The Book:
Do I Know You? by Sarah Strohmeyer
Published November 30th 2021 by Harper Paperbacks
Date read: July 13, 2021
The Characters:
Jane
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The Plot (from Goodreads):
Jane Ellison is a “super recognizer” able to identify strangers by the slightest facial details—the curve of a head, the arch of an eyebrow. When she spies human rights activist and heiress Bella Valencia in a crowded Boston airport, Jane’s convinced she’s found the person responsible for her sister Kit’s disappearance and presumed death eleven years earlier. But her attempt to detain the suspect ends with Jane herself fired and humiliated.
As Bella prepares to marry Will Pease, scion of the uber-wealthy, influential, and ruthless Pease family, famous for their wholesome wellness and lifestyle brand, on their private Cape Cod island, she grows increasingly anxious that her dire secret will be revealed and used against her by—of all people—the man she loves.
She has reason to fear: Jane is ready to risk everything for the chance to publicly expose Bella’s crimes at her upcoming celebrity wedding. But the more she digs into what happened that night, the more she questions her own assumptions.
The Twist:
Jane goes to the rental agency to report her missing laptop, but finds out that the rental was in Dave’s name and that they were marked as guests of the hotel. She assumes Eric set her up to prove that she was crazy and needed psychiatric help.
Eric, Sheila, and Dave called Jane frantic that Mabel was missing. They told Mabel to scream when Jane found her in order to make Jane think she was crazy. After they find Mabel, Sheila leaves Jane a weird note and an invitation to Bella and Will’s wedding and a photo of Bella and Kit together on the night she died.
From Bella’s perspective at the wedding, we find out the Peases are trying to rescue Jane from her stepfather, Bob Durgan. They hired Sheila to keep an eye on Jane and find out what she remembered of Kit’s disappearance. They agree that using Mabel as bait was a step too far, and Sheila pulled out and left the Cape.
Bob had shot up Kit to cover up his involvement in the local drug trade and left her for dead. Cobb shot Dani (she survived), then Bob killed Rick and got Jane.
Kit was alive and living with Stan in New Zealand. The Peases had saved her from her overdose and helped her get out of the country.
The Ending:
Jane moves to New Zealand with Kit and Stan. Kit is married and a mother.
I wanted more resolution about Will and Bella’s marriage. Will seemed nefarious since he made Bella think he tore up their prenup, but nothing ever came of that.
The Review:
Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review, and to Harper Audio for a complimentary audiobook!
I’m always fascinated by books about people with outstanding natural abilities. Jane is a “super-recognizer”, kind of the exact opposite of prosopagnosia, and one day while working for the TSA at Logan Airport she recognizes a girl that she believes was responsible for her sister’s disappearance and supposed death.
I loved Jane’s character. She was unique and clever, and very well-written. She herself at Logan in hopes of one day spotting her sister, and was determined to use her unique ability to figure out what really happened to Kit. Jane’s chapters were very enjoyable to read. I wish she stood up for herself more with her overbearing guests! Those scenes reminded me of Lights Out In Lincolnwood, where the boss did the exact same thing of helping himself to scarce resources. I would be so mad if someone wealthier than I crashed my vacation and expected me to foot the bill and watch their children.
Unfortunately, this book had too many loose ends for me. The Pease family drama felt entirely unresolved, and I think we could have done without their POVs. I would have rather had the story focus on Jane and her snark and wit. I’m not really into the whole “it’s incest but not technically” trope–as someone with an adopted sibling, that is way too yucky for me. There is NO WAY IN HELL my brother would date my adopted sister, despite not being genetically related, and this always completely grosses me out in stories.
The main storyline of Jane and what really happened to Kit was so good (other than one pet peeve that would’ve rendered the whole book implausible), but the side plots somewhat detracted from the overall feel of the novel.
QOTD: Do you prefer multiple POVs or just one narrator?
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It didn’t bother you that Kit has been alive and well while Jane has been suffering and searching for 11 years? If she really had a good connection with the Pease, why not fly the mother and sister to New Zealand and explain it all. I get it, then there would be no book, but finding Kit happy and healthy just seems cruel to Jane.
Great point! I had to re-read my review to jog my memory about this book, and I can’t remember what my “one pet peeve that would’ve rendered the whole book implausible” was…but I completely agree with you, she could have let Jane know she was okay.