I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Ever since Margot was born, it's been just her and her mother, struggling to get along. But that's not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she may have just found the answer: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Only, when Margot gets there, it's not what she bargained for.

As soon as they see her face, everyone in town knows who Margot belongs to. It's unmistakable--she's a Nielsen. And when a mysterious girl who could be Margot's twin is pulled from a fire, Margot realizes that her mother left Phalene for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what's still there?

The only thing Margot knows for sure is there's poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she's there, she might never escape.

Short and Sweet Review

Ever since she was born it was always just Margot and her mom, and Margot wants a family or at least to know about her mothers family which she has kept hidden. Knowing that her mom won’t supply her with the answers she wants, Margot does some digging of her own and finds a picture that leads her to a small town called Phalene. Everyone knows that small towns are a little weird and this one is no exception. When Margot arrives in Phalene everyone knows she’s a Nielsen. There’s a lot of excitement on Margots first day like a fire on her grandma’s land which ends with a girl dying who looks like she can be Margots twin. Margot wanted answers but they may be more than she bargained for.

This book was full of suspense which made it a page turner. Margot and her mom don’t get along all the time and whenever they have conversations Margot really has to make sure she says the right things, otherwise her mom will blow up. Margot knows that asking about family will get her mom to shut down so when she finds a lead she packs a bag and makes her way to Phalene. When Margot gets there she finds out her grandma is like her mom and isn’t one to give away answers about her life. This is what gets the ball rolling because why does this family have so many secrets that they’re hiding? Anyway there’s a mysterious dead girl and some weird stuff happening to another teen girl who lives close to the Nielsen farm. I loved watching Margot try to find the answers on her own because her mom and grandma weren’t going to give her the truth. The conversations between Margot and her grandma and mom are hard, mainly because its like they’re gaslighting her and she has to remember that she’s not crazy. The ending was insane and everything made sense and the puzzle pieces clicked together. This was an interesting book and the mystery surrounding this family will have you turning pages until the very end.