Props to her first debut novel, but sorry to say it wasn't my favorite! This book has alternating chapters between Cassie and Lenora and then chapters from the POV of one twin from many years ago, and the reader cannot tell whose perspective it was written.

This wasn't a bad book per se, it will likely have a lot of readers that love it; it just wasn't for me. I don't know why, but whenever I was reading it I found myself wanting to do something else and very distracted. I stuck with it, but if I wasn't trying to give my opinion, it would have landed in my DNF pile. I may have opted for a more faster paced thriller.

When She Was Me is a fast-paced psychological thriller, and what this book successfully achieves is the perfect isolated setting. It is based at a campsite with cabins in the woods, and it was very atmospheric and mysterious.
It has dual POV between the main characters who are twins, Cassie and Lenora, with interspersed chapters which are flashbacks from an unknown narrator. It did hold my intrigue throughout, but it did feel very repetitive and I just wanted those big reveals and twists, but when they did happen it felt anticlimactic in my opinion. It did have a tense ending which I thought was well done but I didn't think the 'epilogue, HEA' was necessary.
I personally think this book needs a trigger warning list, as for me there was unexpected content which made me feel very uncomfortable and I wouldn't have picked this title up if I knew about it. It actually turned out to be a twist which I think was handled poorly. I know some readers are not a fan of trigger lists because of spoilers, especially in thrillers, but I would have appreciated one for this book.
Whilst this wasn't the book for me, I would still recommend it to fans of isolated thrillers if you are looking for a quick, nail-biting read. It is a debut and I would try out this author again in the future.
⭐️⭐️ 2/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Marlee Bush for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

Review posted to Goodreads and Amazon.

This twisty, multiple POV debut is a winner! The author's character development and skill with information reveals is spot on. I loved the concept and execution and can't wait to see what she does next!

3.5⭐️

Happy Pub Day to this gem of a thriller!!!
Thank you to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC copy!

I found this to be such an odd story, with quite odd characters, but that's a big reason it drew me in. I really enjoyed the POVs here and how you were left guessing who one of the POV's belonged to throughout most of the book.
The setting was absolutely perfect for where this story led & gave it the best backdrop in my opinion.

I would have enjoyed a little bit quicker of a pace, and truly had a hard time deciding on my final rating. I would recommend this one, especially if you enjoy twins, true crime (ish) and an outdoorsy camp setting!

Twin sisters Cassie and Lenora lives in a secluded campsite to escape their past. When a teenage girl disappears, it unravels layers of secrecy which triggers a confrontation of what haunts them. What exactly are they hiding from, how did they get here, and what happened?

I found this book quite enjoyable overall. The characters were distinct, their development was well-crafted, and the plot felt solid. I particularly appreciated the eerie atmosphere of the secluded cabin setting, which added a sense of unease and creepiness. It follows Cassie and Lenora's alternating perspectives and timelines. There were secrets, paranoia, history, trauma, mental health challenges, and mystery. The mystery kept me turning the pages, but it was a VERY slow burn reveal. It felt like it dragged on which caused me to get easily distracted. Even though the twist took me by surprise, the book was longer than necessary. Despite this and considering it's the author's debut novel, I still look forward to reading her other work. I would recommend reading this with either digital book or physical book if you're able to commit your full attention because it can get very confusing with an audiobook and I've had to replay to hear what I missed multiple times.

Thank you @netgalley & Dreamscape Media @dreamscape_media, Poisoned Pen Press for providing me an advanced eARC and advanced audiobook copy of this book.

⚠️ [Content warning: agoraphobia, depression, PTSD, anxiety, OCD, family violence, voyeurism, death. Other topics touched on: arson, substance abuse (addiction and overdose), CSA, animal harm]

This thriller intrigued me from the start. Cassie and Lenora are twins with a troubled past (and present), but are only just some of the interesting characters we meet in Bush's debut book. And what a debut it is...the multiple point-of-view timelines kept me guessing throughout. And right when I had it all figured out, it was unpredictable and twisty. It was very unique and I could totally see this play out in a movie with a clever screenplay.
Thanks to #NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’re looking for an eerie thriller that has creepy moments and a past full of dark secrets, then this one is for you! This is a debut thriller, and it was so good! I’ll be looking forward to Marlee’s next book.

Mini blurb: Cassie and Lenora have been living in cabin 2 at a campground in Tennessee. The isolated location of the campground provides them the peace of trying to heal from their traumatic childhood. When the owner of the campground passes away, a cabin by them is sold to new owners. This makes Cassie and Lenora’s hideaway feel vulnerable. It only gets worse when a teenager from the new family goes missing. When the search begins, it’s hard to tell what happened or who did it. Is anyone safe here?

When She Was Me has:
✨ Traumatic childhood past
✨ Family secrets
✨ Dual timeline
✨ Psychological thriller
✨ Multiple POV

Throughout the story, you’re told about Cassie and Lenora’s past piece by piece. I was so eager to find out what happened during their childhood because they’re strange individuals. Their behaviors from the beginning tell you something awful happened to them. When I say this thriller was eerie, it made me feel like I was being watched. It ends with a shocking twist that had jaw unhinged.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a copy of this ARC!

Book Review🪵
*
Summary; Ever since that night, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable. As the sole permanent residents of Cabin Two, their refuge on an isolated Tennessee campground, they manage to stay away from prying eyes, probing questions, and true crime junkies. Just the two of them, Cassie and Lenora against the world. The peace and quiet is almost enough to make them forget what happened all those years ago. Almost.

Until a teenage girl camping at the neighboring cabin goes missing, and the memories come rushing back. As the crime becomes ever more recognizable—they know better than anyone that so-called ‘happy families’ can be anything but—each sister suspects the other knows more than she’s letting on….

Trapped in the isolating, claustrophobic wilderness, Cassie and Lenora must piece together the truth of what happened—and the sinister truth lurking in their own pasts—before it’s too late.
*
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My thoughts: thank you @poisonedpenpress and @marleebushwriter for the advanced copy, this one comes out today and it is so good !! This one is so creepy and atmospheric, I almost felt suffocated by the woods while I read it. I love a good thriller and this one will definitely keep you on your toes. I think it really came together beautifully at the end, I was second guessing myself all the way up until then. This was highly enjoyable and a quick read !
*
QOTD- are you an outdoorsy person? Could you live in a cabin in the woods?! I absolutely could not 😂
*
#whenshewasme #marleebush #bookreview #poisonedpenpress #bookrecommendation #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig #booksofinsta #bibliophile #bookobsessed #booklover #booknerd #bookworm #bookwormsunite #bookish #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #readersgonnaread #readmorebooks #readersofig

Thank you to #NetGalley, Marlee Bush, and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy of When She Was Me, to be published May 7, 2024. 4/5 stars for this creepy psychological thriller that kept me up past my bedtime! Twin sisters live in a cabin in Tennessee and couldn’t have more different personalities. This dual point of view, dual time-line thriller was an interesting character study of the two women. Good read. #NetGalley #MarleeBush #PoisonedPenPress

For being a debut novel this book was very well written and hop the author will publish more books.

This book was creepy, dark and just very twisty. As the Nana to Twins i just had to read the book. Dual timelines and Dual POV just makes the book and even though at times was slow i still was very intrigued to find out what was going to happen.

I am so glad i found this author and will recommend this book.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

A Compelling Debut with Surprising Twists

Marlee Bush's debut novel, "When She Was Me," delivers a gripping narrative that skillfully weaves together past and present, secrets and suspense, in an isolated Tennessee campground.

At the heart of the story are twin sisters Cassie and Lenora, who seek solace in Cabin Two after a traumatic event from their past. Their bond is unbreakable, but when a teenage girl goes missing from a neighboring cabin, long-buried memories resurface, threatening to unravel their tight-knit relationship.

Bush's storytelling prowess shines through in the alternating perspectives between Cassie and Lenora, offering deep insights into their individual struggles and secrets. While the narrative occasionally becomes repetitive as different characters revisit the same events, this repetition adds complexity to the characters and creates a sense of doubt about their reliability as narrators.

The tension builds steadily as the search for the missing girl intensifies, culminating in a shocking twist that even the most astute readers won't see coming. Bush's plot is masterfully crafted, prompting readers to go back and reexamine earlier parts of the book to fully appreciate its intricacies.

Set against the backdrop of the isolating wilderness, "When She Was Me" creates a palpable atmosphere of unease and suspense. The sense of foreboding is heightened by the claustrophobic setting, making every twist and turn in the plot feel all the more impactful.

Despite its occasional repetitiveness, "When She Was Me" is a compelling debut that keeps readers guessing until the very end. Marlee Bush proves herself to be a talented storyteller, delivering a chilling tale of secrets, lies, and the sinister truth lurking beneath the surface.

Overall, "When She Was Me" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers, offering a thought-provoking exploration of identity, sisterhood, and the dark secrets that bind us together.

Marlee Bush's breakout debut novel, WHEN SHE WAS ME, is an atmospheric, unsettling, twisty, hypnotic crime, psychological thriller—featuring twin sisters and the mystery, secrets, suspicion, and suspense surrounding their relationship past and present.

Each sister suspects the other knows more than she’s letting on—but what happens when the person you trust most is the person you’re most afraid of?

WHICH ONE IS THE REAL MONSTER?

The author keeps you on the edge until the final page in this slow-burn fascinating suspense. Which twin do you trust? Do they trust one another?

Something happened fifteen years ago. Since then, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable. The girls live at a Tennessee campground in Cabin Two. It is remote and isolated, and they can keep to themselves without prying eyes, the media, and true crime junkies.

Cabin Three has had plenty of visitors, from writers on deadline to weekend getaways and those wanting to unplug. The difference between the visitors and the twins is that the visitors always leave while the twins remain.

Cassie films a true crime podcast and cares for her sister, Lenora, who is an agoraphobe. The only time she goes outside is to the shared outdoor bathhouse.

The campground's old owner dies, and the property is sold to a new owner. The girls will continue to live there full-time. A woman named Sarah Hill has moved into Wayne’s cabin.

The novel alternates between Cassie and Lenora and then chapters from the point of view of one twin years earlier, but the reader does not know from whose perspective it is written.

The novel heats up, and the girl's quiet life unravels when Cabin Three is rented to a family with a teenage girl, Tilly, who later goes missing. Tilly disappears in the night and is later found dead. Who killed Tilly, and why?

It is told from each sister's POV, with past (then) to present. There is a lot of introspection about what is going on within the girls' heads and their inner thoughts. They are both secretive.

The author cleverly keeps the reader guessing as to what happened to the girls and they are unreliable narrators. Love, loss, and long-buried secrets.

Hauntingly beautiful! WHEN SHE WAS ME is an atmospheric, sinister, eerie, and spellbinding murder mystery whodunit (literary fiction) exploring trauma and complex, broken, and dysfunctional family bonds. The forest and this chilling campground, which is almost like another character, are the backdrops. Campgrounds and parks are scary and make great settings for this thriller. There is a surprising twist at the end and how the girls came to be at this campground.

Marlee Bush is an author to watch! I look forward to reading more from this new voice in fiction.

AUDIOBOOK: I listened to the spellbinding audiobook, narrated by Imani Jade Powers, delivering a spine-chilling performance. I also read the e-book.

The novel is for fans of Laura McHugh. If you enjoy twin thrillers such as The Lies I Told Mary Burton, First Born Will Dean, The Good Sister Sally Hepworth, Her Perfect Twin Sarah Bonner, and Beside Myself Ann Morgan—give WHEN SHE WAS ME a whirl!

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for an ARC and ALC for an honest opinion.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pub Date: May 7, 2024
May 2024 Must Read Books
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𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗢𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 & 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 •
When She Was Me by @marleebushwriter 📚💖🎧

Thank you to @netgalley @poisonedpenpress & @dreamscape_media for the opportunity to read and listen to an advanced copy of this book!

WOW this book was a fun ride! I didn’t know what to expect. This book is a very strong debut by author Marlee Bush and I have a feeling she’s going to go far. The story follows two sisters who live in a secluded cabin after their parents died. One day a girl is found murdered near the cabin, and this leads to a lot of speculation.

This book is so good that I believe it’s best to not reveal too much about the plot. With that being said, I really enjoyed this book and I finished it in under a day.

The audiobook version was also really good. I was kind of surprised that Imani Jade Powers was chosen to voice both sisters, but she did a great job. I’ve enjoyed other books @imanijadepowers narrated including Bright Young Women. She has a very enjoyable voice. Right up there with Julia whelan, Bailey Carr and Brittany Presley!

In conclusion, I definitely recommend this book and I’m going to put Marlee Bush on my authors to follow list! 💖

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 Colleen Hoover, Megan Miranda

𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘
This book will be released next Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Definitely go pick it up at your favorite retailer!

𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗧𝗢 𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗚𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗠𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗜𝗡 𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗬 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪!

A psychological thriller that will keep you guessing from the first page right until the end “When She was Me” will make you do a double take - where you gasp, stop reading, take a moment, shake your head, and reread several sentences - and then pause several more times as you finish the book to rejig everything you thought you knew about the book to fit what you now know. Were you able to follow that? I hope so, because Marlee Bush’s writing is a study of creating atmospheric tension that builds throughout the novel as you constantly question pretty much everything you know: what’s real, the definition of family, the lengths you will go to protect those you love, memories both real and imagined, who is deserving of your trust, and the human psyche. This debut novel is all the good things you hope to find in a thriller: suspense, intrigue, a shadowed past, slow burn moments, heart-pounding scenes, angsty characters, a beautifully dark setting, shadowy secrets, and a twist that I’m not sure anyone will see coming.

And might I, perchance, recommend that you read this one when you are at home and not staying in a strange house or cabin in the middle of nowhere where even the most seasoned individual will need to sleep with the lights on? Trust me on this.

As you read, keep in mind that, “they don’t warn you about this in school. They warn you about men in vans offering you treats to get inside. They warn you of drug use and STDs. But no one ever warned me about the dangers of my own thoughts. No one ever told me that there could come a time when trusting myself would be difficult and hating myself would be easy. What to do when the monster is you,” Marlee Bush.

Thank you @poisonedpenpress and @netgalley for the advance digital copy. I highly recommend this must read novel by @marleebushwriter

#poisonedpenpress #sourcebooks #debutauthor #whenshewasme #marleebush #netgalley #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendation #bookreview #youshouldreadthis #thriller #thrillerbooks #suspensenovel #psychologicalthriller #bookgeek #booknerd #femaleauthor #femalewriter #debutauthor

🔪 When She Was Me 🔪

This atmospheric, creepy, twisty book about codependent twins living in the woods was such a great suspense thriller. It has dual timeline and dual POV, and makes you ask what happened in the past, and what’s happening now?! The book was a bit slow in the first half but then I became very invested halfway through. It was long for a thriller but had good pacing in the second half.

For a debut author, this book was amazing and I will absolutely be reading Marlee’s next book. She absolutely knows how to make the setting a character itself, and makes you feel the creepy vibes all the way through.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 rounded up)
Pub Date: 5/07/24

Thank you Mandy Chahal at Poisoned Pen Press for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is more of a slow burn thriller and I would even say it leans a bit into the horror genre. There were definitely times when I was reading at night and got totally creeped out!

Cassie and Lenora are identical twins living in a cabin in the woods of a campground. They are living an isolated life trying to put “that night” from their past behind them. All is fine, or so it seems, until their landlord neighbor dies. A new owner comes in, a teenage girl is found dead, and things get creepy! Told from dual POV and timelines, this one will keep you guessing until the very end.

This was a good one! The character development was more full and detailed than you would usually expect in a thriller novel, which did slow down the pace of the book. This didn’t take away from MY enjoyment of the book, but if you are looking for a fast paced thriller from start to finish, this isn’t what you get here. The woodsy setting, among other things, made this one super eerie. Every character has you wondering if they really are who they say they are, and if they might be capable of murder. And the end… I don’t want to say too much, but it was a shocking conclusion for sure.

A really well done, thoughtful, twisty debut novel. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for future work by this author!

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 @𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, @𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴.

Rating: 3.5
This was a very interesting book from the start.. it kept me reading all the way. Although I did guess the big twist of the story, I didn't see other minor twists coming and that was very good. I listened to the Audiobook, but given that it is told from multiple perspectives, I needed to pay extra attention at the start of each chapter so I knew who was who. Highly recommended for fans of Lisa Jewel.. it's a similar style. #whenshewasme #NetGalley

When She Was Me is a captivating thriller. Set in an isolated campground somewhere in Tennessee; two sisters live in a small cabin together. Lenora loves to watch all the campers that stay in the other cabins, she stands at her window, spying on them and learning everything she can from afar and never leaving the safety of the cabin. Cassie, a true crime youtuber, the "normal sister," makes friends with a young girl, Tilly, who vacationing in cabin three with her parents. Lenora becomes jealous of Tilly and Cassie spending time together, and then one morning Tilly is no where to be found.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Not sure why exactly but this didn’t really work for me. Which makes no sense because it checked off so many boxes of things I like - the characters were interesting, the premise was unique, the atmosphere was creepy, and the mystery was intriguing. On paper, this should have been a hit.

But I was kind of bored reading it? It never really hooked me the way I expected it to. That, and I really didn’t enjoy how there was clearly a big secret that was being hinted at but not divulged until way too far into the story. By the time I found out what was going on, I felt annoyed there was all that buildup for something that didn’t really excite me. That trope can work really well in these types of books, but it felt forced here.

So all in all, this was a fine book, but a bit of a miss for me. But take my review with a grain of salt - I know a ton of people who loved this so definitely give it a shot if it sounds like something you might like!

When She was Me comes out tomorrow!

Twin sisters hiding from their past in a cabin at an isolated campground... The plot sounds great, but I just couldn't get excited about what was going on in this book. Chapters switch between the sisters, between past and present, and there's no sense of urgency to pull you into the plot or make you care.