This book kept me guessing.

Twins- Cassie and Lenora- live in a cabin in a campground. Both suffered some past trauma that is slowly uncovered throughout the book. Suddenly a family stays next door with a teenager and she goes missing and is found dead. Questions start to surface while the investigation is going on and the twins begin to question memories from their past and begin to piece together the memories of what actually happened that made them isolate themselves.

It is told in Dual POV with past and present timelines showcasing the perspective of sisters Cassie and Lenora and their views on everything that happened. As much as the book kept me guessing and I enjoyed it, I did feel it was a bit slow at times, but overall really good.

There's nothing creepier than super identical twins. Ha. Cassie and Lenora have such a mysterious past, I was just waiting to finally read what happened to them and why they chose to live such isolated lives. Although they look alike, they definitely have different personalities. Then when Tilly goes missing, the twins secrets must come out. Lenora was the only other person outside that night, but she was sleepwalking, and Cassie and Lenora both know that it could have been the girl's family that did something to her. Especially since the twins have their own experience with unhealthy families. I loved the alternating POV between the two sisters. I enjoyed the ending and can't believe this is a debut.

This book had the best eerie feeling while reading it as it’s a slow burn that was done so very well. At times, I can get bogged down and bored with a slow burn book (of any genre), but this one really had me hooked. I like the author’s writing style and as this book got going, I was definitely interested and enthralled! I loved that there were some twists and turns I did not see coming and really enjoyed this book overall! I was so surprised to hear this was a debut and I am absolutely looking forward to reading more by this author!

This one did have a twist I didn't see coming! It was definitely a slow burner, at times I definitely wanted things to pick up/be less repetitive, but that made the ending a little bit more of a surprise. I'm impressed this was a debut given the pacing and that it caught me by surprise. I prefer more action-packed thrillers in general so a lot of the slowness/pacing preferences I have are based on that.

However, one thing that I found really distracting and why this was only a 2.5-rounded up to 3-star read for me, was the irritating, grating sentence structure. The. constant. periods. and. short. sentences. were so irritating and juvenile to me. It drove me crazy by the middle of the book and from then on I kind of had to skim just to make it through.

I never quite knew where exactly this book was going to take me but I loved the ride. Have already recommended to a friend and am looking forward to this author's next novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Cassie and her twin sister Lenora live a secluded life in a cabin in the woods. The owner of the cabins took them in and allowed them to live her for a reasonable rent and they kept to themselves and stayed away from everyone. When the owner of the cabins unexpectedly passed away the girls met the new owner Sarah and she agreed to honour the same arrangement for the girls to reside there. Cassie and Lenora had a troubled past and lost both their parents in a horrific way which still haunts them to this day. When a new family rents a cabin for the summer, Cassie runs into the 16 yr old daughter in the woods and they strike up a casual conversation. Needless to say Cassie can not believe the horrible news the next day when the girl has gone missing. Will secrets of the past surface again for Lenora and Cassie as each of them suspects the other is involved somehow or is the new owner Sarah also keeping some secrets hidden from the past. Great story and kept me entertained throughout.....enjoy!!!!

This was such a great debut novel for Marlee Bush! It had me riveted from start to finish even though it was a slow burn thriller. The slow build-up made it even more satisfying once the story picked up.

There were seriously some crazy twists and turns, and the dynamic between Cassie and Lenora was truly fascinating. So much of this book was deeply uncomfortable, and the pivotal scenes were very intense. Overall, this was a well plotted thriller and definitely worth the read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I can’t believe this is a debut! This kept my attention from the get go, even through the parts that felt a little slow and drawn out (my only real complaint). Nice things picked up, they really took off and had me second guessing what I thought I knew. The twists and turns were crazy and took some work to keep straight, but that’s part of the appeal to me. And just when I thought I had it figured out for sure, it took one more crazy turn. And on top of it all, this took one of my worst fears and brought it to life in a truly creepy way. I will definitely be reading more of Bush’s work whenever she releases more!

This was an interesting book and story line. It was entertaining, however I found it hard to keep track of who was who most of the way through. And just had so many questions. They did all get answered at the very end. But the confusion throughout threw me off a it. I enjoyed the suspenseful parts and did enjoy the book as a whole.

Twin sisters Cassie and Lenora are inseparable. Following a tragic event, the sisters have isolated themselves at a remote campground. The sisters do not rehash the events of the past; despite the impact that it has had on their lives. But that all changes when the campsite changes ownership and a family guest staying in cabin three disappears. Her disappearance triggers the sisters memories of the past and threatens to destroy their close relationship.

The story is written from three POV's - each sister and an unknown individual, not revealed until the end. I found myself frustrated with the first half of the book as the reader will find themself with a list of questions and no answers. However, I am glad I pushed through as by the end I had all of my answers and a great twist that I didn't expect.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley, and the Author for the ARC!

This was an ARC from NetGalley. Quick read that kept me intrigued enough to find out what was happening. Solid mystery.

Okay so I have had this arc and have tried to get through it literally since it was sent to me but i can't. There should've been trigger warnings for animal killings as well as everything else and the fact that there wasn't makes me not enjoy this.

Ok. I cant explain why this book took me so long to finish. It was great and so fast paced, I just got into a mini reading rut I suppose.
Anyway, that being said, don’t let the amount of time it took me to read this book judge it’s greatness.
Cassie and Lenora are twins living in a cabin secluded on the woods. The book picks up at a weird place, right after the owner of their property dies and it’s sold to Sarah, a kind woman who seems to be alone in the world like them. Pay attention y’all because it gets a bit twisted and confusing and unreliable, in the best ways.
Great book. Would recommend. Can’t believe this is her debut.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

When She Was Me is unsettling in the best way. The story follows Lenora and Cassie, sisters that are survivors and victims of "that night." Secrets lie in the sisters' codependency and pasts. As the mysteries slowly unravel, readers are left haunted when they realize how unpredictable things can be.

When She Was Me is an incredible read and must be added to any thriller lover's reading list.

I won't give anything away, but what I will say is that this is the thriller genre done right, with the correct amount of twists. I feel like I have to read it again, and it will be like reading the story for the first time.

Many thanks to the author and to @poisonedpenpress for offering me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t like to say negative things about books, especially debut novels so I’m going to keep this short, especially since I ended up skimming a good bit of the book because nothing was happening.
The premise was great-a set of twins stuck living in a cabin in the woods of Tennessee as a result of an incident in their past and then a murder takes place…are the two related? There’s lots of “hints” about their past but nothing is really revealed and the plot twist was Uber predictable.
I’m sure this will have lots of fans, I’m just not one of them.
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

(Actual: 3.75⭐, rounded up) This was actually a solid debut and Psychological Thriller read! I feel like I always end up reading about twins or siblings when it comes to this genre (lol idk why, it just happens), so I was a little hesitant/nervous that I would get bored or make too many inferences/comparisons to past books I've read, consciously or not. However, I was pleasantly surprised that was NOT the case here at all and found the twists to all be very unexpected & shocking (that ending!!); I also appreciated the dual POVS, because I'm a firm believer in that it [typically] adds extra layers of depth and perspectives to a story. I'd def recommend this book out to others and would certainly be interested in reading more of Bush's work in the future!

"When She Was Me" follows identical twins Cassie and Lenora living in seclusion. Cassie creates videos focusing on crime victims while Lenora struggles with anxiety indoors. When a neighboring family's daughter goes missing and Lenora was the last one outside, the mystery deepens due to her sleepwalking.

I was captivated by the twins' contrasting personalities and unwavering bond. The shifting perspectives between them and glimpses of their past added depth to the story. The small list of suspects in Tilly's disappearance made the mystery more intriguing, keeping me on edge. Cassie's job added an interesting twist, blurring the lines between work and reality.

I highly recommend this compelling read! Thanks to Marlee Bush, Poisened Pen Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.

*** 2.5 STARS ***

This book had a very interesting setting and it’s also been a while since I’ve last read a thriller similar to this one. However, it took me a while to get into it and the story also felt a bit slow sometimes. Furthermore, I was kind of disappointed by its ending because it felt a bit unrealistic.

This book is about Twin Sisters Cassie and Lenora. They are inseparable. They live on a campground in a Cabin by themselves. They left their home, family, and friends, etc. when something terrible happened one night 15 years ago in their life. Their lives are going great at the campground until one night a family with a teenaged daughter Tilley goes missing and is found murdered at the campground. Of course everyone is questioned about Tilley’s whereabouts and murder. Cassie and Lenora are scared now and they are wondering and questioning each other about that night Tilley was murdered. They are not even sure if they can trust each other anymore. This is a great Debut novel. It goes from present and past in both Cassie and Lenora’s POV as well as a Then POV. It also has some surprising and shocking twist in it too. Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review a ARC of this book.

⭐️ 4 ⭐️

When She Was Me

Summary:
Twin sisters Cassie and Leonora have a difficult past. Trapped and isolated at a Tennessee campground their love for true crime leads them to piece together the truth of what has happened in their present and their past.

Thriller | Mystery | Dual Timelines

My Thoughts:
The beginning of this debut was thrilling and captivating. I loved the connection between Leonora and Cassie and feel like they stayed trued to themselves throughout the whole book. The dual timelines was interesting and it was fun switching between past and present.

Congratulations on your debut novel Marlee Bush.