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bethreadsandnaps's review
3.5
3.5 stars, rounded up
I was all-in on Catherine Steadman's latest LOOK IN THE MIRROR (publishes July 30, 2024). Shortly after Nina's father passes away, she finds out that she's inheriting an incredible, unique house of his on the British Virgin Islands. I love a creepy house even in a tropical setting!
At the same time, we are introduced to Maria, who is a medical student that also freelances as a high-priced nanny (interesting combo), and she is working at the house on a 10-day stint; however, her charges haven't yet arrived. The mysterious locked room she's not allowed into has a glitch and unlocks. And while Maria is smart, she's not immune to curiosity...
As I said, the premise was unique and fabulous. About halfway in, the novel lost some steam for me. What I did like is that there wasn't insane twist after insane twist. If you're in on the premise, then the rest of the story seems plausible, at least to me. I think the second-half problem FOR ME was that the novel then had an identity crisis. Is it an escape/locked room thriller? Is it an origin story? Is it a mystery? It becomes a little bit of everything, and I think I would have preferred the author to pick a lane.
Personally I have read almost all of Steadman's novels, and her others have all been just okay for me. This is actually my favorite by her, but it's still not a 5 star experience for me.
I was all-in on Catherine Steadman's latest LOOK IN THE MIRROR (publishes July 30, 2024). Shortly after Nina's father passes away, she finds out that she's inheriting an incredible, unique house of his on the British Virgin Islands. I love a creepy house even in a tropical setting!
At the same time, we are introduced to Maria, who is a medical student that also freelances as a high-priced nanny (interesting combo), and she is working at the house on a 10-day stint; however, her charges haven't yet arrived. The mysterious locked room she's not allowed into has a glitch and unlocks. And while Maria is smart, she's not immune to curiosity...
As I said, the premise was unique and fabulous. About halfway in, the novel lost some steam for me. What I did like is that there wasn't insane twist after insane twist. If you're in on the premise, then the rest of the story seems plausible, at least to me. I think the second-half problem FOR ME was that the novel then had an identity crisis. Is it an escape/locked room thriller? Is it an origin story? Is it a mystery? It becomes a little bit of everything, and I think I would have preferred the author to pick a lane.
Personally I have read almost all of Steadman's novels, and her others have all been just okay for me. This is actually my favorite by her, but it's still not a 5 star experience for me.
amandablackledge's review
4.0
Heart pounding thriller! You don’t even know what is happening until it’s too late! The story follows 2 women primarily as they try to figure out why there is a room in a house they are not supposed to enter. What could possibly happen if they just take a peek? A lot. A lot can happen.
glauren4556's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sairro10's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a good psychological thriller that kept my attention until the very end! I really liked how at first glance, you think the characters have nothing to do with each other, but you discover quickly how their lives become intertwined.
I felt that the pacing was a bit off towards the end and I would have loved to have spent some more time wrapping up details and specifics before it was over. That being said, I still did like the ending and did not see some some things coming.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone looking for a creepy thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat!
Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
I felt that the pacing was a bit off towards the end and I would have loved to have spent some more time wrapping up details and specifics before it was over. That being said, I still did like the ending and did not see some some things coming.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone looking for a creepy thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat!
Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
michbrito's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Look In the Mirror is a mystery thriller that will have you wanting to know how it ends. This is my first Catherine Steadman book and it was entertaining. 3.5 stars!
This book is told in multiple POVs at different times and all slowly become intertwined. One of our main characters is Nina, a 30-something year old university professor who has just gotten news of the inheritance of a house she had no prior knowledge of. While dealing with the grief of her father, she's now thrown into a new mystery of what other side her father possessed. Our second main character Maria is a struggling medical student who has taken time away in order to save up money from nannying jobs. Throughout the book we try to figure out how these two women are connected with the mystery of this house being the key point.
This book gives more mystery vibes then thriller as this book takes a turn in a direction I was not expecting. The role this mysterious house plays in the lives of our two main characters was more of a third main character rather than the setting in which this story takes place. There were a few questions I had that were either left unanswered or revealed in a way that felt unreal, but the ending was wrapped up nicely with hope for a better future for some characters. I also wanted to let everyone know that if I were in this situation, I would've died the second the first door closed.
If you're looking for a fast paced, architectural focused descriptions, multiple POVs, escape room type mystery plot, this ones for you. Also, if you judge a book by it's cover this one is definitely a winner because the cover is stunning.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Catherine Steadman for this ARC!
This book is told in multiple POVs at different times and all slowly become intertwined. One of our main characters is Nina, a 30-something year old university professor who has just gotten news of the inheritance of a house she had no prior knowledge of. While dealing with the grief of her father, she's now thrown into a new mystery of what other side her father possessed. Our second main character Maria is a struggling medical student who has taken time away in order to save up money from nannying jobs. Throughout the book we try to figure out how these two women are connected with the mystery of this house being the key point.
This book gives more mystery vibes then thriller as this book takes a turn in a direction I was not expecting. The role this mysterious house plays in the lives of our two main characters was more of a third main character rather than the setting in which this story takes place. There were a few questions I had that were either left unanswered or revealed in a way that felt unreal, but the ending was wrapped up nicely with hope for a better future for some characters. I also wanted to let everyone know that if I were in this situation, I would've died the second the first door closed.
If you're looking for a fast paced, architectural focused descriptions, multiple POVs, escape room type mystery plot, this ones for you. Also, if you judge a book by it's cover this one is definitely a winner because the cover is stunning.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Catherine Steadman for this ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Grief
pjosselyn's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Look in the Mirror tells the alternating story of two women. Nina’s father dies and leaves her a beautiful home in a tropical paradise. He wasn’t well off so Nina wonders where he got the money. Maria, a nanny, has acquired a job in a luxurious home with one rule – don’t go in the basement.
The book goes back and forth between the two women, and I sincerely wondered how in the world these two women were remotely connected. It was interesting but confusing. About halfway through it all comes together and takes off from there.
It keeps building, with a few more characters built in, to an exciting finish that I did not see coming.
This is a good one for psychological suspense!
#NetGalley #CatherineSteadman #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine #LookInTheMirror
bricrowder's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this fun thriller! I'm a huge fan of the author, Catherine Steadman.
This book was fun going into without too much information on the plot.
The main character Nina recently lost her father, a brilliant mathematician and civil engineerher. She is notified that her father left her a house in the British Virgin Islands. Desperate for more closure and information on her brilliant father, she travels to see the house before deciding what to do with it. When she gets to the impressive house on a very remote island she starts to realize there is more to the house than she first assumed.
Wirhout giving too much away, the first half of the book was especially fun and exciting to read. It was tricky understanding who to trust and what the purpose and background of the house was. I really enjoyed Nina's character. She was smart, practical, and easy to root for. The other main character Maria was really interesting. She was more driven with instinct than Nina's calm perseverance and intellect
The alternating perspectives kept the plot fast-paced and interesting, especially in the first half.
I think my only complaint is there might have been too many additional narrators as the book went on, especially towards the last quarter of the book. It felt a little convoluted and I wanted a little more but still I overall loved the book. It was a complex and clever thriller and I highly recommend it!
This book was fun going into without too much information on the plot.
The main character Nina recently lost her father, a brilliant mathematician and civil engineerher. She is notified that her father left her a house in the British Virgin Islands. Desperate for more closure and information on her brilliant father, she travels to see the house before deciding what to do with it. When she gets to the impressive house on a very remote island she starts to realize there is more to the house than she first assumed.
Wirhout giving too much away, the first half of the book was especially fun and exciting to read. It was tricky understanding who to trust and what the purpose and background of the house was. I really enjoyed Nina's character. She was smart, practical, and easy to root for. The other main character Maria was really interesting. She was more driven with instinct than Nina's calm perseverance and intellect
The alternating perspectives kept the plot fast-paced and interesting, especially in the first half.
I think my only complaint is there might have been too many additional narrators as the book went on, especially towards the last quarter of the book. It felt a little convoluted and I wanted a little more but still I overall loved the book. It was a complex and clever thriller and I highly recommend it!
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