Are You Sara?

Loved it! Lots of twists and turns and the question established right at the beginning ("was the murder a case of mistaken identity or not?") kept me turning the pages. I liked that our heroine was a multi-faceted individual and the characters around her were well-developed too.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

The blurb for this novel really drew me in and I found it compelling throughout. The author keeps you guessing all the way through about whether Sarah died because she was mistaken for Sara or if there was someone in her own life who wanted to kill her. There are chapters set in Sarah's past, and sections where Sara looks back on the last couple of years of her life, but these have distinct narrative voices and never become confusing - it helps that Sarah is mostly called by her last name too.

A couple of things puzzled me: why did Sara think she was hiding from the person she feared when all she had done was buy a new phone? She was still living exactly where he had found show more her the first time. The resolution of that particular strand was satisfying in a dark way, but I didn't understand how the person she feared avoided getting implicated in his associates' crimes.

Recommended. show less

“Are You Sara?” by S.C. Lalli is a novel which follows main characters Saraswati “Sara” Bhaduri and Sarah (with a “H”) Ellis through alternating timelines leading up to and following the mysterious murder of Sarah Ellis. S.C. Lalli weaved the stories just so, in a way that kept me craving more. I loved that both leading ladies were relatable in a way that most young people are just faking it until they make it, but at the same time they were headstrong and intelligent. I was hooked from the very first page and absolutely did not want to put this one down. Recommend 100%!

S.C. Lalli takes a break from writing romance and women's fiction (as Sonya Lalli), to bring us a suspense novel in Are You Sara?
I thought Lalli's premise was great, opening the door for any number of paths...

Two women each call for a rideshare home. The hook? They're both named Sara and they each get into the wrong vehicle. The leading character Sara ends up in a rich neighborhood and has to walk back home. When she finally makes it to her own home, there are flashing blue lights everywhere - and a dead girl named Sarah. Which one of them was the intended victim?

Sara sets out to answer that question for herself and Sarah. Each of the women have a voice. Sarah's starts almost three years ago as a series of journal entries. Her tone is show more younger and focuses on her relationships. Sara is an older law student, who also works two part time jobs - as a bartender and baby sitter. She's also held a job in the past that really stretched incredulity for this reader. Yes, I'm being a bit obtuse, but I don't want to provide spoilers. As the details of the side gig are revealed, I found it difficult to reconcile that skill set with the student who pulls pints. This was probably the biggest hurdle for me. I didn't like Sara and never became invested in her. There's a fairly larger number of supporting characters that were easy to dislike as well.

That initial premise got lost in a myriad of sub plots. Too many in my opinion. That being said, the book did hold my attention to the final pages as I wanted to know how things ended. Lalli gives us a few gotchas in the end that were appreciated. show less

TW/CW: Murder, stalking, sexual assault, sex trafficking of children, racism

RATING: 2/5

REVIEW: Are You Sara? is the story of Saraswati “Sara” Bhaduri, an Indian law student who ends up involved in a murder after accidentally switching up her ride share with another Sara(h). At least, that’s what the back of the book wants you to believe, because this really isn’t what the book’s about at all. It’s much darker than I expected when I started it, and is far more about dirty lawyers, ambition and greed than any of the things above.

I was not a huge fan of this book. It was well written and a fast read, but I just didn’t like the story much and it wasn’t what I expected when I started it. I agree with other reviews that have show more stated that the major subplot was a problem, and the book would have been better if it was left out and just stayed more to the murder plot. The main character is amoral and not always likeable, and that could be said for just about every character in this book. This book was not for me. show less

This was an interesting and different type of read. It's about two women both named Sara that meet one night at the bar that Sara works at and then they both get rides to go back to their homes. The thing is that they end up getting into the wrong cars and Sara ends up at the other Sarah's place, which is a nicer, fancier neighborhood, and has to walk back to her place. When Sara gets back to her place, she finds the police and the other Sarah dead on her front doorstep.
In this suspense story, you follow the past POV of Sarah and the present POV of Sara and it weaves things together to discover and reveal the answer of who killed Sarah and what happened. It was tricky in places to keep track of things, but after figuring it out and show more piecing together the events - the story of what really happened and who the real killer was - it was written really well.
If you like intricate plots, mystery/thrillers, and suspense, then check this one out. Thanks so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for letting me read and review this intriguing mystery. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

Compelling, shocking, Enthralling, extraordinary page turner, spellbinding, roller-coaster ride of unthinkable twists and turns you don't see coming, then the ending just bam after bam of shock and surprise, your not sure what just hit you!

This book touched on some very real problems in our society which I thought was great to shine a light on. There are a lot of sectors in our job market (and every day life) that discrimination is still a factor either due to race, ethnicity, sexual preference, sexual identification, financial means or family background, etc I could go on & on. There is so much talk about inclusion and not discriminating but it still happens and there will always be misogynistic men who treat less deserving men better show more than more qualified or better preforming women. I also believe that people with money will always get the job before the average Joe & will always get off easily in the legal system etc due to the fact that they have money for good lawyers & legal aid lawyers are swamped therefore can't do the job as well as they should for the less privileged. Which isn't right but it unfortunately won't change. The author also talks about what it's like for an immigrant being afraid to lose their job, being afraid to speak up & fear in general which is so unfair I wish I could change the way people are treated. Which hopefully compassion & caring will be brought to more people because of this book.

I loved the story line and the flow I thought the pace was great and I just couldn't put this book down, I too wanted to know what happened to Sarah that night why she was killed and of course who did it. I would have been just like Sara the Sara with no h that is and felt responsible, constantly wondering if I could have done something differently or if I could have simply done more. I also would have wondered if it was me that was meant to be murdered. So I personally felt that this was very realistic writing also I love it when I feel what the characters feel in a novel. I enjoyed the background into both sara & Sarah's lives leading up to the fateful night. I realize it would be a challenge to bring a characters past two years into the story line when they are murdered in the beginning of the book so I believe the journal entries were an exceptionally smart way for the reader to get vital insights into a character after her passing from her own words & feelings Bravo S.C Lalli.

I definitely rate this 5/5 stars it was interesting, intriguing, superbly woven together and had a twist at the end. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, suspense or just a nail biting thrill ride.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Harper Collins Canada & of course S.C Lalli for the ARC of this amazing novel show less