Molly and Katie are identical twins but are completely different personality-wise. Katie is more adventurous and outgoing while Molly is more reserved and, honestly, sees danger everywhere but takes her safety very seriously. Katie had moved to New York from their hometown in England after getting a scholarship to Columbia. And then Molly’s world is turned upside down when she receives a call from her parents that Katie has been murdered. Despite her fears, Molly gets on a plane and flies to NY to be with her parents and, once there, is determined to find out who killed Katie.
Once there, Molly starts researching the scholarship Katie received and stumbles upon secret emails containing information about a secret life Katie was leading. That’s when things got interesting and weird both at the same time. There are several suspects to Katie’s murder – the weird YouTuber downstairs from Katie’s apartment, her boyfriend, her friend Violet, a married professor with whom Katie has an affair and even Katie and Molly’s dad is briefly a suspect.
There are a few twists in this book and once the first one was revealed, I sorta had it figured out but wanted to keep reading to see if I was right (I was). This book is a super fast read and while the book was good, there were some aspects of the storyline that were just a bit unbelievable so you may have to suspend your beliefs/thinking while reading it. One thing that stood out to me as a possible (big) error is that a room is reserved at the Ritz under the “name of a dead person”, so obviously the reader will wonder who that could be. Then, in a later chapter, we read that a notepad in the hotel room has the name of the person who supposedly reserved the room….and that never gets resolved. ( )

First Born by Will Dean is a 2022 Atria/Emily Bestler publication.

Molly and Katie are twins, but they have very different personalities. Molly is a shy and anxious Londoner, while Katie is a bold and adventurous New Yorker. But when Molly learns that Katie has been killed, possibly by foul play, she must face her fears and fly to New York to find out the truth.

This is a strange book. It starts as a conventional murder mystery, with Molly trying to
figure out her sister's life and death, but then it takes a shocking turn that changes everything. The twist is so unexpected and subtle that I almost missed it. After that, the story becomes more bizarre and unbelievable as it goes on.

When I finished the book, I felt unsettled by the weird atmosphere of the story, but I also questioned what I had just read. I had mixed feelings about this one. It was original and different, which I liked, but it was also too far-fetched and messy, and lacked firm execution and coherence.

So, in the end, I decided to give it a middle of the road rating - three stars. ( )

I thought the book was interesting and get me engaged the entire time. However, it felt like the author did not do the work for the twists. ( )

Molly Raven is stunned to learn that her identical twin sister Katie has died - and is a possible victim of homicide. Leaving her structured life in London, Molly travels to New York where her sister was attending school to meet with her grieving parents and assist in final arrangements. Molly is a reserved person who craves security and routine so being thrust into a new city is terrifying - but necessary to track Katie’s final days and hopefully uncover what happened to her.

This book intrigued me at the beginning though it followed a current returning trend of thrillers with twins. Then - BAM - ridiculous plot twist, followed by a final epically ridiculous plot twist. Be prepared to suspend your disbelief further than ever. I get that the author really wanted to surprise readers but umm, this was too much. I still gave it 3 stars, but only because it kept me reading.
Thanks to Atria for sending me a complimentary ARC. ( )

First Born explores the toll the death of an identical twin can take. When Molly Raven learns her identical twin sister KT is dead, it seems as though several rugs have been pulled out from under her all at once. She and KT know each other better than anyone, talking everyday even now that KT was in New York while she remained in England. Now this risk-averse, fear-filled woman must navigate taking a plane to another country to be there for her sister. She wonders why she didn’t feel that connection being cut when KT died and is certain there are answers to be found in NYC.

Upon arrival, it takes all she has to help her parents manage with the business of death but she also finds time to meet with KT’s friends and lovers. She is certain somewhere out in the city the answer is waiting to be found. But then, things aren’t always as they seem. Is Molly on a mission to solve her sister’s murder or avenge those who harmed her sister in life?

First Born takes the unreliable narrator genre and tips it on its head. There is more than one complete surprise in this story that captures the ability of one twin to think inside the head of her sister in order to address her murder and avenge the wrong done to her. The sense of place is good, but it’s the character of Molly that makes this book so riveting. Since the success of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, it seems everyone is trying to write the next book with a twist you don’t see coming. Will Dean succeeds. I am sure you are already guessing what that twist will be…but you are wrong.

I received an e-galley of First Born from the publisher through Edelweiss

First Born at Simon & Schuster
Will Dean on Twitter and bio
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2022/11/15/first-bornby-will-dean/ ( )