As a fan of this author's previous books I looked forward to reading this but sadly found it difficult to get into and to stick with. It was sad and affected my mood negatively. I think I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for this story at the moment and might return to the book at a later time. Just not for me at the moment. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

When their mother died and their father remarried everything changed for Rob and Cath. Now decades later Rob died and Cath is heartbroken. Her half brother Oliver wants to connect again but they all have their own issues with what has happened. Can this family connect and really go on?
What an emotional family story, everyone had their own past and a way to handle it. Entertaining.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this.

This was not an easy read with the content being heavy and emotional. It shows brilliantly how perception on situations vary and it was a very thought-provoking read. There were many sad events throughout, involving family matters. This would not be my typical read but it was good and certainly got me thinking about family dynamics and different points of view. I think it would be a good book club book.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Amanda Brookfield’s latest novel, The Twin, delivers a deeply moving exploration of grief, memory, and fractured family ties. At its core are Cath and Rob—inseparable twins whose lives shift dramatically after the tragic death of Rob at age 48. Their half-brother Oliver’s unexpected attendance at the funeral reopens wounds shaped by decades of painful misunderstandings.

It is a deeply emotional read and may trigger grief in some readers. Brookfield uses shifting views from both Cath & Rob as well as Oliver to work through thought provoking dynamics.

Thank you Net Galley, Boldwood, and the author for this eARC.

The Twins by Saskia Sarginson ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the first book I've read from this author. I wasn't sure which direction the story was going but it intrigued me. I will check out more of her books in the future.

The Twins each tell a different side of the story. One of present day and the other the past till they meet in the end.
It's a thriller with a heart for love, hurt and family.

It's a book where you will either love it or hate it but give it a chance. Read it for yourself regardless of the reviews.

A story jammed packed with emotional chapters. The death of Catherine’s twin and Oliver’s half-brother brings to the surface the strife, anger and deeply held emotions of both Catherine and Oliver. The story traces their journeys to wholeness, a journey rife with intensity and coldness. A powerful story of how a very dysfunctional family seriously impacted its members.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Amanda Brookfield delivers a deeply moving and emotionally resonant family drama in The Twin—a powerful exploration of grief, memory, and trying to figure life out without a manual or genuine adult to guide you. Cath, whose life is shattered by the loss of her twin brother, Rob and her inability to see the downside of their intense codependent relationship, forged from childhood truama. What follows is a beautifully layered narrative that deftly peels back years of silence, misunderstanding, and fractured family history.

It’s about reconciliation, resilience, and the ways we carry childhood pain into adulthood. The writing is elegant, the pacing just right, it has warmth, wisdom, and the kind of insight that lingers long after the final page.

I have read and enjoyed a few of this author's previous books and really enjoyed the so expected a more similar work. The book started well and I felt that I had to keep reading as there must be more to the story. Sadly, I found this book a bit slow after the first few chapters, there didn't seem to be any direction. Could have been a little more creative in parts and I struggled with this book, not what I expected and admit find it hard to finish.
This my personal viewpoint.
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and publishers for allowing me to read and review this ARC

Cath and Rob are twins who were sent to live with their grandmother while their mother was ill. When their dad returns for them, their mother is dead, and dad is with another woman. Their father is not at all affectionate or caring, and the stepmother only has love for their son together. When Rob dies at 48 of cancer, Oliver returns for the funeral, but Cath wants nothing to do with him. As she grieves Rob, she does so in an inappropriate way. Trying to catch a glimpse of her nieces after Rob's wife Joanne asks for time. As things get worse, Al, Cath's partner leaves telling her she needs help. When Joanne eventually comes to talk, Cath learns the difficulties Rob had. Oliver asks that she speak to her dying dad over Zoom and she finally does. It was a tough read but full of emotion. I received an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my honest review.

The Twin is an emotionally powerful and deeply perceptive novel about grief, identity, and the intense, complicated bond between twins. Amanda Brookfield explores how a lifetime of love, protection, and silent resentment between Cath and her twin brother Rob shapes their lives—and how Rob’s death leaves Cath unmoored.

Told with raw honesty, the story unpacks the aftermath of loss as Cath spirals through grief, clashing with her stepbrother Oliver and jeopardizing her relationship with the kind-hearted Alastair. Brookfield paints a vivid picture of a fractured family history, showing how pain lingers through generations.
:
It is a poignant and challenging read, The Twin is a beautifully written exploration of sibling love, buried trauma, and the hard-won path to healing.

I really enjoyed this story and the different paths it went down as you got further into the book. This kept me hooked in and invested in the story from start to finish.

The Twin is a compulsive read with complex characters. I wanted to like the story but it was difficult to get through. Thanks NetGalley for an arc.

“The Twin” is by Amanda Brookfield. This is a family drama and it deals with a lot - family drama (but what family isn’t full of drama?), death of a twin/sibling and dealing with the emotional aftermath (and family), estrangement, and learning to go from a child’s perspective of a relationship into an adult one. There’s a lot of introspection in this book - from Oliver’s rather cool and calm to Catherine’s emotional rollercoaster. It also reinforces how different perspective in relationships can, sometimes, both be accurate.

I just finished a good book. The Twin by Amanda Brookfield is available soon and is one you should put on your list.

The bond between twins is famously strong, and Cath and Rob were no exceptions, bonded together even more tightly by the loss of their mother at an early age.

After their father remarries and produces a baby with his new wife in short order, the twins feel shut out of what should be their own family unit, deepening the already close ties between the pair.

But when Cath loses Rob at the age of only 48, she is cast adrift from her emotional moorings. Even more so, when their father's third child, whom he had with their stepmother, shows up Rob's funeral and shares a very different take on their childhood with Cath.

As the film Rashomon ably demonstrated, there can be not just two, but many points of view on any given situation. And Cath and her half brother Oliver must now decide how much veracity resides in each...

This is an emotional and thought provoking story which will appeal to readers who enjoy stories about family dynamics and domestic drama. It gets 3.5 stars.

oh i dont know whether my heart was made for things like this. it was such a heartbreaking and heart wrenching book. but it was so smart in doing so. there so much to say about this book that if i tried to do it justice id either be writing pages, wouldn't do it justice or id give every single spoiler to the plot!
i adored this look into what its like to be a twin. in this book we have two children who are very much loved. and as Cath and Rob grow up they are they're for each other. but things break when their beloved mother dies and their dead remarries and clearly isnt happy to be a parent to the twins. and this worsening feeling is exacerbated by the birth of the "New" son Oliver. Cath becomes increasingly protective of her brother Rob.
but this might quickly pass over in the future to being possessive of him and over him.
then the worst happens for Cath and her hurt is only made worse when who should turn up at the funeral but her estranged brother Oliver.
Cath continues to spiral in her grief. it effects every colour and concept of her life, even her own relationship.
Amanda goes on to construct a deeply moving and vivid depiction of what loss, grief and over due feelings from both present and past looks like. she also tells beautifully how we can experience the same time or place and each of us will feel or see it differently. the cast over their childhood for all the children involved offered up a huge perspective shift of this.
it doesnt shy away from the hard stuff, this feels real. but it does so with such well done writing that even though you can almost feel the pain and other feelings in this book you still want and feel compelled to read on. this is a fantastic story and it isnt without its glimmers of hope or at least understanding for a future going forward.

The Twin is a compulsive read with complex characters and an emotionally absorbing storyline.

Twins Catherine and Rob, lost their mother to cancer when they were six years old. Their father eventually married their mother's American friend Diane, who gave birth to their half brother Oliver. Diane is a vicious, spiteful woman, who delights in making the twins' lives a a misery, especially Caterine's. Oliver, in turn, bears the brunt of the twins difficult and sometimes wild behaviour. In their late teens, their father, Diane, and Oliver move to the States, leaving them to their own devices.

The story begins with Rob's funeral. He too has succombed to cancer, leaving behind a wife and two young daughters. Catherine does not cope well with her loss, as it brings into focus past experiences that pull her into a vicious circle of bad memories and regrets. The fact Oliver has flown over from the States to attended the funeral, appears to make things worse. She also has a difficult relationship with sister in law Joanne, who she feels acted as a barrier to her relationship with Rob. The story is told from both Catherine and Oliver's viewpoints and shows how easy grief and loss is able to pull an indiviual into a downward spiral, threatening what previously were solid relationships. Conversely, it also shows how sometimes there is light at the end of the tunnel and an opportunity to begin again.

Highly recommended.

I would like to thank Boldwood, the author and Netgaley for an ARC of The Twin in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't expect this book to bring out so many feelings in me but I love a good ugly cry. As a stepmother myself, I tend to dislike stories with an "evil" stepmother as I hate the sterotype. Other than that aspect, this was really well written, especially with dual timelines.

This book was very sad and depressing not what I thought I was getting myself into. It was too slow paced for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

The Twin is not my normal type of book I choose but I enjoyed it - it has flashbacks to childhood and present day and explores the complicated way families can be.