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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED ON WHAT A NERD GIRL SAYS
I’m not just saying this: I honestly think Jessica Brody gets better at young adult contemporary with each and every book that she writes, and I thought that she was great from the beginning. This was the first book that I binge read in months and it was fantastic from beginning to end.
We’ve all wondered at some point in our life what it would be like if we had made a different decision. What would have happened if we would have gone to this school instead, if we had bought that car, if we hadn’t dated that person for six and a half years…
Well, Kennedy gets the chance to find and immediately, she’s super into it. This has GOT to be better than what’s going on in her life. She chose her boyfriend – er, well, now ex-boyfriend – over going to the school of her dreams and it blew up in her face when he cheated on her with her best friend. But, of course, not is all that it seems and the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
I think that while it’s a concept that we have seen before, Jessica does an amazing job at making it come alive. She helps us to remember that, despite the ups and downs in our life, they are what got us to where we are now and would we honestly really change that? I know I wouldn’t.
I love Kennedy. I love how freakin smart she is and how adaptable she is. I love her parents and her dorky little brother who reminds me of all of my five siblings rolled into one. I love how insanely dedicated she is to her school newspaper, the one that she took from dying to award winning. I think that Jessica has a way of making characters feel so real and I think that’s a hard thing to do in contemporary fiction. Its easy to make someone real and alive in something fantastic because of the world that’s going on around them but it’s hard to make someone stand out and feel real in the world that is so familiar to us and she’s so so good at that. She makes me laugh, she makes me think and she has me gripping the pages until the end.
While some may argue that ending may be slightly predictable (I disagree), the journey to get to that ending is so fun. Unfolding the life of Other-Kennedy is so fun and its addicting to watch someone get to live out what we have all wanted to do. All the characters are great, unique and lovable and I may have a slight crush on a few of the characters.
This is a LONG book for a contemporary but its worth each and every page. It has everything that I’d want from a novel like this and it left me laughing, like a Brody novel always does. A+ as always!
I’m not just saying this: I honestly think Jessica Brody gets better at young adult contemporary with each and every book that she writes, and I thought that she was great from the beginning. This was the first book that I binge read in months and it was fantastic from beginning to end.
We’ve all wondered at some point in our life what it would be like if we had made a different decision. What would have happened if we would have gone to this school instead, if we had bought that car, if we hadn’t dated that person for six and a half years…
Well, Kennedy gets the chance to find and immediately, she’s super into it. This has GOT to be better than what’s going on in her life. She chose her boyfriend – er, well, now ex-boyfriend – over going to the school of her dreams and it blew up in her face when he cheated on her with her best friend. But, of course, not is all that it seems and the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
I think that while it’s a concept that we have seen before, Jessica does an amazing job at making it come alive. She helps us to remember that, despite the ups and downs in our life, they are what got us to where we are now and would we honestly really change that? I know I wouldn’t.
I love Kennedy. I love how freakin smart she is and how adaptable she is. I love her parents and her dorky little brother who reminds me of all of my five siblings rolled into one. I love how insanely dedicated she is to her school newspaper, the one that she took from dying to award winning. I think that Jessica has a way of making characters feel so real and I think that’s a hard thing to do in contemporary fiction. Its easy to make someone real and alive in something fantastic because of the world that’s going on around them but it’s hard to make someone stand out and feel real in the world that is so familiar to us and she’s so so good at that. She makes me laugh, she makes me think and she has me gripping the pages until the end.
While some may argue that ending may be slightly predictable (I disagree), the journey to get to that ending is so fun. Unfolding the life of Other-Kennedy is so fun and its addicting to watch someone get to live out what we have all wanted to do. All the characters are great, unique and lovable and I may have a slight crush on a few of the characters.
This is a LONG book for a contemporary but its worth each and every page. It has everything that I’d want from a novel like this and it left me laughing, like a Brody novel always does. A+ as always!
DNF
Mini review:
I was really looking forward to reading this. I loved the synopsis and couldn't wait to start it. Unfortunately it wasn't for me.
My problem was the main character. I found her to be utterly annoying and crazily over dramatic. I have no idea if she improved, I didn't have it in me to see for myself.
I have a feeling people will still enjoy this. Recommend.
Mini review:
I was really looking forward to reading this. I loved the synopsis and couldn't wait to start it. Unfortunately it wasn't for me.
My problem was the main character. I found her to be utterly annoying and crazily over dramatic. I have no idea if she improved, I didn't have it in me to see for myself.
I have a feeling people will still enjoy this. Recommend.
3.5/5
This book started out really slow and the MC was slightly annoying, however, I am glad I stuck with it because it turned out to be a good book.
This book started out really slow and the MC was slightly annoying, however, I am glad I stuck with it because it turned out to be a good book.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
I mostly enjoyed this parallel life tale. There was one thing that I wish the author would not have pursued, but still liked the majority of the story.
•Pro: I am a fan of parallel universe stories, and this one had a little touch of It's a Wonderful Life in how Kennedy's alternate choice affected all those in her world.
•Con: I would have been fine with the cheating part of the book, if it had just served as the impetus for Kennedy rethinking her choice, but I just was not a fan of where Brody went with it. I appreciated how she tried to build a case for her decision and direction, but I could not get on board with it. That said, it did not ruin the whole story for me.
•Pro: Kennedy grew so much through this experience. She re-evaluated many things she thought were important and also recognized the things that were really important.
•Pro: The whole idea of how one decision can have a butterfly effect is quite powerful.
•Con: I thought the book could have been shorter. A few things felt unnecessary and at 464 pages for a contemporary, we could have done without them.
•Pro: Frankie was so fabulous. He was this little science nerd, and man, I was enthralled when he was talking nerdy to me. I also love strong sibling relationships, and was surprised by this one, because of the age difference, but I adored their interactions.
•Pro: I was a total Dylan fan. I liked the verbal sparring between him and Kennedy, and I liked how he challenged her. I greatly enjoyed watching their relationship bloom, and wish we had gotten more of it later on.
•Pro: I like most of the ending. If one thing had been omitted, I would have loved the ending. (I know, it's shocking to hear me say such things.)
•Pro: This was a fun read, and I love fun reads. I enjoyed a majority of the story, and liked almost all the characters. The family focus was a plus too, because it's always great when we meet solid YA families.
•Pro: There are a lot of great subtle messages in the story: being true to yourself, doing what you love, forgiveness, looking ahead and not behind. Lots of good take aways.
Overall: A fun and breezy tale, which asked if you should consider "what-ifs" or appreciate the "what-ares".
I mostly enjoyed this parallel life tale. There was one thing that I wish the author would not have pursued, but still liked the majority of the story.
•Pro: I am a fan of parallel universe stories, and this one had a little touch of It's a Wonderful Life in how Kennedy's alternate choice affected all those in her world.
•Con: I would have been fine with the cheating part of the book, if it had just served as the impetus for Kennedy rethinking her choice, but I just was not a fan of where Brody went with it. I appreciated how she tried to build a case for her decision and direction, but I could not get on board with it. That said, it did not ruin the whole story for me.
•Pro: Kennedy grew so much through this experience. She re-evaluated many things she thought were important and also recognized the things that were really important.
•Pro: The whole idea of how one decision can have a butterfly effect is quite powerful.
•Con: I thought the book could have been shorter. A few things felt unnecessary and at 464 pages for a contemporary, we could have done without them.
•Pro: Frankie was so fabulous. He was this little science nerd, and man, I was enthralled when he was talking nerdy to me. I also love strong sibling relationships, and was surprised by this one, because of the age difference, but I adored their interactions.
•Pro: I was a total Dylan fan. I liked the verbal sparring between him and Kennedy, and I liked how he challenged her. I greatly enjoyed watching their relationship bloom, and wish we had gotten more of it later on.
•Pro: I like most of the ending. If one thing had been omitted, I would have loved the ending. (I know, it's shocking to hear me say such things.)
•Pro: This was a fun read, and I love fun reads. I enjoyed a majority of the story, and liked almost all the characters. The family focus was a plus too, because it's always great when we meet solid YA families.
•Pro: There are a lot of great subtle messages in the story: being true to yourself, doing what you love, forgiveness, looking ahead and not behind. Lots of good take aways.
Overall: A fun and breezy tale, which asked if you should consider "what-ifs" or appreciate the "what-ares".
In the 46 pages I read I gave myself headache with how many times I rolled my eyes. This book is insufferable.
The protagonist is the worst, her obsession with print media is inexplicable, she’s spoiled and the way she catastrophised every scenario gave even me, A KNOWN CATASTROPHISER, pause. She needs therapy.
The constant job offers that her virtually unknown photographer father receives from an advertising firm with “more zeros each time” is absolute unbelievable rubbish. And his refusal to “sell out” and take the work is all well and good when his wife is a highly-paid lawyer.
Also, it was apparently important to invent a new name for Instagram in this book - SnipPic. Cool. Great.
The protagonist is the worst, her obsession with print media is inexplicable, she’s spoiled and the way she catastrophised every scenario gave even me, A KNOWN CATASTROPHISER, pause. She needs therapy.
The constant job offers that her virtually unknown photographer father receives from an advertising firm with “more zeros each time” is absolute unbelievable rubbish. And his refusal to “sell out” and take the work is all well and good when his wife is a highly-paid lawyer.
Also, it was apparently important to invent a new name for Instagram in this book - SnipPic. Cool. Great.
It was fantastic, brilliant and very engaging! I will definitely refead at some point
3.5 stars
Previously, I’ve only tried Jessica Brody’s science fiction (Unremembered), and it…didn’t do a lot for me. Despite that, I’ve had a few of her contemporary novels on my list forever but never gotten around to them. In Some Other Life appealed to me for that most classic of reasons: the cover’s cute. So sue me (actually, don’t, please). In Some Other Life is a fluffier readalike for Kasie West’s debut Pivot Point, and I liked it quite a bit.
Kennedy Rhodes turned down an elite private high school because her long-term crush wanted to date her; she decided to stick with public school in order to be with him. Three years after she let her shot at the private school go by, Kennedy discovers that her boyfriend is cheating on her with her best friend. Despite her other big accomplishments (great grades, editor of an award-winning school newspaper), Kennedy regrets that missed opportunity.
Conveniently, a head injury catapults her into an alternate universe where she chose her education over her love life. It’s a classic “be careful what you wish for” sort of scenario. Kennedy’s life at the private school is everything she dreamed: she’s popular, she excels at everything, and she’s a shoe-in for her dream college. However, her family’s a mess, because her dad took the soulless corporate job he’d turned down in her timeline in order to pay for her schooling. All of this turned this private school Kennedy into someone this Kennedy doesn’t like or respect.
The voice is good, and there’s a cute little ship, though it’s not the focal point of the story. Kennedy’s father and brother are also highlights of the novel. It’s interesting that choosing a boy over her education turns out to have been the right choice; some readers might not like that, but I do appreciate the fact that the novel highlights the far-reaching complexities of choices. The novel would have benefited from more development for said boyfriend, because legit all I know about him is his deep abiding love of fart jokes; considering that he’s the motivator driving much of the novel, it would have been more emotionally resonant if I got their connection. However, it’s nice that Kennedy reconnects with her friend in the end, albeit not as emotional as if she’d come to that in an organic way.
In Some Other Life was a great airplane read. For me, this basic set up only gets so good (because, while I like the formulaic nature of romance, the formulaic nature of “be careful what you wish for” I’m a bit less into), but Brody makes the somewhat stale concept fun. For all its length, it really didn’t feel all that long.
Previously, I’ve only tried Jessica Brody’s science fiction (Unremembered), and it…didn’t do a lot for me. Despite that, I’ve had a few of her contemporary novels on my list forever but never gotten around to them. In Some Other Life appealed to me for that most classic of reasons: the cover’s cute. So sue me (actually, don’t, please). In Some Other Life is a fluffier readalike for Kasie West’s debut Pivot Point, and I liked it quite a bit.
Kennedy Rhodes turned down an elite private high school because her long-term crush wanted to date her; she decided to stick with public school in order to be with him. Three years after she let her shot at the private school go by, Kennedy discovers that her boyfriend is cheating on her with her best friend. Despite her other big accomplishments (great grades, editor of an award-winning school newspaper), Kennedy regrets that missed opportunity.
Conveniently, a head injury catapults her into an alternate universe where she chose her education over her love life. It’s a classic “be careful what you wish for” sort of scenario. Kennedy’s life at the private school is everything she dreamed: she’s popular, she excels at everything, and she’s a shoe-in for her dream college. However, her family’s a mess, because her dad took the soulless corporate job he’d turned down in her timeline in order to pay for her schooling. All of this turned this private school Kennedy into someone this Kennedy doesn’t like or respect.
The voice is good, and there’s a cute little ship, though it’s not the focal point of the story. Kennedy’s father and brother are also highlights of the novel. It’s interesting that choosing a boy over her education turns out to have been the right choice; some readers might not like that, but I do appreciate the fact that the novel highlights the far-reaching complexities of choices. The novel would have benefited from more development for said boyfriend, because legit all I know about him is his deep abiding love of fart jokes; considering that he’s the motivator driving much of the novel, it would have been more emotionally resonant if I got their connection. However, it’s nice that Kennedy reconnects with her friend in the end, albeit not as emotional as if she’d come to that in an organic way.
In Some Other Life was a great airplane read. For me, this basic set up only gets so good (because, while I like the formulaic nature of romance, the formulaic nature of “be careful what you wish for” I’m a bit less into), but Brody makes the somewhat stale concept fun. For all its length, it really didn’t feel all that long.