The Body Double by Emily Beyda

Title: The Body Double by Emily Beyda

Publisher: Doubleday Books

Release Date: 3/3/2020

The blurb for this book was intriguing. The actual book fell short.

We have a young woman working a dead end job at a movie theater. She's approached by a wealthy but mysterious stranger. His proposition? With his guidance and training (and she finds out later, plastic surgery and starvation) she will impersonate Rosanna Feld, a starlet who needs a break from the limelight. Her period of employment will last three years and then she is to disappear into obscurity so Rosanna can resume her life. For some odd reason, the young woman jumps at the chance.

The wealthy man, named Max, whisks her to L.A. and puts her up in a shoddy, run down apartment. I don't know about anyone else but this would be a major red flag for me. Max is soon dressing her, instructing her, and even has a doctor come and do surgery on her. This all happens in the apartment. The major setting of this book is the apartment. 

Other than a hairdresser and doctor, for a long period of time Max is the only person the nameless narrator sees. I'm no doctor but you can tell that she has the beginnings of Stockholm syndrome. She's like an infant that depends on Max for everything. Her daily life in the apartment is so boring that it's almost maddening to the reader.

Max decides that she's ready to be seen out in public to put her transformation to the test. This goes well and I started to think, okay, this book is about to start building up to something. Now it will finally get juicy.

It doesn't. Max controls who she sees, what she says, where she goes, what she eats. Then after her outings she goes back to the same crappy apartment. Her transformation is a success. People think she's Rosanna. Mentally, she thinks she is Rosanna.

Have I mentioned that we still haven't seen the actual Rosanna? Any guesses as to where she might be?

The characters are one dimensional. The nameless narrator may be a good idea, but this narrator only has tiny snippets of backstory. If you blink or skim, you will miss them. You don't care about her as a person at all. Ever. Not to mention you never have it explained to you why she would ever make such a drastic, life-altering decision in the first place.

The book trudges on and on and just when you think It will build to something exciting, it falls flat. The ending came and was not only confusing but it was as flat and monotone as the rest of the book.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown

Title: Pretty Things by Janelle Brown

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Release Date: 04/21/2020

I'm sure you've read a book where you read a certain scene and you mouth just drops open and you look around and say, "Oh my God, what??" This book had not one, not two, but several moments like that for me. Just when you think you've got the plot figured out, Ms. Brown yanks the carpet out from under your feet. The amazing part is that she does it so very well.

 Pretty Things is told from the perspective of Nina and Vanessa. These two women are as different as night and day. Nina is a con artist raised by a con artist mother while Vanessa is born into a family of wealth and privilege. They meet briefly while Nina is a teen and Vanessa is a college student due to Nina's friendship with Benny, Vanessa's brother. Now, years later they meet again as Nina is desperate for one last con to help her mother and then go legit. She thinks Vanessa will be the perfect mark.

The book intertwines flashbacks as well as the perspectives of the two women. There are a few scenes that are told from each woman's point of view. Strangely enough it works. I am not going to say that I loved either character because they are both deeply flawed. At different points you feel sad for them, you root for them, you care for them, and you even hates them.

Setting details are amazing. I could picture the landscape, picture the mansions, and picture the lake. The descriptions almost make me want to take a trip to Lake Tahoe and take a look around. If a writer has you seeing the story as a movie inside of your head then she's doing an excellent job. This was excellent.

The story shows you that whether you are rich or broke, you all have problems. No one is what they seem in this book and they tell lies upon lies upon lies to each other and themselves. In the end, could the two women bond and put their past aside?

The only thing that I wished for more in this book was that I wanted to see more of Benny. He's very troubled but also funny and he means so much to both women that it was a shame that he wasn't more present in the book.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller. The pacing is good and the story is compelling. I suggest you pre-order a copy so you don't miss out!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of this book. I sincerely hope that Ms. Brown continues writing and that I'll be able to review her next piece of work. 

They Did Bad Things by Lauren A. Forry

Title: They Did Bad Things by Lauren A. Forry
Publisher: Skyhouse Publishing, Arcade Crimewise
Release Date: 6/2/2020

"When did my life turn into a game of Clue?"

A quote from a character that I sincerely hope makes it into the final cut of this book because Clue is exactly what sprang to mind when I started reading this book. Five friends are lured to a falling down wreck of a home under false pretenses. One is celebrating a promotion, one is there to meet an online lover. The real reason that they are called together? Who killed Callum?

Twenty years ago, while sharing a house together, the sixth member of their group was found dead after a party. The police ruled it accidental but the five friends know the truth. One of them is a murderer and the rest of them played their parts in the discovery and subsequent cover up. Now someone has brought them all together for the purpose of having the truth be brought to light.

The story is told through the alternating perspectives of the five friends and an unknown narrator. You flash back twenty years at times, to where you delve into their histories and discover clues. You learn that the friends were never quite as close as they may seem and that some of them were actually quite nasty. The question remains, which one of them was capable of murder?

The suspect pool dwindles down as the murders start. Secrets are revealed and some are kept almost all the way to the end. The reveal of the identity of the narrator comes as a complete surprise. The last chapter or two do as well.

The book was fast paced and a whodunit that keeps you guessing. The characters are well fleshed out and the plot doesn't get boring. The Clue vibe is present throughout but it just made it that much more enjoyable. The book also asks you to explore in your own mind as to whether you'd be capable to murder another. I'd definitely recommend this for an rainy day, or beach read. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhouse Publishing for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for a review. 

When I Was You by Minka Kent

Title: When I Was You by Minka Kent
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Release Date: February 1, 2020

Brienne Dougray has suffered through trauma in her life. She was raised by her grandparents after she was taken away from her neglectful mother. Six months ago she was brutally stabbed and beaten and left for dead in an alley. Her wallet, purse, and watch were stolen as well. She's left with OCD, nightmares, migraines, PTSD, and a traumatic brain injury. She's also left with fear.

Brienne's fear is strong enough that she rarely leaves the house and her friends encourage her to take on a tenant. She does, Niall Emberlin, and quickly becomes co-dependent on him. Her friends start disappearing from her life and all she is left with is Niall.

A mysterious key arrives at her house and when Brienne starts to investigate she discovers someone is living their lives as her. A whole other Brienne Dougray is living the life she used to live before the attack, down to their social media presence. She contacts a private investigator who treats her like she's crazy so she decides to investigate on her own. Niall eventually gets involved and Brienne starts to doubt her own sanity.

There are twists and turns aplenty in this book. Just when you think you have it all figured out you are thrown a curve ball that sends you in another direction. I finished this book in a couple hours because I just could not find a good place to stop. I wanted to know every detail and didn't put it down until I was finished!

I know some readers, like me, will wonder why Brienne didn't go to the police at several times during the course of the book. Please, keep in mind that she was a victim and felt that the police had failed her by not finding her attacker. This mentality, along with the gaslighting and other aspects in the plot, can lead people to irrational decisions. That being said, I'll ask again...Brienne, why the hell didn't you go to the police?!

This book is slow for the first little bit but I appreciate it because Ms. Kent really gets into the details of what happens when someone isolates themselves from the world. Once the action gets going, however, it just doesn't stop. Fast paced page turner for sure!

Pick up this book ASAP. You will not be disappointed. This is the first book I've read by Ms. Kent but I am a fan now and am looking forward to reading more by her.

A million thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review. It was an absolute pleasure.

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian

Title: The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Release Date: March 17, 2020

The blurb for this book made me request it from NetGalley. It sounded good. A strong, successful woman is on a vacation in Vietnam with her boyfriend. He ends up going missing and then dying under mysterious circumstances. Smart woman starts to investigate and uncovers that her boyfriend is a liar. I mean, haven't we all been there?

Alexis meets Austin when he comes into the ER where she works for a bullet wound. 6 1/2 months later they are taking a biking tour through Vietnam together. After Austin dies, Alexis becomes fixated on the fact that Austin lied to her about why he's in Vietnam. She obsesses to the point that you want to reach into the book to slap her and tell her to let it go.

The book continues as Alexis hires a private investigator to look into Austin and his death. The author drops dribs and drabs of information as the story progresses. As much as I wanted this book to be a page turner for me, it sadly wasn't. Scientific and medical explanations interspersed with the talk of rats made this book a bit boring and very slow at times. The most action packed parts of the book were the last 3-4 chapters.

It's a good book and well written but there was absolutely no connection to any of the characters for me. Characters were put in danger and I just shrugged and continued the book.

This book might probably appeal more to people into medical or scientific mysteries. It's not a bad book overall, I just simply didn't like it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for the chance to read this book.