Wish You Were Her by J. E. Rowney
Publication Date: June 20, 2025
Three Stars⭐⭐⭐


Thank you to NetGalley, Little Fox Publishing, and the author for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second book I've read by this author (the first being Xmas Break). While I didn’t fully connect with either book, I genuinely respect the time, creativity, and dedication it takes to write a novel.

In this particular story, the plot felt a bit far-fetched and could have benefited from a tighter, more cohesive ending. I found it somewhat repetitive at times, which affected my engagement with the narrative. I did appreciate the short chapters as they made the pacing more manageable, but I didn’t feel compelled to keep turning the pages.

I have mixed feelings about this book. While it wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t great. 2.5 stars. It felt very high school and repetitive. I struggled to connect with the characters or to care about them.

I do want to thank Netgally, the author and the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest review. I wish it was a better review. I would try this author again though.

The cover caught my eye right away, and the premise had me interested. I love a good story built on manipulation, secrets, and shifting power plays. The setup had real potential.

But the pacing made it hard to stay invested. Most of the first half dragged, and I found myself getting impatient with Sam’s constant self-pity. Then everything suddenly picked up at the end, but it felt rushed. The back-and-forth between characters trying to outsmart each other could have been really satisfying, but it all came too late and too fast.

I also didn’t connect with any of the characters. Their motivations were interesting, but there wasn’t much emotional depth, and by the end, it felt like Sam hadn’t changed at all. I think this could have worked better as a multi-POV story or even a duet.

The concept was smart, but the uneven pacing and lack of character growth kept it from fully landing for me.

While on holiday I saw the cover and thought it was fitting as a holiday read.

What starts as a gentle introduction to the downfall of Samantha’s life turns into something quite monumental for the characters of this book.

It deals with hate, destruction, revenge and satisfactorily outcomes for them all rolled into a twist well thought out thriller.

A really good holiday read set in Aruba, in the Caribbean.

This one just didn’t quite click for me. While the writing style was easy to read and the plot had potential, the story felt slow to start and became pretty repetitive.

I found it hard to really connect with the main characters, which made it tough to stay engaged. I actually liked the side characters more, but unfortunately that wasn’t enough to carry the whole book. There were glimmers of a compelling story, but in the end, it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

Emotional and thought-provoking, this story explores love, loss, and identity with unexpected twists. J.E. Rowney delivers a gripping psychological drama that keeps you hooked and questioning what’s real. A haunting and heartfelt read.

Okay—wow. I went into this thinking I was getting a beachy escape read with a little drama sprinkled in, but what I got instead was a dark, addictive spiral of friendship, secrets, and that deliciously slow-creeping sense of dread that something is very wrong.

Samantha is the perfect lead for a story like this—flawed, vulnerable, and desperate for a do-over. When an old friend unexpectedly reaches out and offers her the ultimate escape, you want to root for her. But the more pages you turn, the more you realize: paradise isn’t always what it seems.

J.E. Rowney does such a brilliant job of peeling back layers slowly, letting tension simmer just beneath the surface. The setting is so lush and dreamy that it makes the eventual unraveling hit that much harder. Erin Blake is the kind of character you can’t quite trust—but also can’t look away from. Every interaction had me guessing motives, replaying dialogue, wondering who was really pulling the strings.

And let’s talk about that ending. I genuinely didn’t see it coming—and I live for a twist I don’t predict.

Twisty. Atmospheric. Completely unputdownable.
This is one of those thrillers you finish in a day, then immediately recommend to your friends so you can talk (scream) about it together.

Great story and quick, fun summer read! A real lesson in envy and wishing you have someone else's life. Looks can be very deceiving!

Wish you were Her is billed as a psychological thriller the likes of Frieda McFadden. The two main characters of the book Samatha and Erin are old college friends, one who’s life turned into a dream and one who’s life fell apart. They reconnect with each other and soon find out that neither life is what the other thought.
The book was a quick read, however I find something lacking in the story telling, as other have stated the repetition is extreme, they will repeat the same issues time and again. The ending just felt like a let down to me however, by the last sentence I really did not care who was the villain and who the hero?
Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and the publisher for providing a digital ARC copy in exchange for my honest review

The cover is so gorgeous and it immediately caught my attention because I wanted to know the story behind it. It was an interesting read and the plot dragged me in but I couldn't exactly connect with the characters which made the book a bit harder to read. At least for me. The ending felt a bit rushed and it ultimately left me unsatisfied because Sam is still in the exact place she started. Character growth where? I feel this would've been done better if it was a duet. But thank you to NetGalley and the author for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book - first time reader of this author. It was ok for me.
I found the story to be a bit predictable and far fetched.
Thank you for the advanced copy! I will give this author another try.
3.5 stars

Wish You Were Her is a gripping and emotionally charged psychological thriller that explores love, loss, and the dangerous blur between memory and reality. J.E. Rowney weaves a tense, twisty narrative that keeps you questioning everything—and everyone—until the final page. A dark, addictive read with a haunting twist you won’t forget.

Thank you so much for letting me read this book!

How do I even… I was so disappointed. The writing was easy to follow, easy to read (like Freida McFadden where you just boom through the text), but on the other hand, about half of the book repeats and reiterates the same fact over and over and over that Erin stole Sam’s idea. It was insufferable in that point. YES WE GET IT CAN WE MOVE ON. And then we… didn’t move on. It is a snappy short book but at the end of it I felt like “it could have been an email”???
Another thing, I understand the framework was just an abstract idea and we should just follow it as if it’s some transformative experience but the way it was presented was just… you know like “mumbo jumbo”? It made no sense. There was no essence to it, just some buzz words. And I get that a book will not give you that amazingly detailed transformative script but then why write about it? It just made it more silly like that.

I guess I was just expecting something a little more thrilling or mysterious based on the description of the book. The first half kept referring to something so awful done 6 years ago, and to finally find out what that was basically something we already knew seemed very underwhelming. The multiple twists right at the end end were a bit much and made the entire book seem false.

I am sure that others will really like it. I did not care for the story or the characters. Some of the dialogue was repetitive. Unfortunately this is a no for me.

What happens when an old college friend stabs you in the back? Add in money, and things get interesting. I highly recommend this fast paced book with twists and turns all the way to the end. I can see potential for a second book as this book left me wanting to know more!

This is an easy read where friendship, betrayal, jealousy and rivalry all play a role. Two college friends end up on very different paths, one down and poor with almost no prospects, the other a famous and rich self-awareness lifestyle coach. When the two reconnect in a tropical paradise, a sinister plot develops. It is an entertaining read, while the writing is a bit repetitive and the characters are rather one-sided. Nevertheless, it is a good, fast and entertaining summer read.

JE Rowney is a new to me author, but when I read the blurb for this book it grabbed my attention and I was really looking forward to reading it.
First off I really liked the setting of this book, Aruba. It played a big part in the story and I really felt like I was there with the characters.
I enjoyed the writing style too. It was super easy to get into, it flowed well and the pacing of the plot was spot on.
The story was interesting to me and it held my attention throughout. This is definitely a book you could read in one sitting or one day. It was super easy and fast paced.
Whilst I have to admit as it neared the end it was slightly ridiculous, overall this was a really entertaining, nothing that deep or serious, fun, quick read that would be a perfect summer holiday read.

I loved this book. It was so full of twists and turns. I loved Samantha, as she is an intriguing character. I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I can't wait for JE Rowney's next book.

Wow. I almost didn't finish this book because it has a slow beginning - the author waited until chapter 9 to really kick into the drama, deceit, betrayal that pushes these characters to their mutual destruction.

Once the author started revealing more of the main characters behaviors and misconceptions, I could not put this book down.

Just one question before you start reading this book - how far would you go for an apology?