Another great thriller from Claire, that after each chapter kept you wanting to read more. Written from different character perspectives too, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

This is another thriller read by a very talented author. Una takes a job as a home companion for an elderly lady. She then discovers that the previous two companions died in suspicious circumstances, and this makes her nervous. What if she is next? I enjoyed the twists and turns, and will read another book by Ms Douglas in future.

A twisty mystery set in Bristol. Although fast paced, I was not invested in the characters and the story did not grip me.

Like the other books I’ve read by Claire Douglas this revolves round family secrets and mother/daughter/sister relationships and there are enough twists and turns that at first puzzled me, but it didn’t grip me as her earlier books did. Although it begins well and at first I was intrigued by the mystery, I thought there were too many coincidences to be credible and it was just too far-fetched. This means that the chilling atmosphere that had been built up at first faded away. Having said that I did want to know how it would end so I read on but was not surprised by the final reveal.

Loved this book, it was fast paced and kept me guessing from the start. I thought I had it all figured but I was wrong.

I love love love Claire’s books and this one did not disappoint. What a plot!!! If you’re young blonde and petite DO NOT take a job caring for Elspeth. So many twists and turns I could not keep up. I just fell in love with Una in part one of the book a young girl grieving the death of her mother and taking on a job where her 2 predecessors had died. Then part 2 with Willow one tough cookie with a complicated childhood of her own. Who is killing these girls?? I did not see it coming. Enjoy.

Just Like the Other Girls was a wild ride I took with my friend Amanda (in other words, we buddy read it), and guys, it was a thrilling enjoyment.

If you keep up with my reading, you would know that reading club and buddy reads with my friends are my number one priority for months now, and let me tell you, I can't recall when was the latast time we read such a good, discussion caller of a novel.

The writing pulled me in immediately, with action and mystery that urged me to read one more page, and all the characters that were suspicious.
This is one of the books where everyone can be a bad guy and you don't know their motives at all, and as a result, you don't even know how many bad guys are there at all.
Is it all the work of a one person, or do two/more work together?? That is a mystery!

Because of all of the above, we finished the book in 5 days instead of 8 that was originally planned.

I also want to applause the author for her courage to take turn that was brave and definitely unique, and so unpredictable.
If you read the book, you know what I'm talking about, if you didn't, I don't want to spoil you.
But because of that "thing" that happened, that lead to "part 2" I was sure I was reading a 5stars worth book.

However, after I finished the book, and mystery was solved (in a satisfying way) I looked back at italic parts of the book and I felt played out. Fooled.
It was like the author made up some parts of it just to lead us the wrong way, and they don't make sense.
I was so angry I even wanted to give it 3,5 stars.
Actually, I still am angry and I still am debating whether to give it 4 or 3,5 stars.
This whole situation reminded me that Douglas did the very same thing in her previous novel When She Vanished, and I felt the same.

I decided that I will read another book by her some other time and if italics make me mad again, I will just give up on her work.
Her books are good, but I just don't like being mislead if it's not done in an intelligent way.

However, I do recommend this book because it is really good.

Another great thriller from Claire, that after each chapter kept you wanting to read more. Written from different character perspectives too, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Just Like the Other Girls is a cleverly written thriller, as the story progresses you think you know what is going on but then you turn the page, read some more and change your mind. Claire Douglas keeps you guessing until the very end.

Highly recommended to anyone who likes a phsycho thriller.

I was given a copy of Just Like the Other Girls by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

This was an absolutely cracking read, I’ve read a few by this author and each one was a great read. This was a tense and intriguing page turner. I highly recommend.

I’ve read and really enjoyed all of Claire Douglas’ previous novels so was keen to pick her new one up. I found this one every bit as gripping as her previous books and read it all in one day! The novel follows a young woman, Una, as she gets a job in an imposing house as a carer to an older lady, Elspeth. Una soon discovers that the previous two girls who had her job died in strange circumstances and so she is immediately suspicious and wants to know more. As is usually the case with this author’s novels, there are blind alleys and red herrings scattered throughout so it really keeps you on your toes and wondering who on earth the culprit is. The end was a shock to me, I had thought I’d figured it all out but I was wrong and I loved that I was. This is a fast-paced and gripping read, I recommend it!

Oh my god what a total creep fest this is, I was seriously reading with my eyes half open not wanting to know what came next 😂 I know haha! Brilliantly written and me hooked from the start and I didn’t dare even think about what came next, I loved every minute of it and the twists and turns were fantastic, who watching her, who wants rid of her? Well it’s defo not who you think it is 🙄 brilliantly written, a total master piece!

This is a chilling, claustrophobic thriller with an underlying sense of menace. Una is griefing and vulnerable and looking for a place to recoup. Acting as a carer for an old lady seems undemanding, but not everyone is happy she's there, and what happened to the girls before her?

Multi-layered with complex characters, this story draws you into its toxic world. There is a gradual reveal of clues and secrets countered with false leads, lies. There is an inherent fear of something unknown, which makes this compelling reading.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK - Michael Joseph via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Excellent read that pulled me straight in, I couldn’t put this down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Una, 23, is hired as a live-in companion to Elspeth McKenzie, an elderly lady living in an impressive home in Bristol. Elspeth's daughter, Kathryn, doesn't appear to be too happy about the arrangement, and maybe she's right, considering what happened to Elspeth's previous companions.

Someone is watching Una, and clearly does not want her anywhere near Elspeth.

Normally, I'm not a fan of the "secret" character that pops in every few chapters in a story, it always seems a bit "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too" - just get her or don't, I don't need to hear you threaten her every few pages?

In this book, though, it just fit in really well with the overall atmosphere of the book. I love stories like this, where the homes are almost characters in their own right. It had that old Hammer Horror feel that I really enjoy, and I was also reminded of one of my favourite movies, The Skeleton Key.

My notes for this book look like this: "who's this guy?" "what's this fella's game?" "IT'S HER" "IT'S HIM" "it's not either of them" "it's both of them" which will give you some idea of the twists and turns throughout. I really, really enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an eARC on NetGalley.

An absolute masterpiece - I finished in one go as I couldn't put it down. Well written and pacey, fantastic characters and prose. Highly recommended.

Claire Douglas certainly likes to keep her readers guessing and Just Like The Other Girls is no different. Una is at a crossroads in her life, her mother has recently died and her boyfriend has betrayed her. She gets a job caring for Elspeth in her home but all is not quite right. Seemingly her predecessors have gone missing and Una fears she may be next. Full of unexpected twists. Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy.

Another book I devoured quickly. I’m giving this 4/5 because it drew me in straight away and then kept me hooked until it was too late not to finish it! I like that it was set in Bristol as I don’t know the area bar a couple of visits so made me want to go back!

Just Like the Other Girls by Claire Douglas is a mystery thriller focusing on the victims and the people who are involved in the drama rather than the detectives working the case. This gives the story a different and unusual perspective and offers the reader the opportunity to unravel the mystery with limited information. Although I enjoyed reading the book, I wasn't engrossed and could have given up. However, I'm glad I persevered as it had a satisfying ending. It's not one of the author's best in my opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for the chance to read this book.

While I haven’t read all of Claire Douglas’ books, I have read a few, starting with The Sisters back in 2016 (have I really been blogging about books for that long?). Each book I’ve read has been better than the last. This is definitely the case for Just Like the Other Girls.

It is such a clever book. It starts in what seems like a fairly standard way for a psychological thriller. A young woman is looking for a better life. She thinks she’s found it. Only to realise that she’s put herself in danger. In Just Like the Other Girls, the young woman is Una.

She’s recently lost her mom, broken up with her boyfriend, and needs to earn enough money to go travelling with her best friend. Acting as a companion for an old lady living in a large house in the good part of town seems like the ideal solution. Until it isn’t.

Una discovers there have been other young women before her, young women who died in ways that were explained but don’t quite make sense. Unsure of whether this is a coincidence of something more, Una starts to investigate.

Which is where the books takes a twist I didn’t expect and – for me – took it to a whole new level. I won’t say more for risks of spoilers. Other than, it made the book so much more than it first appeared. And it made me question every assumption I’d made about just ‘who-dun-it’.

It’s probably no surprise then, that I’d highly recommend this book. And, if you do read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.