noveldeelights's review
5.0
4.5* --> 5
Poppy returns to Brighton after her sister, India, falls to her death from a bridge over the railway. She’s not convinced her sister would just take her own life like that and sets out to investigate her death. But Poppy hasn’t seen her sister for quite a few years and really has no idea what her life was about before her untimely death.
Cor! What a skilfully crafted plot this is! The Other Twin is full of suspense and intrigue as Poppy quickly becomes caught up in a web of lies and deceit. This story is quite dark and complex. With a multitude of realistic and complicated characters clearly hiding something or other, I soon stopped trusting anyone except Poppy herself.
Even the setting in Brighton, away from the bright lights and the fun times I always hear about, added another disturbing layer and makes this stand out from the rest. I do so enjoy it when an author manages to incorporate the modern day usage of social media. Here it offered up some tantalising clues that I was desperately trying to work out.
This is one tense, gripping, well-paced and utterly compelling read. As it’s fairly short, you should really try to finish it in one sitting. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out what was going on. There are some fantastically well-placed curveballs that left me spinning! I absolutely love it when an author messes with my head so hard I feel like I was stuck in a revolving door for hours on end. It’s simply unbelievable when you realise this is the author’s debut fiction novel and it promises incredible things for the future. Well played, Lucy V. Hay!
Poppy returns to Brighton after her sister, India, falls to her death from a bridge over the railway. She’s not convinced her sister would just take her own life like that and sets out to investigate her death. But Poppy hasn’t seen her sister for quite a few years and really has no idea what her life was about before her untimely death.
Cor! What a skilfully crafted plot this is! The Other Twin is full of suspense and intrigue as Poppy quickly becomes caught up in a web of lies and deceit. This story is quite dark and complex. With a multitude of realistic and complicated characters clearly hiding something or other, I soon stopped trusting anyone except Poppy herself.
Even the setting in Brighton, away from the bright lights and the fun times I always hear about, added another disturbing layer and makes this stand out from the rest. I do so enjoy it when an author manages to incorporate the modern day usage of social media. Here it offered up some tantalising clues that I was desperately trying to work out.
This is one tense, gripping, well-paced and utterly compelling read. As it’s fairly short, you should really try to finish it in one sitting. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out what was going on. There are some fantastically well-placed curveballs that left me spinning! I absolutely love it when an author messes with my head so hard I feel like I was stuck in a revolving door for hours on end. It’s simply unbelievable when you realise this is the author’s debut fiction novel and it promises incredible things for the future. Well played, Lucy V. Hay!
gareindeedreads's review against another edition
3.0
THE OTHER TWIN is a psychological thriller with heart that deals with some rather heavy social issues. Hay does a great job by diving into possibly the biggest mystery within this novel right off the bat. And in a truly brilliant fashion, the comparison of a brutal hangover ties in fanatically with the plot to this novel as our protagonist learns of her sisters untimely death which is ruled a suicide.
But, it doesn't end there. Hay sucks us into a world that is unfortunately all too familiar. Grieving with the loss of her sister, we follow Poppy on the journey to find out the truth of what happened that night as well as why her relationship ended with the elusive Matthew and what caused his family to hate her so much. There are also some poetically beautiful scenes that really hit a home run on the reality of Poppy and her family dealing with her sisters loss. The plot is a wicked, tightly wound web of deceit, sadness, and many subplots that truly bring this story to a whole other level as far as psychological thrillers are concerned. This novel is wonderfully twisted, brilliantly gritty, and phenomenally honest.
The characterization in this novel is not only strong, but done in the perfect way that in my opinion, U.K. authors can perfect in the most unique ways. No one is perfect, Poppy is sometimes unlikeable and unreliable, and the people that surround her are so messed up that anyone is capable of murder and reasonably believable to be the next victim. While some characters were not as big of a presence as I would have expected, some did a fantastic job of being a simple red herring while others popped up when you least expect them, keeping the suspense at an all time high.
While I wasn't expecting the novel I read, I'm glad I got to enjoy a psychological thriller that had a lot of heart, was brutally honest, and dealt with so many social issues. I also would like to add that by inserting posts from India's blog, the reader gets a true feel as to why everyone loved and misses her so much. The including of social media and Poppys memories of her sister were not only shining aspects of this novel, but really what made it hit a home run for me. I also want to add, each blog post was so poetic and filled with mystery, but as you approach the final pages, those lines of poetry really start to make sense. While the ending to this one was abrupt and in your face, it was nice to see Hay choose the ending and how she wrapped everything up. Saying no more, I think this is one every psychological thriller should try.
But, it doesn't end there. Hay sucks us into a world that is unfortunately all too familiar. Grieving with the loss of her sister, we follow Poppy on the journey to find out the truth of what happened that night as well as why her relationship ended with the elusive Matthew and what caused his family to hate her so much. There are also some poetically beautiful scenes that really hit a home run on the reality of Poppy and her family dealing with her sisters loss. The plot is a wicked, tightly wound web of deceit, sadness, and many subplots that truly bring this story to a whole other level as far as psychological thrillers are concerned. This novel is wonderfully twisted, brilliantly gritty, and phenomenally honest.
The characterization in this novel is not only strong, but done in the perfect way that in my opinion, U.K. authors can perfect in the most unique ways. No one is perfect, Poppy is sometimes unlikeable and unreliable, and the people that surround her are so messed up that anyone is capable of murder and reasonably believable to be the next victim. While some characters were not as big of a presence as I would have expected, some did a fantastic job of being a simple red herring while others popped up when you least expect them, keeping the suspense at an all time high.
While I wasn't expecting the novel I read, I'm glad I got to enjoy a psychological thriller that had a lot of heart, was brutally honest, and dealt with so many social issues. I also would like to add that by inserting posts from India's blog, the reader gets a true feel as to why everyone loved and misses her so much. The including of social media and Poppys memories of her sister were not only shining aspects of this novel, but really what made it hit a home run for me. I also want to add, each blog post was so poetic and filled with mystery, but as you approach the final pages, those lines of poetry really start to make sense. While the ending to this one was abrupt and in your face, it was nice to see Hay choose the ending and how she wrapped everything up. Saying no more, I think this is one every psychological thriller should try.
jendella's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderfully layered and gripping, I had to take breaks just to catch my breath.
meloches's review against another edition
5.0
I have come to know Orenda for publishing police procedural novels. Imagine my surprise when I picked up The Other Twin and found something completely different than what I was expecting. Fast paced, character-centric, diverse and binge worthy; I finished this one in a single sitting.
The novel opens with Poppy receiving a call no one hopes to get; her sister, India is dead. Police deemed it to be a suicide, but Poppy is unconvinced, so, she begins her own investigation into India’s death. With nothing to turn to but her sister’s cell phone and the remnants of her online persona, mostly through a blog, Poppy shifts through India’s final days and stumbles into some deeply buried secrets.
To start, I would like to say that this review is going to be extremely vague. I do not want to ruin any plot points and Hay really brings a lot to the text. Lots of intricate plot weaving and character connections take place. It really hard to speak to any part of the text without beginning to unravel the plot! But, what I can say is that from the first pages, I couldn’t help but become completely entranced by the prose of Hays. She does a brilliant job at weaving the storylines and building tension within the text. I became completely invested in the plot. I was also incredibly impressed with the amount of diversity that Hay brought into the text, especially in regards to the LGBTQ community; there is not nearly enough of this context represented in literature.
I also loved the variation in the setting; taking place for the most part in Brighton, I had experienced this setting before (usually in some of my “palette cleansing” beach reads) but never in this way. Hay flips the switch in this seaside down and shows the seedy, dark side. I loved this unexpected twist. Absolutely brilliant!
Overall, I couldn’t get enough of this novel and I feel like fans of K.A Tucker’s He Will Be My Ruin will absolutely love The Other Twin; it really reminded me of it. 5/5 stars. Looks like another hit for Orenda.
The novel opens with Poppy receiving a call no one hopes to get; her sister, India is dead. Police deemed it to be a suicide, but Poppy is unconvinced, so, she begins her own investigation into India’s death. With nothing to turn to but her sister’s cell phone and the remnants of her online persona, mostly through a blog, Poppy shifts through India’s final days and stumbles into some deeply buried secrets.
To start, I would like to say that this review is going to be extremely vague. I do not want to ruin any plot points and Hay really brings a lot to the text. Lots of intricate plot weaving and character connections take place. It really hard to speak to any part of the text without beginning to unravel the plot! But, what I can say is that from the first pages, I couldn’t help but become completely entranced by the prose of Hays. She does a brilliant job at weaving the storylines and building tension within the text. I became completely invested in the plot. I was also incredibly impressed with the amount of diversity that Hay brought into the text, especially in regards to the LGBTQ community; there is not nearly enough of this context represented in literature.
I also loved the variation in the setting; taking place for the most part in Brighton, I had experienced this setting before (usually in some of my “palette cleansing” beach reads) but never in this way. Hay flips the switch in this seaside down and shows the seedy, dark side. I loved this unexpected twist. Absolutely brilliant!
Overall, I couldn’t get enough of this novel and I feel like fans of K.A Tucker’s He Will Be My Ruin will absolutely love The Other Twin; it really reminded me of it. 5/5 stars. Looks like another hit for Orenda.
steph1rothwell's review against another edition
5.0
Poppy makes a devastating return home to Brighton when her sister India is thought to have committed suicide. Unconvinced, and feeling guilty after not being able to make amends after a fallout she decides to try and understand the reasons why India might have taken her own life. Or whether somebody else was responsible.
She was determined to get answers from India’s friends but after leaving Brighton a few years earlier under a cloud it was always going to be a struggle. The reasons why she left were a little unexpected and it was understandable why a few people were unfriendly.
All the family were coping or otherwise in different ways. The way that Poppy’s mother fell apart was more convincing than some that I have read. How she coped before the funeral to not coping at all afterwards. Also, accurately portrayed was Poppy and her stepfather trying to help her and dealing with their own emotions.
The Other Twin was a book that took my breath away. Divided into three parts, the final part had me holding my breath and I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough. I lost count of the times I thought I knew what happened only to be proven wrong a few pages later.
A fascinating read.
She was determined to get answers from India’s friends but after leaving Brighton a few years earlier under a cloud it was always going to be a struggle. The reasons why she left were a little unexpected and it was understandable why a few people were unfriendly.
All the family were coping or otherwise in different ways. The way that Poppy’s mother fell apart was more convincing than some that I have read. How she coped before the funeral to not coping at all afterwards. Also, accurately portrayed was Poppy and her stepfather trying to help her and dealing with their own emotions.
The Other Twin was a book that took my breath away. Divided into three parts, the final part had me holding my breath and I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough. I lost count of the times I thought I knew what happened only to be proven wrong a few pages later.
A fascinating read.
damppebbles's review against another edition
4.0
I was excited when I heard Orenda Books were going to publish Hay’s debut novel, The Other Twin. I couldn’t wait to get my mitts on a copy of this book. And I wasn’t the slightest bit disappointed. I was expecting something a little different to my usual reads and flipping heck, I got it! This is a psychological thriller. But this is also so much MORE than your standard psychological thriller. It was a breath of fresh air.
The Other Twin focusses partly on the LGBTQIA scene in the vibrant seaside town of Brighton. Poppy’s younger sister, India has recently committed suicide but despite a lack of contact over the years, Poppy knows India would never take her own life. As the story unfolds we follow Poppy as she attempts to discover exactly who wanted her sister dead and the twisted reasons why. The only evidence to hand are coded blog posts written in the lead up to India’s death. Poppy has to work out exactly who they refer to and what part, if any, they played in India’s demise. What I wasn’t expecting but was (unusually for me) pleasantly surprised by was the romance aspect of this novel. Returning to the place she grew up Poppy has to confront old friends as well as her ex-lover. The end of the romance was particularly unpleasant which normally dictates the reunion should be equally as unpleasant, which it is. But the chemistry between Poppy and Matthew just won’t go away. I loved the friction between these two characters. There was a sense of deceit, of wrong-doing oozing from Matthew which I loved.
Would I recommend this book? I would. I loved the nest of lies and deceit this story was built upon. I really enjoyed Poppy’s determination to find the truth for her sister and the muddle of secrets she has to wade through to do so. A great, brilliantly written, confident mystery and I can’t wait to read more from L.V. Hay.
Four out of five stars.
I chose to read and review an ARC of The Other Twin. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
The Other Twin focusses partly on the LGBTQIA scene in the vibrant seaside town of Brighton. Poppy’s younger sister, India has recently committed suicide but despite a lack of contact over the years, Poppy knows India would never take her own life. As the story unfolds we follow Poppy as she attempts to discover exactly who wanted her sister dead and the twisted reasons why. The only evidence to hand are coded blog posts written in the lead up to India’s death. Poppy has to work out exactly who they refer to and what part, if any, they played in India’s demise. What I wasn’t expecting but was (unusually for me) pleasantly surprised by was the romance aspect of this novel. Returning to the place she grew up Poppy has to confront old friends as well as her ex-lover. The end of the romance was particularly unpleasant which normally dictates the reunion should be equally as unpleasant, which it is. But the chemistry between Poppy and Matthew just won’t go away. I loved the friction between these two characters. There was a sense of deceit, of wrong-doing oozing from Matthew which I loved.
Would I recommend this book? I would. I loved the nest of lies and deceit this story was built upon. I really enjoyed Poppy’s determination to find the truth for her sister and the muddle of secrets she has to wade through to do so. A great, brilliantly written, confident mystery and I can’t wait to read more from L.V. Hay.
Four out of five stars.
I chose to read and review an ARC of The Other Twin. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
kellylacey's review against another edition
I think the key to a good audio book is a clear and concise narrator, which The Other Twin has with Kate Rawson. Ms Rawson is very careful to keep up with the ever changing voices of the characters. Next of course is having a meaty storyline to keep you engaged. Again that box is ticked, Lucy V Hay works wonders at leading the reader down a dark, gritty and heart thumping road. It’s incredible that this is Lucy’s debut novel, it has a mature and extremely well-written style and is creatively clever.
I enjoyed the characters, Poppy is certainly memorable. My tiny niggle was that I would have liked to learn more about India. I wish we had a longer prologue with a hint of an emotional connection with Poppy and India. But that is purely a personal preference.
We spend time with Poppy as she fights to find out if and why India committed suicide, not a spoiler, it’s on the book jacket. It’s nice to have a strong female as the main protagonist. Poppy is no push over and you will enjoy her journey.
I wouldn’t delay in buying this for a friend. Orenda has a knack for finding top notch writers with the ability to take us on haunting, terrifying and bare knuckle adventures and with The Other Twin and Lucy V Hay they have done it again.
I enjoyed the characters, Poppy is certainly memorable. My tiny niggle was that I would have liked to learn more about India. I wish we had a longer prologue with a hint of an emotional connection with Poppy and India. But that is purely a personal preference.
We spend time with Poppy as she fights to find out if and why India committed suicide, not a spoiler, it’s on the book jacket. It’s nice to have a strong female as the main protagonist. Poppy is no push over and you will enjoy her journey.
I wouldn’t delay in buying this for a friend. Orenda has a knack for finding top notch writers with the ability to take us on haunting, terrifying and bare knuckle adventures and with The Other Twin and Lucy V Hay they have done it again.
itsallaboutthebooksuk's review against another edition
5.0
First of all I want to start with the cover, look at it, It’s simple but intriguing and I know you should never judge a book by it’s cover but we all do, don’t we? Well this just shouted READ ME and so I did and what a surprise I got.
I haven’t got a clue what I was expecting when I read the description for this book, there had already been quite a lot of hype on social media before I picked it up so I was eager to see why everyone was raving about it.
When Poppy returns home to Brighton after her younger sister falls to her death from a railway bridge, Poppy is convinced there is more to her sisters death than meets the eye. What follows for Poppy is a very complicated path in which she must untangle the lies and secrets that will help her find the truth.
The Other Twin is a very well written story that really drags you in by the scruff of the neck, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out how this very complex story would unfold and with lots of ups and downs, twists and turns I found myself not trusting anyone that Poppy came across. I could feel my frustration building along with Poppy as she tried to piece together India’s life before her death. The Other Twin is one of those stories where you think you’ve guessed the who’s and how’s and boom another twist is thrown in and you’re back to square one again.
I could probably go on and on with my review but I really don’t want to spoil any of the story and I fear I may if I keep typing. So with very realistic characters, a plot that is full of suspense dealing with relevant social issues, The Other Twin is like nothing I’ve ever read before and I will be highly recommending this cracking debut. I’m quite excited to see what the author has up her sleeve next.
I haven’t got a clue what I was expecting when I read the description for this book, there had already been quite a lot of hype on social media before I picked it up so I was eager to see why everyone was raving about it.
When Poppy returns home to Brighton after her younger sister falls to her death from a railway bridge, Poppy is convinced there is more to her sisters death than meets the eye. What follows for Poppy is a very complicated path in which she must untangle the lies and secrets that will help her find the truth.
The Other Twin is a very well written story that really drags you in by the scruff of the neck, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out how this very complex story would unfold and with lots of ups and downs, twists and turns I found myself not trusting anyone that Poppy came across. I could feel my frustration building along with Poppy as she tried to piece together India’s life before her death. The Other Twin is one of those stories where you think you’ve guessed the who’s and how’s and boom another twist is thrown in and you’re back to square one again.
I could probably go on and on with my review but I really don’t want to spoil any of the story and I fear I may if I keep typing. So with very realistic characters, a plot that is full of suspense dealing with relevant social issues, The Other Twin is like nothing I’ve ever read before and I will be highly recommending this cracking debut. I’m quite excited to see what the author has up her sleeve next.
clair_82's review against another edition
5.0
Firstly, lets talk about that fabulous cover – I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but lets be honest, we all do when browsing books online or in a shop! Doesn’t this one just draw you in, most intriguing and begging to be picked up,for the blurb to be read.
Poppy is drawn back to Brighton after four (nearly five) years following the apparent suicide of her younger sister, India, from which she has been estranged from since she left their family home. It is unclear as to why the sisters have fallen out, but the tension (and Poppy’s subsequent guilt that there will be no reconciliation) is plain to see. However, Poppy is not convinced that her bright, beautiful and ballsy younger sibling would throw herself from a notorious Brighton bridge into the path of an oncoming train so she starts looking into what happened leading up to that fateful night. Poppy discovers that India had a blog so has her computer hacked into to get more information and read through the blog posts – however this starts to unearth some well buried secrets, especially when Poppy discovers the elusive Jenny.
I really enjoyed this book, its story line was current in respect of the influence and integration of social media within day-to-day life – this is brought to life by the blog posts featured which are formatted with social media badges, likes and comments from readers. Lucy V. Hay has tackled some extremely sensitive topics wonderfully, this is a book that will stay with me for some time because aside from the fictional brilliance, there are strong messages to be taken away. The Other Twin also a dark side that starts from the first chapter as an unknown male narrator refers to someone as ‘She Who Must Be Obeyed’ and the control that this person has over him is clear and chilling.
Hay has brought Brighton to life through this book, sharing the picturesque Brighton as well as the less desirable elements of the seaside town – Brighton is as much of a main character as Poppy. Poppy herself is a great character, she is real, flawed and haunted by her past but very much out to find out the truth for her sister – no matter what the consequences are.
The writing in this book is fantastic, it is gripping from the very first chapter and smoothly moves between Poppy, the unknown male character as well as the voice of India through her blog posts. It was great to have differing perspectives and this gave the book brilliant layers of story lines which were slowly peeled away.
The Other Twin is a gripping, fast-paced and breathtaking book about fighting for the truth – in more ways than one. When I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about it and looking forward to being able to pick it back up and find out what was happening. It is a fabulous debut thriller from Lucy V. Hay and I look forward to more.
Poppy is drawn back to Brighton after four (nearly five) years following the apparent suicide of her younger sister, India, from which she has been estranged from since she left their family home. It is unclear as to why the sisters have fallen out, but the tension (and Poppy’s subsequent guilt that there will be no reconciliation) is plain to see. However, Poppy is not convinced that her bright, beautiful and ballsy younger sibling would throw herself from a notorious Brighton bridge into the path of an oncoming train so she starts looking into what happened leading up to that fateful night. Poppy discovers that India had a blog so has her computer hacked into to get more information and read through the blog posts – however this starts to unearth some well buried secrets, especially when Poppy discovers the elusive Jenny.
I really enjoyed this book, its story line was current in respect of the influence and integration of social media within day-to-day life – this is brought to life by the blog posts featured which are formatted with social media badges, likes and comments from readers. Lucy V. Hay has tackled some extremely sensitive topics wonderfully, this is a book that will stay with me for some time because aside from the fictional brilliance, there are strong messages to be taken away. The Other Twin also a dark side that starts from the first chapter as an unknown male narrator refers to someone as ‘She Who Must Be Obeyed’ and the control that this person has over him is clear and chilling.
Hay has brought Brighton to life through this book, sharing the picturesque Brighton as well as the less desirable elements of the seaside town – Brighton is as much of a main character as Poppy. Poppy herself is a great character, she is real, flawed and haunted by her past but very much out to find out the truth for her sister – no matter what the consequences are.
The writing in this book is fantastic, it is gripping from the very first chapter and smoothly moves between Poppy, the unknown male character as well as the voice of India through her blog posts. It was great to have differing perspectives and this gave the book brilliant layers of story lines which were slowly peeled away.
The Other Twin is a gripping, fast-paced and breathtaking book about fighting for the truth – in more ways than one. When I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about it and looking forward to being able to pick it back up and find out what was happening. It is a fabulous debut thriller from Lucy V. Hay and I look forward to more.
toofondofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted on my blog: https://rathertoofondofbooks.com/
I’ve been eagerly anticipating The Other Twin for weeks now and I’m so pleased that when I finally got to read it that it exceeded my expectations!
This is a psychological thriller but it is also so much more than that. It has twists and turns running throughout the book that will keep you on your toes until the very end when all is revealed, but it also is a very prescient look at very relevant issues in society at this moment. There is a lot about grief, about mental health and about the struggles facing the LGBTQ+ community. It’s also a look at the way we live our lives versus the way we present ourselves online – the novel takes India’s blog, and to a lesser extent the comments she receives on her posts, and shows how she was trying to explain her life to others while still concealing the reality and depth of what she was going through. I think so many people will relate to this in a variety of ways.
The novel is told predominantly from Poppy’s viewpoint but we also get a few chapters interspersed that are obviously important to the plot but we don’t know who the people are in the early part of the novel. This really helps to build tension and such a sense of uneasiness as you wonder how this will fit in to what happened to India. I was guessing for most of the book and whilst I did work it out before the reveal, I was still so on edge because by that point I was anxious that something really awful might be about to happen.
I didn’t really like any characters in this book (not that this matters at all because the story is so good) as most people seem to be focused on their own lives and there wasn’t a lot of warmth in any of them. Having said that, I did find Poppy’s grief and concern for what might have led up to her sister’s death palpable at times. It does lead her to make some strange, and sometimes downright stupid decisions that could potentially put her in danger, as she digs deeper into her sister’s life but I found her actions believable because of her grief and shock and that desperate need to know. I really felt for her because being estranged from a family member who then dies before any kind of reconciliation can happen must be so hard to come to terms with. Poppy did grow on me as the novel progressed and as she began to see what had been happening in the lives of the people around her, and as the tension really begins to ramp up, I was on the edge of my seat hoping that she would get through this unscathed.
I thought it was great that this book is set within a place that is generally known to be accepting of the LGBTQ+ community but that it also really explores what it is to have a family that doesn’t accept who you are. It must cause such a pain and conflict within to not be allowed to be who you are with the people who are supposed to love and accept you. The repercussions of this within the novel are enormous and it made me so angry and so sad. I do love when a novel makes me feel such strong emotions for the characters and The Other Twin certainly does that.
I also love the title of this novel. When I read the synopsis for this book and saw that two of the characters are twins I assumed that the novel would predominantly be about them, and much of the novel does pivot on the these two and the way they see things and the way they behave but there seems to be so much else to this title. By the end of the novel it had me wondering if the title was also actually a play on the way people have two sides to them, which also ties into the idea of our real self and the self that we feel we have to, or are able to, present to the world. The cover design also played into this for me as when you wipe away steam on glass you may see the person standing on the other side or you may see a reflection of yourself.
This is a dark, disturbing and twisty suspense thriller, which also explores real and current issues in our society in a very honest, intelligent way. It grabbed me from the opening chapter and I’m not sure that it’s really let me go even now, days after I finished reading it. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut because it’s such an accomplished novel. I highly recommend The Other Twin! Already I can’t wait to see what Lucy V Hay writes next – I know I’ll be first in line to buy it though!
I’ve been eagerly anticipating The Other Twin for weeks now and I’m so pleased that when I finally got to read it that it exceeded my expectations!
This is a psychological thriller but it is also so much more than that. It has twists and turns running throughout the book that will keep you on your toes until the very end when all is revealed, but it also is a very prescient look at very relevant issues in society at this moment. There is a lot about grief, about mental health and about the struggles facing the LGBTQ+ community. It’s also a look at the way we live our lives versus the way we present ourselves online – the novel takes India’s blog, and to a lesser extent the comments she receives on her posts, and shows how she was trying to explain her life to others while still concealing the reality and depth of what she was going through. I think so many people will relate to this in a variety of ways.
The novel is told predominantly from Poppy’s viewpoint but we also get a few chapters interspersed that are obviously important to the plot but we don’t know who the people are in the early part of the novel. This really helps to build tension and such a sense of uneasiness as you wonder how this will fit in to what happened to India. I was guessing for most of the book and whilst I did work it out before the reveal, I was still so on edge because by that point I was anxious that something really awful might be about to happen.
I didn’t really like any characters in this book (not that this matters at all because the story is so good) as most people seem to be focused on their own lives and there wasn’t a lot of warmth in any of them. Having said that, I did find Poppy’s grief and concern for what might have led up to her sister’s death palpable at times. It does lead her to make some strange, and sometimes downright stupid decisions that could potentially put her in danger, as she digs deeper into her sister’s life but I found her actions believable because of her grief and shock and that desperate need to know. I really felt for her because being estranged from a family member who then dies before any kind of reconciliation can happen must be so hard to come to terms with. Poppy did grow on me as the novel progressed and as she began to see what had been happening in the lives of the people around her, and as the tension really begins to ramp up, I was on the edge of my seat hoping that she would get through this unscathed.
I thought it was great that this book is set within a place that is generally known to be accepting of the LGBTQ+ community but that it also really explores what it is to have a family that doesn’t accept who you are. It must cause such a pain and conflict within to not be allowed to be who you are with the people who are supposed to love and accept you. The repercussions of this within the novel are enormous and it made me so angry and so sad. I do love when a novel makes me feel such strong emotions for the characters and The Other Twin certainly does that.
I also love the title of this novel. When I read the synopsis for this book and saw that two of the characters are twins I assumed that the novel would predominantly be about them, and much of the novel does pivot on the these two and the way they see things and the way they behave but there seems to be so much else to this title. By the end of the novel it had me wondering if the title was also actually a play on the way people have two sides to them, which also ties into the idea of our real self and the self that we feel we have to, or are able to, present to the world. The cover design also played into this for me as when you wipe away steam on glass you may see the person standing on the other side or you may see a reflection of yourself.
This is a dark, disturbing and twisty suspense thriller, which also explores real and current issues in our society in a very honest, intelligent way. It grabbed me from the opening chapter and I’m not sure that it’s really let me go even now, days after I finished reading it. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut because it’s such an accomplished novel. I highly recommend The Other Twin! Already I can’t wait to see what Lucy V Hay writes next – I know I’ll be first in line to buy it though!