LV Hay | THE OTHER TWIN

Last night I read another U.K. winner for me! THE OTHER TWIN was something so unique and put such a great spin on some social issues without being too in your face. Please see my review below!

Plot:

When India falls to her death from a bridge over a railway, her sister Poppy returns home to Brighton for the first time in years. Unconvinced by official explanations, Poppy begins her own investigation into India's death. But the deeper she digs, the closer she comes to uncovering deeply buried secrets. Could Matthew Temple, the boyfriend she abandoned, be involved? And what of his powerful and wealthy parents, and his twin sister, Ana? Enter the mysterious and ethereal Jenny: the girl Poppy discovers after hacking into India's laptop. What is exactly is she hiding, and what did India find out about her? Taking the reader on a breathless ride through the winding lanes of Brighton, into its vibrant party scene and inside the homes of its well- heeled families, The Other Twin is a startling and up-to-the-minute thriller about the social-media world, where resentments and accusations are played out online, where identities are made and remade, and where there is no such thing as truth...

Review:

THE OTHER TWIN is a psychological thriller with heart that deals with some rather heavy social issues. Hay does a great job by diving into possibly the biggest mystery within this novel right off the bat. And in a truly brilliant fashion, the comparison of a brutal hangover ties in fanatically with the plot to this novel as our protagonist learns of her sisters untimely death which is ruled a suicide. 

But, it doesn't end there. Hay sucks us into a world that is unfortunately all too familiar. Grieving with the loss of her sister, we follow Poppy on the journey to find out the truth of what happened that night as well as why her relationship ended with the elusive Matthew and what caused his family to hate her so much. There are also some poetically beautiful scenes that really hit a home run on the reality of Poppy and her family dealing with her sisters loss. The plot is a wicked, tightly wound web of deceit, sadness, and many subplots that truly bring this story to a whole other level as far as psychological thrillers are concerned. This novel is wonderfully twisted, brilliantly gritty, and phenomenally honest. 

The characterization in this novel is not only strong, but done in the perfect way that in my opinion, U.K. authors can perfect in the most unique ways. No one is perfect, Poppy is sometimes unlikeable and unreliable, and the people that surround her are so messed up that anyone is capable of murder and reasonably believable to be the next victim. While some characters were not as big of a presence as I would have expected, some did a fantastic job of being a simple red herring while others popped up when you least expect them, keeping the suspense at an all time high. 

While I wasn't expecting the novel I read, I'm glad I got to enjoy a psychological thriller that had a lot of heart, was brutally honest, and dealt with so many social issues. I also would like to add that by inserting posts from India's blog, the reader gets a true feel as to why everyone loved and misses her so much. The including of social media and Poppys memories of her sister were not only shining aspects of this novel, but really what made it hit a home run for me. I also want to add, each blog post was so poetic and filled with mystery, but as you approach the final pages, those lines of poetry really start to make sense. While the ending to this one was abrupt and in your face, it was nice to see Hay choose the ending and how she wrapped everything up. Saying no more, I think this is one every psychological thriller should try. 

Rating: 3.5/5