She Could Be You

Expected Publication: February 14th, 2012
Someone Else's Life
By: Katie Dale
Random House Children's Books
ISBN-13:  9780375899720


When 17-year-old Rosie's mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington's Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty percent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when Rosie tells her mother's best friend, "Aunt Sarah," that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie wasn't her real mother after all. Rosie was swapped at birth with a sickly baby who was destined to die.
Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, joining her ex-boyfriend on his gap year travels, to find her birth mother in California. But all does not go as planned. As Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonizing decision of her own, one which will be the most heart breaking and far-reaching of all.

Review

   When Rosie's Mum Trudie dies of Huntington's disease, she is devastated.  Also she is terrified that she might have inherited it as it's heriditary with a 50% chance in either direction.  Rosie is just about to get tested when 'Aunt' Sarah, the midwife who delievered her, admits that she swapped Rosie with a teenage mom's baby that she abandoned.  Trudie's husband died the night Rosie was born and Trudie's baby was sick and seemingly dying.  Sarah figured that she was doing the right thing for everyone, especially Trudie so she wouldn't lose everything.  Rosie is shocked and abhorrent at this and goes off on a world tour with her off-again, on-again boyfriend Andy with the underlying mission to find her real parents.  In doing so she finds out that her mother, Kitty, is a famous actress who denies her existence.  Also, Trudie's daughter didn't die at birth; Holly is alive and living with Rosie's father Jack and his family.  Now Rosie has to decided whether or not to risk destroying a happy family to find herself.  Plus, she has to decided whether or not to let them know that Holly might have Huntington's disease from Trudie.  Holly hasn't told her family or her boyfriend Josh that she is pregnant.  So when she is deciding about being tested she has to keep in mind whether or not to go through with having the baby.  I felt that although this was a very complex book, Rosie and Holly both acted like brats more than half of the time.  But Rosie matures over the course of the book and Holly stays vindictive and spiteful until she does a 180 at the end.  I felt cheated by the fact that Holly chooses not to know her results and the ending seemed way to neat and happy to be true.  It was interesting but it was nowhere near being the best I've ever read. 

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  I received this book for review from the publisher via NetGalley.  This book will be available in stores and online February 14th, 2012.*