Nope. This wasn't it.

My hopes were up after liking The Family Game but this book had the most up and down pacing I could not believe this was hot off the press from an editor. Interesting idea, but yikes- needed some cleaning up.

This is premature (obviously) as I'm only about 20% through, but WOW. I'm already so invested and impressed; what a cool set-up. Steadman toys with old tropes in new and exciting ways. I can't wait to finish this! And see what she comes up with next.

OMG this book!!! I read it ONE afternoon, it was that good and I couldn't put it down! I didn't know what was going to happen next, I was invested!! This story is told in alternating views from Nina and Maria. How do they know each other? How are their stories related?
Maria comes to a secluded island home to nanny for a couple of children but when she gets there, no one is home. So she waits. And then wow! Meanwhile Nina is dealing with the death of her father when she learns he has left her a beautiful island home she never knew anything about. Curious as to how and why he has this place, she travels to see it for herself. And then wow!!
Do yourself a favor and read this!

This book kept me invested from the beginning. Arriving at a secluded location to care for a families children, but soon to find out there are no children or anyone else!
What transpires next is a maze between horror and reality. Will she risk going into the off limits basement to gain her freedom?
Engrossing read.

Look in the Mirror is such a puzzle of a thriller! Nina's father
dies and leaves her a gorgeous property on a far-away tropical
island. She had no idea he owned such a house and can't
imagine how he afforded it. When she travels there to find out
more information, Nina finds herself in an even bigger mystery
Meanwhile, Maria, a nanny to the uber rich, is stuck in a
beautiful house all alone. Her family for this assignment has
never shown up. And there is that curious locked room she's
sworn to never step foot inside. Both women end up in a live or
die situation, playing a game they never signed up for.
I raced through this one! Yes, the reader must suspend their
disbelief, but I had no issue with that, as I was promptly drawn
into this story and its puzzles. If you're a fan of escape room
type games, this one is for you!

Catherine Steadman always manages to keep me guessing and this book is no exception. A daring thriller; her newest kept me on the edge of my seat!

A twisted game of cat a mouse, for the life of me I couldn't figure out what was going to happen next. Even at the very end I was floored when I heard what was happening! This is a must add to your summer TBR list; fantastic!

Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! This book is crazy. Heart bumping, fast moving, never letting up crazy! Wow! Just wow!
The book starts with two very separate characters, Maria and Nina. There is a house that seems similar? Maybe? Maybe not.
This book…I first felt like someone was following me..you knows that creepy feeling you get? When that ended, I literally could not catch my breath and it didn’t let up. To top it all off..I never saw the ending coming.

You are in for a ride! This is a true thriller.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR by Catherine Steadman
⭐️ rating: 5/10

read if you like:
📍British Virgin Islands
🔥 slow burn mysteries
🚻 escape rooms
🏝️ Survivor

summary:
This book is about Nina, whose father has recently died and left her with a three-bedroom estate in the British Virgin Islands. Nina, who was close to her father and is still struggling with his death, had no idea the property existed, and she heads down to the island to understand what he left her and more importantly, why did she never know about it? It also follows Maria, a medical student and nanny, who takes a two week assignment at the house, only to find out the family will never show up. She’s given one rule — not to go into the locked door in the basement. Naturally, she’s curious.

The best way I can describe this book — it is weird. It’s a cross between an escape room and a game of survivor, and at least for me, very hard to follow without some sort of visual of the house. The author does a nice job of explaining it, but it’s challenging going back and forth between Maria and Nina and getting a clear understanding of where they both are in the building. Both of them feel like they’re in a bit of a fever dream, and it drags on for the majority of the book without much progress made. The story is also unrealistic at many moments, which is fine if you aren’t looking for something based in reality.

I wish I could say I got into this, but I really wanted to like it as much as SOMETHING IN THE WATER and just couldn’t. Thanks to Random House Publishing and Net Galley for the advanced copy. This book will be officially released on July 30!

Great plot and storyline I enjoyed it! It was a page-turner and kept you wanting more and wanting to read more from the author! Addictive, thrilling, intoxicating.

I loved this book. The creep factor was sky high and the plot was so original. What was also significant was that there is are also ethical and philosophical questions embedded within the novel. It is a joy to read a novel that not only is super engaging and entertaining, but satisfies your intellectual curiosity as well.

Nina’s father just passed away. It was always just the two of them. Now alone in this world, she’s wrapping up the final stages of settling his estate. After opening a letter, Nina is stunned to learn her father owned a home in the British Virgin Islands. That home is now hers!
And she thought she knew everything about her father. But when did he buy this property? And why didn’t he ever tell her. Now Nina is south bound to lay eyes on this mystery property, hoping to find some answers.

Maria has a rather lucrative enterprise. She takes on short term contracts as a nanny for the ultra-wealthy around the world. Just a few more gigs and she can live comfortably in New City and begin medical school that was previously out of reach.
Her latest assignment is for a father of two small children. But upon arriving at the secluded estate the man and his kids are nowhere to be found.
All she has is a contact phone number and a large list of rules.

So how do these two storylines intersect? Never in a million years could I guess how this storyline was going to play out. And I’ll just bet most readers will also be as shocked as I was!

An extremely fast-paced thriller that I flew through in only a few sittings. I was all but obsessed with discovering how this was going to end.

If you enjoyed the previous book, The Family Game by this talented author then you are in for a treat!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine

I love all of Catherine Steadman's books. She is an automatic read for me. I flew through this book in less than 24 hours. It really held my attention. This one was a very unique concept compared to other thrillers I have read recently. It was a very wild twisted ride. The ending was very abrupt and I would have liked more clarification on the games for it to be a 5 star for me like her other books. I enjoyed the alternating chapters between the different characters. Especially, Maria and Joong-Gi. I would recommend this book for sure if you enjoy a fast paced thriller !


Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for my digital

This book was not exactly what I thought. Most will love it, I felt it was a little more horror than I first believed. The pacing was a little slow to build, although the plot itself was interesting and took many turns along the way.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“Look in the Mirror” by Catherine Steadman is a mystery/thriller. This book mainly follows two women - Maria and Nina, who don’t know each other and seemingly are not connected to each other. This book was different from what I was expecting - but I’m not quite sure what I was expecting. The explanations are a bit out there but I did enjoy the locked room concept. I’ve rounded this book up to 4 stars as it did hold my interest - even if I felt let down by the rushed ending.

SYNOPSIS
- Nina’s father recently passed away. She is informed that she has inherited a house in the British Virgin Islands, and she had no idea that her father owned said property. She travels there, and she discovers it is a luxurious, state-of-the-art, smart home on a secluded island.
- Maria is a nanny for wealthy families. For her latest assignment, she is sent to a coastal estate. When she arrives, the family doesn’t show. She continues to stay, and she hopes they show up & that she will be paid. She is told that the only rule is she should not go in the room in the basement.

MY THOUGHTS
- Fast-paced.
- Multiple POVs.
- Hard to say much about the plot because I don’t want to give it away.
- Unique premise.
- Enjoyed Maria’s character the most. She was fun to root for! She was scrappy and smart.
- Overall, enjoyable read. Some aspects were very far-fetched & ending was rushed. Also, it takes bit to piece together what is going on.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️fast-paced thriller with multiple POVs. pretty far-fetched & ending a bit rushed.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchanges for an honest review. This book will be published on July 30, 2024.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR
Catherine Steadman

I'm not sure why this is called LOOK IN THE MIRROR. Perhaps it hasn't dawned on me yet.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR by Catherine Steadman stars Maria. Maria is a nanny who usually works for very wealthy clients. She often gets to travel to exotic locations and mind the children of some of the richest families.

She receives a curious job offer to sit in a house with no children and just a mysterious handler to get her information. She doesn't know a lot but she does know she is not allowed in the room at the end of the hall. Which makes it the only room she wants to go into.

Nina’s father just died and in his will he leaves her a vacation home that she has never known him to own during her life. When she arrives she finds that her father must've been a lot wealthier than she knew.

The house is luxurious and extravagant and much beyond anything she could've imagined him owning in his lifetime.

How these two women are connected and the story of the mystery surrounding the house is the plot of Catherine Staedman's latest thriller, LOOK IN THE MIRROR.

This is not my first reading experience with Catherine Staedman. I've read a few of her thrillers and I have really enjoyed her more recent ones lately.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR is quick and fast-paced. There are twists around every corner. Just when I thought I had some part of the maze figured out, a hole would appear and I'd be dropped into a new maze with a completely different set of restrictions and barriers.

It was a lot of fun trying to figure it all out!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the advanced copy and the opportunity to provide feedback!

LOOK IN THE MIRROR…⭐⭐⭐

✨book review✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thanks NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Catherine Steadman for the AEC of Look In the Mirror!

Nina inherits her late father’s house, one she didn’t know existed and which was built for games—deadly ones. Only she isn’t the first to enter, and likely wouldn’t be the last. But why was it built for this and did Nina really know her father as well as she thought, leaving her with questions as to whether or not he was capable of building such a monster or who can survive it?

As my first of Steadman’s books, I was eager to dive into this read! It wasn’t quite as fast paced as I would have liked and it didn’t hook me the way most thrillers do.

The plot is twisty with multiple perspectives and timelines, leaving the reader looking for connections and answers. The characters and their stories are developed and interesting, but somewhat confusing in moments. While this is overall well crafted and constructed in a disturbing way, it felt like it was trying too hard to be chillingly disturbing and creepy. The mood didn’t achieve that for me fully, but instead felt a bit forced. I enjoyed the read overall and would recommend it to anyone who would love a slow burning thriller meets Hunger Games!

When Nina’s dad passes away, she discovers that he’s left her a house she didn’t know he had - on an island she doesn’t think he’s ever even been to. When she arrives, there’s a mysterious locked door that no one has been able to access. Meanwhile, Maria finds herself alone in a luxurious vacation home when the family she’s been hired to nanny for never shows up. She’s told that she can enjoy the property at her leisure, as long as she stays away from the locked door in the basement…

It’s hard to say much about this book without giving something away. If you like the kind of stories that present a challenge, with riddles and puzzles and locked doors with secrets behind them, you might like this. I personally found it more stressful than enjoyable, but the story itself was well constructed and unfolded neatly as I tore through the pages to find out what happened next.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Catherine Steadman for an ARC of Look in the Mirror! This was a wild ride - it was a little show at first, but oh did it pick up. Even with the slow burn, it was well worth the journey. My first book of Catherine’s was The Disappearing Act and I remember how much I loved it so once I saw this was coming I had to grab it! I loved the character arcs in this book and the multiple POV’s. There are some parts of the book I had to re-read over and over again to understand - it may be due to it being an ARC or just my brain, but this is well worth the read!

Nina’s father has passed away and she finds out she has just inherited a house in the British Virgin Islands that she has no knowledge of her father ever owning or visiting. It is an absolutely beautiful home - glass, marble, exquisite lines. Not the biggest property, but surely the finest. Nina believed she and her father had the greatest connection and she goes to the house in hopes to learning why he kept this from her and what he is hiding. Maria, who is a nanny for rich clients and a med school drop out, decides to do one more gig so she can get her life in order and maybe to back to med school. The money is great and the homes are spectacular. She goes to her final gig and she keeps waiting for the father and sons to show up, but they seem to be held up somewhere. She decides to take this time to relax and enjoy the amenities. She has only been told one rule: do not go into the basement. She needs this last job so she can resume her life, but curiosity is sometimes stronger than will.

Look in the Mirror opens with a woman who has just lost her dad. I instantly connected with her, because I recently have, too. She then finds out she’s inherited an expensive house in the British Virgin Islands. If I was a little jealous at the nice surprise of that at first, the rest of the novel got rid of that!

I found the initial premise – what can Nina still learn about her dad after his death – fascinating to begin with, but the book had a bunch of twists up its sleeve, so I got to read several other plots, too. It was the best kind of suspense, where I have no sense of where the story will go next.

I imagine at the end of the year I won't be able to remember the plot of this book. But it's exactly what I want to happen when I open a thriller - to be glued to the pages, stay up late to finish, and say 'what was THAT?!'