The Lookalike

by Julie Balint

A struggling young woman discovers she could be the double of a missing socialite and slips into her life, only to become the target of threats tied to the disappearance she’s hiding behind in this juicy psychological thriller from Julie Balint.

Twenty-five-year-old Nova Kennedy has gone missing from her family’s Cape Cod mansion. Even though they're not those Kennedys, the disappearance dominates the season’s headlines. Two months later, Nova reappears. Or so everyone believes.

Kristen Wells is a broke, bored nobody in Louisiana when she sees Nova’s face on the news and realizes she’s Nova’s near-perfect double. Drawn by the promise of escape and the chance to live a "big" life, Kristen poses as Nova and inserts herself into the icy dysfunction of the Kennedy family.

Initially planning to solve the mystery and get out, Kristen falls further and further under the Kennedys' spell. When she begins to receive threatening anonymous notes, it becomes clear someone knows she isn’t who she claims to be.

Surrounded by suspects, Kristen must decide how far she’s willing to go to protect the lie she’s living. It's a race against time for Kristen to uncover the truth—about her blackmailer, Nova's disappearance, and the complicated Kennedy family—before the lies she's told start to unravel.

Genres: Mystery, Psychological Suspense, Suspense

368 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication March 9, 2027

About the author

Julie Balint is thrilled to be writing in the commercial suspense space after a long career in romance as USA Today bestselling author and RITA® winner Juliana Stone. She loves reading, 80's rock, 70's rock for that matter with a little country thrown in to keep things interesting. When not writing she plays pickle ball and golf to relax and enjoys wine nights with pals. She's been known to talk to herself on occasion, but then don't all authors? Julie does all of this from her home in a quaint little town on a big lake in Canada, with her little dog Pinot at her side.

Reviews

[D.B. Woodling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nova Kennedy disappears from her family’s Cape Cod mansion, and her ultra-wealthy parents suspect foul play when investigators recover copious blood containing her DNA. With millions of social media followers agonizing over her disappearance, the news travels fast, even reaching Louisiana native Kristen Wells, whose uncanny resemblance gives rise to an opportunistic plot.

Rationalizing her major objective is to solve Nova’s murder, Kristen arrives in Massachusetts nervous and agitated and considers scrapping her agenda. The Kennedys never question her identity and encouraged, Kristen proceeds with her plan, soon falling under the spell of astronomical wealth and the power that comes with it. Settling into her new life, her confidence implodes once receiving threatening notes from an anonymous sender.

Chockful of abhorrent characters, The Lookalike is a quintessential study in catastrophic familial interactions. Unearthing the tragic circumstance responsible for the family discord, filled with empathy and the realization her presence is making a positive impact, Kristen decides to stay the course despite an inevitable confrontation with the suspected killer.

Although some will undoubtedly identify the antagonist before the big reveal, with its page-turning pacing, morally grotesque yet spellbinding characters, Julie Balint’s latest effort will appeal to those domestic mystery fans willing to suspend a smidge of reality and forgive a somewhat rushed finale. My heartfelt appreciation to the author, Berkley, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased and constructive review.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, The Lookalike, by Julie Balint, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I did not care for the characters in this book at all. or the language. Kristen and Nova are not good people

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read with a great twist. It centers on 25-year-old Kristen, who realizes she looks exactly like Nova, a rich influencer who has gone missing in Massachusetts. Kristen doesn’t feel like she has much going for her, with a dead-end job and a best friend who just moved away, so she heads up north to see if she can infiltrate Nova’s family and solve the mystery herself. She ends up in deeper than she expected as she gets to know the family and gets a better understanding of what Nova’s life was really like. While the book is primarily told from Kristen’s POV, there are also some chapters from various members of Nova’s family, such as her brother Benji and sister Bea.

I always love books about misbehaving rich people, and this one provided a lot of fodder. You do have to suspend your disbelief here, as I found it rather impossible to believe that Kristen could look so much like Nova that no one in her inner circle had any idea; that being said, it definitely added to the suspense of the story. I enjoyed the chapters from the family’s perspectives, and it was interesting to get to know them more deeply as the book went on. I was legitimately surprised by the big twist, though it was so cleverly done that it felt obvious once exposed, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it coming. The ending once again requires some suspension of disbelief, but I walked away satisfied with how it all turned out.

Overall, this was a fast and entertaining read- I finished it over a few hours on a plane and it did not disappoint. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a twisty thriller about rich people behaving badly and what could be if one's circumstances were just a little different. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

My first time rating a book between 2 and 3 stars. This book wasn’t for me but I kept reading it hoping it would get better. I wasn’t a big fan of the language and I didn’t like any of the characters. The book is about a 25 year old girl Kristen who realizes she looks EXACTLY like a very rich girl Nova who has disappeared and no one knows what happened to her. Kristen’s life isn’t great so why not pretend to be Nova and see what happens? I just didn’t care for this at all. Maybe it’s just me? I won’t give away the ending … thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

[Georgette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love it, nor did I hate it. But it could have used a little more of non-cliched endings. Because she went for that. You really got invested in the characters and in the end, they were just oyster crackers in the soup of "WTF". I was hoping the twist/big reveal was not the oldest trick in the book but sadly, that's what it was.

[Melissa DeLong-Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

FIRST OF ALL – the only reason I didn't DNF this is because nobody had posted spoilers yet. If literally one single reviewer had posted what happened, I would've quit it before the halfway mark. Unfortunately, I was invested in finding out what was going on and as such, persevered through the book.

NONE of the characters are likable. There's a moment or two for certain where it seems like Kristen may be at least sympathetic, but in order to slot into someone's life and take it over, you have to be at least a little evil, no?

This was an infuriating read, thus the two stars. As someone who is along for the ride and rarely figures things out in advance, I felt it was pretty obvious where this was heading. That can be fine, but there was nobody to root for or really invest in, which made it hard to soldier on. I'm sharing spoilers for anyone else who wants to DNF but also wants to know what happens.

The anonymous POV that's responsible for Nova's disappearance and torturing Kristen is... Nova. Not that hard to figure out. Turns out that of this sort of fucked up family dynamic, Nova is the only one of them that is evil to the point of no redemption (though I'd argue there's a strong case for Franklin as well, given what he tries to do on the beach). She basically staged her own death/disappearance to torture her family and provide entertainment for herself, then sees Kristen impersonating her and decides to psychologically torture her as well. Ultimately, they have a confrontation at Kristen's home and Nova is shot accidentally by Kristen and her BFF from childhood, leaving Kristen the opportunity to fully step into Nova's life without concern for the stalker. She gets engaged to Nova's boyfriend and is trying to repair the family dynamic. Meh. I think if it had been a true surprise that it was Nova still alive doing all of this, OR if Kristen was more likeable, it would've been a bigger payoff at the end. Also, it felt like many chapters of the book druggggggg on, and then we finally get a confrontation and it's over super quickly. I would've liked more about what Nova had been up to in her time away, or more of Kristen's life after she fully takes over as Nova.

I like the concept, but I likely won't be recommending this one to a casual reader. Could be an interesting book club discussion, though!

*Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC!*

[Amanda Newby · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️!! The Lookalike was a great read. I loved the premise and how easily Kristen slipped into Nova’s world. While I did anticipate who was behind the notes I was still very happy with the ending! I do kind of wish we saw the mother’s POV for at least one chapter towards the end, knowing what we think she knows about “Nova” it would have been interesting to read.

[Ruthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kristen is going nowhere fast in small-town Louisiana. Then Boston socialite Nova Kennedy disappears, and Kristen realizes they could be twins.

So she does the unthinkable, she steps into Nova's life. Her clothes. Her friends. Her secrets. One question drives her, what happened to Nova? Answer it, and she's got a book deal, a viral podcast, a way out. Get caught, and she's the prime suspect in a murder.

Told through shifting perspectives, Kristen, Nova's siblings Bea and Benji, and a mystery narrator who knows the truth about Nova's fate (and knows Kristen is a fraud), the story tightens with every chapter.

The deeper Kristen digs, the more she unravels. Not just Nova's secrets, her own. Is she chasing justice, or running from a life that never fit? Her best friend in Texas is the only voice telling her to stop, to come home, to remember who she really is.

But Kristen can't quit. Not yet. Not when Nova is turning out to be nothing like her perfect Instagram feed, and the truth might be closer, and darker, than anyone imagined.

You won't know who to root for. Every character has a moment that makes you dislike them, and a moment that redeems them. You'll find yourself on Kristen's side, until maybe you're not.

As you read, you'll find yourself asking the same questions Kristen can't escape. What would you do to uncover the truth? Would you become someone else to find it, and what would that cost you?

Some truths aren't meant to be found. Kristen finds them anyway.

[Lucy D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addicting. Propulsive. I couldn't put it down.
Kristen seems as if she's drifting until she finds purpose. Until she decides to do something so crazy it doesn't seem possible. But she slips into missing socialite, Nova's life with ease. Too easy, really. And as she digs beneath the surface she changes. The family, already dysfunctional and awful, show hope and the question becomes, does she really want to find out what happened to the real Nova?

She's given no choice when she begins receiving notes and the real game of cat and mouse begins. If she wins, she could have it all. Or not.
If she loses, she could die.
If you like soapy, over the top books a la Alice Feeney, or McFadden, this is one to enjoy!

[Lexi Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had such a fun time with this twisty thriller! The story follows Kristen, a young woman who is struggling to figure out her life when she discovers that she looks almost identical to Nova Kennedy, a wealthy socialite who mysteriously disappeared. Seeing an opportunity to escape her own circumstances, Kristen decides to step into Nova’s world and get close to the family in hopes of discovering what really happened. What follows is a messy web of secrets, lies, family drama, and some seriously questionable behavior from the rich and privileged. I was immediately drawn to the premise, and the deeper Kristen got involved, the more curious I became about what everyone was hiding. One of my favorite aspects was the cast of morally complicated characters. Nobody felt entirely innocent, and I enjoyed questioning everyone’s motives while trying to figure out who could be trusted. Kristen herself was an interesting protagonist because, although I understood her reasons for taking such a huge risk, there were moments when I questioned her decisions. The alternating perspectives also added another layer to the mystery, giving readers a closer look at the family and their complicated relationships. Although I did find the pacing a little sluggish in places and guessed a few things before they were revealed, the twists still kept me invested, and the overall story was thoroughly entertaining. The idea of someone using their uncanny resemblance to another person to start over was such an intriguing setup, and I loved watching everything unfold as Kristen became increasingly tangled in a life that wasn't hers. The ending tied things together nicely and left me feeling satisfied. If you're a fan of psychological thrillers filled with wealthy families, scandalous secrets, deception, and characters who make terrible choices, this is definitely worth picking up. It may require a little suspension of disbelief, but I had a great time with it and would happily recommend it to anyone looking for a juicy, easy to devour mystery!

[KELLY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Psychological, Juicy, Twisty & Completely Bingeable!

Kristen is broke when she discovers she’s the perfect double of Nova Kennedy, a wealthy socialite who vanished without a trace from her family’s Cape Cod estate. Kristen is desperate for a new life, so she assumes Nova’s identity, but the deeper she enters Nova’s world, the more she suspects something sinister happened and someone is still watching. The Kennedy family are terrible people making horrible decisions. None to root for.

I needed a psychological thriller to read. A book with mystery, suspense, rich people behaving badly, juicy story, twists, secrets, deception, with family drama and it delivered! There was suspense with Kristen constantly wondering who knows the truth, who can she trust, and navigating the danger. The doppelganger premise had me especially intrigued and it had a satisfying ending.

Read on release date 03/09/2027

Thank you Netgalley Berkley Publishing Group|Berkley for the Arc.

[Tee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining read!

I really liked the characters in this, as I thought a lot of them were compelling (and unlikable, which I didn’t mind). Each character had a moment that made you dislike them, and then another moment that redeemed them to some level. It was hard to know who to root for, which I actually quite liked.

Even with Kristen, our protagonist—there are times when I was on her side, and other times that I definitely questioned it. But I liked the suspense that came with her trying to uncover the truth, no matter the cost.

I will say that there were elements of the plot that felt predictable to me. And the pacing was rather slow at times for my personal liking. But I’m sure other readers will think otherwise, and enjoy the ride!

Ultimately, I had a good time reading this book, and I’m sure others will as well.


Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for allowing me to read the eARC!

[Hannelore Cheney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank.you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the eARC.
This is an enjoyable read, full of rich, nasty people and the nice girl who comes into their lives, pretending to be their daughter who has disappeared. She's is the spitting image of the missing daughter and manages to pull off the charade, of course!
None of the members of this ultra rich family are likeable and it actually added to the enjoyment of the story. It was a light, fun mystery with a good ending that wasn't hard to guess at, but is definitely worth a read.

[Threasa · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat. Who would think of impersonating a missing woman right under her family's nose? That's what Kristen does. She looks just like Nova Kennedy (not those Kennedys). So, she tries it. Does she get away with it?

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 1 out of 5]

Super predictable. I figured out immediately who the stalker had to be. There was nothing redeemable about a single one of these characters. I don’t mind unlikable characters, but when the entire cast is unlikable, that’s a huge problem.

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.65
The lazy ending took much of the thrill away from what was otherwise a fairly compelling if slightly ridiculous read.

[Kristen Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book, suspense until the last page. well written, interesting characters.

[Ron Frampton · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

The lookalike is a great read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting premise… super promising. The problem was that I found the characters to be universally unlikable. There was definitely one character I was supposed to hate, and I did, but I hated the rest too. Also… it was just kind of unbelievable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.