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My Name Was Eden
For fans of The Push and The Undoing, an edge-of-your-seat thriller that peels back the layers of a family that's not as perfect as it seems.
“My Name Was Eden is a compulsive, didn't-see-it-coming thriller.”—Abigail Dean, international bestselling author of Girl A
One twin vanished. The other twin remained. Until now...
No one knows why Lucy's 14-year-old daughter Eden almost drowned in the lake after school one day. But now she’s safe and well. Lucy can start being a good mother. The mother she should have been all these years—years that were fraught with grief over the loss of Eden’s twin during pregnancy.
Yes, all that matters is Eden is fine.
But then Eden starts saying Eden isn’t her name. Her name is Eli. The name Lucy had reserved for Eden’s unborn twin.
Don’t worry, says the doctor. Eden is completely fine, says her husband. Of course I’m fine, Eden says, with that strange new smile of hers. I didn’t die. I’m here.
But Lucy knows something’s very wrong with Eden. She’s not her maddening, complicated teenage girl anymore—this straight-backed, even tempered, steady-eyed child in her house is someone else entirely. Eden, it seems, is the twin who disappeared…
“My Name Was Eden is a compulsive, didn't-see-it-coming thriller.”—Abigail Dean, international bestselling author of Girl A
One twin vanished. The other twin remained. Until now...
No one knows why Lucy's 14-year-old daughter Eden almost drowned in the lake after school one day. But now she’s safe and well. Lucy can start being a good mother. The mother she should have been all these years—years that were fraught with grief over the loss of Eden’s twin during pregnancy.
Yes, all that matters is Eden is fine.
But then Eden starts saying Eden isn’t her name. Her name is Eli. The name Lucy had reserved for Eden’s unborn twin.
Don’t worry, says the doctor. Eden is completely fine, says her husband. Of course I’m fine, Eden says, with that strange new smile of hers. I didn’t die. I’m here.
But Lucy knows something’s very wrong with Eden. She’s not her maddening, complicated teenage girl anymore—this straight-backed, even tempered, steady-eyed child in her house is someone else entirely. Eden, it seems, is the twin who disappeared…
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 27, 2024
132 people are currently reading
18346 people want to read
About the author
Eleanor Barker-White
4 books74 followersEleanor Barker-White lives in Wiltshire with her husband and four children. She is the author of two novels.
MY NAME WAS EDEN, published by Harper North, was longlisted for the Crime Writer’s Association First Novel Dagger Award.
Her second novel, DIE TRYING - a psychological thriller about love, obsession and the peril of leaving choices to chance - is due out March 2026 and available to pre-order now.
Eleanor can be found on social media:
Instagram: @eleanorbarkerwhite
X: @ebarkerwhite
Facebook: Eleanor Barker-White
MY NAME WAS EDEN, published by Harper North, was longlisted for the Crime Writer’s Association First Novel Dagger Award.
Her second novel, DIE TRYING - a psychological thriller about love, obsession and the peril of leaving choices to chance - is due out March 2026 and available to pre-order now.
Eleanor can be found on social media:
Instagram: @eleanorbarkerwhite
X: @ebarkerwhite
Facebook: Eleanor Barker-White
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 415 reviews
March 28, 2024
**Many thanks to Scene of the Crime, William Morrow, and Eleanor Barker-White for an ARC of this book via NetGalley! Now available as of 2.27!**
Lucy was so thrilled to FINALLY be pregnant...but even more excited when she discovered she was having twins. She had the names picked out (Eden and Eli) and the pregnancy was the center of her world...until one day, the unthinkable happened. Lucy experienced what is known as Vanishing Twin syndrome firsthand, where one twin embryo absorbs the other, leaving the second embryo 'vanished'...and leaving Lucy devastated and mourning the second twin who would never be born.
Many years later, she has worked through her grief and thrown all of her energy, attention, and love into the Twin Who Lived, Eden. Eden can be a bit of a handful, and Lucy has always been jealous of Eden's back-and-forth banter with her father, but overall she manages to put those feelings aside and fights to be the best mother she can. So when Eden doesn't return home one day, Lucy's motherly intuition tells her that something is wrong...and she is absolutely right. Eden is found by a body of water, nearly drowned, but she has survived, and doctors determine that she hasn't suffered any brain damage or sustained ANY significant injuries at all.
But there IS one major development: Eden asks...well, actually DEMANDS...to be called Eli. This aside, she starts behaving strangely, getting a bizarre haircut, and no longer feels like the 'Eden' her family and friends knew. Lucy knows that something is wrong, but there's something strangely satisfying about 'Eli' and she starts to wonder if Eden's journey into the deep may have actually been the conduit to bring her lost baby back to life. But does 'Eli' have dangerous intentions? Is this NEW version of Eden determined to eliminate all traces of her former self... no matter WHO might get hurt along the way?
Vanishing Twin syndrome is not a trope I often see in thrillers, so I was intrigued enough to give this debut author a try, and at first, I felt fairly confident this was a good decision. The opening chapters of the book (until about 30-40% or so) were intriguing, with the detailing of Eden's strange disappearance, her time in the hospital, and the chilling behavior displayed once she returns home. We are given some background on Lucy (enough to make you as the reader question her mental acuity, that's for sure!) and also the strain in her marriage, etc., so there was a lot of emotional push and pull to balance out the suspense, and the book at this point was giving me sort of the 'bad apple' vibe of stories like The Omen, where an evil spirit has infiltrated the child (or in this case, teenager) and I have to admit, I had NO Idea where this was going or what to expect from the rest of the read.
Well when it came to what to expect...the answer was "not too much."
The second half of the book almost got to the point of redundancy, as we trod over the same territory over and over with Lucy's issues which includes her spiral into her 'accepting' Eli (?!)...but then the bodies start piling up too. There are lots of unnecessary deaths that seem sort of randomly thrown in to create more tension, and to say there is an inadequate level of follow through from the police is probably a wild understatement. I was baffled by the way some of them were glossed over, and also couldn't understand why Eden's best friend Charlie had to have so many sections of narration. The author made an effort to have these sections truly feel like they were written by a teenager...but it just didn't work. On top of all of this, we ALSO get glimpses into LUCY'S tortured past (going back to her childhood and a traumatic incident) and even all of this felt more like red herrings than fully-formed backstory. I still clung to hope that all of this was leading somewhere...
And then came THAT kind of epilogue.
You know the one I mean...the kind that makes you want to actually HURL the book across the room.
I haven't had one of these in a while, and I honestly forgot how terrible they can be to read, especially when you were HOPING the last chapter would be the end of it and you just keep asking yourself "Why?" I don't often do this, but I actually felt a compulsive need to lower my rating for this book based on the ending alone. Not only is it unsatisfying, but it pointed out JUST how many loose threads there were throughout the story and made me question WHY I'd stuck with this one at all.
But by the end I think that my interest, my patience, and my appreciation for this premise might have gone the way of Eden...
...
Did anyone happen to look for it at the bottom of the river? 😐
2.5 stars
Lucy was so thrilled to FINALLY be pregnant...but even more excited when she discovered she was having twins. She had the names picked out (Eden and Eli) and the pregnancy was the center of her world...until one day, the unthinkable happened. Lucy experienced what is known as Vanishing Twin syndrome firsthand, where one twin embryo absorbs the other, leaving the second embryo 'vanished'...and leaving Lucy devastated and mourning the second twin who would never be born.
Many years later, she has worked through her grief and thrown all of her energy, attention, and love into the Twin Who Lived, Eden. Eden can be a bit of a handful, and Lucy has always been jealous of Eden's back-and-forth banter with her father, but overall she manages to put those feelings aside and fights to be the best mother she can. So when Eden doesn't return home one day, Lucy's motherly intuition tells her that something is wrong...and she is absolutely right. Eden is found by a body of water, nearly drowned, but she has survived, and doctors determine that she hasn't suffered any brain damage or sustained ANY significant injuries at all.
But there IS one major development: Eden asks...well, actually DEMANDS...to be called Eli. This aside, she starts behaving strangely, getting a bizarre haircut, and no longer feels like the 'Eden' her family and friends knew. Lucy knows that something is wrong, but there's something strangely satisfying about 'Eli' and she starts to wonder if Eden's journey into the deep may have actually been the conduit to bring her lost baby back to life. But does 'Eli' have dangerous intentions? Is this NEW version of Eden determined to eliminate all traces of her former self... no matter WHO might get hurt along the way?
Vanishing Twin syndrome is not a trope I often see in thrillers, so I was intrigued enough to give this debut author a try, and at first, I felt fairly confident this was a good decision. The opening chapters of the book (until about 30-40% or so) were intriguing, with the detailing of Eden's strange disappearance, her time in the hospital, and the chilling behavior displayed once she returns home. We are given some background on Lucy (enough to make you as the reader question her mental acuity, that's for sure!) and also the strain in her marriage, etc., so there was a lot of emotional push and pull to balance out the suspense, and the book at this point was giving me sort of the 'bad apple' vibe of stories like The Omen, where an evil spirit has infiltrated the child (or in this case, teenager) and I have to admit, I had NO Idea where this was going or what to expect from the rest of the read.
Well when it came to what to expect...the answer was "not too much."
The second half of the book almost got to the point of redundancy, as we trod over the same territory over and over with Lucy's issues which includes her spiral into her 'accepting' Eli (?!)...but then the bodies start piling up too. There are lots of unnecessary deaths that seem sort of randomly thrown in to create more tension, and to say there is an inadequate level of follow through from the police is probably a wild understatement. I was baffled by the way some of them were glossed over, and also couldn't understand why Eden's best friend Charlie had to have so many sections of narration. The author made an effort to have these sections truly feel like they were written by a teenager...but it just didn't work. On top of all of this, we ALSO get glimpses into LUCY'S tortured past (going back to her childhood and a traumatic incident) and even all of this felt more like red herrings than fully-formed backstory. I still clung to hope that all of this was leading somewhere...
And then came THAT kind of epilogue.
You know the one I mean...the kind that makes you want to actually HURL the book across the room.
I haven't had one of these in a while, and I honestly forgot how terrible they can be to read, especially when you were HOPING the last chapter would be the end of it and you just keep asking yourself "Why?" I don't often do this, but I actually felt a compulsive need to lower my rating for this book based on the ending alone. Not only is it unsatisfying, but it pointed out JUST how many loose threads there were throughout the story and made me question WHY I'd stuck with this one at all.
But by the end I think that my interest, my patience, and my appreciation for this premise might have gone the way of Eden...
...
Did anyone happen to look for it at the bottom of the river? 😐
2.5 stars
January 16, 2024
I have to admit that the premise to this book was too much for me to resist. Imagine your daughter drowning, being brought back to life, and now claiming that they're the vanishing twin that was lost in the womb. How creepy is that?
That's what happens to Lucy. Her temperamental teenage daughter, Eden, now claims she is her twin Eli. Eli, the son Lucy has never forgotten. Eden the once aggravating and sloppy daughter is now the calm and courteous son she has always wanted but at what price?
I wanted a creepy story and I didn't get that. This is another book that starts strong and then loses it's way by the half way mark. I could not stand Lucy at all. She's a pathetic, whiny, paranoid mess of a woman. I never understood the whole Eden / Eli thing and it is never explained. The chapters from Eden's bff's point of view, Charlie, were like nails on a chalkboard. Add a heaping of gaslighting and a sprinkle of infidelity and you've got yourself a bubbling pot of shit stew. 2 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for my complimentary copy.
That's what happens to Lucy. Her temperamental teenage daughter, Eden, now claims she is her twin Eli. Eli, the son Lucy has never forgotten. Eden the once aggravating and sloppy daughter is now the calm and courteous son she has always wanted but at what price?
I wanted a creepy story and I didn't get that. This is another book that starts strong and then loses it's way by the half way mark. I could not stand Lucy at all. She's a pathetic, whiny, paranoid mess of a woman. I never understood the whole Eden / Eli thing and it is never explained. The chapters from Eden's bff's point of view, Charlie, were like nails on a chalkboard. Add a heaping of gaslighting and a sprinkle of infidelity and you've got yourself a bubbling pot of shit stew. 2 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for my complimentary copy.
July 27, 2024
Lucy is devastated when Eli, one of her unborn twins, disappears in utero. Known as “vanishing twin syndrome,” it usually happens when one twin fetus is absorbed by the other. She loves her remaining child, Eden, but struggles to bond with her as she grows up, and misses Eli to the point of buying gifts for him on Eden’s birthday.
Years later, now 14, Eden nearly drowns. When she regains consciousness, her personality has completely changed, and she insists that she’s not Eden…she’s Eli.
This book felt like a missed opportunity because the premise is so cool. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the direction the author took it in. There were so many threads and side plots that I didn’t know what to focus on, and the escalating sense of tension I was expecting just wasn’t there. There was a dramatic final twist, but with little groundwork laid for it in advance, it just didn’t feel satisfying. Even the deaths in the book didn’t feel particularly meaningful or intense.
I did like the way the book portrayed the strains of motherhood and the complexities of teenage girlhood. The ways Lucy and Eden butted heads felt very realistic. I liked the flashbacks we got to Lucy’s own childhood trauma, and the way the reader got to piece together how it informed Lucy’s parenting style.
I don’t regret reading this book, but it doesn’t really stand out among the thrillers I’ve read this year.
Years later, now 14, Eden nearly drowns. When she regains consciousness, her personality has completely changed, and she insists that she’s not Eden…she’s Eli.
This book felt like a missed opportunity because the premise is so cool. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the direction the author took it in. There were so many threads and side plots that I didn’t know what to focus on, and the escalating sense of tension I was expecting just wasn’t there. There was a dramatic final twist, but with little groundwork laid for it in advance, it just didn’t feel satisfying. Even the deaths in the book didn’t feel particularly meaningful or intense.
I did like the way the book portrayed the strains of motherhood and the complexities of teenage girlhood. The ways Lucy and Eden butted heads felt very realistic. I liked the flashbacks we got to Lucy’s own childhood trauma, and the way the reader got to piece together how it informed Lucy’s parenting style.
I don’t regret reading this book, but it doesn’t really stand out among the thrillers I’ve read this year.
February 9, 2024
The longer I think about it, the more holes I find in the plot. It was definitely intriguing and unputdownable, but it left so many questions unanswered. Why did Eden go into the water? What has she told Charlie? Why was Lucy hiding things? Just too many holes to be satisfying.
February 28, 2024
What an excellent debut full of layers and complex characters that come to life and had me feeling all their emotions from the beginning!
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?
My Name Was Eden is one of those books that has a slow burn creepy factor, so I found myself a little bit on edge and unnerved through the whole story. Plus I was constantly wondering what is going to possibly happen next, and even had my jaw hit the ground a few times…AND by that, I mean my jaw hit the ground so hard I went back and reread just to make sure it really happened.
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
Multiple POV
Supernatural
Family drama
Mystery
WTF Moments
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?
I absolutely flew through this book!
𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?
You have got to read this twisted and captivating story!
Thank you William Morrow for this gift, the book and exchange for my honest opinions.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?
My Name Was Eden is one of those books that has a slow burn creepy factor, so I found myself a little bit on edge and unnerved through the whole story. Plus I was constantly wondering what is going to possibly happen next, and even had my jaw hit the ground a few times…AND by that, I mean my jaw hit the ground so hard I went back and reread just to make sure it really happened.
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
Multiple POV
Supernatural
Family drama
Mystery
WTF Moments
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?
I absolutely flew through this book!
𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?
You have got to read this twisted and captivating story!
Thank you William Morrow for this gift, the book and exchange for my honest opinions.
Read
March 6, 2024DNF, I tried several times to get into this one but I just couldn’t. Unfortunately it wasn’t for me.
thank you to the publisher for a copy.
thank you to the publisher for a copy.
November 25, 2023
4🌟
Special thanks to Harper Collins Publishers for this ARC of My Name Was Eden.
This story pulls you in from the first page. I loved the short chapters. The main characters were interesting, wasn't too sure about liking them lol. I liked the way this was written, this book kept me guessing all the way through and just when I thought I had it figured out no,😂I liked the surprise ending lol totally didn't see that coming.
Special thanks to Harper Collins Publishers for this ARC of My Name Was Eden.
This story pulls you in from the first page. I loved the short chapters. The main characters were interesting, wasn't too sure about liking them lol. I liked the way this was written, this book kept me guessing all the way through and just when I thought I had it figured out no,😂I liked the surprise ending lol totally didn't see that coming.
April 27, 2024
Somebody really allowed this to go to print. 😐 I still don’t know what the damn point of this book was; it seemed to want to be thriller, horror, and women’s fiction at various times. One thing is never was though: coherent.
January 8, 2025
Niemand weet waarom de veertienjarige Eden op weg naar huis bijna verdronk in een meertje. Maar nu haar dochter veilig is, ziet Lucy het als een tweede kans om een goede moeder te zijn. De moeder die ze had moeten zijn, al die jaren dat ze door verdriet in beslag werd genomen na het verlies van Edens tweelingbroer tijdens de zwangerschap.
Wanneer Eden wakker wordt in het ziekenhuis is echter alles anders. Ze heet helemaal geen Eden, beweert ze. Ze heet Eli, de naam die Lucy had uitgekozen voor haar ongeboren tweelingzoon. Heeft Lucy altijd gerouwd om de verkeerde helft van de tweeling? De vraag die maar in haar hoofd rond blijft spoken: wie is het kind in dat ziekenhuisbed nu eigenlijk echt?
'Goede moeder' begint met een mysterieuze inleiding. Vervolgens lees je over Lucy. Ze verwacht haar dochter Eden weer thuis van school, maar ze verschijnt maar niet. Dan blijkt tot overmaat van ramp dat Eden in het meertje terecht is gekomen en daar bijna verdrinkt...
Lucy is zo dankbaar dat ze haar dochter nog in haar leven heeft en ze probeert alles perfect voor haar te doen, zeker na het verlies van haar tweelingbroer Eli. Op het moment dat Eden weer bijkomt in het ziekenhuis, voel je dat er rare dingen aan de hand zijn. Eden gedraagt zich anders en zegt opeens dat ze Eli heet. Dit vond ik behoorlijk vreemd en mysterieus.
Je leest vanuit verschillende personages en deze afwisseling vond ik erg prettig. Het gedrag van Eden is echt heel erg vreemd en ik vroeg mij af welke richting dit verhaal op zou gaan. Wat is er die bewuste dag van de "bijna-verdrinking" gebeurd? En waarom speelt Eli opeens een grote rol in het leven van Eden?
Dit was voor mij een leuke kennismaking met de auteur en het onderwerp was zeker uniek en bijzonder!
Beoordeling: 4,0 ⭐️
Wanneer Eden wakker wordt in het ziekenhuis is echter alles anders. Ze heet helemaal geen Eden, beweert ze. Ze heet Eli, de naam die Lucy had uitgekozen voor haar ongeboren tweelingzoon. Heeft Lucy altijd gerouwd om de verkeerde helft van de tweeling? De vraag die maar in haar hoofd rond blijft spoken: wie is het kind in dat ziekenhuisbed nu eigenlijk echt?
'Goede moeder' begint met een mysterieuze inleiding. Vervolgens lees je over Lucy. Ze verwacht haar dochter Eden weer thuis van school, maar ze verschijnt maar niet. Dan blijkt tot overmaat van ramp dat Eden in het meertje terecht is gekomen en daar bijna verdrinkt...
Lucy is zo dankbaar dat ze haar dochter nog in haar leven heeft en ze probeert alles perfect voor haar te doen, zeker na het verlies van haar tweelingbroer Eli. Op het moment dat Eden weer bijkomt in het ziekenhuis, voel je dat er rare dingen aan de hand zijn. Eden gedraagt zich anders en zegt opeens dat ze Eli heet. Dit vond ik behoorlijk vreemd en mysterieus.
Je leest vanuit verschillende personages en deze afwisseling vond ik erg prettig. Het gedrag van Eden is echt heel erg vreemd en ik vroeg mij af welke richting dit verhaal op zou gaan. Wat is er die bewuste dag van de "bijna-verdrinking" gebeurd? En waarom speelt Eli opeens een grote rol in het leven van Eden?
Dit was voor mij een leuke kennismaking met de auteur en het onderwerp was zeker uniek en bijzonder!
Beoordeling: 4,0 ⭐️
October 26, 2023
As soon as I started this book, I could not put it down. It drew me in immediately with the almost drowning of the one of the main characters, Eden, an only child to her parents Lucy and James. Eden wakes up in the hospital and her personality has completely changed. Plus she wants to be called Eli rather than Eden. In the womb, Lucy had two babies but one vanished due to vanishing twin syndrome. Lucy has always included the lost twin Eli in their lives as if he were still alive. Lucy and Eden have not been getting along for most of their lives together even harder lately in the teen years. However Eden's new persona (Eli) since the near drowning, is quite different than Eden was before-more peaceful, not as loud, studies harder, bakes and gardens and in general appears to be a totally different person. The only one who actually eventually believes that she is Eli now, is Lucy. There were several different points of view including Lucy now and also at age 6, and Eden's best friend Charlie which adds more dimension and insight into Lucy's life story and how Eli is now behaving. I thought this was a fabulous mystery/thriller which a very interesting and unique storyline. Definitely do not miss it! Thanks to NG for the ARC!!
March 14, 2024
If this had been horror instead of a regular thriller, this premise would have been so much more convincing. There’s good reason why The Bad Seed/The Good Son, The Dark Half, and other stories with some of the same elements are so much better.
Even so, two of the three POVs could still be ditched, there doesn’t need to be so many deaths, and it still needs several rewrites to amp up character development, plot, and motivation. I’m fine with ambiguous endings, but you gotta do a lot more work to lay the foundations and write it in a way that excites readers and gets them thinking.
As is, it’s a baffling miss on pretty much all counts.
Also, in this day and age, not even a mention of the trans experience and how it does/does not relate to the story? I kept waiting for it to happen and it never did.
Even so, two of the three POVs could still be ditched, there doesn’t need to be so many deaths, and it still needs several rewrites to amp up character development, plot, and motivation. I’m fine with ambiguous endings, but you gotta do a lot more work to lay the foundations and write it in a way that excites readers and gets them thinking.
As is, it’s a baffling miss on pretty much all counts.
Also, in this day and age, not even a mention of the trans experience and how it does/does not relate to the story? I kept waiting for it to happen and it never did.
October 26, 2023
ARC for review. TBP February 27, 2024.
After a near drowning Eden wakes up in the hospital insisting that her name is Eli. This is troubling to her mother Lucy because Eli was the name she planned to use for Eden’s twin who was lost in the womb to Vanishing Twin Syndrome, where one fetus is absorbed by the other or is absorbed into the uterus.
After her release Eden continues to maintain she is Eli. Lucy and husband James do not understand; what has happened to Eden?
I found this book to be incredibly frustrating. Is Lucy insane? Is Eden insane? Am I insane? Maybe some readers will delight in the delicious ambiguity of it all, but that’s a big “no thanks” from me…I don’t love seeing teenagers mentally tortured even in fiction. So though the book wasn’t bad this caused a problem for me.
After a near drowning Eden wakes up in the hospital insisting that her name is Eli. This is troubling to her mother Lucy because Eli was the name she planned to use for Eden’s twin who was lost in the womb to Vanishing Twin Syndrome, where one fetus is absorbed by the other or is absorbed into the uterus.
After her release Eden continues to maintain she is Eli. Lucy and husband James do not understand; what has happened to Eden?
I found this book to be incredibly frustrating. Is Lucy insane? Is Eden insane? Am I insane? Maybe some readers will delight in the delicious ambiguity of it all, but that’s a big “no thanks” from me…I don’t love seeing teenagers mentally tortured even in fiction. So though the book wasn’t bad this caused a problem for me.
Read
April 21, 2024DNF
Not sure where this was going, not sure I care. This book is for someone, but not for me.
Not sure where this was going, not sure I care. This book is for someone, but not for me.
March 7, 2024
This was an intricate web to untangle. This book felt like the mother version of Ashley Audrain’s The Push which felt juvenile compared to this one. Tons of questionable behavior, and shocking revelations.
November 20, 2023
Lucy knows something strange is going on. Her daughter Eden was injured and hospitalized in a water accident. When she finally comes home she states that she wants to be called Eli.
This request is spooky because Eden was a twin in utero but her twin brother Eli did not survive childbirth.
Suddenly everything Eden says and does comes into question. Is Lucy losing her mind? Read this twisty nightmare of a book to fine out! #Williammorrow #Mnynamewaseden #eleanorbarkerwhite
This request is spooky because Eden was a twin in utero but her twin brother Eli did not survive childbirth.
Suddenly everything Eden says and does comes into question. Is Lucy losing her mind? Read this twisty nightmare of a book to fine out! #Williammorrow #Mnynamewaseden #eleanorbarkerwhite
January 2, 2024
I received a free copy of, My Name Was Eden, by, Eleanor Barker-White, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Imagine your child goes into the hospital as herself and comes out as her unborn twin. Creepy. Wow this book, is different, creepy and imaginative.
April 12, 2024
My mouth is still open from the shock. What an excellent story. Super unnerving throughout in the best way. Definitely one of the better debut novels I have had the privilege to read.
Thank you HarperCollins, Eleanor Barker-White and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you HarperCollins, Eleanor Barker-White and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
March 2, 2024
This book is amazing! Don't read it if you like safe, predictable thrillers because this sure requires you to use a bit of imagination and intelligence. I have read it twice, it blew me away that much! From reading the epilogue, I think the book can be read two ways
SPOILER ALERT
Either Eli was inside Eden all along and insisted she go into the lake to drown so that he could be "born". He then killed his Gran and James because neither of them ever believed he exists (and both want Eden back). Then he gets his Mum to himself. Creeepy!
OR
Eli never existed and it was only when Eden discovered her Dad's affair that she realised he wasn't the perfect person she thpught he was and he'd brainwashed her the whole time against her Mum. Eden tried to drown, then underwent a whole personality change to identify as Eli - maybe because her Mum loved the idea of him so much? Then things got out of hand when her Mum accidentally got Alex run over and she started "becoming" Eli.
I really need to talk about this book with other people! My thanks to William Morrow and Eleanor Barker-White for the ARC copy.
SPOILER ALERT
Either Eli was inside Eden all along and insisted she go into the lake to drown so that he could be "born". He then killed his Gran and James because neither of them ever believed he exists (and both want Eden back). Then he gets his Mum to himself. Creeepy!
OR
Eli never existed and it was only when Eden discovered her Dad's affair that she realised he wasn't the perfect person she thpught he was and he'd brainwashed her the whole time against her Mum. Eden tried to drown, then underwent a whole personality change to identify as Eli - maybe because her Mum loved the idea of him so much? Then things got out of hand when her Mum accidentally got Alex run over and she started "becoming" Eli.
I really need to talk about this book with other people! My thanks to William Morrow and Eleanor Barker-White for the ARC copy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2024
My Name Was Eden by Eleanor Barker-White is a wild little debut that focuses on Vanishing Twin Syndrome. I don't know if I've ever read a book with this as a theme before so that immediately caught my attention and made this a unique thriller. I don't know that I liked any of the characters all that much, but I was very invested in what would happen to them and how things would play out. The aspect of Eden all of a sudden being Eli after her near-drowning was exceptionally creepy and was definitely an interesting vibe throughout the storyline. At the same time this plays out, there is a lot of drama between Lucy and her husband as well and everything eventually builds to a crescendo.
I quite enjoyed the audiobook which is narrated by Lucy Price-Lewis, but I desperately wish they had used a different narrator for the epilogue. That last chapter is a real doozy, and it would have benefited immensely from someone other than Price-Lewis voicing it. It left my jaw on the floor but would have hit even harder had there been another narrator. I thought My Name Was Eden was a very solid debut novel and I love that it kept me engaged the entire time while also having a plotline out of the norm. I do think the author should have excluded the chapters from Lucy as a child since they drew away from the main storyline and could have easily been integrated differently. Overall though, this was a super quick read that I highly enjoyed, and I can't wait to see what she writes next!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I quite enjoyed the audiobook which is narrated by Lucy Price-Lewis, but I desperately wish they had used a different narrator for the epilogue. That last chapter is a real doozy, and it would have benefited immensely from someone other than Price-Lewis voicing it. It left my jaw on the floor but would have hit even harder had there been another narrator. I thought My Name Was Eden was a very solid debut novel and I love that it kept me engaged the entire time while also having a plotline out of the norm. I do think the author should have excluded the chapters from Lucy as a child since they drew away from the main storyline and could have easily been integrated differently. Overall though, this was a super quick read that I highly enjoyed, and I can't wait to see what she writes next!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
January 11, 2024
5⭐️
Could NOT put this book down!!! Loved the short chapters and the writing style that made this so intriguing. I had so many guesses for the ending and I was so wrong my jaw was on the floor!
Could NOT put this book down!!! Loved the short chapters and the writing style that made this so intriguing. I had so many guesses for the ending and I was so wrong my jaw was on the floor!
August 16, 2024
3.5 out of 5 stars!
I have more questions than answers…
I have more questions than answers…
March 10, 2025
This was dark. In a very subtle way. It’s difficult to say much about this tale without dropping spoilers so I will just say it’s difficult to know who’s who and who’s doing what to who in this tale of identity, gaslighting and trauma. It was not one of those thrillers with breakneck pacing but by the second half it became pretty intriguing and was overall enjoyable
February 27, 2024
- after surviving a near-drowning accident, eden begins insisting that she is actually eli, the twin she absorbed in the womb. then the bodies start hitting the floor.
- something about this just did not work for me- it felt like it could have used more editing, more focus
- the story is told in three perspectives- lucy (eden/eli's mother) in the present day, lucy as a child, and charlie (eden's best friend). i don't think this needed to be a multi-pov novel and don't really understand why the author made this choice. sure, there were one or two important things that eden/eli told charlie and not lucy, but surely there could be another way to work those in without including charlie's pov?
- additionally, lucy-as-a-child's pov really only serves to offer an explanation as to why lucy is willing to believe that eden really is eli. still, it is only one piece of evidence towards that explanation, and ultimately i didn't find it a compelling one
- (generally not a fan of "woman is crazy/hysterical/delusional" as a plot element even if it's only that other characters think she is)
- the epilogue really put me off. totally changed what the book was about and my perception of the events of the plot in the final three pages. moreover, the author had spent the whole book putting in effort to lead the reader away from its conclusion. also made me totally rethink my perception of the prologue in a way that i didn't like
- there is some ambiguity within the plot and questions that never get answered: but i didn't think this was a huge issue. there's enough there for the reader to come to their own conclusions about the characters' states of mind and motivations. just a bit annoying to have these interesting threads dropped. like, i thought we were going to come back to these things and we just didn't
**review of an arc i received via goodreads giveaways**
- something about this just did not work for me- it felt like it could have used more editing, more focus
- the story is told in three perspectives- lucy (eden/eli's mother) in the present day, lucy as a child, and charlie (eden's best friend). i don't think this needed to be a multi-pov novel and don't really understand why the author made this choice. sure, there were one or two important things that eden/eli told charlie and not lucy, but surely there could be another way to work those in without including charlie's pov?
- additionally, lucy-as-a-child's pov really only serves to offer an explanation as to why lucy is willing to believe that eden really is eli. still, it is only one piece of evidence towards that explanation, and ultimately i didn't find it a compelling one
- (generally not a fan of "woman is crazy/hysterical/delusional" as a plot element even if it's only that other characters think she is)
- the epilogue really put me off. totally changed what the book was about and my perception of the events of the plot in the final three pages. moreover, the author had spent the whole book putting in effort to lead the reader away from its conclusion. also made me totally rethink my perception of the prologue in a way that i didn't like
- there is some ambiguity within the plot and questions that never get answered: but i didn't think this was a huge issue. there's enough there for the reader to come to their own conclusions about the characters' states of mind and motivations. just a bit annoying to have these interesting threads dropped. like, i thought we were going to come back to these things and we just didn't
**review of an arc i received via goodreads giveaways**
May 3, 2024
Huge let down. This book tried too hard to be too much. The premise was solid, but the plot was boring and circular not developing into a real story for me. So many questions left unanswered, unnecessary deaths, with no real plot twists. The other two points of view didn’t add anything substantial to the story, and the random bits of erotica took away any type of thrill and suspense.
January 7, 2024
Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. When Lucy's daughter is home from the hospital, she is completely different. She is unsure of the changes in her teenager. This was a good read.
April 12, 2024
What a MESS
April 24, 2024
Waste of time. Started off strong but then fizzled into nothing
December 26, 2023
This is a dark, twisted thriller that kept me in suspense throughout. Lucy and James' only child, Eden, has survived a drowning accident and the doctors all say she is fine. But she now insists she is Eli, the twin brother who vanished in the womb and was never born. (Called Vanishing Twin Syndrome, a documented medical condition) Her total personality has changed. Lucy and James fragile marriage starts to come apart under the stress of the accident and Eden/Eli's personality change. The book alternates chapters and narrators between Lucy and Eden's best friend, Charlie, as world for all of them splinters and spirals down into darkness and doubt. The characters and their histories are complex, but the characters themselves are not particularly likeable. The final conclusion of all the plot twists comes in the epilogue and was definitely a surprise! Thank you to the author, publisher, Scene of the Crime, and Netgalley for my advanced copy. The opinions of my review are my own.
January 24, 2024
My Name Was Eden by Eleanor Barker-White is a well written, bone-chilling psychological thriller that is mesmerizing from the very first page. The plot centers around Lucy who can’t figure out what happened to her typical teenage daughter, Eden, after she survives a drowning accident. Everyone including the medical professionals and her husband all say Eden is fine. Yet the mother instinct in Lucy tells her something is terribly off with her daughter. The character development was excellent and was a perfect fit for the storyline. The ending left me totally shocked and surprised and one I never saw coming. I received an Uncorrected Proof of this book and these opinions are strictly my own. I rated it a five.
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