Dancing With Myself...

Expected Publication: August 21st, 2012

Beautiful Lies

By: Jessica Warman

Walker Children's

ISBN-13: 9780802723383

Rachel and Alice are an extremely rare kind of identical twins—so identical that even their aunt and uncle, whom they’ve lived with since their parents passed away, can’t tell them apart. But the sisters are connected in a way that goes well beyond their surfaces: when one experiences pain, the other exhibits the exact same signs of distress. So when one twin mysteriously disappears, the other immediately knows something is wrong—especially when she starts experiencing serious physical traumas, despite the fact that nobody has touched her. As the search commences to find her sister, the twin left behind must rely on their intense bond to uncover the truth. But is there anyone around her she can trust, when everyone could be a suspect? And ultimately, can she even trust herself? Master storyteller Jessica Warman will keep readers guessing when everything they see—and everything they are told—suddenly becomes unreliable in this page-turning literary thriller.

Review

   Rachel and Alice are identical twins.  That's not so abnormal, right?  Except for the fact that they're so identical that their parents were the only ones able to tell them apart.  They shared a placenta and an amniotic sac, both surviving against all odds.  They have a connection to each other emotionally that most people view as impossible.  But ever since their parents died and they were sent to live with their Aunt and Uncle, they've grown further apart than either girl dreamed could happen.  Alice has become wild and unpredictable, leaving Rachel stuck being the responsible and boring twin that everyone depends on.  No one other than the twins knows about the times they've switched places.  Not until Rachel is kidnapped while pretending to be Alice.  Than Alice must use all of her wits to find out what has happened to her sister, before the kidnapper comes looking for the twin they meant to take the first time - her.  Can Alice save Rachel from the darkness she brought her into?  Was Rachel who she pretended to be or will Alice uncover unimaginable secrets?  The ending will come sooner or later and it will be something you never expected.  This book had me gripped from the beginning, with the psychic twin connection and the kidnapping mystery.  It was astounding to me that Alice could get away with pretending to be Rachel for so long with no one noticing.  I wasn't shocked that Rachel felt trapped by Alice's irresponsibility and was keeping secrets from her.  NO siblings tell each other everything - even identical twins as close as Alice and Rachel are.  I liked the inclusion of the family life while Alice was searching for Rachel.  Each of the family members - Aunt, Uncle, Grandma, handicapped Cousin - added something intrinsic to the plot and furthered the story or character development in some way.  That said, I was pretty disappointed in the way the book ended.  The true facts about Alice's boyfriend Robin were so cliched it was unbelievable at first that the author chose that direction to go in with that thread of story.  I did like the side story with the twins' friend Kimber, who had all sorts of family issues of her own.  The identity of the kidnapper was a similar situation - so obvious and cliched that it really pissed me off.  Also, outcome for the twins made me angry as well.  Seriously, that's how Jessica Warman is going to end such a suspenseful and original mystery/paranormal story?  Overall it was worth reading if you're a mystery fan and fascinated by twins.  Otherwise, it was unfortunately forgettable.

VERDICT:  

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is August 21st, 2012.*