Who isn’t a fan of the book or movie Freaky Friday? I know I am. It is a very clever and funny story about a mom and daughter who switch lives and learn important lessons about each other. The book Your Perfect Life by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke draws inspiration from that story and they make it unique, even though the storyline has been somewhat overdone.
Goodreads provides this description of the book:
Best friends since childhood, Casey and Rachel couldn’t lead more different lives. While workaholic Casey rubs elbows with celebrities daily as the host of Gossip TV and comes home nightly to an empty apartment, stay-at-home mom Rachel juggles an “oops” baby, two fiery teenagers, and a husband who barely seems the man she fell in love with two decades before. After an argument at their twentieth high school reunion, Casey and Rachel throw back shots to get the night back on track. Instead, they get a life-changing hangover.
Waking up in each other’s bodies the next morning, they must figure out how to navigate their altered realities. Rachel is forced to confront the reason she gave up her broadcasting dreams when she got pregnant in college, and Casey finally steps out of the spotlight to face the truth about why she’s alone. And they soon discover that they don’t know themselves—or their best friend—nearly as well as they thought they did.
Waking up in each other’s bodies the next morning, they must figure out how to navigate their altered realities. Rachel is forced to confront the reason she gave up her broadcasting dreams when she got pregnant in college, and Casey finally steps out of the spotlight to face the truth about why she’s alone. And they soon discover that they don’t know themselves—or their best friend—nearly as well as they thought they did.
When I read the description of the book, my first thought was honestly “great, Freaky Friday Part 2, cue the cheese”. Although it resembles that story, Your Perfect Life has believable storylines and characters with depth (not implyingFreaky Friday doesn’t, but because the stories are so similar, I was surprised at the depth of the story and character development). Once Casey and Rachel trade lives, they really have the chance to see what the other person goes through on a daily basis and they learn the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, which is a hard lesson for most of us to learn without trading bodies with people.
I gave this book 3 stars because although it was a well written book, the storyline wasn’t as original as other books in the same genre.
Guest Reviewer: Kara Kelly
About the Authors
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have been best friends for 25 years and survived high school and college together. Liz lives in San Diego, CA with her husband and two children. Lisa, a former talk show producer, now lives in Chicago, IL with her husband, daughter and two bonus children.
Their novel, YOUR PERFECT LIFE, about two childhood best friends who switch bodies at their twenty-year high school reunion, was published by Atria Books in June 2014.
A copy of the book was provided and there was no monetary compensation for review.
No comments:
Post a Comment