Title: WHEN I WAS YOU
Author: Amber Garza
Read: October 2021
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Book Description:
You meets Fatal Attraction in this
up-all-night psychological thriller about a lonely empty-nester's growing
obsession with a young mother who shares her name.
It all begins on an ordinary fall morning, when Kelly Medina gets a call from
her son's pediatrician to confirm her upcoming "well-baby"
appointment. It's a cruel mistake; her son left for college a year ago, and
Kelly has never felt so alone. The receptionist quickly apologizes: there's
another mother in town named Kelly Medina, and she must have gotten their
numbers switched.
But Kelly can't stop thinking about the woman who shares her name. Lives in her
same town. Has a son she can still hold, and her whole life ahead of her. She
can't help looking for her: at the grocery store, at the gym, on social media.
When Kelly just happens to bump into the single mother outside that
pediatrician's office, it's simple curiosity getting the better of her.
Their unlikely friendship brings Kelly a renewed sense of purpose, taking care
of this young woman and her adorable baby boy. But that friendship quickly
turns to obsession...
My musings:
Have you ever been mistaken for someone else who
bears your name? Were you just the tiniest bit intrigued by imagining what your
namesake would be like?
Empty nester and unhappy housewife
Kelly Medina finds herself in that very situation when she gets a phone call
from her son’s paediatrician’s office reminding her of her “well-baby”
appointment. The only problem is that Kelly’s son isn’t a baby any more and no
longer lives at home. As Kelly tries to imagine the other, younger Kelly, she
grieves for the happy days when she was a new mother, in love with her husband
and besotted with her baby son. But there is a fine line between curiosity and
obsession ...
How utterly fascinating is this premise?
Kelly #1, bored, unhappy and longing for the days when her life was happy and
full. Kelly #2, newly arrived in town with her baby son and only too happy to
accept Kelly #1’s offers of friendship and help with her baby. Until Kelly #1
goes that little bit too far ... Seeing how Amber Garza’s mind works, this
could never end well, could it?
If I had expected a crazy stalker
story, I was not disappointed, but this book was so much more. Without giving
anything away, there were moments when I thought my heart would break. At
times, I could relate to either Kelly – the young mum new in town with a small
child and no family; and the older, lonely housewife who is mourning the days
when her house was filled with the laughter of children. What I hadn’t expected
was that each Kelly came with a backstory that would turn everything I had
believed upside down – and a twist that made me gape open-mouthed for a few
minutes, not sure what I had just read. Could it be? Would it be? Some moments
bordered on truly crazy, but Garza always reeled it in at the last minute,
making the story stay within the realm of possibility, making it all the
scarier!
I love the premise of a main
protagonist whose mental state is in question, which makes them an unreliable
narrator of the best kind. As Kelly #1 blends memories and fantasies into her
story, it’s never totally obvious whether she is telling the truth – or,
perhaps I should say that her truth may not always reflect that of others.
Garza portrays this tormented souls so well that I felt her pain and turmoil
every step along the way through Part 1 of the story. Then came Part 2 and –
hang on – what???!!!!! *applause*
Anyway, I don’t want to give any more away. Enter this one blindly if you can and let it take you on a crazy journey.
Summary:
WHEN I WAS YOU is one of the best thrillers I have
read this year and definitely one of the cleverest twists. The only warning I
should give is that if you identify with the empty nester premise, there will
be sadness there, too. All in all a clever, twisty thriller that will leave you
wanting more from this author in future!
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