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The Originals

by Cat Patrick (Goodreads Author)

3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 · rating details · 503 ratings · 122 reviews

A riveting new story from Cat Patrick, author of Forgotten and Revived.

17-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets... until they discovered a shocking family secret. They're actually closer than sisters, they're clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughte...more

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published May 7th 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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Oct 22, 2012 Book Sp(l)ot marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2013-release, wishlist, upcoming-to-read, upcoming-release

Needs this now.

Would need it even if it weren't Cat Patrick because that synopsis.

But it is Cat Patrick.

And I've read Revived. And Forgotten. (And I'm still madly in love with them.)

Oh, I want/need/really, really, really want to read this.

*eyes calendar*

edit: Wait! This has a cover now? And no one told me? For shame.

20 likes · like · see review

Jan 23, 2013 Gabrielle Carolina marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2013, may, little-brown-books

Sees author name, automatic add. Reads plot. Falls down from the awesome.

Cat's sophomore (triumph) isn't even out yet and I can't stand it- I need this book to be published yesterday.

EXCLUSIVE COVER REVEAL on MPB: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/71339...

14 likes · like · see review

Jun 15, 2013 Melanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, books-i-own, fantasy, oh-so-meh, romance, young-adult, sci-fi, contemporary, paranormal, could-have-been-so-much-better

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
Thank you Hardie Grant Egmont for sending me this review copy. No compensation was given of taken to alter this review. All quotes were taken from the ARC copy with means that they might be altered or removed in the final print.

After some time in a reading slump, I finally decided to pick up The Originals because I knew that this would be the ultimate book to get me back on track. And it sure did. Cat Patrick has this spectacular gift for writing contempora...more

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 23, 2012 Zino marked it as to-read

Shelves: writers-female

You know you love an author when you haven't even read the books plot yet, or even been given a cover and you immediately know you can't wait to read it.
*sigh* and now the loooong wait begins

8 likes · like · see review

May 03, 2013 Kate Weber rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-books-tbr

The Originals by Cat Patrick was 3x the wonderful! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9NUzQ...

There are authors that you are positive are going to write amazing stories. Cat Patrick is one of those authors. The Originals is the third book by her that I have read and like Forgotten and Just Like Fate (co-written with Suzanne Young), I loved this book!

Cat has such a fabulous writing style that is true and lovely and easy to read. And her stories are very well thought out, clever, and researched. It i...more

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Jun 12, 2013 Zac rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Originals is a genre-bending novel that draws you into the lives of three very different girls who share one life. Romance, science fiction, mystery, suspense, secrets and lies are all mashed-up in this very cool story. One of the things I like the most about Cat Patrick’s books is that she keeps surprising me. Just when you think she couldn’t possibly top her previous book, she does. I love the way that Cat weaves science fiction into her stories and it’s this element that really draws me t...more

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May 27, 2013 Gabrielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

I rate this like a low 4 I really enjoyed this book a lot it taught me a lot of things about individuality the romance was sweet and genuine this book was interesting and was never boring I WASINT completely engrossed with Lizzie's feelings like i Didint feel what she felt but I found a lot of similarities between me and her I think a really strong point of the story was the bond between Betsy Lizzie and Ella they had a beautiful relationship and I really liked how they each had distinct differe...more

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May 10, 2013 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: buy-for-school

I was really excited to get an ARC of this book after I read the description online. All in all I enjoyed it, but it took me about 75 pages until I was really into the story and cared enough to find out how things turned out. My main complaint about teen novels is the tendency for the parents to be like the Charlie Brown voice, "wah,wah,wah" and that's the way this Mom seemed to me. She was barely in the story at first and when she did appear she was so cold and clinical it was hard to understan...more

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May 08, 2013 Emily Green rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kid-teen-recommendations

At home, Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey are sisters, for lack of a better word. They share cartons of ice cream, clothes, and even a cell phone, and even through fights and eye rolls, they are each other’s ultimate best friends. At school, they are Elizabeth Best. Ella goes to school for the first half of the day. Lizzie goes to school for the second half of the day. Betsey works their part-time job and participates in any evening activities, including football games and social events. They live their...more At home, Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey are sisters, for lack of a better word. They share cartons of ice cream, clothes, and even a cell phone, and even through fights and eye rolls, they are each other’s ultimate best friends. At school, they are Elizabeth Best. Ella goes to school for the first half of the day. Lizzie goes to school for the second half of the day. Betsey works their part-time job and participates in any evening activities, including football games and social events. They live their public lives as one person, because their mom participated in cloning them and allowed them to grow in her womb. When the client wanted to destroy some of the embryos, however, their mom decided to raise them as her own, first as triplets, and then when scrutiny from the government became too intense, as one person.

For years, the girls have gone along with their living arrangements, but on the cusp of their seventeenth birthday, love complicates things. When the girls switch schedules, Lizzie meets Sean, a boy who notices her uniqueness, telling her, “You look different today. Not bad in a bad way. Good different.” When Lizzie faints, he walks her out of class to get a snack (fainting is a side effect of being a clone, apparently), and she is quickly infatuated with his kindness and sweet, angular face. The only problem is that Ella likes a different guy, Dave. When the girls talk Mom into letting them date, she decides that they can only date one person. Even though Ella is the only one who has to actually go out with Dave, Lizzie still likes Sean, and the sisters find ways for her to spend time with him. The girls eventually decide to share their secret with Sean, and dating in general soon causes them to realize their need to have their own public identities.

There were a lot of things that I liked about this book. It was engaging and fast-paced and kept me wanting to find out what happened next. Lizzie, Betsey, and Ella are compelling characters, and I thought it was cool that Patrick was able to address the need to form one’s own identity in such an unexpected way. Lizzie, Betsey, and Ella might genetically be the same person, but their personalities and preferences are different. I liked the questions that the book raises about what it means to be an individual, but I couldn’t help feeling that the idea of the story was better than the execution. Though I was glad that the book didn’t overload me with exposition, I wanted to know more about the girls’ history, and I particularly wanted to know more about their mom. Why did she decide to go into cloning? Why does she have so many secrets that she doesn’t share with her daughters? She doesn’t seem like a super-villain, and the book ultimately does not portray her that way, but I felt that Patrick missed an opportunity to give Mom depth. I also thought the science fiction could have been fleshed out better. Why can the girls sense their sisters’ emotions? Why does this cause Lizzie to faint? I liked The Originals, but a lot of the time, it made me feel like I was reading a first draft instead of a book that was basically ready for publication.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sci-fi but is sick of werewolves/
vampires/zombies/everything-else-trendy-and-paranormal. I also think the book would be a good recommendation for any teen who doesn’t mind the sci-fi and is interested in a book about girls forming their own identities.

* This review is based on an advance reader copy of The Originals. The book will release to the public in May 2013.
(less)

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May 08, 2013 Khanh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: high-school, on-the-run, twins-triplets-clones, ya, sci-fi, siblings

Who among us hasn't wished at one time or another that they had clones? I know I did. There would be so much more time in the day, because we'd share tasks, share the tedium of going to work, leaving the rest of the clones more time to relax because there'd be two or more people doing the task of one. Which then leaves behind the question of fairness, who would do the pleasant tasks, who would do the unpleasant ones, how would things be allocated? And that's not to mention the mess of the love l...more Who among us hasn't wished at one time or another that they had clones? I know I did. There would be so much more time in the day, because we'd share tasks, share the tedium of going to work, leaving the rest of the clones more time to relax because there'd be two or more people doing the task of one. Which then leaves behind the question of fairness, who would do the pleasant tasks, who would do the unpleasant ones, how would things be allocated? And that's not to mention the mess of the love life...

I greatly enjoyed this YA sci-fi, because it addresses my secret fantasy of having clones in a much more entertaining and realistic manner than I could have imagined it on my own. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey are clones who appear to be triplets until their scientist mother is exposed; from then on, they and their mother have been on the run, living as a single mom and her daughter, with the triplets taking turn living in the outside world. Each twin, you could say, works a shift. In the beginning, Lizzie takes the first shift, going to school in the morning, while Ella goes to afternoon classes, and Betsey does the extracurricular college class in the evening.

They must blend in as a single person, and the beginning was quite funny, with the three fighting over their hair when Lizzie decides to straighten it (a long and arduous task) in the morning, meaning the other two have to take hours doing their own hair when it is their turn to take over for their part of the day, as well. I laughed during that scene; I hate doing my hair and I can imagine how angry I would be if I were forced into doing my hair for one person's vanity.

The dynamics between the sisters are great; they are clones, but they each have their own personality, and while they do fight, they're sisters above all, and they love and look out for each other. The three understand the importance of their secrecy, but they support each other when each decides to rebel, and they work together effectively. There are no huge fights or backstabbing, they are truly a team.

I loved how they make the relationships work. I understood the pain of one as they're forced to date only one person, for the sake of appearing to be one person. When Ella and Lizzie both fall for boys, their mother picks only one of them for the clones to date, and it breaks the heart of the other. It is a good portrayal of wanting something you want, but can't have, and knowing it hurts the person you like only further rubs salt into the wound.

Lizzie's love interest is a nice, likeable guy; there are no truly bad characters in their school life who becomes a caricature or a stereotype of a high school character. Despite their strange life, they have a normal, relatively peaceful high school existence, and I appreciate that the author didn't try to incorporate more drama into what's already a stress-filled existence.

The mystery and major secret in the book was easy to figure out, even for me, who struggle with cozy Agatha-Christie type whodunnits. I also felt the ending was rushed, and things just tied together very neatly, without much sense. Overall, however, this book was well-written; a quick, fast read, and with no pretense for anything higher than it is. Although neither high literature nor especially complex, this was a thoroughly enjoyable quick read.(less)

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May 05, 2013 Amber rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: EVERYONE.

You can see my original review at http://themilelongbookshelf.blogspot.com

I was so happy and surprised when I received this in the post from the publisher! I think I screamed a bit. And a happy dance may have been involved. Ever since reading Revived, Cat Patrick has quickly become one of my favourite authors. She writes about original (excuse the pun) topics, and there are always amazing plot twists. Her books are definitely not predictable, which is great!

Usually, I don't comment on the cover...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Karen Yingling rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ella, Bet and Lizzie are clones, stolen by their scientist mother when she feared they would be discarded by the lab where she worked. When they were young, they were treated as triplets, but when the scientist for whom the mother worked was sent to jail, the family went into hiding and the girls all had to live as one person-- Elizabeth. The mother has the girls on a strict schedule and makes them wear a GPS necklace so she can keep tabs on them. Lizzie, who tells the story, is assigned part of...more Ella, Bet and Lizzie are clones, stolen by their scientist mother when she feared they would be discarded by the lab where she worked. When they were young, they were treated as triplets, but when the scientist for whom the mother worked was sent to jail, the family went into hiding and the girls all had to live as one person-- Elizabeth. The mother has the girls on a strict schedule and makes them wear a GPS necklace so she can keep tabs on them. Lizzie, who tells the story, is assigned part of the school day. She struggles in science, and finds a boyfriend, Sean. Ella is better at science but has romantic intentions of here own with David, whom the mother approves but who is rather a creep. Bet does cheer and classes at the community college, and is a bit retiring and ready to let her sisters make her choices. The group have to wear the same clothes and keep current on what the others are doing, so life is complicated. When Lizzie wants to spend more time with Sean and make her own friends, her mother panics. It doesn't help that a stranger is following the girls around asking questions, and the girls' mother has a secret office that makes them suspect that she isn't really working as an emergency room doctor. Lizzie finally has enough, but just as she is ready to confront her mother about finding the girl she thinks might be the "original" the family spirals into danger. How can the girls ever win their indepence?

Strengths: This was a compelling, original read. Unlike The Different Girl, I appreciated that we were told up front what was going on and were more concerned with how the girls dealt with the situation. Like the other title by this author, Forgotten, there is also a nice, middle grade appropriate romance as well. Good stuff.

Weaknesses: It seemed to me that the mother WAS borderline abusive, and while this was discussed a little, the girls eventually forgive her. This was somehow disturbing. I am giving this one to Picky Reader-- I think she will enjoy it, since she likes books with abusive parents!(less)

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Apr 22, 2013 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bullies, families, friendship, road-trip, romance, school, self-esteem, science-fiction

If I could, I'd give this one two different ratings, one for the first half, a 4.5, and one for the second half, a 2.5. I really came to care about these three sisters, but when two of them are kidnapped, and the one left behind, Lizzie, heads to the road with her boyfriend, Sean Kelly, in pursuit, I started to lose interest. When all the secrets come tumbling out, I was not surprised, and even felt that all the build-up led to nothing that I hadn't already figured out much earlier. The premise...more

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Jun 08, 2013 Rina rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those who are fans of cloning.

Shelves: read-in-2013

Spent half of my saturday reading the originals. i was actually expecting much from this book. i thought i was going to read REAL science, real stuffs mixed into the stories. but then as i continued reading and eventually finished it, i didnt get what i wanted. ~~sigh~~

But as much as im disappointed, i also think that this book is worth reading. i can never imagine having a mom like elizabeth's(i mean, Lizzie-Bet-Ella's mom. ~~just making it short~~ ). ewww shes creepy as heck. nor can i imagine liv...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really love Cat Patrick. She brings "Novel" back to novels. Sure, she includes relationships and some of the teenage drama that goes with it but she always adds a twist. The twist is introduced in the beginning and the details work themselves out by the end. One book was about a girl who has no memory of yesterday. Only the future. Every night her mind resets. Another was about a girl who died a lot. The twist is that she could be revived.

This time the story is about Elizabeth Best who lives...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Charlotte rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc

I really liked this one! I wasn't expecting to, because the synopsis made it sound kind of romance-oriented (which are stories I'm sick of lately.) I'm glad it was more than that, the science was a really important part of this book and definitely the most interesting part.

I loved all the characters in this book. It would've been really easy to make Betsey, Ella and Lizzie identical in personalities (because their clones obviously) but instead they were all individuals and it was really easy to...more

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May 23, 2013 Kathryn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: liked

The concept of this book when I read the blurb intrigued me so much that I raced through the last 200 pages of The Book Thief so that I could read this one. Did the book live up to my hopes and expectations? Probably not, but it's not all bad!

I think that for such a great concept, this story could have gone somewhere so much better and more unique. The MC, Lizzie, was only really concerned with her boyfriend. Sure she sometimes mentioned wanting the freedom of classes etc., but her main drive wa...more The concept of this book when I read the blurb intrigued me so much that I raced through the last 200 pages of The Book Thief so that I could read this one. Did the book live up to my hopes and expectations? Probably not, but it's not all bad!

I think that for such a great concept, this story could have gone somewhere so much better and more unique. The MC, Lizzie, was only really concerned with her boyfriend. Sure she sometimes mentioned wanting the freedom of classes etc., but her main drive was for her boyfriend, and that made me feel disappointed. This book could have gone so much further than that.

When the boyfriend-to-be is introduced he is described as something like "not the traditional type of good-looking" which I just found to be entirely lame.

The characters were pretty flat. They were hardly distinct from each other at all. Ella and Betsey were constantly merging for me, I often felt like they were just one person, despite Lizzie claiming that they were all very different individuals! I hoped that they would become more uniquely defined as the story went on, but they didn't. Lizzie only felt somewhat unique because I was inside her head, so she actually felt real.

I didn't feel like the plot really picked up until the middle of the story. The first half of the book just seemed like a very long orientation. Sure the complication was revealed early enough, but the resolution was so slow and mostly uneventful.

The ending was anti-climatic, but the final resolution/coda was pretty nice.

The things I really liked about the book:

-The start was pretty great
-The quote "I've never felt so unsure of who I am, which is pretty messed up coming from someone who's already broken in three pieces anyway."
-Despite their lack of uniqueness, I loved the relationship between Lizzie, Ella and Betsey (and did anyone who's read the book notice that each of their names all somehow come from the name Elizabeth? El (Ella), Liz (Lizzie), Bet (Betsey) and then the original Beth (Beth)). The three of them just had a great relationship and fun interactions.
-The quote "I wake up the next morning in winter." :D

So why am I giving this book 3 stars? Well, despite the negatives, I quite enjoyed reading this book. I just think it really could have been taken so much further, and it would have been so much stronger with more defined, rounded characters! I'd still recommend it to read though, especially to writers as an example of a good story with weak characters, and as an example of a great concept not quite taken to the places it could have been. If you're a writer, read this story and think about where you would have taken the idea instead? I know I have!(less)

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May 10, 2013 Dianne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*Also posted at Oops! I Read A Book Again*

First and foremost, thank you so so much to Jen and Hardie Grant Egmont for the review copy. Without you, I might never have been able to read this fanfrickintastic novel. Of course, this in no way affected my views of the novel.

Have you ever wished you had a clone? I know I did, several times in fact, especially while I was still studying. If only my clone could study for that other exam I have on the same day, life would be so good. But we know that it...more *Also posted at Oops! I Read A Book Again*

First and foremost, thank you so so much to Jen and Hardie Grant Egmont for the review copy. Without you, I might never have been able to read this fanfrickintastic novel. Of course, this in no way affected my views of the novel.

Have you ever wished you had a clone? I know I did, several times in fact, especially while I was still studying. If only my clone could study for that other exam I have on the same day, life would be so good. But we know that it's far-fetched (for now because I do have a degree in molecular biology *nerd alert*). In The Originals, Cat Patrick takes that idea into reality as Ella, Lizzie and Betsey are three human clones living as one, as Elizabeth Best. They each live a third of the day, the other two holing up inside their house being homeschooled with the same lessons the one outside learns. However, Lizzie falls for that cute guy in her creative writing class, Sean Kelly. But how will she date him if she's only third of a person? And her mom seems to be hiding something from them. What could it be?

I would like to applaud (and kneel and worship) Cat Patrick for this awesome premise. Like what Gabrielle Zevin's blurb said, Cat's plots are out of this world. After I read The Originals, I immediately checked out Cat's other novels and they were rightfully placed in my wishlist. Cat Patrick is proof that novel ideas are still possible and are out there. But lest you think plot is all The Originals got it going for it, you are most definitely wrong.

The characters were fully fleshed out. In fact, Ella, Lizzie and Betsey were so different and unique in their personalities. Patrick still took the time to put depth into the characters even if they were not the main ones. Cat also wrote yet another book boyfriend for me, Sean Kelly. Wow, his sweetness knows no bounds. I mean, I was in the hospital squirming in delight and giddiness. The romance was so good, I swear. It will definitely give you the fuzzies and the giddies.

Aside from the romance, the mystery of their origin and the their quest to uncover their mom's secret were gripping. I thought The Originals will be just a romantic contemporary read and I was proven wrong when secrets needed revealing, questions needed answering, people needed saving and the risks and stakes got higher. I was in for a wonderful and exciting ride.

Moreover, Cat Patrick's writing felt natural for the characters. Teenspeak! The dialogue wasn't stilted and had a nice flow. I also love the relationship among Ella, Lizzie and Betsey and their sisterhood was enviable. They love each other so much and understand each other perfectly. They love each other wholeheartedly and unconditionally. As much as I loved Lizzie and Sean together, I loved these three together just as much.

The ending felt like a whirlwind though and Mason was the personification of the deus ex machina trope as he comes in with all the solutions but I didn't mind it at all while I was reading. The ending was nicely wrapped up, with a cute little bow to boot, but it was perfect for this story. Gah, I just love The Originals!

I recommend this to all YA readers, especially to those who like contemporary reads with a little mystery and snooping. I also recommend this to anyone who's interested in the blurb because if you're into this type of plot, I believe you will enjoy this as much as I did. (less)

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May 28, 2013 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my favorite kind of book. It is fiction so they go to school and act normal but it isn't realistic because they have a secret they are trying to keep from other people. In most books like this, they are secretly magical. In this case, these three sisters are clones that live as one person. It was really good! I couldn't relate to the main character, but that was just because we have different personalities. However, i didn't like Sean's character. He was weird. The way she described him...more

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May 23, 2013 June Luu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, romance-only, scientific-geeky-cool, favorites

Review originally posted on The Page Turners

I found this book really interesting to read. I just bought this yesterday and started it today, finished it all in a few hours. It was such an amazing read and I could not put it down.

So the story starts with introducing these three girls who share a life. The girls: Elizabeth, Ella and Betsey are sisters, more like triplets. They look exactly the same, but they are completely different. They live the same life, each living one-third of a day. Elizabe...more

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May 04, 2013 Jodie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reads, own

The idea was fresh and unique, and I'm a big fan of Cat Patricks work. I think her writing is simple and draws you in, and I like that all her books are pretty quick reads. Cat Patrick is one of my favourite authors, and while I enjoyed this book, I feel like she let me down a little.

While I have a problem with every insta-love situation, I thought that this situation was ridiculous. I know you can be drawn to some people, but considering Lizzie knew her 'mum' could be in danger of going to pr

...more

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Jun 05, 2013 Adriana rated it 4 of 5 stars

She's Got Books on Her Mind

I really don't think I can describe this book other than mind-numbingly good. It's one of those books that you don't have to think too much about. You just go with the flow and enjoy the ride. I admit that I did a little background check on this book before I bought it. I usually do for those rare books that are actually on my shelf. So I knew that it wasn't going to mega actiony or a very suspenseful sci-fi book. I knew it was going to be really just about three girls...more She's Got Books on Her Mind

I really don't think I can describe this book other than mind-numbingly good. It's one of those books that you don't have to think too much about. You just go with the flow and enjoy the ride. I admit that I did a little background check on this book before I bought it. I usually do for those rare books that are actually on my shelf. So I knew that it wasn't going to mega actiony or a very suspenseful sci-fi book. I knew it was going to be really just about three girls dealing with high school, first love, and a strict parent but with a little bit of a twist coming with it. So if you are expecting anything like what I said before about the action and overly suspenseful sci-fi thing going on then this book isn't for you. If you are looking for a book that you can just stick your nose in and simply have a nice time with that doesn't mess with your head - something to get you away from all the heavy stuff in a lot of books then The Originals is for you.

I don't want to underrate this book by saying it's just another high school romance book (even though every book even a high school romance book is interesting and unique in its own way) because it is interesting, it is entertaining, and it did fulfill me in its own way. The clone concept isn't one that's around much which made this more engaging than your regular read. The Originals is basically how three cloned girls try to distinguish themselves from each other. They are doing this at a time where we are all trying to find our own identities - their struggle is just a bit more troublesome.

You would think that there would be three POV's but there is actually just one. Now is when I realize that, that could have made the story a little more interesting but at the time I was okay with it, still am, because with Lizzie I felt like she was finding herself the most. She's the one who feels like she isn't really anyone. She's just a third of a person. Ella is amazingly intelligent and flies through her classes and Betsy is this tough-take-chances type of girl. I actually really loved Betsey. Whenever she talked or did anything I had to admire her. She was really strong as was Lizzie. Lizzie was just coming into herself while Betsy always was the first to act. Lizzie was learning to be more of that person.

They have this really complicated relationship with their mother. I don't want to get into how they are who they are and the government agency because it's better to discover it yourself and nothing really big happens with it except well... you can figure it out on your own. Anyways her mother has them on a tight leash and I know that others have questioned why they didn't rebel sooner. Well, I understand where they are coming from. I honestly didn't think about it too much while I was reading it but I feel like now is when they are rebelling because they discovered that they can't live like this forever and that they don't know who they are. They are this one singular person and all that changes when boys get into the mix which is what boys do. Complicate things.

Lizzie's love interest is Sean Kelly. He's this super cute artist and superman-esqe look alike. He also has those superman moves in that he's the hero but Lizzie isn't a damsel in distress. He's just the overall good guy that is friendly towards anyone but he has his own twist to him since he's a writer and photographer. Him and Lizzie work well together. I wasn't anxious or doting on how adorable they were but they were cute together and they brought out their real selves with each other. They did have some moments where they got jealous of other people (naturally because people flirt and you can't control what your sisters do when they are essentially the only you the world knows about) and it was kind of like you just met each other you shouldn't be that jealous to give someone the stink eye or ask them abrupt questions. But, it was just tiny moments a couple of times so I wouldn't worry about it. Other than that they were fun to read about.

There is a little mystery and some events happen to them... (of course). It did keep me interested and guessing some about what was going on or what was going to happen to them so I liked that addition to the story. There is one other thing I didn't particularly like about the story other than the jealous moments and it was that the book ended a little weird. I mean I wanted to know what happened next and I think this book could have benefited with either a sequel or a less... let's just say weird ending.. but it's not quite that. It just ended a little too soon or not in the right place...I don't know it just was a little off for me but it didn't deter me from liking the overall ending of the story.

Overall: This was a fun read that provided me with a great reading escape. The twist of the main characters being clones and finding out their personalities and what was going to happen to them really made this story what it was - a wonderful, relaxing read.(less)

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Jun 18, 2013 Dena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-sci-fi, ya-realistic

(3 1/2 stars). ARC review.

Lizzie, Betsey, and Ellla are sisters...well, kinda. They fraction theirs days into threes, so one of them attends school in the morning, one the afternoon, and the third takes the evening activities. While each sister is out in public the other two stay at home behind closed doors. They live one life and share it. They are almost identical. They make sure to dress exactly alike, wear their hair the same every day, and appear identical even down to their nail polish, to...more

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May 18, 2013 Georgia rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I read Cat Patrick's first book, "Forgotten", I couldn't wait for her next one. When "Revivied" came out, I read it in three days and have been eager for this book to finally come out. Now, it is out, and Cat Patrick has once again written a fascinating, engaging story and she remains my favorite author. She writes love stories, which I tend to avoid. They are typically too gross and they get boring after a while. The difference between a typical romance novel and Cat's books, though, is th...more When I read Cat Patrick's first book, "Forgotten", I couldn't wait for her next one. When "Revivied" came out, I read it in three days and have been eager for this book to finally come out. Now, it is out, and Cat Patrick has once again written a fascinating, engaging story and she remains my favorite author. She writes love stories, which I tend to avoid. They are typically too gross and they get boring after a while. The difference between a typical romance novel and Cat's books, though, is the girl characters. They just aren't normal, and it's not like they have a fatal, life-threatening disease or something like that. In "Forgotten", the girl can only "remember" the future, but she can't remember anything about the past when she wakes up in the morning. In "Revived", the girl is part of a government program that is testing a drug that brings dead people back to life. No CPR or anything like that. Just one shot, and poof, you're alive again. Now, in "The Originals", Cat Patrick has kept up this theme. The story behind this book (I'm not going to spoil anything) is that, to the outside world, the Best family consists of two members: a single Mom and her child, Elizabeth. But the Bests know something that nobody else knows: Elizabeth Best is actually three people. Lizzie, Betsey, and Ella Best live one life and have one identity. They are each allowed out of the house for a third of the day to go to school, cheer practice, work, and night class. One girl takes the first half of school, comes home at lunchtime, lets the second girl leave to take the second half of school and cheer practice, and then she comes home to let the third girl go to night school and work. The girls who aren't in classes at school take those classes at home. Why do they do this? Until they were nine, they lived as triplets. That's not the case, though. They are actually clones, and because their secret was almost exposed by the government, they now live as one person. Over the course of this book, the girls began to discover secrets that their mother has been hiding their entire life and Lizzie meets Sean, who helps her realize how messed up her world really is. The girls are finally beginning to realize for the first time that they can't live this way and something needs to be done about it. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good book to suck them in and hold their interest well after the last page has been read.(less)

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May 18, 2013 Kira rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: will-read-and-review

The Originals is a story about three seventeen year old girls named Lizzie, Betsey, and Ella who are closer than sisters—they are clones. They have spent a portion of their life pretending to be Elizabeth Best by dividing their life into thirds; each girl is assigned a portion of the day. That’s the way their life has been…That is until Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a boy in her creative writing class, who sees her for who she is, not the façade that is Elizabeth Best. Lizzie’s relationship with Sean...more

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Jun 08, 2013 Kiara Rebaza rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: conflicted-emotions, girl-power

3.5 actually
So, this is totally gonna be full of spoilers, you've been warned.
I really like the concept. 3 girls that are clones have to live as if they were one person. Like. Really. My problem was all this spy kids - psycho mom - it's hard to keep reading because I lost all my interest in this book.
I liked that the 3 of them wanted to be their own selves but you don't have to dye your hair at the end (I've dyed it, but doesn't define who I am).
And the super overprotective mom leaving at the...more

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May 30, 2013 Sabrina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, speculative, young-adult

I've been watching Orphan Black so I wanted to read something about clones. It's interesting and I do like this book. I like the characters. I did want to know more about Bet. More in general, really. Too much happened much too fast in the end. It was rushed and it was unclear who their allies are and what they were all hoping for until the last chapter. I think it would've been a better book if it was fleshed out more, if the emphasis was less on Ella and Lizzie's love interests and more on the...more

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May 16, 2013 Ann Carpenter rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

I was on board for the premise, though it didn't make a lot of sense (and makes even less sense the more I think about it. Sure, the girls are able to make the 1/3 of a day thing work now that they are teenagers and can drive home for lunch, but what did they do when they were nine? And I have a hard time they were able to pull that off when they were so young.) I'm willing to suspend disbelief for an interesting story. I was disappointed by the insta-love for Sean but that's such a standard tro...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Caren rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: galley, may-13, review, needs-an-editor

2.5 Stars

I really enjoyed this book during the first little bit, but my annoyance began to grow as it continued toward the end. I really liked Lizzie's voice, and her budding relationship with Sean made me swoon like I love to do in young adult novels, but there was just something missing overall that didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Lizzie is one of three sisters who are identical. But they're not triplets...they're clones. The three girls--Lizzie, Ella and Betsey--are being forced (by their mo...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Cindy Mitchell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lizzy, Ella, Betsy – 3 girls – 3 sisters – who share one life. For years they have been taking turns going to school, having a job and just hanging out. No one can tell the difference between the girls, until one year two of them fall in love with different guys. Until now, the girls have never really questioned their existence, but now they are willing to question their mother and shake up the status quo. But will they really like the answers?

Patrick hooked me from the start and carried me alo...more

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About Cat Patrick

Cat Patrick is an author of books for teens. Her debut novel, FORGOTTEN (available now), is about a girl who can remember the future instead of the past, and was praised by NYT bestselling author of Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher, as a "mindbending," one-sitting read. The book is being translated into 21 languages and Paramount bought the movie rights, with True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld attached t...more

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