Release: June 20, 2025
Author: JE Rowney
Publisher: Booksgosocial

Rating: 3.75 ★ 

When Samantha’s life crumbles, an unexpected message from a long-lost friend, Erin Blake, seems like the perfect escape. Soon, she finds herself whisked away to a stunning tropical paradise—where luxury, relaxation, and reinvention feel just within reach. But behind the sun-soaked days and picture-perfect setting, something darker is lurking.
As Samantha settles into this new life, cracks begin to show. The glamorous surface hides old secrets, manipulations, and truths she’s not ready to face. What begins as a dream escape quickly turns into a psychological maze, forcing her to question whether reconnecting with Erin was a lucky break—or the worst mistake of her life.
Wish You Were Her is a smart, twisty thriller that plays with the line between friendship and danger, illusion and truth. Perfect for readers who love psychological suspense with complex characters, moral ambiguity, and mind games that stick with you long after the final page.
Wish You Were Her is a twisty, sun-drenched psychological thriller that starts with the promise of paradise but quickly unravels into something far darker. The story follows Samantha, a woman at rock bottom, who sees a lifeline in the form of a message from an old friend. What begins as a dream escape soon becomes a tangled web of secrets, shifting identities, and blurred loyalties.
The setting—Aruba—is lush and escapist, yet there’s an underlying tension that never quite lets you settle. J.E. Rowney does a fantastic job building suspense, especially in how she plays with the reader’s trust. You never really know who to believe, and just when you think you’ve figured it all out, the book throws another curveball your way. Not all the twists were jaw-dropping, but the sense of constant unease kept me turning pages.
One of the strongest elements of this book is its exploration of gray morality. No character is purely good or evil, and the decisions they make—often rooted in desperation, jealousy, or the need to feel seen—give the story emotional weight. I especially related to Samantha’s sense of being left behind while others seem to move forward in life. That insecurity, paired with the allure of reinvention, made her a compelling character to follow.
This isn’t just a beach read—it’s a smart, layered thriller that asks how far someone might go to rewrite their story. If you enjoy suspense with messy, complicated characters and a setting that masks danger with beauty, this one is worth picking up. It’ll definitely leave you thinking long after the final page.

Favorite Quote:
"grief changes shape, but it never really goes away"


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WISH YOU WERE HERE BY JE ROWNEY.
5 ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨s.
Release date set for the 20th of June 2025 1 day before my birthday ☺
Love the cover.
This is my 3rd book by this author.
As soon as it landed on my kindle I stopped what I was doing and immediately started reading.
I can tell you this woman knows how to write!!!! Her stories pull you in from the second you start reading and hooks you throughout the story.
Fabulously written.
Great characters.
Intriguing and edge of your seat at times.
I think JE Rowneys books get better and better everytime.

Wish You Were Her was a fun read, very quick and fast-paced. A good, easy reading thriller. I would definitely recommend this one for anyone who likes psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators.

This had so many twists I literally have whiplash. Were they great twists? Meh. But I do love not knowing who to believe until the bitter end!

“Wish You Were Her” by J.E. Rowney is a powerful, twisty story of second chances, friendship, and survival. It’s about hitting rock bottom and finding the strength to rise again—but also about jealousy, identity, and the desperate longing to create something meaningful. Is it the promise of a fresh start, or something far more dangerous? That question lingers throughout. The suspense is masterfully woven, and just when I thought I had it figured out—Rowney fooled me. By the end, it left me with a profound realization about how far someone will go to rewrite their story.

First, thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC!

Gotta admit, I had a few other books on my list before this, but I just could not wait! So, today, I did enjoy the sun outside, had some pepsi and spend my day reading this book.

And, oh well, what can I say - J.E. Rowney, you did it again! This summer thriller taking me to paradise - Aruba, to beexact - was surely just what I needed this week! I also can not deny I felt bad for Samantha - feeling like others achieved more in their life while you just... exist, just hit home. Even when my life is good and stable, compared to hers (thank God!).

What else can I say? A very clever plot that will surely stick with me again, just like 'Where No One can hear You' did before. Also, the world and the people living in it are surely not just black and white. No one is just evil, and no one is just innocent. There are many layers of gray, and life sometimes does force people to do the wrong thing out of the right intentions. Or, because they are desperate. Or... well, because they want something that was not meant to be theirs from the beginning.

And, if you wonder now what will be the case in this story? Well, it is on you to read the book and figure it out!