Be Mine by Lizzy Barber review

About The Book

Book: Be Mine
Author: Lizzy Barber
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Publisher: Datura Books
Publication Date (UK): 13th May 2025

🔍Standout Read. Awarded to books I highly recommend.

My Review

Be Mine unfolds across dual timelines, 2013 San Francisco and 2023 London, using short, sharp chapters that give the novel a snappy pace and a growing sense of unease. I love dual timelines when they’re done well and they really are here. The balance between the two feels just right, with both timelines equally compelling.

Beth sits at the centre of both narratives. In 2023, she is newly navigating motherhood after a difficult pregnancy, caring for baby Etta while clearly carrying unresolved trauma.

In 2013, Beth is living and working in San Francisco after uncovering a devastating betrayal involving her boyfriend and best friend. It’s strongly hinted that she’s attempted to take her own life following the discovery and has managed to transfer her job to an international office to escape and restart.

It’s here that Beth meets Marissa, who persuades her to take a class at Elixir. Elixir is a wellness clinic that quickly reveals cult-like traits: tiered membership levels, escalating costs and branded clothing with their ∞ logo. What begins as self-care slowly shifts into something far more controlling. Beth, in her vulnerable state, is an easy target and is swiftly swept up in it all.

From the 2023 timeline, we know Beth has escaped Elixir, but how and at what cost? When she receives an invitation emblazoned with ∞, paranoia sets in and the past threatens to bleed into her new life. 

I loved the twists towards the end with this one, especially a moment that strongly reminded me of Lunar Park. I am fascinated by cults so this element really worked for me!

∞

Thank you to Novel Tours and Datura for the book and including me on the tour.