Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't like this book. DNF at 39%. I just couldn't go any further because it was so slow. I didn't care about any of the characters. It just wasn't for me.

There is an audience for this book. One that enjoys a slow burn horror, but I guess that's not my thing.

I will not review on Goodreads as I did not finish the book.

Grabbed me right away. This is horror at its finest. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

It's nice finding a book that takes a direction into the supernatural where it's nice and creepy while sometimes getting even scarier with the closer it gets to reality.

I wasn't "terrified" throughout the book, but as I said, it had definite moments. And yes, I do think even though there were several alternate realities, the one most distressing was the one most in tune with reality and most distant from the supernatural. However, that doesn't mean I wasn't creeped out by other parts of the book. The ending was even creepy, and I liked it because not only was it unique and unexpected, but it tied everything up neatly.

I will admit I did struggle a little with the alternate realities mainly because I am just not personally a huge fan of them in general, but they were pretty simple to figure out while keeping the story moving forward for the most part. I just wish either something else sci-fi/horror had happened with them or something less repetitive had happened for me to enjoy them more.

As for the "identicals" and what they were, that is what ended up surprising me the most out of the entire book. It was a bit promising but still, a bit cheesy. When it came to what scared me in this book, they were not it. I did think the idea of them was interesting, but it seemed like how they were described and their dialogue and everything just knocked the story down a notch for me.

It’s a book worth reading not just to see what ends up happening with Jack’s daughter, the one who died yet was brought back to life. (I mean, that’s crazy on its own, right?) But what about the reality if she hadn’t been brought to life, still remained dead, and what that ended up looking like for husband, father, drunkard Jack? It’s worth a read to find out. Just stay in this reality while you do so.

Kudos to this supernatural mystery/horror novel. It gave me chills and it made me think.

If you had the chance to bring back a lost loved one, but the cost was the death of an innocent person at your own hand, would you do it? This is the concept of the book, and I kept thinking "what would I do" throughout the book..

Jack loses his 5 year old daughter, and his life falls apart. Then is teenage son commits suicide - after reaching out to his father, who ignored his calls. He is then given the opportunity to go back in time but he has a very high price to pay.

Jack agrees to the deal, then backs out. Things spiral out of control leading to a series of different realities.- each worse than the last.

I loved the concept. I loved the world building and could just see the action. I could picture this as a movie, all filmed in the dark, because the whole book just had that feel. It was crazy, it was intense, it was chilling and dark and I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to the author #williambrennanknight the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

I picked this book because of the premise. “What would you pay to bring back your loved one who has died?” I think most would say there are few things they wouldn’t do… Knight explores that very idea in “Identicals”.

Horror mixed with alternate realities, we follow the story of Jack - grief-stricken after the tragic death of his five year old daughter, RosaMarie. Finding solace in the bottle, Jack’s life fell apart in the 18 months since RosaMarie’s death. He has driven his entire family away and can find no reason to carry on. Until he is approached by an old woman at his usual bar, urging him not to be late and that he must pay his debt.

Knight draws you in and doesn’t let go. You are immediately aware of Jack’s grief and desperation, and follow him into the dark workings of an irresistible deal. Jack only wants his daughter back, but is the price too much to pay?

A character-driven story with dark imagery and themes, this book isn’t for everyone. It unsettled me many times, but that was likely the intent. It’s a dark story with scary elements - not quite what one might expect from a horror book, but interesting all the same.

This was not my favorite, but I’d certainly recommend it to a horror reader looking for something new.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

What starts out as the downward spiral of depression, takes a turn when a strange little man approaches Jack with a strange little pill that can solve his problems. Only, when it comes time to pay the price, Jack balks at insanity of it all. Will he ultimately pay the price? Or will he ruin himself in hiding.

After the death of his daughter, Jack has allowed his life to spiral. He's neglected his two sons and pushed his wife away. Instead of losing just the one family member, he's pretty much lost them all as he points the blame and wallows in grief. And then the unthinkable happens.

At the point of suicide, an old, creepy lady and a strange, small being enter his life. He's offered a pill to take that will take him back to before his daughter died. In return, he has to pay an unknown, high debt. After taking the pill, Jack gets his family back and all is amazing... until it's time for Jack to pay his debt.

There are definitely points where this book feels a little slow. The beginning especially and also there's a point where there are pages of pretty much repeats. I understand why the repeats are needed and also the beginning is trying to build a sense of how Jack is really not coping and pushing everyone away. I think I just personally prefer books that start in the action. But that doesn't take away from how good the book is, it's just a personal preference.

For me, what made this really, really creepy is the old lady. Especially the sexual scenes involving her. They are written in such a way that you genuinely feel grossed out. It sets you on edge. I don't think this book would have hit me in the same way without her in it.

After refusing to pay his debt, Jack is pushed back through trauma, even more severe than the original, over and over, his debt building. It's a dream of most people to bring back their loved ones but this book left me feeling like sometimes it's better to accept your grief than to go back. Jack wasn't a massively likeable character in the first half but you soon end the book feeling a lot of empathy towards him. You wish, for him, that he'd been able to grieve with his family, not against them. Sometimes, no matter how hard things are, you need to realise what you still have, no matter how much you're hurting.

4.25 stars for horror genre

Wow this is a spectacularly creepy book, in the best way! I couldn’t put it down. Lots of suspense and depth.

I love horror and gothic books so this was right up my street. I really like it, it was dark and chilling with a suffocating atmosphere - in the best way. A really good read.

The main character, Jack, suffers from severe depression after his child was tragically murdered. To cope, he drinks A LOT. This heavy drinking makes him turn nasty towards the family he still has left and when things get as worse as they could get, he turns to attempting suicide. Instead, he is stopped by a creature offering him a deal to return back to his life before his daughter was murdered… as long as he can pay a debt back to this creature.

Wow, wow, wow. This book was incredibly creepy. I sped through it with ease because the story was so different than I expected and unlike anything I’ve read. If you’re looking for something with some horror and suspense, this is it.