The Other You by Carys Green review – A near-future thriller that will keep you gripped

The Other You by Carys Green: The key details

• Publish date: 26 March 2026
• Genre: Thriller
• Publisher: HQ
• Available formats: Hardback, audio and ebook
• Series/standalone: Standalone
• Length: 368 pages

Blurb: Elena and Stu are barely holding it together. Their newborn screams through the night, their nerves are frayed, and their marriage is hanging by a thread. Then comes More You: a company offering an impossible solution ― a clone. For a price, they can have another Elena. One who is fresh. Alert.

At first, it feels like salvation. The clone is calm, capable, perfect. But soon she starts to pick up Elena’s habits. Her voice. Her smile. And in the quiet hours of the night, something in the house begins to shift. When the cracks finally split wide open, Elena is forced to confront a terrifying question: if someone takes your place, what happens to you?

The Other You by Carys Green: The review

The Other You, the second speculative thriller from Carys Green, is set in a near future where clones have been made legal. Technology created by a company known as More You means an adult clone of someone can be grown in a lab in a matter of months, and for Elena, a new mum struggling with lack of sleep, it could be the answer to her problems. She doesn’t want anyone else looking after her precious daughter, Olive. But a clone would be *her*. So she should be able to trust it… right?

And so, Elena and her husband Stu welcome Nellie, a clone of Elena, but one who isn’t tired or worn down: she’s fresh-faced, eager, and happy to do anything that Elena and Stu need. But it doesn’t take long before her behaviour raises some questions, and both Elena and Stu are soon questioning whether they made the right decision.

It’s fairly obvious before you even pick up The Other You that something Very Bad is going to happen. Clones, androids – whatever it is, it’s always a foreboding omen in a book. But even though I sort-of expected what was going to happen here, The Other You still had me on tenterhooks throughout. There were times I had to put the book down simply because I could not deal with the anxiety of knowing what was coming. But in the best way possible: this is a very dark story, but boy, it’s compelling.

Written in a very approachable style that’s easy to read, the characters of The Other You aren’t always likeable, but they’ll keep you gripped. The mother-in-law here is nightmare material all by herself, and that’s all I’m going to say on the matter. There’s a cleverly interwoven smattering of politics here, too, with mention of both anti-clone protest groups and groups lobbying for clones to have more rights. It really sets the tone of a tumultuous time in the world (and we thought ChatGPT was bad enough…).

I’ve loved every moment of this: It’s an addictive, easy read that you’ll struggle to put down, even if you’re dreading what’s going to happen next. That’s the hallmark of a good thriller, and it’s left me eager to read more of Carys’ work.

Thanks to HQ and Netgalley for providing a advanced digital copy.