Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley, for the free E-copy for review.

I was on the edge of my seat with Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman. Nina, grappling with the loss of her father, embarks on a quest to uncover potential messages left by him after inheriting a mansion in the Virgin Islands. However, the mansion her father helped build holds unexpected secrets, challenging her perception.

The narrative unfolds into a claustrophobic locked-room scenario that ensnares unsuspecting women in an involuntary game. I couldn’t help but empathize with the protagonist, Nina, as she struggled to free herself from this unsettling predicament. Her tenacity and calm resolve amidst the unnerving game captivated me, and I found myself rooting for her throughout.
With multiple perspectives, the author skillfully weaved in past events to shed light on the unfolding mystery.

The conclusion delivered a shocking twist, revealing the orchestrator behind the escape rooms, while also serving as a poignant reminder of the harsh reality of the darker side of human nature.

Steadman's new book was a twisty, wild ride!

When Nina finds out that her father owned a house in the British Virgin Islands, she is surprised that she never heard of it. It's a beautiful secluded manor with everything paid for. The only catch: there's a locked room that no one can get into.

There's a dual storyline with Maria at the same house and she does get into the locked room.

Nina gets sinister notes and then, finds a way into the room. It's a room of puzzles/Escape rooms. Throughout the whole book, you are wanting to read about WHY this house is the way it is. It makes you want to keep reading and I thought the ending was satisfying. Just suspend reality a little bit though.

Thank you for the copy of Look in the Mirror. Sadly I wasnt a huge fan of this one. It started off strong but then I started losing interest in the story and some parts were just confusing. If you like a good cat and mouse type of book though this one might be the one to go after with all the stuff going on in the basement.

My Honest Review
Look In the Mirror
A Novel
by Catherine Steadman

Look In The Mirror was super enjoyable & entertaining read with bits of horror & a cat n’ mouse vibe. The twists and turns mixed with secrets, lies, & creepy house really keeps you engaged and captivated. This fresh take on a thriller was delightful. Read if you dare.


📚Expected Release July 30, 2024📚
Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books, NetGalley, & the brilliant author Catherine Steadman. I’m super appreciative & gave my honest opinion❤️

Thank you NetGalley for the early release of Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman. I was looking forward to this one but unfortunately it ended up not being for me. I was confused throughout the entire book and felt zero connection to any of the characters. I honestly don’t even really know what I just read….

I love a thriller especially psychological ones but this seemed a bit too action packed for me. Don’t get me wrong I love action in books but this seemed more of a survival book rather than a thriller book. It really didn’t make any sense to me and I’m not completely sure what even happened,,,,this is my first Catherine Steadman book and I want to give her books another chance because I have heard great things but this one just was not for me at all.

This was an entertaining thriller! It was fast-paced and kept me guessing. I came to care about the characters even though the book was mainly plot-driven. It was very mysterious and I was definitely curious to find out what was going on with this mysterious house. The island setting was great for summer too!

Look in the Mirror
By Catherine Steadman

This is the story of Nina Hepworth, a thirty-four year old unmarried British academic who has just lost her father, John, also an academic and a genius. Nina has been raised solely by her father since her mother died young.

In the midst of her grief, Nina finds a letter from a law firm in Roadtown, Tortola, informing her that her father has left her a house and property on the island of Gorda. The problem with this bequest is that Nina had never even known of the property's existence. Thus she sets out to meet with the lawyer, James Booth, in the British Virgin Islands. Thus begins Nina's quest to figure out the mystery involving her father and this property. Little does she know the danger she is walking into.

The story here is suspenseful, but I found it got bogged down with additional story lines and introduced some characters whose place in the storyline was not clearly explained. There were also some deliberate – but obvious – attempts at misdirection that didn't work especially well.

Over all, it was an interesting book and a quick read.

This was definitely a page turner of a book—but it was also incredibly dark, and I felt like it was a bit over the top in its premise. I did enjoy the book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller.

Look In The Mirror by Catherine Steadman was not what I expected I guess I really didn't know what to expect. Even after I finished reading it I was still wondering what I just read. There are many characters in this book and it was very interesting seeing how they all fit together.

Nina is a thirty something women living in London and just lost her father, and finds herself in the British Virgin Islands and learned she just inherited a beautiful home in Gorda. Nina had no idea that her father has this home with all it's state of the art systems, very modern home that is so not her father. One really burning question is how did he pay for such a house. Nina always though she knew her father, now she wonders what else he has kept from her

Maria is a ex medical student who now nannies for the rich. Maria loves the money and the different places her job takes her to. Maria needs to finish this job and then she will be able to move on with her life and not have to worry about anything. Yet all does not go to plan. Maria's family never shows up. As she waits and waits for them Maria makes herself at home. The one thing she should not do is go downstairs.to the basement. Maria kept thinking what will happen if she does? Should she or shouldn't she? At one point Maria feels maybe I should have listened and not go downstairs.

How does Nina and Maria fit together? Why do both houses have so many secrets? How does Joe fit in and then there is Lucinda. There was a huge mystery going on in this novel. One I did not see coming at all. As I stated before I didn't know what I was going to feel about this novel. By the end of the story I was happy I read it . I couldn't put it down. I needed to find out what happened to both Nina and Maria. What was really going on in those houses. Why were Nina and Maria really brought to those houses? This novel keep me questioning everything up until the end.

Thank you NetGalleyand Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for the ARC. Thank you Catherine Steadman for a very exciting read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an advance copy of this book for review.

As someone else previously stated.....Wow! What a ride! This book was enjoyable but it is intense and at times down right scary. This book keeps you constantly guessing and wondering what is real and how things fit together. I found myself reading late into the night as I didn't want to put it down! Highly recommend if you are a fan of thrilling reads that keep you on the edge of our seat!

Super tense, fast paced and awesome. The personal stakes these characters go through is harsh and epic. I loved this book!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is one you won’t be able to put down.

Nina’s father just died and now she has just found out he has a secret house on an island. Going there Nina is not prepared to what she is going to find.

This is a multi POV book that is truly frightening without being a gore filled horror novel.

Nina and Maria must escaped terrifying escape rooms before they are killed. This book is so fast paced and with every turn of the page keeps you going.

There would be some parts of the book where I would gasped out loud. I would want to yell at the characters. This is a must read book for 2024

Pub Date: July 30th, 2024

Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 304
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

Thank you Ballantine Books for providing me a free copy of the book for an honest review.

“Whatever you do, do not go in the basement.”

Maria is a nanny hired to mind the children of a wealthy family at a smart house on a tropical island. She is given the instructions that the door with the blue light is off limits, but she should try to enjoy herself until they arrive. When the family doesn’t show, Maria’s curiosity gets the best of her and she opens the basement door.

Nina’s father just passed away and she is still grieving. When she is told by the solicitor that her father left her a house on an island in his will, she is shocked. She did not know of its existence. Curious, she flies to the British Virgin Islands to check it out. While she finds signs that her father did live there, something is not right about this smart house. Why is the door with the blue light locked?

How do these two women’s stories connect? What is in the basement?

Look in the Mirror is a fast-paced thriller filled with an intriguing game of cat and mouse. I read the first 75% in one sitting and couldn’t wait to get to the reveal. Unfortunately, the twists are ill-constructed and underwhelming. If chapter 50 is meant to be a twist, it just simply does not work. This book has so much potential, but it quickly loses steam due to several plot holes. The first 75% is an easy 5 stars, but the ending just receives a generous 2 stars.

The house is a creepy character and I immensely enjoyed this aspect of the book.

3.5/5 stars rounded down

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of Look in the Mirror in exchange for an honest review.

LOVED this book from the beginning. I was hooked and couldnt wait to see how this played out. Go read this book right now!

This story centers on two women with no obvious connection. One of them is Nina, an academic living in England and grieving the loss of her dad. She lives a quiet and secluded existence, made even more so by the loss of her last living relative. As she gets his affairs in order, she discovers a piece of mail from a company handling her father’s estate that informs her that he had a house in the British Virgin Islands. She finds it bizarre that she has never been told about (or visited) this second home, but once the company tells her the estate will cover her travel to come see the property, she figures she might as well go take a look. The house definitely looks like something her civil engineer dad would design, but how could he afford this? And why did he never mention it or share it with her?

Maria is a New Yorker who has put medical school on hold while she works as a short-term nanny for the ultra-rich until she can make enough to comfortably afford her tuition. Her latest contract is for a father and his two young children. When she arrives to the house in the British Virgin Islands, she is given a long list of rules and a contact phone number for the women who let her into the house. When the family still hasn’t shown up after a few days, she starts to let her guard down, after all, she’s getting paid to stay in a luxury home alone.

So how do these two women’s storylines connect? And what’s really going on in the house? At what point does it go from being a vacation to something more sinister?

I really enjoy Catherine Steadman’s books and this might be my new favorite from her. The alternating narrators and suspense made this a page turner. If you enjoy locked room mysteries and fast paced thrillers, you will thoroughly enjoy this one. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Look in the Mirror is only the second book I’ve read by Steadman but I immediately need to go find her backlist. Addicting and engaging, I found this to be a page turner. I was fascinated by Maria and how she moved throughout the book. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil but let’s just say, I wasn’t ready for some of these twists.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4!

I think what Catherine Steadman does really well is having unique books that subvert my thriller expectations. I can appreciate this because as someone who reads 50+ thrillers a year it makes my experience more enjoyable.

It's so hard to write a review for this book because so much is uncovered and discovered that ultimately the best way to go into this book was to be blind. I had no clue what was happening until the very end and Catherine Steadman had me on the edge of my seat as she transitioned between Nina, Maria (and other) POVs. Like other Catherine Steadman books, this was very well written with decently flushed out characters.

Where this didn't work perfectly for me is that it's not 100% my type of thriller. I like to lean more on the solving murder side, which was really not the objective of this book. Also, I did feel like the ending was a little bit rushed and I'm not sure I understood everyone's motivations. Fun epilogue though!

Thank you to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow! What a ride! This book is intense and at times terrifying. This book keeps you constantly guessing and wondering what is real and how things fit together. The first third of the book is a bit of a slow burn but once it gets going I didn't want to put it down! I would love to see this book made into a movie - it would be awesome. This is one of the most edge of my seat books I have read in a long time. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an advance copy of this book for review.

This was a really good thriller. I didn't fully predict most of the twists, which is always a big win for a thriller. I had absolutely no idea what was going on throughout a lot of the book - but in the best, edge-of-your-seat way not in a this-was-too-confusing-to-be-fun way. Wha an excellent, twisty thriller ride.

I've seen some reviews saying it required a lot of suspension of belief, but I disagree based on sufficient news stories of what we know happens. I can't say more without risking spoilers, but your mileage may vary in this vein.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I inhaled Look in the Mirror and it quickly reminded me that Catherine Steadman is amazing. Immediately after finishing, I searched her bibliography in the hopes there was a title I hadn't read yet. This book has it all - family secrets, strong female survivors, riddles that your life could depend on, lifestyles of the very wealthy and a house with an off limits room that's too intriguing to ignore.