Who I Am

by Sarah Simpson

Alternate cover edition of ASIN B07FVMWXKY

I know everything about you

And you know everything about me... except

WHO I AM.

Andi met Camilla at university. Instantly best friends, they shared everything together. Until their long-planned graduation celebration ends in tragedy...

Years later, Andi is living a seemingly perfect life on the rugged Cornish Coast with her loving husband, happy children and dream home. Yet Andi is haunted by a secret she thought only she knew.

Someone out there is bringing Andi's deepest fears to life. And she knows there's no escaping the past that has come back to haunt her...

You trusted me with your secrets, you told me everything, you thought I was your best friend... but you have no idea WHO I AM.

Gripping, unputdownable and packed with twists and turns from the first page to the very last, this stunning psychological thriller will make you question whether we can ever really trust the ones we love.

Genres: Thriller

494 pages, ebook

First published November 6, 2018

About the author

Sarah’s books combine her professional and personal experiences with a natural curiosity for what makes the human mind tick and a deep fascination for how the mind can become so iniquitous, then - what happens next?

Her Greatest Mistake, Sarah’s debut novel, reached 16 in the overall UK Kindle chart, achieving a best-seller flag within the specific genre. It also reached the top 10 in Australia and Canada. I Know You’re There is Sarah’s third novel, an evocative, twisted look behind the closed doors of a shared Victorian residence in the picturesque coastal town of St. Ives.

Sarah lives in a small coastal town in beautiful Cornwall with her husband, three children, German Shepherd and cat. Cornwall is her choice setting for all three current novels.

Sarah loves to hear from her readers so please do visit her at:
Website: https://sarahsimpsonauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahsimpson...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahrsimpson
Instagram: SarahSimpsonAuthor

Reviews

[Norma ~ The Sisters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping, twisty & totally mind-boggling!

WHO I AM by SARAH SIMPSON was quite the engrossing, intense, entertaining and unputdownable psychological thriller that necessarily didn’t grab my attention right away but it definitely had me totally consumed with curiosity in trying to figure out what the heck was actually going on with these characters.

I really struggled in the beginning because I didn’t really connect with the authors writing style but with that being said there was definitely a purpose for the way that this story was written which becomes quite apparent as the story progresses. Regardless of my struggles the storyline definitely was filled with lots of suspense which was so intense that I was anxiously swiping through those pages as fast as I possibly could.

SARAH SIMPSON delivers a dizzying, twisty, suspenseful, and well-written read here that had my head spinning in circles pretty much throughout most of this read. The story is told in multiple perspectives with a past and present timeline which definitely kept me on my toes in trying to figure out how all the perspectives were related. At times I was getting pretty frustrated and antsy eagerly awaiting for some of those subtle clues. But boy of boy it was definitely worth the wait!

As always I like to play detective and my detective skills were on the right track but let me tell you I had no idea how the author was going to pull it all off. Well I am actually totally floored and truly impressed in the author's ability to pull this one together in such a way that was so cleverly plotted bringing the whole story together in the end. This is one that those little pieces of puzzles definitely fit together perfectly. And those are probably one of my favourite techniques that an author chooses to use when telling their stories.

Norma’s Stats:
Cover: Eerie, forbidding, gloomy, suspenseful, intriguing and a fitting representation to storyline.
Title: Intriguing, impressive, suspenseful, and an excellent and fitting representation to storyline.
Writing/Prose: Well-written, engaging, captivating, and mysterious.
Plot: Complex, suspenseful, twisty, bewildering, engrossing, fast-paced, held my attention and extremely entertaining.
Ending: An intricately plotted ending that left me feeling totally satisfied, elated and thoroughly impressed.
Overall: The psychological aspects, revelations, suspense and thrills along with those shocking twists and turns definitely made me one happy and totally satisfied reader upon finishing this book. Would recommend!

Thank you so much to Victoria Joss at Aria & Sarah Simpson for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Review & Blog Tour can be found on Two Sisters Lost in a Coulee Reading:
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/

[Lindsay L · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! Twisty, TWISTY, T W I S T Y!!!!!!!!!

Wow – this was really good! I devoured this delicious treat of a novel like a child eating candy. Sneaking in minutes here and there when I should have been doing household chores. It was a thrilling, edge-of-my-seat, highly entertaining adventure that left my brain spinning when finished.

Andi and Camilla, raised in opposite ends of society, meet in university and become roommates. Each girl finds intrigue and allure into the background and lifestyle of the other and they become best friends. The night of their graduation party ends in tragedy, ending the bond that held their loyal friendship. Twenty years later, Andi is living a privileged life but feels a creeping suspicion that something from her past is coming to threaten her. Will the secrets she thought were long ago buried come back to haunt her?

I was glued to the pages of this clever, tension-filled thrilling ride! The story unfolds through multiple characters perspectives with Past and Present timelines which kept me engrossed and anxious from start to finish. There were times that I had to pause to reassess which character’s perspective I was reading, however, this didn’t deter from my overall enjoyment. (This confusion was most likely due to the author being so clever and brilliantly worded that things slipped by my not-so-clever brain). The writing was excellent! Some of the characters’ inner thoughts had a brilliant snarkiness that had me giggling to myself. The conclusion is a twisty, mind blowing whirlwind of pieces of an intricate puzzle being put together. Loved it!

This was a Traveling Sister read with Brenda and Norma which we all really enjoyed. It was an excellent book to discuss and try to figure out. Norma and Brenda’s detective skills far surpassed mine (no surprise there!). To find this review, along with Brenda and Norma’s reviews, please visit our blog at:

https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/2...

Thank you to Victoria Joss at Aria and Sarah Simpson for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Who I Am is available now!

[Brenda ~The Sisters~Book Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things started off a little rocky for me at first and I wasn’t sure if this one was going to be one that I read through quickly just to finish it. Well things really started to pick up for me and I started to pick up on some of those clues and I raced through most of this one in one evening to find out how it ends. I was completely engrossed and entertained in this story and nothing was stopping me till I found Who I Am really is in this story. Things got quite twisty as I tried to piece things together and my head started to spin and at times I forgot who I was while trying to figure out how everyone fitted into this story.

Sarah Simpson does a great job here developing some interesting characters and we were quite intrigued with one character who seemed to have some background to her. After we finished reading we realized there is a previous book Her Greatest Mistake with that character in it. We will be adding that one to our list in the new year and looking out for her next book I Know You’re There, that will be released April 16, 2019.

Now here is the best thing about this story for me I can’t say I really liked the ending but I sure enjoyed the story. I don’t think I ever felt that way about an ending before. Usually, how I like the ending is deal breaking for me. Well, this ending was just perfect and brilliantly written. We highly recommend.

Thank you so much to Victoria Joss at Aria and Sarah Simpson for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

[Dash fan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5☆ A Taut Pyschological Thriller
(Rounded to 3☆ for Amazon & Goodreads)

Who I Am is a Complex and Taut Pyschological Thriller.

There is a lot going on with this book.
So I definitely recommend giving yourself plenty of time, as it's a book where you need time to process.

I did find That the story switching back and forth to be somewhat confusing and it took me a while to get into the story.

The characters are not particularly likeable, I don't think they are meant to be.
But I also think I didn't connect with the characters as it took me a while to work out what was going on, and who was who.

I won't go into the plot as I think this is one that you need to discover for yourself.
What I will say it's a story about two very different women, friends from uni, grew apart as you do, but are held together by dark secrets from their past!
Things are about to seriously unravel.
But just who is trustworthy and who is out for revenge!

The story switches between present and past, as events are divulged, and the twists and turns kept coming.
The pace gradually ramps up as does the tension and suspense until it's difficult to know who to trust.

This is a book about, secrets, revenge, manipulation, jealousy, lies, relationship, trust, friendship and love.

Who I Am is a sinister and dark read.
It's a complex psychological thriller that will keep you on your toes.
Although I did find the writing style took me longer to connect with, I do believe that other readers will really enjoy the dark twisting plot and complex characters.

Thank you to Aria Fiction for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

My Review is also on my Blog Website :-

https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/1...

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow,now this is my favourite type of thriller,compelling,intricately plotted,unreliable characters and unexpected twists and turns. A page turner that keeps you guessing and frantically turning the pages,wanting to know all the characters secrets but simultaneously not wanting the story to end.

This is the story of two women from totally different social standings,Andi who was loved and adored by her rich parents and never had to struggle for anything and Camilla who felt neglected by her parents who were poor,alcoholics. Andi and Camilla met when they were at University and struck up an unlikely friendship,becoming very close quite quickly and sharing Andi`s flat with two other girls Jo and Clara. They were young and had their whole lives ahead of them. But fate had other plans for them and one night after a graduation party in Cornwall,two of the girls went missing,presumed drowned and swept out to sea.

Years later Andi lives in Cornwall with her husband Kyle and their two young children. Camilla lives in Edinburgh,is single and is the joint owner of a restaurant. Despite being almost two decades later,both women are still haunted by events from the past.

More than one character is not who they appear to be,secrets never stay buried forever. More than one person feels they have been betrayed and want revenge but who and why?

The chapters alternate between Andi and Camilla and flip back and forth between 1999,2000 and 2017. It's a twisted tale of revenge,deception,manipulation,jealousy,friendships,love and discovering that very often the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Sometimes you should really appreciate what you already have. The characters were all vivid,well rounded and realistic,some likeable,some not so. I really loved Kyle,it made a refreshing change to read a book featuring a male character who wasn't the usual stereotypical cheat and abusive bully. There was some chapters that were voiced by some secondary characters including Kyle and Eve who we met in Sarah Simpson's previous thriller Her Greatest Mistake. This book is set six months after the shocking conclusion in Her Greatest Mistake,Eve is back at work and her son Andy is preparing to sit his GCSE`s. Both trying to move on but still affected by events from the past.

This is a mesmerising,enthralling psychological thriller. You really have to concentrate while you read this story due to the constant flipping back and forth in time. The chapters are clearly marked with the year that chapter is set in and which character that chapter is about.Sarah Simpson's words flow with ease,captivating the reader and drawing you into her characters fictional worlds.Amazing book,worth far more than five stars and highly recommended by little old me.

Many thanks to Aria for a arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who I Am by Sarah Simpson was a twisty story. Told from multiple points of view it was at times confusing with lots of unlikeable characters. I didn't love this book but I did enjoy it once I got my head around it all.

The story of friends from university Andi and Camilla. Andi is living the perfect life in Cornwall with a beautiful home, husband and kids. But she is hiding a secret from her past and she thinks it is coming back to haunt her and destroy her.

Thanks to Aria and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who I Am on the surface appears to be exactly the sort of thing I read just to relax, perhaps a little trashy but a decent story to settle down with if I'm not in the mood for non-fiction. Admittedly, the synopsis sounded the same as a gazillion others from this genre, but I guess you should never judge a book by its cover or its blurb, so I decided it was worth taking a chance on. It also joins a huge array of other titles that utilise the "you don't know them as well as you think you do" trope so is hardly the most unique of novels. That being said, the story really appealed to me in that it was dark with a plethora of twisty surprises throughout. One of the aspects that was very well done was the vivid descriptions of the setting: the beautiful Cornish coast. You can tell Simpson knows the area well, and although I have never been, I felt I could almost taste the salt swirling in the air from the sea spray. However, sadly, the fun didn't last too long as quite quickly it became a chore rather than a pleasure and navigating around amongst the non-stop action meant it was truly hard work.

I class myself as a reader who thoroughly enjoys complex and intelligently crafted plots but there was simply too much going on here that it became seriously messy, tedious and somewhat confusing. The story was incredibly convoluted with everything seemingly being thrown into the melting pot together and the author simply hoping for the best. This is often a mistake debut authors make but Ms Simpson has had a successful novel published previously so I'm at a loss as to how to explain it. If you're someone who needs likeable characters to cheer for then this is probably not for you as Who I Am is distinctly lacking in that department. All in all, not a terrible read but it lacked originality, pace and coherence, and at the end of the day, there were just too many minor issues/annoyances to make this a book I would recommend. In my opinion, there are much more accomplished thrillers out there. In fact, the market is positively heaving with them.

Many thanks to Aria for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

[Adele Shea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel this could have been a really good book but it was way to complicated and took me an age to read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

My full blog tour post for this book can be seen at: https://readingbetweenwinessite.wordp...

Who I Am by Sarah Simpson not only has a gorgeous cover, but it is a super twisty mystery that had me guessing until the very end!

What it's about: Andi and Camilla meet at university and become almost instant friends. Andi even helps Camilla out by allowing her to share her room at the property her dad is paying for. But things turn sour fast after a tragic event at their graduation celebration. Now, many years later, Andi is a freelance writer with a husband and 2 small children. She has taken to drinking a lot but is in denial that she is an alcoholic. This all ties back to that fateful day and past secrets that are all about to be brought to light. Can Andi escape her past before it catches up with her?

The story is told in multiple time frames, as well as jumping around to different characters. I think this could have easily gotten confusing, but Simpson did an amazing job of making it very easy to follow. This book is also chalk FULL of unlikable characters, and I think there was maybe 1 I liked out of the entire book, and even then I didn't love her. A couple of these characters were just pure evil and it was great.

I think the short chapters, different character viewpoints, and Andi's downward spiral really kept me interested and I found Who I Am very hard to put down. Even though it is long at over 400 pages, I managed to fly through it in 1 day. I don't want to say too much else for fear of giving anything away, but this is definitely a book you don't want to miss.

Final Thought: There was also a mystery person POV that I really enjoyed in this book. I love when authors do that, and this one always sounded so evil that it was delightful. I have to say I love a good evil character in a novel and this book had that. I loved all the twists and turns, and even though I had about a million theories while reading it, none of them were right. If you like a good twisty novel that will keep you guessing, you do not want to miss Who I Am! I can't wait to read more from this author.

[ABCme · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Aria for the ARC.

I finished this book two days ago and I still don't know what to make of it. The writing is beautiful, raw and true to life, it grabbed me and urged me to continue.

There is a postgraduation party on a Cornwall beach. Four female roommates from different backgrounds. Something bad happens, but all the reader gets are feelings. What lead up to the event and continued the days and years after?
The story jumps from 2000 to 2017, from Edinburgh to London back to Cornwall, all characters involved. I had to take notes to keep track. In between chapters is the voice of an anonymous stalker, who are we dealing with?
We mainly look into the lives of Andi and Camilla, one rich the other poor. True friends, or is there more going on? Bad situations develop, cyberstalking among them. What is real? Who can be trusted? The story is slow, but not unpleasant.

All the way to the end, when most is said and done, the pace turns to speed and the truth comes out, crashing like waves against the cliffs. At this point I'm so confused by all the characters involved, that what should be the twist feels like a bummer. "Who I am" definitely left an impression. I enjoyed this book, but did I?

[Trish at Between My Lines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right from the get go, I loved this book. There are two voices - Camilla and Andi, and then a third mysterious narrator. I was intrigued by all three, and happy to switch between them all to unravel the mystery.

The story flows out over various timelines from 1999 to 2017, and settings from Edinburgh to Cornwall. I loved those settings and other pluses were the clever plot, the lack of unnecessary fluffy detail, and the gripping storyline that held my attention till the very last page.

I’d recommend this to you if you like quick-paced domestic noir type thrillers, and twisty endings. Fans of Gone Girl, Unravelling Oliver and The Girl on the Train should also enjoy this one.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who I am by Sarah Simpson is an unputdownable psychological suspense that will grip you right from the start. This is not a story you can easily breeze through. Pay attention, savor the story and reflect on everything between the pages. This story is full of twists that will make your head spin! Simpson throws in clues and hints of what has happened and what is yet to come and if you blink you will miss them. I had a hard time putting this book down!

Andi and Camilla were the best of friends during their University days. Although they came from opposite sides of the track, They shared a bond and were thick as thieves until a terrible tragedy occurs after a graduation party. It is now twenty years later and Andi is a married woman with children living an idealistic life. But, strange things have been happening and secrets that were once long buried are slowly becoming revealed. These secrets have the ability to destroy everything Andi has worked so hard to achieve. But, who is behind it all and why now after all of these years?

Who I am is told in both the present and the past weaving an addictive, grab you by the seat story that you will not be able to put down. I really love alternating chapters and find that it slowly builds up the deeper you get into the story. I do admit that the slower pace at the beginning was a bit confusing going back and forth through the past and present, but once I got past the first fifty pages, I can see why the beginning was written this way and could finally appreciate it once I realized what was happening. I would also like to add that there is a third voice in this story and it is a mysterious one. I kept going back and forth on who it could be and I must say Simpson did such a great job at keeping me guessing.

Andi and camilla as characters is a hard one for me. At times likeable and at times I disliked the both of them. Do they have some stand out qualities? Sure. But, I don’t think I really ever warmed up to either one of them. I don’t think they were necessarily nice girls and had a lot of issues stemming from family life, responsibilities and so on. There is manipulation, jealousy and alcoholism in their lives, but these qualities also made them seem real and relatable. So, even though I may not have always liked Andi and Camilla their characters did lend an air of realism.

If you are a fan of psychological suspense novels then you will definitely want to read Who I Am by Sarah Simpson. The story is twisted, sinister, and clever. I had a hard time figuring out who was behind it all and that is really an indicator to me of how much I really enjoyed this book. Well worth the read!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a true psychological thriller in that it had all the elements I crave in a dark read that will mess with my head. I feel like the psychological thriller label is often used on novels that are really more of a standard mystery/thriller but Who I Am is an excellent example of a what a true PT really is.

If you chose to add this to your TBR I want to advise you to pay close attention. There is quite a lot going on here; multiple narrators, and definitely the untrustworthy type, and it also jumps around from past to present. Each chapter is clearly labeled so it’s not confusing, but still this requires some focus in order to catch all the subtle nuances the author so deftly drops.

Andi and Camilla narrate the bulk of the book but there are also several chilling chapters from an unknown narrator that gave me goosebumps. I wouldn’t say either Andi or Camilla were likable characters but they were interesting and well drawn. Andi especially captivated me as she conveyed such a great sense of paranoia that made me uneasy. It also had that mounting sense of dread that I so love and the tension and pacing increases the further along you get. And of course there were some twists to be found and none that I saw coming, always so fun!

Who I Am in three words: Menacing, Dark and Intricate.

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nary such a jumpy book have I read before! Nooo my kindle did not jump but the characters and timelines did. And I struggled to really get my head around all of them. Ah well...

Andi and Camilla became friends in college, it felt like Camilla had targeted Andi and played to her feelings, and they lived together along with two others. A party and a tragedy caused two to die, one to commit suicide and the last to survive. 17 years later, story talks about Andi's marriage and her kids and her routine life till she is stalked on Twitter... Sheesh I tell you... This social media... Ah well...

My first read by Sarah Simpson, and the story just dragged on, very, very slow. Within the first 20% I had guessed the plot, then it was just a matter of being proved right. It started as a thriller till the last few pages, where it became a women's fiction full of sadness and pathos. If only all the women had been honest and straight, tragedies wouldn't have occurred... And then this book wouldn't have been written too. Ah well...

I didn't like the characters or their friends or the husband. The writing was great but didn't emote all the feelings and didn't give off a vibe of a thriller. Should have had a faster pace and better formating of timelines.. I had unanswered questions too. Oh yes, there was a mysterious therapist with a mysterious past, I didn't know why her past was significant... Maybe it was a red herring.. Ah well...

I liked the cover though I didn't know its significance in story... Ah well...

[Allyson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, the Publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion and review.

To be honest, I am not sure what I think about this book, part of me really liked it but it also feels forgettable and it had a hard time holding my attention, I read this one a road trip and found myself staring out the window more than reading.

Andi and Camilla were from different sides of the tracks and were ill fated friends, but for Camilla, friends by design, as she sought to not be who she was; little did she know, but Andi sought a different life for herself as well.. The twists and turns in this book were good but I easily guessed some and really didn't care about the others. I found the way the story was wrapped up lacked something for me. Not a bad storyline, just maybe not my favorite.

[Nikola · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can also find this review on my book blog.

I was invited by the author to join the blog tour for Who I Am and after reading the synopsis of it I had to say yes because – twisted friendship, twisted characters YES.

"You never know do you, people's backgrounds, how much it impacts on them? The choices they make because of it."

Who I Am follows two characters Andi and Camilla who upon meeting at University become best friends and quickly share their secrets and pour their souls to each other. The story is set to two different timelines 2000’s and 2017. In 2017 we see Andi as an adult with children, living almost an idyllic life but not everything is what it seems. She is haunted by what happened one night at the beach which changed everything and soon she becomes stalked by someone who knows what happened and is blaming her for it. Who is out there to get her?

I have to compliment the design of this book because it’s so good. Well done, book designer! From the first two/three chapters you can already sense that this story won’t be the usual ‘friendship’ one because it contains dark elements that make you all tingly inside because you know it will be a fun ride. The author’s background as a psychologist shows throughout the book and I love how in-depth her characters were and how you could analyse their actions. I also learned what Korsakoff’s syndrome is which I haven’t heard of before. Towards the last 150 pages of the story Simpson introduces a few more characters which I found to be very interesting and loved reading their POV. This book is very dark and is unlike other toxic friendship stories as I’ve mentioned before. It contains some trigger warnings (e.g. alcohol abuse) which may not suit every reader. I especially enjoyed how unreliable Andi’s characters was because I began second guessing her intentions and her role in that awful night at the beach. What I found lacking in Who I Am is that sometimes I felt the story going somewhere and losing my interest – but that wasn’t a huge part because I did enjoy the story a lot. I found Eve’s character to offer more info on Andi [which I appreciated] but she didn’t feel very necessary to the story for me. From my experience with Who I Am I can say that Simpson knows how to write dark characters and twisted stories. I was captivated throughout the book and although I found some small parts to lose my interest I absolutely enjoyed spending my time with Who I Am.

If you enjoy reading dark and twisted stories with unreliable narrators then you’re in for a treat with Who I Am.

I would like to thank the author Sarah Simpson as well as the publisher Aria Fiction for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions written in this review are my own and weren’t influenced by anything.

[Kat (Katlovesbooks) Dietrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Who I am by Sarah Simpson is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My Synopsis:
They were originally a group of four who lived together in university.

Joanne was the quiet one, whose bouts of anxiety and depression left her vulnerable. Andi took care of her.

Clara was the loud-mouthed, brash girl whose twin sister had died. She grew up with Andi, and became rather possessive of her.

Camilla was new to the group, of a different class from the rest. She was the poor, down-trodden girl, who was trying to fit in, and become one of the “elite”. Andi took her in and they became fast friends.

Andi came from money, and was the stable one of the group, or so they thought.

What started as four, ended as one. Two of the group died in a tragic drowning accident, their bodies never found. Another of the group committed suicide.

18 years later, we find that not everything that happened that fateful night was true, and those that “died” may still be alive. Andi is being driven crazy trying to maintain her wonderful life, home, husband and children. Between the alcohol and a stalker who knows what she did, she is slowly losing everything.

My Opinions:
I struggled at the beginning with this one. I found it difficult to like any of the characters, although their stories did grow on me. The characters all seem to be very unhappy with their lot in life, whether they were rich or poor, no one was happy. Although the story shows love and friendship, there is a lot of jealousy and lies, manipulations and secrets. Everyone has their own agenda, and some are not so clear.

The story is told by different characters and timelines throughout the book, but mainly Andi and Camilla, as well as one un-named person. Through the constant back and forth of the time-lines, we eventually heard the whole tale.

The mystery of trying to determine who is who had a rather surprising twist at the end.

Overall, it was a good book (although some of the grammar was atrocious…which I am blaming on the publishing crew, and hope will be changed when the book comes out - I am notifying them).

For a more complete review of this book and others, please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

[Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Psychological Thriller / Contemporary / Past Secrets

I know everything about you.
And you know everything about me... except
WHO I AM.

Andi is living on the Cornish Coast with her husband Kyle and their two children. Kyle works in London during the week and comes home on the weekends. Andi takes care of their home and the children. But then she start to get strange tweets that hint that someone knows the secret only Andi was supposed to know. She gets stressed and starts drinking too much. Bad situations and weird events start to happen. What is real? Who can be trusted?

I must say that I did not like the protagonists, the pace, the story nor the writing style. I hated the way story's primary sequence of events was fragmented with constant flashbacks. Every chapter had a different date...2017, 2000, 1999. Somehow it was so messy and confusing to follow. Like it wasn't enough there were multiple first person narrators, so I was often wondering who, when and what was happening.

The story just dragged on, so very, very slowly. I couldn't get into the storyline nor care for any of the characters. I am one of those readers who prefer likeable characters to cheer for, but I found the protagonist pathetic, unlikeable, shallow, deceitful and tiresome. It took lots of time for the big "secret" to uncover but by the time it was revealed, I was too tired to even care. I didn't appreciate that I was lied to all the time. If a protagonist don't know who she was, then how the reader should know?

To quote classics:

[Morgan Schulman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced readers copy exchange for an honest review. The problem is, by the time things finally got going, I just didn’t care. Slow iand laborious. 2.5 rounded up

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book looked like one I would really enjoy. Unfortunately I didn't. I found it very slow, confusing and I could not invest much interest in the characters. I am sure the style of writing will appeal to many, as will the construction of the narrative but it didn't do it for me.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me try to read & review this book.

[Kat]

I wanted to like this book more than I did it was just a bit slow and I found myself getting distracted as it just wasn't gripping me so much. The characters were good but maybe it was just me that couldn't seem to connect with them. Well written and I am sure others will enjoy it more that myself ..3 stars My thanks to NetGalley and Aria for a chance to read the ARC.

[Barbara Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read over a third of it, then just skimmed the rest. Had a hard time getting into this book. It just couldn't hold my attention.

[Deanna Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy...

It was an okay book but not much else going on there story.

[Joanne Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having enjoyed Her Greatest Mistake, I made sure I had Sarah Simpsons second book on preorder and managed to read it pretty close to publication day. What I enjoy about Sarah’s books is that she has a great understanding of how a character driven psychological thriller should be developed and Who I Am shows off those skills to great effect.

Andi lives an idyllic life in Cornwall with her husband and children but she seems agitated and nervous about something which is spoiling those relationships. It seems to be related to her university days and the group of friends she belonged to there so when she starts getting strange messages relating to that time, her behaviour starts to deteriorate.

The storyline is set in the present day but also flashes back to those uni days where we hear differing viewpoints from those friends. There is ofcourse a slow build up to what happened all those years ago and at times it did get a little confusing but this is a complex and twisty tale of toxic friendships that needed to be gradually unraveled, detail by minute detail.

The sumptuous settings of Cornwall and Edinburgh were brought to life with such vibrancy that I had the perfect sense of time and place throughout the narrative. Having been at uni myself in Edinburgh, I immediately recognised landmarks used and felt as though I were back in the city alongside those characters due to the vivid descriptive language used throughout.

Towards the end the action started to speed up a little and when the twists came they were shocking, but not totally unexpected from my point of view! But I didn’t predict the identity of the mystery narrator so that really added to my enjoyment as I loved the way everything came together towards the end. Sarah Simpson managed to throw in some shocks that I really didn’t see coming and left me feeling as though I had played right into her hands!

An engrossing and beautifully written book that would be perfect for fans of Lies Between Us by Ronnie Turner.

[Mystica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story divided into two parts - the past Andi and Camilla, carefree till a tragedy sets them apart and Andi now with a husband and two children who is drifting away from her family with no grounding at all, alcoholic addiction she has absolutely no way to control and deception which is going to erode her entire life.

This is no comfortable read and reiterates the fact that some things should be kept private! Confidences shared can come back to bite you very hard decades later and this is how it is turning out to be.

There were very tense and edge of the seat moments in this book. Twisty and you really do not like human beings at times when they act like this! There seems to be no forgive and forget and no happily ever after for those seeking revenge.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

I loved the pace in this story and the suspense the author build up as the book progressed was excellent. I thought that the characters were well developed and I loved Andi and Camilla.

I will be honest and say that the story took me a little bit of time to get in to as it is quite a complex plot but as soon as I got to know a bit more about what was going on I flew through the story to the end. There were plenty of twists and turns in the story that kept me guessing and that made it a really enjoyable read for me. It was a well written psychological thriller.

Four stars from me, I really enjoyed it - highly recommended!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read and reviewed Sarah’s previous book ‘Her Greatest Mistake’, which was also her debut novel. I enjoyed reading it and I was looking forward to reading her next book. Well the wait is over because her second novel called ‘Who I Am’ was released on 6th November 2018. Without further ado, I dived straight in and began to read. I really enjoyed reading it but more about that in a bit.
The two main female characters are called Andi and Camilla and they couldn’t come from more different backgrounds. Andi comes from a loving home, she has parents who love her and she has never had to struggle or want for anything. Camilla on the other hand comes from a poorer background and she feels as though her parents, who are both alcoholics, have neglected her. Andi and Camilla meet whilst at university and they strike up a friendship which surprised me a tad. They are from such different backgrounds that I thought a friendship would be unlikely to happen. They share a flat together at university with other students. It’s whilst they are at university that an incident occurs which changes their lives forever and which still affects them greatly to this day. What was the incident? Why do they feel so guilty? What secrets are they still hiding all these years later? Well for the answers to these questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
I must admit that it took me a little while to get into the book. I don’t mean that in a negative way and it was probably more a case of me being tired and unable to concentrate much. I really like Sarah’s writing style. She certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and then reels you in. Before you know it you are hooked and you can’t stop reading. That’s what happened to me anyway. I had absolutely no idea which direction the story were going to go in and that was part of the attraction for me. I just love a book that keeps me guessing and keeps me on my toes. At times I did get a bit confused so I just re-read certain passages to make things a bit clearer. Reading ‘Who I Am’ was much like being on a rather scary rollercoaster ride with twists and turns aplenty.
I found the characters so interesting and I found that all the way through the book, I was thinking about their behaviour and what was making them behave so. I love the psychological aspect and I love to find out what makes people tick. It was as if I was doing my own psychological assessment of the characters, who are very cleverly conceived and so complete.
‘Who I Am’ has a bit of everything- there’s drama, intrigue, psychological games, secrets, lies, manipulative behaviour, revenge and good old jealousy.
In short, I really enjoyed reading ‘Who I Am’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I can’t wait to read what Sarah Simpson comes up with next. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling and challenging mystery about what happened to four college co-eds almost twenty years earlier. The past rears its ugly head when a mysterious person realizes that revenge is the only answer in the compelling Who I Am.

Down-on-her-luck Camille insinuates her way into the life and house of college friends rich Andi, suspicious Clara and quiet Jo. A boat disaster breaks up the friends in the worst way possible. Now one of the friends is stalking Andi looking for revenge.

Split into three first person narratives at three different time periods, Who I Am is a twisty rollercoaster of a read. First, there is the slow clanking of the build-up to the first pause at the top of the ride. At this point, we learn the story of what happened to the four roommates on the night of a boating accident. There were only two survivors so why are there three narrators? And whoosh we are plunging downhill on the ride. There are many twists and turns in the plot—some foreseen and some not. The psychological suspense sets up an atmosphere of dread. The reader feels a twist coming but isn’t sure where it will lead.

Who I Am is a perfect Fall read. It is creepy, convoluted and has a challenging mystery to solve. So put on some sweats, get a cup of hot cocoa and settle in for an engrossing evening. 4 stars!

Thanks to Aria Books and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review. Wow! If you love twists, and unreliable narrators this is definitely the book for you! This story is told from different points of view and past and present time lines. There were some predictable spots; the well to do best friend gets jealous of the new girl in her friend's life. The less fortunate friend trying to appear like the others by mimicking the way they behave. Otherwise there are lots of things you do not see coming. I am hesitant to reveal too much because I don't want any spoilers. I enjoyed this book but found myself going back and rereading parts so I could follow along. Not to say it is a difficult read, it's not. You won't want to put it down until the end!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I spent some of my time reading this in confusion. I found it hard to keep track of the different points of view. I figured out what was happening quite early on and had to keep plodding on to see if I was right. I did like the story don’t get me wrong, I just wasn’t riveted to the pages. #NetGalley