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The Imposter

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From the outside looking in, Sibley Sawyer has a perfect life. As a successful attorney, she’s worked hard to get to the top of her game - but when her personal and professional lives implode, Sibley looks for a way to turn the page.

Unable to shake the tragic circumstances that caused her to flee her rural Midwestern hometown, Sibley wants nothing more than to reunite with her estranged mother, Deborah, and bury their past tensions.

But as she reenters the life she left behind, she realizes her mother isn’t the same person she remembers, and she’s not the same daughter either.

As both women struggle to piece together a tangled web of deceit and lies, and the shocking circumstances that caused Sibley to leave in the first place, it becomes clear there are secrets rooted deeper than either mother or daughter could ever have imagined.

Can you really deceive your past and those around you?



©2021 Wilted Lilly LLC. (P)2021 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Audible Audio

First published March 9, 2021

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Marin Montgomery

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5 stars
268 (23%)
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384 (34%)
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310 (27%)
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104 (9%)
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53 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 329 reviews
Profile Image for Bridgett.
Author 41 books615 followers
February 20, 2021
If you enjoy reading an entire book full of characters who are totally gorked out of their heads and completely unreliable, this is the book for you.

The Imposter was chapter after chapter after chapter of confused ramblings...chapters which frequently made no sense. I personally hate this type of story. It's lazy misdirection. Who needs a plot when you can just make the characters seem totally off the wall? Further, the threads of the story simply didn't tie together well. It felt choppy.

The conclusion? I had that figured out very early on, despite all the crazy.

Unfortunately, I simply can't recommend this book. I dreaded picking it up, and couldn't find many redeeming qualities.

1.5 stars (simply because I've read One-Star Review, and know what happens to reviewers who dare to give 1-star). 😂

Available March 9, 2021

Despite my lackluster review of this novel, I still extend my heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my review copy.
Profile Image for Mandy White (mandylovestoread).
2,797 reviews865 followers
February 8, 2021
The Imposter by Marin Montgomery is a twisty and confusing psychological thriller. Neither of the main characters are at all likeable and the story jumped all over the place. A divorce lawyer with a serious drinking problem and her estranged mother reunite and try to uncover the family secrets and lies.

Thanks to Thomas and Mercer for my copy of this book to read
Profile Image for Kristy.
1,401 reviews209 followers
March 2, 2021
A confusing mess of a thriller

Attorney Sibley Sawyer's life goes down in flames when her drinking finally catches up with her. Forced to take a leave of absence from her firm, Sibley seeks the perceived source of her problems: her mother, Deborah. The two have been estranged since Sibley fled home in her late teens. But when Sibley returns to the Midwestern farm where she grew up, she realizes her mother is acting odd. Perhaps it's due to her recent attack, when an intruder brutally beat her. Either way, as Sidney tries to make peace with Deborah, she starts to recall why she left in the first place--and uncovers even more shocking secrets about long ago happenings on the farm.

Well, the synopsis for this one sounded interesting, but this was a hot mess for me. I did not like much of this book at all, but kept reading because I needed to find out what happened. I think I was as confused as these hapless and unlikable characters, honestly. Deborah is clearly disoriented and bewildered throughout the book--alone and terrified on the farm--and it's nearly impossible to muddle through what's going on in her brain. Sidney is drinking heavily, and while I have complete sympathy for the disease of alcoholism, having lost a beloved relative to it, I'm tired of authors using the trope to give us an unreliable narrator with no real effort for a backstory or anything else.

Neither character comes across as particularly sympathetic, and I got rather tired of reading a book with my brow perpetually furrowed. It was not exciting, just confusing. The plot is truly bizarre, with some weird twists, but I felt I was reading to work out a bad puzzle. Maybe all this befuddlement would have been worth it if the probable "bad guy" had not been telegraphed from a mile away, but I had the outline of this figured out from the start.

Overall, as much as I regret it, this thriller did not work for me at all. It's confusing--but not in an exciting, psychological way, predictable, and filled with narrative threads that never seem to link back together. Others seemed to enjoy it more, so I hope that's the case for you if you pick it up.

I received a copy from Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in return for an unbiased review.

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Profile Image for Lindsay L.
875 reviews1,675 followers
Read
March 2, 2021
DNF @ 10%. Not connecting with the writing, characters or storyline.
Profile Image for Jen.
1,140 reviews105 followers
December 23, 2020
This book starts off a bit slowly, but turns into a wild ride by the time it's over. It centers on mother and daughter Deborah and Sibley, who have been estranged for 16 years, since Sibley's father died. Sibley's marriage and job are both on the brink of failure, and she decides she needs to go back home and reconnect with her mother, as well as learn more about what really happened the night her father died.

The book starts out describing what is going on in both Sibley and Deborah's life separately, and then brings them together. This is the part that was a bit of a slow burn, but provided necessary background information that helps pull the story together later. Once they are together, you get unreliable narration from both sides to the extreme- each chapter I read made me question which one of them was lying and/or mentally instable. Though the book alternated between their POVs, Sibley's chapters were in the first person while Deborah's were in the 3rd person, which I found a little jarring.

I had some ideas about who was not all they seemed to be, and though some of those were proven correct, I could not figure out the motivation for some of the things that they were doing, and was surprised when it all came to light. There were multiple red herrings thrown in there that led me a different direction, then pulled me back again. There were a lot of characters in this book, but I didn't find it hard to keep them all straight and to understand the relationships between everyone.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and think the ending was very clever and twisty. I'd recommend this book to those who like psychological thrillers, and urge you to keep reading if you think it starts slow. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Kristine.
151 reviews146 followers
July 6, 2022
I really did not enjoy this book at all.
The pacing was sluggish, whenever something happened it was explained at least 3 times which felt like spelling it out for the audience… nope. Didn’t grip me. It was not thrilling or twisty and definitely not fast paced.

The characters were weak and unrelatable. I also think there were some inconsistencies.

I did enjoy the USA countryside farmhouse setting, which was cool :)

Very meh book.
Profile Image for Kim.
1,182 reviews11 followers
March 21, 2021
What can I say about a book that had nothing going for it except exceptional writing? Despicable loser characters mired in self-doubt, alcoholic fugues, acting out badly and harming all in their concentric circles. Even the good guys are bums. Nasty story with not an inch of self redemption and why I kept reading is a mystery I have yet to crack.

Short summary, I didn’t like the story, hated the characters but thought the writing and ability to twist, turn and confuse was excellent. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy.
Profile Image for Sunnie.
437 reviews40 followers
May 8, 2024
Gold star for this one

It takes a talented author to make the reader feel like they are the tennis ball in a match played at Wimbledon. My mind was tossed from side to side at dazzling speed. Yet, I mean this as high praise for the author. As an asthmatic, I am familiar with the sensation of being breathless . . . right up until the last page when I was finally able to draw a good deep breath. No graphic sexual content, nor gory details about violence - merely the illusion of the matter. A thrilling mystery that unravels in thin slices like onionskin. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Laura.
1,255 reviews147 followers
March 13, 2021
Sixteen years ago a tragic event happened to this small family, that impacted the whole community. Deborah the young mother with an abusive husband and Sibley the Daddy's girl. 

This story is full of the aftermath of abuse and covering it up to protect your children. The addiction that passes down genetically and the trauma that either pushes you up or drags you down. 

So many secrets that you are never completely sure what happened or which event culminated to where they are now. Sixteen years of not talking or being a part of each other's lives. They don't recognize who they have become.

I started writing this at 60% but seriously I was just on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the story the whole time but I definitely was wrong.

I'm new to the psychological thriller category but definitely love trying to guess who is behind everything. It was not who I thought. I didn't even see them coming lol.

I definitely recommend for those that love psychological thrillers! 

TW: Alcohol addiction, spousal abuse, addiction, 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you @netgalley and Thomas Mercer for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.
Profile Image for Renee(Reneesramblings).
1,415 reviews62 followers
November 19, 2020
Sibley and her mother Deborah have been estranged for many years. Deborah still lives on the farm where Sibley grew up, even though a tragedy that occurred there, made Deborah a pariah in the community, and made Sibley leave and never look back. But all that happened in the distant past, so could it still be controlling these women’s lives?
When we first meet Sibley, she is not having a good day. Her drinking may cost her everything; her career, her marriage, maybe even her life.Rather than checking into a rehab facility, Sibley decides to head home, hoping to uncover the truth about what happened to her father sixteen years ago. Sibley feels that confronting her mother will free her from the past, and perhaps even allow her to heal.
But Sibley isn’t prepared for what she finds. Her childhood home has fallen into disrepair and her once organized mother seems like a different person. Deborah is sure that someone is watching her and wishes her harm. Even though she has few friends, she can’t imagine why anyone would want to hurt her. Then Sibley arrives, and even she seems to have ulterior motives.Soon, these two unreliable narrators won’t even be able to trust each other.
That is all I can safely say about this twisty tale. I liked how the events unfold through Deborah and Sibley’s eyes, though as anyone will tell you, perception can definitely cloud the truth. It is a slow burn tale of secrets and lies, and though I did figure out who the ‘bad guys’ were, I never guessed the whole disturbing truth.
Profile Image for Goblin Reaper .
271 reviews
April 19, 2021
Marin Montgomery's psychological thriller The Imposter is a twisty and perplexing psychological thriller. The lead characters aren't very likable, and the plot jumps all over the place. An estranged mother and a divorce lawyer with a substantial alcohol habit reunite and try and reveal family secrets and lies.
The novel begins by outlining what is happening in Sibley's and Deborah's lives individually, before bringing them together. This was a slow-burning section, but it included important context material that helped tie the plot together later. Once they're together, both sides' narration becomes somewhat unreliable—each chapter I read made me wonder either of them are lying and/or mentally ill. About the fact that the book alternated between their points of view, Sibley's chapters were written in the first person, while Deborah's were written in the last, which I found unsettling.
I had some suspicions about who wasn't who they claimed to be, and although some of my suspicions were confirmed, I couldn't work out why they were doing some of the stuff they were doing and was taken aback when it all came to light. There were some red herrings tossed in there that sent me in a different direction before pulling me around. There were a lot of characters in this novel, but it wasn't difficult for me to keep track of them all and appreciate their relationships.
Well, the synopsis for this one sounds intriguing, but I found it to be a complete disaster. I didn't like this book at all, but I kept reading because I was curious about what had happened. To be honest, I was as perplexed as these hapless and unlikable characters. Deborah is evidently confused and disoriented in the book—alone and afraid on the farm—and it's virtually hard to figure out what's going on in her head. Sidney is severely inebriated, and while I sympathize with the epidemic of alcoholism as someone who has lost a loved one to it, I'm tired of writers using the trope to provide us an unreliable character with little thought put into a backstory or anything else.
Overall, as much as I dislike it, I couldn't get into this thriller. It's perplexing—but not in a thrilling, psychological way—predictable, and full of plot threads that never seem to connect. Others seemed to like it more, so I hope you do as well if you decide to read it.
In exchange for an impartial opinion, I got a copy from Netgalley.
Profile Image for 8stitches 9lives.
2,853 reviews1,725 followers
March 10, 2021
The Imposter is the latest psychological thriller from Montgomery and explores the doomed reunion of a long-estranged mother and daughter. Arizona-based divorce lawyer Sibley Bradford is a deeply troubled alcoholic with this leading to increasingly wild and unpredictable alcohol-induced behaviour. Her career is not only on hold due to this but also due to accusations that she had slept with client Nico Marcona in the middle of handling his divorce. The firm she works for is at the end of their tether so her boss decides to order her into rehab but instead of arriving and checking in Sibley drives 1,300 miles to attempt to reconcile with her estranged mother, Deborah Sawyer, on the freezing Midwestern farm on which Sibley spent her childhood and formative years. But as the two haven't spoken in sixteen years, Sibley is unaware that her mother is struggling with deep-seated issues, too. Once at the farm, Deborah addresses her by a different name and then ambushes her several times with violent attacks she never saw coming. For some strange reason, this inspires Sibley to investigate her mother's past and finally discover the truth about the issues that tore apart their relationship — the death of Deborah's husband, Jonathan, who apparently died from a tragic fall from the barn loft many, many years ago and her mother's rumoured affair with veteran Edward Pearson, whose severe PTSD drove him to commit suicide.

But the more she looks into the past the bigger the chasm, between the two women, becomes. Sibley has reason to believe that Jonathan may not be her biological father after eavesdropping on conversations she wasn't supposed to hear. It isn't long before Deborah becomes incredibly suspicious of her own daughter and begins believing that whoever this woman is she isn't Sibley. Will the two ever reconcile? This is an original and enthralling psychological thriller crossed with a domestic-based drama about the complicated relationships we all have and how secrets can often be hidden from us for decades by the ones we thought were most honest and open with us. The strained relationship between Deborah and Sibley has some twists in the tale that I was not expecting and a few that I did predict. There is a slow-burn unravelling of lies, deceit, duplicity and the skeletons in the closet come tumbling out. I really enjoyed the unusual structure of the story, too; the first half was dedicated to Deborah and her trials and tribulations and the latter to Sibley’s. Alternating between past and present, first and third person and Deborah and Sibley's perspectives, this was a complex, multilayered and dark tale. Those who enjoy unreliable narrators will likely love The Imposter as you get a double whammy, two for the price of one as neither mother nor daughter seems to be in touch with reality. It is a suspenseful read with a creeping sense of tension and foreboding throughout.
Profile Image for Brandy.
501 reviews43 followers
December 5, 2020
Sibley’s personal and professional life are spiraling out of control. In an effort to try to fix the root cause of her problems she decides to return home to reunite with her estranged mother in order to find closure on past events. Unbeknownst to Sibley, her mother has suffered her own recent trauma and is dealing with the aftermath.

I often felt confused as to what exactly what happening because both narrators are unreliable; Did she really just see that? Did that really just happen? Who is telling the truth? I struggled to connect with either character because of this.

Having said that, I ended up enjoying the way it all came together at the end. There are a lot of twists and turns throughout, keeping you guessing all the way through.

Thank you for a copy of The Imposter in exchange for my honest review.

Release date: March 9 2021
Profile Image for Sherri Thacker.
1,689 reviews379 followers
January 24, 2021
This book was just ok for me. It was told by 2 different point of views - from Deborah and Sibley. I found myself skimming through parts of the book because it was just moving way too slow for me. I kept going until the end and there were a few twists thrown in that I did not see coming. Will definitely look for more books by Marin Montgomery in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for my honest review.

Profile Image for Sandy.
227 reviews25 followers
March 15, 2021
Thank you NetGalley & Thomas & Mercer, books for this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
*
OK so I really did want to like this book- and I power read the whole thing. I will say it does get better.
*
This is a psychological thrilled told in the perspective of the two main characters; Sibley and her mother Deborah. Sibley is a 34 year old lawyer, with a major drinking problem. Such a big problem in fact the partners at the firm have ask she take a leave of absence to go to rehab. She felt beyond betrayed to know her husband had already spoken with the firm and was completely on board.
WELL- Sibley thought she needed to confront her past in order to actually start a healing process. Her past was confronting her mother. You see, Sibley left home right after graduating and never looked back; because her father died tragically and she had a horrible go at HS when everyone in town gossiped how her mother was a cheater.
Deborah lives out on the family farmland all by herself; has been that way since Sibley left and she distanced herself from everyone in town. She recently started dating someone from her past- who has convinced her to see a Dr. to help talk things out with. When Sibley shows up, Deborah seems to start losing grip with reality. Seeing people who aren’t there, seeing double, she can’t even tell if it’s Sibley or Soren in front of her. Things go from strange to even stranger the more that gets uncovered. By the end of the book everything wrapped in a pretty little bow- which was a bit of a letdown; I wish we could have gotten more of an epilogue and follow up.
*
Overall I’m not sure if I would classify this as a thriller, or psychological thriller. All I know is at points I was a bit too confused where I thought I was going crazy at parts of this book. As Marin continued to unravel her tale the more I needed to know what was happening to Deborah and the house.
Profile Image for Savitri (IG: abookishcookie).
389 reviews8 followers
March 8, 2021
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
——
I like to keep my reviews as positive or neutral as possible because it’s incredibly daunting to write a book but much easier to read and review someone else’s book.

That being said, this book was in one word, a challenge (ok, two words). In the beginning 25% of the book, I was drawn to the first of the 2 main characters, Deborah. As a woman living alone in a small town and having a lot of tumultuous history and a secret affair, the poor woman had a lot going on and most of it was very realistic.

But then we got introduced to Deborah’s daughter, Sibley, who was to me not only unlikeable but also very unrealistic as a divorce attorney. Honestly if you’re a successful attorney, you wouldn’t be doing half the things she did and behave like a petulant child. Her marriage with Holden was not like a husband and wife’s, it seemed more like father and daughter. Her firm was also portrayed as way too involved with personal matters.

But then we also get thrown in a kitchen sink of characters, each of them with a shady story of their own. When I reached at about 35%, the only character I gave a damn about was Sibley’s best friend. What’s her name again? Which brings me to the next point...a sea of names. It was very hard to keep up. As the book kept progressing, I only got more exhausted. And I’ll end my review here because I don’t have anything hopeful to add.

I feel horrible when I can’t connect with the characters or plot line from a gifted book. But it is what it is. I tried.
Profile Image for Linda Strong.
3,878 reviews1,709 followers
October 21, 2021
3.5 STARS

It's been a long time, but Sibley Sawyer, a successful attorney, feels it's time. Unable to move on from the circumstances that caused her to leave home, she now wants to reunite with her mother and bury the past.

Being asked to take a time-out from her boss, due to her little alcohol problem, Sibley decides that now is the time to re-visit her hazy memories. She remembers her father dying ... maybe. But maybe it wasn't her father. She's never had a sister.. but she 'thinks' she has a twin. And wasn't her mother supposed to be ill and dying?

As she reenters the life she left behind, she realizes her mother isn’t the same person she remembers, and she’s not the same daughter either.

Long buried lies and secrets are at the heart of this well-crafted novel. Sibley and her mother, Deborah, are unreliable witnesses as they make the reader stop and take a closer look at both past and present events. Somewhat difficult to follow at times, as memories seem to dim and then brighten. There's lot of action filled with twists and turns. I am a little ambivalent about the conclusion ... it felt a little disconnected, and rushed.

Many thanks to the author / Amazon Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Profile Image for Alexa.
146 reviews49 followers
March 27, 2021
That was a pretty good read, and kept me very interested. It’s a bit long, but necessary to understand the full extent of the story of what’s really going on. This is one of those books that you really have to pay attention to, or you will miss something. the plot is well thought out, and flows well, but like I said pay attention when the person is remembering back in time or you will lose track of where you are. I think that if the chapters were cut up instead of between the person, they were between timelines also I think that would help the flow of the book a bit better but it is a good read and the ending what is definitely a twist I did not see coming. I recommend this book with four stars.
Profile Image for Mariana.
565 reviews119 followers
May 11, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC to review


I really tried to read this, but it was not a successful fight.
I read 30 percent of the book and I confess that I was a little disappointed.

The plot is very confusing and I feel I was not quite able to understand the story. I was very bored, throughout the pages I read.
In addition, I feel that the big plot of the book will be around the untrustworthy characters.
I'm a little fed up with this trope.

I am sad to be writing this on the day of the book's release.

I wish the author the best of luck.
Profile Image for Melissa S.
228 reviews21 followers
January 11, 2021
The Imposter by Marin Montgomery
Pub date March 9, 2021 by Thomas & Mercer
This was the first book I’ve read by Marin Montgomery, so I didn’t know what to expect. What I got was a wild ride that kept me guessing until the very end. The book features two narrators, Deborah, the mother, and Sibley, her adult daughter. They have been estranged for 14 years, since the time that Sibley’s father died in an accident on their farm that was considered suspicious by some in their small town. It was always suspected by local gossips that Deborah was having an affair at the time, and in some way helped to cause the accident, but there was never any proof to back up this blame. Shortly after the accident, Sibley graduated from high school, packed up and left for good. She worked her way through college and law school, became a successful attorney and got married, all with very limited contact with her mother. In the present day, Sibley is struggling with depression and an alcohol addiction and seems to be suffering from blackouts when drinking – she sometimes can’t remember where she’s been or what she’s done. She is accused of sleeping with a client, and her law firm puts her on probation until she completes rehab. After a heart-to-heart talk with a friend, she can’t shake the gnawing feeling that she needs to resolve her issues at home with her mother before she can move on and heal. She crosses the country and shows up unannounced at her mom’s house, who still lives on the farm where Sibley grew up. Deborah is also struggling. Her relationship with her husband was not what Sibley always thought, and she is dealing with her own depression, anxiety and guilt over events surrounding her husband’s death years ago. To make matters worth, she suffers an attack one dark night outside her home which has long lasting physical and mental impacts. She has finally decided to start seeing a psychiatrist to work through some of her issues when Sibley arrives home. It becomes clear that both mother and daughter have been keeping secrets from each other for years. Together, they slowly begin to unravel the mysteries of their family.
I liked this book. It was entertaining. Both narrators were unreliable and confused at times, so it really kept the reader guessing about what had happened in the past and what was happening in the present. I liked the part when Deborah saw a strange man sitting in her living room – that really got my attention and had me wondering – is it a ghost or is she hallucinating? How serious are her mental issues? There were several interesting twists that I didn’t guess, and the ending was satisfying – the loose ends were tied up and questions were resolved. I gave this book 3 ½ stars – rounded up to 4.
It was a good, solid domestic thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Laurie • The Baking Bookworm.
1,817 reviews517 followers
March 8, 2021


2.5 STARS - The Imposter's blurb about deceit, secrets and family dysfunction caught my attention. It is a great premise and I could envision the author's intentions with her plot and characters, but the delivery of these ideas fell short.

This psychological thriller had a muddled, choppy feel with most of the cast (besides Sibley's husband) being exceptionally unlikable. I get the whole unreliable character thing, but it was overdone here with both main characters having so many demons that the reader isn't sure what exactly is going on. It didn't help to clarify matters when Deborah's POV is told in the third person and Sibley's in the first-person.

There are some decent twists, long-held secrets, and major family dysfunction, but some of the plot points felt far-fetched and others not explained well, adding to that convoluted feeling. I believe the author was going for a story about these two women reconnecting despite their rocky past, but I never got the feeling that either of them really wanted to mend any fences.

This isn't the thriller I was expecting. It is more of a slow-burn dysfunctional family drama with a bit of mystery that had a persistent, depressing shadow lingering over everything. The Imposter had good bones and a decent final twist, but with its unlikable cast and disjointed telling, I never felt like I was in the middle of the suspense, but merely hearing about it second-hand.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this title by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Claire Livingstone.
20 reviews13 followers
December 19, 2020
Deborah, a mother with a daughter who left and never returned. Deborah hasn't talked to Sibley in several years, she was not invited to her daughters wedding and has no relationship with her besides those of her teenage years. Deborah still lives on the family farm trying to move on with her life, she has started seeing someone in secret, going to therapy, and living. Until her daughter unexpectedly returns home.

Sibley, is a divorce attorney who's drinking problem has caused the partners at the firm to ask her to take a leave of absence to get help. Her husband doesn't trust her, and on the day she was to attend rehab she never shows. Instead she returns home to the Midwestern farm her Mother still lived at to work through the issues and the past that followed them.

The characters in The Imposter, were interesting. I enjoyed the narration of Deborah, with the confusion and suspicion she was interesting to follow. Sibley I had many times wanted to yell at her asking what or why she was doing what she was doing. The environment of a out of town farm with the small town feel was on the mark, having been to small towns I see the same interactions described that might happen.

Overall, I gave this novel a ⭐⭐⭐ review. Some of the language felt choppy, and there were many phrases repeated that I didn't think were needed. However, the overall plot was well developed.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is available March 9, 2021 💚
Profile Image for Larissa.
67 reviews1 follower
December 16, 2020
This is the twisted story of an estranged mother & daughter duo - Deborah and Sibley. Not only a few thousand miles of distance and 16 years of disaffection separate our main characters, but also a fatal event that remains a mystery.
This is better than your typical family psychological drama, this thriller will make any reader unsure of what is reality as neither of them consistent narrators.
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Told by dual POV, the books starts with Deborah suffering an unexplained attack in her our home. She is a lonely woman in her 50s, battling with mental health and trying to survive the ghosts in her past.
Her estranged daughter, Sibley is a successful divorce lawyer who seems to have it all. But we quickly learn that her career is at risk and so is her marriage, and her way to deal with her alcoholism is to go back home. Back to the farm where she grew up and to her mother.

But when these two women are reunified, it feels like they’re complete strangers. As the story unfolds and secrets surface, they grow more suspicious of one another.
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I stayed up last night reading this book, and I could not fall asleep until I reached the very last page. This is a real #pageturner and I am now suffering of a serious case of #bookhangover 🥺
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Thank you @marinmont18 @netgalley and #thomasandmercer for this great ARC. #TheImposter is out on March 9 2021.
Profile Image for David Morgan.
931 reviews24 followers
March 8, 2021
This one had my head spinning!
Sibley is about to lose it all, her job and her marriage due to her drinking problems and questions of fidelity. When she's was supposed to be going to rehab she actually goes to reconnect with her mother, Deborah, who she's been estranged from for sixteen years. Sibley figures the way to heal is to go back and confront her past and find out the truth about how her father died. The story unfolds through the POV's of these two women. The first section focuses on Deborah's, the second on Sibley and the third alternating between the two. Both narrator's are unreliable due to either drugs or alcohol leading to the questioning of what is truly going on. While this can be confusing to some I found it intriguing and compelled me forward to find out the truth. This one is filled with twists and turns and although clues to the identity of the perpetrator are sprinkled throughout (also red herrings) I was surprised by the reveal and conclusion. Due to its structure, this one starts slow but picks up considerably by the third section.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the complicated plot and disorientation the story caused for me and recommend this one to those who enjoy this type of psychological thrillers. Just be warned, your head will spin as well.
.
Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC to read, review and enjoy.
Profile Image for Amber.
1,478 reviews49 followers
October 26, 2020
Twist and turns galore!
This is a book that has a lot going on in it. The story starts out with Deborah. She begins hearing banging on her front door so when she goes to the door with the gun she ends up slipping on the ice but then someone kicks her in the head and she becomes unconscious.
Thousands miles away her daughter Sibley, a really successful amazing divorce attorney, ends up getting suspended at her firm and her husband is completely convinced that she is having an affair. So, during her difficult time Sibley decides that she wants to try to mend her relationship with Deborah. So once she returns to the small town she realizes fairly quickly that her mother wasn't the woman she had known. Then, the real twist, turns, secrets and history come back to haunt them both.
I really enjoyed this story. The plot and storyline were great, the pace was great and I was definitely hooked. I had to know what happened!!! I will definitely look for more from this author but I did enjoy this book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who really enjoys domestic thrillers or thrillers that involves family history and broken relationships.
Profile Image for Doris Vandruff .
468 reviews5 followers
September 28, 2020
Seeing Sibley as an outstanding divorce attorney, no one would guess she'd come from a small midwestern town.
Looks can be deceiving. She is a functional alcoholic. What's more her firm has suspended her until she goes to rehab. Her husband is upset at her because he thinks she had an affair. Her life sucks.
She decides to go back home and see if she can mend the relationship with her mother. They haven't seen or spoken to each other for years. Ever since Sibley left her hometown.
What she encounters will want to send her running for her life.
A great psychological read. Twists and turns galore!
Profile Image for Kathy.
3,296 reviews59 followers
October 27, 2020
3.5 rounded up to 4
Thak you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I'm not sure what I really expected here and going in cold was a bonus. I enjoyed the twists and while some were predictable, others were not.
Profile Image for Bridget.
2,789 reviews132 followers
April 26, 2021
Successful divorce lawyer, Sibley Sawyer's career starts to go south along with her personal life, so she decides to head home to try to patch things up with her estranged mum, Deborah. But far from receiving a welcome with open arms, Sibley discovers that both she and her mum have been hiding secrets from each other. As the painful truth of why Sibley left home emerges, both women must face the role they have played in the secrets that have kept them apart...

In The Imposter, the latest psychological thriller from Marin Montgomery, the doomed reunion of a long-estranged mother and daughter, are explored. It is a slow unravelling of lies, deceit, duplicity and the skeletons in the closet that gradually come out in the wash. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
Profile Image for Victoria Lanigan.
1,099 reviews22 followers
March 9, 2021
The majority of this book is set in the Midwest and the description of Deborah getting the mail hit me hard. There is something about winter, where it is FREEZING out and you have to bundle just to walk to the mailbox and after this winter I felt that! If you have ever experienced a Midwest winter I know you would feel the same!
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I enjoyed the writing style flipping between Deborah and her daughter Sibley’s POV.
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On the outside Sibley has a great home, wonderful husband and successful job but things are not all as they seem. Things aren’t all as they seem in her mother’s life either and when she returns home secrets rise to the surface. When Sibley gets to her mother’s old farmhouse she finds out quickly nothing is what she thought it was. With a mysterious therapist, small town secrets and a prison nearby it’s fair to say this is not just a sweet Midwestern story!
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This book is out today!
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Thank you #NetGalley and #ThomasandMercer for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
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