Overall the story was good. I love a good "rich people problems" story and this one has some super interesting characters that were fun to get to know. Unfortunately the characters weren't used to their full potential and 99% of the story was predictable so it ruined the "mystery/thriller" genre tag that comes with it.
Former reality tv bad girl marries the richest and most eligible bachelor on the market. On the flight home from their honeymoon, there is news the current heiress was found dead and the entire family is being sequestered at the family home in England during the investigation. Who did it? Who inherits the family fortune next? How deep do the secrets go?

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

i was really excited about this one, and there are aspects that worked for me. setting the story in 2004 was a smart move and gave the author a lot more room to sidestep modern conveniences like smart phones that would've rendered the story impossible. i also liked maya as a character and rooted for her to come out on top.

but it wasn't perfect. as with many thrillers, so much of the action is packed into the last 10-15% and the ending feels rushed. there were also some plot holes or plot points that were just way too convenient - thinking specifically about "caro"/arianna somehow being able to pose as a doctor at the mental facility without any money or credentials. that puts it at about a 3.5 for me. still entertaining, though!

Maya, a former reality tv star has married the world’s most eligible bachelor, a Sterling. His family and the world call her a gold digger. When a Sterling cousin is found murdered, it’s revealed the fortune was left to Maya, who has never met the cousin.

The pacing with this one was a bit slow for me at parts, but when it picked up, it really picked up. If you like wealthy dysfunctional families with secrets to be revealed, give this one a try. Honestly I picked it up because I saw the main character was a reality tv character and I love that trope, but that was the past and not much in the current storyline.

“Memory is a house fire, one I shall never leave.”

A Girl Like Us comes out 2/11.

Yes! Finally, a solid 5-star book this year! This one had me hooked with its rags-to-riches MC, who married into an uptight, ultra-rich and mega powerful family with lots of salacious secrets and hidden agenda. The fast-paced setting of this locked room thriller kept me glued to the pages. I loved the feisty and realistic Maya Miller — she’s the kind of badass MC that you love to root for. She’s not perfect but she knows how to get what she wants and she isn’t afraid to fight dirty. I love the whole story, especially the plot twist! It’s the kind of thriller that you wish will be made into a movie. So happy I got to read the arc —-thanks @bookmarked for my early copy.

From the start, A Girl Like Us has a great premise. Newlywed Maya is with her millionaire husband when one of his family is murdered. They immediately jet to England to circle up the wagons with the rest of the family. Is someone in the family the murdered? And what really happened 20 years ago? Maya is set on figuring out both of these questions, but it means ruffling a few feathers.

Overall I liked Maya as a character and was interested in her background. The setting of Silver House was great and wish the house was explored more. I also love that this takes place in 2004. It has a nostalgic feel, and also makes you remember how much simpler life was before the rise of smart phones and constant media access.

That being said, the surprise twists are pretty easy to solve early in the story and were pretty unbelievable. I also understand why baby Becca was a character, but where was she the entire time? It seemed like Becca was only included as a prop for Maya. There were only a couple scenes of Maya and Becca interacting and those were the only ones that even mentioned a baby. Didn’t love that.

A Girl Like Us is a fun read that is easy to digest. It’s a tale of wealth and privilege and shows just how much those can corrupt you. Thank you to Anna Sophia McLoughlin, NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC.

O M G imagine some stranger just gives you all their money and you become suspect number one in her murder investigation!! All the secrets that get uncovered and the twist at the end had me invested from cover to cover

this just keeps getting crazier and crazier. the twists get very peculiar by the end but in general they work well. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

This was an easy mystery with a couple of fun twists! It was maybe 50 pages too long, however. I would definitely read Anna Sophia McLaughlin again.

"Succession meets Saltburn in a crackling locked-room thriller of inconceivable wealth, unchecked power, and the secrets poised to bring a powerful family down.

It's 2004 and former reality TV star and party girl Maya Miller has just married the most eligible bachelor on the planet: Colin Sterling, of the globally famous Sterling family whose history of aristocratic titles and land holdings rival a British royal and whose media empire is comparable to the Murdochs. To some, Maya represents the American dream. To others, a gold digger. But when Colin's cousin Arianna, the heiress to the family's immense fortune, is found murdered, Maya is thrust into the spotlight: first as she is revealed to be the next heiress to the fortune, and then as the prime suspect.

Swiftly, the entire Sterling family goes into lockdown at Silver House, the family's ancestral estate in the English countryside. They're told it's for their own safety - but Maya becomes convinced that it's not to keep threats out, but to keep secrets in. Now, she has no choice but to find and expose the truth hidden within the Sterling family, and why Arianna, a girl she had never met, chose her to take her place. But Maya has secrets of her own. And she knows that in order to survive the Sterlings, she'll have to beat them at their own game."

Always be wary of marrying wealth!

"How could a girl like her become a girl like them? Except more famous and way richer. It seemed to really haunt them."

Maya thought she was her own rags-to-riches story when she went from poor to a reality TV star on a show similar to Jersey Shore. Then she marries into the aristocratic family of Sterlings and finds herself mysteriously named as the next heiress in a Sterling will.

Part mystery and part scathing commentary on the rich lifestyle I was enthralled from the very first page.

I thought this story was just okay. I don't think necessarily it was a bad thing, just not entirely something I find enjoyable. It felt like our main characters kept repeating the same things about themselves and their past. The first three chapters alone could have been combined into one with the repetitiveness that was going on. I do think this would be a great addition for book clubs that look for mystery/thrillers that don't always wrap themselves up in a neat little bow.

3.5 stars! The gorgeous cover and the plot description had me intrigued to find out more about A GIRL LIKE US, and it did not disappoint. When Maya Miller marries Colin Sterling, the most eligible bachelor and member of the infamous, affluent Sterling family, the world can't get enough of their love story. But not everything is what it seems, and as their honeymoon draws to a close, Maya and Colin—and all the Sterlings—are shaken by the murder of Colin's cousin, Arianna, heiress to the family's fortune...who's also named Maya as the next heiress. The entire family soon goes into lockdown at their luxurious estate in the English countryside, where as they're sequestered together, secrets are revealed and lies are unraveled. Can Maya beat the Sterlings at their own game?

This is a twisty thriller about rich people behaving badly, which is always right up my alley! I also enjoyed the 2000s setting and the reality TV angle—main character Maya is a former reality TV star, which added an interesting layer to her character, how she fits in with the Sterling family (or perhaps how she doesn't), and how she navigates different situations within the story. In terms of the overall vibes of the book, I can definitely see the Saltburn and Succession comparisons, but it also reminded me of another book I really enjoyed, STONE COLD FOX by Rachel Koller Croft, with a dash of Gossip Girl in the overall tone/feel! In my opinion, all of this made for a great combination. I did struggle with the pacing a little bit—the beginning had me hooked, but the middle felt a little slower, and then things picked up again by the end, so it was slightly up-and-down in that regard. Still, I would recommend A GIRL LIKE US, particularly for fans of thrillers and/or domestic dramas, as well as fans of reality TV and 2000s settings in books! I would definitely read more from Anna Sophia McLoughlin in the future, too. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.

I had a hard time getting into this book if I am being honest. I was hoping I was going to love it. I may try this book again at a later date.

I thoroughly enjoyed this layered, suspenseful book. It kept me guessing and I loved the atmosphere. I would definitely read more books by Anna Sophia McLoughlin in the future.

3.25 stars

It was alright. I didn't think it was anything like Salt Burn.

While I did enjoy it, I also found it a little bit boring. Especially in the middle. It seemed like it just dragged on and on and was a bit repetitive.

There was nothing wrong with the story itself, I actually enjoyed the mystery and twists, it was just pretty slow moving. Which is okay, sometimes a slow burn is perfect.

Overall, not bad.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This book definitely gave the Saltburn x Succession vibes it promised 100%. The Sterling family is entitled, unlikable, and wild.

I loved the MC Maya so much and she was definitely the highlight of the book. Her rags to riches story really had me rooting for her and she was definitely tough.

The twists in my opinion were predictable but I still really enjoyed the journey even if I figured them out. I loved the setting of Silver House too.

I do get why it was set in the 2000s with the family being media moguls and that not being a thing much now, however I kept forgetting it wasn't modern and references threw me off like talking about a Razr phone. I do wish the author made the year more clear or just set it modern day.

Overall if you want a soapy twisty eat the rich type drama, I definitely recommend this.

This story was so much fun! A thriller with all the lies and secrets you could ever need! I really enjoyed the main character, Maya. Every character was flawed but they all played their parts perfectly to tell this crazy story! The atmosphere of a foreboding mansion, in England where all the characters and their secrets are trapped together! So fun! Definitely a fun thriller to binge!

Good read. The author did a great job building the characters. I did guess sone of the twists before they were revealed but overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

The rich family that makes up the backdrop for the murdered woman is less interesting than the mystery itself - which is why was a previous reality TV star named as an heir by someone she doesn't know.

The 1 percenters are front and center and basically are as unlikeable as what we perceive from TV shows. Then there is Maya, the commoner made good by marrying into a filthy rich family and not entirely welcomed. To make matters worse, she is drawn to her husband's cousin. You know that won't turn out well.

Told in then and now and between a couple of POVs, interest is peaked by the poor little rich girl, Arianna, who is either much maligned or truly troubled. Arianna is now all grown up and is found dead. The secrets start to unravel along with those that held them closely for decades.

Ultimately, well-done for those that enjoy reading about the rich and sometimes famous and the trouble they cause themselves. The twists were enough to keep me reading.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for an early electronic copy. All opinions are my own.

Rich people drama, with a little murder. This had me hooked! I really enjoyed this debut novel from Anna Sophia McLoughlin and I would read from her again. Maya, our main protagonist is a former reality tv star who marries into one of the richest families in the world. The family is hiding some dark secrets that Maya gets wound up in.

I thought I had a few things figured out, but there are some good twists in here that had me second guessing everyone. You can’t trust the super wealthy, they are too good at hiding things…If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller with secrets, lies, and murder then this is for you!

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.