Oh, I so dislike being in this position. I didn't like this book. The short explanation: The story is implausible and the characters' behavior is ridiculous.

Now I will do my best to elaborate without spoilers.

The story starts out well. We meet Mallory, "the good twin", whose part is written in first person. Initially, I found her character compelling and mostly likable. The pace is steady and the plot shrouded in mystery. We have elements of jealousy, greed, loss, and deception that could have made for a powerful story.

Then we meet Ben, Charly's husband, whose part is in third person. He is immediately and wholly unlikable. Mallory connects with Ben and, despite the fact that he oozes narcissism and deceit, decides to trust him implicitly without the slightest hesitation, much less the merest hint of disbelief.

Next we meet Charly, the other twin, whose part is in first person. Here we begin rehashing all the previous events from her perspective, which slows the pace quite a bit. Despite all the rehashing, I didn't feel her part was as developed. I didn't understand her on the same level as I did with Mallory and Ben.

I'd really like to know what Charly and Mallory saw in Ben that made him even remotely appealing. Honestly, he's a whiny, greedy, selfish, arrogant, narcissistic womanizer. Yet Charly delves right into his sociopathic world without first doing the sane thing of fact-checking, and Mallory is married to the jerk.

And then events happen that had me shaking my head, sputtering words like, "Seriously?" I mean, I know this is fiction, but it's not fantasy. I have to believe it could happen.

All that being said, this is a fast read. The writing itself is good. So, if you can suspend belief and go where this story leads the same way Mallory did, without hesitation, then you might enjoy it.

*I received an advance ebook copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.* ( )

THE GOOD TWIN is a psychological thriller full of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the end. Once you get past the first question -- could someone really try to kill their sister - the rest of the book is great to read.

Mallory grew up in poverty with just her and her mom in Scranton PA. She couldn't afford to go to college but after her mom died, she moved to NYC to take art classes that she paid for by waiting tables. She lived in a run down rooming house and lived a very frugal life. One day at the restaurant, someone called her by another name because they looked alike. When she investigated, she found out that she had a twin sister that she didn't know existed. Charly had been adopted by a rich couple and lived a very lavish life style. Was this difference in their lives enough to make her concoct a scheme with Charly's husband to have her killed so that Mallory would get Charly's inheritance? I can't say much more about the plot without giving away spoilers. What I will tell you is that there was a shock near the end that I didn't see coming that made this an even better book.

I highly recommend this book and plan to look at Marti Green's back list to read some of her earlier books.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. ( )

3.5 Stars

Overall a good mystery/thriller about twin sisters and the decisions they make (I don't want to give anything away).

It would have been a solid 4 star read if the ending was better. ( )

Thank you to the publicist and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of the book. This is an honest review – all opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 Stars

How far would you go to claim the life you could have had?

The Good Twin really digs into the whole “Princess and the Pauper” storyline, but with a twist. When Mallory discovers that, not only does she have an identical twin sister but, only two minutes made the decision over which twin grew up in poverty and which was given luxury she starts questioning a lot about her life. When she is given the opportunity to change her future and grab on to the life she could have had…well the thought of money and privilege would be enough to seduce anyone.

The author really knows how to grab the reader right away and sets such a great pace throughout the book that, before you know it, you’ve read the entire thing. I found the storyline very gripping and I don’t think I had a single second of boredom or page skimming. I was deeply engrossed from the first page…and then we got to the ending. Let’s talk about that, shall we?

This entire book was like being given a cone of your favorite ice cream only to have it fall to the ground as soon as you try to take a lick. And it just keeps happening. Over and over again until eventually there’s just no more ice cream and all you’re left with is a soggy cone.

Here’s where I have issues; we get a great storyline, an intriguing background and then comes this killer plot…which just falls together so easily? Seriously? Huge, life altering decisions need to be made and…just…sure, why not? I’ve given more thought to lunch. That seems to be the theme I kept seeing through the book. I’d be deeply into the story, then something happens and it’s all just so unbelievably easy. Key word…unbelievably. I felt that there really should have been some type of real conflict somewhere and was let down. Like the characters decided that they didn’t want to play anymore so they were just going to let everything happen. I could have forgiven it all, too, if it wasn’t for that ending. Without getting spoiler-y….all I’m going to say is people are NOT that way (there is no word I can think of that won’t give something away here). This was not the ending I signed up for and I feel a little bit cheated. That’s all I’m going to say on the matter.

The thing is, this is a really good book. It really is. I was completely drawn into every second of the story. I just left it feeling very, very unsatisfied. It shouldn’t be wrong to want your ice cream, and get to eat it too.

Thank You, NetGalley, for my complimentary review copy.

Mallory and Charlotte Jensen, twin girls born to a young mother, grew up in vastly different circumstances, unaware of each other’s existence. Their mother, Susan AKA Sasha, could not afford to keep both her girls so she kept the first-born, Mallory.

“Charly,” now an art gallery owner, had a privileged upbringing and lives an affluent lifestyle with her husband, Ben Gordon. In stark contrast, Mallory, an artist, could not afford to go to college. She lives for the art classes she takes at a local art institute and works as a waitress. Her home is a run-down boarding house.

From the very first line, I was drawn into the story. The book is divided into five parts, including a preface and epilogue. In between, the parts shift perspective from Mallory to Charlotte. The writing style is very readable, the chapters short, the characters, well-developed.

One fateful day, a customer in the restaurant where Mallory works mistakes her for her twin and mentions the gallery. Out of curiosity, she goes to check it out and there she sees her mirror image. Completely caught off-guard, she leaves without meeting her sister. She visits Charly’s home and the door is answered by Ben, who is just as shocked, but invites her in. Mallory is entranced by her beautiful surroundings, a stark contrast to her own. Ben notices her reaction and a devious, sinister, but brilliant plan takes shape in his mind.

At first taken aback by Ben’s proposal, Mallory comes around once Ben tells her about Charly and provokes her about what could have been and what still can be. So, the plan is put into motion. All goes smoothly...until it doesn’t.

In conclusion, I loved this book, my first by this author. The blurb intrigued me. There were unexpected plot twists that made the story anything but predictable and kept me reading, eager to find out what will happen next. I loved that I didn’t have a clue. The end was somewhat sappy, but satisfying. ( )