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She's Not One of Us
As of Jan 21st, a new print went out to fix any typos/grammar issues!
Thank you so much!
*Kindle you need to update the manuscript if you downloaded it before then!
Ava Brentwood, time of death, 10:03 p.m. her death quickly ruled a suicide. The case closes, shrouded in silence, even as her mother and stepfather vanish under mysterious circumstances.
Allison, Ava’s estranged half-sister, feels the pull of secrets buried within the Brentwood legacy. As she battles her own demons, questions swirl about Ava’s untimely death and the staggering $300 million inheritance she received prior to her passing.
Drawn to the abandoned house on Kenilworth, Allison sifts through Ava’s forgotten possessions, desperate for clues. But the deeper she digs, the more unsettling the revelations become.
In a world where trust is fragile and family ties can bind too tightly, Allison must unravel the dark threads woven into Ava’s story before it’s too late for both herself and the truth.
She’s Not One of Us is a haunting exploration of human depravity and the despair it breeds, even within the most recognized and affluent of families.
Thank you so much!
*Kindle you need to update the manuscript if you downloaded it before then!
Ava Brentwood, time of death, 10:03 p.m. her death quickly ruled a suicide. The case closes, shrouded in silence, even as her mother and stepfather vanish under mysterious circumstances.
Allison, Ava’s estranged half-sister, feels the pull of secrets buried within the Brentwood legacy. As she battles her own demons, questions swirl about Ava’s untimely death and the staggering $300 million inheritance she received prior to her passing.
Drawn to the abandoned house on Kenilworth, Allison sifts through Ava’s forgotten possessions, desperate for clues. But the deeper she digs, the more unsettling the revelations become.
In a world where trust is fragile and family ties can bind too tightly, Allison must unravel the dark threads woven into Ava’s story before it’s too late for both herself and the truth.
She’s Not One of Us is a haunting exploration of human depravity and the despair it breeds, even within the most recognized and affluent of families.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 9, 2024
192 people are currently reading
2995 people want to read
About the author
Ariele Chapman
2 books28 followersAriele Chapman, a Chicago native, currently resides in Southern California. When she’s not ruining homemade sourdough, she enjoys eating it. She doesn't really know what to put in her author bio, because She's Not One of Us is her debut novel, but she will tell you that she loves animals, especially her dog, and will never be as mysterious as her books— she is a chronic yapper, who any kidnapper would return immediately.
You can follow her on Instagram at Arielechapman_writes and on Tiktok at A.B.Chapman
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
December 19, 2024
An inheritance of a couple million dollars might compel some people to act in their own interests. $300 million? yeah, there might be a sprinkle of murder plots. She’s Not One Of Us follows characters that while they don’t all identify as family, are connected all the same, and more than a few have murder on their mind.
One of my favorite things about this book is the characters the author has created. They are dynamic, engaging, and all so damn flawed. Each character POV chapter reveals their often very dark histories which goes on to show that basically every one of them has motive to commit a crime. & they do…
Ava is the character everyone seems to be tied to and the novel’s timeline jumps between time before her murder and the days and weeks that come after.
Some things that keep it from 5 stars would be pacing, as it takes time to meet all the characters and a lot of information is shared that while most of it is important, it doesn’t see the pay off til the end. The larger cast of characters also makes it slightly harder to follow or to know who to root for. plot wise, lot happens so while it felt slower to build, a lot was also packed in there to keep track of.
Ariele Chapman’s debut novel has imaginative storytelling that draws you in and leaves you captivated til the very end. Just how high will the body count get? & who is the guilty party? or rather, who remains innocent?
One of my favorite things about this book is the characters the author has created. They are dynamic, engaging, and all so damn flawed. Each character POV chapter reveals their often very dark histories which goes on to show that basically every one of them has motive to commit a crime. & they do…
Ava is the character everyone seems to be tied to and the novel’s timeline jumps between time before her murder and the days and weeks that come after.
Some things that keep it from 5 stars would be pacing, as it takes time to meet all the characters and a lot of information is shared that while most of it is important, it doesn’t see the pay off til the end. The larger cast of characters also makes it slightly harder to follow or to know who to root for. plot wise, lot happens so while it felt slower to build, a lot was also packed in there to keep track of.
Ariele Chapman’s debut novel has imaginative storytelling that draws you in and leaves you captivated til the very end. Just how high will the body count get? & who is the guilty party? or rather, who remains innocent?
January 14, 2025
DNF at 47%.
Tired of waiting for something to happen. Writing style was a little chaotic.
Tired of waiting for something to happen. Writing style was a little chaotic.
December 8, 2024
This debut novel is impressively done, with a complicated storyline, following multiple perspectives and timelines, along with a number of twists and turns to keep you guessing. In my opinion, it starts slower paced, but it picks up rapidly in the second half, and by the end you don't even know which way to look!
June 14, 2025
3.5 stars.
Great premise, mostly engaging, however there were too many POVs that distracted from the meat of the plot. As this book takes place in 2 timelines, I feel having so many POVs really muddled my enjoyment and sometimes felt unnecessary.
Great premise, mostly engaging, however there were too many POVs that distracted from the meat of the plot. As this book takes place in 2 timelines, I feel having so many POVs really muddled my enjoyment and sometimes felt unnecessary.
January 12, 2025
I had the pleasure of reading Ariele Chapman’s debut novel, and I must say, I was hooked from the very first page. The story pulled me in with its compelling characters, intricate plot, and unexpected twists that kept me eagerly turning pages. From start to finish, I was captivated by the way the author skillfully wove drama, suspense, and emotion into every chapter. Every twist felt fresh and unpredictable, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout. It’s rare to find a debut book that delivers such a thrilling reading experience, but this one absolutely does. I can’t wait to see what this author has in store for future novels, as I’ll definitely be first in line to read them!
January 10, 2025
A LOT going on in this book. Didn’t love the writing style personally, but it definitely kept my interest.
January 21, 2025
She’s Not One of Us
By: Ariele Chapman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
If you know me I’m very picky about the thrillers I read. I hate predictable endings and boring characters, but this story had me questioning everything! I didn’t know who was the murderer(s) (there are lots of murders and deaths in the book), what was happening half the time, and the ending left me hollow and broken (poetically).
Ariele did a great job of making dynamic characters who had a tremendous amount of depth to them. While I would have liked to see a few more side characters a little flushed out, I thought the main players were well written and I enjoyed seeing them rise up and fall throughout the story!
I genuinely didn’t see certain plot twists happening and was on the edge of my seat during the final chapters! It’s crazy to me that this is Ariele’s first novel, because it’s up there with some of the best thrillers I’ve read!
By: Ariele Chapman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
If you know me I’m very picky about the thrillers I read. I hate predictable endings and boring characters, but this story had me questioning everything! I didn’t know who was the murderer(s) (there are lots of murders and deaths in the book), what was happening half the time, and the ending left me hollow and broken (poetically).
Ariele did a great job of making dynamic characters who had a tremendous amount of depth to them. While I would have liked to see a few more side characters a little flushed out, I thought the main players were well written and I enjoyed seeing them rise up and fall throughout the story!
I genuinely didn’t see certain plot twists happening and was on the edge of my seat during the final chapters! It’s crazy to me that this is Ariele’s first novel, because it’s up there with some of the best thrillers I’ve read!
December 16, 2024
What a ride! This book had so many twists and I’m usually pretty good at guessing twists but this one totally surprised me! I will say the first half is on the slow side but it’s necessary build up for what happens in the second half. There’s a lot of family intrigue and we get really detailed accounts from all the main characters. This book is multiple POVs with a full ensemble of characters which I really enjoy. It’s also duel timelines that come to a head when the big reveal happens. I don’t want to spoil anything but the ending was perfection!
Can’t wait to see what’s next for this author
Can’t wait to see what’s next for this author
January 8, 2025
I would give this 3.5 stars. I found the rec in the psychological thriller group and believe the author said it was her first book. What a wild ride. There was SO many twisty turns in this book. A lot of POV’s and two different timelines, with three characters having A names so it can get confusing. I think for this being the authors first book she did great and has so much potential!!
January 22, 2025
So many plot holes and unrealistic scenarios
January 22, 2025
if the van der woodsens were murderers, this would be it. i live for the family drama.
August 10, 2025
This could have been a good book. I feel it was poorly written, and things were repeated a lot.
January 5, 2025
Such a good book
Author posted her book in a Facebook group. Thought I'd check it out and I started it and got hooked. Good book.
Author posted her book in a Facebook group. Thought I'd check it out and I started it and got hooked. Good book.
January 9, 2025
Loved this book! It caught my attention from the beginning and love the twists!
December 6, 2024
A book filled with twists and turns!! Plenty of great characters and stories within the story! Excellent read!
January 6, 2025
If you want to read about family full of secrets and power, read this story. It is good story of power that money can brings and how much money can destroy people. Twists are good, maybe a little slow somewhere, but I enjoyed it
January 5, 2025
Murder mystery + family drama? Sign. Me. Up. 🤣🤣🤣
This was so good! I loved the overlapping timeline & the multiple POV. I had so many theories and truly didn’t figure it out until right at the end, and I’m SHOOK!!
This was so good! I loved the overlapping timeline & the multiple POV. I had so many theories and truly didn’t figure it out until right at the end, and I’m SHOOK!!
January 5, 2025
What an amazing debut novel! So many twists and turns. This book kept me hooked and made me excited to pick it back up the next day. Definitely recommend!
January 12, 2025
Okay so this has an interesting premise. The story fell flat. I felt like there could’ve been a lot more twists to this story and it just wasn’t there. Overall it kept my interest. The ending just wasn’t there.
January 7, 2025
It was hard to get into this.
January 13, 2025
A Dark, Gripping Journey with Beautiful Prose
She's Not One of Us by Ariele Chapman is a haunting, thought-provoking tale that captivates with its dark themes and stunningly beautiful writing. From the first page, Chapman’s prose pulls you into a world brimming with raw emotion, vivid imagery, and an atmosphere so rich you can almost feel it.
The characters are intricately drawn—flawed, human, and achingly real. Their struggles and choices are infused with a poetic depth that elevates the story beyond a simple thriller. Chapman weaves themes of identity, betrayal, and resilience into a narrative that flows like a dark, mesmerizing melody.
What truly sets this book apart is the seamless combination of elegant, lyrical prose with edge-of-your-seat suspense. Each twist and turn feels deliberate, each moment laced with tension and beauty. By the time you reach the jaw-dropping conclusion, you’re left both unsettled and in awe of the journey you’ve been taken on.
For fans of psychological thrillers that marry gripping plots with exquisite writing, She's Not One of Us is an absolute must-read. A masterpiece of suspense and style!
She's Not One of Us by Ariele Chapman is a haunting, thought-provoking tale that captivates with its dark themes and stunningly beautiful writing. From the first page, Chapman’s prose pulls you into a world brimming with raw emotion, vivid imagery, and an atmosphere so rich you can almost feel it.
The characters are intricately drawn—flawed, human, and achingly real. Their struggles and choices are infused with a poetic depth that elevates the story beyond a simple thriller. Chapman weaves themes of identity, betrayal, and resilience into a narrative that flows like a dark, mesmerizing melody.
What truly sets this book apart is the seamless combination of elegant, lyrical prose with edge-of-your-seat suspense. Each twist and turn feels deliberate, each moment laced with tension and beauty. By the time you reach the jaw-dropping conclusion, you’re left both unsettled and in awe of the journey you’ve been taken on.
For fans of psychological thrillers that marry gripping plots with exquisite writing, She's Not One of Us is an absolute must-read. A masterpiece of suspense and style!
January 23, 2025
I’m very confused by the number of high ratings. Really shallow characters and the plot barely moves. So many typos in the first 20 pages - where is the editor? I tried skipping ahead to see if it got better and it doesn’t.
The writing is all super short sentences and the characters are just telling you what they’re doing as if the reader is a dummy. What happened to show don’t tell? The dialogue and descriptions throughout are also very flat, it’s like they’re not allowed to speak more than a sentence at a time.
The premise seemed interesting but the writing really doesn’t deliver and feels like a high schooler who was trying to hit their word count on an essay (so many filler words and overdone explanations of the most mundane things!) Two stars for the potential for an interesting plot, I suppose. If you are into thrillers/mysteries that lean more towards chick-lit, even established authors like Feeney, Sager, Ware, Jewell and McFadden do a better job than this. The writing style just felt so juvenile I had to DNF.
The writing is all super short sentences and the characters are just telling you what they’re doing as if the reader is a dummy. What happened to show don’t tell? The dialogue and descriptions throughout are also very flat, it’s like they’re not allowed to speak more than a sentence at a time.
The premise seemed interesting but the writing really doesn’t deliver and feels like a high schooler who was trying to hit their word count on an essay (so many filler words and overdone explanations of the most mundane things!) Two stars for the potential for an interesting plot, I suppose. If you are into thrillers/mysteries that lean more towards chick-lit, even established authors like Feeney, Sager, Ware, Jewell and McFadden do a better job than this. The writing style just felt so juvenile I had to DNF.
December 19, 2024
What a phenomenal first book for this author. So many twists and unexpected plot endings. Im a sucker for detailed books and this one had a whole movie playing in my head. The beginning was a bit slow but the last half I couldnt read fast enough to find out what happens. I’m not a huge fan of multiple point of views, but this was really well done with multiple POV and timelines. Each character had their own type of personality, and of course connection to the millions.
300 million dollars is to be inherited, so of course that’s going to come along with multiple murders, scheming and dark twisty plot lines. Up until the very end you don’t know who to trust and who to run away from. Money can make some people do some dark scary things!
300 million dollars is to be inherited, so of course that’s going to come along with multiple murders, scheming and dark twisty plot lines. Up until the very end you don’t know who to trust and who to run away from. Money can make some people do some dark scary things!
January 10, 2025
You know those books that keep you so engaged that when anything gets in the way of you finishing the book you’re irritated? That was this book for me. By page 200 I had ditched my family, hid in my room and did not leave my bed until I finished. It was so engaging, and I thought the multiple POVs and timelines were so well done. And I typically don’t enjoy multiple POVs. I’m also typically a fast reader (and admittedly skip over parts so I can get through the story faster) but with this book I found myself taking my time and really digesting every detail. If you do this, you’ll be able to connect so many dots over the course of the story— it’s like your own scavenger hunt that makes the anticipation of the final chapter just that much better. Well done!!!
January 30, 2025
I really enjoyed this book! Yes it starts slow but I think the author takes this time to build the characters really well - you get to understand their nuances which makes the end all the more juicy! I found the story had more depth as a novel than a pure psychological thriller and I think that really added to my enjoyment of it - love something that is a bit different. Some of the twists weren’t predictable as well which is a difficult feat, I didn’t see the end coming. I read somewhere that this was the author’s first book so I can’t wait to read her next one!
Ps. There were a number of typos in the edition I read but I have seen the author say these are being addressed in a reprint which is great. Just in case you’re wondering if they’ve been picked up!
Ps. There were a number of typos in the edition I read but I have seen the author say these are being addressed in a reprint which is great. Just in case you’re wondering if they’ve been picked up!
January 16, 2025
I read this book after seeing the author post in a FB group that it was her first novel.
The book is from 3-4 peoples point of view and is over 2 different timelines. At times I was struggling to keep up with who and what timeframe I was in, how much time had passed etc.
There is a lot of backstory for each character which definitely made it slow to get in to, but I think it was to try and justify why they do the things they do in the end.
For me, The twists and turns weren’t really as shocking as some people have found them but there were a couple of little surprises!
Overall not a bad read and will definitely read more from the author!
The book is from 3-4 peoples point of view and is over 2 different timelines. At times I was struggling to keep up with who and what timeframe I was in, how much time had passed etc.
There is a lot of backstory for each character which definitely made it slow to get in to, but I think it was to try and justify why they do the things they do in the end.
For me, The twists and turns weren’t really as shocking as some people have found them but there were a couple of little surprises!
Overall not a bad read and will definitely read more from the author!
January 12, 2025
This book is a dark, gripping masterpiece that weaves together flawed characters, intricate plots, and haunting themes of power and control. I literally couldn't put it down as soon as the plot got going. The richly developed cast and their interconnected lives create a suspenseful, emotionally charged narrative full of twists and shocking revelations. With evocative writing and profound emotional depth, this story lingers long after the final page. I short, it's perfect for readers who crave complex, thought-provoking thrillers.
January 15, 2025
I downloaded this book because a friend recommended it, not knowing anything about what was going to happen. And man was that the right choice! I love books written from multiple perspectives, because then you get EVERYONES story, and this book was just that. The ending left me rereading, contemplating, and spamming my friend with texts because I was just in awe of the whole thing. It’s one of those books that has you questioning “wait did that really just happen?!” I cannot wait for more books from Ms Chapman!
January 27, 2025
Brilliantly dark & captivating!
Impeccable read. This book had me fighting for any possible free time to dig back into. The transitions with each point of view were addicting & perfectly executed.
Greed, love, sacrifice, mystery, pain, suspense....a twisted storyline you can't help but fall In love with. ESPECIALLY when it comes to the ending! What a thrilling first novel for her. There is no doubt I will be counting down the days until she hopefully announces another novel on the way.
Buy for all your friends & fam, 100/10 recommend.
Impeccable read. This book had me fighting for any possible free time to dig back into. The transitions with each point of view were addicting & perfectly executed.
Greed, love, sacrifice, mystery, pain, suspense....a twisted storyline you can't help but fall In love with. ESPECIALLY when it comes to the ending! What a thrilling first novel for her. There is no doubt I will be counting down the days until she hopefully announces another novel on the way.
Buy for all your friends & fam, 100/10 recommend.
February 8, 2025
For a first-time publication, the book was very intriguing, and had lots of very unexpected twists towards the end! The storytelling from multiple people, and different time points, keeps you wanting to see how it all ties together at the end. It was a bit slow to start out, and some of the writing style was a bit choppy and stilted, making it a bit harder to be invested in the characters.
I originally would have rated it lower stars, only because I bought it upon first release and there were some spelling errors in it, but they seemed to have been fixed shortly after release.
I originally would have rated it lower stars, only because I bought it upon first release and there were some spelling errors in it, but they seemed to have been fixed shortly after release.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews