Publication: June 14th 2016
Publisher: Blazer + Bray
Pages: 224 pages
Source: Bookmobile
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Mystery
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤
Another long time without a review! I keep apologizing for this, and I keep getting worse at writing more reviews. But I’m not giving up yet. I just need to learn to organize my time better, write reviews whenever I have the opportunity instead of procrastinating.
Let’s hope I stick with it this time.
I first heard of Change Places with Me on Goodreads after reading Emily May’s review for it. Her review is short, vague, but intrigued me. After reading the book and re-reading May’s review, I see that she gives the perfect feel for the book without spoiling anything, and I hope I can do the same in this review.
Change Places with Me opens with Rose, well she’s Rose now anyways as she tells her stepmother that that’s the name that feels right to her now, going about her day like normal, except everything is slightly abnormal. She’s more talkative now, she isn’t afraid of animals anymore, and she wants to throw a Halloween party. Rose savours every moment of life, from listening to the birds out her bedroom window to eating breakfast. But Rose used to be someone different, and she isn’t completely gone.
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.
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