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sienaro's review against another edition
2.0
This book had great potential. Identical twins, one dies, the other pretends to be her when she wakes up from unconsciousness not remembering anything. I was actually excited to read it. What I found, though, was bitter disappointment. I did not like Ella, the main character, and she never committed to any of her decisions. She should have actually been Maddy or owned up and it was very annoying to me when she did neither. The other characters also fell flat as we literally knew nothing about them except Josh wears ratty clothes usually and Alex is popular. There were a lot of ways this story could have gone to be interesting –such as memory loss gained in small snippets like the Adoration of Jenna Fox– but it fell short entirely. I honestly wished that Ella would have won the Snow Ball queen at the end because winning a crown at a high school dance court would have been the least cliché moment in this book.
On the bright side, its reading level is low and it only took me an hour to finish.
2 stars out of 5.
On the bright side, its reading level is low and it only took me an hour to finish.
2 stars out of 5.
hayhoov's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jskelton's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
marvelouspyt's review against another edition
3.0
The book description is what hooked me. Twins, secrets, death...I just knew it was going to a fast-paced thriller. I thought were going to find out those deep, dark secrets but no. Maddy and Ella were the stereotypical teenaged identical twins. As always with a twin situation, the were best friends when they were kids but grew apart as teens. It always happens and I as the reader was already expecting it. The book did a great job of highlighting the differences between twins, even in some of the most clichéd ways.
The story starts with Ella at home on a weekend night finishes her art school portfolio. she gets a call from her twin sister Maddy. Maddy is at a teen party and needs a ride home. Ella, being the dutiful sister, goes to the party to pick up Maddy. When she gets there, she notices that Maddy has been crying and barefooted. They get in the car and take off but not before long, the sisters argue. Apparently there is some long time anger between the sisters that was just at the surface ready to be released. Well, the anger was released right at Ella was taking a sharp curve and runs the into the tree. Ella awakens in the hospital two days later with no idea of who she is. Her family assume that she is Maddy as they were driving Maddy's car when the accident happened. Later on, while still in the hospital she realizes the truth. Thinking the alternative would be harder for her parents, she pretends to be Maddy. Living as Maddy has shown Ella that she didn't know her sister as well as she thought and that Maddy has done a unforgivable act.
The author's writing took me through a emotional rollercoaster for sure. I was either mad or annoyed by a character and other times I wanted to cry. Reading a book when a teenager or child has died tends to have that effect on me but I was really a bag of tears at some parts. The ending, when the real twin is revealed the aftermath was so anticlimactic. Where there should have been some anger at being lied to everyone was like "oh you lied, that's no big deal". Everyone was so freaking calm and I thought that was hella weird. And I was hoping for a more emotional reactions to the reveal but no. The ending kind of fell flat into a net package that didn't seem completely realistic. However, I liked the book and the author as I have read some of her other titles.
The story starts with Ella at home on a weekend night finishes her art school portfolio. she gets a call from her twin sister Maddy. Maddy is at a teen party and needs a ride home. Ella, being the dutiful sister, goes to the party to pick up Maddy. When she gets there, she notices that Maddy has been crying and barefooted. They get in the car and take off but not before long, the sisters argue. Apparently there is some long time anger between the sisters that was just at the surface ready to be released. Well, the anger was released right at Ella was taking a sharp curve and runs the into the tree. Ella awakens in the hospital two days later with no idea of who she is. Her family assume that she is Maddy as they were driving Maddy's car when the accident happened. Later on, while still in the hospital she realizes the truth. Thinking the alternative would be harder for her parents, she pretends to be Maddy. Living as Maddy has shown Ella that she didn't know her sister as well as she thought and that Maddy has done a unforgivable act.
The author's writing took me through a emotional rollercoaster for sure. I was either mad or annoyed by a character and other times I wanted to cry. Reading a book when a teenager or child has died tends to have that effect on me but I was really a bag of tears at some parts. The ending, when the real twin is revealed the aftermath was so anticlimactic. Where there should have been some anger at being lied to everyone was like "oh you lied, that's no big deal". Everyone was so freaking calm and I thought that was hella weird. And I was hoping for a more emotional reactions to the reveal but no. The ending kind of fell flat into a net package that didn't seem completely realistic. However, I liked the book and the author as I have read some of her other titles.
mriva005's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jwinchell's review against another edition
2.0
This is a twist on the "switched at birth" story, except that one twin is mistaken for the other after a fatal car accident. The characters are 17 but it is tame enough for middle grades--no violence, no sex, no language. Just writing that left me wanting more and characters that felt flat throughout. I had to skim in order to save myself from a week of loathsome "reading" (aka falling asleep right away). I'll still pitch this to kids who like realistic fiction with semi-suspenseful twists.
lisawreading's review against another edition
2.0
The premise sounded intriguing, but ultimately this story of one twin assuming the other's identity after a deadly car crash lacks enough plausibility to make it work. The surviving twin's reasoning just doesn't hold up, and I couldn't suspend my disbelief for more than a few pages at a time. Still, I did finish the book, so there's that.
hudsonpeeps's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting concept but so unrealistic and poorly developed. I kept thinking that surely there would be a big plot twist. The characters lacked depth and weren't very likable. I didn't feel attached to any of them. It was definitely a quick and easy read though.
mom2triplets04's review against another edition
4.0
Story about twin girls. They get in a tragic accident and switch places. It was an enjoyable read but very predictable.
lexslittlecorner's review against another edition
3.0
Maddie and Ella are identical twins who aren't exactly close. Both girls are in a car accident that kills Maddie, when Ella gains consciousness and finds that everyone believes that she's Maddy she rolls with it.
As much as the flaws are so obvious even on reading just a synopsis, I'm a sucker for twin swap stories and you can blame The Parent Trap for that.
As a casual read, yeah it kept me entertained but as an actual reality, really? you can't tell which daughter that is?
I have identical twin cousins just a year younger than I am and my parents and brother and grandparents still can never tell which is which and have to ask me subtly to identify them. I've never understood it, yeah they're "identical" but they definitely aren't, and it's so obvious to me just by looking at them to know who is who. So for me, to have an entire book plot based on it seems absurd. Yet I still liked the book and still enjoy movies based on exactly the same thing.
As much as the flaws are so obvious even on reading just a synopsis, I'm a sucker for twin swap stories and you can blame The Parent Trap for that.
As a casual read, yeah it kept me entertained but as an actual reality, really? you can't tell which daughter that is?
I have identical twin cousins just a year younger than I am and my parents and brother and grandparents still can never tell which is which and have to ask me subtly to identify them. I've never understood it, yeah they're "identical" but they definitely aren't, and it's so obvious to me just by looking at them to know who is who. So for me, to have an entire book plot based on it seems absurd. Yet I still liked the book and still enjoy movies based on exactly the same thing.