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vanessamariebooks's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This story is fast-paced, which I love, and keeps you flipping through pages to find out what's going to happen next. Read this in one day and did not want to put it down. While I'm not a huge sci-fi reader, I loved the concept of this one and the idea of being able to transplant/switch your consciousness with another and the ethical implications of this type of science. The only thing is I wish we could've gone deeper into this topic and the ethics/morality surrounding it, especially given the conversation towards the end (but I won't spoil that for anyone). I feel like the story gives us an introductory, surface-level exploration of the topic, but the ending does leave the possibility for future books, so if there are more books in the future, I hope we get to dig deeper into this topic/theme. Also, because this is a "low sci-fi" story," it's easily accessible to anyone new to the sci-fi genre or gets confused by heavy science topics.
I also appreciate the main character, Megan, and how smart and active of a character she is. So many books and movies like this have characters that are passive and/or react in dumb ways that makes the situation worse and the only reason for that is so the writers can raise the stakes and try to back the character into a difficult situation that puts them in peril, but this book shows that writers don't have to do this. You can have smart characters and have them do things that are smart and logical, but still get trapped into an impossible, no-win (seemingly) situation. Doing this makes the payoff, when they do finally get out of that situation, much more rewarding.
I also love that the romance subplot is a small part of the story and it doesn't overtake the story like a lot of YA novels tend to do. I love the natural progression of Megan and Ryan's relationship, it definitely did NOT feel like insta-love and it never got to be too much for the story. They both stayed focused on the mystery of the story and I appreciated that. This story also has some interesting twists that I didn't see coming until right before they happened. Not sure if that's just because of how fast-paced the story is, but I enjoyed the twists as well. Overall, this was a quick, fun read and I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you love fast-paced, YA sci-fi stories.
To hear more of my thoughts on this one, check out the Diversity is Lit bookclub discussion: https://www.youtube.com/live/zTjMj7izT3Y?si=Ns_HNIGbHK-HCQLZ
I also appreciate the main character, Megan, and how smart and active of a character she is. So many books and movies like this have characters that are passive and/or react in dumb ways that makes the situation worse and the only reason for that is so the writers can raise the stakes and try to back the character into a difficult situation that puts them in peril, but this book shows that writers don't have to do this. You can have smart characters and have them do things that are smart and logical, but still get trapped into an impossible, no-win (seemingly) situation. Doing this makes the payoff, when they do finally get out of that situation, much more rewarding.
I also love that the romance subplot is a small part of the story and it doesn't overtake the story like a lot of YA novels tend to do. I love the natural progression of Megan and Ryan's relationship, it definitely did NOT feel like insta-love and it never got to be too much for the story. They both stayed focused on the mystery of the story and I appreciated that. This story also has some interesting twists that I didn't see coming until right before they happened. Not sure if that's just because of how fast-paced the story is, but I enjoyed the twists as well. Overall, this was a quick, fun read and I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you love fast-paced, YA sci-fi stories.
To hear more of my thoughts on this one, check out the Diversity is Lit bookclub discussion: https://www.youtube.com/live/zTjMj7izT3Y?si=Ns_HNIGbHK-HCQLZ
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
peachmoni's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Dysphoria
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Alcohol
once_upon_a_storybook's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
4.5 stars. This was so good. Kept me on the edge of my seat and I did not see the twist coming at the end. I loved the originality of the plot, a body snatching sci-fi novel, yes please! I liked how LC wasn’t really a villain and was just dealt a shitty hand at life. Megan was a really good friend because she understood why LC did what she did. This was so captivating and if this is on your shelf, please read it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Drug abuse
booktribe's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
This young adult body-swap thriller was so fast paced and suspenseful! I was hooked from the very beginning & stayed engrossed in the story throughout the whole book! I loved that the mystery wasn’t easily predictable and that I had no idea the turns it would take. I cared about the characters! This does have a little bit of romance, but not so much that it takes over the story and distracts from the mystery. I was in a terrible reading slump when I started this book. No book I picked up could keep my attention. But when I started this, the fast pace & intrigue pulled me right out of that slump!
I also appreciated how this story didn’t ignore the realities of being a Black person in thriller-genre situations and how there are very few safe options for us in instances like these. In thrillers by white authors we know that when the cops come, the day is saved. Or that people will actually believe those characters when they tell a person of authority the truth. That is not the case for us. And I really appreciate that this book touched on that and how we have to take things into our own hands to make sure that we keep ourselves and each other safe.
I did want to mention something that I didn’t like really quick. There was a point in this book where a character says “I don’t have the spoons for this.” I’m not sure if the author is aware, but the term “spoons” in this context is specifically used for the disabled community when pain or illness keeps us from being able to do the activities that we want or need to do. This term isn’t synonymous with the word “tired” or having “low energy”. It’s specifically for the chronic pain & chronically ill community. This didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book because I feel like the author really probably doesn’t know. But I just want to address it so that the term doesn’t get misused.
I received a free early e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Balzer + Bray and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.
TW: child abuse, parental death, foster care
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent