audio fiction (multiple narrators, 10 hrs 45 min) - Leslie arrives a few hours too late to prevent her estranged sister from dying from a drug overdose; Robin (the ghost of said sister) feels bound to her and can't help but stick around; waitress/aspiring actress Mary meets Leslie by chance and, wanting to escape her current circumstances (a cheating boyfriend and a no-good ex), agrees to pretend to be Robin so Leslie can claim an inheritance more quickly, but finds herself flirting with Leslie's husband while diving into a relationship with Robin's ex-girlfriend Nancy. Takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Albequerque, New Mexico.

Excellent narration (character voices are distinct from one another, but not in a forced or phony way) and an enjoyable read - everyone's got their own secrets and the plot keeps thickening! Though the audiobook is very well done, I think I'd have preferred reading this one in print, so that I could get to the twisty ending a lot sooner, but I admire the writing skill of this author in her debut novel--she's definitely a writer to watch out for in future!

spoiler notes (because I'll forget if I don't write it down)unreliable narrator(s), "Mary" is actually Robin, the deceased Rachel Vreeland's roommate, Leslie had hired a goon to fake a carjacking so her husband and 1-y.o. son Eli could make a new life with single mom Elaine (who is not Dave's girlfriend but his dealer), Leslie and Robin's mother Christine was depressed and apparently wanted to leave her family also, but her accidental death happened because child Robin pushed her head under the water in the bathtub after she'd passed out from prescription meds, in hopes of pleasing her sister who'd said she wished their mother was dead. Basically, it's a super messed up family and Robin is an unscrupulous killer.

February 2024 bingo challenge: mistaken identity. Debut novel, award winner (2020 Bisexual book award) ( )

Started off strong and then was a little too slow. I found it dragging at times and I did not love how it all wrapped up. Overall, I did finish it but not one I loved. ( )

Wow! You don't know who to believe, or what to believe, in this debut novel. One shocking twist follows another, and the ending is killer! The author has an extraordinarily inventive mind to come up with this plot line - can't wait to see what she does next. ( )

I saw a review that read “this book puts the W in WTF!” and they took the words right out of my mouth. I was not expecting the dark and twisted ride this book took me on, but believe me when I say I enjoyed every twist and turn. I sincerely hope someone will develop this into a movie or TV show. ⁣
This is quite the debut novel for Miss Jones, and I do hope she has another novel in the works. Each character was well developed, and the alternating chapters between characters never became confusing for me. The vivid descriptions of the landscapes in New Mexico left me feeling as if I was looking at a photograph. The final reveal caught me completely off guard and I went back to the beginning to re read certain chapters. I can’t wait to recommend this book to others! ( )

Best for:
Those who like stories told from multiple perspectives; those who relish a good, feasible but not totally telescoped twist.

In a nutshell:
Leslie’s dad has died, and the only way she can get her inheritance is to show up with her sister at the executor’s office. But Leslie has just visited her sister for the first time in ten years, finding her dead. How can she get the inheritance? Perhaps with the help of Mary, a woman who is willing to play a role for a certain amount of money.

Worth quoting:
“But liars are always specific. People who are telling the truth don’t bother to try to convince you.”

Why I chose it:
Part of an Easter paperback sale at Foyles. Plus, I’m trying to read more fiction.

Review:
Hoo boy. While I read the first 20 pages yesterday, I basically spent all of today reading the final 280, because I wanted to know what was going to happen.

The book alternates between the perspectives of Leslie, Robin’s ghost (Leslie’s dead sister), and Mary, the waitress Leslie meets in Vegas after she sees her sister Robin’s body. Leslie is desperate for her $50,000 inheritance, and tells Mary it’s because she’s lost her job and going to lose her house. But Mary learns Leslie still has her job, house is fine. Leslie has a one-year-old baby, and her husband Dave might be cheating on her, so Mary become very curious about why Leslie lied to her, and what she is hiding.

This is a well-told story. There are some moments that slightly beggar belief, but they soon make sense in the broader context of the story. There are twists, there are cringe-worthy moments, and there are moment when the reader genuinely feels for Leslie while also perhaps judging her a bit for her choices.

I won’t spoil the book, but I think it’s important to share a broader content note around mental health issues; the author provides more exploration of the specific mental health issue addressed in the book at the end in a way I haven’t seen before, and appreciated.

Keep it / Pass to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Pass to a friend. ( )