Book Review: The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle

The Girl in the Mirror

by

Rose Carlyle

Identical twins only look the same …

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 4th August 2020

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 368

RRP: $29.99AUD

Format read: Uncorrected ARC paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Better Reading

About the book

Beautiful twin sisters Iris and Summer are startlingly alike, but beyond what the eye can see lies a darkness that sets them apart. Cynical and insecure, Iris has long been envious of open-hearted Summer's seemingly never-ending good fortune, including her perfect husband, Adam.

Called to Thailand to help sail the family yacht to the Seychelles, Iris nurtures her own secret hopes for what might happen on the journey. But when she unexpectedly finds herself alone in the middle of the Indian Ocean, everything changes.

Now is her chance to take what she's always wanted - the idyllic life she's always coveted. But just how far will she go to get the life she's dreamed about? And how will she make sure no one discovers the truth?

My review

I loved this tale of deception and greed. Iris has always felt as if she can never be as beautiful or as kind as her twin, Summer. Everyone loved Summer and she had everything Iris didn’t. Summer had the perfect life Iris always dreamed of. A chance comes where Iris can make Summer’s life her own. Will she take it?

“Summer is an it girl, a blonde bombshell. And I am her mirror.”

The story is told in the first person by Iris and the first part of her narration does elicit sympathy but when her chance comes to take Summer’s life a different Iris emerges, callous and calculating, and I started to wonder which was the true Iris.

I loved this gripping tale of identical twins. I like to try and guess what the outcome will be but this story had me fooled. It was full of twists I didn’t see coming. The ending killed me and I’m still pondering it days later.

I read this in two days. Fast-paced, atmospheric and haunting The Girl in the Mirror is totally addictive! I’m looking forward to more from Rose Carlyle.

My rating 5/5          ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Rose Carlyle is a lawyer and keen adventurer. She has crewed on scientific yachting expeditions to subantarctic islands and lived aboard her own yacht in the Indian Ocean for a year, sailing it from Thailand to South Africa via the Seychelles. Rose was a Michael King Writer in Residence in 2020. She lives in Auckland with her three children. The Girl in the Mirror is her first novel.