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The Stranger in the Mirror by Liv Constantine

​"It's been two years since Addison stumbled onto the road, bloody and bewildered. She was lucky enough to be picked up by a kind-hearted truck driver and given the chance to create another life. But just as her new life starts to come together, someone from her past, who can tell her everything that happened and fill in the gaps, appears. This was an engrossing read, simply because I was curious as to what had happened to Addison to cause her amnesia but in the end it felt overdone and honestly, a little bit silly." 

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pros: It did pique my interest because I'm a terribly curious person/Ed and Gigi seemed like genuinely kind and caring people. 

Cons: Blythe was rather obsessed with wealth and stature and a bit of a snob/From Part III to the end explained everything that had happened but it all felt overdone and shady, like no one would have started asking questions about Cassandra's whereabouts? 

Full Review: 

It's been two years since Addison came to and stumbled out onto the road. Her clothes were tattered, she was covered in dirt and blood and she had no memory of who she was or what had happened. She also had no ID, no phone, nothing to help her piece together what life she may have had. She's lucky enough to get picked up a big rig truck driver named Ed, who takes her home to his wife, Gigi, who just happens to be a nurse. Together, they get her checked out at the hospital and she begins a new life. 

Now, she's engaged to a wealthy, successful and charming man named Gabriel Oliver, whose parents run an art gallery. Though she loves the Olivers and all they've given her, especially Gabriel, she knows that his mother, Blythe is distrustful of her. Blythe seems to think that the retrograde amnesia from which Addison suffers could be a conveinent ploy to bring trouble and discourse to her son's marriage. 

Unfortunately Blythe ends up being right. 

It all comes to a head when Julian, a well respected and successful doctor from Boston is attending a conference in Philadelphia and happens to see a poster for the new exhibit at the Oliver's gallery. It's Addison's photographs and he's amazed, astonished and overwhelmed that the woman in the photograph is his missing wife, Cassandra, who disappeared without a trace two years ago. 

Of course, things aren't always what they seem and Addison will learn that the hard way. 

Though the book did keep me reading because I was curious as to what had happened to Addison, what caused her to run off etc, by part III, it all started feeling kind of overdone and really rather silly. It was an entertaining read, at parts but the moral ambiguity of Julian and also, all the medical professionals around him seemed shockingly bad. You would think people would start asking questions but apparently not. It all just seemed rather conveinent. 

Though the ending fell flat, I did enjoy watching all the puzzle pieces click together. This wasn't the best mystery I've ever read but it wasn't the worst. As far as the "who dun it" aspect, Constantine delivered but at the same time, the fact that no one was asking questions just seemed shady. 

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