I'll Be You

Books | Fiction / Family Life / Siblings

3.6

(69)

Janelle Brown

Two identical twin sisters and former child actors have grown apart—until one disappears, in this “cleverly crafted and psychologically nuanced” (Time) suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Things. “An addictive thriller that will keep readers burning through pages . . . sneakily hypnotic.”—Los Angeles TimesONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Public Library, PopSugar“You be me, and I’ll be you,” I whispered. As children, Sam and Elli were two halves of a perfect whole: gorgeous identical twins whose parents sometimes couldn’t even tell them apart. They fell asleep to the sound of each other’s breath at night, holding hands in the dark. And once Hollywood discovered them, they became B-list child TV stars, often inhabiting the same role. But as adults, their lives have splintered. After leaving acting, Elli reinvented herself as the perfect homemaker: married to a real estate lawyer, living in a house just blocks from the beach. Meanwhile, Sam has never recovered from her failed Hollywood career, or from her addiction to the pills and booze that have propped her up for the last fifteen years. Sam hasn't spoken to her sister since her destructive behavior finally drove a wedge between them. So when her father calls out of the blue, Sam is shocked to learn that Elli’s life has been in turmoil: her husband moved out, and Elli just adopted a two-year-old girl. Now she’s stopped answering her phone and checked in to a mysterious spa in Ojai. Is her sister just decompressing, or is she in trouble? Could she have possibly joined a cult? As Sam works to connect the dots left by Elli’s baffling disappearance, she realizes that the bond between her and her sister is more complicated than she ever knew. I’ll Be You shows Janelle Brown at the top of her game: a story packed with surprising revelations and sharp insights about the choices that define our families and our lives—and could just as easily destroy them.

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More Details:

Author

Janelle Brown

Pages

368

Publisher

Random House Publishing Group

Published Date

2022-04-26

ISBN

052547921X 9780525479215

Ratings

Google: 4

Community ReviewsSee all

"3.5 stars"

Reading into the Void

"Reads like you are watching a movie honestly. Keeps you on the edge of your chair. "

R K

Rose K

"Good beach read. It drags on a bit with some chapters but overall I thought it was a good read with an element of suspense and flawed but likable main characters. "

Alison Gorman

"Can we say #crazynotinsane?!?! The love of sisters is put to the ultimate test and will have you picking sides over and over. Well worth it. "

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Naomi McCall

"I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Sam and Elli are identical twins with very different personalities. Sam loves being the center of attention and already acted in a school play, so when the twins are discovered while at the beach, she’s ecstatic. But Elli would rather blend in and be a normal kid. Despite this, Elli goes along with it to make her sister happy. Sam thrives as a young actress where Elli doesn’t. When Elli needs a break from acting, Sam is happy to step in and “be” her sister. The problem is, playing more than one role takes a toll on Sam. Enter the “helpful” makeup artist, who gives Sam Adderall so she can keep up. This starts Sam on her long journey with addiction. Elli decides to leave acting for good and pursue a normal life while Sam tries to revive her career in between her failed rehab stints. The different directions lead to an estrangement between the sisters. Elli seems to have attained the life she always wanted: a husband, a stable home, a floral business, and a new adopted daughter. So when Sam is called upon by her parents to help take care of the niece that, up until that point, she didn’t even know existed, she knows something is wrong. Especially when she learns that her sister is in the middle of a divorce and is selling her home. The Elli that Sam knew would never leave the child she wished for to spend weeks at a women’s movement retreat, but a lot has happened since the two sisters last spoke. As Sam searches for clues about her sister’s absence, she learns she’s not the only twin to make questionable decisions. I’ll Be You is a fast-paced novel filled with surprises. There are three parts told in Sam’s point of view, then Elli’s and back to Sam’s. Elli’s part was so small compared to Sam’s. I wish a little more time had been spent establishing the how’s and the why’s of Elli’s involvement with the “movement” and the decisions she made. Her part fell flat in comparison. Overall, it was a very enjoyable, gripping read, and one that I’ll most likely reread in the future."

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Kara Mowery

"Story of twins with a twist. Beginning was fast and pulled you in but then too long and slow of the end "

Mary Holcomb

"A little slow at first, the story is told in 2 parts, each sisters view and then a 3rd part with the solution. The best part of the book was the 3rd part."

Y B

Y Bennett

"3.5*"

M b

M bis

"Read it straight through. Janelle Brown has set the bar high with this book. It made me cry. I’ll Be You is beautifully written. "

A G

Ann Gott