Synopsis

Alexa lives a sheltered life with her widowed father, feeling stifled by his helicopter parenting. When she secures a marketing job and apartment in New York City—much to her father’s and therapist’s concern—Alexa has high hopes of finally sneaking her way into adulthood. But her newfound freedom is cut short when her estranged twin sister Beth, after a long stint in a psychiatric setting, unexpectedly shows up at the doorstep of her tiny apartment.

Alexa too has spent time at the Weinstein Center. But she’s determined to lead a normal life now and soon begins to date a YouTuber client. According to Beth, something isn’t quite right with Curt, but Alexa shrugs her clingy sister’s warnings off. It’s Beth who’s crazy, after all . . . As the sister bond grows strained over Alexa’s relationship and career success, questions mount, and secrets unfold, revealing the wickedly dark shared history of the twin siblings. What exactly happened when the twins were only nine that set this vile trajectory in motion?

Things get more complicated, and one treacherous act threatens everything Alexa has been working toward. It will be on her—and Beth—to claw the way out of this situation.

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Book releases 1/4/22

Review

I do love a good suspense/thriller novel and this one definitely kept me interested wondering what twist might surprise us at the end. And that twist? OMG, while I kind of guessed it I didn’t have anything to back it up, just a feeling. Let’s just say it is one crazy ending and I the epilogue even left me wondering what else might come out regarding the characters.

This book alternates POV between Alexa and Beth, sisters that have had tragic events in their past. There are some chapters from Dr. Greer’s POV as Alexa’s psychiatrist. You can see the difference between Alexa and Beth’s personalities. Alexa seems to be “weak” and wanting to please everyone, while Beth has a harder personality and really isn’t very nice especially when Alexa is trying to take charge of her life and move past the tragedies of the past.

The book does highlight mental illness and how it affects everyone differently. I don’t want to spoil some of the plot twists, but Alexa’s mental illness treatment plays heavily into the whole story. It was interesting to see her interactions with Dr. Greer and what he knew (that we don’t find out until later) and how he treated Alexa and her thoughts.

I always wonder how authors can come up with these sorts of plot lines and appreciate that they do so that I can enjoy the suspense of what might happen next.

This is a debut novel and I think the author does a wonderful job and we give it 4 paws up.

About the Author

J. C. Bidonde earned a BA in Journalism from the University of Colorado and an MBA in Marketing from San Diego State University. She is a former blogger and used to work in television at ESPN and MTV. A longtime reader and first-time author, Bidonde dreams of writing her next novel from an Italian villa in Tuscany with her husband, two dogs, and cat.

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Goodreads Giveaway ends January 14th