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Me and Me

Alice Kuipers (Goodreads Author)

3.04 · Rating details · 341 ratings · 137 reviews

It's a perfect day for Lark's dream date with Alec from school. Blue skies, clear water, a canoe on the lake. Alec even brought flowers for Lark's birthday. Everything is just right ... until they hear screams from the edge of the water.

Annabelle, a little girl Lark used to babysit, is struggling in the reeds. When Lark and Alec dive in to help her, Alec hits his head on a ...more

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Hardcover, 248 pages

Published October 2nd 2018 by Kids Can Press (first published 2017)

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· 341 ratings · 137 reviews

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Aug 21, 2018 Emer (A Little Haze) rated it did not like it

Shelves: netgalley, contemporary, 1star, young-adult, reviewed, read2018

The premise of this book really appealed to me as it reminded me of one of my favourite films 'Sliding Doors' starring Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah. The set up for this book showed what happens when MC Lark's life diverged into two separate paths one afternoon when she was forced to make the hardest decision between rescuing a young child or her new boyfriend from drowning.

Sadly for me this book didn't work at all. I found the first chapter much too long of a set up and the book really went The premise of this book really appealed to me as it reminded me of one of my favourite films 'Sliding Doors' starring Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah. The set up for this book showed what happens when MC Lark's life diverged into two separate paths one afternoon when she was forced to make the hardest decision between rescuing a young child or her new boyfriend from drowning.

Sadly for me this book didn't work at all. I found the first chapter much too long of a set up and the book really went downhill from there. None of the side characters were at all memorable and I didn't connect to any of them. This mightn't have been too bad had the MC Lark been written in a really vibrant fashion and as a reader I could really have been rooting for her to figure out what was going on in her life... But sadly she made so many frustrating decisions that it was almost impossible to be invested in her journey; especially when her character flaws weren't written in a fashion that made her feel like an everywoman character, as she still somehow retained that special snowflake quality that is not a desirable trait in YA books.

A pet peeve of mine is when authors try to incorporate song lyrics into the main body of a book as I feel that song lyrics need to be sung or listened to as opposed to being read. And this book had far too many examples of dodgy teenage song lyrics seemingly written by the MC woven into the story. What I found to be somewhat ironic is how Lark herself made reference to the fact that song lyrics aren't meant to be read but instead become a part of something bigger once the music is written around them. And referenced 'I want to hold your hand' as an example of this, as when that line is sung in the famous Beatles song it imparts so much more emotion than simply as words on a page.

Trigger Warnings for this story have to include domestic abuse and sexual peer pressure. Neither storyline was developed adequately in my opinion especially that of the sexual peer pressure storyline and the reasons given to explain it.

And lastly that epilogue... I was going to give this book two stars until that epilogue but then it happened. And I couldn't. It really felt like the author was not brave enough to end the book in am ambiguous fashion which would conversely have been much more fulfilling than the ridiculously neat and tidy bow with which everything was tied up with.

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book at all which is a shame as that premise with the stories of parallel worlds and infinity points are really interesting to think about.

*An e-copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher, Kids Can Press, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.* ...more

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Sep 29, 2018 Lara (Bookish_turtle) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2018, netgalley, 4-star, i-am-confusion-whaaaaaaa, ew-love-triangle-blergh, musical-reads, this-is-not-what-i-planned

So I didn't read the blurb before I read this book, and that turned out to be quite a big mistake...

If I had read the blurb, I would have known what this book is about: Lark having to make an 'impossible choice', then having her world splitting into two distinct lives and having to live with the consequences of both possible choices...

Instead I was extremely confused about how her boyfriend kept magically coming in and out of a coma.

However, once I got past the initial confusion, it turned out t ...more

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Sep 12, 2018 Kate Foley rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, romance, dnf, arc, young-adult, magical-realism, netgalley

DNF

The premise of this sounded so fantastic, I requested an ARC right away without knowing anything else about it. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I got about 30% of the way in before I decided I couldn't do it anymore. Maybe if I didn't have so many books on my TBR already I would've stuck it out, but I couldn't rationalize spending reading time on a book I wasn't enjoying.

The writing was one of the biggest challenges for me to get through this. It read as juvenile and inexperienced. The di ...more

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Aug 02, 2018 Etienne rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Really not good! Full of clichés, a pace terribly slow, very teeny (dialogues, romance, life events, etc.) and unlikeable characters.. I'm still on my quest to explore YA from different book and point of view, but so far, not much success... so maybe I'm just unlucky or this category of book is clearly not for me... ...more

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Jun 29, 2018 PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps rated it it was ok · review of another edition

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of ME AND ME by Alice Kuipers in exchange for my honest review.***

Lark must choose between saving the life of a little girl or saving her boyfriend, both in danger of drowning. She believes she lives parallel lives. In one she saves Annabelle and Alec lies in a coma, in the second, the opposite occurs.

My biggest issue with ME AND ME is I never bought into the scenario Lark had a choice. My only option would be save the child before the ...more

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Sep 24, 2018 Jess rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult

I've been trying for weeks, and I simply cannot get into this book. The premise is interesting, but the problem with novels that explore two different realities, is that I have to read a lot of the same things twice. This doesn't make for an exciting experience at all. Also, the song lyrics are really annoying. ...more

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Mar 07, 2017 Arthur rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Haunting and mysterious, this is a powerful book about love, life and choices. Both page-turning and thought-provoking, Kuipers deftly tells a lyrical tale that’ll keep you questioning reality right up to the very end.

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Jul 23, 2018 Faizan rated it did not like it · review of another edition

the language is irritating..
the songs are stupid...

its headache... not able to continue.. sorry.. ☹️☹️☹️

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Apr 09, 2020 The Reading Raccoon rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-as-an-arc

Thank you Edelweiss and the publisher for this review copy of Me and Me by Alice Kuipers.
Although I appreciated the concept of this young adult novel about parallel lives and “what if’s” I didn’t enjoy the actual experience of reading it. The main character Lark is unlikable and I couldn’t relate to her on any level. Every decision she makes is selfish and ridiculous and I was left wishing that the two drowning characters saved each other and left her for dead instead. But since the entire nove ...more

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Jun 29, 2018 Maureen rated it liked it · review of another edition

The premise of Me and Me was a good one, but it was hard to follow the story. On one hand I liked Lark and Alec, but on the other hand I did not. I am not sure if the lake experience was what sent the events in motion. Three stars for effort. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

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Oct 22, 2018 Lindsey Emery rated it did not like it

I was sent this book as in advance reading copy, I’m not sure why, as it’s clearly YA and I’m 35. At any rate, I felt obligated to read and review but as you can see, it took me nearly half a year and then a week of forced bedrest following surgery to finally finish it and it was just really not a good book. At all. Yikes. I don’t want to be mean-spirited and I’m sure the author spent a lot of time and energy writing this book, but it was not for me, and I don’t think I would have enjoyed it twe ...more

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Nov 23, 2018 Riya Sahu rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book was an amazing read. I was a bit confused in the beginning about the switched perspectives, but once I realized what was happening, it was a fast paced exciting read.

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Aug 01, 2020 Miranda rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-reads

Me & Me—Alice Kuipers
1.5 out of 5 stars

With thirty-or-so pages left, I was pretty set on a two-star review for this one. The last few sections were so “where did this come from” that it dropped half a star by the final page. I don’t like to rant on books that weren’t for me because someone out there will like this book. As such, this will be as brief as possible because there are other books out there to read that will hopefully be better for me than this one was.

Me & Me is a story about para Me & Me—Alice Kuipers
1.5 out of 5 stars

With thirty-or-so pages left, I was pretty set on a two-star review for this one. The last few sections were so “where did this come from” that it dropped half a star by the final page. I don’t like to rant on books that weren’t for me because someone out there will like this book. As such, this will be as brief as possible because there are other books out there to read that will hopefully be better for me than this one was.

Me & Me is a story about parallel lives, parkour, music, and “love.” Lark is canoeing on a lake for her first date with a guy when they spot a young girl struggling in the water. They both dive in to save her but her date hits his head and now needs rescuing himself. Lark must make a decision on who she can save because she can’t save them both (view spoiler). The chapters that follow alternate between her parallel lives—one where she saved the boy and one where she saved the child.

Pro (yes, there is intentionally only one):
1. I loved the premise of parallel lives and getting to live both sides of a single decision. However, the execution fell way short of expectations. By about the halfway point, there was a lot of skimming going on. I was intrigued enough to want to know the end of the story (regrettably), but was not interested in any of the characters or what happened to them along the way by that point.

Cons:
1. There is little depth to any of the characters. Their names stand out because there are a lot of odd names in this story, but not a whole lot makes them interesting to read about.
2. There’s this whole “first love” subplot that is incredibly insta-lovey and awful. None of this feels like love or first love material beyond the first date (the one that ends with someone ending up in a coma). It feels a lot like lust and nothing else.
3. There is a lot of telling but not a lot of showing. This might explain why there is little to no attachment to any of the characters.
4. The ending is completely out of nowhere. It’s not a good plot twist. It’s poor foreshadowing.
5. The book doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. Is it a contemporary with a sci-fi twist? Should it focus on “first love” or parallel lives or troubles with bandmates or shoplifting? There’s nothing wrong with having all the extra subplots if they actually add something to the story. Unfortunately, the execution of them is poor at best.

One final good thing (I guess there is more than one pro) about this book is that it is short. It can easily be read in a day or two. So, if the premise is intriguing enough that after all my hating on it, you still want to give it a try, at least it’s an easy read that won’t take up too much of your time.
...more

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Feb 20, 2020 Melanie rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: piece-of-shit, amazing-premise, so-boring, young-adult, dat-cover-tho, the-british-are-coming, had-potential-but-it-was-ruined, contemporary, beware-of-author, romance

Imagine an awesome premise in which the protagonist is faced with a tough choice. She has to save either the boy from school she really likes and is just getting to know or the young girl she used to babysit from drowning. Her life is essentially split in two and she’s living two different lives, in which one character is in a coma while the other is fine. Which life is real?

Imagine such a cool premise like that, only to be ruined by this author.

This book was SO shitty, I’m glad I got it from th ...more

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Jul 25, 2018 Lucie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-pub, books-i-own-as-ebook, english-read, contemporary, fiction, young-adult, arc

Thank you Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Picking up this book, I was pretty excited: the blurb seemed great, and even though most ratings weren't that positive, I was confident I would enjoy my read.
I wouldn't say that I didn't enjoy it, because there were parts which I found really good, but the whole book was rather confusing for me.

But there was something I did hate: the characters. I couldn't stand Lark (in both versions), and even though I admir ...more

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Oct 01, 2018 Davianna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was an addicting, mind bending read about how the choices we make affect us. I was kept on the edge of my seat as Lark figured out what was happening to her and the twists were fantastic! The book was fast paced, well written, and had an eerie nuance that pulled me in from the first chapter.

I can’t say I really liked Lark, she fell head over heels for Alec and neglects her friends for one and in her parallel life she takes up stealing which I couldn’t for the life of me grasp why. At the sa ...more

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Nov 01, 2018 Jessica rated it really liked it

Shelves: from-publishers-authors-etc

All my reviews can be found at: http://jessicasreadingroom.com
3.5 stars rounded up to four for GR:

I am not the target demographic for Me and Me. As an adult (though not a mom) I know what my decision would be. But as a teen, I can see how Lark was torn as she could only save one. This would be every teen girl’s nightmare. And Lark lives it; even worse she lives the after effects in two different lives!

I enjoyed the back and forth between the chapters of the two lives Lark ends up leading: The o ...more

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Apr 12, 2017 Nicolette (FallingOverBooks) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-it, contemporary, romance, young-adult, arc, canadian-author

ARC received thanks to publisher.

video review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dylB...

I was lucky enough to have requested and received my first physical arc! Thanks again to HCCFrenzy for sending me a copy, I really appreciate it!!

I’ve read 3 other books by Alice Kuipers and enjoyed them all. Me and Me is no different. This book had such an interesting premise, it captivating me from the beginning. 3/5 stars! I was a little confused at the first two chapters but then I understood how eac ...more

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Mar 01, 2019 Teresa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Rating: 2.5
Rounding up to 3 stars
It was a decent book, but only just decent.
The side characters didn't get enough development, the point of view was a little confusing at times (especially near the end), and reading all the song lyrics without music was annoying. Lark even states in the book that song lyrics aren't the same when just read on paper, which makes it even more nonsensical that there would be song lyrics included, as the author literally acknowledges this.
It probably isn't the worst ...more

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Sep 28, 2018 Kelly Gunderman rated it really liked it

Check out this, other reviews, and more fun bookish things on my young adult book blog, Here's to Happy Endings!

I want to start out by saying that I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about Me and Me. I hadn't read anything by this author prior to going into this book, but once I started reading it, I felt a need to finish it. It's rare that I have time to finish an entire book in one day lately, but this one I made an exception for, because it really pulled me into the story, into the characte ...more

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Mar 15, 2018 Riane rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I wish I could give half stars. This was a 2.5 for me.

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Jan 06, 2019 Elsa Rohm rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: year-2019, age-young-adult, genre-contemporary-life, rating-1-star, extras-cover-love, date-2019-01

This was really not great. I disliked the main character, the plot was muddled, and the ending was a complete disaster.

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Apr 16, 2019 Gabriele Goldstone rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Read this as part of my book club. It was challenging to finish. Some nice language but I can't recommend it. Having sat beside someone in a coma makes me shudder at how this author handles it. ...more

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Sep 21, 2018 Melanie rated it liked it

Though it was somewhat confusing at times, I enjoyed Me and Me. The plot and idea behind it are very unique and interesting, and I was intrigued to see how it would all enfold. I found that the characters were realistic and I felt emotions right along with Lark and some of the others. The lyrics were good and I can definitely see them being incorporated into songs!

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Sep 13, 2018 Adriyanna Zimmermann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

Content Warnings for the book: domestic violence, child abuse, and addiction.

Me (and) Me by Alice Kuipers is an intense YA thriller delving into the idea of parallel lives and the split-second decisions that change them, for better or worse. Readers will immediately relate to the pressures of having to make life-changing choices as young adults, placed on them by the adults in their lives. A canoeing accident on the lake puts Lark in a terrible position – save the life Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

Content Warnings for the book: domestic violence, child abuse, and addiction.

Me (and) Me by Alice Kuipers is an intense YA thriller delving into the idea of parallel lives and the split-second decisions that change them, for better or worse. Readers will immediately relate to the pressures of having to make life-changing choices as young adults, placed on them by the adults in their lives. A canoeing accident on the lake puts Lark in a terrible position – save the life of her friend, Alec, who hit his head on a rock and fainted, or the little girl, Annabelle, who is face down in the water. Me (and) Me deals with the tough issues many young adults experience but are sometimes powerless to stop.

At first I thought this would be two stories in one and remain two different timelines. In one scenario, Lark chooses Alec, in the other she chooses Annabelle. There are different consequences to both but they don’t remain entirely separate. The chapters alternate between each scenario and as the novel progresses, the reader learns both Larks’ are actually connected. I loved this because it made the book so much more dark and intense. Both stories are intertwined, just like the lives of both Larks’. The format of Me (and) Me never stopped surprising or drawing me in; it made this novel fresh and original.

I loved the way music was connected to the plot! Lark is a singer/songwriter and part of a band with her friends, Nifty, Reid, and Iona. She starts to receive these weird messages on her phone that only she can see, resembling lyrics. I loved that these lyrics and the music Lark creates become the key to figuring out her parallel life. The accident is the only thing that can inspire or interest Lark at this point in time, so it was really interesting to see that in her own songs. Music was never my thing in high school, but Lark’s musical side really came through to me.

Kuipers writes about several serious topics in Me (and) Me and does it in such an eloquent way. Lark struggles with grief and guilt over her choices in both lives’, even though it wasn’t her fault. In one life, Lark is drawing away from friends and family. In the other, she’s become addicted to shoplifting. Both Larks’ become fixated on parallel lives, and rewriting your life becomes one of the few things they have in common. As well, some of the other characters mention or experience domestic violence, child abuse, and addiction. These issues are all connected, one way or another, so the reader is never
overwhelmed.

I have mixed feelings on Alec and his toxic behaviour. I liked that what happened to Lark was acknowledged but there wasn’t a lot of room to discuss it, which made it feel more like a plot device. I know there will be readers who have experienced what Lark has, so I definitely feel it was important to include. I just don’t know if this was the right way to write it in.

Me (and) Me by Alice Kuipers is an extraordinary YA novel exploring some of the real issues teens go through everyday. I loved the way Kuipers dealt with parallel lives and it made for an intriguing novel. I don’t think anyone has read the synopsis and not thought about who you would save. I thought I knew going in who I would choose. This book hijacks that thought and makes you realize there are good and bad sides to both scenarios. One of the things you can take from this book: instead of being stuck in a decision you may or may not regret, you should just live your life. Whatever you choose, there will be good and bad.

I received an advance reading copy and it has in no way altered my honest opinion of the book. ...more

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Jun 28, 2018 Becca Price rated it did not like it

This review may contain some spoilers with the characters and plot line. I write my reviews as I read the book for the full effect of how I feel throughout the novel.

Alright... harsh critic here. The first thing I thought that popped up in my mind over and over while reading this book was Wattpad. While I think the premise was pretty interesting, I had a lot of trouble getting into this book. The accident that the novel centers around happens in the prologue, before we even get a chance to like This review may contain some spoilers with the characters and plot line. I write my reviews as I read the book for the full effect of how I feel throughout the novel.

Alright... harsh critic here. The first thing I thought that popped up in my mind over and over while reading this book was Wattpad. While I think the premise was pretty interesting, I had a lot of trouble getting into this book. The accident that the novel centers around happens in the prologue, before we even get a chance to like Annabelle or Alec. I had no pull as to who Lark should save because I didn't know anything about Alec, who she wasn't even dating yet, besides the fact that he said some cheesy lines. We knew that Lark had babysat Annabelle before, but we only got once sentence from her. So, my first issue was that I didn't love either of the characters that Lark was choosing between. I didn't know them at all. I'd rather the accident have happened a chapter or two into the novel, where we already get the chance to know more about the characters, and it would have made more sense for her to have stronger connections to both of the characters (a boy she had a crush on but was hanging out with for the first time or a girl she babysat like, once?). I understand that a life or death situation moves very quickly, but I didn't feel a sense of urgency and excitement because there wasn't detail.

Anyways, the story moved quick. The day after the accident, Lark's basically dating Alec now and they're super close and lovey and saying cheesy lines that no one really says to someone they barely know, so I just didn't find it realistic. While she feels bad that Annabelle is injured, she's back at school already and enjoying her new boyfriend, making out in parking lots. Lets be honest. If Alec almost died the day before and she chose so save him over a drowning little girl, they have some serious issues if they're suddenly dating and getting hot-and-heavy the very next day.

Just being realistic here.

And then it only gets more confusing. We see alternate views on what happened, like if she chose a different scenario. And honestly, it's a bit of a cop out for me. We replay the same days we already saw in the opposite scenario, and I skimmed through most of it because I wasn't interested. I understand what the author wanted to do with the story, but I don't think it was played out in a way that made a lot of sense. The novel switches like this over and over and I found it hard to follow more than anything.

The big twist is cool. But I don't think it was played out well and it wasn't a good book for me from the beginning. I didn't get the character building and detail that I enjoy when I read a new YA novel. ...more

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Apr 14, 2017 Lex rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, review-copies, young-adult

*A copy of this book was provided to me by HarperCollins Canada*

I didn't enjoy this. Me and Me is a pretty short book but it felt as if it would never end.

This follows Lark and the consequences of choices. On her seventeen birthday a freak accident occurs at the lake where she has to make the decision between saving Alec, the guy she's dating, or Annabelle, a child she used to babysit. Lark is also copping with losing her mother, trying to take care of her father, trying to follow her passion f ...more

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Mar 18, 2017 Ameema Saeed rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 27, 2018 Katie B rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2018, music, giveaways, arc, fiction

Alice is enjoying her date with Alex in a canoe on the lake when she hears someone scream nearby. Annabelle, a little girl who Alice used to babysit, has fallen in the water and is struggling to stay above water. Alice and Alex jump into the water but Alex hits his head on a rock. With both of them in trouble Alice can only choose one to save. Who does she save? This book follows Alice as she seems to be living this parallel type life, one where she saves Annabelle and one where she picks Alex t ...more

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Jul 31, 2018 Kirsty rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned, july-2018

I really enjoyed Alice Kuipers' Life on the Refrigerator Door when I first read it as a teenager, for its inventiveness more than anything else. When I saw that she had a new book, entitled Me and Me coming out, I was intrigued, if a little sceptical of its unlikely plot. May I just point out that I actually didn't get very far with my reading of this novel; I did not even reach the incredibly ridiculous accident which is recounted in the blurb. The writing was dull, and the dialogue so wooden t ...more

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About Alice Kuipers

Alice Kuipers

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I was born in London, England, and I moved to Canada in 2003 when I fell in love with a Canadian. We live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which took a while for me to learn how to spell. I have four children, a girl and three boys.

My first novel, Life on the Refrigerator Door, was published in 29 countrie ...more