Written with the chilling, twisty suspense of The Wife Between Us and Something in the Water, a seductive debut thriller about greed, lust, secrets, and deadly lies involving identical twin sisters.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 … 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 . . .
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Ferociously entertaining. A novel like a triathlon: part evil-twin thriller, part howdunit (or did-she-do-it?), part juicy family drama. Drop Knives Out and Double Indemnity into the blender, shake some Dead Calm over the froth, power it on, and you’ve got a cocktail like The Girl in the Mirror — fresh, flavorful, and utterly intoxicating.
In the best possible way…
WHAT THE HELL?
I read 300ish thrillers this year and this one is in my Top 3. That’s all I’m saying except read it, read it, stop reading this and go read it.
NOW.
MIND BLOWN!!! I loved this book SO much!!! It was absolutely amazing! I was easily able to imagine the characters and everything that was happening as I was reading it. I want to go on and on about the characters and who I liked and why but I do not want to give anything away. I absolutely love when the author totally surprises me and Ros Carlyle did exactly that!!! I look forward to reading more from this author!!! Just trust me, if you haven’t read this book yet, get it now!!!
Iris and Summer are mirror twins and that’s where the twists, turns and suspense begins. Unreliable narrators, back stabbing and intrigue. Family drama abounds.
Slow beginning, but the action ramps up after the first third. By midway, I was 100% committed. Fast and action packed.
#TheGirlInTheMirror
By Rose Carlyle
Summer and Iris are identical but mirror twins (Summer’s organs are all in the correct place but Iris’ are on the opposite and wrong side) and they have completely different personalities. When Summer asks Iris to help her husband sail their luxury yacht away from Thailand at short notice, Iris jumps at the chance to sail with handsome Adam. Could this be the chance for Iris to live the life she’s always wanted – the idyllic lifestyle she has secretly coveted from afar?
If you’re lucky enough to enjoy a summer holiday abroad this year, “The Girl in the Mirror” is the perfect throw away beach read to keep you entertained. Although finding the whole story logistically improbable and rather farcical myself, a lot of readers will enjoy the escapism of this story, taking you on a journey across the waves to a tropical paradise. Twins have always fascinated me and this was a good example of how jealousy, greed can affect siblings who are so intensely close genetically, even if incredibly far fetched and unbelievable in this example. Is the grass greener on the other side for Iris? Who can Iris trust in her extended family – theres plenty of twists and turns to fill this story, some of them truly wacky. This is definitely an adult book, containing some explicit BDSM scenes that won’t be for everyone.
“The Girl in the Mirror” is the debut novel from Rose Carlyle who was awarded first class honours in her creative writing Masters at the University of Auckland. She is a keen adventurer and is an experienced yachtsman, having sailed from Thailand to South Africa via the Seychelles. Her knowledge and love of travelling and sailing has produced a book on a subject that is exceedingly detailed in yachting terminology but for me sadly, it was a bit too detailed.
2 stars
Overall, this was a decent read. For the first half of the novel, the story moves slowly. But the pace picks up toward the end. I will say, I was surprised by how the story unfolded!
What a turn of events! This is such a good read and twisted till the very end
wowza lol
This book did not have a happy ending.
A fantastic book with exceptional characters. It had me hooked from the moment I started reading it until the very last page. Loved it!! Just beautifully written, I felt like I was there.
What the What???? Excellent twisty book about greed, love, loss, and cruel intentions. I flew through the pages well into the early morning hours. I sat thinking about how things played out. Then I reread the whole last chapter. What the What?!?!
This book will stay with me for a long time. It is a character study of twins who seem to have an unbreakable bond. But you will never guess whats coming and I promise it will blow your socks off. I read this one in a couple of days and couldn’t turn the pages quick enough. If you like to see human behavior on display, the good, bad, and wicked, come on in and sit down. This book will take you on a ride you aren’t soon to forget!
Riveting from the first page to the last with a final mind-blowing twist that you’ll never see coming!
Surprise ending
he Girl in the Mirror by Rose Caryle is a psychological thriller that focuses on the dysfunctional relationships between family members including the strained relationship between two twin sisters who are mirror images of each other. In fact, they are so identical family members cannot tell them apart. If you liked this book, I highly recommend another upcoming thriller, Mirrorland, which is ironically also about twin sisters with a plot that includes a missing person believed lost at sea and a love triangle. Both novels are excellent and keep the reader guessing about what really happened on those boats. In this novel, the younger twin, Iris, is called home to Australia to help out her twin sister Sunshine. I’ll abbreviate the plot, Sunshine and her husband were sailing on their sailboat boat, Bethsheba, (the boat Iris loved as a child and had hoped to inherit), when her stepson got sick. Sunshine needs iris to help her sail the boat to another island to avoid problems with customs. Sunshine has her sister convinced that this will be a grand reunion and adventure at sea. Iris is all too eager to help out because her own life is falling apart. We learn that Iris is jealous of Sunshine’s perfect life with her handsome husband and baby on the way (spoiler- the baby will help her inherit the family fortune), but she pretends to be happy for her. Everything seems to be going well on the trip, until Iris wakes up one morning at sea and finds her sister is missing. I admit that Girl in the Mirror is a slow burn while they are out to sea, partially because I do not know that much about the world of sailing, but the plot quickly picks up when Iris makes landfall after trying to no avail to find her sister. When she reaches the shore Iris lets everyone believe that she is Sunshine and that Iris is the one who was lost at sea? Surely, someone in this very dysfunctional family will notice the difference between the sisters? The reader will likely go back and forth about whether Iris is a horrible person or if she should have a chance at her fairytale ending since Sunshine was always treated like the favorite child. But be careful what you wish for as Sunshine may not have had the perfect life that she described to her sister. This book has so many twists! I will not spoil the ending, because honestly you have to take a few leaps of faith to get there, but OMG! Readers will be left with so many questions. I had to reread the last chapter twice to get the full impact. Very dark and suspenseful. Thank you to #netgalley for the ability to get an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. #TheGirlIntheMirror Warning about potential trigger for rape. 3.5 starts rounded up to 4.
This book kept me riveted from the beginning. Very good read!!
Rose Carlyle’s The Girl in the Mirror took my breath away, page after page. It has it all: a superbly taut plot. Unforgettable, haunting characters. A setting that will instantly transport you to the lush landscape of the Seychelles. And one of the best endings I’ve read in a very long time. Bottom line — this book is exactly what we’re all craving right now: a delicious, perfect escape.
Immensely entertaining, hugely original, highly recommended. Rose Carlyle takes the reader on a wild ride, across an ocean and into the depths of a family riven by greed, jealousy and subterfuge… Like sorbet for the jaded palates of hardcore thriller fans.
A page-turner that’s delightfully over-the-top, shocking, and full of twists, The Girl in the Mirror takes sibling rivalry to the next level. A jaw-dropping debut.
“The Girl in the Mirror” gives a new definition to “the evil twin.” It is the story of identical twins, two girls, separate and yet connected, different but very much the same. The story unfolds in the first person narrative as Iris goes to help twin Summer return the beloved yacht of their childhood to the Seychelles. The narrative unfolds slowly and much of the book takes place during the sea journey. There many nautical references and jargon that a non-seagoing reader must slog through, but there is also a terrifying underlying story of deceit, trauma, and personal tragedy.
It is difficult to write a comprehensive review without revealing the crux of the plot, so let me just say that it is twisted, nasty, unexpected, and basically just diabolical. Characters who seem focused and caring are focused and caring all right but not in an appropriate way. None are who they seem to be and no one is without blame. I received a review copy of “The Girl in the Mirror” from Rose Carlyle, William Morrow, and HarperCollins. This book is gripping with immeasurable complications. You think you know people, but they can surprise you. This book gives a new definition to “evil twin.”