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balalenzon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
erittäin hieno tarina erittäin vaikeasta aiheesta - kuinka elää eläämänsä kun on syntynyt väärään kehoon. hieno kasvutarina ja kuvaus ystävyydestä, rajat ja ennakkoluulot ylittävästä rakkaudesta.
lolasreviews's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
I really liked the sound of the blurb, but I never expected to like it as much as I did. I really like this authors writing style and as soon as I started this book I just couldn't stop reading it. The story totally captured my attention. The story is fresh and original and the author captures those teenager feelings of feeling left out so well. I could totally relate to Treasa, even though she has different problems, those feelings of being alone and misunderstood are feelings I struggled with when I was a teenager as well. I loved how well Suzanne captured those feelings and wrote this story without being afraid to handle the difficult topics.
I really liked the characters and how real they felt, for some reason I love it in contemporary romance books when the character feel real. They acted realistic and I enjoyed learning more asbout these two troubled teenagers. The two point of view thing really worked for this story and gives the reader both Treasa and Gabriel their point of view. Both have their issues, but I really liked both of them and understood why they acted the way they did. While dealing with some serious topics, it managed to have enough light and funny moments as well.
I really liked the romance in this book. The ending was a bit too open for my taste, while on the one hand it was a great ending, I also wanted more. I grew to like these characters and I just wanted to know what would happen next.
There are some south african words thrown in, but as the language looks a lot like Dutch (my mother language) I didn't have much difficulty understanding the words and I liked how this book was set in a country i've never read about, although there wasn't much focus on the setting I still liked it.
To conclude: I really enjoyed The Other Me and once I started it I didn't want to put it down. I really like Suzanne her writing style and I loved how well she wrote about difficult issues and managed to write those feelings of feeling alone and different so well. The ending was great, although a bit too open for my taste. The romance was done well. The Other Me is one of the most fresh and original Young Adult contemporary romances I read in a while!
I really liked the sound of the blurb, but I never expected to like it as much as I did. I really like this authors writing style and as soon as I started this book I just couldn't stop reading it. The story totally captured my attention. The story is fresh and original and the author captures those teenager feelings of feeling left out so well. I could totally relate to Treasa, even though she has different problems, those feelings of being alone and misunderstood are feelings I struggled with when I was a teenager as well. I loved how well Suzanne captured those feelings and wrote this story without being afraid to handle the difficult topics.
I really liked the characters and how real they felt, for some reason I love it in contemporary romance books when the character feel real. They acted realistic and I enjoyed learning more asbout these two troubled teenagers. The two point of view thing really worked for this story and gives the reader both Treasa and Gabriel their point of view. Both have their issues, but I really liked both of them and understood why they acted the way they did. While dealing with some serious topics, it managed to have enough light and funny moments as well.
I really liked the romance in this book. The ending was a bit too open for my taste, while on the one hand it was a great ending, I also wanted more. I grew to like these characters and I just wanted to know what would happen next.
There are some south african words thrown in, but as the language looks a lot like Dutch (my mother language) I didn't have much difficulty understanding the words and I liked how this book was set in a country i've never read about, although there wasn't much focus on the setting I still liked it.
To conclude: I really enjoyed The Other Me and once I started it I didn't want to put it down. I really like Suzanne her writing style and I loved how well she wrote about difficult issues and managed to write those feelings of feeling alone and different so well. The ending was great, although a bit too open for my taste. The romance was done well. The Other Me is one of the most fresh and original Young Adult contemporary romances I read in a while!
helinae's review against another edition
5.0
Finally a teenage girl I can relate to, and not a school drama full of candy floss and makeup!
The Other Me tells a story of Treasa, alien to her own body, and Gabriel, the troubled multi-talent boy. Discussing their feelings and fears makes this book interesting on multiple levels: Nobody is perfect and you should not fear what you feel inside. The musical and school related themes bind the story well together to a believable teenager scenario one can truly relate to. You find yourself cheering for the characters to go on and express themselves, and they do.
This book is a good read for teenagers and parents alike if one is having a hard time with theirselves, or a loved one is experiencing alienated feelings regarding their own body. Life is not about fitting into a norm, but discovering what you feel and love.
I enjoyed the book. Hoped it to be longer, but the ending still left me with a happy, fuzzy feeling of the story.
The Other Me tells a story of Treasa, alien to her own body, and Gabriel, the troubled multi-talent boy. Discussing their feelings and fears makes this book interesting on multiple levels: Nobody is perfect and you should not fear what you feel inside. The musical and school related themes bind the story well together to a believable teenager scenario one can truly relate to. You find yourself cheering for the characters to go on and express themselves, and they do.
This book is a good read for teenagers and parents alike if one is having a hard time with theirselves, or a loved one is experiencing alienated feelings regarding their own body. Life is not about fitting into a norm, but discovering what you feel and love.
I enjoyed the book. Hoped it to be longer, but the ending still left me with a happy, fuzzy feeling of the story.
kaarna's review against another edition
3.0
I have really contradictory feelings about this novel. On one hand, it felt way too long, but on the other, I thought it didn't get to the point until the very end. Reading from the back cover that one of the main characters "wants to be a boy" (I'm quoting because it's a problematic phrase, but it's the one the character/author used), and having been recommended this book as a YA novel with a trans main character, the huge plot twist wasn't really a plot twist at all, and that was a bit disappointing.
I'm wondering to what kind of reader is this book intended to. If you pick out the clues about the character's gender identity early, there is really no point to the story. If you don't pick them up, do you have enough knowledge on trans issues to feel like the story is complete? Doesn't it really leave everything hanging in the air?
I understand the need/want to write a book about someone who hasn't yet figured out their gender identity, and who does so during the book. That's an important point and very welcome to the genre, I think. (From my experience, most YA books with a trans main character go along the lines "I've always know and now I've decided to come out") But still, the story felt inconsistent. There wasn't much text/talk/pondering about gender or gender identity or expression. Of course the typical, "I don't want to wear a dress" type of speech was present, but it felt like the book was built on one metaphor (feeling like an alien because you're trans), and that's how far it got. Nothing to relate to, and the moment when Tristan realized they are trans, is just skipped over and left as "something huge to be revealed later".
I was a bit disappointed, and I'm giving the novel three stars mainly for the effort.
I'm wondering to what kind of reader is this book intended to. If you pick out the clues about the character's gender identity early, there is really no point to the story. If you don't pick them up, do you have enough knowledge on trans issues to feel like the story is complete? Doesn't it really leave everything hanging in the air?
I understand the need/want to write a book about someone who hasn't yet figured out their gender identity, and who does so during the book. That's an important point and very welcome to the genre, I think. (From my experience, most YA books with a trans main character go along the lines "I've always know and now I've decided to come out") But still, the story felt inconsistent. There wasn't much text/talk/pondering about gender or gender identity or expression. Of course the typical, "I don't want to wear a dress" type of speech was present, but it felt like the book was built on one metaphor (feeling like an alien because you're trans), and that's how far it got. Nothing to relate to, and the moment when Tristan realized they are trans, is just skipped over and left as "something huge to be revealed later".
I was a bit disappointed, and I'm giving the novel three stars mainly for the effort.
missriki's review against another edition
3.0
Fifteen-year-old Treasa Prescott thinks she’s an alien. All signs in her carefully executed experiments lead to this conclusion since she clearly doesn’t fit in with the other preppy South African private school kids she attends classes with. She feels claustrophobic in her own skin, constantly questioning herself. When Treasa meets amazing Gabriel dr Preez, she thinks he is perfect. Treasa grows increasingly concerned when what she thinks is love for Gabriel turns into a deep longing to just be him. Suddenly she is less sure that she’s an alien and more sure that she’s been born into the wrong gender’s body. Together Treasa and Gabriel battle dark secrets and find a way to live authentically.
This was a really interesting look at gender dysphoria. Treasa has the physical appearance and body of a female, but is emotionally and spiritually male. Her confusion and pain is evident throughout, as she fights to find a reason for why she feels so different in her own skin.
I felt like the book started off really slow and took awhile to really get into the flow, which was really too bad, because once it does, it gets really good. It is written in dual POV, switching between Treasa and Gabriel, and I loved that the author really gave us a good look at both teen’s stories.
The last half of the book moves at a much quicker pace than the first and when it finally gets down to the nitty gritty of the story, I was intrigued. Unfortunately it wandered quite a bit along the way and then ended a little abruptly for me. I had just really gotten into the characters when all of a sudden it was over. I wanted to see much more of Treasa’s emotions and thought processes once she accepts the fact that she is actually male.
This book is a captivating look at acceptance and looking past outward appearances, with wonderful themes of redemption and forgiveness. The Other Me tackles the tough topic of gender dysphoria with grace and compassion, giving readers a look into what it really feels like to live in a body that feels foreign to you.
lifeandliterature's review against another edition
4.0
"Do you know what it's like to live every day feeling trapped, feeling cheated by God and biology? Nobody asked me if I wanted this body." I grab at my boobs, wishing I could tear them right off. "Every day-" My voice cracks, and a new onslaught of tears threatens to wreck my complexion. "Every day, I wish I'd never been born, because then I wouldn't have to live this lie."
You know how sometimes you can start reading a book, and despite it being a fantastic and engrossing read, it can feel like you've read it before because of the subject matter? Well, The Other Me is a fantastic read. It is a book that completely drags you into the story and it is so completely original and unique that you will never once feel like it's been done before. And that's because I've never read a book based around this subject before.
At some stage in our lives we all experiment with the way we look, the clothes we wear and how we wear our hair. Imagine doing all of that because the body that you are in feels so completely foreign to you. Fifteen year old Treasa Prescott feels like an alien. An alien living in the body of a girl. Then she meets Gabriel du Preez and she is instantly drawn to him. She thinks he's perfect. But Gabriel is fighting some pretty heavy demons of his own and he believes that he doesn't deserve someone like Treasa. But he can't seem to get her out of his head. When their secrets are revealed how will they both deal with the very real and deep feelings that they have both developed?
He smiles, and not even the sunshine parting the clouds or the rainbow hanging in the sky comes close to the radiance of his expression.
I love books written in dual point of view. The ultimate way to get to know both main characters on a deeper level. Being able to get a true feeling for what they are experiencing allows a much greater connection and understanding of not just the characters, but also the story. And The Other Me allowed me, as the reader to feel both characters pain. I didn't expect to be so taken in by this story and it's characters. But the things that they were both dealing with pulled at my heart. It ached for them. Going through your teenage years can be hard at the best of times, but Treasa and Gabriel are dealing with so much on top of the norm.
I loved Suzanne Van Rooyen's writing style. It made reading her words so easy. Her characters came across as incredibly real. Add all of that into the uniqueness of the stories subject and The Other Me turned out to be a book that I absolutely loved. So much in fact that I would love to read more of these characters. I would love to see how Treasa deals with all the changes she will be going through. I would love to see the deeper development of the friendship between Gabriel and Tristan. And I would love to be there as Gabriel and his Dad repair their relationship.
My only negative, if you could even call it that, was that I felt the end wrapped up too quickly. But aside from that, if you are looking for a Young Adult contemporary, with a storyline that hasn't been done before, then I couldn't recommend The Other Me highly enough.
4.5/5 Original Stars.
You know how sometimes you can start reading a book, and despite it being a fantastic and engrossing read, it can feel like you've read it before because of the subject matter? Well, The Other Me is a fantastic read. It is a book that completely drags you into the story and it is so completely original and unique that you will never once feel like it's been done before. And that's because I've never read a book based around this subject before.
At some stage in our lives we all experiment with the way we look, the clothes we wear and how we wear our hair. Imagine doing all of that because the body that you are in feels so completely foreign to you. Fifteen year old Treasa Prescott feels like an alien. An alien living in the body of a girl. Then she meets Gabriel du Preez and she is instantly drawn to him. She thinks he's perfect. But Gabriel is fighting some pretty heavy demons of his own and he believes that he doesn't deserve someone like Treasa. But he can't seem to get her out of his head. When their secrets are revealed how will they both deal with the very real and deep feelings that they have both developed?
He smiles, and not even the sunshine parting the clouds or the rainbow hanging in the sky comes close to the radiance of his expression.
I love books written in dual point of view. The ultimate way to get to know both main characters on a deeper level. Being able to get a true feeling for what they are experiencing allows a much greater connection and understanding of not just the characters, but also the story. And The Other Me allowed me, as the reader to feel both characters pain. I didn't expect to be so taken in by this story and it's characters. But the things that they were both dealing with pulled at my heart. It ached for them. Going through your teenage years can be hard at the best of times, but Treasa and Gabriel are dealing with so much on top of the norm.
I loved Suzanne Van Rooyen's writing style. It made reading her words so easy. Her characters came across as incredibly real. Add all of that into the uniqueness of the stories subject and The Other Me turned out to be a book that I absolutely loved. So much in fact that I would love to read more of these characters. I would love to see how Treasa deals with all the changes she will be going through. I would love to see the deeper development of the friendship between Gabriel and Tristan. And I would love to be there as Gabriel and his Dad repair their relationship.
My only negative, if you could even call it that, was that I felt the end wrapped up too quickly. But aside from that, if you are looking for a Young Adult contemporary, with a storyline that hasn't been done before, then I couldn't recommend The Other Me highly enough.
4.5/5 Original Stars.
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