Published By: Harvill
Pages: 368
Released On: 26/03/2026
‘It will be all right,’ Nellie assured her with startling confidence.
‘I’m here to make things better. You’ll see.’
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, do you get to stay?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Harvill for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
Oh I loved Carys’ previous book Always On My Mind. I thought it was so original, and so I jumped at the chance to read this one.
There’s a great moral question here, about humanity, cloning, even about AI. It is very timely and quite frightening.
For me, it’s less about the clone being you, and more about you not being them. Sure they can help out, they look like you, think like you, and your baby will know no different. But you will. You’re missing out on the cuddles and the feeding and the tucking them into bed etc.
I’m not going to pretend to know what it’s like to have a newborn baby in terms of stress and sleep deprivation etc. but the idea of having, in effect, a robotic version of you, doesn’t seem right for me. I’d rather be tired and have my baby than not. But again, I have not experienced it so I will not go and pretend I can tell you the same thing. There may be new mothers and fathers out there that quite like the idea of having someone else. I suppose, how is it any different to hiring a nanny?
I liked Elena and I feel she was the most real character out of them. She felt familiar and reflected my fears too. Stu annoyed me. I know he just wanted to help, but I found he was too controlling, short tempered, and just wouldn’t listen to anyone. And their More You? I won’t say what my opinions on her are for fear of spoilers, you’ll just have to meet her yourself. The worst character to me is Stu’s mum Catherine. I don’t mean worst in terms of writing, but in terms of the character. She really grated and riled me up, which I suppose was the intention. She was definitely hiding something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
It’s an average length, not too short or drawn out, and it absolutely flies by. I read it in less than a day it was so absorbing, I couldn’t tear myself away from it.
It’s not full-on 100mph action or whatever, it’s quieter, it bides its time, holds your hand, lulls yourself into a false sense of security, and it’s that that makes it so eerie and uncomfortable.
I believe this is only Carys’ second book but she’s already become a name I gravitate towards for exciting but unusual psychological thrillers.
Books By Your Bedside 