If you like reading about super rich peoples’ lives with all their greed, secrets and lies, then this book is for you. I loved Maya’s character. I felt bad about her baby that seemed to not exist once they arrived at the Sterling family estate, Silver House. I was often wondering, who’s taking care of the baby, although they do have a string of nannies at hand.

The story kept moving enough to keep me entertained. I laughed out loud a few times along the way. Overall enjoyable story with some twists and turns and the ending answered the rest of my remaining questions.

The narrator, Allyson Morgan did an outstanding job bringing these characters to life

Thank you NetGalley, the author, Anna Sophia McLoughlin and RB Media for my advance copy of this audiobook.

I absolutely loved this! Its like a dark Bravo show! The characters are amazing and the writing was on point. With all the twists , I did not see any of them coming! If I could pick anything I've read this year to make into a movie or mini series this would be the one. This is the book I would recommend to some one to dip their toes into a thriller/mystery. 1000000000% Recommend!

Synopsis
In 2004, Maya Miller, a former reality TV star and socialite, just tied the knot with the world's most sought-after bachelor, Colin Sterling. Colin hails from the illustrious Sterling family, known for their aristocratic lineage and vast land holdings that rival those of British royalty, along with a media empire that stands alongside the Murdochs. To many, Maya embodies the American dream, while others view her as a gold digger. However, when Colin's cousin Arianna, the heiress to the family's vast wealth, is discovered murdered, Maya finds herself in the limelight: first as the new heiress to the fortune, and then as the main suspect. In no time, the entire Sterling family retreats to their ancestral home, Silver House, nestled in the English countryside. They claim it's for their protection, but Maya suspects it's more about keeping secrets contained than safeguarding against threats. With no other option, she sets out to uncover the hidden truths within the Sterling family and to understand why Arianna, a girl she never met, chose her as her successor. Yet, Maya harbors her own secrets, and she realizes that to navigate the treacherous waters of the Sterling family, she must outsmart them at their own game.

My Thoughts
I listened to the audio version, and I have to say, Allyson Morgan nailed the narration! This book hit the marks for a modern Mystery & Thriller. The dual viewpoints of the two main female characters really added layers, giving us both their backstories and showing how their lives intertwined. McLoughlin did a good job with Maya’s character, letting us witness her transformation beyond her chaotic life. This family thriller was a wild ride! With all the lies, secrets, and family drama, I was constantly questioning who could be trusted and who was the most suspicious.

Thank You @Netgalley and @RBMedia for allowing me to listen to this ALC.

Overall, not a terrible listen.
Flashback to 2004 where former reality tv star Maya Miller has just married rich, eligible bachelor Colin Sterling. Running from her own secrets and past life she has no idea what is in store for her.

The story itself is a fantastical, twisty dramatic tale of an elite family and all of their deepest secrets threatening to take hold. I feel like it was an excellent, gripping read.
The characters, however, i felt could of been more flushed out. All these people introduced and other than the direct characters involved I feel like our secondary characters could of been used more and our main characters could of been i don't know? More.
My main issue with Maya: girl a lot of the answers were spelled out in front of you and things were directly told to you and you still needed your hand held. There were countless times where I audibly said, "girl are you dumb??".
There were other details laid into the story that I felt something could of been done with. For example, a detail given to us over and over again was how Helen would wait and watch everyone eat first before she ate. Why? We were only told in case of poisoning. Okayyy well has that happened before? If so, go into that. If not, then use it in the story itself. Poison someone via food. Maya ended up being everyone's number #1 enemy so raise the stakes and make it risky.

Overall, it wasn't terrible. A good twisty, gripping whodunit staged around a dramatic, elite family.
If you're a fan of say Knives Out and Agatha Christie this would be a good example of a mixture between the two.
The narrator, Allyson Morgan, was fantastic! Her narration was efficient in bringing Maya to life and multiple other characters introduced in the story and was flawless and making them actually feel different.

Thank you to RGmedia and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this as an audiobook and to Allyson Morgan for the awesome narration! I would recommend this book to my fellow readers and reviewers!
Originally Published: March 11th, 2025

This was an enjoyable listen. The plot and the writing was good, narration was nice. I especially liked the ending.

DNF at 43%. Succession meets Saltburn is a helluva pitch, but I was truly so bored. Many a thriller makes this mistake for me - it thinks it has more compelling characters than it actually has and gives me way too much backstory and way too much down time with the MC. Based on what other readers are saying, this story doesn’t really take off til the last third, and it’s not worth it to me to get there. I think I’d be a big fan of more thriller novellas that know what they are (see Victorian Psycho and Guillotine).

The bit in the synopsis about the will - doesn’t happen until a full third into the book. Before that the MC is just … there - confused and scorned. There isn’t enough to warrant a full novel here.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC of A Girl Like Us.

I really struggled to get through this one. I’m not sure if it just wasn’t the right book for me or if it simply didn’t land as intended. The characters weren’t particularly likable, and the twists never quite delivered. For most of the story, it felt like not much was happening to drive the plot forward.

The premise was intriguing, and the setting had a lot of potential, but there wasn’t enough payoff to make it truly engaging. The writing itself was solid—I just wish it had given me a bit more!

Definite 4 star read. I agree with some other reviewers that it gives Inheritance Game vibes, but it’s older and darker. I loved to hate the characters! It was a really good quick listen and I highly recommend it to all.

Thanks to RBmedia and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the story and with some unpredictable twists that made the book interesting.
The narrator did an excellent job in making the characters feel alive.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher RBmedia.

I recently finished A Girl Like Us by Anna Sophia McLoughlin, narrated by Allyson Morgan (who did a fantastic job bringing the story to life). Huge thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy!

The story follows Maya Miller—a former party girl and breakout star from a reality TV show reminiscent of The Real World, Jersey Shore, or Big Brother. Now, she’s a wife and new mom, married to Colin, one of the world’s most eligible bachelors. But life in the spotlight isn’t as glamorous as it seems. When Colin’s cousin Arianna—the heiress to the family’s powerful media empire—is murdered, Maya is thrust into a high-society mystery where secrets run deep and trust is a luxury she can’t afford.

Set in mid-2000s Britain, this novel delivers a gripping blend of a whodunit and an is-anyone-safe thriller. Maya is the ultimate outsider, constantly questioning: Do they see me as a gold digger? Can I trust anyone in this family? And most importantly—who really killed the heiress?

This book was everything I look for in a modern Mystery & Thriller. The dual perspectives between our two main female characters added depth, offering both backstory and insight into how their lives became entangled. McLoughlin did an outstanding job developing Maya’s character, allowing us to see her growth beyond her wild reality TV past. The mid-2000s setting jumped off the page, making it especially relatable for this millennial, while the family drama and cattiness kept me flipping pages late into the night.

I could absolutely see this being adapted into a movie or TV show—it has all the ingredients for a binge-worthy drama. While some plot twists were more predictable than others (which might just be my Mystery & Thriller veteran instincts kicking in), the story was still engaging and well-paced. I’m definitely guilty of trying to solve the mystery before the reveal rather than just enjoying the ride!

Overall, I’d give this book a solid 4.25 out of 5. It’s a fun, fast-paced thriller with a well-crafted setting and compelling characters, and I’ve already recommended it to a few friends who love this genre as much as I do.

Audiobook/Book Review 💎🔪

thank you so much partner @bookmarked @recordedbooks for the gifted copy + audiobook!

A Girl Like Us
by Anna Sophia McLoughlin
Narrated by Allyson Morgan

About the book 👇🏽

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.

💎 My thoughts:

Dysfunctional family, secrets, and a locked room mystery?! Yes, yes, and yes! This was such a fun read/listen.And the audiobook narrator did a wonderful job!! I don’t know about you, but I personally love reading about rich people behaving badly and this story sure does deliver! Towards the end I started to guess some twists but it did not hinder my experience in a negative way because it was still enjoyable. In this story you’ll find family secrets, mystery, and will have you nose deep until the end. Not to mention the cover is absolutely GORGEOUS! You can grab yourself a copy because A Girl Like Us is out NOW!!

Happy reading 📖 🔪💎

"We Sterlings don't like to be kept waiting."

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this Advanced Listener's Copy. This is a very interesting take on the rich family murders. There is a lot of mystery, intrigue and secrets abound in the Sterling clan. The original comparison is Succession and Saltburn - but I'd say that I see more of Knives Out comparison than anything. Everybody is crazy and no one can be trusted here, to be honest. I will say, though, that Gigi is very Venetia a la Saltburn.
I didn't absolutely love it, but that isn't to say somebody else wouldn't. It became a little too repetitious for me with the rich people problems. Cover is gorg though!

This one had an intriguing premise, but the execution didn’t fully live up to its potential. I guessed the final twist pretty early on, which took away some of the suspense, but I still enjoyed the journey. The audiobook narrator did a great job of keeping the story engaging, even when certain parts felt a bit stretched out.
The dual POVs—Maya and Arianna—offered an interesting contrast. While Maya’s storyline had its moments, it was Arianna’s flashback chapters that really stood out. Her slow unraveling and struggles with mental health added depth to the story, making those sections the most compelling. Though not the most unpredictable thriller, it had enough intrigue to keep me listening.

There were times this was incredibly slow. I found the majority of the characters to be unlikable, with the exception of the baby. One thing that drove me crazy was the lack of attention to the child - especially when the main character began worrying someone was out to hurt her.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read and review this book!

I’d like to thank RBMedia and NetGalley for a preview of the audiobook, “A Girl Like Us”.

I wish I loved this more but it fell flat for me. Former poor thief child turns reality star turns ultra rich and glamorous wife in the huge family dynasty. Maya Miller isn't my favorite heroine. To be honest, I hated almost every character in this book (with the exception of the two people we see the least, A and J). I found that I cared more about their stories than I did Maya, but the diary entries still left something to be desired.

The baby felt like an afterthought most of the time and I kept forgetting she existed (sorry Becca!).

There were parts of this book that made me feel like it was trying to use vocab words from AP English (if I hear "vociferous" one more time...).

Usually I really enjoy family drama and thrillers, but this one just didn't catch me.

Published March 11, 2025
A Girl Like Us by Anna Sophia McLoughlin Narrated by Allyson Morgan
This book had my attention from the start, packed with rich behaving badly, secrets and so many twists and turns. This book had so much drama and tension that left me hooked listening to it to find out what happens next. Maya Miller, a former reality tv star now Sterling wife, thought that she was going to be living a life of luxury. She was rudely mistaken, Maya walked right into a murder, a family who wanted to see her dead and a fortune she never asked for. The Sterlings were a wild dysfunctional family, I mean unhinged.
The twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat, some I saw coming others my jaw was on the floor. The pacing was perfect and suited the book and storyline well. Maya was built different than most, I would have been out of there SO FAST. Allyson Morgan killed it with the narration. She made it seem so real the way a audiobook lover always wants.

Trigger Warning: Death of family member, arson, murder, infidelity, neglectful parents, institutionalization, incarceration, robbery, thievery, alcohol, sexual content

Thank you Netgalley and RBmedia | Recorded Books for the ALC audiobook. This review is voluntary and all my own words.

A Girl Like Us by Anna Sophia McLoughlin; Narrated by Allyson Morgan
Publication Date: March 11, 2025
Mystery & Thriller

This dysfunctional family thriller was quite a ride. All the lies, secrets, family drama, and scandal had me wondering the whole time who could really be trusted and who was the shadiest of them all.
The narrator did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life; making me love them and hate them at the same time.

4/5 Stars

This book ended up being so much better than I was expecting! I loved every twist and turn.

This book is great for revenge lovers, quiet female rage fans, and anyone who likes a great twisty mystery.

The characters aren’t always exactly lovable, but they are so well written that even when you hate what they are doing and saying you can empathize with the decisions.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

Absolutely fabulous debut! Family secrets, wealth, power, murder - this book is full of action and mystery. When a former reality TV star Maya marries into the all-powerful Sterling family, drama is inevitable. But an American ex-reality star becoming the heir to an international multi-million dollar media company after the shocking murder of her husband Colin Sterling’s cousin Arianna, heiress to the Sterling fortune, Maya becomes the primary suspect. “A Girl Like Us” takes us into the world of inordinate wealth.

Told through dual POV, this story is engaging, dramatic, and thrilling. I found myself trying to put the pieces together, but just when I thought I had the situation figured out, a twist was thrown in that made me question everything all over again.

The narrator was absolutely wonderful, fully capturing the essence of each character. This is definitely one to add to your TBR list immediately!

—
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“If you want something, you just have to take it “ at least that’s what Maya believes. She is the epitome of rags to riches- she started out as a child taught to steal, to put food on the table. Made her way onto reality TV and into the hearts of America. And then worked her way into the wealthy Sterling family.

Maya had only just become a Sterling when they find out the “forgotten heiress” to the Sterling fortune has not only died, She was murdered. Maya doesn’t have an alibi for that night, because she has secrets of her own. She soon finds herself on lockdown at the family Estate with all of the Sterlings. A place that is filled with secrets, and enemies.

The story is filled with twists and turns as the POV shifts from past to present. Maya finally has everything she always wanted, but with enemies hiding around every corner- will she stay on top?

I didn’t see the twist coming that Harry wasn’t Harry. I suspected something was off with Helen.

It felt like the final chapter ended too abruptly into the epilogue. Although a lot of things happened very quickly at the end, the ending feels like something is missing?