
Member Reviews

A bat-shit crazy, sadistic AF kind of thriller that you do NOT want to miss! Steadman has been knocking them out of the park lately with The Family Game and now this one. Her earlier books were good but nowhere near this new level of mind-blowing greatness. I was certainly not expecting where this story led at all. You will probably be a little confused at first, bouncing back and forth between Nina and Maria's POVs and feeling like things just aren't making sense. This is intentional and it will all become crystal clear to you eventually. My only gripe is that the ending felt cut short. I wanted a little more elaboration on the final moments. This book was pretty damn close to perfection in my opinion. I absolutely loved it and HIGHLY recommend!!
Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

This was a wild ride! I read it in one sitting. One does have to suspend some belief to go along with the story (wouldn’t there be some sign in England that your father owned a home in another country? Taxes, his UK will?) but the story was creepy and a lot of fun. I think what saves the book is that she is a very capable writer and the style is more literary feeling than you get with a lot of thrillers. Everyone feels like real people and the book reads like it’s for adults.
My big question (beyond why some main characters ended up in the US) is what happened to Lucinda’s dog, Penny?
I really enjoyed the book!

I loved The Family Game so I was very excited to get my hands on this. The book did not disappoint. I was on the edge of my seat biting my nails wondering what will happen next.
Nina’s father passed away and she inherited a vacation house from her father. She has to fly to the island to take a look at the house and get it ready to sell. Meanwhile Maria is on the island waiting for her new nanny job to start. I am wondering how these two storylines intersect. Let’s just say it was NOT what I thought. This was original and hard to put down. I suggest you get your hands on this thriller asap.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this advanced readers book.

This is deeply fucking fucked-up. I loved it. Here are some additional words to meet the minimum requirements for this process.

"Look in the Mirror" is compelling and dark. I love the fast-pace of the story, and having no idea of where it was headed. Recommended for readers who love twists and turns and for fans of Catherine Steadman's previous novels. This is a great book to dive into when you have some time because you will not want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the hardest type of ARC to write a review for! Dark, fast paced, unexpected thriller where having NO clue what's going on is why the reading experience is so fun. But it makes it challenging to review because I don't want to give anything away.
I'm a huge Catherine Steadman fan and this book might be my new favorite of hers. I think fans of her previous works - especially The Family Game - will like this one. This is a completely action and plot driven novel so anyone looking for a ton of character development will be disappointed. I found it easy to connect with the characters despite this due to the book being so fast paced and I wanted to find out what the heck was going on!
I think there were some aspects of the plot left a bit unfinished while others also came together too cleanly which prevents me from giving this 5 stars.
Overall, a very fun and unique thriller and just what I needed in my reading slump. Be careful when you start this... I read it in one sitting!

As a child, Nina's father often played puzzle games with her. Now he has passed away, and she learns that he has left her a house in the British Virgin Islands. As the story u folds, the reader learns more and more about puzzles her dad played with her and why he did so. 4 stars.

Alrighty-then! That was different. Pretty dark. Fast paced & intriguing, too. Refreshing to read a differently themed thriller. Not the norm at all. But after reading Steadmsn’s Family Game previously, I’d expect nothing less. And I liked this more, also. Crazy to think this set of circumstances (difficult not to give anything away with this one) is actually plausible & scarily happens. 4 solid stars!!

Grieving the loss of her father, Nina Hepworth struggles to find closure while dealing with his estate. She comes upon a letter addressed to her which gives details of a house in the British Virgin Islands that has been bequeathed to her. Having had no idea that her father owned such a property, she flies to the Caribbean to investigate. Meanwhile, Maria Yossarian a medical student and nanny has landed at the home of her latest job assignment in the BVI and awaits the family’s arrival. She is instructed that she has full run of the property with two exceptions…she cannot leave the property on her own and she is to stay out of the locked room on the ground level of the home. Told in the voices of both Nina and Maria, the novel progresses and it soon becomes apparent that there is something very sinister about the house and in particular ,the locked room. This was an edge of your seat thrill ride that I absolutely could not put down! A 5 star read for me that I highly recommend!

4 stars
After LOVING _The Family Game_, I couldn't wait to get my paws on this newest thriller from Catherine Steadman. It's another banger!
Readers meet Nina, the m.c., when she has just lost her father. Their relationship is extremely close. She's an only child, and her mother died when she was quite young, so the two have really only each other. They strengthen this bond through a lot of hangout time and game playing (the fun kind, not the toxic relationship version). When Nina's father dies, she's alerted to some shocking information: a surprise home he owns, that she's now inheriting, in the BVI.
While Nina and her father are close, she's surprisingly insecure about their relationship and the mysteries surrounding her father when he's gone. Without him there to ask, she has only her own wherewithal to try to get her questions answered, and this is how she ends up in the BVI scouting this surprise new boon.
The events that follow are absolutely wild and very fun to read, and they make for a compelling thriller AND mystery. While there was one element I did not love about the end (keeping it vague so as to avoid spoilers, but it has something to do with Nina's dad's awareness of certain situations before his death and the handling of that), I really enjoyed the pacing and overall concept.
I was a fan of Steadman's upon entry and remain that way upon my triumphant exit from this one. Happy problem solving, Readers!

I was thrilled (pun intended) for a chance to read and review Catherine Steadman’s latest effort, “Look in the Mirror.”
Nina, a prestigious professor, discovers her father has recently passed away and left her a home in the British Virgin Islands. Seeking to know more about her dad, she visits, only to discover one last gift—her father left her a puzzle with potentially dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, the reader is introduced to Maria, a nanny to a wealthy family, who faces her own puzzle with similar lethal outcomes.
Steadman has excellent control of both Nina and Maria and keeps the novel moving at a lively pace. The setting of the island and these spooky houses help heighten the tension. The reader is kept constantly on her toes—especially trying to figure out how Nina and Maria’s stories intertwine (and they do). I wasn’t as thrilled (pun again) with the ending, which wrapped things up in a slightly predictable way. Overall, this is an enjoyable book that will stand out in a very crowd field of thrillers and I recommend it.
My thanks for Catherine Steadman, the publisher, and Net Galley for a chance to read such an intriguing book.

This was the ultimate cat and mouse game. There were so many twists and turns, and nothing was as it seemed. When Nina’s father leaves her an island home, she has no idea what she’s walking into. Was her father brilliant or mad? Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

This thriller drops you right into the action as you follow two different women, Nina and Maria, as they encounter increasingly strange occurrences in a secluded tropical home. Short chapters packed with plot and often ending in cliffhangers make this almost impossible to put down. Very few answers or explanations are given until well after the halfway point, and I honestly enjoyed what a weird, strange ride this was.
Even though the final reveals were a bit convoluted, I felt like this was an author trying something completely new, and overall, this felt like a fresh take on the standard thriller. Also, this feels like a case where you should go ahead and judge this book by its excellent cover. Highly recommend this one when you want a quick and wild read.
Many thanks to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Well, 'Look in the Mirror' is a riveting page-turner with many action-packed chapters that keep your heart in your throat, your nails bitten, and have you jumping in your seat. It presents a perfectly designed locked-room mystery concept, although some of the twists are foreseeable and a few are a bit far-fetched. Nonetheless, it promises a lot of excitement and thrill!
You'll find yourself immediately drawn into the mystery, like a puzzler trying to gather the pieces and guess connections between incidents and characters. You'll be easily hooked, going with the flow, and crossing your fingers for your favorite characters to make it out alive.
The main story centers on two women with no apparent connection. One of them is Nina, a British academic and introvert who lived a secluded life with her father until the age of 34. After her father's recent passing, she discovers he also owned a house in the British Virgin Islands, left to her in his will. Skeptical at first, Nina decides to investigate her father's past and the secrets hidden within the house.
The other character is also named Nina, a medical student who works as a nanny for wealthy families to afford her school expenses. Her latest job takes her to a secluded mansion where she's instructed not to enter the locked basement. However, when the family she's supposed to work for never arrives and an electrical malfunction unlocks the basement, Nina realizes she's in for more than just babysitting duties.
What's the connection between these two women? What's happening in the houses they inhabit? Are they part of a dangerous game, puppet masters, or merely pawns?
Overall, despite some explanations being too far-fetched, I found the creativity in designing the specifics of the escape rooms more original than 'Squid Game,' and I thoroughly enjoyed the wild ride. I would round up my rating from 3.5 to 4 adventurous, heart-throbbing, twisty stars as a fan of the author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for sharing this thrilling book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions."

This is the first book in forever that I have read in one sitting. I kept telling myself "just one more chapter" until the book was done. This novel was truly the definition of un-put-down-able! And although it's only February, I'm going to declare this the best book of 2024. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

#LookInTheMirror #NetGalley
Nina, still grieving from the loss of her father, discovers that she has inherited property in the British Virgin Islands—a vacation home she had no idea existed, until now. The house is extraordinary: state-of-the-art, all glass and marble. How did her sensible father come into enough money for this? Why did he keep it from her? And what else was he hiding? Maria, once an ambitious medical student, is a nanny for the super-rich. The money’s better, and so are the destinations where her work takes her. Just one more gig, and she’ll be set. Finally, she’ll be secure. But when her wards never show, Maria begins to make herself at home, spending her days luxuriating by the pool and in the sauna. There’s just one rule: Don’t go in the basement. That room is off-limits. But her curiosity might just get the better of her. And soon, she’ll wish her only worry was not getting paid.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for giving me an advance copy.

This book begins with two seemingly separate story lines involving two very different young women. The story toggles back and forth between a young nanny and young academic who had just lost her brilliant father. The nanny waits for her new family to arrive in a luxury home in BVI with only one stipulation - DO NOT enter the locked room in the basement. The other young lady finds out her father apparently owned a home in BVI she has never heard about. How do these two stories connect? The truth is horrifying and the ride through the book is full of drama and excitement. The reader does not know who to trust and what is actually happening until the very end of the book. I enjoyed the switching between characters and read the whole thing in a day.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book early!
I've enjoyed other thrillers by Catherine Steadman, and this one was my favorite thus far. The reader is drawn in from the beginning as "Nina," the main character, learns she has inherited an exclusive property in the British Virgin Islands, both constructed and owned by her father. This inheritance comes as a shock to Nina, who experiences ambivalence about visiting the property- sad as she feels her father may have had secrets, but also curious about this mystery house. She was raised to enjoy the challenge of games and puzzles and wants to understand more about her father as well as the house itself.
The chapters initially alternate between Nina and a second protagonist, "Maria," who is a bright young adult making her way in the world as a nanny to the wealthy, as she puts her schooling on hold. She too is a problem solver and has a history of loss and resilience.
There was enough character development of these woman, as well as a supporting character, to make me care about their outcomes, something at times missing in other books of this genre. Concern for the characters added to the tension of this page-turner.
I would have given the book 5 stars had the ending not been wrapped up in way that felt a bit too inconsistent with the characters- and a bit too easy. But I don't want to give any spoilers.
I would highly recommend.

Catherine Steadman simply does not miss.
I love all of her books, and this one might be my favorite. I'm normally not a fan of multiple perspectives, but if anyone can make them work, it's Steadman. Sure enough, somehow she made each narrative equally suspenseful. The start of every chapter felt like a welcome return to a storyline — even if it did steadily raise my heartbeat.
I read a lot of thrillers, but it took me quite some time to understand what was happening. And even then, I still wasn't sure how the book would end. It's unusual to find a new twist to this genre, but again, I'm not surprised Steadman is the author to do that. My only complaint is that I couldn't put the book down and I finished it in a day — and now I probably have to wait a while until her next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this fun thriller! I'm a huge fan of the author, Catherine Steadman.
This book was fun going into without too much information on the plot.
The main character Nina recently lost her father, a brilliant mathematician and civil engineerher. She is notified that her father left her a house in the British Virgin Islands. Desperate for more closure and information on her brilliant father, she travels to see the house before deciding what to do with it. When she gets to the impressive house on a very remote island she starts to realize there is more to the house than she first assumed.
Wirhout giving too much away, the first half of the book was especially fun and exciting to read. It was tricky understanding who to trust and what the purpose and background of the house was. I really enjoyed Nina's character. She was smart, practical, and easy to root for. The other main character Maria was really interesting. She was more driven with instinct than Nina's calm perseverance and intellect
The alternating perspectives kept the plot fast-paced and interesting, especially in the first half.
I think my only complaint is there might have been too many additional narrators as the book went on, especially towards the last quarter of the book. It felt a little convoluted and I wanted a little more but still I overall loved the book. It was a complex and clever thriller and I highly recommend it!