First of all, can we all just take a moment to acknowledge how much the cover for The Girl in the Mirror looks like the cover for Desperate Girls? Click on the links to see what I mean.
Second of all… is it weird that I called the entire story, from beginning to end? Nothing about The Girl in the Mirror surprised me. Like, NOTHING. Sigh.
What’s The Girl in the Mirror about?
Despite The Girl in the Mirror not being surprising, it was still an entertaining story. It’s soap-opera dramatic and, like most soap operas, the plot line gets pretty ridiculous. There’s a huge sibling rivalry between twin sisters Iris and Summer Carmichael, plenty of two-faced characters, and a race to a multi-million dollar inheritance.
Oh yeah, and some hilariously kinky sexy times. I’ll never be able to get the term “sexyrape” out of my head. Nor will I be able to look at washing machines the same way again.
Everything in The Girl in the Mirror is a bit over the top, but that’s part of the fun.
What I liked about The Girl in the Mirror
One of the things that’s pretty unique about The Girl in the Mirror is its descriptions of sailing. Author Rose Carlyle devotes a good portion of the novel to traveling between Thailand and the Seychelles on a yacht largely driven by wind power, so there’s a lot of sailor-talk going on.
While a bit overwhelming — I didn’t know what any of the terms meant — it was pretty cool to learn about it all. And it definitely plays a pivotal part in what’s to come for the sisters Carmichael.
What I didn’t like about The Girl in the Mirror
Admittedly, being able to figure out every twist and turn ahead of time takes a lot of the “thrill” out of reading a thriller. I didn’t love that I could call what would happen next in The Girl in the Mirror. I also don’t think I was able to do so because I’m just that brilliant (I’m not). It’s because Carlyle dropped a lot of super-obvious clues throughout the entire story.
Although I’ve gotten better at whodunnits, my experience is largely gleaned from watching The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries on The Hallmark Channel during my concussion. So really, if I can figure it out, I think almost anyone could.
Should you read The Girl in the Mirror?
Overall, The Girl in the Mirror was still an enjoyable read. The writing is good, and the dynamic between sisters Iris and Summer is just dysfunctional enough to be intriguing. Carlyle’s delivered a solid thriller-slash-trashy beach read, which is a pretty fun hybrid of genres. Give this one a read if you’re looking for something entertaining but not mentally taxing.
The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle will be available for sale on October 20, 2020 from William Morrow/ HarperCollins Publishers. Although I received a complimentary advance copy of this book (Thanks, NetGalley!), all opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I was not compensated in any way for this review or for any other promotion/publicity I’ve done related to this book.
