Alexa is a young woman who, after living at home with her father, is starting her first job at a marketing company in New York City and moving into her first apartment. She quickly starts dating a social media influencer who is a client at her workplace. Her estranged twin sister, Beth, shows up and manipulates Alexa into letting her crash on her couch. It becomes apparent that the sisters share a traumatic and disturbing history. Both have been hospitalized at a psychiatric institution in the past and are in therapy. Beth's overprotective and intrusive presence threatens Alexa's newfound independence.
There were some big twists involving twins, mental health, and the negative aspects of social media. Bizarrely, all of these plot twists were revealed on the back cover of the ARC, ruining any suspense for the reader. Hopefully, finished copies will not have all the spoilers on the back of the book.
I enjoyed the author's compelling writing and read this book in one sitting. She was skilled in creating a pervasive unsettling feeling throughout the novel. The negative aspects of social media are portrayed well. However, there were flaws in terms of simplistic character development, an unrealistically rapid plot, and the misleading depiction of a mental health condition. The points of view were those of Alexa, Beth and, at the end, their doctor, but the point of view of their father would have been a valuable addition, as some of his actions were inexplicable. The story needed an additional 100 pages to enhance character and plot development.
There were some big twists involving twins, mental health, and the negative aspects of social media. Bizarrely, all of these plot twists were revealed on the back cover of the ARC, ruining any suspense for the reader. Hopefully, finished copies will not have all the spoilers on the back of the book.
I enjoyed the author's compelling writing and read this book in one sitting. She was skilled in creating a pervasive unsettling feeling throughout the novel. The negative aspects of social media are portrayed well. However, there were flaws in terms of simplistic character development, an unrealistically rapid plot, and the misleading depiction of a mental health condition. The points of view were those of Alexa, Beth and, at the end, their doctor, but the point of view of their father would have been a valuable addition, as some of his actions were inexplicable. The story needed an additional 100 pages to enhance character and plot development.