A review by thebookenddiner
I'll Be You by Janelle Brown

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Thank you, Random House, for the gifted copy of I'll Be You {partner}

Genre: Fiction
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 4.26.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5

"It's so easy for good intentions to get undone by unspoken sentiments; a history of small bumps piling up until you have an insurmountable mountain of issues."

I'll Be You is a darker look into the lives of identical twins who found fame in Hollywood — I got all the Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen vibes from this story. Unfortunately, I think many people will go into this book with the expectation that it's a thriller/mystery, but, in my opinion, it is neither. It falls into the literary fiction category. It's always tricky with books that fall out of the genre they're advertised as being in - I think it impacts the book's overall rating. Do you agree?

A lot of I'll Be You circled around the history of Ellie and Sam. What their childhood was like on set and, at one point, their lives went in different directions, and Sam fell into her addiction. At the heart of the story is two sisters struggling to find their place in the world after being thrust into the spotlight early. Their parents did not help the situation, and I was frequently annoyed with their mother and her "new age" beliefs, costing their daughters their happiness and confidence. I wanted Sam to find her peace and for Ellie to find herself — it had me thinking about the price many young adult stars pay for their 15 minutes of fame.

👯‍♀️ Identical Twins
🎬 Hollywood
⏳ Slower pace
🕵🏽‍♀️ Mysterious Disappearance
✌🏼 Part One & Part Two

❌ - infertility, drug dependency

I recommend you read I'll Be You if you enjoyed reading The Favorite Sister or The Good Sister.

Do you have any siblings? If so, are you all close? I have a brother and a sister — I wish we all lived near one another because I think we'd be a lot closer than we currently are.


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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility and Drug abuse