Bookalicious Travel Addict: The Other Twin by L V Hay ~ Book Review ~ Debut crime novel ~ #OrendaBooks

TITLE - The Other Twin

AUTHOR - Lucy V Hay

PUBLISHER - Orenda Books

ISBN: 978-1-910633-78-6

EISBN: 978-1-910633-79-3
SYNOPSIS

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 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 the truth…

'Superb, up-to-the-minute thriller and an amazing crime debut. Prepare to be seriously disturbed'
Paul Finch

MY REVIEW

Sisters India and Poppy are not close anymore, but when Poppy hears that her Sister has committed suicide, she doesn't quite believe it, so heads home to Brighton to find out for herself what has gone on. She meets up again with her Ex- Boyfriend Matthew and his Sister Ana. What are they hiding? There are many people who seem to have secrets.

I didn't really warm to Poppy much and I think this is why I found the story slow. I didn't feel she had much depth to her and wanted her to have a bit more of a personality. I would have liked to have learnt a bit more about India and her life, but instead felt it centred more around Poppy and her relationship with Matthew, that is until the last part of the book.

I did enjoy the way the Author brought the use of Social Media into the story and also how she delicately handled the theme of LGBT and bullying. I found that part hard but gripping to read.

The book picked up for me about 2/3rds of the way through, when Poppy started piecing things together and then the story held my interest. It was intriguing to see how it was splitting both Poppy and India's family and Matthew's family apart. Secrets destroying so many relationships.

I am still confused though as to what actually happened to India, as it seems so many other readers "got it", but it didn't sink in with me.

Brighton was a great setting for the theme of the book, and having never been there and only seen pictures of it, the Author managed to bring the town alive for me.

Not my favourite book of the year but I certainly wouldn't discount it from your list of books to read.

Thank you to Anne Cater and Orenda Books for allowing me to read the book in exchange for my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lucy V. Hay is a novelist, script editor and blogger who helps writers via her

Bang2write consultancy.

She is the associate producer of Brit Thrillers Deviation (2012) and Assassin (2015), both starring Danny Dyer. Lucy is also head reader for the London Screenwriters’ Festival and has written two non-fiction books, Writing & Selling Thriller Screenplays, plus its follow-up Drama Screenplays.

She lives in Devon with her husband, three children, six cats and five African Land Snails.

Praise for The Other Twin

‘If your sister died under suspicious circumstances, how far would you go to uncover the
truth? The Other Twin crackles with tension as Poppy's search for answers leads only to
more questions, her grief palpable and real as she learns her sister India's deepest
secrets. Hays' impressive debut is a complex, twisty, disorienting tale that truly keeps
readers guessing until the very end’
Karen Dionne

‘A cracker of a debut! I couldn’t put it down’
Paula Daly

‘The writing shines from every page of this twisted tale … debuts don’t come sharper
than this’ Ruth Dugdall

‘This chilling claustrophobic tale set in Brighton introduces an original, fresh new voice in
crime fiction’ Cal Moriarty

‘Wonderfully layered and gripping, I had to take breaks just to catch my breath’
Jendella Benson

"A fresh and raw thrill-ride through Brighton´s underbelly. What an enjoyable read!"
Lilja Sigurðardóttir

Slick and compulsive’ Random Things through My Letterbox

‘A propulsive, inventive and purely addictive psychological thriller for the social media
age’ Crime by the Book

‘Delightfully disorientating’ Chapter in My Life

‘This will stay with me forever’ Emma the Little Bookworm

‘A whirlwind of secrets and emotional turmoil’ Cheryl M-M

‘Rolls along at a heart-pounding pace!’ Ronnie Turner

‘A contemporary thriller with a heart of darkness … terrific’ Live & Deadly