Before I start the actual review for these books I wanted to talk a little bit about the author, VC Andrews, and the common themes throughout her books. Andrews is (was) a gothic horror writer who is most well known for her books Flowers in the Attic and My Sweet Audrina. She began writing in the late 1970s, however, she died in the 1980s after writing only six of her books (I believe). The family hired a ghostwriter who has currently written around 78 more books under her name. The Mirror Sisters and Broken Glass are the two newest. I own almost every book by Andrews except for a few that didn’t seem interesting to me.

This genre is not for everyone. The best way I can explain it is these are soap operas/Lifetime movies in book form. EVERY book has a few different common themes, which I’ll list, but each one is not in every book. You may have a few of these topics throughout the story and the rest not be mentioned. There is usually always: sex, incest, troubled parent/child relationships, troubled sibling relationships, rape, teenage pregnancy and just general drama. These are the ingredients for a VC Andrews book, haha. These are not literary masterpieces. I consider them my guilty pleasures. If you go into them knowing it’s going to be an over the top drama then you’ll enjoy it more. Now, if you’re still reading I’ll actually talk about the books.

I chose to review these together because honestly they could have been combined, in my opinion. The plots are going to be the same for both because this is a series. The third book, Shattered Memories, releases this fall.

*No Spoilers*

The Plot

Identical twin sisters, Haylee and Kaylee Fitzgerald, are alike in every way. This is not by choice, but by force. Their mother is obsessed with her daughters having no differences. They must wear the same clothes, have the same belongings, make the same friends and receive the same amount of attention. Rather than bringing the twins closer together this tears their relationship apart as they fight to be their own person. Haylee, especially, can’t stand having to be just like her more tame sister. As the two grow older, Haylee goes to some truly cruel lengths to be separated from her sister but Kaylee loves her through all of it. When Haylee betrays Kaylee in the worst way possible it could cost Haylee her freedom and Kaylee her life.

*No Spoilers*

My Thoughts

I enjoyed both of these books. Many of the newer VC Andrews books are terrible; which is why I stopped buying them for awhile but I’m glad I took a chance and grabbed these. Are they the best books I’ve ever read? No. They’re not even the best of Andrews’ books but they were entertaining and quick reads. There is sexual content but it’s very mild. Besides that, these were just very dramatic and unrealistic but they were still entertaining.

If you’ve read and like VC Andrews’ books but you haven’t read these, I think you should. If you’ve never read anything by VC Andrews then I would start with Flowers in the Attic. That series is most well known for a reason, it’s amazingly good. Let me know what you think about these books or any others you’ve read by Andrews! Thank you for reading and have a great day!