When high school senior Kelsey's identical twin sister, Michelle, dies in a car crash, Kelsey is left without her other half. The only person who doesn't know about the tragedy is Michelle's boyfriend, Peter, recently deployed to Afghanistan. But when Kelsey finally connects with Peter online, she can't bear to tell him the truth. Active duty has taken its toll, and Peter, thinking that Kelsey is Michelle, says that seeing her is the one thing keeping him alive. Caught up in the moment, Kelsey has no choice: She lets Peter believe that she is her sister.
As Kelsey keeps up the act, she crosses the line from pretend to real. Soon, Kelsey can't deny that she's falling, hard, for the one boy she shouldn't want.
Hardcover, 320 pages
Expected publication:
July 7th 2015
by Poppy
Terri's Thoughts
**I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for am honest review. The expected publication date is July 7th 2015**
I took a read of the synopsis and I knew I just had to read this story. Something about the storyline just spoke to me. It could be the fact that I am a twin so it is pretty easy for me to visualize just how many directions this story could take and none of them good.
I will cut to the chase and say that this did not have the deep emotional impact that it could have. It did however get the point across effectively. Upon reflection this is a YA story and offers just the right amount of emotion and drama for the genre.
As a twin I couldn't even fathom doing what Kelsey did in this story. First, I would be mourning so deeply that I would be inconsolable. Second, the thought of falling for my sisters boyfriend (or husband in the case of real life) just plain gives me the creeps. It simply goes way beyond the girls code, BFF code, and sister code. Maybe that is why I was so curious to see how this was going to turn out.
The story is not very long so it does slightly gloss over all of the emotion. What could have been dragged out longer to get a greater emotional impact was instead a short read that moves rather quickly. As a result the reader does not spend a lot of time grieving over Michelle, falling for Peter and planning for the future. This may appeal to some as you get the story and you do not have to "work" for it.
I myself enjoyed this read. As a twin I like to read any stories that deal with these sibling relationships. While I may not have found some of it entirely believable (no spoilers here!) I did indeed like it.
About the Author
I'm always wary of books where one twin dies and the other one takes their place (or something along those lines) because it just sets up so many issues, and it seems like they're crossing a boundary which shouldn't be crossed. But like you, I am kind of interested in how everything plays out in A Million Miles Away so maybe I'll check it out some time. Great review!
ReplyDeleteZareena @ The Slanted Bookshelf