The Other

The Outsiders Sequence #2

by Annie Neugebauer

“Very effective... a nearly perfect, claustrophobic novella.” —The Wall Street Journal on the first book in the series, The Extra

It's not a sequel. It's next in the sequence...

A couple on an outdoor retreat meet their doppelgangers on a hiking trail and are soon tested on how well they truly know each other.

The Other is the second book in the Outsiders Sequence series. This edition features a special preview of The Spare, the third and final book in the Outsiders Sequence.

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction

135 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 9, 2026

About the author

Annie is a novelist, blogger, nationally award-winning poet, and two-time Bram Stoker Award-nominated short story author. She is the author of The Outsiders Sequence (The Extra, The Other, and The Spare) and You Have to Let Them Bleed. You can visit her at www.AnnieNeugebauer.com.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up (but barely)

After being together for 15 years, Elise and Logan are experiencing a rut in their marriage.
Logan wants to have children, while Elise knows that she has no desire to be a mother.
They thought that going on a camping trip would give them some quiet alone time to have some serious discussions as to whether they should stay together or not.

Although it wasn’t really planned out this way, I started reading this book the day after I finished the first one, The Extra.
I wasn’t familiar with either of them, but when I discovered the second one on NetGalley and saw how short they were, I decided to read them back-to-back.
With that being said, these are definitely standalone books.

I enjoyed The Extra more than The Other, although The Other had a SOMEWHAT more complete ending.
It still left the reader with several questions, but this didn’t end quite as abruptly as The Extra.

I felt literal tension as I was reading this.
Elise and Logan were put into an unfathomable situation and if I were ever in something similar, I would be livid, frustrated, extremely confused and questioning my own sanity, all at once.

I think that Annie Neugebauer is a great author who has a talent for writing stories that keeps the reader engaged.
I just don’t understand the endings.
If it’s a series where the books pick up where one left off, I’m okay with ambiguous endings, but these books aren’t related aside from having a camping theme where weird things happen.

It says that there will be a third in the series called The Spare, which I’m guessing will probably be released sometime in 2027.

Thanks to Shortwave Publishing and Annie Neugebauer for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley to review.

Pub Date: June 9, 2026

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

concept so terrifying my fiancée and i came up with a plan for how to identify each other if we ever meet our evil doppelgängers. full rtc

[unstable.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Other further cements Neugebauer's gift for turning the familiar into something quietly and relentlessly terrifying. What begins as a couple's outdoor camping trip quickly curdles into a psychological mind fuck maze when they encounter their exact doubles along a hiking trail. This is an uncanny premise that the novella exploits with precision and escalating dread. Neugebauer helms the premise of ambiguity, thus blurring the boundaries between self and other, between trust and suspicion. The horror here is not loud. It is insidious. Small details become magnified, conversations take on double meanings and every interaction is now a test of intimacy and how well you know someone you love. What happens when that utter certainty is fractured? The tension builds in a way that becomes suffocating as the characters and the reader are forced to question what's real. As a follow-up to The Extra, this installment of The Outsiders Sequence feels that much more deliberate, sharpening its themes of identity and perception. Neugebauer doesn't just unsettle, she lets the unease seep in and take hold. The result is a cerebral, deeply disquieting novella that leaves you wondering just how stable your own sense of reality really is. Thank you as always to Shortwave Publishing for the gifted ARC. The Other drops June 09, 2026! Do yourself a favor and head over to Shortwaves website and preorder it, and order The Extra as well. This series is not to be missed.

[The Morbid Mama ☠︎︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, huge thank you to @netgalley and @shortwavebooks for the ARC!

Back in February, I read Annie Neugebauer’s novella The Extra. It was a super fun and quick read that left you wondering and questioning everything that was going on. I LOVED it! So when I found out there was a second book and that this was a SERIES!? I requested it immediately!

Just like the last book, The Other was a short read that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was an absolute mindfuck and i could feel MYSELF start to spiral 🤣 and that ending?! WHAT THE HELLY!!! WHAT IS HAPPENING. I’m sorry but I’m going to need 5-7 business days to map out every little detail so I can wrap my head around everything 😵‍💫

[RavenReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is mindfuck, part two, and I mean that as the highest compliment. Neugebauer has such a distinct way of telling a story, one that leans fully into ambiguity and disorientation without ever losing its grip on the reader. You’re never quite sure what’s real, what’s happening, or where things are going, and somehow, that uncertainty is exactly what makes it so addictive.

I love how unapologetically strange this is. The confusion isn’t a flaw; it’s the experience. That constant sense of unease and unraveling kept me completely locked in from start to finish. More than anything, I’m excited to see this universe expanding. There’s something really compelling about the way Neugebauer builds these layered, interconnected stories, and I’m more than ready for whatever comes next. Yes, please, give me more of this beautifully chaotic, brain bending world.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Annie Neugebauer, and Shortwave Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Matt M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Shortwave and NetGalley for the eARC for review!

I loved Annie Neugebauer’s debut novella, THE EXTRA, last year and it was one of the surprise major hits for me last year. A novella paced with so much paranoia and dread. Loved it.

And now we are here with the second book in the sequence, THE OTHER. Taking place in the same world as THE EXTRA, it is not a sequel, but shares the same sense of paranoia and dread as its predecessor.

But then turn that paranoia up to 11 because this one hurt my brain in the best way. The premise is pretty simple - a married couple going through some bumps encounters their doppelgängers on a backpacking trip.

It is brilliantly told via alternating first person POVs from the wife and the husband as they both try to figure out who is their real spouse.

Neugebauer packs so much character and tension into such a small page count and this book MOVES. I would have finished this in one sitting if not for pesky work.

I really loved THE EXTRA but I think I loved THE OTHER even more. And also the ending was so good.

THE OTHER is a must-read psychological horror thriller that will have questioning what is real and what is the other.

THE OTHER is out on June 9th from Shortwave.

[Kayleigh Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book FUCKED ME UP. But like… in a good way.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A huge thank you to Shortwave for sending me an ARC to review.

A couple looking to save their troubled marriage heads out on a backpacking trip only to meet a strange other couple that looks just like them. The motivations of this other couple aren’t clear, but Estelle and Logan must dredge their deep knowledge of each other to determine who’s who.

I had a BLAST with this novella. It’s so quick and so wild - I literally couldn’t stop reading and finished it in one sitting. The entire time, I kept asking myself what I would do in that same situation: how would I be able to differentiate my husband if his doppelganger were trying to convince me he was an imposter? Something so implausible was made to feel truly possible, and I found the premise terrifying.

There was also an element of the supernatural, or something beyond the couple’s world that was informing the situation, and that gave some insight without completely taking over the plot.

Overall, this novella is fast-paced (you could knock it out in an evening) and will leave you just as delightfully confused as the couple themselves. Highly recommend!!

[She’s Stranger Than Fiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another mindf**k from Annie Neugebauer and the second book in her The Outsiders Sequence. This is a standalone novel though there are some things that are consistent with The Extra and act as threads connecting the books to each other. A couple goes on a camping trip and meet another couple that looks exactly like them. The original couple must recognize each other to escape this trap. The ending is something you never saw coming. If you are looking for a short read that will blow your mind and give you the creeps, this book is for you. Recommend.

[aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

hey so what the FUCK was that ending

[Kelsey Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soon as I finished the extra I had to request the other immediately!!! I finished this in one sitting, I could not put it down.

Set in the same world as the extra but focusing on completely different characters. The story equally or if not more mindf*cking and bizarre. I was holding my breath the entire time while reading because I was so nervous what was going to happen. The story focuses on a married couple, Logan and Elise, who go hiking in hopes they’re able to repair their marriage and lift some of the everyday worries off their shoulders out in the wilderness. Unexpectedly they bump into another couple, who end up looking identical to them.
Who’s who??? My brain was scrambled!!!

Also that ending????? I have SO many questions. wtf happened???? 🤯

Thank you shortwave & NetGalley for allowing me to arc read! I can’t wait for the 3rd instalment next year 🙌🏼

[Courtney (pawsitivelybookish) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ANNIE, WHAT?!

I LOVED The Extra. Easily one of my favorite reads of 2025. But The Other?! Already going to be a top read of 2026.

I truly didn’t think I could be any more creeped out by a book after The Extra, but here we are.

A couple goes on a hiking trip in hopes of saving their marriage. They come across another couple with a few too many similarities. What happens next is 😨 I literally had goosebumps reading this and honestly had a such an uneasy feeling in my chest and stomach reading this.

The ending??? I’ll never recover.

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was definitely a nice unsettling short story! I read the previous one in this series and knowing what the context of the books are it never ceases to amaze me how uncomfortable it makes me. I recommend this book/series if interested in the unsettling of forests and skinwalkers. Thank you net galley and short wave media for the e arc!

[Hard Boiled]

spoopy

[PossessedbyKaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5**
(Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC)
Unfortunately this has the same issue I had with the first book “The Extra”. I was obsessed with the story as it was unfolding, so invested and couldn’t put it down but the endings just aren’t satisfying enough. I don’t need super explained endings tied up in a perfect bow but I just need SOMETHING more than what these endings are giving me. I’m okay with having questions by the end but this left me with questions and being a bit unsatisfied. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the set up of these novellas they’re just so addicting and leave me to believe they could be five star reads but they just lose me with the endings

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Extra last year and loved the concept of it but was supremely irritated with it's lack of an ending even though I had been warned about it ahead of time. I was assured by other readers that this was part of a three book series, The Outsiders Sequences, so answers may be revealed later.

Now here we are and I have just finished book #2, The Other, and I have to hand it to Neugebauer that she has a wicked imagination.

In this one we have Elise and Logan on a hiking / camping trip in Oklahoma. The trip is suppose to, hopefully, mend their marriage. After fifteen years they seem to be drifting apart and this trip is where they hope to rekindle their love.

After a grueling day of hiking they come upon a perfect camping spot just as another couple comes upon the spot from the other direction. Bryce and Allison seem nice enough but what's weird is the way they all resemble one another right down to what they're wearing. Elise's hackles are up immediately while Logan doesn't sense anything amiss. They have a light meal, toast a couple marshmallows, and tuck in for the night. Elise wants to be gone by sunrise and hopefully not have to encounter the other couple again.

At dawn, Elise heads to the woods for a bit of bathroom privacy but when she returns she can't believe her eyes (or her mind!) as Allison and Bryce are now the spitting image of her and Logan. Perfect doppelgangers. Now it's a race against time to figure out which Elise and which Logan are the real ones.

So! Much! Fun!

Again, we don't really get a lot of answers here but I think I was more mentally prepared for that this go round and it didn't bother me nearly as much. I also found it very cool that in this story Elise references a sorority she heard about that went camping there previously in which they had an extra person with them but no one could figure out who didn't belong. In the first book it wasn't a sorority but a professor with some university students. It begs me to wonder if this is more of an anomaly than I had once considered. How many have fallen victim to the strange vibes of these woods? Very interesting to think about and ponder over. 🤔

The ending to this one actually made me gasp! It was so unexpected that I truly don't know what to think about it. What I do know is that this has me very, very excited for the third book. Will we get answers then? Who knows. All I know is I'm more than happy to drink Neugebauer's Kool-aide! Give me more! 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for my complimentary copy.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"The Other" begins with a couple, Elise and Logan, hiking their way to a campsite in the woods. They have gone on this trip to help them make some major decisions about their future. They don't expect to come across anyone else, but as they reach their campsite, they see two strangers approaching them from the opposite way that they came. The strangers are also a couple – a man and a woman, Allison and Bryce – who look eerily similar to Elise and Logan. Allison and Bryce were also planning on camping at the same site as Elise and Logan. They all agree to share the space for the night. The two couples are friendly with one another at first. But when they all wake up the next morning, it becomes clear that something has changed overnight...something that should be impossible.

Having heard some initial positive feedback for this novella, I had high hopes that I would enjoy it, too. And I did enjoy not knowing why and how the events of the story occurred, what would happen next, and how it would end. The mystery of it all consistently held my attention. I didn't feel like the story dragged on for too long at any point; the pacing was well-executed. However, I felt that the writing lacked descriptive detail, especially when it came to figurative language. While I don't enjoy excessively flowery prose, I found that the prose in this book was too far on the opposite end of the spectrum. I noticed that I was reading just to find out what would happen next, instead of enjoying the path to get there. That is not to say this book is poorly-written; it is written well in the sense of being clear, concise, and grammatically correct. It just wasn't written in the style I am accustomed and that I prefer.

The narration alternates between Elise and Logan's perspectives, chapter by chapter, which I thought was an effective way to tell a story like this, where both of the main characters discover they each have a doppelganger. Most of the time, I understand who each of them were talking about when they themselves were confused about who was the real Elise or Logan, respectively. However, I was let down by the end of the story: while it was strange and unexpected, I had so many unanswered questions that I wasn't satisfied. Maybe I would have understood this novella better if I had read the previous one in the series, "The Extra," beforehand. And maybe the final book in the series, "The Spare," (to be released in 2027), will answer some of my questions. I am open to reading the entire series to see if that is the case, because "The Other" was a quick and compelling read, even if it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

[Justin Soderberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always wondered what it would be like to stumble upon my doppelganger, but it would be pretty crazy to do so while on a hiking trail. Annie Neugebauer takes the doppelganger possibility to an entirely new level in The Other where it becomes far more terrifying than just finding someone who resembles you.

A couple on an outdoor retreat meet their doppelgangers on a hiking trail and are soon tested on how well they truly know each other.

What I thought was going to be a fairly straightforward thrilling story about a couple running into their doppelgangers on their hiking trip turned into a horrifying tale with twists and turns that had me picking up my jaw up off the ground. The surprises I didn't see coming which made the experience all the more better.

The Other is an eerie and unsettling story where one couple's fun getaway is more about how much they know about each other and the mystery behind what is going on. Making me sit back in think about how I would handle the situation if it was my wife and me on this trail. Something sinister is afoot and takes us by surprise. The quick and gripping read had me rapidly turning pages.

Being part of The Outsiders Sequence is great for those who have read The Extra as well as planning to read The Spare next year. However, The Other also reads as mostly a standalone story, only referencing the event that took place in the previous book. It's the overall eerie mystery of the location that connects these stories together. Either way I recommend reading The Extra .

The Other by Annie Neugebauer is a quick, eerie and unsettling read that sneaks up on you in the best way possible. The story blends psychological tension with shocking twists and turns that you won't see coming. I am eagerly awaiting The Spare which is on the horizon.

The Other hits bookstores everywhere on June 9, 2026 from Shortwave Publishing.

NOTE: We received an advance copy of The Other from the publisher. Opinions are our own.

[Stephanie K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll start by saying that if you read The Extra and liked it in any capacity, I think you'll definitely want to check this one out too. Even though the three novellas in this series The Outsiders Sequence are promoted as standalones, some of the mysterious underpinnings of The Extra were carried over into this second entry in a way that I really enjoyed.

I don't usually give an overview of the plot synopsis, but in this case the premises are so good that I kind of have to. If you aren't familiar with The Outsiders Sequence series at all, these are novellas that feature characters who stumble into some alien-esque, uncanny situations in the great outdoors.

The premise of the first novella, The Extra, is as follows: Ten people head out on a backpacking trip, but the first night eleven set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who is the extra? In The Other, we follow a couple who, similarly, go on a backpacking trip, and encounter their doppelgangers along the way. At first, the couple our protagonists run into look similar to them but are definitely distinct people, and the four joke about the similarities. After a night at their shared camp site, however, the new couple emerge from their tent completely identical to our protagonists, even to the point of having access to their memories.

I could read Annie Neugebauer's strange little novellas all day. I recommend them to readers who are intrigued by the premises above and don't mind stories that leave you with a healthy dose of ambiguity in the end. These stories are eerie and bite-sized, and the writing is straightforward without ever being flat, so these novellas are great for getting out of a reading slump. While certainly uncanny and at times creepy, the horror elements are generally kept pretty light, so I would definitely recommend this series to non-horror readers as well.

The endings of the first two entries taken together is leading me to some interesting (and ominous!) theories. I'm very excited for the third and final installment.

The Other publishes on June 9th, 2026.

[Craig Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annie Neugebauer's The Extra was one of the surprise horror hits of 2025, a novella about a group of campers that have a strange experience before realising there's one more of them than there should be – but all present have vivid memories of each of the other campers. Drawing more from the 'trust nobody' terror of The Thing, Neugebauer ramps things up a notch with The Other, asking us to reflect on just how well we really know our partners...

Less of a sequel, more of a new entry into the same world of The Extra, this is very readable as a standalone novella, albeit one with some connections to the previous book. I think these similarities would be just as enjoyable picked up on in any reading order, but if you can, you probably should read The Extra before The Other. It's a very quick, pretty short read for one, but the second book feels like such an overall improvement that it's best to experience chronologically.

The story is told through alternate POV chapters of Elise and Logan, a long-term couple who both know they have to have a difficult conversation about their future paths in life. While hiking and considering what they want to say, they bump into a couple that look and dress uncomfortably similarly to them. As they spend more time together, they realise they can't tell themselves apart and are left questioning how they're going to get home with the right partner.

Neugebauer takes full advantage of the paranoia and isolation that comes from questioning how sure you are that you're looking at the person you love and managed to make me feel really unsettled for most of the novella's duration. If you left The Extra feeling like you needed an explanation, or at least some answers, you might be a little disappointed to feel the same after The Other – but this book does expand on the mythos a little more, and makes me really excited to read book 3 next year.

[Richard Quist · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Other by Annie Neugebauer is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, mind-messing, twisted psychological thriller!

Imagine what you might feel or how you might react, if you and your spouse were to encounter your doppelgangers: two other people who look, act, and speak exactly as you do, and who have all of your memories as well. Then, imagine that there's a bit of a scuffle, and when the dust settles you realize that you don't know for certain which one is actually your spouse, and neither do they.

In The Other, that's exactly what happens to married couple Elise and Logan as they're on a hiking trip, hoping to reconnect and make some decisions about what their future together might look like.

And just in case your brain hurt isn't already hurting, consider that Elise and Logan now have to figure out who is really whom, and then they must also find a way to evade the other couple before they can go back to their lives; otherwise they might not go back at all, or even worse, one of them may very well end up going back with The Other.

Telling the tale by alternating the viewpoint between Elise and Logan, Neugebauer sets up this situation masterfully, and her storytelling swept me right along the trail with Elise and Logan. The tension in their marriage, and their obvious desire to find a way forward together are strong elements on their own, but then to mix in the confusion of the "identity crisis" and the very real possibility that Allison and Bryce intend to cause harm, and you have a recipe for a gripping, wonderfully paced, psychological thriller.

Thanks to Shortwave Publishing for providing an eARC for review through NetGalley.

[Ande · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Shortwave Press and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own. The Other is the second book in The Outsiders Sequence. While they share a universe, there is no cross-over or spoilers for The Extra.

4.75 / 5.00

Elise and Logan have been together forever, but their marriage is falling flat. Deciding to escape the buzz of everyday life to work their sh!t out, they take to the trails for a few weeks of solace and soul searching. But everything spirals when another couple with unexpected similarities turns up at their campsite.

This story was AH-mazing! I audibly gasped more than once throughout the book, and the ending was a roller coaster ride of emotions and mind fu*ks that I don’t think I’ll have sorted out any time soon. I was left questioning everything I thought I knew about their universe and ours.

I loved that this story was so much more unsettling than the first. The little details helped build a sense of dread from the start and made it feel like this situation could actually happen. I’m still questioning if I know my partner well enough to tell him apart from an imposter.

This story had me thinking of Nirvana’s cover of “The Man Who Sold the World.” The deeply gritty grunge of this cover is so fitting for the unsettling feeling that creeps over you while reading this book. “We passed upon the stairs / We spoke of was and when / Although I wasn’t there / He said I was his friend.” The other couple (literally) gets under the skin and into the minds of Elise and Logan. “Oh no, not me / We never lost control / You’re face to face / With the man who sold the world.” Elise and Logan come face to face with each other and themselves on this trip and will never be the same again.

[Emily May · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mind zooms abruptly out and out and out, and the forest stretches for miles in every direction, and all of it is open to itself, and anything inside it can cross into this space.
We are not alone out here.

3.5 stars. This is another horror that is frustrating because it explains so little, but I am being somewhat forgiving because it is also deliciously creepy.

Elise and Logan are on an outdoor retreat, making their way across a remote hiking trail, when they come across a couple eerily similar to themselves. What starts out as some alone time to reflect on their relationship and plans for the future, quickly becomes an unsettling exploration of how well you really know the one you love. Would you be able to tell your partner from a doppelganger?

It's a quick read with short, punchy chapters that alternate between Elise and Logan's POVs. It is genuinely sinister and disorienting, and the fear that they might fall prey to the "wrong" version of each other is frightening. Neugebauer has really thought about everything that would be going through someone's mind in this situation, and it seemed a very true depiction of a completely surreal scenario.

But the ending felt like a total cop out. I’ve seen other reviewers say that the confusion is the whole point and say they felt satisfied with it being ended on a WTF. But I find it irritating when authors throw in a shocker, no explanation whatsoever, because this is HORROR so who needs to explain anything? I don't need everything tied up neatly, but I expected more than that.

I guess I can hope the third book explains it, but I am doubtful as the stories in this series seem to be standalones in the same world.

[Shaawan Keahna · Rating 5 out of 5]

How well do you know your partner? How well do you know yourself? I absolutely love a horror story that lures you into a false sense of security, that tells you “this is the worse it could get” before seemingly avoiding the worst possible outcome, only to pull the rug out from under you and say, no, actually, this is how it is, and it’s worse than you could have possibly imagined.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so frightened of grass before. I was already unsettled by the fuzzy neon green circle in The Extra, but The Other took what I interpreted as a “fairy ring” to its logical heinous conclusion.

Doing my best not to spoil (say thank you!!!) so I’ll say: Neugebauer loves her characters so much. This was written with so much love. Elise and Logan are such /people/. Their desire for one another is palpable, as are their doubts. Most of the book reads as a love letter to marriage itself, how you grow to know someone inside and out, how you remember random, weird shit about your person. Then it hunts you. Then it rips your heart out.

Someone said they liked The Extra, but they LOVED The Other. I’m right there with them. The Extra was horrific. It made my skin crawl. But The Other actually GOT under my skin. I sat for awhile in silence after I finished it, tears pinpricking my eyes, utterly devastated. Feeling like I’d just watched someone run a marathon, get to the finish line, only to promptly be eaten by worms. Absolutely horrible (complimentary). Really happy I preordered this one so I can make my friends suffer it.

[jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Extra by Annie Neugebauer last year right after it was released, and it ended up being one of the best stories I read all year. So naturally, I was absolutely thrilled when I got approved for an ARC of the second book in this sequence. (And oh my god, there is going to be a third!!!)

This time, the story follows a couple on a hiking trip. They’re supposed to be clearing their heads, reconnecting, and finally having some overdue, slightly uncomfortable conversations about their future together. But before they really get to that, they encounter another couple on their trail and are then more or less forced to share a campsite with them for the night.

It’s already a nightmare to be forced into social interactions with strangers when all you want is to be alone and sort out your relationship issues, but it does get worse. The other couple looks and acts eerily similar to them, and the situation is suddenly not just awkward but terrifying.

This is exactly the kind of creepy story I enjoy most. It’s quiet and simple, and there aren’t any over-the-top horror moments. Instead, the tension builds with every page, sending literal shivers down your spine. I was genuinely freaked out while reading, constantly imagining what I would do in that sort of situation.

I liked the little hints toward The Extra but I think it was a good choice not to make this a direct sequel to the first part of the series, so it can be read on its own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Shortwave Publishing for my ARC!

[Erika Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

This series has really reaffirmed my anti-camping lifestyle choice.

The Other is a tense, eerie horror novella about Logan and Elise, a married couple on a camping trip. They meet another couple on the trail and end up staying the night at the same campsite, but when they wake up in the morning, they realize that the other couple has morphed into their exact doppelgangers – and they can no longer determine who is who.

The book switches POVs between Logan and Elise, which was fun because we the readers know who is real and who is the doppelganger, and get to watch as they struggle to figure it out. There’s a terrifying uncertainty and dread underlying the situation, as both Logan and Elise change their minds and second-guess themselves, but this is definitely more of a psychological horror than anything too gruesome or shocking. Although I actually found it creepier that the doppelgangers don’t seem to want to harm them, but just to go home with them. Similar to this book’s predecessor, The Extra, we are left wondering what these creatures really want. However, for those who were disappointed by the ambiguity of The Extra’s ending, FYI that this book had a much more satisfying ending. I would highly recommend it, whether you read it as part of the series or as a standalone.

*DISCLAIMER: Thank you to Shortwave Publishing and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.*

PUB DATE: June 9th, 2026

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It's not a sequel. It's next in the sequence...” (Publisher blurb)

In the “Outsiders Sequence” book one-“The Extra” a group of ten people head out on a multi-day backpacking trip but eleven people set up camp. Nobody knows who the “extra” person is or when he or she joined the group. Eventually, the leader will have to make a decision about “who” he thinks it is.

In the “Outsiders Sequence” book two-“The Other” a couple, Logan and Elise, embark on a multi-day backpacking trip in these same woods. They hope to have some honest conversations about their marriage and make a decision that will impact their future together-or apart.

Theirs was the only car in the parking lot, but one night when they are about to set up camp, they meet their doppelgangers, and after a brief separation, each will struggle to recognize their real spouse. Eventually, Logan will have to make a choice about WHO he thinks his wife is-and who he thinks is the OTHER.

Neither book gives you any answers about what is going on in the Woods, or if the right decision was definitively made, but both offer a lot of NAIL BITING tension, creepy INTRIGUE and much for discussion (THAT ENDING!)

Will we know by the third novella in the sequence-“The Spare” due out in March 2027? I have no idea but you can bet, it’s on my list and I hope to find out!

Expected publication date: June 9, 2026 (about 135 pages)

Review for “The Extra” : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thank You to Shortwave Publishing for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotionally strained couple on a camping trip make an unexpected discovery when they encounter… themselves…. a couple of exact replicas of themselves, down to their clothing and the contents of their pockets. People are quickly mixed up with one another, and confusion ensues.

This book features one of my absolute favorite horror subgenres, Doppelganger Horror. The story is told in a split narrative, between the two "real" members of the couple, as they try to identify each other and plan their next course of action. The characters were realistic, likeable, flawed; I was rooting for them the whole time. The ending was completely unexpected - you will have to read it yourself to believe it. This was an absolute psychological roller coaster ride, and I loved every minute of it.

If you have not read The Extra, the first book in the Outsiders Sequence, you will still have no trouble following along on this one, as the storylines are standalone. However, I do recommend that you check out The Extra as it has a similar eerie vibe and very unique story arc. I am looking forward to the final book in this sequence and reading more from this author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley, Annie Neugebauer, and Shortwave Publishing for sharing an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Elizabeth Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a step up from Neugebauer's previous book, The Extra, doing what I felt needed to be done there. The Extra was a lot of promise with not a lot of payout. This book, in comparison, felt well-rounded and like an excellent addition to the world that Neugebauer is building. One of my big problems with the extra is that Neugebauer struggled to make me truly concerned about the danger the hikers were in. This book felt like it stepped up the fear factor and presented a truly terrifying reality: going home, alone, with the wrong person. I read this book in less than an hour, but I enjoyed my entire reading of it. I also enjoyed how Neugebauer developed these "alien" figures, building off of how we understand them in the original. Neugebauer is excellent at creating spooky but fascinating concepts. The ending was fun, very sci-fi in a way I didn't expect it. This book doesn't hit five stars for me because I think I'm still waiting for Neugebauer to really lean into the horror. Even so, she definitely did that more here than in the Extra, and I have to give credit for that and for what I perceive as great improvement.

Overall, I was happy to have the chance to read this early and will be on the lookout for Neugebauer's next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Annie Neugebauer for giving me the chance to read this early.

[Tara Dawes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a great follow up to the first book in the series "The Extra", I left the Extra wanting more answers and while this book doesn't exactly provide them it does help to set more of the scene and expand the "universe". The book was quick to read and I was invested in the characters and what was happening to them. The story never got bogged down nor did it feel rushed. The author did a great job with building the tension/confusion that the characters were feeling when faced with the situation of their doppelgängers. I wasn't sure exactly how the story was going to resolve and was surprised with the direction it took (in a good way). It also felt like a natural progression of the first book and I liked the slight callback that the author made to the events in the first book, but showing that it possibly wasn't a completely isolated event.

If you liked the first book in the series this should be an easy pick up and if you haven't read the first I really recommend this series (more so now that I've read the second book) and I'm really looking forward to the final chapter in this series!