When six clones join Emmaline’s prestigious boarding school, she must confront the heartbreak of seeing her dead best friend’s face each day in class.

The Similars are all anyone can talk about at the elite Darkwood Academy. Who are these six clones? What are the odds that all of them would be Darkwood students? Who is the madman who broke the law to create them? Emma couldn’t care less. Her best friend, Oliver, died over the summer and all she can think about is how to get through her junior year without him. Then she comes face-to-heartbreaking-face with Levi—Oliver’s exact DNA replica and one of the Similars.

Emma wants nothing to do with the Similars, but she keeps getting pulled deeper and deeper into their clique, uncovering dark truths about the clones and her prestigious school along the way. But no one can be trusted…not even the boy she is falling for who has Oliver’s face.

Clones, dark secrets, shocking truths, acts of revenge, and a budding romance – The Similars has it all.  After reading the first three words in the description, I knew this novel was for me.

The first half of this book teased me with hints of dark truths, mysteries, and hidden agendas – I couldn’t put it down.  Emma’s situation is heartbreaking at times, and she has a lot on her plate, but her drive and determination to get to the root of everything is admirable.  The girl gets things done.  Along with the boarding school goings-on is a political angle.  What are clones’ rights?  Should they be treated as human beings and afforded the same privileges?  Are they a threat?  Things to ponder.

The second half seems to veer off the rails just a tad.  While the first half is well-planned and creates a believable world, the second didn’t seem as carefully thought out, and plot developments come from every direction, many of them predictable.  I’m not a fan of love triangles, and by no means is romance the central focus of this story, but there’s a hint of the most unique triangle I’ve come across.  I’ll have to wait for the next book to see if it pans out.

Overall, this is an intriguing book that held my attention from the first page, and I fully intend on continuing with the series.  If you’re a fan of layers upon layers of secrets, sci-fi, thrillers, and mystery, add The Similars to your TBR.

The Similars is scheduled for release January 1st, 2019.  Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.