Review: The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

Title: The Opposite of Me
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Publish Date: March 9, 2010
Source: Library

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're a fiction fan.
• You like books about family.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Lindsey Rose has always lived in the shadow of her devastatingly beautiful twin sister, Alex. Determined to get noticed, Lindsey has put in years of 80-hour weeks and at twenty-nine is about to be named Creative Vice President of an elite New York advertising agency. Fate, however, has other plans and in one awful night, Lindsey's carefully constructed life implodes.

Humiliated and desperate, Lindsey flees the glitter of Manhattan and retreats to the time warp of her parents' Maryland home. Struggling to maintain her identity as the smart, responsible sister, she finds herself taking a job in a dating service - and having the time of her life. She is even beginning to have a real sisterly relationship with Alex ... until they both fall in love with the same guy. Then a long-held family secret is unleashed, flipping Lindsey into the one spot she never dreamed she'd land."

My Two Cents:

"The Opposite of Me" was my first Sarah Pekkanen book. I was happy that I finally got to read something by her and I know that I will definitely be reading more by here in the future. I love stories about family ties and I especially like stories about sisters. Pekkanen tells the story of two sisters who are fraternal twins although they are not especially close.

The star of this book really is the writing. The story is good but it is really Pekkanen's writing that brings the story and its characters to life. She writes really believable characters. The narrator of the story is Lindsey, one of the sisters, and she felt really real to me. You feel like she is almost talking to you, the reader, as a friend, which really pulled me into the story.

I also really liked that this book took place in Maryland and in the D.C. Metro area, which I am very familiar with. It was really cool to see places that I am so familiar with in this book. I thought the author did a really good job of capturing what this area was like. I love when I can find books set in this area that aren't political thrillers (believe me, it is difficult to do)!

Some parts of the book were a little disjointed. The end seemed very, very rushed. I almost wished that the big turn in the story (I don't want to give anything away) came earlier in the book so that things could be a little more resolved by the end of the book. Overall, this story was still very enjoyable to me.

Bottom line: I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a really realistic voice in a story about the familial ties that bind us.