carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

4 Stars!

This must be one of the creepiest books that I have read to date. I had no idea where the story was going during the book and some of the things that happened were just plain creepy. When you take a little bit of creepy and throw a child in the mix, you really end up with a book that is hard to put down. This was one of those books that I had to take what I know to be true in reality and set it aside and just enjoy the story for what it was.

As you would probably guess from the title, the story focuses on a pair of identical twin girls, Kirstie and Lydia. One of the girls dies in a tragic accident and the family is trying to move on with their lives when the identity of the surviving twin is called into question. Discovering which twin actually died and what really happened on that horrific night becomes a mystery that will pull readers in.

I had some problems with one of the main ideas behind this book. I honestly do not believe that any identical twins are so identical that their own parents cannot tell them apart. I mean mixing twins up when they are babies is a definite possibility but by the time the kids reach school age, like the girls in this story, I just don't see it happening. I have personally spent a lot of time with identical twins and I have witnessed casual acquaintances having trouble but family and friends have never had a problem telling them apart. I am sorry but I just don't buy the idea that the parents wouldn't be able to look at their surviving daughter and know who she is. I decided early on while reading this book that since this was a work of fiction I would just accept that these girls were completely identical.

I can't say that I liked any of the characters in this book but that didn't stop me from feeling like I just had to know what was happening to them. The story was really like peeling layers off one at a time so that the truth could finally be revealed. That need to learn the truth is really what tied me to this book. I really disliked Sarah, the mother, quite a bit and her husband, Angus, wasn't any better. The little girl, either Lydia or Kirstie, just seemed creepy to me throughout the book. The dog was probably the most likeable member of this particular family.

Despite the problems that I had with this book, I still really enjoyed reading it. I felt driven to find out what really happened in a way that I have not experienced before in a story. I simply could not put this book down once I reached a certain point in the story. The more that I learned, the more I needed to know. The way that the author gave the reader just enough information as the story progressed was perfectly executed. I was relieved that my questions were answered by the time I reached the end of the book.

I would recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers. This book is a little different than anything else I have read which added to its appeal. I plan to look for more works from this author in the near future.

I received a copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.