this was right up my alley from the very beginning.

Cassie, the protective caretaker, refusing to show her sister how much she's suffering.
Leonora, being portrayed as the more fragile of the two, still being concerned about and so protective of her sister.

I loved following Leonora's struggles with PTSD and anxiety. Her panic, her coping, her wanting to get better but also feeling save with the familiarity that being unwell brings. Her quiet obsession not only with her sister but others as well.

Cassie, I didn't really care so much for her YouTube plotline but I did enjoy her venturing into the pro and cons of true crime, of the humanity and inhumanity behind it. I loved how you could feel how exhausted she felt but the endless love she had for her sister.
I still don't get the no shoes though tbh.

Side characters were satisfying too.
Tilly with her short role, Karen, Sarah. All of them had enough character but it was more important how the twins perceived them, what pictures they painted of them.

Let's talk about EVERYTHING ELSE.

Bush has a real KNACK for writing about obsession. Truely, this was masterfully done. The deep ache they had for the other. The way guilt and love were so intertwined. Amazing, just amazing.

I adored the "then" chapters. I finished one and couldn't wait to read the next one. The different perspective of view was such a nice touch that really put you into the store. The obsession was so much more intense. These chapters made me feel truly sick and claustrophobic, I couldn't get enough.

Now, one of my two complaints:
I think Cassie and Leonora overlapped quite a lot. Maybe it was thanks to their proximity or the fact that they're twins, but it could also just be the writing. Sometimes they had the same voice. If you read me two lines of each character I probably couldn't tell you who is who. But each character has some characteristics that are so stark that you could seperate these two from each other, so in the end, I can overlook it.

My other complaint is that I think this book could've been around 50-100 pages shorter. After a while it got so repetitive to a point that I was just exhausted reading about it.
Event, fight, immediately forgiven, sleep, event, fight, immediately forgiven, sleep, and repeat. The book could've shined just a tiny bit more if some of those scenes were cut/rewritten.

But truly, no matter how often I was exhausted by those scenes, the ending did make it worth it. That was crazy and so well written. I'm the one obsessed now.

Anyways, I did enjoy this and I will be back for Marlee Bush's next book!

Thank you to Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Marlee Bush for the dig tal copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cassie and Lenora are identical twins who suffered the same terrible tragedy as teens. In order to outrun their past and heal from their trauma, they move to a cabin in the woods. They need the seclusion and they feel safe from prying eyes.

When a family rents the cabin next to theirs, their safety and isolation is at risk. But when the teenage daughter of this family disappears, old demons threaten Cassie and Lenora’s happiness.

The book starts out a little slow but picks up speed and really takes off. It is dramatic and unpredictable and a showcase for the unbreakable bonds of twins. The surprise ending was a punch in the gut!

Thank you, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy of this 4-star book.

enjoyed this debut novel from Marlee Bush. I love her beautiful style of writing. It was very immersive and thrilling. I loved the two POV’s of the twin sisters and THEN throwback in the plot. It was very interesting and added another level to the story. I kept questioning what was going on and who did what and I feel like that’s always a sign of a good thriller.

I do feel like the story could have been a bit shorter. Some of it felt a bit dragged out, but overall I loved this! I felt that the twist was very well done and did not see it coming.

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable ever since “that” night. As permanent residents of Cabin Two, they law low and stay below the radar. The solace that they experience almost allows them to forget what happened all those years ago, almost.

When a teenager goes missing at a neighboring cabin, the memories of that night come rushing back. As the crime becomes more recognizable, the twins know better than anyone that “happy” families can be anything but.

Cassie and Lenora must piece together the truth of what happened, and the truth lurking in their own pasts before it’s too late.

This was an interesting debut thriller with the twin trope front and center. Twins always fascinate me, and this book was no different, though notably Cassie and Lenora had very contrasting personalities. I found the pacing to be on the slow side, which was a struggle for me because I prefer my thrillers to have a faster pace. I did enjoy the past and present timeline, and how they came together in the end. I always enjoy it when books do this well, and that was the case here. In the end, I did find this book to be predictable, the twist wasn’t very twisty. I do think that this book was creepy, but not spooky and I did enjoy the setting. Books set in wooded areas are always favorites of mine. For a debut, I think that this was great, and I’m excited to see what the author comes out with next.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

This thriller was unfortunately not a favorite for me. I loved the setting but the characters and the plot fell a little flat for me. I’m so sad that I won’t be able to recommend but I look forward to trying this author again.

Pleasantly surprised by this debut thriller from Marlee Bush. It had a lot of twists and turns most that I did not see coming! Definitely a creepy setting isolated in a cabin the woods at a campground. I really enjoyed this book rounded it up from 3.5 stars to 4 for the final twists that caught me by surprise. Looking forward to more from this author. I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.