WHEN SHE WAS ME by Marlee Bush is a creepy, atmospheric novel based in a remote campground. Creepy right there, right?

Twins Cassie and Lenora share a terrible and tragic secret from childhood. They have been inseparable ever since and moved to the remote cabin in the woods as a way of escaping true crime junkies and podcasters. Cassie feels that Lenora’s problems are “her fault”, as Lenora is agoraphobic and does not leave the home except for the shower area. But she is always watching. When their landlord Wayne dies his nephew sells the campground and the sisters may be forced to move.

When the new owner opens up the only other cabin on the grounds for rent, Tilly and her parents come to stay. When Tilly goes missing, the police initially suspect her mother who denies having anything to do with her disappearance.

Told in dual timelines between past and present, we find out what led the sisters to burrow deep in the woods and what Tilly’s disappearance brings to the surface. This is my first Marlee Bush novel but I don’t think it will be my last. I could hear the bird calls in the woods and the crunching of the fallen leaves under my feet. The author’s writing style is clear and concise which leads to an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

HOLY TWIST!!

Bravo, Marlee Bush for writing an outstanding debut novel that had me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time. I cannot say anything about the way this plays out be cause it would ruin the book and I try to avoid spoilers, but I absolutely recommend this read!!

The dynamic between the twin sisters (Cassie and Lenora) had some ick-ish vibes for me and had me questioning their love for one another being more taboo versus what mainstream would consider normal.

Again, bravo. I cannot believe this was her debut and look forward to future work!!

4.5 / 5 ⭐️

3/3.5

This is so tricky to rate. It's a seriously slow burn for like 75-80% of the book and then kicks into gear with a super twist around 92%. But the majority of the book is intentionally confusing and convoluted with multiple POVs and multiple timelines.

It's very much like a locked room thriller where a pair of twins are hiding out in an abandoned campground and you don't know why - and you don't trust or like either of them. It got frustrating trying to figure out what the book was about or why I should care about the characters. So this was a slower read for me. It took me much longer to get through than most thrillers.

Everything finally comes together in a banger way - but it takes a really long time to get there. For thrillers I typically enjoy more action or psychological development throughout the story.

I did really enjoy how I was kept guessing. I love when I don't like the characters. This was a battle of who do I hate more?

Either way - I like this authors writing style and I would like to see more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

DNF at 41%, unfortunately this didn’t pull me in as much as I wanted to. To be honest, it was just boring. I do like the premise: a murder in a small town with two sisters somehow, possibly being connected to it while also trying to get past their trauma from years ago. However, the story itself wasn’t interesting to keep me engaged.

When She Was Me by Marlee Bush

Thank you to @netgalley, @dreamscapemedia, and @marleebushwriter for the opportunity to read this #advancedreadercopy in exchange for my #honestbookreview! This book is available now.

This was full of creepy vibes, and nearly every character had a closet full of skeletons. Another dual timeline book where all the dominoes start to fall into place. Vibe wise this reminded me of Pretty Little Liars meets The Last Time I Lied - twisty, turny, and an action packed sequence towards the end. I highly recommend this one for someone looking for a slow build suspense read.

TWs: loss of a loved one, SA, false accusations, framing, ga*slighting, substance *buse, *rson, more

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

Thank you Netgalley, Marlee Bush, and Poisoned Pen Press for this ebook! Wow! This book was just unputdownable. I honestly was so enthralled in this story and couldn't stop turning the pages! The twists and turns and bumps in the night just all came together in a way I'd never have guessed! A must read!!

2.5 stars rounding up to 3 for a good debut. While this was a good debut mystery by Marlee Bush, it just moved so slowly. The story of twins Cassie and Lenora intrigued me but it did get repetitive. The flashback chapters were also confusing - I know it was intentional to not know whose voice you were hearing but I didn't like it. Overall, it was an interesting story just a little too slow for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I am typically not a huge fan of a slow burn thriller but the atmosphere and eeriness kept me intrigued and the ending packed a punch.

For a debut, this was a strong start. It had a lot of great qualities, such as the pacing, dual POVs, and the emphasis on the strong bond between identical twins Lenora and Cassie—as a twin, I always search for and appreciate books containing twins! However, I felt like the book lost steam toward the end and the past events somewhat confused me. However, this was incredibly well written and I think Marlee Bush is an author to watch!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

Are you a twin? Or did you want to be one when you were a child?

Meet Lenora and Cassie Lowe, identical twins, who have been living in Cabin Two, at the top of a campground site. The action moves quickly after a new family arrives at the camp and then a teenage girl goes missing. The twisting and turning of the plot tightens. Could something terrible that occurred fifteen years ago be tied to what is going on at this camp site now? I’m going to be honest. It's creepy…real creepy. Who’s sneaking around outside with the trees swaying and the shadows moving? Did you hear something? And I couldn’t stop reading.

The story is told in dual POV by both Lenora and Cassie, along with chapters from fifteen years ago by an anonymous narrator. We have a small group of suspects but so many questions. What are the twins hiding? Why are their mom and dad always so angry? Why does Lenora count in her head? “Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three.” Is there something a little off about the new campground owner, Sarah Hill? I kept switching sides with the twins, as Cassie and Lenora, struggled with scary inner thoughts and emotions.

This is author Marlee Bush’s debut novel. She has degrees in Criminology and English, which means that she writes well, and she also knows all about deviant behavior and crime. Her favorite stories to tell are the ones that make you go back and double check the locks on your door at night. Oh, I hope she’s writing another one.

A slow-burn thriller that gripped me from the beginning!

This book is filled with all the good parts of a story:
•  Dual P.O.V's of twin sisters
• Strong bonds
• Eeerie feelings

The setting of the story made it a little spookier and the twist of an ending made it sheer perfect in written words!

Marlee Bush's When She Was Me is a strong debut, and I'm already excited to see what she writes next. Among the things I love are books about twins and slow-burn thrillers, and so this one checked all the boxes for me, but what ultimately sealed it for me was the ending. I never saw it coming, and it is epic!

When She Was Me is a book that will grab your attention the first page and never let go! Mystery ✔️, Suspense ✔️, Thriller ✔️. This book checks all the boxes. With dual timelines, multiple murders, identical twins with a haunted past, and a setting deep within the woods this book will have your heart racing and your mind on overdrive working to figure it all out!! Check out author Marlee Bush’s debut novel When She Was Me!!!

Thank you Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of When She Was Me by Marlee Bush for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was a heck of a debut! I loved the twin trope and it was so well done in this book. There was a lot going on and you really aren’t sure who to believe. There was dual POV of the sisters that was so well done, a completely unhinged story, and this book was atmospheric. You could cut the tension with a knife. Loved it!

I was so surprised to find that this was a debut. The suspense in this kept me nonstop turning pages. I loved the atmosphere of this book, what a wild story! And I flew through this book! The dual POV between sisters was so well done. There was such a distinct voice to each of them. I have read several thrillers lately were I have guessed the ending, but this one I did not see coming! So well done!

It was a slow-burn psychological thriller that kept me guess till the end. Such a great read!

Told from multiple POVs, all the narrators were unreliable. The POV kept switching between the twin sisters- Cassie and Lenora in the present and one of the sisters (unnamed) in the past. It made so hard to decide who to believe.

3 secluded cabins, unreliable characters, family secrets, murder and missing time. The book was creepy, unique and sinister. The characters were intriguing. The atmosphere was creepy and isolating. I loved it! The ending had me shook!

This is Marlee’s debut book and I absolutely enjoyed it. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

I would recommend this book if you enjoy a creepy, unputdownable slow-burn thrillers.

Thank you so much Poisoned Pen Press, Netgalley and Marlee Bush for this ARC copy!

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this book on @netgalley and wow 😍 it did not disappoint. I tried to guess the ending every chapter and no matter how many tries you could have given me I would have never guessed how it ended.

It’s the first book I’ve read in a while that kept me up way past my usual bedtime because I just had to finish it.

If you’re thinking about reading #whenshewasme you should definitely pick it up! Thank you @poisonedpenpress for this copy.

Swipe for summary!

4/5 ⭐️

Marlee Bush’s debut novel When She Was Me is about twin sisters and the secrets they keep. Lenora and Cassie are living in a remote cabin hiding from their past. As the story unfolds, bits and pieces of their story are revealed but it leaves you questioning what really happened to them.
Each time I thought I had a handle on them something would happen to completely throw me off. I felt like I was in the dark, trying to survive with them in the cabin. If you liked The Good Sister I would definitely check this one out!
Thank you @marleebushwriter, @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for this copy!
When She Was Me is out now!

The story started out a little slow and I would have enjoyed a quicker pace. However the story was intriguing for me to continue and I gasped at the plot twist (no spoilers)! 3.5 ⭐️!!

Woah! This book confused the hell out of me for about half of it hahah. The switching viewpoints from present day Cassie and Lenora, and the past “un named sister” threw me for a loop. I did guess the major plot twist before it was revealed… but still thought it was portrayed in such a rad way. Upon realizing the twist I just stared at a wall for a few minutes thinking “damn…. That’s fucking genius” Don’t worry there were a couple twists in there that I did not see coming! The author did a beautiful job of rounding out the story with these and tying up a lot of loose ends.

This is the ultimate “what would you do for the person you love most in this world” scenario. I thought it was unique and creepy. The author wrote some scenes that literally made me fill up with dread wondering what was or wasn’t going on, and had me questioning the two sisters sanity for most of the book. Not quiteeee a 5 star read just because it took a bit for me to get invested in the story, but I’m really pleased with the way it ended up and thought it was a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this bad boi before it was released!