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The Twin Game
From the author of the USA Today bestselling novel, The Girl on the Stairs.
Hope Ross isn’t crazy, but she knows crazy. Crazy is...
...a father telling his daughter to pretend her twin sister doesn't exist. Worst. Game. Ever.
...a sister never leaving the house.
...a disturbed woman hidden away in the attic.
...bodies rotting in the basement.
...being accused of attempted murder.
...the police blaming the victim.
No, Hope’s not crazy, and she’s through playing games. As soon as she gets out of this mental facility, she’s going to prove it.
Hope Ross isn’t crazy, but she knows crazy. Crazy is...
...a father telling his daughter to pretend her twin sister doesn't exist. Worst. Game. Ever.
...a sister never leaving the house.
...a disturbed woman hidden away in the attic.
...bodies rotting in the basement.
...being accused of attempted murder.
...the police blaming the victim.
No, Hope’s not crazy, and she’s through playing games. As soon as she gets out of this mental facility, she’s going to prove it.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 20, 2017
936 people are currently reading
941 people want to read
About the author
V.J. Chambers
104 books463 followersV. J. Chambers writes about being inexplicably attracted to the dangerously alluring. Her works span mundane settings and fantastic ones. She writes about serial killers, cult leaders, werewolves, witches, for-hire assassins, zombies, space pirates, and regular everyday people.
She lives in Shepherdstown, WV, with her boyfriend Aaron and their cat Isis.
She lives in Shepherdstown, WV, with her boyfriend Aaron and their cat Isis.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
May 3, 2019
A book you find very hard to put down, where you're second guessing yourself constantly. Our lead character Hope gets more and more erratic, changing her views on situations as she seemingly descends into insanity. You're wondering along with her who is real, did this conversation really take place or is it all in her imagination. You'll keep turning the pages to find out what has gone on in her past to make her like she is and then the truth will knock your socks off! Highly recommended.
December 22, 2018
Very entertaining book, started out I compared it to The Other, but as you continue reading it keeps drawing you in.....will definitely read more from this author.
April 30, 2018
My head is spinning from all the twists and turns in this book - wow! I thought I had it all worked out but so many times I was wrong. Great book, really enjoyed it
February 12, 2017
Awesome
Thanks for awesome story that kept me captivated until the very end of it. Can't wait to read more about these twin sistes.
Thanks for awesome story that kept me captivated until the very end of it. Can't wait to read more about these twin sistes.
January 31, 2017
This book puts you on a roller coaster of a ride. There are so many things that happen, you don't know whether to believe they are real or not! Like, Is Hope as crazy as everyone says she is? She doesn't think so and she's out to prove it!
Hope has been released from the mental facility, after being in there for 2 months, because she claimed that someone tied her up and was going to kill her!
He lifelong friend Rhys comes to take her home. And this is where things starts going wrong, for everyone involved!
Hope has played a game all her life practically, it's called "Pretend Serenity Doesn't Exsist" And she has but know, the tables are turning on her for it!
Hope finds out long hidden secrets that have remained a mystery or have been hidden. But there are some things she doesn't know if they are true or not! Like her memories!
Hope doesn't know who to trust! Everyone seems to be out to get her or so she thinks!
At one point you think you know for certain she's not crazy but then something will happen and your left wondering!
Is Serenity real? What is Rhys up to? Does Kirk believe her? Is Hope losing her mind forever? Did she kill those girls?
I don't want to give to much away because it'll give everything away but this was a fantastic read! It was gripping and I couldn't put it down! I need to know all the answers to the questions that were burning inside me while I was reading it!
I don't usually read psychological thrillers but this was pretty great and I may read more in the future!
I voluntarily reviewed this book in exchange for an advanced copy.
Hope has been released from the mental facility, after being in there for 2 months, because she claimed that someone tied her up and was going to kill her!
He lifelong friend Rhys comes to take her home. And this is where things starts going wrong, for everyone involved!
Hope has played a game all her life practically, it's called "Pretend Serenity Doesn't Exsist" And she has but know, the tables are turning on her for it!
Hope finds out long hidden secrets that have remained a mystery or have been hidden. But there are some things she doesn't know if they are true or not! Like her memories!
Hope doesn't know who to trust! Everyone seems to be out to get her or so she thinks!
At one point you think you know for certain she's not crazy but then something will happen and your left wondering!
Is Serenity real? What is Rhys up to? Does Kirk believe her? Is Hope losing her mind forever? Did she kill those girls?
I don't want to give to much away because it'll give everything away but this was a fantastic read! It was gripping and I couldn't put it down! I need to know all the answers to the questions that were burning inside me while I was reading it!
I don't usually read psychological thrillers but this was pretty great and I may read more in the future!
I voluntarily reviewed this book in exchange for an advanced copy.
February 3, 2017
Talk about whiplash!
This book really puzzled me. I thought I had it figured out, then I thought I had it figured out again, then again, and now here I am writing this review with my heart still racing. Seriously. Read this book.
This book really puzzled me. I thought I had it figured out, then I thought I had it figured out again, then again, and now here I am writing this review with my heart still racing. Seriously. Read this book.
Read
August 20, 2017I can't carry on with this book - I'm halfway through and it's just too confusing!
The main character Hope is just too unreliable to be able to follow and her behaviour makes no sense to me whatsoever.
I'm sure this is the point but my brain is too weary to figure this all out - I quit!
The main character Hope is just too unreliable to be able to follow and her behaviour makes no sense to me whatsoever.
I'm sure this is the point but my brain is too weary to figure this all out - I quit!
February 22, 2017
Very good psychological thriller that follows a young woman who has been haunted by her twin her entire life, blamed for all these bad things that have been perpetrated by said twin.
But is the twin real?
And now, bad things are happening again, shortly after she's released from a mental hospital. So the need to figure out what's going on is greater than ever for her.
This was a fast, tense read that kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. V.J. Chambers has a very readable style and knows how to spin a twisted yarn and create interesting characters who the reader will care about right away. I'd recommend this one for anyone who loves psychological thrillers.
But is the twin real?
And now, bad things are happening again, shortly after she's released from a mental hospital. So the need to figure out what's going on is greater than ever for her.
This was a fast, tense read that kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. V.J. Chambers has a very readable style and knows how to spin a twisted yarn and create interesting characters who the reader will care about right away. I'd recommend this one for anyone who loves psychological thrillers.
January 10, 2022
There's something about twins that fascinates me. Wally Lamb's "I Know This Much Is True," Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things," Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible," Parravani's "Her" were all novels with twin characters that had me riveted to my seat, so I jumped at the opportunity to obtain the audiobook version of The Twin Game. The fact that it was billed as a psychological thriller made it doubly exciting.
Chambers starts off interesting enough, unique even, with twin sisters, Hope and Serenity, who instead of a the typical twin bond, hate each other. One is cold, calculating and mean, the other innocent. But wait! Which one is which? According to Hope, who narrates, Serenity is the mean one. However, since Hope just emerged from an extended stay in a mental institution, she might not be the most reliable source of information. Throw a handsome childhood friend turned celebrity into the center of the twin drama and you have the start of a great book.
But rather than developing it into a solid, believable plot, there are times that the author herself sounds like she's writing it from a mental institution, and the book jumps the shark pretty early on.
It devolves into a confusing murder mystery that's barely believable
In a quote from the book blurb, "...a father telling his daughter to pretend her twin sister doesn't exist. Worst. Game. Ever." Totally agree. And to pull it off, Dad declares little Serenity too "special" to go to school or even leave the house. Handsome, childhood friend, however seems to have access to both sisters and even facilitates a Patty Duke moment where Serenity stands in for Hope at her drama club.
I can't. I just can't even go on trying to make sense of the plot. Let's just say it involves a very creepy psychiatrist, an allegedly murderous drama coach, several missing girls, a madwoman in an attic, another set of twins in the family, and of course, stock character Dudley DoRight-ish "hot" hero of a policeman who fights for all things good and true.
Yawn. (Damn! I'm so cranky this week...and all the crankier because the ending of The Twin Game portends an impending publication of a sequel.) Good Lord! Where's the little eye rolling icon when you need it?
The only bright light here is Emily Beresford, the reader of this audiobook, who does a great job with what she has to work with. There is enough change in her tone, cadence and personality to allow the listener to distinguish between the characters, and she manages to avoid becoming too melodramatic, given the outrageous material.
Chambers starts off interesting enough, unique even, with twin sisters, Hope and Serenity, who instead of a the typical twin bond, hate each other. One is cold, calculating and mean, the other innocent. But wait! Which one is which? According to Hope, who narrates, Serenity is the mean one. However, since Hope just emerged from an extended stay in a mental institution, she might not be the most reliable source of information. Throw a handsome childhood friend turned celebrity into the center of the twin drama and you have the start of a great book.
But rather than developing it into a solid, believable plot, there are times that the author herself sounds like she's writing it from a mental institution, and the book jumps the shark pretty early on.
It devolves into a confusing murder mystery that's barely believable
In a quote from the book blurb, "...a father telling his daughter to pretend her twin sister doesn't exist. Worst. Game. Ever." Totally agree. And to pull it off, Dad declares little Serenity too "special" to go to school or even leave the house. Handsome, childhood friend, however seems to have access to both sisters and even facilitates a Patty Duke moment where Serenity stands in for Hope at her drama club.
I can't. I just can't even go on trying to make sense of the plot. Let's just say it involves a very creepy psychiatrist, an allegedly murderous drama coach, several missing girls, a madwoman in an attic, another set of twins in the family, and of course, stock character Dudley DoRight-ish "hot" hero of a policeman who fights for all things good and true.
Yawn. (Damn! I'm so cranky this week...and all the crankier because the ending of The Twin Game portends an impending publication of a sequel.) Good Lord! Where's the little eye rolling icon when you need it?
The only bright light here is Emily Beresford, the reader of this audiobook, who does a great job with what she has to work with. There is enough change in her tone, cadence and personality to allow the listener to distinguish between the characters, and she manages to avoid becoming too melodramatic, given the outrageous material.
April 26, 2017
Wow this book was unbelievably bad, both plot wise and writing wise. I'm actually pretty pissed that I wasted time and money on this! It's definitely not a psychological thriller *SPOILER ALERT* Evil twin and gas lighting urgh it's been done a million times, I really expected better.
February 13, 2017
The 4 star review culminates more from the fact that this book was exactly what I needed at the time. Having a bunch of partially read books on my device I needed something to hold my interest and crazy as an alley rat Hope provided exactly that.
Hope has come home from the mental facility, and as you read you have to wonder who in their right mind would let this girl out, ready to solve a crime. Very quickly she realizes she has no one to trust least of all herself.
A quick read with at least one twist.
Hope has come home from the mental facility, and as you read you have to wonder who in their right mind would let this girl out, ready to solve a crime. Very quickly she realizes she has no one to trust least of all herself.
A quick read with at least one twist.
February 10, 2017
Great Read
Everybody made Hope second guess herself. Shed played the game "Serenity doesn't exist" her whole life. But when it came down to being accused of attempted murder...she had to prove that her twin Serenity DID exist. Or did she? Read in one sitting. Couldn't put it down. Will definitely recommend to friends and fellow readers. Great job! Looking forward to more from this author.
Everybody made Hope second guess herself. Shed played the game "Serenity doesn't exist" her whole life. But when it came down to being accused of attempted murder...she had to prove that her twin Serenity DID exist. Or did she? Read in one sitting. Couldn't put it down. Will definitely recommend to friends and fellow readers. Great job! Looking forward to more from this author.
February 5, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this book,I was at the point where I couldn't put it down. Every time I thought I knew the ending there would another event that got me wondering again.
June 22, 2023
The storyline was not too bad, although not believable, but the book itself is not very well written.
March 24, 2017
Great book. Reminded me of Flowers in the Attic... I recommend.
April 11, 2017
Wow!
Normally I don't read thrillers, but this one pulled me in and really did have me second guessing the entire way to the end!
Normally I don't read thrillers, but this one pulled me in and really did have me second guessing the entire way to the end!
October 29, 2021
WOW. And not in a good way. This author has some decent books, but this one just wasn't one of them. The actual writing is good, descriptive, grammar is on point, and I like the mix of first and third and even 2nd viewpoints. However, and this is a big HOWEVER, I got mental whiplash from this story and it wasn't because of the change in viewpoints. Now, to be clear, I LOVE an unreliable narrator. But the back and forth in this book was so crazy, it took the unreliable narrator premise to a whole new level. EVERYONE was unreliable! You have some feelings early on regarding her mental stability, and the is-it-or-isn't-it-gaslighting just keeps on keeping on. This could, theoretically, be done in an effective way... But it wasn't here, in my humble opinion. I was so mentally over it that I ended up speed reading a few big chunks just to get to the conclusion and be done with it. That in itself told me I needed to rate accordingly, as much as I don't like giving bad reviews.
Want to read
August 13, 2017Freebie 6/5/17
July 1, 2017
rating may change... I have no idea how to feeeeeel
January 9, 2018
This book was a pretty easy read, but the plot was so obvious. Tidbits ment to lead you to one conclusion were so heavy and deliberate it made the twists easy to expect.
June 9, 2018
This book was so intense! I loved that it really made you think and ask who really is crazy? Definitely recommend for a psychological thriller.
March 26, 2025
3.5 - Quick read, had me second guessing my own sanity. Hope was kind of annoying, but overall fun. I think I would’ve liked a bit more background or something.
September 15, 2017
I couldn't put it down
This story had me guessing all along from the first page. I thought Hope was crazy the whole time. How it ended surprised me.
This story had me guessing all along from the first page. I thought Hope was crazy the whole time. How it ended surprised me.
September 18, 2017
Intriguing albeit confusing read. The author's aim to keep the reader guessing and unsure - is Hope crazy? Is there really a twin & an aunt? - is very ambitious and for the most part Chambers pulls it off. I had nagging doubts about the parent's and the doctor's behaviour and didn't find their past actions believable.
An enjoyable read that will keep you guessing right up the end but you have to meet the author half way with some suspension of belief.
An enjoyable read that will keep you guessing right up the end but you have to meet the author half way with some suspension of belief.
February 6, 2017
You got me good
As the headline says, "you got me good"! I was sure I had this story figured out. You tricked me into believing I was right. I'm not going to give anything away but good job. I've enjoyed your books. Always happy to have time to get back to reading them.
As the headline says, "you got me good"! I was sure I had this story figured out. You tricked me into believing I was right. I'm not going to give anything away but good job. I've enjoyed your books. Always happy to have time to get back to reading them.
February 4, 2017
There's not a lot original about the premise of this book, but the execution is unique. That's both good and bad. The premise is one used in books and movies for years: a pair of twins, one good and one evil, fighting for dominance and/or survival with mayhem ensuing. Some of these stories have a plot twist that one of the twins is purely in the imagination of the other. This was used best in Tom Tryon's The Other. This book keeps the reader on the edge of believing such is the case in this story, vacillating between real and imagined twins throughout much of the book before giving it away near the end. The ending, plot-wise, wasn't bad but the way everything was revealed was a rather weak plot device; that being, long expositions by each character explaining what has been happening throughout the book. This is a cheap trick for writers who can't figure out how to reveal plot in the natural action and flow of the story. The one last thing that i found quite annoying is, this book really needed a proof-reading and editing. There were numerous spelling and grammar problems that would stop me in the middle of a sentence to try to figure out what was meant.
February 17, 2017
Wow
It was very confusing at first but than I started seeing a pattern.. Very good story.. Don't normally read thrillers though
It was very confusing at first but than I started seeing a pattern.. Very good story.. Don't normally read thrillers though
March 7, 2017
Totally Insane
What an awesome thriller! I started the book and finished reading it in less than a day. The story gripped me from the beginning and wouldn't let go until I read the last page. The book was well-written, the characters were well-developed, and the storyline had lots of twists, turns, intrigue and secrets. It kept me on the edge of my seat and totally enthralled until the very last word!! I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.
What an awesome thriller! I started the book and finished reading it in less than a day. The story gripped me from the beginning and wouldn't let go until I read the last page. The book was well-written, the characters were well-developed, and the storyline had lots of twists, turns, intrigue and secrets. It kept me on the edge of my seat and totally enthralled until the very last word!! I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.
March 31, 2017
Not bad
A lot of twists and turns to keep the story interesting but the characters were pretty one dimensional and the story felt like it was told from by a teenage not a grown woman.
A lot of twists and turns to keep the story interesting but the characters were pretty one dimensional and the story felt like it was told from by a teenage not a grown woman.
May 6, 2017
Suspenseful fun!
This book kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. The author did an amazing job of portraying the confusion Hope was feeling, and had me guessing the whole way about her sanity. I would love to read more like it!
This book kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. The author did an amazing job of portraying the confusion Hope was feeling, and had me guessing the whole way about her sanity. I would love to read more like it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews