Reviews

The Woman with Two Shadows by Sarah James

jjrr's review

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

suetrav's review

3.0

There was a good story here and it could have been a really excellent read. I definitely did not like Lillian at all so that made it hard for me to get into the book. I also thought we could have learned more about the compound and their work on bombs and definitely more about human experimentation!

It turned into more of a romance novel which is not really my type of genre. It also seemed like a very short, surface read without ever delving into research/details or the moral/ethical dilemma with creating weapons of mass destruction.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC of this book.

exercise_read_repeat's review

4.0

3.5 stars. The premise of this story really intrigued me, and there were a lot of parts I liked. In particular, the suspense of what happened to Eleanor and what was happening in Tennesse made me invested in this storyline. However, knowing that the inspiration for this story was the Manhattan Project, I feel the author dropped the ball and missed an opportunity to really develop what was happening behind the scenes (purposely vague to avoid spoilers). Instead, she kind of glossed over it and continued on with the storyline. I would have liked a bit more of the "historical," but the author seemed to really prioritize the "fiction." I also think that a more linear storyline might have helped enhance the reading experience-- the interspersed flashbacks were a little disorienting and confusing at times.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for my ARC. Publication date: 7/26/22

cordelaine's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

bree_mcc13's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

darladark's review

5.0

Wonderfully written, great characters, good pace. Loved it! Thanks to the publisher, author and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

trisarahtops_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

belladelta's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

jennmcburney's review

3.0

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this advanced copy of The Woman with Two Shadows. I enjoyed the mystery in this book! Lillian is searching for her missing twin sister Eleanor who went to work at an army base in 1944. Lillian pretends to be her sister at the base and goes hunting for clues of Eleanor or what she may have found out to solidify her disappearance.

I really liked Lillian, she was such a smart woman in a time that didn't value that in a woman. She was fearless and does get into some trouble because of that.

Overall, 3 star read!

bookshelf_by_britt's review

4.0

The Woman with Two Shadows by Sarah James

Eleanore and Lillian Kaufman are identical twins with opposite personalities. Eleanore is interested in makeup, performing in theatre, and giving singing lessons whereas Lillian has a love of mathematics and physics and has no time for girly pastimes. Lillian has her sights set on getting the Allerton Prize to get into Harvard. Eleanore’s goal is to gain a critical acting role. Unfortunately, the sisters have a falling out and Eleanore goes with her boyfriend, Max, to Oak Ridge Tennessee to work on a top secret project for the military.

After a couple of months, Lillian hasn’t heard from Eleanore and Max calls and asks her to come to Tennessee because Eleanore has gone missing. Will Lillian be able to find her missing sister or will she find her place at Clinton Engineering Works on the top secret project?

This book is based on The Manhattan Project and the military’s race to build an atomic bomb before other countries, even though Germany had already surrendered. I also didn’t know there were experiments conducted on people with radioactive materials!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️