Why Can't I Be You by Allie Larkin
Publisher: Plume Books / Penguin Publishing
Publication Date: February 26, 2013
Format: Paperback - 304 pages / Kindle - 583 KB / Nook - 985 KB
ISBN: 0452298377
ASIN: B008XO7Q34
Genre: Women's Fiction
BUY THE BOOK: Why Can't I Be You
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by AToMR Tours.
Book Description:
In an instant, Jenny Shaw becomes Jessie Morgan, a woman to whom she bears an uncanny resemblance. She is immediately embraced by Jessie’s warm circle of friends – and gains a possible love interest. But when Jenny becomes more and more curious about Jessie’s history, she uncovers a trail of secrets, pain and deceit that inspires her to uncover the truth that will heal her own painful past.
Book Excerpt:
The shuttle pulled up to a roundabout in front of the Salish
Lodge. It looked familiar, and I thought for a second that
maybe I’d been there before. Maybe on a summer vacation, back
when my parents were still together, back when I was too young
to really remember. But the guy from the couple started humming
a familiar song slightly off-key. I shuddered involuntarily and realized
we were at the same lodge they used as the Great Northern
Hotel on Twin Peaks.
I used to stay up late watching Twin Peaks by myself on the little color TV my dad bought me for my eighth birthday as a ploy to win my affections after the divorce. My mother said it wasn’t good for me, that my television watching should be monitored and I was too young to watch unsupervised. But my dad said, “It’s not hooked up to the cable. Honestly, Marie! What’s the worst she can watch?”
He helped me set it up in my room, teaching me how to angle the silver arms of the antenna to get good reception, before my mother’s dirty looks and heavy sighs drove him out of the house again. I started watching Twin Peaks because everyone in my class was talking about it, even though it was on past my bedtime and way over my head. I would sit with my nose almost pressed to the screen, a blanket over me and the TV, so I could keep the volume low and the light from flickering under my door. Face-to-face with dead Laura Palmer and Killer BOB, I held my own hand for comfort, squeezing until my fingers went numb. I slept with the lights on until I turned eleven.
I used to stay up late watching Twin Peaks by myself on the little color TV my dad bought me for my eighth birthday as a ploy to win my affections after the divorce. My mother said it wasn’t good for me, that my television watching should be monitored and I was too young to watch unsupervised. But my dad said, “It’s not hooked up to the cable. Honestly, Marie! What’s the worst she can watch?”
He helped me set it up in my room, teaching me how to angle the silver arms of the antenna to get good reception, before my mother’s dirty looks and heavy sighs drove him out of the house again. I started watching Twin Peaks because everyone in my class was talking about it, even though it was on past my bedtime and way over my head. I would sit with my nose almost pressed to the screen, a blanket over me and the TV, so I could keep the volume low and the light from flickering under my door. Face-to-face with dead Laura Palmer and Killer BOB, I held my own hand for comfort, squeezing until my fingers went numb. I slept with the lights on until I turned eleven.
My Book Review:
Jenny Shaw is a junior account executive with a PR firm in Rochester, NY, who is going on her first business trip to Seattle to attend a conference in the place of her boss. After the seminar, she has plans to spend a week long romantic Napa wine country vacation with her boyfriend Deagan. But on the way to the airport, Deagan breaks up with Jenny for another woman, and leaves the airport with her suitcase still in the trunk. Heartbroken and with no clothes, Jenny embarks on a trip that starts off badly and takes a crazy twist when a case of mistaken identity leads her to assume the identity of a woman named Jessie Morgan.
Stepping into the elevator at the lodge in Seattle, a woman named Myra Aberly mistakes Jenny for her long-lost high school best friend Jessie Morgan, who disappeared right after their high school graduation. Thinking that Jessie has shown up for their thirteenth high school class reunion, Myra latches onto Jenny, who gets caught up in the moment, and doesn't tell her that she isn't her long-lost friend Jessie. Jenny didn't have an easy life: she grew up leading a lonely life as an only child whose parents were divorced, a mother who was an alcoholic, and she had little to no friends. In Myra, Jenny finds a true friend like she never had in high school, and as she gets introduced to Jessie's group of friends, she finally feels like she belongs. But how long can Jenny's escape from her own life through her reinvented life as Jessie continue? When the truth comes to light, will Jenny be able to go back to her lonely life, or will this experience change her?
Why Can't I Be You is a lighthearted story of a woman who embarks on a journey of self-discovery through a case of mistaken identity, who ends up finding her true self along the way. Author Allie Larkins weaves an entertaining tale written in the first person narrative, with the main character Jenny Shaw taking the reader along for the ride on her journey to discover herself. Set in Rochester, NY and Seattle, WA, Jenny's story unfolds with flashbacks to her childhood, which helps the reader relate to Jenny wanting to escape her lonely life by assuming the life of another person. Pretending to be Jessie allows Jenny to open up and try things that the wild child and free spirited Jessie had done, things that Jenny never would have dreamed of doing, and along the way she discovers the person she is meant to be.
With a complex cast of characters who are endearing and have interesting personal histories; with witty dialogue and engaging interactions; and an intriguing storyline about identities, friendships, and family dynamics; it doesn't take much for the reader to get drawn into this fast-paced entertaining story. Author Allie Larkin has a way of weaving a tale that is both funny and sad, it makes the reader ponder the craziness of wanting to be someone else, while dealing with personal issues and gaining life lessons along the way.
Why Can't I Be You is an enjoyable story of one woman's journey of self-discovery that has humor, emotional drama, twists and turns, and some subtle romance thrown in the mix. This is the kind of story that keeps the reader thoroughly entertained from beginning to end.
RATING: 4 STARS ****
About The Author
Allie Larkin is the internationally bestselling author of the novel Stay, and the newly released novel Why Can't I Be You (Feb. 2013). She lives with her husband, Jeremy, their two German Shepherds, Argo and Stella, and a three-legged cat.
AUTHOR WEBSITE
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