Review: 4.5 Original Stars!!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 30, 2013
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?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.FAVOURITE QUOTES: "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."***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.***This book was gifted to me for an honest review.