Book Review: The Girl in the Mirror
Author: Rose Carlyle
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: William Morrow
Publish Date: October 20, 2020
Format: Hardcover
★★★☆☆
This book is perfect for those that like: Family Secrets, Sailing, and Stories With Plot Twists.
You might not like this book if you aren’t into: Non-Consensual Sexual Activities, Possible Incest, or Preposterous Plots.
Purchase: Bookshop / Barnes & Noble / Amazon
From Goodreads: 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 Summer’s seemingly never-ending good fortune, including her perfect husband Adam.
Called to Thailand to help her sister 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. When she makes it to land, Iris allows herself to be swept up by Adam, who assumes that she is Summer.
Iris recklessly goes along with his mistake. Not only does she finally have the golden life she’s always envied, with her sister gone, she’s one step closer to the hundred-million-dollar inheritance left by her manipulative father. All Iris has to do is be the first of his seven children to produce an heir.
Iris’s “new” life lurches between glamorous dream and paranoid nightmare. On the edge of being exposed, how far will she go to ensure no one discovers the truth?
And just what did happen to Summer on the yacht?
Only Iris knows . . .
Let’s just jump right to the main point of the story here. There’s a 100 million dollar inheritance for the first person (out of three families and seven children) to produce an heir to the Carmichael family name. As one can imagine, this leads to some MAJOR family disputes and flat-out war at times.
Y’all. I’m not saying that the ultra-wealthy don’t do some Stuff to their families when it comes to wills and trusts, but this plot is preposterous, as are the decisions that these people make in reaction to it. These characters participate in some serious WTF moments, that may or may not be illegal depending on where you live, that just made me sad. Almost every character in this book is a horrible person.
That being said, WHEW, despite its flaws, this was A RIDE, lol.
You know from the opening pages what is eventually going to happen -- it’s pretty much a formulaic thriller with the third act promising the Big Twist -- and it does deliver on that, despite its obviousness. What I was NOT prepared for were the other tiny twists that happened in the last few pages. I legit finished the book on a WHAT THE F*CK, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? But in a good way, lol. I actually went back and re-read the last few pages to make sure I had read it correctly.
The pacing was a bit slow at times, mostly because of the sailing scenes, which are VERY detailed, and as a non-sailor, I struggled with understanding what was happening at times. I will say though, that if you even remotely like sailing, you will love this book. It really does make you want to take to the open waters-- without committing murder though (hopefully).
The Girl in the Mirror is a great weekend read that you shouldn’t take too seriously. Just let the story take you where it will and wait for the end to punch you in the face.