DupliKate

by Cherry Cheva

To Do

Ace SATsAce finalsAce AP physics project Avoid murdering lab partnerSubmit Yale applicationResolve possibly evil twin situationDue December 15 11 days

By the time Kate Larson accidentally fell asleep at three a.m., she'd already done more work in one night than the average high school senior does in a week. Getting into Yale has been her dream for years—and being generally overworked and totally under-rested is the price of admission. But when she opens her eyes the next day, she comes face-to-face with, well, her face—which is attached to her body, which is standing across the room. Wait, what?

Meet Kate's computer-generated twin. Kate doesn't know why she's here or how to put her back where she belongs, but she's real. And she's the last thing Kate has time to deal with right now. Unless . . .

Could having a double be the answer to Kate's prayers? After all, two Kates can do more work than one. Or will keeping her twin a secret turn her dream future into a living nightmare?

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Science Fiction, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2009

About the author

Cherry Chevapravatdumrong ("Cherry Cheva") was born in Columbus, OH, and raised in Ann Arbor, MI. She majored in psychology at Yale and earned a J.D. from NYU Law School. While in school, Cherry spent her summers working at law firms and her winter breaks waiting tables at her parents' restaurant, Lotus Thai. She then moved to LA to pursue a career in writing, and is now the only female writer on Fox’s hit TV show "Family Guy."

Reviews

[N.A. Fedorak · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible book. It's another 'super smart girl trying to get into Yale/Harvard/an Ivy League school and going crazy from homework, and then she realizes that her boyfriend/Yale isn't what she wants and then dumps her bf/cheats on him and starts dating The Bashful Male Friend Character' Book.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confusing at some parts but overall, very well written.

[Atiana Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in the 7th grade and I liked it. I don't remember too much about it, but it do remember that is was funny and fun to read.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Cherry Cheva’s debut novel, She’s So Money, and really enjoying it, I was looking forward to reading DupliKate. I was definitely not disappointed. It was funny and well written with a likable main character that many people could relate to. The plot was original and it really showed how Kate changed over the course of the story. She learned a lot about both herself and her future. Cheva was able to correctly describe a lot of the stress and work of high school, but Kate was definitely too stressed. She was a high school age work-a-holic. School, school, school that’s all Kate thought about she even abandoned her friends and boy friend. Kate was well developed, but I didn’t really know much about the other characters which was okay since they didn’t really play that big of a role. It mostly centered around Kate and her computer generated twin- Rina. Rina was a likable character and different from Kate in quite a few ways. Rina wanted to experience more of the fun part of life, so that worked out well for Kate when she wanted to stay home studying rather than go to the mall. I had a back and forth opinion of Rina, I liked her and didn’t like her. She did a complete spiral by the end of the novel and by then I didn’t really care for her. It was easy to see how having a twin could be helpful in Kate’s circumstance, but the problem was Rina wanted to have her own life, she wanted more from Kate than Kate was willing to hand over.

Romance wasn’t a big part of the novel, but Kate did have two love interests- Paul and Jake. I didn’t really like Paul that much- he was the perfect character, athletic, smart… he had everything and was even a shoe-in for Yale. He didn’t understand that getting A’s didn’t come as easily to Kate as they did to him. I really liked Jake though and was happy with the ending. Jake was able to open up Kate’s eyes to life and help her find herself. Kate’s mind was so focused on getting A’s and going to Yale with Paul that she let everything else take a back seat. It was good that Kate was ambitious and had her future so laid out, but the Yale dream wasn’t really her own. She got so caught up in Paul’s dreams that she forgot about her own. This underlying message in DupliKate was important and one that will make all high school students rethink their dreams and what they really want to do with their life. It’s important for school to be important in your life, but it also can’t control it. Friends and family should have just as big a role. All in all I would definitely recommend DupliKate, it’s laugh out loud funny, with an important message tied in. I’m looking forward to reading more by Cherry Cheva in the future.

I like the cover and the girls actually look like Kate. Their red dresses also stand out against the purple cover which is cool.

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cherry Cheva brings another outrageously adorable and hilarious novel to our hands. I just love her sense of humor and her writing style. I've enjoyed each and every single one of her books that she has written because they're all so deliciously romantic yet bittersweet at the same time. My favorite type of romance. :)

DupliKate is a very unique topic about computer generated twins. In a way, this particular subject frightened me because of how it might come true one day. However, DupliKate made me realize some obvious positive points on having a computer generated twin. You get someone to go to class for you, do your homework, manage your time wisely, etc. etc. But if it was me, I'll probably be the one telling Rina to do my work for me while I go out partying with my friends. xD But then again, that's just me. Hahaha.

The characters - Kate and Rina - were people that I could totally relate to. Kate because of her stress with college, her applications, her grades and her social life. I've been through it all before so I know exactly how stressful it can be during the first semester of your senior year. If you mess something up, something totally drastic can happen. I also enjoyed reading about Kate because of her sense of justice. There were many times when she could have "cheated" by handing in Rina's better and more interesting paper to her teachers but each and every single time, Kate refused and resisted the temptation even despite the fact that with Rina's work, her life would be much easier. Unlike me, who probably don't have much of a sense of justice or responsibility. Oh well. xD

And Rina is someone I can totally understand. After years of being completely bored and only writing things in her journal, she wants out of it and wants to have some fun. And the only way of doing so is to pretend to be Kate and eventually falling in love with Kate's social life. I knew what she was doing was wrong but at the same time, I felt like I understood her need.

I also enjoyed reading about Kate and Rina's friendship, or sistership, because it was just really cute. They knew each other inside and out because they're practically the same person.

The ending was pretty predictable but there was this one part where it totally surprised me. However, I understood that at the moment, it was probably the only solution to the problem and Kate realized what she really wanted. It definitely ended the book with this sense of satisfaction. I recommend this book to those who enjoyed Cherry's other novel, She's So Money.

[The Bookologist · Rating 3 out of 5]

To Do List:

* Ace SATs
* Ace finals
* Ace AP physics project
* Avoid murdering lab partner
* Submit Yale application
* Resolve possibly evil twin situation

Due date: December 15th
Countdown: 11 days

By the time Kate Larson accidentally fell asleep at three a.m., she'd already done more work in one night than the average high school senior does in a week. Getting into Yale has been her dream for years—and being generally overworked and totally under-rested is the price of admission. But when she opens her eyes the next day, she comes face-to-face with, well, her face—which is attached to her body, which is standing across the room. Wait, what?

Meet Kate's computer-generated twin. Kate doesn't know why she's here or how to put her back where she belongs, but she's real. And she's the last thing Kate has time to deal with right now. Unless . . .

Could having a double be the answer to Kate's prayers? After all, two Kates can do more work than one. Or will keeping her twin a secret turn her dream future into a living nightmare?

Wow, what can I say about this book, this book was absolutely amazing. I read this book in one sitting, from start to end I just loved each and every single part of this book. Cheva's writing is very unique. I really like how she writes about teenagers, that way we can relate to the characters very easily, I mean this book, I could relate to Kate very well, as well as the other characters.

The whole idea of the book is very unique and it's something different. It's not one of those common plots. It's something fresh and new. She has a computer-generated twin!

I ADORE Kate's personality and character. She is like me who wants to get into great schools. Her biggest dream is to get into Yale. She's a fun character and I just love her personality. Her computer-generated twin, Rina was the last thing that she can deal with and needless to say, she's busy with her application. I liked how Rina did a lot of things to Kate, which she had to handle. I enjoyed reading what Kate did to handle all of what Rina did. Also, Kate is very intelligent girl, and she has a 4.1 GPA, and she's the cocaptain of the volleyball team. Wow?!?!

[Liviania · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought SHE'S SO MONEY, Cherry Cheva's YA debut, with my own money. (Full disclosure: it was actually a gift card from my former roommate, but that makes the sentence less snappy.) It was well worth it - funny and romantic. And I luckily finished it a mere two minutes before it was my turn to drive. So I was quite happy when I opened a mysterious package that included DUPLIKATE (along with Never Cry Werewolf and two other books that I shall review later). So happy that it was the first novel I read after returning to my permanent address from the UK. (Why are you only reading this review now? Because it's the release date.)

Kate Larson has a plan. She's gonna score well on her standardized tests and go to Yale with her hot and intelligent boyfriend Paul. Yeah, she's working herself into the ground, but it will be worth it. Then she falls asleep after opening up her old account on a game similar to SecondLife. She wakes up to Rina, her avatar, come to life - complete with a love of glitter and pink. But while Rina has the style of a preteen, she's got a brain of her own and a desire to get out of the house. The two begin switching, and things go wrong in classic storytelling fashion.

To me, DUPLIKATE was not as funny as SHE'S SO MONEY. However, it still made me laugh. I also enjoyed the complicated romantic dynamic between Kate, Rina, Paul, and Jake, Kate's former best friend. Both Jake and Paul are good guys, which makes any triangle more interesting. And Cheva knows overachieving teenagers. There's the self-imposed pressure, the desparate allocation of time . . . I managed my time and stress better than Kate when I was in high school, but I remember the drive and knowing that every one of my college admission essays sucked. (I still got in. I'm sure most college admission essays are pretty terrible, if only because the prompts are insipid.)

If you enjoy humorous, relationship-driven stories, you'll probably enjoy DUPLIKATE. Don't worry about the science fiction elements - Rina's existence isn't pondered much, it just is. And please ignore the cover, which I find boring. I prefer the motion of the SHE'S SO MONEY cover, even if it made me think the main character was Latina.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duplikate was a funny and cute book that I adored!

The concept of having computer-generated twin was an interesting topic that I don't think I've seen before in a book. Even though it was unique, it still kind of scared me. Since, I kept thinking about the possibility of this occurring in real life. I mean with technology getting more advanced every day, this could possibly occur in the future. But even with saying that I still loved how Rina and Kate kind of became "sisters" from this ordeal because their constant bickering proved several laugh out loud moments and I adored how close they became because of this.

Kate was a character that I could relate to on many levels. One being the all the stress she had from school and her trying to achieve the goal of her live: getting into an Ivy League school. Seriously, you should see me during the school year, I get so worked up/ stressed over tests, quizzes, and extracurriculars just like Kate. Overall, I think having Kate being a character that girls can relate to will earn many brownie points in readers' eyes all around. Also, I really enjoyed reading about Rina and Jake.

Cherry Cheava's writing also was a high point. Since, it flowed extremely well which lead to the story going by in an extremely fast pace, allowing me to finish Duplikate in one semi-long sitting.

In all, Duplikate was a great story that had a fantastic message of "Don't overwork yourself, since you only have one life to live" to go along with it. I highly suggest you all pick this up when it comes out!

Grade: B+

[Aileen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Duplikate started off strong and stayed that way till the end. Kate and Rina, Kate's Simulife computer generated twin, comes to life, litterally. It was definitely a concept I hadn't read about before, which made me really love it. Kate is swamped with work, since she is trying to get into Yale to be with her boyfriend of three years. At first she just has Rina sit in the house, and BLOWS UP when she finds that she has gone out, to the MALL, and has been spotted!! So Kate lets Rina roam around the house as she pleases, as long as she keeps the curtains closed that is, after ANOTHER close call with a neighbor spotting her!! Eventually, Kate is just too tired. Rina starts making flash cards for her, highlighting things, she even writes an AMAZING paper for her, though Kate doesn't turn it in and does her own. Then, Kate even lets Rina go to school for her for a day, though this is after she lets her go off with her boyfriend while she studies, and her friends too!! Kate is desperate to get into Yale, but what will it cost her if Rina starts deciding that SHE'S the one who shoud really be going?? Rina starts getting mad, and even, with Kate for locking her up. This book takes a quick turn to becoming a bit suspenseful to see what will happen between Kate and Rina, and more importantly, between Rina and Kate's boyfriend, and Kate and her ex-best friend Jake. Things heat up quickly, but how will it all end??

[Princess Bookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Thoughts: I didn't know what to expect starting this. I didn't know it I would like it or not. I mean, come on, face it, you don't see too many books with this plot! I liked it a lot more than Cherry's previous book, She's So Money. We are introduced to Kate who is an achievement-a-holic. She feels like she has to do everything perfect to get into the same college as her boyfriend, an IVY league school. She has a popular smart boyfriend named Paul. She never has any free time therefore she never even gets to spend much time with Paul. She falls asleep one night on her keyboard and wakes up to find a computer generated person who looks exactly like her named Rina. Oh my, its the girl from a game she played long ago! Kate starts splitting her work with Rina so she can get more done. She is teamed up with a boy named Jake for a school project. Back in the day, her and Jake used to be good friends but once she got with Paul, Jake just wasn't cool enough anymore. Kate learns she may not want everything she has been trying to do and her life needs to change. I loved the way Kate and Jake's relationship changed and I really enjoyed Rina's company. This book was a cute sassy fun read. It kept me interested and I wanted to know what happened next. Read the book to find out more about Kate and Rina. Read the book to find out if Kate gets accepted into college. And where does Rina go from there????

Overall: Loved it. Cute, fun, smart, delightful.

[Natalia]

In this hillarous book of a girl whose Simu-Life character comes to life, I learn that everyone should give themselves a break once in a while. Kate is a high school senior, who is desperate to go to Yale with her boyfriend Paul. She believed that overworking and under resting
was the measures she needed to get into her dream school. Shes always been a 4.0 GPA student, but when it comes to writing her personal essay, she hits writers block and has no idea what to write. When her computer freezes and she wakes up the next morning, a twin kate, Rina, appears at her door. At first, Kate find her duplicate annoying and necessary to get rid of. But as her to-do list grows, she takes advantage of the opportunity and lets Rina go out with her friends and date Paul as she studies for her finals and SATS. But when things get out of control, and she cant keep her secret anymore, she tells Rina to leave. However, Rina becomes "evil" andends up going to Kates interview, and taking credit for everything, wanting to take over Kates life. When Rina leaves to New Haven, Kate has time to think things out, and decides whats right for her. In the end, she is able to get rid of Rina, but leave her happy at the same times. She realizes Yale isnt her dream school, and learns she had been ignoring true friends all along.
I thought this book was amazing, and wish there was a second part to it.

[Anna Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. It was very easy to get into. You just start reading and all of the sudden you're sucked into Kate's problems and her life. She's a very relatable character, even if you aren't an overachiever like she is. Even though this most likely won't happen to you, Cheva writes the book like it could happen. It's just so realistic.

From reading the summary of this book, it may just sound like one of those books that have no meaning. But underneath the main plot focus, Kate's problem with her cyber-twin, there's this underlying plot about how maybe Kate's goals aren't want she really wants. This underlying plot really adds weight to the overall book, and it's just one of the things that makes this book more than just a book that has no meaning to it.

If I had to say one bad thing about t his book, it would be about the cover. The whole idea isn't TOO bad, but for some reason i just don't like it. I think the creators could've done something else with it to make it better. I feel that in just a few years it will be outdated, which is too bad, because the book is wonderful.

[Kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well what can I say about Duplikate? It's hard to find words to describe such a great book. It was so funny but more than that, it was real. Having just recently graduated from high school I could really picture everything Kate was going through and totally relate to it.

Kate's social life is pretty much nonexistent with applications and extracurricular activities. She almost never gets to see her boyfriend or her friend. Add to that a huge science project for her final with a slacker for a partner and things become too much to handle. Then Rina shows up.

I guess one of the things I liked so much about Duplikate was that it wasn't very predictable. I hate books where you know exactly what is going to happen as soon as you open the book. It takes all the fun out of reading a book.

Overall, I really liked Duplikate and it's a good book for people of any age group. If you have graduated from high school of are in high school you will really know what Kate has to go through and realize that you are not alone. =]

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, easy read after all the intenseness of The Death Cure. (Although it did get me a little worried for my own future.) Kate is an average senior in high school just trying to get through each day. Or should I say above average? She's number 3 in her class, makes straight A's, and has a dream to go to Yale with her boyfriend Paul. It's almost finals week, and she's stressing like crazy in order to get everything done. Mostly, though, it's her Yale college essay. Kate cannot for the life of her figure out what to write about. And in the middle of all comes her other, formally computerized, self, Rina. She could be the answer to Kate's exhausted and frantic prayers. Or she could ruin everything. I really liked the premise of this book, mostly because I could relate, what with the stressing over too many things going on. But it was also a good book about a normal (kind of) girl trying to find herself before she goes out into the "real world". However, I do hope that this NEVER happens to me : )

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

his book started off with, Kate and how determined she is to do well. She wants to go to Yale to be with her boyfriend, Paul. She has great grades but doesn't take the time to have fun.
Then one morning she wakes up to find another one of herself in her room, her computer look alike, Rina. But Rina doesn't turn out to be what you think she will, and wants to ruin Kate's life so she can take it over.
I really liked Kate's relationship with Jake in this book. They used to be friends but then Kate changed into a study snob, and they stopped talking. I really enjoyed their relationship by the end of the book.
And I liked how Kate starts to take life and live it to it's fullest instead of working so hard all of the time.
This was a fun YA book. It kind of reminded me of a Disney movie I watched when I was younger. I can't remember the name of it, but it had, Tyra Banks in it and she was a Barbie doll that came to life.
This was a really good book and I enjoyed it.

[Bookworm007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool idea, hilarious situations, funny dialogue.

Eh, 3.5 stars.

BUT I'd like to point out a couple things:

The author used one too many profanity and frankly, it ruined the flow of the writing. "Hell" and "female dog" were overused to the point of annoying.

And where the heck was Kate's dad? Not a SINGLE sentence mentioned him so I presumed he and Kate's mom divorced. Honestly, ya couldn't have said something like, "As for my dad? He and my mom divorced so I've never seen him since." ??? But yeah, I can tell that it's oh-so-difficult to put in a tad bit of info on the father figure. Yep, very hard indeed.

How and why the HECK did Rina pop out of SimuLife? IT WAS NEVER PROPERLY EXPLAINED!!


Although the storyline was typical and obvious (and might I add, vaguely similar to You Wish), it was actually an enjoyable (and original?) read.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely a new story line for me to read. It totally brought back memories of my senior year of high school and trying to cram everything in so I could get into the school of my dreams.


I really liked all of the characters. I could identify with Kate--being stressed out and trying to balance a social and academic life. And I enjoyed Rina, Kate's computer-generated twin. But I couldn't decide if I liked her or if I thought she was evil--a lot of the time I felt pity for her. I also liked the two main male characters- Paul and Jake. They both had qualities that I would have found appealing in high school.


Overall, this was a quick, fun read. It took me on a trip down memory lane, and made me laugh while doing it!

[Luz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. It's about a girl named Kate who is so stressed out because of Finals, SATs, College and her social life. One morning she suddenly wakes up to find a computer clone of herself in her room. At first she's so shocked and doesn't know what to do. Then she realizes that the only way to get past the week is using her clone...for good.

I read this book because i really loved reading Cherry Cheva's book She's So Money. I wasn't too disapppointed when i read this book. Kate seemed like a character many people in high school can relate. I thought this book was worth reading.

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you just want a fast and enjoyable read, then this is the book for you!

The main character, Kate, was funny, witty, and smart. I totally felt what she felt when she was stessing over her school stuff, and I definitely felt angry when her clone, Rina, was making out with her boyfriend.

I would've liked it better if there was more suspense towards the end when Rina confesses to Kate that she's been trying to take over her life completely. I would've loved to have heard more of Rina's "evil" plot agaisnt Kate.

Honestly, the ending seemed way too "Disney" for my taste. I would've liked more of a supernatural blow out (something exciting)…

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

not done with my review yet..

The idea for DupliKate is a unique one. Kate is a realistic protagonist; she is busy with her SATs and at the same time, she has to cope with her after school activities such as hanging out with her boyfriend and friends. Surely all of us, at some point of our lives, wished that we had a twin to do the work for us.

There is no actual message in this novel, just an interesting plot and predictable romance. Cheva's simple writing is flows at a fast-pace and I found the plot enjoyable.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overachiever Kate Larson is doing everything right to get into Yale: extracurriculars, hardcore studying, great letters of rec. Unfortunately, her hard work starts to take a toll on her personal life, giving her little time for friends or her boyfriend. What's an overworked, stressed out girl to do? Enter Rina, a copy of Kate from a Sims like computer game. Armed with her new identical twin, Kate might finally be able to catch up with her life...as long as Rina doesn't steal it first.

Fun concept, interesting characters, and a good resolution.

[Ashley - Book Labyrinth · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something about Cherry Cheva's writing style I really like. This book was funny and enjoyable, even though Kate was annoying sometimes. I liked the concept of the book... it's so strange and not at all believable, but I was intrigued to see what would end up happening with Rina. I think it ended up an easy fix, and some of what happened was predictable, but I still really enjoyed this. A cute and funny easy read.

[Jami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a free, signed copy of this book, so I was interested to give it a read. It was a fun, young-adult book about a girl whose avatar from a SimuLife game comes to life, and she has to figure out what to do with the sudden appearance of a "twin." It was fast-paced and pretty entertaining, with some fairly funny dialogue and situations. Overall, I liked it.

[CLM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining YA about an overcommitted Boston teen so obsessed with going to Yale that she sacrifices everything else in her life, and needs a twin to be everywhere she needs to be. I enjoyed this and might have given it a 4 but it felt just a little too packaged. In addition, as the sister of someone who did plenty of partying at Yale, I thought Kate overreacted at the end.

[D.K.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Cherry Cheva's witty writing. It's full of sarcasm and just pure fun. Very relatable as well since it's all about a college bound student who spreads herself too thin. A computerized twin appears and further complicates her life. I loved the dialogue between the characters, This is one of those books that you can pick on a rainy day and will make you LOL.

[Leslie Barberie Blount · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really cute! It was a great story of a girl who over schedules herself so much that she has no time for anything but school. In walks her clone, who helps her with her overwhelming schedule and then helps her find herself in all the busyness. This book was very modern without too many pop references that it will be outdated next year. The content is appropriate for all teens.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish this - by the second page it was talking about the high school kids getting into college and "doing stuff" in his dorm room. By the second chapter there was "gosh", "dang", and then the "b" word I put it down. No thanks.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was funny and entertaining.Kate hated having a clone of herself until she found it could work to her advantage. Until things went terribly wrong but in the end every thing was turned happily ever after in about two pages.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to get into. The first half is Kate whining about various things. Second half didn't move much faster. Didn't like ending.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you just want a fast and enjoyable read, then this is the book for you!
I liked the concept, but the ending was a little too "Disney" for my taste.