Tuesday 20 April 2010

Spilt by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja

REVIEW COPY: Luisa Plaja
From Amazon: Jo has just moved to America with her mum. She's always been a fairly average girl - not a nerd but certainly never one of the popular kids. But on her first day in her new school, she seems to be adopted by the It girls - and is invited to one of their parties. There, she meets Jake Matthews, officially the hottest boy in school, and when they begin to play the kissing-in-the-closet game, Seven Minutes in Heaven, amazingly Jake picks Jo join him in the closet! She can't believe her luck. But the reality of being kissed and groped by Jake is not quite as great as the fantasy...Jo has a choice to make: should she carry on, kiss Jake and secure her position in the It crowd - or should she tell him where to get off and risk relegation back to the land of the ordinary ...? At this moment - Jo splits. She's Josie the Cool - girlfriend of Jake, member of the It crowd. She's also Jo the Nerd - rejected by the It crowd, single ...Will her two halves ever come back together again? Is Jake the guy she's meant to be with or could some of the other people she meets along her journey - Rachel the scary goth, David the misfit or Albie the rocker - be the answer? A fabulously inventive, heartwarming and funny take on the Sliding Doors idea, for teen readers.


I really, really loved this! I didn’t want to put it down – I loved the story and the characters were brilliant, especially our main character Jo/Josie. I found her funny and sweet and really enjoyed spending time with her. The other characters were great too. I really loved Tori and her brother Albie, as well as David and Rachel.

The premise was excellent. I was a bit nervous about how it would work and whether it would be confusing but it wasn’t at all. I instantly knew if it was Josie or Jo, not just because of the font change and picture but also because Jo and Josie’s ‘voice’ was different enough to keep them separate but still believable as the same character. I enjoyed both scenarios (although I would have been Jo the Nerd and slapped him one!) and I loved how the different paths were really dissimilar to begin with but as time went on started to have more and more similarities. I really liked the parallels in the stories – how some choices were the same but with different people and I loved how things seemed ‘fated’. I adored the ending – I was definitely rooting for that one!

I also loved that the story was set in the US. It really reminded me of my school exchange trip when I was 14. I completely identified with the differences in sayings – how often did I get a packet of crisps when I had been dying for chips!. And there’s nothing quiet as mortifying as realising I really should have asked for an eraser and not a rubber if the stunned silence was anything to go by... I would have so loved to have had the opportunity to live there for a year like Jo – so it was great to live it vicariously through her.

Also, any book that has references to Buffy will get my vote – although I would have to agree with Ablie and say I loved season 2 the best:)

Overall - aaah-some!


8 comments:

Tales of Whimsy said...

LOL
I'm still giggling at you asking for a condom (rubber) instead of an eraser. Super cute story!

Carla said...

Do you know what? This has just proved that I need to read this book like right now

Tasha said...

Sounds like a fun read! Great review!
Trillian

Vicki said...

I've got this in my Amazon baskey waiting for some vouchers to come through...can't wait...it sounds great!

Lauren said...

I totally agree. This book = super awesome, and I also loved the Buffy references.

Fab review - you've made me want to read this over again. :D

Jo said...

Awesome review, Sammee! I really loved this book, and can't wait to read the sequel, Swapped by a Kiss! Luisa is such a great writer! :)

Nina said...

Great review, I saw the book online at my library, but someone already borrowed it. Hopefully by next week I have read it or it's on my pile. :)

Kris (Voracious YAppetite) said...

"And there’s nothing quiet as mortifying as realising I really should have asked for an eraser and not a rubber..."

LOL! This books sounds really cute. Great review!

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