I enjoyed this a lot. The type of story reminds me of Claire North, a type of fantasy that is very close to real life, with a pleasant style of writing that somehow doesn't feel like fantasy. ( )

Reason read: SFF; dark
I read this on a whim. It was horror with gruesome details and paranormal, psychological thriller. Mostly it was an okay read. Did include violence, gore, sex, and some language. ( )

Kind of a ghost story. I almost stopped reading because it had me so tense. Not good for gore-ophobes. ( )

Content Note: domestic violence, stalking

Plot:
Liz tries really hard to bring up her two children and keep her abusive ex-husband in check. But one night when he brings them back to her and she confronts him with the fact that he is late, he almost kills – until something takes over her and almost kills Marc right back. Liz is understandably shaken and worried about psychiatric issues, especially since what took over her – or rather who – doesn’t seem to want to leave. Meanwhile Fran, a school mate of Liz’ son Zak, also struggles with her own trauma. She was abducted when she was a child and ever since, she has had Jinx, an imaginary fox, accompany her. She knows that Jinx isn’t real, but she is a comfort. When her issues flare up again and she arranges an appointment with her psychiatrist, seeing Liz there. Only she sees something strange about Liz, something that isn’t right. When Fran and Zak get closer and Fran is actually introduced to Liz, things keep getting stranger still.

Someone Like Me is a rather slow book, but not in the sense that it gets boring. I’d say it sits more on the thriller side of things than on the horror side, which is not that much my cup of tea, but it still worked for me, albeit not as well as The Girl with All the Gifts.

Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2020/12/29/someone-like-me-m-r-carey/ ( )

M.R. Carey has a real way with character, leading you to see people as basically good but with a dark, dangerous side. That ability is on full display in his new novel. Sure, there's an irredeemable ex-husband (an abuser) and a deeply damaged kidnapper. But Carey expertly plays on our emotions with his lead and secondary characters, step by step taking us into a dangerous, magical world where other beings... wreck havoc. Like others, I found the book a bit long, but very satisfying.