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The Other Twin Kindle Edition

3.6 out of 5 stars 198 ratings

When Poppy's sister falls to her death from a railway bridge, she begins her own investigation, with devastating results ... A startlingly twisty debut thriller.

'Uncovering the truth propels her into a world of deception. An unsettling whirlwind of a novel with a startlingly dark core. 5 Stars'
The Sun

'Sharp, confident writing, as dark and twisty as the Brighton Lanes'
Peter James

'Superb up-to-the-minute thriller. Prepare to be seriously disturbed'
Paul Finch

____________________

When India falls to her death from a bridge over a railway, her sister Poppy returns home to Brighton for the first time in years. Unconvinced by official explanations, Poppy begins her own investigation into India's death. But the deeper she digs, the closer she comes to uncovering deeply buried secrets.

Could Matthew Temple, the boyfriend she abandoned, be involved? And what of his powerful and wealthy parents, and his twin sister, Ana? Enter the mysterious and ethereal Jenny: the girl Poppy discovers after hacking into India's laptop. What is exactly is she hiding, and what did India discover...?

A twisty, dark and sexy debut thriller set in the winding lanes and underbelly of Brighton, centring around the social media world, where resentments and accusations are played out, identities made and remade, and there is no such thing as the truth.

____________________

'Well written, engrossing and brilliantly unique, this is a fab debut'
Heat

'With twists and turns in every corner, prepare to be surprised by this psychological mystery'
Closer

'Lucy V Hay's fiction debut is a twisted and chilling tale that takes place on the streets of Brighton ... Like Peter James before her, Hay utilises the Brighton setting to create a claustrophobic and complex read that will have you questioning and guessing from start to finish.
The Other Twin is a killer crime-thriller that you won't be able to put down' CultureFly

'Crackles with tension'
Karen Dionne

'A fresh and raw thrill-ride through Brighton´s underbelly. What an enjoyable read!'
Lilja SigurðardÓttir

'Slick and compulsive'
Random Things through My Letterbox

'A propulsive, inventive and purely addictive psychological thriller for the social media age'
Crime by the Book

'Intense, pacy, psychological debut. The author's background in scriptwriting shines through'
Mari Hannah

'The book merges form and content so seamlessly ... a remarkable debut from an author with a fresh, intriguing voice and a rare mastery of the art of storytelling'
Joel Hames

'This chilling, claustrophobic tale set in Brighton introduces an original, fresh new voice in crime fiction'
Cal Moriarty

'The writing shines from every page of this twisted tale ... debuts don't come sharper than this'
Ruth Dugdall

'Wrong-foots you in ALL the best ways'
Caz Frear

'Original, daring and emotionally truthful'
Paul Burston

'A cracker of a debut! I couldn't put it down'
Paula Daly

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[A] psychological thriller with heart.” —Rare's Reads & Reviews

About the Author

Kate Rawson studied acting at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, London. She has performed in theater productions all over the world, including Hermia in "A Midsummer Night s Dream" and Kate in "Nicholas Nickleby". Her television credits include "Casualty" and "Holby City", both for the BBC. Her radio credits include "The Wills Girls" for BBC Radio 4 and "Mum s the Word" for BBC Radio Cornwall.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XRLMCHB
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orenda Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 1, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 952 KB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 301 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1495627934
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.6 out of 5 stars 198 ratings

About the author

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Lucy Hay
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Lucy V. Hay is a script editor, author and blogger who helps writers. She's been the script editor and advisor on numerous UK features and shorts & has also been a script reader for over 15 years, providing coverage for indie prodcos, investors, screen agencies, producers, directors and individual writers. She's also an author, publishing as both LV Hay and Lizzie Fry; Lizzie's latest, THE COVEN, is out now with Sphere Books and LV's debut crime novel THE OTHER TWIN is being adapted by the Emmy-nominated Free@Last TV. Lucy's site at www.bang2write.com has appeared in Top 100 round ups for Writer's Digest & The Write Life, as well as been a UK Blog Awards Finalist and Feedspot's #1 Screenwriting blog in the UK (tenth in the world!).

Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
198 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2017
    This is going to be a very difficult review to write as there is so much I want to say but I’m fearful of giving away the plot. With The Other Twin Hay has written a topical thriller that is written with great skill and understanding.

    When Poppy Wade’s half-sister India falls to her death from a railway bridge, Poppy returns to her home town of Brighton to be with her family. Poppy questions the initial verdict of suicide and sets out to find out the truth behind her sister’s death. Poppy has that underlying feeling that something isn’t right regarding the death and the more she looks into it the more she discovers that she barely knows those she grew up with.

    The Other Twin uses social media to great effect. Hay plays on all my likes and dislikes of social media – the way in which you never really know who is behind the keyboard, the way in which grudges and arguments can be played out in public, but also the support it can give to people who would otherwise feel alone. This is a book ultimately about identity and the use of social media works perfectly with this. As Poppy discovers things about her sister she didn’t know via her laptop, the reader is constantly left guessing as to what the truth is.

    This is also a book about the secrets that hide within families and the lengths they will go to to keep them concealed. The question is raised as to how much we ever really know anyone. I always enjoy secrets and lies within a book and I adored this aspect of The Other Twin. I was gripped from the start and raced through the book to the ending.

    The tone sits perfectly with the subject matter and the sense of grief that is displayed by the protagonist. It has a subtle grittiness to it that leaves you feeling unnerved throughout. Hay’s writing makes you feel unsettled as you take the journey with Poppy to discover the truth about India.

    Hay weaves a twisting, turning tale in which the sense of unease never leaves you. The ending pretty much blew me away with events that I didn’t see coming at all! It will probably be the book of 2017 that delivers the ultimate shock factor, and any books that come after are going to be hard pushed to surprise me as much as The Other Twin did. A cracking debut novel!
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I really enjoyed it. It was a real thriller and I didn’t know who did till the end. I couldn’t put down.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Three star rating because I did enjoy the book, however; the chapters that were in a different POV were really hard to get through and I had a hard time figuring out why they were there and what was going on because there really wasn’t an indicator. Very frustrating!

    Definitely applaud the author on handling difficult topics and doing it well. That was thoroughly enjoyed.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2017
    Format: Kindle
    Poppy hasn’t been home to Brighton in years but after awakening from yet another one night stand she just can’t quite remember she finds her mother has been frantically trying to call her. Fearing the worse Poppy is a bit afraid to actually pick up the phone and find out just what is going on and when she takes that step her worse fears are realized. Poppy’s sister India has fallen to her death from a bridge over a railway looking like a suicide but that just doesn’t sit well with Poppy and she’s determined to find out the truth.

    Poppy finds herself returning to the life she had thought she’d left behind years before but determined to get to the truth of just what had happened to India. Digging into India’s life Poppy is led to a mysterious girl named Jenny after hacking into India’s laptop and finds herself caught up by Matthew Temple, the boyfriend she abandoned. So many secrets to be uncovered but the deeper she digs the more questions she’s left with and doesn’t know who to trust.

    The Other Twin by L.V. Hay is one of those books that was possibly just not for me as others seem to really enjoy this one but it didn’t take me long to decide that I didn’t. I wanted it to pick up and drag me into the story but after a rough start to this one I never really found a rhythm and began to enjoy the characters or book at all.

    Poppy was a character that starts off dragging herself out the funk of a night she can’t remember and immediately I hesitated on liking her but thought possibly she could be one of those characters that grows and learns and makes one come to love her, unfortunately that didn’t happen. There were actions later in the book that still had me disliking her and that brought down the whole book for me. I just found it a bit slow pace and tedious from the get go with never really getting too invested. This one just turned out to not be my cup of tea but plenty of other readers are enjoying it.

    I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Twisty for the sake of twists?
    Reviewed in Germany on December 12, 2017
    An interesting "reveal" at the end, but often felt like the twists were thrown in for the sake of having a twist - not necessary to propel the story forward.
    Report
  • JenMedBookLover
    5.0 out of 5 stars Family secrets, hidden lives
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2017
    Whoa. Where did this book come from? You know when you start reading something and you just have a feeling you know where it is leading and how everything plays out? That is how I felt when I started reading The Other Twin by Lucy V Hay. It read like a family drama, one where they are torn apart by what happens to the youngest child, but essentially a story of how the other sibling, the one left behind cannot accept what has happened for what it is and where we will go on that emotional journey of discovery with her. And, in essence, that is exactly what this is. However, Lucy V Hay takes us beyond this – the story transcends the simple inability of Poppy to accept her sister’s decision to end her life – and the journey we are taken on is less one of gradual acceptance than a stealthy and progressive unveiling of secrets, lies and shocking revelations. Not what I was expecting. Not what I was expecting at all.

    Now this book does touch on some very sensitive subjects. We begin with the shocking announcement to Poppy that her younger sister India, who she hasn’t really spoken to in years, has chosen to take her own life. Drawing Poppy back to her home town of Brighton, she simply cannot accept that the young and vibrant girl she once knew would have changed so much that she would ever contemplate suicide. The impact upon Poppy’s family is heart wrenching, the emotion Hay captures on the page as she describes their mother’s slow descent into a mental breakdown is beautifully and poignantly captured. We are also faced with Poppy’s personal dilemma and conflicted feelings as one of the key reasons she stayed away from Brighton, her former lover Matthew, is brought back into her life in a most dramatic and emotionally challenging way. This re-acquaintance, this conflict, plays around with her emotions, threatening to derail her investigations when she has scarcely begun but she is determined and it is obvious she will not give up so easily or allow herself to become too distracted.

    I have to be honest and say that I had mixed emotions about Poppy initially. I couldn’t figure her out. What was the big secret which kept her away from her home for all these years, the one which drove her and her sister apart? She is a strong character, with some likeable qualities for sure, but there was a secret there. Something which she was not sharing. Something which for whatever reason led to absolute mistrust and hatred from people she had once called friends. Did this make her an unreliable narrator? Maybe, maybe not. You’ll have to read and judge for yourself. I didn’t not trust her exactly, but I admit to having to keep an open mind. I did admire her tenacity and resolve though and for me Hay created a very believable and relatable character, very important as this is the character who needed to carry the whole book. The one we had to trust to lead us on our journey.

    But although the story is told mainly from Poppy’s perspective as she navigates the labyrinth of lies which have been constructed around India’s death, there is a second party involved in the telling of this most twisted tale. An anonymous voice. A man whose voice is filled with poison and hatred towards anyone that he considers different. And in a place like Brighton, he can find different on every corner. The story is based heavily around the LGBTQIA community, something which our mystery voice clearly hates, a message – the prejudice, the disgust – which practically thrusts forth from the page as he watches them go about their lives. Whilst Brighton may pride itself as a very liberal and free city, not all of its residents agree, although the true root cause of this anger and hatred may not be as obvious as it seems.

    And then there is the mysterious Jenny, India’s friend. It is apparent from Poppy’s brief meetings with Jenny that she knows more of what happened to India than she will say, and she also knows the truth of the blog which India used to run, one which is closed down just as Poppy starts to uncover some vital details pertaining to her sister’s final months. But just who this Jenny is and why she was meeting India in a Gay club is not quite so clear. And what of ‘The Other Twin’ that the title refers to? Well this will become clearer as you read on, because it is finding Jenny and solving this puzzle which will lead Poppy, and the reader, to the most startling discoveries of all.

    It is very clear from reading the understanding the author has around the subjects of social media and blogging, and the impacts, both positive and negative that they can have upon a persons life. We are shown, perhaps too simply, that India used her blog to create tension and conflict, but as all things social media related, the story is never quite so black and white. And Hay’s characterisations, both of the LGBTQIA characters and the prejudices of those surrounding them, are very acutely observed.

    This is more than simply a story about the effects of prejudice and suicide. There is a dark and twisted mystery at the heart, one which runs through it from first page to last. It is also a story of family, of separation and of loss. But most of all, it is an exploration of the devastating impact that lies, anger, control and deception can have on a family. The ending is poignant and moving, the sense of acceptance and overall of freedom which emanates from the page a truly beautiful thing.
  • Bristol Book Blogger 📚📖📓
    4.0 out of 5 stars A cracking read!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 15, 2017
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I enjoyed the idea of this title and the themes, but I felt that there was an awful lot of discussion and the pace was so fast I couldn't keep up with the characters so I didn't feel I got to know them very well. I think it's great that the author has described race, gender, and sexual orientation in the title, but I felt there was a lot of it for just one book. I feel it could have been lengthened a bit to give me longer to absorb the issues raised. But in all, I enjoyed the author's originality, her voice, and thought it would make a cracking TV series/film adaptation.
  • francis towler
    3.0 out of 5 stars sray with it
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 28, 2017
    complicated though a clever twist toward the end made it worth readng.
  • seachelle
    5.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling mystery: raw, honest and current. Thoroughly enjoyed its fresh approach.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2017
    OK, so I’ve been looking forward to this book for ages - Lucy is a friend and I have been curious about the novel - which is more in line with my favourite types of novels than her YA books - ever since she said she was writing it. But this also made me nervous - would I like it? What if I don’t?

    Thankfully, there was none of that. I thoroughly enjoyed this debut crime novel! It has the elements I usually go for in a thriller book: a mystery involving someone from the protagonist’s past and a necessity to revisit that past and desire to investigate.

    However, along with this, it’s also got such a unique vibe. There’s no sugar-coating the locations or the situations of the characters - the protagonist is relatably flawed and we get to see the darker sides of her popular seaside hometown of Brighton.

    I loved the short chapters, which were great for reading whenever I had some spare time - but were also quite the trap because I found myself in the ‘I’ll just read one more chapter’ loop! It takes a while for our protagonist to make some sense of the clues she has, but the narration doesn’t ever feel too slow.

    By halfway through, the layers of the story are starting to narrow and the intensity builds. I found myself constantly theorising as to who what and why, but didn’t hit on the correct solutions, making the twist at the end really satisfying.

    I think I’d need to read it again to fully appreciate all of the layers: particularly the cryptic blog clues, but I love how the identities of the mysterious characters come to light and how it makes scenes from earlier in the book suddenly make sense. You may think the novel is about one thing, when it’s additionally about a whole other thing as well.

    If you want a book that’s ‘the same but different’, then THIS is the one for you. It’s great for fans of thrillers and crime mysteries but is also raw and honest, current (social media presence and exploring relevant topics for today’s society) and will leave you thinking about it and its themes long afterwards.

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