When She Was Me by Marlee Bush is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. Twin sisters Cassie and Lenora live a secluded life in Cabin Two, a small refuge on a Tennessee campground where they’ve found peace after a traumatic event that binds them together. Their isolation provides the perfect escape from the prying world—until the disappearance of a teenage girl camping nearby drags them back into a haunting past they’ve tried to bury.

As the investigation into the missing girl unfolds, both sisters are forced to confront the shadows of their shared history, with each suspecting the other of hiding the truth. The claustrophobic setting, with the wilderness closing in around them, creates an intense atmosphere of tension and suspense. The story is masterfully layered, with Bush slowly revealing chilling clues that keep readers guessing and questioning what really happened all those years ago.

When She Was Me is a dark and twisty tale about family secrets, guilt, and the dangers of keeping the truth hidden. With its complex characters, sharp writing, and eerie setting, this book is a haunting exploration of how the past can shape—and haunt—the present. It’s a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and mysteries.

When She Was With Me by Marlee Bush is a tense, atmospheric psychological thriller set in the remote woods of Tennessee. Twin sisters Cassie and Lenora live in near isolation, haunted by a dark secret from their past. When a nearby teenager goes missing, old fears resurface, and their already fractured relationship begins to unravel. As the sisters confront their shared trauma, they realize the lines between guilt, trust, and suspicion are dangerously blurred. The suspense builds steadily, with each twist revealing more about the sinister secrets hiding beneath the surface. This gripping novel is a haunting exploration of family, survival, and the consequences of unspoken truths.

When She Was Me is a great debut from Marlee Bush. This is a isolated location kind of thriller with a dual timeline that kept everything absorbing. It was a gripping and emotional book that kept me hooked until the end. The book explores belonging and the lengths some people go for a sense of acceptance. It was full of twists and i kept wondering what was going to happen next.

This one lost me pretty quick. Slow paced with repetition throughout. Twists didn’t twist for me despite them being built up.

When She Was Me is an excellent debut from Marlee Bush and I will probably be counting down the days until her sophomore novel is released. This was such a refreshing look at the isolated location thriller, and I loved that the stars of the show were twin sisters Cassie and Lenora. The flips between the past and present timelines kept things exceptionally absorbing, and the fact that the past is left intentionally ambiguous until the end blow my mind just a little. I was listening to the audio and have to admit it did confuse me for a bit, but once I understood what was going on, I was even more curious to learn what happened in the sister’s past that led them to a secluded campground in Tennessee.

I do think it would have been helpful to have multiple narrators for this book, but I still really enjoyed Imani Jade Powers’ narration. I can partially understand why they would choose not to have three, but two still would have been nice and I do think it amped up my confusion a bit by only having one narrator. I was completely thrown for a loop by the ending, and I don’t think I completely understand how it all tied together, but I got the general gist of it and 😳 Tensions ran high for multiple reasons throughout the story and it was sad, disturbing, and spellbinding all at the same time.

Read this if you are looking for a slower paced thriller, a deep dive into the character’s minds, and true crime podcast elements with an interesting twist.

I was unable to finish this book, unfortunately. While it had a promising storyline, I first lost interest when the author describes the dead cat. After that I found myself not interested any longer.

I really enjoyed this book! I'm an avid fan of the genre, and I appreciated the addition of this story. It was creepy and full of unexpected twists. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book. Book was fine, really good if you like the genre! I would read more from this author.

I went into this one completely blind--I had high hopes but i dont think it lived up to my expectations. I couldn't get pulled into the book and struggled to stay engaged. Thanks so much for the gifted copy of this one--i'll be curious to try something else of this authors.

Was not a huge fan of this. This book felt repetitive and slow without the ending I’d hoped for. Not one I’d recommend when there are other better thrillers out there.

When She Was Me by Marlee Bush is a gripping and emotional book that will make you think long after you’ve finished it. It’s about a girl named Grace who finds out that someone is living her life—literally. Another girl, named Riley, has stolen Grace’s identity, and things quickly spiral out of control. As Grace tries to take back her life, she has to figure out who she can trust and what it really means to be herself.

What’s so powerful about this book is how it explores identity, belonging, and the lengths people will go to for a sense of control or acceptance. It’s full of twists, and you’re always wondering what’s going to happen next. Grace and Riley are both complex characters, and you get to see their lives from different angles, which keeps the story interesting and the writing is easy to follow, but there’s a lot of depth in the emotions and themes.

I had high hopes for this one, but it failed to live up to my expectations, unfortunately.

The way this book was written didn't pull me in, and it had a hard time keeping me engaged. The characters were missing something that I can't put my finger on--I couldn't bring myself to care about them in the way I was supposed to.

There were some fun/exciting moments, but overall it was a miss.

This could have amounted to so much more. I'm not sure at which point I decided to just soldier on but I did not like how some of this played out and it was kinda torturous to say the least

Oh man I wanted to like this one, cabin in the woods is one of my favorite trope in thrillers but the writing style just didnt work for me.
We follow twin sisters living a solitary life , where one of them is the caretaker and the other is just an unhinged loony. a family moves into the cabin next to theirs and their 15 year old daughter goes missing in the night , and thats where I go "I dont even care"

I couldn’t get into this one. I don’t know if it was the storyline, characters or the plot. It just wasn’t for me.

When She Was Me by Marlee Bush is an emotional and gripping story that explores identity, trauma, and resilience. The writing is compelling and evocative, pulling readers into the protagonist's journey as she navigates her past and tries to reclaim her sense of self. The characters feel raw and authentic, making the story hit close to home in many ways.

While some parts of the plot felt a little predictable, the emotional depth and strong narrative voice kept me engaged throughout. It’s a moving read that stays with you long after you turn the last page. Definitely worth picking up!

As a debut novel this was actually really well written. You can tell that there was a lot of thought put Into this and trying to create depth to their characters. I was immediately invested in twin sisters Cassie and Lenora wanting to know what happened to them and why they ended up in their predicament. The tension between the sisters was angsty and made the story fun. This definitely was a slow burn but with an ending that kept me satisfied that I did not predict. Overall, this was a really good debut novel. This author definitely has some potential!

This was my first time reading Marlee Bush, and I received When She Was Me as an ARC from NetGalley. The book had an intriguing premise with its focus on twin sisters living in isolation and the suspenseful disappearance of a teenage girl. The atmosphere was well-crafted, creating a sense of claustrophobia and tension that kept me engaged. However, I found the pacing to be uneven at times, with some sections dragging while others felt rushed. The characters, while interesting, could have been more deeply developed to enhance the emotional impact of the story. The twists were surprising, but some felt a bit forced and didn't always align seamlessly with the plot. Overall, When She Was Me is a solid debut with a compelling storyline and a chilling atmosphere. While it had its flaws, it shows promise for Marlee Bush as a new voice in the thriller genre. I look forward to seeing how her writing evolves in future works. #netgalley #whenshewasme

I tried to finish this book a few times but ended up DNFing. I found some of the story and characters interesting but not enough to continue.

This was a fantastic psychological thriller. We follow twin sisters Cassie & Lenora who have moved to an old camp group to escape their mysterious past. Thibgs are fine until girl goes missing and is found murdered in the woods.

We go between past and present as we discover what really happened all those years ago to make them flee. But omg the twist? I never in a million years saw that coming!