Birthright by Charles Lambert
A sublime psychological thriller from Polari Prize-shortlisted Charles Lambert. Fiona, sixteen, lives a life of glittering luxury, but her relationship with her mother is strained and difficult. When she discovers an old newspaper clipping of a woman and daughter, a little girl the mirror image of her own younger self, she sets off on a mission to find her true family. Her boyfriend Patrick, a charming fraudster, tracks down the doppelganger, and Fiona drops everything to find her. When Fiona arrives in Rome, she finds Maddy, living hand to mouth with her alcoholic mother. She wants nothing to do with the strange girl wearing her face, who seems to be stalking her every move. The two girls are caught in a push and pull; both fascinated and repulsed by one another, each coveting a life that seems beyond them. But they aren't the only people trying to control their fate, and the two girls will have to learn quickly that people aren't always as they seem, and that blood is thicker than water. Birthright is a dark, gripping literary thriller for fans of Consent by Annabel Lyon and The Push by Ashley Audrain.