SHE LOOKS LIKE ME. SHE SOUNDS LIKE ME. NOW SHE’S TRYING TO TAKE MY PLACE.

Liz Kendall wouldn’t hurt a fly. She’s a gentle woman devoted to bringing up her kids in the right way, no matter how hard times get.

But there’s another side to Liz—one which is dark and malicious. A version of her who will do anything to get her way, no matter how extreme or violent.

And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating.

The only way Liz can save herself and her family is if she can find out where this new alter-ego has come from, and how she can stop it. 

While Someone Like Me is just the third M.R. Carey novel I’ve read, he’s an author that will always have a special place in my heart, having written a book that’s an easy top-five OF EVER for me, The Girl With All The Gifts. I was extremely excited to receive a copy of his new book from Orbit!!

Someone Like Me is one of those books that seems to defy classification. It’s a little bit of a lot of different things, all combined into one of those very rare books that I think would appeal to anyone who loves to read. This book is emotionally charged, beautifully written, and expertly paced. I just loved it, cover to cover.

One of the main characters is Liz Kendall, a mother of two children, sixteen-year-old Zac, and Molly, his precocious six-year-old sister. Liz’s ex-husband, Marc, was abusive towards her during their marriage, and continues to be a nightmare after the fact. It’s during a particularly violent & upsetting attack that Liz discovers another side to her personality. Someone who is quicker to fight back, and defend herself & her children at all costs. And do so very violently, if necessary. 

Fran Watts is a girl in Zac’s class. As a young girl, she was abducted & horribly traumatized. As a result of this, Fran suffers from hallucinations, one of which is her imaginary friend, a fox named Jinx. Who also dons full armor and a sword and becomes Lady Jinx when Fran needs her most. 

It’s a chance meeting in the office of Fran’s therapist where Zac & Fran strike up a wonderful friendship. Zac is there with Liz, who is deeply troubled by her total loss of herself during the attack by her ex-husband.

This is one of those books that’s incredibly difficult to review without giving too much away, something I’m not going to do here. There are for sure some jarring plot twists…things I certainly didn’t see coming. And shit also gets super weird from time to time!! But it all works. Everything just clicks together, and you’re so consumed by the characters & the breathless writing…this book is hard to put down at the end of the night, for sure!!

Someone Like Me is achingly gorgeous at times, and just very, very human. All these characters are lovingly written & believable. This book will run you through a huge range of emotions…it really gets under your skin & stays there. Goddamn…this was just fucking outstanding!

Huge thank you to Orbit Books for sending me a copy!! Someone Like Me releases TODAY!