Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. Catherine Steadman is an autoread author for me so I was very happy to see this NetGalley approval pop up. This book was a fun ride and I think it’s best to go in not knowing too much. I think readers who enjoyed her previous book, the Family Game, will also enjoy this - while the books are different, both have plot elements that sometimes ask the reader to suspend belief. I very much enjoyed this and look forward to the author’s next book.

My students will love this one, a well written thriller/horror about two women and the house that seems to trap them. Who is controlling the house and why.

Look. I was already a fan of Catherine Steadman. But this book... omg. I think my heart rate *still* hasn't come down?

An incredibly dark, twisty, (did I say dark?) rollercoaster of a novel. Between the interwoven timelines and multiple POVs, between the way the reader and characters are both puzzling out the game in real time, between the foot perfect pacing, this is like the ne plus ultra of thrillers. Like the platonic ideal of a thrilles. Like I should send Catherine Steadman my cardiologist's bill of thriller.

The empty room is still haunting me!

WOAH!!! This book was a major mind freak, totally different than what I was expecting. But in a GOOD way! The book was full of major twists early, quickly dropping you right in the middle of the action.

I have LOVED all Catherine Steadman books, so when the opportunity came to read this one early, I was so excited. She always does a great job drawing the reader in and shocking them with all the twists. This one was especially crazy!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own. This book is out 7/30/2024! Don’t miss it.

Review posted on IG!

I went into this one blind and was absolutely blown away. I thought I'd figured out the twist after only the first few chapters and was prepared to be underwhelmed, but I'm delighted to admit that I was way off with my assumptions. This twisty turny thriller had me glued to my couch and I found myself unable to move until I knew how it ended. It can sometimes come across as a bit messy and disjointed when a story rotates between different narrators, but Look in the Mirror was pleasantly not guilty of this offense. Each character had a clear voice and purpose and their stories ended up folding together neatly. None of them felt forced or extraneous in any way. After reading this, I can proudly say that I'm a changed woman who will definitely think twice before entering places that are off-limits or impulsively pressing mysterious, unlabeled buttons.

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House, & Ballantine Books for the ARC!

This is a PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER among psychological thrillers! Wow! I tore through this from this morning to the early afternoon. There've been some books recently where my eyes kept straying to the bottom right of my iPad to see how far along I was—not so with “Look in the Mirror”. It’s brilliant.

The ever-changing viewpoints start slowly at first, between Nina and María (no Pinta? Lost opportunity there 😄). I have read enough fairytales to know not to go into *the one room off-limits*, especially if it’s located in the freaking BASEMENT, so María’s POV gave me a lot of anxiety. I’d like to think that I would be perfectly content to while away my days in paradise and never give in to that temptation. Would this be a good thriller if María were like me? Nope. You may make your inferences here.

On the other hand, Nina finds out about a Caribbean house she’s just inherited from her father, and it completely blindsides her. She, of course, jumps at the chance to solve the mystery of how he could have concealed this purchase from her, and she promptly flies to the British Virgin Islands. However, as Nina begins some digging, something’s not quite right about all of this.

Then the cryptic messages start appearing. Are they warnings…or threats?


Wooooo, you will be utterly shocked! Steadman had me doing a double take more than a few times in this story. I’ve been waiting for an exciting, original thriller for a little while, and this DELIVERS. Be sure to grab a copy on July 30!

I received an e-copy from NetGalley and Ballantine Books (thank you so much!), and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Nina is shocked to find out her father has left her a beautiful vacation home in paradise—- but this house is not what it looks like!
Maria, a nanny for the rich is at the beautiful home waiting for her clients. Orders are don’t go in the basement—- this room is off limits,—- will curiously kill her? Grab this book to find out!

Thank you to Catherine Steadman, Random House and Ballantine Books for this ARC through NetGalley.

Catherine Steadman is my kind of thriller writer. She does it again with this story by quickly pulling in the reader but giving enough mystery and slow build to keep you on the edge of your seat. I enjoyed the suspense of figuring out how the characters connected and the purpose of the House and connection with Nina’s father. My favorite part was the puzzles that were incorporated into the plot. Not only did they enhance the suspense level at various points in the story, but it was an interesting way to interact with the reader. I found myself trying to solve the riddles and anagrams along with the main character and was truly invested in Nina succeeding. The ending does leave you thinking about today’s world and the implication of how this could happen.

I would definitely recommend this read to anyone that enjoys a good thriller and to fans of authors like Lucy Foley, Lisa Jewell or Mary Kubica. This is a fast paced read that will draw you right in. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

This was such an interesting read! "Look in the Mirror" is definitely a captivating read that kept me on the edge of my seat with its thrilling plot and well-crafted locked room mystery.

While some twists may be predictable and a few elements seem a bit far-fetched, the book still delivers plenty of excitement and suspense. As you delve deeper into the story, you'll find yourself engrossed in solving the mystery alongside the characters, who I found to be pretty well crafted as well, eagerly anticipating the outcome.

The plot centers around After Nina's father passes away, she inherits a stunning vacation home in the British Virgin Islands that she never knew existed. As she uncovers the mystery behind her father's secret property, she realizes there may be more hidden secrets waiting to be discovered. Meanwhile, Maria, a former medical student turned nanny, takes on a new assignment that she hopes will provide financial security. When her young charges don't show up, Maria decides to explore the house, breaking the rule of avoiding the basement. Her curiosity leads to regret and concerns about getting paid.

Despite some missed opportunities for further development, though, this book remains a compelling read that is definitely worth picking up.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Look in the Mirror is classic Steadman - in that it’s excellent, and also twisted AF. I really enjoyed it, although there were some super bizarre moments. I

This book started off so creepy and scary. I read the first 20% in two hours with a pit in my stomach, I thought for sure it was going to be a be favorite. I was sadly disappointed. I didn’t enjoy the chapters from anyone else over than Nina and Maria. I was so sad when Maria died, she was my favorite. I didn’t enjoy the games or that they are an escape room. That seemed lazy to me. I also hated the ending. Everything was too wrapped up in a bow. It would have been better if the person in charge has been her mother and she was crazy. Oh well.

What a cleverly written, mind blowing read!!! This faced paced, multiple point of view book will keep you on your toes. As soon as I saw that amazing cover and the title Look In The Mirror, I knew I had to read this book. This one has it all clever storytelling, hard to put down, a suspenseful plot, fast paced and makes for a great vacation read. I’ve never read Catherine Steadman before but I’ll definitely be adding her books to my TBR list.

Well holy cow! What did I just read - was exactly my reaction as I turned the last page of this very unexpected story. I have been a fan of this author from her very first book and this one just blew my mind. Poor Nina! To lose her father and then go through what she went through - thinking she was learning something she never knew about him. Well she was, just nothing that she imagined, I’m guessing.

I have a feeling this one will stay in my mind for a very long time. And probably make me highly suspicious of vacation rentals for a very long time too.

I recommend this book to lovers of suspense, and locked room adventures. It was kind of delicious!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced readers copy. All opinions are my own

this book was enjoyable. I enjoyed Maria’s povs but I appreciated the alternating povs. This was a short read and the chapters were fast paced. Really easy to get through and the concept was really fun! I had anxiety the whole time which I guess makes sense with this thriller/horror thing going on. I feel like a lot of stuff got left un explained and it got a little hard to believe at some points. Overall an enjoyable read.

This book was beautifully written. The way it was worded was an art form. It showed more depth than a lot of psychological thrillers do nowadays. The content and the plot was extremely unique to the psychological thriller genre as well. I’ve always been impressed by Catherine Steadman’s novels. Her voice is one of my favorites because she sounds well educated and writes with such style. She sounds as if she is writing from the old world in a modern way. 5 Stars!

This book is a good one! It drew you in from the beginning and the storyline made me binge read. The two story lines don’t seem connected at first but eventually all come together into a twisty, suspenseful, slightly predictable ending. If you are looking for an easy beach read-this is it. You will not be disappointed.

Where to start. This is my second Catherine Steadman book (I read Something in the Water a few years back). I expected leaps and turns, as Steadman has demonstrated in the past and boy did this book deliver. It wasn't enough for me., though. Firstly, I had a very difficult time imagining the scenery. The main character, Nina, from London, loses her father, as an only child, being raised by him, is cause for some serious grieving. Nina learns he's left her a house in the BVI. While it's all strange to Nina how her father had this piece of property without her knowing, Steadman does dive in deeply in the relationship Nina had with her father, helping us to understand the background. We learn very little about Nina in the first half of the book.

Did I mention there are altering points of view? Meet Maria, who is a medical student, turned Nanny, primarily seeking to earn a lot of money to pay off loans and live a life she's dreamed of. With trauma in her background, entering into the states seeking asylum, she's endured a life's worth of challenges. Nina arrives to this house, where the single father and children never show. Steadman has you guessing from the very beginning, who are these people? Who is Maria? How does this relate to Nina?

The alternating points of view primarily caught my attention. The deeper we got into the story the more the house and what was happening lacked in detail. It was really difficult to understand what was happening in the house or why. It was hard to picture Maria's story and to connect the dots to Nina.

Thus allowing it difficult to be "Team Nina." Nina is a genius and no question, she knew her father, but Steadman gave us zero inside to who she was as an individual, other than an old lady professor. The character development and depth of detail lacked entirely in this book.

I hated the ending. It was all over the place and seemed a little far fetched. The writing is disorganized. It felt as though Steadman rushed to complete the end without going back and really reviewing what she put down on paper.

Overall, a 2.5 from me.

I loved the initial suspense and action and had to know what was going on! I can't say a whole ton about it because I don't want to spoil it for anyone. I loved the aspect of a locked room and mysterious inheritance. This story had such a strong start, but did fall a bit flat for me in the end and I had some unanswered threads lingering. It was a fun quick read thriller, overall.

3.5 rounded up to 4 for this review

When Nina’s father passes away, she is left bereft. She has no other family, no relationship, and not a lot of friends. When word comes that her father (a man of mediocre wealth) has left her a home in the British Virgin Islands, she is shocked. Does she even know her father at all? When she arrives and things seem weirder and weirder, she questions everything she ever knew about her father. As we see another POV from Maria, a nanny at the same house prior to Nina’s arrival, we begin to assume that things in the house are very nefarious.
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💭Thoughts💭
I’m becoming such a fan of Steadman’s books. Her way of writing in such a way that you have no clue what could happen next is so superior to other authors that are in this same genre. While I definitely preferred the Family Game to this novel, I did really enjoy it and found myself shocked at every twist.
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
The description of all the rooms and the thought behind all of the games was really cool. I wish we had gotten glimpses of Maria’s game as well, but I understand why the author wanted the element of surprise.
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Brush up on your puzzles and mind games! Play sudoku, chess, word scrambles, and more. Maybe then you have a chance of passing the rooms.

I could not put this book down! The story took some twists and turns that I really was not expecting and kept me on the edge of my seat. Which is hard to do nowadays as it has been difficult for me to find a unique thriller.

I did have some questions after reading, however. I didn't truly understand WHY Nina's father created the house. There was a bit of a disconnect there that could be flushed out. Additionally, the chapters covering the chess room and the room with the hot coals both felt rushes in comparison to the chapters covering the other escape rooms. I really don't think I understand what happened in the chess room. And the hot coals room was rushed, although it ultimately didn't seem to matter because Nina escaped soon after. Was there any significance to the wooden door? Or was it a red hearing? Perhaps it wasn't necessary?

The relationship between Nina and Joe also happened very quickly. We get a lot of character development for Nina but almost none for Joe - we get his "history." But the development of the relationship itself was also rushed and a little unbelievable. Joe had just met Nina, had one sort-of date, and then suddenly was willing to rush into the house and save her. Then she accidentally stabs him. But they still end up married in witness protection? They were practically strangers.

Thank you to Catherine Steadman, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for granting me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.