3.5 rounded up for this one. While I found aspects of the book very intriguing, there were parts that moved slowly and I found difficult to get through. The beginning hooked me, the middle nearly lost me, and the end wrapped up pretty nicely.

Reality star Maya has married into a notorious & wealthy family. When one of the family members(the heir no less)is killed, everyone is summoned to their estate. Maya being newly married in is nervous to meet everyone, but curious about what’s going on. When the will is read and Maya has somehow become the beneficiary, tensions become even more high.

Overall I would recommend the read.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC

In this book we have:

✨ class divides

✨ murder

✨ secrets & lies

✨ bullying

✨ twists

✨ power

✨ control

Described as ‘Succession meets Saltburn’ in a crackling locked-room thriller of inconceivable wealth, unchecked power, and the secrets poised to bring a powerful family down,’ A Girl Like Us by Anna Sophia McLoughlin had me turning the pages so fast, my wrist hurt!

Maya Miller wasn’t born into money, a former tv reality star and party gal, she earned her status but was singled out at every turn by others who believed she was a gold-digger. Jealous much?

She marries Colin Sterling, who is sinfully rich and wanted by women, gives him a daughter and the gossip and bad-mouthing starts. The entitlement of others was rife on the pages, with a mix of unlikeable characters who thought they were better than pretty much everyone on the planet. I was shocked and fascinated at the same time!

When Arianna, who is Colin’s cousin, is murdered and Maya becomes the sole heir – confusion and questions ensue… and fingers begin to point. You see, Maya had never met Arianna and the jealous Sterling’s lock everyone down in the house for ‘safety’… while the finger of suspicion points at Maya. But the Sterling’s have secrets of their own and our gal Maya isn’t going to rest until she gets some answers.

Would I recommend this book? XO XO gossip girl says YES! A slow burn suspense thriller which delves into a side of life I will (gladly) never know. Unlikeable characters, some unsavoury but delicious twists – this book had me hooked!

I only got about 15% in before I decided to DNF it because of the writing style, but think it could be a great read for folks who love rich people behaving badly plots. A lot of showing, not telling, in the character development is important to me, and I felt like I was getting infodumped by the author to be introduced to the characters.

I knew Anna Sophia McLoughlin's A Girl Like Us would be an epic and wild read when it was described as "Succession meets Saltburn." I definitely wasn't disappointed with this comparison. This book is full of scheming and secrets and will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire book.

Maya Miller has married Colin Sterling. The Sterlings rival royalty and have all the drama one could want in a fictional family. Maya is placed in the spotlight when the heiress to Sterling fortune is found murdered and it's revealed that Maya is now the heiress. A lockdown is put into place and as the family and Maya try to solve this crime, secrets are tested and it's definitely not one for all; it's only one will win.

I loved watching Maya hold her own ground against the Sterlings and this book definitely held my interest. I can't wait to see what Anna writes next after reading this soapy, scheming novel! Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the e-ARC!

Maya is a reality tv star that marries into an ultra rich family. When the heiress Arianna of the family dies, they all travel back to the manor in England. Maya finds out she was named the new heiress even though she'd never met Arianna.

This book drew me in from the beginning and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I was consistently wanting to know what happened next and delighted at all the twists and turns along the way.

Tropes
* Ultra Rich
* Twists and turns
* Inheritance Drama
* Love Triangles
* Fish out of water

4.5 stars

When reality TV princess Maya “Mayhem” Miller marries Colin Sterling, the most eligible bachelor and member of the infamous, ultra-wealthy Sterling family, everyone’s eyes are on what seems like a fairy tale romance. But not everyone is thrilled about this IT couple. As the wedding and honeymoon come to an end, the Sterling family is rocked by the murder of Colin’s cousin Arianna, heir to the Sterling & Co. wealth and power.

All family members are taken to their safe house compound where dark secrets are revealed as each and every primary family member seems to have a motive and desire to take over Sterling &Co.

This is a twisty story mirroring Succession meets a 20/20 episode that will keep you hooked from beginning to end. Rating of 3.5 rounded up to a 4-star rating.

Thank you for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review @netgalley and Sourcebooks.

A Girl Like Us by @annasophiamcloughlin gives all the early 2000s throwbacks mixed with some deep dark scandalous secrets! Make sure you check it out February!

Former reality TV star Maya has recently married Collin, a handsome and wealthy heir to the powerful Sterling family. After returning from their honeymoon with their infant daughter, Maya and Collin arrive in New York to devastating news: Collin's cousin and Sterling heir, Arianna, has been murdered. As a result, the entire Sterling family is ordered to travel to the family estate, Silver House, in England until the killer is apprehended. Tensions run high as Maya, already dismissed by Collin’s family as a gold-digger, is excluded from family meetings. However, things take a shocking turn when Arianna's will is read, naming Maya—who Arianna supposedly never met—as the new heir to SterlingCo. With suspicions mounting and danger looming, Maya realizes that she may not be safe at Silver House.

I really wanted to love this book, but it left me wanting more. The writing felt awkward, disjointed, and repetitive. The storyline, though intriguing, ended up being predictable and a bit lackluster. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Maya keeps waking from this awful dream, the one with the paparazzi and the kiss.”
Here are reasons to read the Thriller book:

Marriage - Maya has just married into the rich and formidable Sterling family
Family Mansion - On her honeymoon, she learns that the family’s heiress has died, and they are whisked away to the family mansion in England
Inheritance - Once there, during the will reading, Maya finds out that she is now set to inherit it all
Why? - But the real question is, why has someone she has never met left the family money to someone who isn’t a Sterling?

This thriller is very twisty, but also it’s a slow burn. As such it is one of those that pays off when you get to the end, but you probably will figure out where it’s going along the way. Maya is a smart main character, and while she inherently is a very morally grey character, she navigates through the clues adeptly. You also switch between another character in the past to explain what is happening in the present. Overall, I enjoyed this book.

Good premise, easy to follow with good twists and surprises. I enjoyed the early 2000's setting and the tie in with early reality tv, and the setting of English countryside estate. This was decent thriller/mystery and would read more from this author would recommend for sure 3/3.5 stars. I want to thank NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Maya hasn't seen much of her husband's wealthy family since her marriage. When heiress to the family fortune, Arianna, passes away, Maya and Colin are summoned to the family estate immediately for their safety. While there, it is revealed that Maya was listed in Arianna's will as her successor. Maya is shocked - she's never even met Arianna before.

As the tale was spun and secrets revealed, I found myself hooked to the story. It was a bit slower moving than I am used to in my thrillers but I loved hearing about how the rich folk live and seeing the way Maya had to adjust. There were quite a few twists thrown in which I appreciated. Overall this was a solid debut from an author I look forward to reading more by.

Silver always wins - or does it? Maya comes from a grueling childhood and successfully climbs the social ladder and marries into one of the wealthiest families in the world. Old money always comes with old secrets - and Maya is determined to uncover these secrets and protect her new status. A solid read that kept me engaged throughout, but didn't wow me.

I was so allured by this premise, and I think fans of soapy dramas will absolutely love it! For some reason, the writing style from Maya's perspective was a little clunky for me to read, and I personally don't love when chapters or sections frequently end with phrases like "it was as if he knew the secret that could pull us apart..." or "if only they knew what was about to happen." I think that's a personal preference, because plenty of people love this one, but it feels like overly obvious foreshadowing to me. Very "dun dun duuuuuun!" But again, I think a lot of people enjoy that, so if that doesn't bug you, you should definitely pick this one up!

McLoughlin may have tapped into the formula for a perfect script for Nicole Kidman's next Netflix series.

A page turner! Easy to follow and not confusing at all. The plot twists were great !
I wish there was more to Caro’s story….. unless there’s a second book? Then I would definitely read it!

Ohh this book was a sneaky bitch. At first I thought it was going to be something along the lines of the last mrs. parrish or the perfect marriage (both serviceable mystery/thrillers but bonkers in a bad way) but honestly, A Girl Like Us surprised me.

Yes, she's bonkers, but in a GOOD way. McLoughlin executes her story with finesse, and honestly, there were about three twists that left me going WHAT!? which has not happened in a book like this in a long time. It does start out in a meandering sort of way, a way that makes you think you know exactly how everything is going to play out. McLoughlin even falls prey to what I think many mystery/thriller authors are falling prey to these days (something that editors really should have a better eye on) in that she mentions one possibly inciting incident, an incident that casts THE MOST suspicion on our FMC, so. many. times. that it gets repetitive and is telegraphing to the reader that The Thing is bad and will turn out badly for the FMC so don't trust her! But the narrative actually overcomes this ~issue~ and rises above.

I know this book is described as Succession meets Saltburn, but I don't quite get the allusion to the latter, except to make it seem extremely salacious. Which, don't get me wrong, there are secrets upon secrets, but its not the right comparison to me. Comparing it to Succession, however, is a much closer comp.

This book is fun and twisted and crazy in that good way that is truly satisfying.

Twisty but at times far fetched. Rooted for the FMC however at times she made head scratching decisions.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was intriguing and intense. When I started reading it, I wanted to be engulfed in the story, and for the most part, I was. When it neared the climax. I was so lost in trying to figure out who was who and what was what that I couldn't focus on the story and what was happening in the book. Who was Arianna, Jess, Harry, etc.? I still feel like there are so many multiple, who is it questions that I got lost reading the story.

I didn't hate it I actually enjoyed where the author intended to go with the story just felt like it was too much happening and a long drawn out confusing last part of the book.

DNF @30%
I wanted to love this book,it sounded so good, but the writing style isn"t for me it drove me crazy.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved being able to see Arianna’s POV to see the fall from grace. I wish the pacing at the end was quicker, but I’d definitely recommend this read if you like mystery/thrillers!