It’s a real honour to be part of the blog tour for The Other You by J.S. Monroe on publication day and I’d like to thank Vicky Joss at Head of Zeus for inviting me to participate and for sending me a copy of The Other You in return for an honest review.

Published by Head of Zeus today, 9th January 2020, The Other You is available for purchase here.

The Other You

Is he who you think he is?

Kate used to be good at recognising people. So good, she worked for the police, identifying criminals in crowds of thousands. But six months ago, a devastating car accident led to a brain injury. Now the woman who never forgot a face can barely recognise herself in the mirror.

At least she has Rob. Kate met him just after her accident, and he nursed her back to health in his high-tech modernist house on the Cornish coast. When she’s with him, the nightmares of the accident fade, and she feels safe and loved.

Until, one day, she looks at Rob anew – and knows, with absolute certainty, that he has been replaced by an impostor. Is she right? Have her old recognition skills returned? Or is it all in her damaged mind?

This intricate, original and emotionally charged psychological thriller is perfect for fans of J.P. Delaney and Louise Candlish.

My Review of The Other You

Kate’s seemingly idyllic life as she recuperates after a car accident might not be what it first appears.

The Other You is a dynamic and thrilling narrative that held me spellbound. I loved the gradual reveals and plot details that J. S. Monroe teases and intrigues the reader with as the story progresses because they wrong-footed me at every turn. I got to a point where I didn’t trust anyone and couldn’t wait to see how The Other You might resolve itself.

Short, snappy chapters with cliff hanger endings in The Other You ensure a fast paced and captivating read and the continuous present tense makes it all feel immediate and dynamic so that events seem to unfold in real time. I certainly experienced an elevated heart rate as I read because this is such suspenseful writing from J. S. Monroe. I loved the overall quality of the writing too; with vivid descriptions, naturalistic dialogue and a perfect variety of sentence and paragraph length I found The Other You a masterclass in thriller writing.

I thought the themes were excellent as they explore the fine lines between good and evil, the positive and negative outcomes of technological advances, and they make the reader question their own perception of morality, especially when considering Silas’s relationship with his son Connor. Add in the convincing and meticulously researched details about county lines, drug culture and brain injury and recovery, and The Other You is a potent thought-provoking read.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Other You. It’s a heart-thumpingly good read and I recommend it most highly.

About J. S. Monroe

J.S. Monroe read English at Cambridge, worked as a foreign correspondent in Delhi, and was Weekend editor of the Daily Telegraph in London before becoming a full-time writer. His psychological thriller Find Me became a bestseller in 2017, and, under the name Jon Stock, he is also the author of five spy thrillers. He lives in Wiltshire, with his wife and children.

You can follow J.S. Monroe on Twitter @JSThrillers and visit his website for more information. You’ll also find him on Facebook and there’s more with these other bloggers: