Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own..
I enjoyed this book for the mystery, intrique and well crafted characters. It takes the reader on a journey that keep you turning pages into the night. I tire of the inheritance stories theme in womens fiction of today but this is quite a different outlandish inheritance turned to mystery that saves the story . I enjoyed the sleuthing and the location of a extravagant beach island home.

Escape Room from hell? I think that’s a good description of this book.

Nina discovers her father has a secret house on the island of Gorda that she inherited after his death. She knew nothing about this house and she was suspicious. When she arrives things are not what she expects. She ends up venturing into the basement where a deadly escape room awaits.

I have to say when I went into this I wasn’t expecting the story to go in the direction that it did. I didn’t mind it though, it was very fast paced and I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. There are a few characters in this story and it’s interesting to see how they are connected. I would say this is a quick read and definitely a popcorn thriller type read. If you like escape rooms and puzzles you will enjoy this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this unique concept for a mystery thriller. It kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen and how it was all going to connect together. However, I did find it to be a little all over the place. Which I personally just wasn’t able to get past. I liked the dual pov and didn’t object when it became a multi-pov in the second half of the book. What got to me was being confused by the multiple timelines. It might have just been me but I had a slight hard time keeping track of what was going on. Hoping it was all going to get figured out and I just felt the ending was lacking. Didn’t rap up and explain it all to a way I would have liked. Overall still enjoyed and will continue to read more from this author.

This book was fun - it's one of those thrillers that had me hooked because I needed to find out what was going on. There are multiple narrators and they way the characters intersect and come together was interesting and a bit surprising which I loved!

The audio is narrated by the author - Catherine Steadman - who is also an actress so she definitely brought the characters to life and I loved listening to her tell the story. In saying that though, I think this would have benefited from having multiple audio narrators to differentiate the main characters and really give them a unique voice.

Overall it was a fun, fast read and I would definitely recommend it - there are some elements that worked well and some that didn't work, but I do think this is one I will remember a tad more than others due to a few unique "twists" or devices the author used. This one would actually make a really great movie to see the house and all that happens in it on the screen!
Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Random House Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nina has just lost her father and finds out that he had a massive secret. A will executor reaches out to Nina to let her know of this unheard of inheritance, and she finds herself trying to sort through a mix of emotions as she decides what to do about this new home that no one had ever heard of. As Nina tries to piece together the puzzle of unknowns her father left behind, she realizes that nothing is as it seems and begins to question the relationship with the father she thought she knew.

Maria is hired as a nanny for a high end client and sent to a luxurious home in the British Virgin Islands and told to wait for her client to arrive. The instructions are simple, the house is hers until they get there, but there is one room that is off limits. The longer she’s there alone, the more that room seems to call to her.

What does Maria have to do with Nina? Can anyone figure out what’s happening before it’s too late? Read the book to find out.

This book is a fast paced roller coaster of a puzzle that the reader and characters are trying to solve together. It is a very quick read with an intriguing plot, I just wish there had been more character development. It gets to the end with a few twists and turns, but there could be so much more breadth to the story itself. Overall a good read, especially if you're looking for something to read in one sitting.

Wow this book was so good! It was so unique from any thriller I’ve ever read and I loved the escape room-vibes! The fact that it was set on a tropical island was the icing on top. This book had such a thrilling story that I found myself unable to stop reading!

Look in the Mirror is about a two women, Nina and Maria, who through different circumstances and in different timelines find themselves staying at an ultra modern mansion on an island in the British Virgin Isles. Nina’s dad recently passed away and she is surprised by a phone call letting her know about a vacation house her dad owned that seems way out of his budget. Maria is a nanny for wealthy clients and she shows up at the house to take care of a couple of kids but the family never shows.

I absolutely loved the adventure this book took me on. The interweaving storylines of Maria and Nina were so well placed together that they really helped build up the tension of the story. I could not predict a lot of where this story went which led to me frantically turning the pages because I just had to know what was going to happen next.

The setting of this book was probably my favorite part. I love a story where the house is a major feature and I was pleasantly surprised by how important the house was to this story. I loved how unsettling the house was despite (or maybe because of) how modern and rich everything was. The more we learned about the house the more claustrophobic the isolation felt.

Along with getting Maria and Nina’s perspectives we did get the story told from a few side characters as well. It did help to give the story a bigger picture perspective but I don’t know if it was always necessary. I also found parts of the story too unbelievable that it took me out of the story. The pacing builds up to a frenetic pace but then a few over the top things happened that shook me out of that tension.

However, when I look back on the story I did think it was overall a fun time and would make a fantastic movie.

Catherine Steadman has done it again. I was a big fan of The Family Game because of its twisted, out-of-nowhere, bizarre premise, so I was eager to read LOOK IN THE MIRROR. If anything, her latest thriller is twistier, further out-of-nowhere, and more bizarre. It would be fascinating to live in Steadman’s mind for a day. What a strange place it must be.

Summarizing this book is impossible without giving away major plot points. Suffice to say, you won’t see most of it coming, but you sure will enjoy the ride. So much of this book is unexpected. It’s diabolical in its uniqueness and oh, so wickedly evil. Enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

This book was a page turner for me! The thriller equivalent of a fun pop song. Thoroughly entertaining! Thanks so much for this copy!

"Look in the Mirror" offers a promising premise but ultimately falls short. While Steadman’s writing is polished and her characters well-developed, the plot fails to deliver a compelling or original narrative. The mystery unfolds predictably, lacking the suspense and depth that might have elevated the story. The pacing is uneven, with some sections dragging while others rush to conclusions. Readers looking for an engaging thriller might be disappointed, though Steadman’s prose shows potential for future works.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Look In the Mirror by Catherine Steadman is a gripping psychological thriller that follows Nina and Maria, two women whose lives intersect in a luxurious but mysterious vacation home in the British Virgin Islands.

Nina, mourning her father's death, discovers she has inherited a stunning, state-of-the-art house she never knew existed, raising questions about her father's secret life. Meanwhile, Maria, a nanny for the super-rich, finds herself alone in the same house, with a strict rule to avoid the basement. Her curiosity leads her to uncover chilling secrets.

Steadman's writing is sharp and the plot is filled with well-timed twists. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the setting adds to the suspenseful atmosphere. Look In the Mirror is a captivating, edge-of-your-seat read, perfect for fans of psychological thrillers.

Nina still grieving over the loss of her father, discovers that he left her a vacation home in the British Virgin Islands. She had no idea that the house existed until after his death, so she wonders where he dad came up with the money to buy this house. Now, she wonders what else he was hiding from her.
Maria is a nanny for the super-rich. She decides that this will be the last job & then she can retire. When no one shows up at the house, she begins to make herself at home. Then she can't resist the lure of the one room she is not supposed to go into. Can she survive her curiosity?

I really did not like this. I personally felt the premise was as ridiculous and even a wild premise can be great but this was poorly executed. I couldn’t wait for it to end and yet didn’t dnf. I’ll refrain from posting elsewhere but just so bleh

3.5 stars

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝:
✦ escape rooms
✦ secluded island setting
✦ rich people behaving badly
✦ multiple POV

Add this book to your TBR if you're looking for a fast-paced Summer thriller! It really grabbed my attention at the beginning with its unique plot and eerie secluded setting. It slowly lost my interest because it seemed like it was just more of the same, but overall I really enjoyed it.
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The main story centers around two different women. Nina has recently lost her father and inherited his property in the British Virgin Islands. She had no idea this island home even existed so she decides to fly out and try and figure out the mystery of how and why her dad built the house.

Maria is a nanny and agrees to a job to care for the kids of a rich single dad. But when she arrives at the house, the client has been delayed so she gets to take advantage of the amenities of the house until they get there. There's only one area of the house she's not allowed, but her curiosity may end up getting the better of her.
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Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

LOOK IN THE MIRROR was a wild story and fast-paced thriller that bordered on outlandish at times, but was also a lot of fun!

When Nina’s father dies she receives a letter informing her that she’s inherited a stunning home in the British Virgin Islands - a home she didn’t know existed and can’t figure out how her father could afford. Nina makes the trip to the beautiful BVI where of course, nothing is as it seems.

I loved the first half of this one but by the end I lost steam and was left feeling a little underwhelmed. It was the perfect atmospheric thriller to keep my mind occupied on a long drive but it wasn’t the greatest thriller I’ve ever read. Overall, LOOK IN THE MIRROR fit the bill for something fast paced and gripping and I had fun with it but it won’t stick around in my brain for long.

If you liked THE FAMILY GAME by Steadman and/or WHAT HAVE WE DONE by Alex Finlay I think you’ll love this!

This was solid, and is a definite contender for Catherine Steadman's best work yet. It ratchets the tension progressively, and doesn't give away any of its secrets too early. There are plenty of unpredictable moments in it, and I thought the characters were interesting. Atmospheric and clever.

Wow, just wow. Look in the Mirror was a fantastic read that I inhaled, and I would absolutely suggest it to anyone looking for a gripping, keep you on the edge of your seat novel.

Nina's father has passed away, and to her surprise, she inherits a vacation home from him in the British Virgin Islands. The house is huge, and has all of the latest technology. So shes trying to determine how he could afford such a house considering they really did not keep any secrets from each other.

Maria is a nanny going to college, and she gets a gig where the parent and kids dont show up. She makes herself at home, but considers breaking the only rule she was given.

Nina, a British professor, has recently buried her father. While going through his things she finds that he's left her a house in the British Virgin Islands. Having never known about the house, she heads out to see what other secrets she can unearth about her father through the home. Maria, on the other hand has just arrived at the Island, having a contract to nanny for a wealthy family while they vacation on the Island. When the family doesn't show and an electrical malfunction unlocks a secret basement and is thrown into a dangerous game that could cost her, her life.

I can't really get too much into the story without giving away spoilers, but I will say that both Maria and Nina's storylines are intriguing in their own rights, and I really enjoyed the way Steadman was able to connect them. I honestly thought the story would go in a completely different direction and while I didn't dislike the ending, it felt a bit forced and wasn't particularly to my liking.

Overall, Look in the Mirror is a fast-paced thriller, that would be a perfect beach read. Even though I didn't love the ending, I had a hard time putting the book down. Definitely go into the story blind and 3.5 stars rounded up!



Look in the Mirror is out now. Thank you to Ballantine Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my
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I had to sit on this book for several days after reading it. This book centers around a young woman who's brilliant father has passed away. She is in for a shock when she learns she has been willed a home she had no idea existed. What follows is a major plot twist. I give this book 3 stars due to some grammatical errors and because some parts were drawn out. All in all this was a solid read and look forward to seeing what else this author comes up with.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.