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Change Places with Me
Rose has changed. She still lives in the same neighborhood and goes to the same high school with the same group of kids, but when she woke up today, something was a little different. Her clothes and hair don’t suit her anymore. The dogs who live upstairs are no longer a terror. She wants to throw a party—this from a girl who hardly ever spoke to her classmates before. There’s no more sadness in her life; she’s bursting with happiness.
But something still feels wrong to Rose. Because until very recently, she was an entirely different person—a person who’s still there inside her, just beneath the thinnest layer of skin.
But something still feels wrong to Rose. Because until very recently, she was an entirely different person—a person who’s still there inside her, just beneath the thinnest layer of skin.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published June 14, 2016
25 people are currently reading
5490 people want to read
About the author
Lois Metzger
16 books72 followersLois Metzger was born in Queens, New York City. Three of her five young-adult novels take place in Belle Heights, an invented Queens neighborhood that is boring on purpose to stand in stark contrast to the dramatic life of her characters. She has also written two nonfiction books about the Holocaust, and has edited five anthologies of original short stories. She lives near Washington Square Park in New York with her husband, son, and a tuxedo cat. Someone once told her that black-and-white cats were the best, which she thought made no sense. Now she's a believer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
June 14, 2016
“It’s as if you’re not here.”
Rose felt her throat tighten. “So, where am I?”
“Somewhere else.”
I feel sad as I write this review; not because the book is sad, but because I think it will struggle to find readers. The blurb is deliberately vague. There is no whipsmart heroine, no love interests, no spoon-fed simplistic cycle of conflict and resolution.
Nothing about it screams thought-provoking, futuristic sci-fi. And yet, that's exactly what this is.
Change Places with Me is a short novel, full of an unsettling sensation that something is not quite right. It opens with the cheerful Rose and her Stepmother Evelyn. Rose has not always been her name, but she feels it suits her. Just as she has not always been into making new friends, trying new things and throwing parties, but it's time now, isn't it?
Through the strange third-person narrative, we come to understand that Rose has changed. We don't know how or why until later, and the effect is deeply unsettling. Creepy even, at times.
The storytelling has an unusual distant quality that won't be for everyone, especially those who rely on a warm connection with their characters, but I thought it suited the dreamy mystery of the novel. There's a lot of emphasis on memory, personality and how much memory defines who we are.
“At the wedding, the Queen is forced to put on iron slippers that have been heated by fire, and dance until she dies. Whose idea was that? Snow-white’s?”
“Never. Snow-white is good.” Still, it worried Clara. What was Snow-white like deep down, where nobody could see?
For me, it was a pageturner. My need to discover the truth made me sprint through this short book in just a few hours. I especially liked how the world, though futuristic, was very similar to our own - it made it seem like a reality just a few short steps away from where we are.
The something's wrong atmosphere, plus allusions to the Snow White fairy tale (don't worry, it's not another retelling) made this a book I will remember for the way it made me feel: curious, fascinated, and a little scared.
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February 15, 2021
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REVIEW
Alluring and captivating, Change Places with Me wrapped me in an unsettling atmosphere from the very first page. Indeed the questions started piling up at once, breaking through Rose's apparent happiness, pulling at it, restlessly.
Am I annoying if I say that it's not the point? Yeah? Okay then, let's try this : Change Places with Me is an unputdownable scifi/thriller that kept me glued to the pages for hours without allowing me to stop. Given the fact that I have the attention span of a goldfish lately (did you see my DNF shelf? HOPELESS), it's undoubtedly saying something.
Moreover, Change Places with Me perfectly captures the inherent complexity of the role that memories play in the way we define ourselves, and in that aspect, makes for a thought-provoking read.
Ah, memories. These tricky allies. They help us building ourselves as much as they can pin us down. I'm not going to lie, the way we deal with memories is a sensitive subject for me.
The fact is, having lived through my fair share of grief, I've always refused to dwell on the negative. I cannot. Doing that, I realized recently that looking back, my mind separated my life into lives, if that makes sense : imagine a succession of before and after, before and after... Tricky, right?
For years I thought that it wasn't quite right, because as much as people love urging others to move on, dwelling on is somehow expected. One must not dare be happy too soon after a loss, because really, isn't it heartless? In my experience, it is not. This does not mean that I never burst into tears for no reasons other than a trigger song or situation, but I don't let the past define my whole self : parts of me will never forget, my personality is built upon it, but I refuse to live a life full of regrets. If I'm being completely honest, I can be quite horrible about that : as unfair as it may be, we tend to judge people by our own standards, and I know that one of my biggest flaw lies in my lack of patience for sad rambling going on and on and on. Perhaps that's why this novel fascinated me so much. Thought-provoking, see?
Anyway, now that we have demonstrated than I'm an asshole, let's go on, shall we?
As I'm having a hard time defining what this story is, let's take a look at what it's not :
✘ It is not our typical YA romance - actually, it's not a romance, period.
✘ It is not our typical YA scifi, either : no aliens, no ships in space, no time travel, no - well, are there other kinds of YA scifi really? (I'm kidding, I think??!) Yet the story takes place in the future and contains scientific advances we have yet to experience.
✘ It is not our typical coming of age story, but it definitely features some of the themes we often find in them : aren't they all about discovering who we are?
✘ It's not our typical YA thriller either, and THANKS GOODNESS. I'm not sure I'd survive another TSTL road-trip with no cops in sight and teenagers making stupid decisions. We keep turning the pages in hopes of finding out the truth, though, so that has to count for something.
Now, does a book need to follow a genre guideline to have an impact? I don't think so. Prior to Goodreads, I never really bothered with genres, actually [insert the sound of my Literature teacher screaming]. Look, I followed a course in my second year of Uni called something like, "Genres in Literature"
- Most. Boring. Course. Ever.
Since my childhood I've always been an avid reader, but all this organizing, compiling tropes stuff never failed to tire me. Above that, I genuinely think that sometimes, it hurts Literature as a whole. Honestly, it's all incredibly pretentious, and many readers around the world just do not care. I may be an hypocrite, because I use genre-related shelves here in Goodreads, but sometimes I miss the time when I didn't know of this neat organization and opened a book without having any idea of its genre (and of what it's about, for that matter). That's marketing for you : now you cannot help but notice it, except in the "French Literature" shelves in bookstores around here, which happily mix every kind of genres (of course I love that).
The strength of Change Places with Me definitely lies in its eerie atmosphere : if we know that something's off from the start, we can't pinpoint what it is, and the quest of answers - both for Rose's questions and ours - proves to be at the heart of the story. If I guessed many facts early on - especially because it shares similarities with a novel I read last year - it didn't really bother me, as my interest lay in the way Rose would react to these answers more than the answers themselves.
If you know me, you know that I'm forever complaining about my complete inability to enjoy a book when I don't care about the characters, but this novel makes a liar out of me : far be it from me to suggest that Rose isn't an interesting and complex character, because she is. However, I didn't connect with her on a strong level. Yet I was completely okay with it as it was never detrimental to the story, but quite the opposite.
▶ Talk about a good surprise, really.
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October 3, 2018
4 WEIRD STARS!
Change Places with Me is a futuristic Si-Fi novel, filled with unusual characters, a very interesting world and a lot of weirdness.
The first 100 pages were so complicated, I hardly followed up with the story, I was lost a couple times, and what I would recommend is that you really should concentrate while reading this. The rest of the book was better and I started to round the story in my mind even though the story itself leaves a lot of things unexplained.
I will not try to explain the story since I am 100% sure that I will spoil something or give you a wrong idea about the book. What I will say is that the book is unpredictable, and a really page-turner.
This book is definitely not for everyone. After reading this book, I scrolled through the reviews of this book and realized that almost every person has a different opinion about this book. It is different from what I usually read and what most usually read. But I would recommend you to try it, I did and I ended up liking it, maybe you will too.
September 3, 2016
I really don't know what I thought this book was going to be about, but it wasn't anything like I was thinking. Thank goodness it was a short book because I had to figure out what was going on!
She woke.
And for a split second saw nothing but a cloud of red light.
Where am I? She could use one of those maps with an X, like at the zoo, that clearly say YOU ARE HERE.
Rose lives with her stepmother, Evelyn. Her father died when she was younger. And one day Rose wakes up and she's a totally different person. She is all happy and wanting to make friends at school. Have parties, not afraid of dogs any more and plays with the neighbors Dobie's. And I find it strange that most of the kids at school just go along with it. Yeah, some have questions but still.
The book is really good but just so bizarre and you want to find out what the freak is going on! who is Rose? What happened to her and why are there so many references to Snow White?
Let me tell you, it's really not what your thinking.
Who is Rose, Clara, Cora?
When she does find out, it's just totally weird. There are a lot of weird things in the book. But I liked it, even though I'm not too sure about a couple of things but I pretty much get most of it.
And it was so different reading a young adult science fiction book that's not heavy on the syfy and I sit wondering, is this for real?
It's just one of those books your going to have to read for yourself because it's out there in a way that you just have to find out. There is no big huge reveal so if your thinking there is some massive thing going to happen, DON'T. It's just a really good, short book with a little freaky deaky added in!
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
She woke.
And for a split second saw nothing but a cloud of red light.
Where am I? She could use one of those maps with an X, like at the zoo, that clearly say YOU ARE HERE.
Rose lives with her stepmother, Evelyn. Her father died when she was younger. And one day Rose wakes up and she's a totally different person. She is all happy and wanting to make friends at school. Have parties, not afraid of dogs any more and plays with the neighbors Dobie's. And I find it strange that most of the kids at school just go along with it. Yeah, some have questions but still.
The book is really good but just so bizarre and you want to find out what the freak is going on! who is Rose? What happened to her and why are there so many references to Snow White?
Let me tell you, it's really not what your thinking.
Who is Rose, Clara, Cora?
When she does find out, it's just totally weird. There are a lot of weird things in the book. But I liked it, even though I'm not too sure about a couple of things but I pretty much get most of it.
And it was so different reading a young adult science fiction book that's not heavy on the syfy and I sit wondering, is this for real?
It's just one of those books your going to have to read for yourself because it's out there in a way that you just have to find out. There is no big huge reveal so if your thinking there is some massive thing going to happen, DON'T. It's just a really good, short book with a little freaky deaky added in!
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
March 24, 2016
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
This was a bit of an unusual story, and I’m not sure I really get it.
Rose was an okay character, she seemed nice, but she also seemed a bit vacant. She was almost too happy, and too satisfied with her life to be believed.
The storyline in this was about Rose suddenly being really happy, and not really understanding what was different and why she was different. We then got a bit of a sci-fi twist, which reminded me of the film
The ending to this was then a bit open, and I just didn’t really get what was going on, so I have to admit to being a bit lost.
6 out of 10
“This is what you should do, she told herself. Grab things, exist at the centre of your life, not the edge.”
This was a bit of an unusual story, and I’m not sure I really get it.
Rose was an okay character, she seemed nice, but she also seemed a bit vacant. She was almost too happy, and too satisfied with her life to be believed.
The storyline in this was about Rose suddenly being really happy, and not really understanding what was different and why she was different. We then got a bit of a sci-fi twist, which reminded me of the film
The ending to this was then a bit open, and I just didn’t really get what was going on, so I have to admit to being a bit lost.
6 out of 10
June 22, 2016
This is what you should do, she told herself. Grab things, exist at the center of your life, not the edge.
But it felt, oddly, as if someone else had told her this and she was only repeating it.
Rose wakes up one morning and feels different. She doesn't know what exactly, but something has changed. For one thing, she knows she wants to be called Rose now, because that's the name that suits her. She talks more than she used to, and laughs more, and wants to try new things. What could be wrong with that?
Change Places with Me is a brilliant piece of pure YA identity fiction wrapped in a near future SF package. It's the kind of book that really is best enjoyed if you go into it not knowing too much about it in advance. However, if you go in expecting a well written, multi-layered and nuanced character study, then you won't be disappointed.
But it felt, oddly, as if someone else had told her this and she was only repeating it.
Rose wakes up one morning and feels different. She doesn't know what exactly, but something has changed. For one thing, she knows she wants to be called Rose now, because that's the name that suits her. She talks more than she used to, and laughs more, and wants to try new things. What could be wrong with that?
Change Places with Me is a brilliant piece of pure YA identity fiction wrapped in a near future SF package. It's the kind of book that really is best enjoyed if you go into it not knowing too much about it in advance. However, if you go in expecting a well written, multi-layered and nuanced character study, then you won't be disappointed.
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July 4, 2016I don't even know where this book was going, so I DNF'd it...
August 11, 2016
I think this might be a case of it's-not-you-it's-me. This one has some pretty positive reviews from friends I trust on Goodreads, but from the moment I started reading I just wasn't feeling it.
I was really interested in it from the synopsis, because it's absurdly vague and leaves a lot open for reader interpretation. I guess, because of that, in my mind I started to expect a much more exciting story and I was pretty disappointed with what I got. And I really don't like to give books a low rating and a bad review because they didn't meet my expectations of what I thought would happen — it's not the author's fault that I pictured something else, and the story is theirs to write as they please! But in this case in particular, what I had initially imagined was just so much more interesting than what I read.
I was also able to foretell the big reveal/plot twist at about 9%, and I only kept reading this because I wanted to see if I was correct (which I was, as I discovered at around 70%) and because I felt bad about DNFing such a short book — I really forced myself to keep reading it, but it was hard. It took me 5 days to read a 200 page book; this goes to show you I really wasn't motivated to move through this one.
Basically, I didn't feel connected to the main character at all; in fact, Rose annoyed me most of the time. She sounded really childish and she was tremendously spoiled. The writing was also something that bugged me. I think maybe this might be more of a middle grade read? Because both the writing and the characters were very immature for a young adult book, but if it were middle grade, I'd go into it with different expectations, and I would've probably had a very different reading experience.
I was really interested in it from the synopsis, because it's absurdly vague and leaves a lot open for reader interpretation. I guess, because of that, in my mind I started to expect a much more exciting story and I was pretty disappointed with what I got. And I really don't like to give books a low rating and a bad review because they didn't meet my expectations of what I thought would happen — it's not the author's fault that I pictured something else, and the story is theirs to write as they please! But in this case in particular, what I had initially imagined was just so much more interesting than what I read.
I was also able to foretell the big reveal/plot twist at about 9%, and I only kept reading this because I wanted to see if I was correct (which I was, as I discovered at around 70%) and because I felt bad about DNFing such a short book — I really forced myself to keep reading it, but it was hard. It took me 5 days to read a 200 page book; this goes to show you I really wasn't motivated to move through this one.
Basically, I didn't feel connected to the main character at all; in fact, Rose annoyed me most of the time. She sounded really childish and she was tremendously spoiled. The writing was also something that bugged me. I think maybe this might be more of a middle grade read? Because both the writing and the characters were very immature for a young adult book, but if it were middle grade, I'd go into it with different expectations, and I would've probably had a very different reading experience.
May 25, 2018
I just re-read this book, and HOW DID I FORGET HOW AESTHETIC AND AMAZING IT WAS?!?!?!?!
Original review:
This book starts off with the sense that something is off. And that feeling haunts every sentence until the middle of this book.
It's vague. It's sad. It's pretty.
This book has a futuristic twist, the world is way more scientifically advanced than ours is yet, but it is only shown in tiny bits in the story. A boy with a diamond tooth, the ability to wipe and replace memories, chairs that mold to your body.
Change Places with Me is sad, because even though I haven't gone through as big as a struggle as Rose or Clara, I have gone through that emotion of not knowing who you are or where you belong in this world.
When I think about this book all I feel is a sense of sadness, I liked it. But it's sad. Not in the heart wrenching way, but the small aching way that nestles in the back of your mind when you recall.
That all being said, this book isn't for everyone. I enjoyed it very much though, 4.3 stars.
Original review:
This book starts off with the sense that something is off. And that feeling haunts every sentence until the middle of this book.
It's vague. It's sad. It's pretty.
This book has a futuristic twist, the world is way more scientifically advanced than ours is yet, but it is only shown in tiny bits in the story. A boy with a diamond tooth, the ability to wipe and replace memories, chairs that mold to your body.
Change Places with Me is sad, because even though I haven't gone through as big as a struggle as Rose or Clara, I have gone through that emotion of not knowing who you are or where you belong in this world.
When I think about this book all I feel is a sense of sadness, I liked it. But it's sad. Not in the heart wrenching way, but the small aching way that nestles in the back of your mind when you recall.
That all being said, this book isn't for everyone. I enjoyed it very much though, 4.3 stars.
June 22, 2016
This review, and many more, was originally posted on 125pages.com
Change Places With Me by Lois Metzger was one I was not certain how I felt about it right away. The story opens with a teen girl who is very positive. She believes that everyone is her friend and that she wants nothing more that to be happy and live in the moment. However, she can’t shake a nagging feeling that something is off. That inside she is someone else and that maybe everything is not as it seems.
This is a hard book not to spoil in a review but I will say that it was a very interesting take on depression and the lengths someone will take to “fix” it. Set in the not so distant future, Rose our MC, is an average teen but there is an odd edge to her. As the story progresses you slowly learn the many facets of her and understand her motivations.
Set in three sections, each revolving around a teen girl, Change Places With Me was a very different read. There were a few times that I was puzzled by the girls and how they related to each other, but when it became clear, everything clicked into place. Lois Metzger crafted a very different kind of read and I enjoyed it. The future aspect gave it just enough of a twist and I think it really worked. Now I will admit that this is a bit of a confusing read, but if you just stick with it, you will be happily surprised.
I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Change Places With Me by Lois Metzger was one I was not certain how I felt about it right away. The story opens with a teen girl who is very positive. She believes that everyone is her friend and that she wants nothing more that to be happy and live in the moment. However, she can’t shake a nagging feeling that something is off. That inside she is someone else and that maybe everything is not as it seems.
This is a hard book not to spoil in a review but I will say that it was a very interesting take on depression and the lengths someone will take to “fix” it. Set in the not so distant future, Rose our MC, is an average teen but there is an odd edge to her. As the story progresses you slowly learn the many facets of her and understand her motivations.
Set in three sections, each revolving around a teen girl, Change Places With Me was a very different read. There were a few times that I was puzzled by the girls and how they related to each other, but when it became clear, everything clicked into place. Lois Metzger crafted a very different kind of read and I enjoyed it. The future aspect gave it just enough of a twist and I think it really worked. Now I will admit that this is a bit of a confusing read, but if you just stick with it, you will be happily surprised.
I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
June 11, 2016
Actual rating: 2.5
Change Places with Me has a synopsis that just made me need to know what's going on. The synopsis is very vague, but in this instance it worked out perfectly. However, I can't help but be disappointed.
Change Places with Me is a very weird book. The tone of the whole book is weird, and Rose talks as if she's not a fifteen-year-old girl. Once you start reading the novel, what's behind the mystery kind of gets predictable. The characters, for me, are not well-developed, and there was a hint of romance that was not explored. Or even if it's just friendship, it still wasn't explored well.
The resolution is a good resolution generally, but it's not a proper ending to tie all lose ends. I felt like it ended abruptly, but the ending was really beautiful. However, even until the end, both the speech and the narration were still awkward.
I think the only thing that I liked about this novel is how much of a quick read it is. I read this in just a few hours and it's easy to breeze through. The book is not so bad in the sense that it didn't make me cringe. The book is just really not for me. Overall, it was kind of 'meh.'
Change Places with Me has a synopsis that just made me need to know what's going on. The synopsis is very vague, but in this instance it worked out perfectly. However, I can't help but be disappointed.
Change Places with Me is a very weird book. The tone of the whole book is weird, and Rose talks as if she's not a fifteen-year-old girl. Once you start reading the novel, what's behind the mystery kind of gets predictable. The characters, for me, are not well-developed, and there was a hint of romance that was not explored. Or even if it's just friendship, it still wasn't explored well.
The resolution is a good resolution generally, but it's not a proper ending to tie all lose ends. I felt like it ended abruptly, but the ending was really beautiful. However, even until the end, both the speech and the narration were still awkward.
I think the only thing that I liked about this novel is how much of a quick read it is. I read this in just a few hours and it's easy to breeze through. The book is not so bad in the sense that it didn't make me cringe. The book is just really not for me. Overall, it was kind of 'meh.'
February 1, 2016
This book is so small, yet so incredibly mighty. I really loved the structure used--it allowed Metzger to fit a lot theme-wise into very little space without ever feeling like she was trying to fit too much. The book is set in 2029, so a not-so-far-off future, something I felt made it pretty unique. There's a slight touch of sci-fi, but nothing that would make me classify it as sci-fi. Overall, this one is a really good exploration of grief, depression, and what might happen if we could lose the parts of ourselves that we always thought we didn't need.
August 3, 2016
"It's a funny thing about memories. Why do we remember certain things and forget so much else?"
This book is one I've had my eye on for awhile now. I loved the cover, the title, the simplicity of the synopsis. I knew I had to buy it as soon as I saw it at a bookstore. I was surprised with how short it was when I picked it up, but I was still hopeful because a lot of shorter books are better executed than really long books. This one was quietly mesmerizing.
The whole atmosphere of this book is what really captured my interest. As soon as I started it, you get this vibe that something is off, but you have no idea what it is. It makes you keep flipping the pages until the very end. Even though not that much happens in this book, there was never a dull moment. There's always small discoveries mixed with eerie moments.
Another thing that I found was really well executed in this book was the futuristic setting. Although I still don't know how a hydro-bus works or looks, the advertisements really amazed me in their vividness and realness. There is a item called Bracelesses which are magnets placed in your teeth, so they're basically invisible braces. There's Liquid Lenses that will diminish dirty contact and glasses lenses. They were all so plausible and seemed very near in our future.
The ending touched my heart in a way that I wasn't expecting at all. I was expecting a creepy cliff-hanger. Instead I got an ending that almost reminded me of A Monster Calls. I think it was the perfect way to end the book. Evelyn's story of her home life touched me in a personal way.
Basically I don't have much to complain about with this book. Of course there were a couple things that could have been explained better, but at the same time I feel like this book needed that air of mystery and uncertainty. I would definitely pick this up if you're looking for something different, straight to the point, and deep.
April 10, 2025
Change Places with Me is a short but compelling read. While the reader has no idea who Rose used to be or what she was like before the book began, the subtle comments made by the characters around her creates a great sense of unease and mystery for the reader. While the book begins like many by having the reader slowly get to know the main character, Change Places with Me troubles this by introducing us to a character who is new to every character, and asks the audience to question Rose and ask what kind of person she used to be.
Another thing I liked about the novel were the constant allusions and comparisons to Snow White, which at first made me think this was a retelling but it isn’t. If anything Metzger uses the Snow White fairy tale to get readers to compare the story and character with her story and Rose’s life and what expectations they have based on the two.
I’d love to write more, but this book relies on mystery so I have to be vague. Change Places with Me is a great short, thought-provoking, and ultimately sweet story about memory, coping, and questioning how we present ourselves to those around us.
Another thing I liked about the novel were the constant allusions and comparisons to Snow White, which at first made me think this was a retelling but it isn’t. If anything Metzger uses the Snow White fairy tale to get readers to compare the story and character with her story and Rose’s life and what expectations they have based on the two.
I’d love to write more, but this book relies on mystery so I have to be vague. Change Places with Me is a great short, thought-provoking, and ultimately sweet story about memory, coping, and questioning how we present ourselves to those around us.
February 6, 2017
I know this one's had a lot of good reviews, mostly citing an eerie atmosphere and intriguing, twisting themes, but I found it all rather cloying and stilted.
Rose was unbearable, Clara mildly frustrating, and all the little drop-in comments to prove how "futuristic" this setting was - well, those were infuriating. Seriously, teeth tattooed with butterflies is supposed to show us that this is a technologically advanced society? The plot "twist" (if you can call it that) would have felt a lot creepier if the ridiculousness of the tech had been removed. The characters felt one-dimensional at best, and motivations never made much sense.
The worst part is that the writing itself was often painful to read. I know the intended audience is middle-grade, but they don't need condescending to.
Sorry, but this one really didn't cut it for me.
Rose was unbearable, Clara mildly frustrating, and all the little drop-in comments to prove how "futuristic" this setting was - well, those were infuriating. Seriously, teeth tattooed with butterflies is supposed to show us that this is a technologically advanced society? The plot "twist" (if you can call it that) would have felt a lot creepier if the ridiculousness of the tech had been removed. The characters felt one-dimensional at best, and motivations never made much sense.
The worst part is that the writing itself was often painful to read. I know the intended audience is middle-grade, but they don't need condescending to.
Sorry, but this one really didn't cut it for me.
March 14, 2017
What an odd book. I can see why it's getting mixed ratings. I gave Change Places with Me three stars because I finished it wondering if I'd actually enjoyed it or just appreciated the cool idea - if this was a "bold" new approach to the YA genre, or just a plain bizarre story.
A girl wakes up in a house that is her own, but something feels off. She says goodbye to her stepmother and goes to school, where she is bubbly and cheerful with everyone she comes across. Her friends don't know how to react. The girl they know used to be quiet, hardly ever saying a word, and was frightened by everything. Then the girl tells them she would like to be called by her new name, "Rose." Sound strange yet?
This book is set in the modern day with some sci fi aspects. At first I thought it was a thriller, but it's actually a contemporary/mystery. Sometimes combining genres works really well - like one of my all time favorite historical thrillers, The Diviners - but rather than blending the two genres smoothly together, this book felt like it couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to be. At times the plot was spooky and made me shiver, while at others it was an emotional family drama.
It's very much a psychological story. It focuses on Rose's thoughts as she goes through a change no one knows what to think of - she cuts her hair, starts wearing red lipstick, and acts totally different. It's as though she stepped out of her own shoes and into someone else's.
I might have given this book a higher rating, but the ending got so weird. It did explain what was going on with Rose, but it was such an unexpected plot twist I've never read before that I didn't know what to think of it. Was it creative? Peculiar? Awesome? Confusing?
I think I do much better at reviewing books I feel extreme about. I usually know exactly why I hate or love a book. But when it comes to these middle ground books, the in-between ones that I liked but wouldn't quite recommend, it's a lot harder to write my thoughts.
Should you read Change Places with Me? Well, I wouldn't suggest running out first thing and buying a copy at the bookstore, but if you think the idea sounds interesting, maybe pick it up and give it a try.
A girl wakes up in a house that is her own, but something feels off. She says goodbye to her stepmother and goes to school, where she is bubbly and cheerful with everyone she comes across. Her friends don't know how to react. The girl they know used to be quiet, hardly ever saying a word, and was frightened by everything. Then the girl tells them she would like to be called by her new name, "Rose." Sound strange yet?
This book is set in the modern day with some sci fi aspects. At first I thought it was a thriller, but it's actually a contemporary/mystery. Sometimes combining genres works really well - like one of my all time favorite historical thrillers, The Diviners - but rather than blending the two genres smoothly together, this book felt like it couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to be. At times the plot was spooky and made me shiver, while at others it was an emotional family drama.
It's very much a psychological story. It focuses on Rose's thoughts as she goes through a change no one knows what to think of - she cuts her hair, starts wearing red lipstick, and acts totally different. It's as though she stepped out of her own shoes and into someone else's.
I might have given this book a higher rating, but the ending got so weird. It did explain what was going on with Rose, but it was such an unexpected plot twist I've never read before that I didn't know what to think of it. Was it creative? Peculiar? Awesome? Confusing?
I think I do much better at reviewing books I feel extreme about. I usually know exactly why I hate or love a book. But when it comes to these middle ground books, the in-between ones that I liked but wouldn't quite recommend, it's a lot harder to write my thoughts.
Should you read Change Places with Me? Well, I wouldn't suggest running out first thing and buying a copy at the bookstore, but if you think the idea sounds interesting, maybe pick it up and give it a try.
Read
February 2, 2016This was one unusual book. I wasn't sure what was going on most of the time. I kept waiting for the sci-fi part of the story to get bigger but it stayed in the background the whole time. Even though the book was set in future, it's not an unimaginable future.
The main character, Rose, is trying to find the missing pieces of her past. Things in her life remained the same. She's the only one who's actually changed. Rose was confusing. I couldn't figure her out. Even after I finished reading I still wasn't sure how I felt about her. She was a nice person but I kind of felt like she was actually an older lady somehow rejuvenated. She didn't fit in with her generation.
The main character, Rose, is trying to find the missing pieces of her past. Things in her life remained the same. She's the only one who's actually changed. Rose was confusing. I couldn't figure her out. Even after I finished reading I still wasn't sure how I felt about her. She was a nice person but I kind of felt like she was actually an older lady somehow rejuvenated. She didn't fit in with her generation.
June 17, 2016
Rose has changed. She still lives in the same neighborhood with her stepmother and goes to the same high school with the same group of kids, but when she woke up today, something was just a little different than it was before. The dogs who live upstairs are no longer a terror. Her hair and her clothes all feel brand-new. She wants to throw a party—this from a girl who hardly ever spoke to her classmates before. There is no more sadness in her life; she is bursting with happiness.
But something still feels wrong to Rose. Because, until very recently, Rose was an entirely different person—a person who is still there inside her, just beneath the thinnest layer of skin.
Rating: 4/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: quietest plot ever; this book is beautifully confusing; super creative story; flawed characters you'll love and loathe all at once; juxtaposition of "before," "after," and "happy middle ground"; awesome use of subtle foreboding
Huge thanks to Lois Metzger, Balzer + Bray Publishing, The Fantastic Flying Book Club, and Edelweiss for sending me an egalley of this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.
Kim let go of the door. "Well, good luck finding the girl, whoever she is."
But I know exactly who she is, the girl thought, as the door closed. It was as clear as day. She's the girl I could've been, if life was fair.
This book is beautifully quiet. There's a focus on subtle foreboding that both sweeps this story along and keeps readers calmly mystified. My pulse never jumped, my fingers never clenched, but somehow I found myself unable to set this book down. I blame the beauty of the writing--Lois Metzger definitely knows how to set the tone and entrance any who step into this world.
She also knows what it takes to keep readers just confused enough. I was almost positive, when I hit chapter 3, that I knew what the big reveal was going to be. I was SO sure, in fact, that I almost let myself be disappointed--it's no fun guessing the plot twist so early, after all! I sat here, stewing, a weird look on my face... and said, "there's NO way that's the answer!" And then I kept reading. Now, trust me when I tell you that this book is SUPER confusing. Trust me when I tell you that if you're the type of reader who hates to be confused--the kind who needs all the answers laid out straight and neat for you... well, you probably won't take to this book. Lois Metzger sets out to confuse and twist you into tiny pretzel pieces. If you're brave enough to stick it out, you'll learn why--and fall in love with the book for it.
"Well. My father was a drunk," Evelyn said, matter-of-factly.
"And your mother?"
"Pretended he wasn't one. I grew up with lies. They were everywhere, in every corner of every room. It was as if there was a terrible storm outside, sheets of rain, lightning, and my parents kept looking out the window and declaring, "It's a beautiful sunny day!"
The characters are realistic, though also a huge part of the confusion. This book is juxtaposed the way it is for a reason--the author starts us out confused and twisted around in order to straighten us out slowly. This being said, there were moments I had to stop and think back on what I'd read. There are things said by the characters that you won't fully understand until much later in the read. It's sort of like a literary jiggsaw puzzle--everything comes together, but you have to have patience and trust that the author knows what she's doing.
I had a TON of fun reading, and being totally confused by, this book! The characters are mysterious and well-written, the plot is super creative, and the quiet, subtle foreboding is something I haven't encountered in any other novel. I haven't experienced anything quite like this, and I can't wait to see what Lois Metzger takes on in the future. I recommend this to lovers of steady plots, quiet mysteries, and quirky journeys. If that sounds like you, definitely pick this one up--it won't disappoint!
December 31, 2016
I totally failed my Goodreads challenge for this year. This is only the third book I read all the way through. At least it was better than the other two I read in 2016... though not by much.
Please, dear author, I want some more...
The premise is about the only thing I liked in this book, and I can't even talk about it because it's one of those books that's all mysterious and whatnot in the beginning, and if you start to talk about any part of the plot, you'll give too much away. All I can really say is that it's a science-fiction tale set in the near future with some inspiration (though not necessarily any plot points) taken from the story of "Snow White".
It's all a matter of taste...
This is one of those books where you're either going to like the style or you're not. I didn't really like it. While it was edited fairly well and I wouldn't say it was badly written, it did seem a bit pretentious. The characters' voices never really rang true for me, and I spent a lot of the book wondering if that was because there was something weird going on that made all the teenagers talk like kindergartners, if it was a stylistic choice, or if the characters were just badly done. After finishing, I'd say it's more of a combination of options 2 and 3. I never liked any of the characters. I couldn't relate to the main character; I thought she was just a horrible, horrible person, and her character development wasn't believable. You know how good characters often change over the course of a story? Well, our heroine does change... but there's really not a great reason as to why. (There is a reason, but I thought it was pretty weak.)
Also, there's no climax. No high point to the story. I kept waiting for a twist, because I was nearing the end and I was getting really bored, and I thought, "Surely, something interesting is going to happen." But, nope. All we get is some weird, boring resolution with little explanation and absolutely zero emotional punch. How disappointing.
Let's get technical...
This book was surprisingly well-edited. I often end up highlighting a bunch of typos and grammar errors when I read books; those things just drive me crazy. But there wasn't much here to be bothered about.
The verdict...
Maybe I just didn't get it. I often have trouble with pretentious, literary-esque books with quirky characters or situations that just try too hard to be special. That's probably why I wasn't a fan of Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now or John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. But both of those books have audiences, and this one probably has one as well. It just wasn't me.
Quotable moment:
http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...
Please, dear author, I want some more...
The premise is about the only thing I liked in this book, and I can't even talk about it because it's one of those books that's all mysterious and whatnot in the beginning, and if you start to talk about any part of the plot, you'll give too much away. All I can really say is that it's a science-fiction tale set in the near future with some inspiration (though not necessarily any plot points) taken from the story of "Snow White".
It's all a matter of taste...
This is one of those books where you're either going to like the style or you're not. I didn't really like it. While it was edited fairly well and I wouldn't say it was badly written, it did seem a bit pretentious. The characters' voices never really rang true for me, and I spent a lot of the book wondering if that was because there was something weird going on that made all the teenagers talk like kindergartners, if it was a stylistic choice, or if the characters were just badly done. After finishing, I'd say it's more of a combination of options 2 and 3. I never liked any of the characters. I couldn't relate to the main character; I thought she was just a horrible, horrible person, and her character development wasn't believable. You know how good characters often change over the course of a story? Well, our heroine does change... but there's really not a great reason as to why. (There is a reason, but I thought it was pretty weak.)
Also, there's no climax. No high point to the story. I kept waiting for a twist, because I was nearing the end and I was getting really bored, and I thought, "Surely, something interesting is going to happen." But, nope. All we get is some weird, boring resolution with little explanation and absolutely zero emotional punch. How disappointing.
Let's get technical...
This book was surprisingly well-edited. I often end up highlighting a bunch of typos and grammar errors when I read books; those things just drive me crazy. But there wasn't much here to be bothered about.
The verdict...
Maybe I just didn't get it. I often have trouble with pretentious, literary-esque books with quirky characters or situations that just try too hard to be special. That's probably why I wasn't a fan of Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now or John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. But both of those books have audiences, and this one probably has one as well. It just wasn't me.
Quotable moment:
"Hey, we got lucky. This Sunday, Ball of Fire is coming to You Must Remember This."
For a second she forgot that Ball of Fire was a screwball comedy; it sounded like a plummeting meteor. "Sunday... I can't, I can't."
He looked really disappointed. "It's only playing that one day."
"I have to sleep--I don't know for how long."
"Really? Can't think of a better excuse?"
"I'm handling it the best I can," she said, "under the circumstances."
"What circumstances?"
"Here." She shoved the money toward him.
"Jeez, Louise, are we having our first fight?"
http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...
July 1, 2016
This book gave me serious Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vibes. I loved that about it – it’s one of my favorite moves of all time. Change Places With Me had many differences of course, since we are dealing with a teenager in the not too distant future. But if you take the basic concept, the idea that you can have your memories altered, essentially to take the pain of them away, then you could understand this book.
Rose is such an unusual narrator. She spends a large amount of time telling us who she is going to be, and what kind of person she is – or will be – instead of being herself and letting us get to know her. She is constantly jumping from one though to the next, and everything she tries to do or become seems so forced. You really feel the wrongness of it all, if that makes any sense. It is almost uncomfortable at times.
But I know exactly who she is, the girl thought, as the door closed. It was clear as day. She’s the girl I would’ve been, if life was fair.
Grief can change people in ways we don’t expect or understand. This book wants us to consider what happens when you can’t overcome grief. It makes you question what you want to do with your memories and the feelings attached to them. For me, it made me wonder what I would do if given the opportunities she had. This is not a love story. It is barely even a story about friendship. But the story touches on very specific topics in a very unique way.
This little book is sci-fi, but not in an in your face kind if way. It is unsettling at its core, with a unreliable narrator that you almost feel sorry for, even though you can’t figure out exactly why. The atmosphere is just… indescribable. It is strange, that’s for sure. But it was a short read, and I continued to be intrigued enough to turn page after page. I worry that people won’t appreciate what this story is giving us. Speculative fiction tends to be that way, people either seem to love it or hate it. Sometimes they just don’t understand it. So maybe it won’t be for everyone. But I sincerely hope that people are willing to give it a chance.
**Original review can be found at No BS Book Reviews!!**
June 21, 2016
I wasn't sure what this book was about at first. Given the description, I thought maybe this was a story where the main character somehow really changes places with someone. But this is just a metaphor for how this character is dealing with crippling depression. It is also a futuristic tale, where people can use technology to solve problems such as loneliness, anxiety, and fear. But these solutions can have unexpected side-effects...
(I truly do not want to include spoilers so this is a really difficult review to write!)
What I will say is that this book presents an original voice in Rose, who is bright, optimistic, and never seems to be bothered by anything. But something in the back of her mind is nagging at Rose. Why is everyone around her so surprised by her behavior? Was she somehow different last week?
I think this book has a lot to say about how all of us see other people and think that their lives must be perfect compared to ours. This causes people to think if they just fixed themselves everything would be fine.
I really liked this book. I found the character of Rose to be tragic. What really makes a person an individual? Is it our personality, our memories, or our emotions? If any one of these things drastically change, then who are we then?
I can relate to this in my own life. When I was growing up my father was a loud, boisterous person. He was also rather volatile. When he was 55 my dad had a massive stroke which changed him forever. He recovered physically, but his personality was completely different. He was soft-spoken and even-tempered. For those of us who walked on egg shells around his moods, we saw this as an improvement. But it was also a loss because he lost so much of what made him him. He no longer was the fun, creative person who was the life of the party.
We all have easy and challenging aspects of our personalities. I hope when people read this they will reflect on how having both sides makes us more complex, interesting people. And that (even if we are dealing with difficulties) we do not need to erase what makes us unique in order to be happy.
(I truly do not want to include spoilers so this is a really difficult review to write!)
What I will say is that this book presents an original voice in Rose, who is bright, optimistic, and never seems to be bothered by anything. But something in the back of her mind is nagging at Rose. Why is everyone around her so surprised by her behavior? Was she somehow different last week?
I think this book has a lot to say about how all of us see other people and think that their lives must be perfect compared to ours. This causes people to think if they just fixed themselves everything would be fine.
I really liked this book. I found the character of Rose to be tragic. What really makes a person an individual? Is it our personality, our memories, or our emotions? If any one of these things drastically change, then who are we then?
I can relate to this in my own life. When I was growing up my father was a loud, boisterous person. He was also rather volatile. When he was 55 my dad had a massive stroke which changed him forever. He recovered physically, but his personality was completely different. He was soft-spoken and even-tempered. For those of us who walked on egg shells around his moods, we saw this as an improvement. But it was also a loss because he lost so much of what made him him. He no longer was the fun, creative person who was the life of the party.
We all have easy and challenging aspects of our personalities. I hope when people read this they will reflect on how having both sides makes us more complex, interesting people. And that (even if we are dealing with difficulties) we do not need to erase what makes us unique in order to be happy.
June 22, 2016
There would have been so many just-right names for her—Rose, for instance, which was so simple but contained so much, beauty plus a thorn to protect her.This book was sooo weird. But it is my kind of weird. There's no romance to pull me in but it was refreshing and mind-boggling enough to keep me flipping through the pages and get to the end so I can understand what is happening.
Ms. Pratt herself, dark wavy hair, olive skin, always wearing muted colors like beige and taupe. It had never occurred to Rose before, but now she wondered if Ms. Pratt’s understated style was her way of saying, 'The important thing in this room is you'.If you're not sure if this book is for you, then I suggest watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. If you liked that, then you might enjoy this book as well. I seriously had massive ESoTSM feels while reading. It tackled some topics YA would usually not go into. I had a lot of thinking while reading this book. It was great.
Lynn kept asking if she was absolutely sure about this.Also, I just wanted to say: cheers to books!
Yes, Clara was absolutely sure. Because the woman in the red convertible had actually done it.
She had changed places with herself.
“You tried telling me about your parents, once,” the girl said. But Rose had had her mind on other things. “Could you tell me, again? I’m listening now.”
July 30, 2016
The story start off with Rose waking up and feeling like a new person, someone she's not supposed to be, yet not unpleasant enough that she wants to change this new person she's become. It's a bit difficult to review this book without giving the story away. I'll just say that I really enjoyed reading it and wanted to find out how Rose had become this new person she was. A lot of the story is somewhat cliché, with the mean girls, the nerdy best friend that's not part of this new crew, the cute boy who never knew Rose existed but all of a sudden does, and the odd boy that Rose all of a sudden starts noticing but doesn't really think much of. It's cliché but tolerable in this soft sci-fi setting.
I did feel like the characters were all pretty flat, including Rose, but it seemed to work in this world. I didn't think I would feel much for Rose because of it, but the end brought tears to my eyes as we finally get some closure on why Rose is the way she is.
I did feel like the characters were all pretty flat, including Rose, but it seemed to work in this world. I didn't think I would feel much for Rose because of it, but the end brought tears to my eyes as we finally get some closure on why Rose is the way she is.
March 19, 2016
Lois Metzger is one of my favorite authors. In Change Places with Me, she creates a futuristic book about Rose, who seems happier than she has any right to be. But is the life she's remembering really her own? Change Places With Me is a fast-paced story about identity, memory, friendship, family and grief. It reads so fast but it goes deep, and has sadness with touches and sparks of humor. I just love this book.
July 17, 2016
In many ways this reminded me of Ness's A Monster Calls. The theme explores loss, death and ultimately how we do or don't deal with it. Set in the future, the variety of help available increases with technological advances key. I was held captive and read it in one sitting.
Changed the read date to 11th not 10th so books shelf in order I read them.
Changed the read date to 11th not 10th so books shelf in order I read them.
July 27, 2016
Review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7
I received a copy via the author in exchange for an honest review
Lois Metzger tackles a topic in her newest novel that I connect with on many levels. Change Places With Me deals with grief and how it affects people differently. In doing so, Metzger’s novel also (whether it is on purpose or purely coincidental) gives us a story that may follow various different stages of grief. Told in short chapters and with a sometimes manic protagonist, CPWM is a thought-provoking novel that challenges us to view grief in a very different way.
Rose, the protagonist of the novel, enters our life with a burst of joy. Her zest for life and happy contemplation of just about everything becomes, at times, a bit overwhelming. Her character is someone I would promptly walk away from if I ever encountered her. But I think that her over-the-top personality is supposed to be just that: someone who you can’t help but cringe away from when reading this book because she is the extreme case of “ignorance is bliss”.
I believe that Rose is the kind of grief we all wish we could experience when we are in the throws of actual grief. We wish that we could take our heartbreak, throw it away, and continue life how it was before. In the moments where I found Rose to be overbearing, I found that perhaps she was supposed to be exactly the way she is portrayed. What if she’s like this because if she doesn’t want to feel anger, sadness, and any other negative emotion, what else is she left with but curiosity and an endless pit of happiness?
When I was younger, my Father passed away and I remember being in this little kid-sized bubble of grief that I didn’t quite understand. I was scared that if I didn’t cry, I would seem like a cold-hearted kid, but I was also scared that if I DID cry too much, I was being a dramatic child. Despite my rating of this book, I understood the message (I hope) behind Metzger’s novel. Grief is both something that can’t be ignored or imprisoned. Everyone experiences grief differently. I went through my grief in fear of not meeting society’s standards of what grief means, and Rose refused to let society see how she dealt with her grief, imprisoning it in her glass case.
Moving beyond the topic of grief, I loved the connection throughout the novel to the story of Snow White. It took me an embarrassing long time to get it, but when it hit me, I was pleasantly surprised. In a way, if this were a Snow White adaptation, I’d say that it’s nice to see a potentially non-evil stepmother. It is also Rose’s obsession with the aesthetics of being like Snow White that hints at her mishandling of her reality.
The writing was fast-paced and surprisingly addicting, despite my misgivings about Rose. I hopefully understand what Metzger was doing with her story, but I still had moments where Rose made me dislike her. The eagerness of the first part of the novel almost turned me off, but it was the truth behind the second part that completely pulled me. I had forgotten how Metzger can portray an emotion in her novels without outright stating it for the reader.
My biggest complaint, however, is perhaps the length. I feel like there could have been more said. The conclusion was surprisingly simple and the final words were an interesting choice of words to end on, especially since it was a topic that was, in my opinion, thoroughly explored earlier on in the book.
What I wish for is more character development, and a more thorough exploration of this futuristic world that Rose inhabits. I feel like Metzger could have delved a little more into Rose’s world and given us a broader understanding of what others are seeing and the relationships between her and these people she calls friends. Kim, the best friend, was a shadow of the amazing character she could have been. The other characters, while minor influences, could’ve still been more than really flat characters. Their existence in Rose’s life was so simplistic that I don’t really understand why Rose wants to be friends with them. Though the main influencers (Evelyn, her teacher, and the neighbor) were given more credit, I do still wish we’d learned more about them. It’s a weird give and take with these characters.
One last note: Rose is a hell of an unreliable narrator. She is happy, but why? She is supposed to be grieving, but why? We may get the explanations as the story progresses, but Rose’s reality has been affected, so can we truly trust the things she says are real? How can we sympathize with her when she doesn’t know how to feel the emotions her story is trying to evoke in us? Can we trust Rose when she doesn’t even know if she should trust herself?
I would recommend Change Places With Me to anyone who wants a quick read that explores the topic of grief. Metzger is very gifted in using words in portraying emotion rather than just telling you what the characters are feeling, and despite the imperfections in her latest novel, I still think that it is a worthwhile read. She’s definitely an author to watch, especially if she continues to write stories about less than perfect teenagers and their daily, unspoken struggles.
Happy reading!
I received a copy via the author in exchange for an honest review
Lois Metzger tackles a topic in her newest novel that I connect with on many levels. Change Places With Me deals with grief and how it affects people differently. In doing so, Metzger’s novel also (whether it is on purpose or purely coincidental) gives us a story that may follow various different stages of grief. Told in short chapters and with a sometimes manic protagonist, CPWM is a thought-provoking novel that challenges us to view grief in a very different way.
Rose, the protagonist of the novel, enters our life with a burst of joy. Her zest for life and happy contemplation of just about everything becomes, at times, a bit overwhelming. Her character is someone I would promptly walk away from if I ever encountered her. But I think that her over-the-top personality is supposed to be just that: someone who you can’t help but cringe away from when reading this book because she is the extreme case of “ignorance is bliss”.
I believe that Rose is the kind of grief we all wish we could experience when we are in the throws of actual grief. We wish that we could take our heartbreak, throw it away, and continue life how it was before. In the moments where I found Rose to be overbearing, I found that perhaps she was supposed to be exactly the way she is portrayed. What if she’s like this because if she doesn’t want to feel anger, sadness, and any other negative emotion, what else is she left with but curiosity and an endless pit of happiness?
When I was younger, my Father passed away and I remember being in this little kid-sized bubble of grief that I didn’t quite understand. I was scared that if I didn’t cry, I would seem like a cold-hearted kid, but I was also scared that if I DID cry too much, I was being a dramatic child. Despite my rating of this book, I understood the message (I hope) behind Metzger’s novel. Grief is both something that can’t be ignored or imprisoned. Everyone experiences grief differently. I went through my grief in fear of not meeting society’s standards of what grief means, and Rose refused to let society see how she dealt with her grief, imprisoning it in her glass case.
Moving beyond the topic of grief, I loved the connection throughout the novel to the story of Snow White. It took me an embarrassing long time to get it, but when it hit me, I was pleasantly surprised. In a way, if this were a Snow White adaptation, I’d say that it’s nice to see a potentially non-evil stepmother. It is also Rose’s obsession with the aesthetics of being like Snow White that hints at her mishandling of her reality.
The writing was fast-paced and surprisingly addicting, despite my misgivings about Rose. I hopefully understand what Metzger was doing with her story, but I still had moments where Rose made me dislike her. The eagerness of the first part of the novel almost turned me off, but it was the truth behind the second part that completely pulled me. I had forgotten how Metzger can portray an emotion in her novels without outright stating it for the reader.
My biggest complaint, however, is perhaps the length. I feel like there could have been more said. The conclusion was surprisingly simple and the final words were an interesting choice of words to end on, especially since it was a topic that was, in my opinion, thoroughly explored earlier on in the book.
What I wish for is more character development, and a more thorough exploration of this futuristic world that Rose inhabits. I feel like Metzger could have delved a little more into Rose’s world and given us a broader understanding of what others are seeing and the relationships between her and these people she calls friends. Kim, the best friend, was a shadow of the amazing character she could have been. The other characters, while minor influences, could’ve still been more than really flat characters. Their existence in Rose’s life was so simplistic that I don’t really understand why Rose wants to be friends with them. Though the main influencers (Evelyn, her teacher, and the neighbor) were given more credit, I do still wish we’d learned more about them. It’s a weird give and take with these characters.
One last note: Rose is a hell of an unreliable narrator. She is happy, but why? She is supposed to be grieving, but why? We may get the explanations as the story progresses, but Rose’s reality has been affected, so can we truly trust the things she says are real? How can we sympathize with her when she doesn’t know how to feel the emotions her story is trying to evoke in us? Can we trust Rose when she doesn’t even know if she should trust herself?
I would recommend Change Places With Me to anyone who wants a quick read that explores the topic of grief. Metzger is very gifted in using words in portraying emotion rather than just telling you what the characters are feeling, and despite the imperfections in her latest novel, I still think that it is a worthwhile read. She’s definitely an author to watch, especially if she continues to write stories about less than perfect teenagers and their daily, unspoken struggles.
Happy reading!
August 3, 2016
She woke.
And for a split second saw nothing but a cloud of red light.
‘Where am I?’
Premise : Rose Hartel woke up, today, feeling…different. A voice in her mind urges her to be different, to be happy, to try new things.
"This is what you should do," she told herself. "Grab things, exist at the center of your life, not the edge."
She can’t say why, but her old life doesn’t quite fit, anymore. Her routines, her solitude, even her pajamas feel, suddenly, wrong.
But why?
About, Style & Plot : If you read one young adult sci-fi this year, make it Change Places With Me by Lois Metzger. Its spare economy and compelling tension mark Metzger as a true, experienced storyteller. It’s very short—I flew through it, unable to put it down. It’s not flashy or romantic, but every word counts and it will stay with you.
The plot relies on a secret, very much in the style of The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson, but I enjoyed Changes Places With Me much more. It's been a long time since I read Pearson's book (I was a teenager, at the time), but I remember it being very dark. In Change Places With Me, something feels subtly wrong, but there's no creep factor and .
Theme : The really interesting thing about this book is that there’s no “bad guy.” There could have been, but the author refused to simplify things that way for the reader. Instead, Change Places With Me just asks a question: “Who do you want to be, Rose?” This story isn’t about right and wrong; it’s about Rose making choices that will define her. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen—these are young ages to begin defining your whole future, but that’s our lot, as humans, and that’s what all teenagers, like Rose, face.
Rose pressed the buzzer next to the camera lens.
"May I help you?" said a woman’s voice that was flat and generic.
Rose just stood there, frozen.
"Yes?" said the voice. "I can see you’re still there."
‘I know your voice,’ Rose said. ‘The kinds of things you say.’
There was a sigh...."This is Rose Hartel, isn’t it? The hair’s different—it threw me. Listen, go home, Rose. You never came here."
"I’m not leaving," Rose said, with a flash of what felt like a long-familiar streak of stubbornness.
Another sigh.
The door buzzed. Rose opened it and stepped inside.”
Recommendation : I recommend it to everyone, especially teens, looking for a short, compelling sci-fi with questions of identity at its center. You won't find aliens or dystopian arenas, here—rather, you'll find thoughtful, character-driven tension.
Thank you to Lois Metzger and Balzer + Bray for my beautiful review copy of Change Places With Me!
If you liked this review, you can read more of my speculative fiction reviews on my blog, here.
And for a split second saw nothing but a cloud of red light.
‘Where am I?’
Premise : Rose Hartel woke up, today, feeling…different. A voice in her mind urges her to be different, to be happy, to try new things.
"This is what you should do," she told herself. "Grab things, exist at the center of your life, not the edge."
She can’t say why, but her old life doesn’t quite fit, anymore. Her routines, her solitude, even her pajamas feel, suddenly, wrong.
But why?
About, Style & Plot : If you read one young adult sci-fi this year, make it Change Places With Me by Lois Metzger. Its spare economy and compelling tension mark Metzger as a true, experienced storyteller. It’s very short—I flew through it, unable to put it down. It’s not flashy or romantic, but every word counts and it will stay with you.
The plot relies on a secret, very much in the style of The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson, but I enjoyed Changes Places With Me much more. It's been a long time since I read Pearson's book (I was a teenager, at the time), but I remember it being very dark. In Change Places With Me, something feels subtly wrong, but there's no creep factor and .
Theme : The really interesting thing about this book is that there’s no “bad guy.” There could have been, but the author refused to simplify things that way for the reader. Instead, Change Places With Me just asks a question: “Who do you want to be, Rose?” This story isn’t about right and wrong; it’s about Rose making choices that will define her. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen—these are young ages to begin defining your whole future, but that’s our lot, as humans, and that’s what all teenagers, like Rose, face.
Rose pressed the buzzer next to the camera lens.
"May I help you?" said a woman’s voice that was flat and generic.
Rose just stood there, frozen.
"Yes?" said the voice. "I can see you’re still there."
‘I know your voice,’ Rose said. ‘The kinds of things you say.’
There was a sigh...."This is Rose Hartel, isn’t it? The hair’s different—it threw me. Listen, go home, Rose. You never came here."
"I’m not leaving," Rose said, with a flash of what felt like a long-familiar streak of stubbornness.
Another sigh.
The door buzzed. Rose opened it and stepped inside.”
Recommendation : I recommend it to everyone, especially teens, looking for a short, compelling sci-fi with questions of identity at its center. You won't find aliens or dystopian arenas, here—rather, you'll find thoughtful, character-driven tension.
Thank you to Lois Metzger and Balzer + Bray for my beautiful review copy of Change Places With Me!
If you liked this review, you can read more of my speculative fiction reviews on my blog, here.
July 21, 2016
An intricate psychological thriller inside a compelling tale of a teenage girl stuck between two identities, Change Places with Me pulls you into Rose’s world and keeps you there. The book is set slightly in the future, allowing author Lois Metzger to come up with just the inventions she needs to make her book hum. The futurism is fun—oh, no, another hydro-bus broke down!—but the setting is really there to give specific form to universal teenage questions of identity, and a young woman’s singular and lasting grief. The plot moves on how Rose became who she is, and whether she’ll stay that way, but the problems she goes through are universal and compelling.
The book’s plotting is subtle and complex, not a word is wasted, and the story hurtles along, although what happens on the surface looks somewhat conventional: a teenage party, a visit to the zoo, an obsession with acquiring just the right jean jacket. But nothing is what it seems, just as Rose is not as she initially seems. At heart Change Places with Me is a fairy tale, a good one, with just the right well-earned bittersweet yet happy ending.
Bottom line: Change Places with Me is not just for young adults but for anyone who’s ever been a teenager, and ever known an ever-present grief. The book kept me anxious in just the right way: wanting to know what happens next, to understand what’s happening to Rose, to know how it’ll end. A perfect read and highly recommended.
The book’s plotting is subtle and complex, not a word is wasted, and the story hurtles along, although what happens on the surface looks somewhat conventional: a teenage party, a visit to the zoo, an obsession with acquiring just the right jean jacket. But nothing is what it seems, just as Rose is not as she initially seems. At heart Change Places with Me is a fairy tale, a good one, with just the right well-earned bittersweet yet happy ending.
Bottom line: Change Places with Me is not just for young adults but for anyone who’s ever been a teenager, and ever known an ever-present grief. The book kept me anxious in just the right way: wanting to know what happens next, to understand what’s happening to Rose, to know how it’ll end. A perfect read and highly recommended.
July 12, 2016
MY THOUGHTS
Rose finds herself not feeling “her” anymore and tries to figure out exactly what “her” is now. She feels a sort of deja vu and can’t quite put her finger on what is different. It seems to me a sort of memory loss, but it is so much more than that. Each section of the book features a teen girl but when you get to the end, it will all come together. This quick read is such that I can’t explain without spoiling the whole thing. This is driving me bananas since I tend to spill the beans on a plot but just be aware that nothing is what it seems.
After reading most of Lois Metzger’s books and thinking I knew her writing style, she throws me a curve. I was expecting something that would ruin me, but instead I got the most wonderfully weird sort of science fiction tale woven with a mystery and tied up with a memory bow. Yeah, it was one of those quick reads that will have you wondering what you just read, but loving everything about it. In the end, it did really make me think and love how Metzger can pack so much into a book.
Rose finds herself not feeling “her” anymore and tries to figure out exactly what “her” is now. She feels a sort of deja vu and can’t quite put her finger on what is different. It seems to me a sort of memory loss, but it is so much more than that. Each section of the book features a teen girl but when you get to the end, it will all come together. This quick read is such that I can’t explain without spoiling the whole thing. This is driving me bananas since I tend to spill the beans on a plot but just be aware that nothing is what it seems.
After reading most of Lois Metzger’s books and thinking I knew her writing style, she throws me a curve. I was expecting something that would ruin me, but instead I got the most wonderfully weird sort of science fiction tale woven with a mystery and tied up with a memory bow. Yeah, it was one of those quick reads that will have you wondering what you just read, but loving everything about it. In the end, it did really make me think and love how Metzger can pack so much into a book.
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