Choices

by Deborah Lynn Jacobs

SHIFTING BETWEEN MULTIPLE REALITIES A teenage girl consumed by guilt over her brother's death tries to find a universe in which he is still alive.
 
Sticky notes rim the mirror in rainbow colors.  REMEMBER.  DON'T FORGET HIM.  READ THE NOTEBOOK.  Remember what?  Remember who?  And what's this about a notebook?  There's another note, bottom center of the mirror.  THE DREAMS ARE REAL.
 
In an unconscious effort to find her dead brother, Kathleen slips between universes.  Choices begins in one dimension, then fractures into four distinct voices with every decision Kathleen/Kay/Kate/Kathy makes.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Paranormal, Teen

189 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2007

Reviews

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Karin Perry for TeensReadToo.com

If only she had her driver's license. If only she wasn't afraid to drive. If only Jen hadn't gotten too drunk to drive home. If only she hadn't called Nick to come and get her. If only... If only...

Kathleen's life is altered on the night she goes to a party where her best friend gets too drunk to drive her home. Kathleen calls her brother, Nick, to pick her up, and being the great brother he is, he doesn't hesitate to get out on a cold and slippery night to rescue his little sister.

When police knock on the door of the party everyone assumes they're busted. Kathleen is given the job of stalling since she is sober. Instead, the police are there for her - to take her to the hospital where Nick was taken after he was hit on the way to pick her up.

Kathleen's life drastically changes after Nick's death. Her father isolates himself in his office watching sports on television and her mother begins drinking a little more every day. Kathleen is left feeling alone until she meets someone new at Nick's memorial service. Luke offers kindness and concern when no one else is focusing on her needs.

The night after the funeral Kathleen, full of sadness, falls asleep in Nick's bed. When she wakes up she realizes she isn't in the same "reality" as she was the day before. Little things aren't right. Jen, who she's been fighting with since the night of the party, so much so that she didn't even come to the funeral, shows up to take her to school on this particular morning like nothing had ever happened. They are still amazingly close. Confusion plagues Kathleen's mind all day. Finally, she realizes what is going on.

Kathleen realizes there are certain moments everyday when she makes decisions, and depending on what decision she makes, her life takes a different path. The problem for Kathleen is that she retains the memories of the previous path while she also has to live in the new one. All of these paths run parallel and go on at the same time with different consequences. Kathleen ends up splintering into several paths, which she keeps track of by the different names she gives to herself. She becomes Kay, Kate, and Kathy, in addition to her original self. Her major problem is that she doesn't know who she'll be when she wakes up in the morning. Her one constant is Luke. He manages to find her no matter who she is.

Deborah Lynn Jacobs has created a thought-provoking novel about the importance of life choices. Kathleen learns a lot about herself as she navigates her way through her many lives, attempting to reconcile with family, friends, and her own feelings about loss and love.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 but rounding to 4.

I loved the idea and the story itself. It was so fun to read, and I loved the different versions of the characters. The story intrigued me, which is why I finished it.

I've been taking a creative writing class, and this book was very helpful in teaching me to edit. Some of the actions were inconsistent with the characters, even with factoring in different universes. Some of the scenes, especially with the dad, and with the brother, seemed very forced and not realistic. The ending also felt pretty off. They skip over the crisis of the story, so her mindset shift at the end is not actually there. When does she decide that she wants to go see Luke again? And why? Her feelings towards Luke are also all over the place and are not justified well.

Also, they never come back to the beginning! They did a scene at the beginning where it fits in to the last 10 pages of the book, but they don't actually reference the scene, which feels like a waste. Even just a little scene of her writing the notes would tie it together, but the scene at the beginning feels like an explanation of what's going on, but an aside from the actual story rather than being a scene in the story.

Overall, I liked it a lot and really enjoyed the execution, but it could have really used a good edit.

[Ellen Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts of in an intriguing way with our main character waking up from a dream and checking herself in the mirror to make sure she is still herself. Her mirror is adorned with post it notes telling her dreams are real, not to forget him and to read the notebook.Kathleen's life changes drastically when her ride (her best friend Jen) gets drunk and high at a party on New Years Eve. Kathleen doesn't know how to drive and she calls her brother to pick her from the party. I did worry about her leaving her friend at the party in the state she was in (but that is in no way important to the plot). Instead of her brother picking her up however a police officer picks her up and tells her there has been an accident with her brother and takes her to hospital where she finds out he has died. The next day Jen comes to her door and blaming her for her her brothers death Kathleen refuses to see her. Then at the viewing Jen doesn't come but a young man named Luke does. He was a friend of her brothers and comforts her, giving her his number in case she needs to talk. While looking at him it seems to her like part of him phase-shifts. The next day Jen comes to her brothers burial and acts like everything is fine between them because it is because somehow Kathleen has a new set of memories conflicting with her original ones, where she saw Jen the day after her brother died. This is the first glimpse Kathleen gets at how confusing her life has started to become and she starts to wonder what part LUke, who keeps popping up, plays in it.
I liked this book a lot. I had a few issues with some of the plot but I really enjoyed it. The action of the story started right away and even the first paragraph was interesting enough that I wanted to keep reading. Fun, fast and enjoyable.

[Katrina Burchett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kathleen is at a New Year's party with her friend, Jen, who is drunk. Since Kathleen can't drive, she calls her brother, Nick, for a ride home. It isn't Kathleen's brother who knocks on her friend's door but a policeman. He tells Kathleen that her brother has been in a car accident, and that he's been instructed to take her to the hospital. Sadly, she finds out that Nick died on impact.
Then it begins...Throughout the story things happen, but then it seems they didn't happen. Did these things happen? Yes, it seems so. But where did these happenings occur; in which Universe? And who experienced what, when; Kathleen or Kate or Kay or Kathy? And is it possible for Kathleen to see her brother again? And who is Luke, really?
Deborah Lynn Jacobs has one character, Kathleen, become four - no, I'm not talking about multiple personalities, although that's what I thought it was for a while - and my mind is stimulated to the last page with all of the "shifting". It also didn't escape my attention that family & friendship issues were worked out through it all. I don't know if I could have made the decision Kathleen made in the very end, but we all have our reasons for the choices we make. Paranormal isn't a genre I'm usually drawn to, but the title of this one got my attention. It was an interesting read penned by a very skilled writer.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was freaking AMAZING! I loved it--no complaints or critiques. I absolutely, 100%, no holds barred LOVED this book! The concept of multiple universes that are created with every choice that you make or don't make has always been fascinating to me--I actually had deja-vu while reading a certain part which only heightened the experience of reading it.

Kathleen's story was so enthralling I couldn't put the book down--from one universe to the next, from one choice to the next. It really did make me wonder what my life would be like had I chose to go to a different school or move away; it's thought provoking.

Kathleen was great--as were her other versions in different universes; in the beginning she was timid, walked away from confrontation, never spoke up for herself, but as she "shifted" from one universe to another she really grew as a person and find her true self within all those different versions. I was so taken aback by Luke, but in the end it worked out.

Perfect ending to a perfect book...I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

[Paige Burgueno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathleen is at a party with her friend, Jen. With her unable to drive, she calls her older brother, Nick, to pick her up. A police officer arrives at the door, with her being the only one sober, she answers it only to find out that they're here for her. Now she has to deal with Nick's death, who has gotten into a car accident on his way driving over to pick her up. However, things start to become more strange when she begins to have memories of herself in two different timelines. I liked this book because of the mix of sci-fi and romance in this novel and the first person point of view makes the reader feel a bit more connected to Kathleen. A part of the story that I really enjoyed was when she talks about the time Nick told her mom when she was playing with fire. ""Like the time he caught me playing with matches down in the basement. I was trying to make a fire for Barbie. She was camping with Ken." Luke chuckles, so I go on. "Nick went ballistic, Dragging me upstairs to see Mom, showed her the evidence. Mom cut me off TV for a week and banished me to my room. I told him I hated him." "Do you? Hate him?" "Nah. He smuggled a whole bag of chips to me later that evening."" (Pg. 115) I really liked this part because it was a humorous but touching moment between the two siblings that Kathleen remembers.

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOOO! Lol there is something about the author's writing that just sucks me in! Last year I read powers by her and it was one of my most underrated reads of the year I love her characters and how she finds these unique ways to connect them to each other. I loved watching kathleen, kath, katy, kat...whatever shes calling herself these days, grow as a person. As someone who has dealt with grief personally this is a fantastic read on learning that its okay to let go, as well as some consolation about the person you have lost. A beautiful read... Loved the ending...but ugh I just want so much more! I need more of Deborah Lynn Jacobs writing in my life!

[*Weebles* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! It was kind of confusing at first, but after about 50 pages, it was good.

[Nightress · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I read this book years ago when i was 10. I forgot the name of it and took me 9 years to figure out what it was called. I loved this book so much, it's still the saddest book I've read

[Chelsea]

I was skeptical of this one, but overall, it was a good read. 3.5 stars.

[Jenna Randell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bookwas very interesting. it starts out with a girl named Kathleen. the setting is a party gone bad. Her friend Jen invited Kathleen to come to the party. When morning came Jen was too drunk to give Kathleen a ride home. So Kathleen decided to call Nick her older brother and ask if he could come and pick her up. He was on his way when he got into a terrible accident involving him and another driver. He was taking to the hospital. The cops arrived at the house where Kathleen was. The cops told Kathleen the bad news. When she got to the hospital it was to late. Nick died and there was no way to bring him back. Or was there? A few days go by. They have the funeral and a weird guy shows up that Kathleen had never seen before or heard of. Turns out the guy was a friend of Nicks. The story starts getting weird. Kathleen's friend Jen comes over to Kathleens house. Knocks on the door. Now Kathleen knows shes there. But she doesn't get up to let Jen come inside. Instead she ignores Jen. The reason for ignoring Jen is because Jen didn't come to the funeral. So Jen put down Kathleens coat and purse on the steps and leaves. But thats not how Kathleen remembers it happening. She remembers running to the door and hugging Jen. Then they go up to Kathleen's room and watch a movie. But when Kathleen wakes up in the morning Jen's not there. That's when Kathleen starts feeling totally different. She stopped hanging out with Jen and her other friends and starts to hang with the wrong crowd. She gets a new friend named Sunny. Kathleen is gone and out comes Kate. Kate is a bad girl with an even worse additude. she dyes her hair and spikes it in the back. Yells at her parents. doesn't listen at all. The guy that came to the funeral his name is Luke. A guy that Kate barely knows yet every where she goes he's there. Like he's follwing her. And he is. Not only is he following he's moving with her. Every night when she's goes to bed she wakes up as a totally different person. But Luke doesn't. He does move with her. But only because he takes items of hers. Like he needs DNA of hers in order to shift with her. Everytime she shifts he shifts. Like he watching out for her. She falls in love with him. But she's not Kate anymore. She's now Kay. A sorta kinda bad girl but not as bad as Kate. However Kay does drink. And one night she got Luke drinking. Bad idea. When Luke drinks he changes. And that's just what happened. He was not Luke when he woke in the morning. He was Micheal Agius. The same guy the hit Nick. The same guy that killed Nick. Weirdo. why would he show up at the funeral. He wanted to pay his respects to kathleen's family. But don't you think he did enough. But Kathleen still believes she can find out a way to bring her brother Nick back. And it's kinda strange, but somehow she does. One day she wakes up in the morning and goes into the bathroom that her and Nick use to share. When she goes in she finds that the toothpaste is twisted in the middle like Nick always does. So she pushes open Nick's door and guess who she sees? Nick. His back, but then Kathleen also thought that maybe Luke was back. She went to go look for Luke's number in her purse. But she doesn't find it. He must not be back. But when her brother and his girlfriend go out on a date, they go to Jay's Place. Now Kathleen has been there before. But that was with Luke. She decides to go there after asking her brother where he took Nadia (his girlfriend) to dinner. Jay's Place is no longer Jay's Place. It's now Micheals. she goes in and ask to talk to the chef. She starts talking to Micheal to see if she could get Luke to come back. She goes back to the kitchen and sits where her and Luke sat when they first started talking to each other about shifting. After a while Micheal asks if she needs a ride home. It didn't work. She just couldn't seem to pull Luke back. So she had to make a choice. Keep her brother or keep Luke. She decided to get Luke back. Which means Nick would be gone.And that's exactly what happens. She says goodbye to Nick and her family. Then without knowing she shifts back to the universe where Luke is. The only way that was possible was because she had something that had Lukes DNA on it. The pen from Jay's Place. Nick is gone, But Kathleen pulls her family together and works everything out with her friends. It ended way different then i thought it would but, it was a really good read.

[Alex Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts out with Kathleen going to a New Year’s Eve party that her friend Jen invited her to. She didn’t really want to go, but she gave in to Jen and went. The party had gone badly and Kathleen wanted to leave, but she doesn’t have her license. She calls her brother to pick her up, but as he was on his way there he got into a car accident. A driver named Michael Agius hit him and her brother died instantly. Kathleen feels like it’s her fault he died since she wasn’t able to drive herself home. She thinks if she hadn’t gone to the party, none of it would’ve happened. This triggers strange things to start happening. At the funeral Kathleen meets Luke, who says he’s a friend of her brothers from college. Jen didn’t go to the funeral and when Jen came to Kathleen’s house the next day, Kathleen didn’t answer the door because she was so angry. Kathleen starts to have a conflicting memory and remembers running to the door, hugging Jen, acting like nothing was wrong. They ended up watching movies and falling asleep in Kathleen’s room. But the next morning Jen’s not there. Her life starts to get very confusing and she doesn’t feel normal. She starts hanging out with different people and changed her appearance drastically. She calls her rebellious self Kate now. Now every time she goes to bed, she wakes up as a different person. Luke follows her throughout the story. He shifts when she shifts, except he doesn’t wake up as a totally different person like she does. She then turns into Kay who is bad but not as bad as Kate. She ends up falling in love with Luke and one night they were drinking together. When Luke drinks, he can change. When they woke up the next morning Luke had no idea who Kathleen was and when she says her name is Kay he tells her his name is Michael Agius, the one who killed Kathleen’s brother. She then wakes up as Kathy, and reassesses every person she’s been. Since she has two universes where she makes different choices, she thinks she can somehow go to a world where her brother is still alive. So, he wakes up one morning and goes to the bathroom that her and her brother shared. She opened the door to her brother’s room, and there her brother was. She started to wonder where Luke was though. She ends up going to his restaurant that he owns and starts talking to Michael to see if she can get Luke to come back. It wasn’t working though. She then had to make a major choice on whether to keep her brother or keep Luke. She chose to get Luke back so her brother would remain dead. She shifts back to the universe where Luke exists and then brings her family together and builds her friendships back.
I gave this book a rating of 4. This book was very intriguing and I ended up reading it in one day because I liked it so much. There were so many surprises that caught me off guard. Especially when one morning Kathleen and Luke woke up, but Luke had no idea who Kathleen was. He asks for her name and she tells him. Then Luke says, “Pleased to meet you, Kay. I’m Michael. Michael Aguis” (Jacobs 142). I was in complete shock after I read this because Michael Aguis is the person who killed Kathleen’s brother. Moments in the book like this are what made the book so intriguing because it was totally unexpected since he has been known as Luke the whole book.
I would have given this book a 5, except I was disappointed with how the book ended. After Kathleen finally figures out that she could go into different universes, the whole book she is attempting to find her brother again. By the end of the book, she ends up in a universe that her brother is in but Luke is not. She had to make a decision on which universe she should say in, the one with her brother alive without Luke, or the universe with Luke but with her brother dead. She made the decision to go to the universe with Luke. “Wait.” I throw my arms around him and hug him, hard. Nike bear-hugs me back. “What’s with the sudden show of affection?” he asks. “I am going to miss you so very much,” I say, with tears in my eyes. “I love you” (Jacobs 182-183). I couldn’t believe she chose to go to the universe with Luke. She worked this whole book to get to find the universe with her brother and when she finally found it, she just left him. The book got confusing at times because Kathleen switched characters so many times, but other than that I enjoyed the book a lot.

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this three stars because I absolutely loved this book growing up and it never left my mind. But then I read it as an adult and some of the content was just so weird to me I couldn’t get past it. Most her relationship with Luke. I just don’t like that he kept emphasizing how young she was while also being obviously attracted to her. I don’t like when books do that. It’s uncomfortable to me.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only she had her driver's license. If only she wasn't afraid to drive. If only Jen hadn't gotten too drunk to drive home. If only she hadn't called Nick to come and get her. If only... If only...

Kathleen's life is altered on the night she goes to a party where her best friend gets too drunk to drive her home. Kathleen calls her brother, Nick, to pick her up and being the great brother he is, he doesn't hesitate to get out on a cold and slippery night to rescue his little sister.

When police knock on the door at the party everyone assumes their busted. Kathleen is given the job of stalling since she is sober. Instead, the police are there for her - to take her to the hospital where Nick was taken after he was hit on the way to get her.

Kathleen's life drastically changes after Nick's death. Her father isolates himself in his office watching sports on television and her mother begins drinking a little more everyday. Kathleen is left feeling alone until she meets someone new at Nick's memorial service. Luke offers kindness and concern when no one else is focusing on her needs.

The night after the funeral Kathleen, full of sadness, falls asleep in Nick's bed. When she wakes up she realizes she isn't in the same "reality" as she was the day before. Little things aren't right. Jen, who she's been fighting with since the night of the party, so much so she didn't even come to the funeral shows up to take her to school on this particular morning like nothing had ever happened. They are still amazingly close . Confusion plagues Kathleen's mind all day. Finally, she realizes what is going on.

Kathleen realizes there are certain moments everyday when she makes decisions and depending on what decision she makes, her life takes a different path. The problem for Kathleen is she retains the memories of the previous path while she also has to live in the new one. All these paths run parallel and go on at the same time with different consequences. Kathleen ends up splintering into several paths which she keeps track of by the different names she gives to herself. She becomes Kay, Kate, and Kathy in addition to her original self. Her major problem is, she doesn't know who she'll be when she wakes up in the morning. Her one constant is Luke. He manages to find her no matter who she is.

Deborah Lynn Jacobs has created a thought provoking novel about the importance of life choices. Kathleen learns a lot about herself as she navigates her way through her many lives, attempting to reconcile with family, friends, and her own feelings about loss and love.

[Roberta R. (Offbeat YA) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.

Pros: Sibling love. A convincing explanation of multiple realities.
Cons: Some of the realities feel forced. The ending is not consistent with the premise, and the lead's final choice makes no sense.
WARNING! Drug smoking. A drinking parent.
Will appeal to: Those who like to wonder "what if..." and don't care much for plausibility.

This is a though one to review without being too spoilery, but I'll try...
I was originally drawn to Choices for two reasons: 1) the multiverse concept and 2) the apparently original premise...a guilt-consumed girl who would go to any length to have her big brother back. I'm intrigued by alternate-universes theories, and I thought it was refreshing to have a teen who was driven by sibling love instead of romantic/lustful one. Multiverse I did get - though it presented some issues that I'll address later - but as for the rest...I closed the book feeling cheated.
17 y.o. Kathleen has just lost her older brother Nick due to an accident she feels responsible for, because Nick was coming to pick her at a party where she didn't really want to go in the first place, and because she never learned to drive. Also, unlike most girls her age, Kathleen was very close to her big brother, which adds to her pain. Nick's death triggers a peculiar chain of events - or better, a series of them - Kathleen doesn't know what to make of at first: there are specific splitting points where she makes a decision instead of another and this causes equally specific consequences...The real catch is, Kathleen finds herself shifting among the different realities her choices and not-choices create, retaining a double memory after every split. Of course, Kathleen thinks she's losing it, and fast. It's Luke, a slightly older boy and fellow shifter she met at Nick's funeral, who finally helps her understand what's going on. I'm not a physics expert, but Luke's explanation of the shifts seems fine to me, and actually makes sense. Or I want it to make sense because I'm fascinated by characters who live different lives, so if there's a plausible way for them to, I'm more than happy :). (Not sure what Stephen Hawkins would have to say about Luke's theory, but still). Well, so, the multiverse part started strong to me. And Kathleen - in all her different versions - is a relatable enough character, though not particularly memorable. So what about the 2 stars? Here goes... [...]

Whole review here.

[Educating Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Okay, let’s say you’re right,” I say, “We’re shifting between multiple copies of ourselves. Is that why I have two sets of memories? The memories I carry with me when I shift, and the memories of the body I’ve shifted into?”

“Exactly,” Luke says.

I shiver. “We’re like ghost, possessing our own bodies for a time and moving on.” (92)


Stranded at a party because everyone, including her best friend Jen, is drunk, Kathleen calls her brother to pick her up. The weather conditions are fierce – snow settling on the icy roads. Nick is involved in a devastating car accident that takes his life. Kathleen blames herself and in her moment of anger and blame isolates herself from Jen and anyone else once close to her. Kathleen’s mother begins to drink while her father pretends as though nothing is wrong.

Or, in another reality…

Kathleen is still stranded at the party and Nick is still dead, but instead of her mother drinking she has been throwing herself in to community efforts to help prevent drunk driving and various other causes. Jen is still Kathleen’s best friend, and life moves on.
The only thing that each of the realities have in common is a boy named Luke, whose first interaction with Kathleen is at Nick’s funeral. Kathleen doesn’t know where he came from but instantly feels a connection. Plus, he seems to be the only one who has memories of his own alternate realities. Maybe he can help her find the one where her brother is still alive.

What drew me into this book was the notion of alternate universes. I don’t think that I’m a very big fan of time travel novels, although I guess the concept of realities all existing simultaneously is similar in fashion. I’m looking over the notes that I made about this novel and I’m not quite sure where I was going with it. I wrote something along the lines of follow up with Rogers (Carl Rogers, a brilliant theorist and therapist back in the 60’s I wanna say. He devised the notion of person-centered therapy and was best known for his work with schizophrenics. Rogers believed that we must emerge ourselves into the schizophrenic reality to communicate with them, rather than try to force them into our reality. But you see, even though I made this notation, I am not quite sure why?)

I enjoyed this book and think that a lot of teens will like it as well. Kathleen is a very empathetic character. I truly wanted her to find her brother but understood the dilemma of what that might mean in all of the other realities.

___
** Realitybending is how I refer to books that make you question reality.

[Maddy Castillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Choices, is a creditable novel by Deborah Lynn Jacobs. In this book, the main character Kathleen (also called Kate, Kay, and Kathy) travels through multiple universes to find a world where her dead brother, Nick is still alive.

Kathleen travlels through four different universes. When she is Kathleen, she good girl who always follows the rules and is always on the safe side. Kate is almost the same as Kathleen, but after her brother died she acts a little more adventurous, but she also knows her boundries. For example, Kate went over to Sunny's house (the school freak who she became friends with)and started to smoke pot. She did not want to, but Sunny persuaded her by saying that she needed to "let go". Kate ended up smoking so much that she let Sunny cut and dye her hair a "midnight blue". When she is Kay, she is more rebellious. For example, when she came home with her blue hair, she cursed at her dad after he told her that "her mother didn't need this right now" and Kay got very angry. Also, she drives a car without a drivers license after she has been smoking pot. The car had gotten out of control, so Kay drove it into a ditch. When she is Kathy, she is a good girl who knows how to say no. She did not dye her hair and she did not go driving with Sunny. Kathy helped her mom quit drinking alcohol and also fixed her other problems like, her fight with Jen (her best friend) by making her a cake that said "i'm sorry" on it.

Along Kathleen, Kate, Kay, and Kathy's journey, she meets a boy named Luke. she finds that she is falling in love with him, so one night, in Kay's universe she asks Luke to pick her up and take her to his house because she did not like her life at home. Although, when she came to Luke's house she also brought a wine bottle. As they drank, Kay tried to "make a move" but Luke got offended and took the wine bottle to his room and drank the rest of it. When they both wake up in the morning, they are in the same bed but Luke doesn't know who Kay is. Kay finds out that his real name is Michael Agius. Her brother's killer. After that day Kay has developed a hatred for Michael, but a part of her still loves him.

In my opinion, this book was satisfactory. Although, it was slightly hard to follow at times, but in the end, it is still very good. I would reccomend ths book to a girl who likes realistic fiction, and also a girl who likes love stories.

[Kit Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great!!! The intricate plot, the eurhythmic writing, and complex characters, all contributed to creating a good novel. The plot was so carefully developed and confusing at times but I loved it nonetheless. The idea was so unique, I just couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. I was so glad to find this book. All the different universes were so alike, yet so different. The twists and turns were so unexpected, I did not see the ending coming.
The characters were so well developed, I loved how Kathleen had different personalities in all the different universes. Also, the way she remembered some things, and forgot other things was a great way to introduce the idea of the parallel universes. Her boyfriend seemed so sweet and a nice way to get over her brother's death. But the ending... ugh I did not see that coming.
The only thing I want to complain about is that the book was just too short. I finished it in about two hours. I wished this book was a little longer, and I wished it explained more about the different universes. I also wished it would give more information about the ending. I think this book deserves more attention than it is getting, and it should probably have a sequel. Otherwise, this book was a nice refreshment to the generic books I keep reading about today. Love triangles, divorce, teen pregnancy, and etc. Although, the cover of the book isn't that special or creative as the book itself, I think it really portrays Kathy's situation and feelings. I should really listen to the saying, Don't judge a book by it's cover.

[Katarina Janjuseic · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Choices" by Deborah Lynn Jacobs was an exciting read. It is about the experiences of Kathleen, whose brother dies in a car accident. She realizes that she is able to move between multiple universes, and that they split to form two new parallel worlds every time she has to make a decision. She meets one person, Luke, however, which can also move between these worlds instead of staying in one. They quickly become friends, but Kathleen is not completely sure whether to trust him.

This fantasy novel incorporated a lot of realistic fiction as well, describing Kathleen's life after the death of her brother, how her family and friendships fell apart, and how she managed to fix them again. While reading the book, I learned a lot about why some people completely change their lives when it doesn't seem rational to do so to most others, which I have pondered for a very long time. It is a short book, but manages to express Kathleen's emotions and confusion in it's 189 pages. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys realistic fiction.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so unbelieveable! I do not want to be the person that writes a refiew that says OMG but OMG! The book kept me so interested and it was a straight read, once I started it I could and did not put it down! This book surprised me so many times, so many times it was so jaw dropping I was screaming OMG at the pages. I did not want to believe some of the things that happened, but every little detail made the storyline so much better!
This novel had me thinking so much as and questioning things as if what happens in this book could actually be a reality, it's so crazy! This is a must read for everyone! I have never been so confused, fasinated, angry, happy, and all the other emotions reading a book.
Although it is a short read there is so much to take in. I never thought that I would enjoy the fantasy/science fiction type of book but this novel opened my eyes to wanting to read more of them. I am also interested in reading more from this author!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked:
The plot, the characters, the relationship between kathleen and luke. It was a very good idea for a plot that was executed fairly well. It got even better once I had an idea of what was going on. I loved the whole switching universes/identities thing. I've never read anything like it.

What I didn't like:
The book started and ended as two different stories. In the beginning was the whole the dreams are real thing. We were never really brought back to that and the beginning made me think it would be a completely different book than how it turned out. It also felt very rushed towards the end, like the author was forced to finish it under 200 pages. And the ending. I absolutely hated it. I'm not one for sappy romance novels, but I absolutely adored Kathleen and Luke's relationship and I was so extremly frustrated with how things ended up.

Overall it was a good, interesting read, fairly easy as well. I would definitely recommend it.

[Potokat · Rating 1 out of 5]

BL: 3.3
Pts: 5.0

Kathleen is at a party with her BFF, who, unfortunately, is ripped out of her mind and unable to drive them home. This is a problem, as Kathleen does not have a driver's license. She calls her brother, but after two hours, he still has not arrived. Then the policeman shows up, and takes her to the hospital, where she finds that her brother was unfortunately killed on the icy streets of Wisconsin on his way to pick her up. From there, things get decidedly odd, as Kathleen seems to be living a different life every day, and can't understand why her mom is falling apart one day and going back to work the next. I really can't say more then that without giving too much away.

This book is like a cross between Run, Lola Run and Quantum Leap. Unfortunately, I hated it. It was an interesting idea, but the only theme I could discern from this book was "Teenagers make dumb choices". I really would not recommend this book to any of my kids, despite the low reading level.

[Geebowie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy these types of books that deal with shifting realities and timeliness. the story is about a girl named Katleen who older brother dies she blames herself. If she had not been at the party then Nick would not have to had to come and pick up her up and get in a car accident along the way. After his death she begins wake up in different realities. In one her Mother has gone into a deep depression and is heavy drinking. In another her mother has gone back to work and is also working for MADD.all together they are about five realities that Katleen experiences. She meets another person that can shift like she can and she begins falling in love with him until he revels a shocking secret this book is one of those where the plot is really hard to explain. I enjoyed it very much I just wish it had been longer.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I basically devoured "Choices" in one sitting. It might not be everybody's cup of tea, but I sincerely enjoyed it. The concept of parallel dimensions has always fascinated me, and I think Deborah Lynn Jones touched on it perfectly because it didn't read like a supernatural espionage type of book. She made it so much more realistic by combining it with a normal girl and a very surreal setting. And the way she went in and out of each world was very cool -- I want to say it's almost like you're entering a dream. The writing itself flowed so wonderfully, which I'm sure is why I was able to read it so quickly. I would personally love to see a sequel, but I'm not entirely sure if she set it up for one in the end.

I've definitely become a fan of Deborah because of this book.

[Shanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept of this story was interesting, but the actual execution was a bit lacking. The dialogue was unconvincing and the romantic subplot was like something out of of "Cliché Romances for Teens". The family conflict and the concept of "shifting" was interesting, but not so much that it was able to overcome the faults in the book. Oh yeah, and the male protagonist was a bit of the "Edward Cullen" type: self hating, overly virtuous, and supposedly incredibly attractive. Not very interesting when the main character falls for him right away. Even the twist that came at the end was predictable. I'll still keep the book for my student reading library, but it's not really worth going out and buying.

[Shadowyraven · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had a very interesting premise, really captivating, it caught my attention. I enjoyed it, i liked Kathleen's surivor's guilt, it was very realistic. I loved the whole shifting idea, I like the different universes of her. The characters were very real. I liked the premise that Kathleen felt kind of like "the wrong kid died." Luke was interesting but came of as creepy before and I had a feeling Luke was the driver so that kind of ruined it for me. My biggest problem was when she finally gets Nick back, she gives him up for Luke. Sure she gave him a hug as well as her family, I understand she wanted to move on, but to give up on her family for Michael, I thought that was wrong, sure she might have loved Luke but she loved her family too, Four stars because of that.

[Dory · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a great plot, i will admit that, the writing was fine. Although you never feel. I never felt the loss of Kathleen's' brother, sorrow from the disconnection between her and her parents in some universes, the love between Luke and her, or Micheal, the happiness of being with her parents again, and no surprise from knowing that he was the one who hit her brother.
Basically there is so much in the book which could be improved with some better writing. When Jacobs described the taste of Cheddar on the pie, it was simple. Bare basics. So much could be improved.

This was a re-read, so obviously there weren't so many surprises, but the style of writing was SHIT. Although i loved the plot, really loved it. It was a smart, interesting plot, just boring. Boring writing.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good book that begins in one timeline and then keeps splitting to others like branches from a tree. Kathryn or Kay or Kath etc. is devastated after her brother dies but when she realizes she can shift to multiple universes she begins to hope that she will be able to find a time where he is alive. But how will all this shifting effect her relationships and herself? How can she remember what is going on in all these lives? And how can she accept the choices that she makes? Because within these universes one thing is certain, you cannot go back. A thought provoking novel that will make you wonder about multiple realities and their existence.

[Mariyamou Drammeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book because the title caught my attention. Also i read the small excerpt in the back of the book and it seemed good. I liked that the book is original. It something different and unique. The author made this thing up about different universes and how Kathleen, the main character has different lives in each universe. It shows how the choices you make can lead you in different paths. The whole universe thing and the main character changing personalities really surprised me. I want to look for books that are original now. Also books that come up with things that happen in everyday life with s little twist.

[Nataly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to reread this book because my thoughts kept going back to it. I would remember random events that happened in the book and although I didn't remember many details, I knew I had loved it. Just finished rereading and even though it took me awhile, I finished it and I fell in love all over again. The concept of the book is unique and intriguing and the way Jacobs puts everything together perfectly makes this book amazing. I love this book and I would recommend it to anyone, it really makes you think about how the choices you make every day have an effect on your future and it truly is an unforgettable read.