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Life as I Know It
by
Melanie Rose (Goodreads Author)
What if you had the chance to live someone else’s life? Full of heart and soul, here is a captivating novel about the choices we make for family and love—and how sometimes a total stranger is the person we really need to be.
Jessica Taylor is walking her dog in the rain when she meets the man of her dreams—only to be struck by lightning moments later. When she wakes up in t ...more
Jessica Taylor is walking her dog in the rain when she meets the man of her dreams—only to be struck by lightning moments later. When she wakes up in t ...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
February 9th 2010
by Bantam
(first published January 2nd 2005)
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Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I really liked this book all the way up until about the last chapter. I couldn't wait to find out how the author would get the character(s) out of their pickle but felt the end was a disappointment. Not sure how else it could have ended though?!
I really wanted to love this one, but it was like a flutter of heartbeats followed by a flat-line. I read it as a read-alike to Cecelia Ahern, one of my favorite authors. It worked in tone and set-up (two women struck by lightning at the same time, one dies and the soul of the other begins alternating between their bodies) but the "substance" of Ahern (a term I use loosely in relation to chick-lit) was lacking.
The premise was promising but Rose never took it anywhere. The characters seem richly ...more
The premise was promising but Rose never took it anywhere. The characters seem richly ...more
I don't think I would have chosen to read this book if it was not a book club pick. However, I was intrigued by the premise of this book and the first few chaptes hooked me. The more I read the more I had to suspend my disbelief. Usually I am the one reminding others to suspend their disbelief and try to just enjoy a story. This was TOO much of a stretch for me. I kept hoping that the "soul switching bodies" thing would turn out to not really be happening - be the cause of a coma or a mental bre
...more
Jun 10, 2010
Relyn
rated it
did not like it
Recommends it for:
nobody
Recommended to Relyn by:
spotted at Borders
Shelves:
abandoned
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I'm stingy with my four stars, but this one was close -- a delightful and very entertaining story with a plot that, while unlikely to the point of verging on science fiction, was made totally believable and compelling. The storyline is elaborated on elsewhere (quick version: simultaneous lightening strike results in protagonist inhabiting another woman's body and alternating with her own body while the other woman sleeps), but what elevated this book from "chick lit" to thought-provoking was tha
...more
Loved this book!! From the moment lightening struck I was drawn into this very unique, thought provoking novel. Melanie Rose gives new meaning to the age old question... What if you had the chance to live someone else's life? This book touched me in an inexplicable way. I couldn’t put it down though not in the typical suspense/thriller manner. Hidden under the fluffy cover lies a book that is both heartwarming yet at the same time filled with moral dilemmas and how the characters respond to them
...more
Life as I Know It is an amazing book...when I firsted picked this book up, i couldn't stop reading it and it came to the point that I yelled at anybody who interrupted me. Even when I would take a break from reading this book, i would contemplate on what would happen next.
This book is about two women struck by lighting at the same moment but only one survived. And so Jessica is some how stuck living her life and someone elses at the same time.
In the beginning of the book i liked Jessica lifesyle ...more
This book is about two women struck by lighting at the same moment but only one survived. And so Jessica is some how stuck living her life and someone elses at the same time.
In the beginning of the book i liked Jessica lifesyle ...more
I had the chance to read this before it came out (thank you GoodReads!) and didn't know how to post my review without giving anything away! Anyway, this book is FABULOUS! It is very well written, and I couldn't put it down. From the first lightning strike, I was hooked. The description was so awesome: Single girl struck by lightning wakes up in another woman's body--she is suddenly married with four kids! It was so clever and creative and I just loved it. The journey the character goes on is ins
...more
I picked this up because it looked like an interesting premise and I was curious how the author was going to handle it. There were a lot of weird things about this book, besides the plot itself and this review will have spoilers.
I did not appreciate the love scene. It wasn't super long but it was unnecessary. You've known each other 3 days so obviously you're going to throw aside reason and strip down every time you meet. That's not what true love is about. Loving someone doesn't mean you have ...more
I did not appreciate the love scene. It wasn't super long but it was unnecessary. You've known each other 3 days so obviously you're going to throw aside reason and strip down every time you meet. That's not what true love is about. Loving someone doesn't mean you have ...more
I have never been so disappointed! This book had such a cool premise, and I had to finish it to see how it ended of course. BUT the character development was awful, the dialogue was hokey and unbelievable, and the plot was very underdeveloped. TOTAL BUMMER.
I really liked this book a lot, it was very intriguing. What I found most interesting is the fact that Jessica's life was so different from Lauren's. And the way that Jessica handled this situation was really master like.
However this book did not leave any particular feeling, except for that I really enjoyed this book (except for the last chapters which have been way too rushed. You could barely process what happened). I also really liked Lauren's sister, Karen, for her openness and acceptance. ...more
However this book did not leave any particular feeling, except for that I really enjoyed this book (except for the last chapters which have been way too rushed. You could barely process what happened). I also really liked Lauren's sister, Karen, for her openness and acceptance. ...more
Dec 14, 2009
Alissa Bach
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
fans of chick lit
Shelves:
adult-books,
brain-candy
Review from an Advanced Reader copy I won through Goodreads:
A very cute, refreshing chick-lit story about the possibilities and impossibilities of "What If...".
Twenty-something single girl Jessica is feeling like her life is finally coming together. The realization hits her like lightning. Quite literally. She wakes in the hospital in the body of Lauren, the married mother of four who, by coincidence, was also struck by lightning. Thus begins Jessica's confusing new life. Some mornings she wake ...more
A very cute, refreshing chick-lit story about the possibilities and impossibilities of "What If...".
Twenty-something single girl Jessica is feeling like her life is finally coming together. The realization hits her like lightning. Quite literally. She wakes in the hospital in the body of Lauren, the married mother of four who, by coincidence, was also struck by lightning. Thus begins Jessica's confusing new life. Some mornings she wake ...more
A strange twist on the “freaky friday” body swapping idea, Life as I know it takes the standard bodyswap and turns it on it’s ear. Jessica Taylor is walking her dog in a park when a storm rolls in. she is unlucky enough to be struck by lightning, awakening in another womans body.
Lauren, her host, is a married mother of four, very contrasted against Jessica who is single, has a dog, and works long hours.
The twist is what makes this book so above par for the commonly Disneyfied plot process. When ...more
Lauren, her host, is a married mother of four, very contrasted against Jessica who is single, has a dog, and works long hours.
The twist is what makes this book so above par for the commonly Disneyfied plot process. When ...more
The story behind "Life As I Know It" is actually kind of cool. Apparently, it was originally self-published, but it got so much hype that Harper Collins eventually took notice, and now it's being published by a major publishing firm. Pretty neat, right?
After reading it, I can see what all the fuss was about. It starts off when a woman, Jessica, is struck by lightning. As a result, she finds herself leading two completely different lives in two separate bodies. While this premise isn't necessarei ...more
After reading it, I can see what all the fuss was about. It starts off when a woman, Jessica, is struck by lightning. As a result, she finds herself leading two completely different lives in two separate bodies. While this premise isn't necessarei ...more
Wát een super ge-wel-dig boek!!! Ik stond er eerst wat sceptisch tegenover, maar wat een fantastisch origineel apart verhaal! Vanaf de eerste bladzijde werd ik erin meegesleept en wilde dat het nooit stopte. Leven als Lauren had voor mij eindeloos mogen duren. Zo mooi en zo ontzettend jammer, dat het uit is!
De bliksem slaat in op het leven van Jessica en Lauren. Jessica is vanaf dan zowel zichzelf als Lauren met man en 4 kids. Je vraagt je steeds af hoe dit af gaat lopen, want je weet direkt al ...more
De bliksem slaat in op het leven van Jessica en Lauren. Jessica is vanaf dan zowel zichzelf als Lauren met man en 4 kids. Je vraagt je steeds af hoe dit af gaat lopen, want je weet direkt al ...more
I really liked this book, even though the premise is far-fetched. This kind of book always grabs me and I tend to gulp it in long reading sessions, which I did, but as I headed toward the end of the book I suspected I knew how it was going to end, and SO wanted to be surprised, but I wasn't.
The end made me give this 3 instead of 4 stars, and just totally disappointed me.
Not sure I would recommend it because of that.
The end made me give this 3 instead of 4 stars, and just totally disappointed me.
Not sure I would recommend it because of that.
You REALLY have to suspend disbelief to get in to this one, but once you've crossed that bridge it actually is quite intriguing. Jessica is out walking her dog when she meets the man of her dreams (only the first unlikely event), but then she is suddenly struck by lighting (don't know how you'd slowly get struck by lightning). Next thing you know she's waking up in the hospital, but everyone is calling her Lauren and she has a husband and four children. Seems as though her soul has split or some
...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Thought provoking
Interesting story with a nice romance. Would have liked a longer ending where they really discussed what happened & he got to meet the other new people in her life.
Interesting story with a nice romance. Would have liked a longer ending where they really discussed what happened & he got to meet the other new people in her life.
Yea!!!!!!!!!! I won this book! Can't wait to begin the read!!!!!
I was thrilled to win this book and started it with a fun feeling of sort of being a book reviewer since it has yet to be published. (Expected 2/2010) I was hooked almost from the first page and had trouble turning off the light at night to go to sleep. Similar to Outlander the story has a small sort of time travel twist - (not the same but along those lines) that leads to the main character, Jessica, living someone else's life and ...more
I was thrilled to win this book and started it with a fun feeling of sort of being a book reviewer since it has yet to be published. (Expected 2/2010) I was hooked almost from the first page and had trouble turning off the light at night to go to sleep. Similar to Outlander the story has a small sort of time travel twist - (not the same but along those lines) that leads to the main character, Jessica, living someone else's life and ...more
I'm a First Reads Winner!
This book is the next, big Hollywood romance movie! Creative and new. Just the right balance of new twist and old fashion. Sappy and fun. Reminded me a bit of "The Lake House" but only b/c of the paranormal twist and the romance. You know the main character should end up with the right guy (it's a romance after all) but the story is so well crafted that you stay on the edge of your seat till the last page. The story was well written and was really easy to read. For matur ...more
This book is the next, big Hollywood romance movie! Creative and new. Just the right balance of new twist and old fashion. Sappy and fun. Reminded me a bit of "The Lake House" but only b/c of the paranormal twist and the romance. You know the main character should end up with the right guy (it's a romance after all) but the story is so well crafted that you stay on the edge of your seat till the last page. The story was well written and was really easy to read. For matur ...more
I wanted to like this book. I really did! I really liked the story and I even enjoyed the first couple of chapters.
However, I expected too much out of this novel and therefore I was really disappointed.
What bothered me was the ending. It’s very sad that Jessica Taylor had to die. I hoped that Lauren would come back and they would have an interesting conversation in the end... But no, Lauren was dead and Jessica also died as Jessica. It was a little confusing.
Anyway, I have to admit, that the ide ...more
However, I expected too much out of this novel and therefore I was really disappointed.
What bothered me was the ending. It’s very sad that Jessica Taylor had to die. I hoped that Lauren would come back and they would have an interesting conversation in the end... But no, Lauren was dead and Jessica also died as Jessica. It was a little confusing.
Anyway, I have to admit, that the ide ...more
This book was kind of silly. I didn't mind the soul switching idea, even though the heroine and her new BFF Karen seemed to accept it pretty easily. What I didn't like was all the convenient things that happened to lead to the end. SPOILER: Her totally randomly getting fired so her life as Jessica could wind down; the jealous lover who would kill off Lauren's husband... all of it made the ending of Jessica living Lauren's life happen so simplistically. Also her insta-love with Dan was absurd. Ta
...more
Jessica Taylor meets the man of her dreams moments before she's struck by lightning and wakes up in someone else's body. She alternates between her two realities as she struggles with what to do with the complications in both lives.
Some of this plot seemed vaguely familiar because I've read variations before, though this certainly was a unique twist. You certainly have to suspend disbelief big time for this novel - this should be the novel's mantra. For a while, I was really curious as to how i ...more
Some of this plot seemed vaguely familiar because I've read variations before, though this certainly was a unique twist. You certainly have to suspend disbelief big time for this novel - this should be the novel's mantra. For a while, I was really curious as to how i ...more
I thought this book felt very much like the movie "Back to the Future" and it begs the Question "What would it be like to live life in someone elses shoes?" It was very ironic and fun in a way to see how the main character coped as she would be presented with different senarios in each situation. I also firmily believe that there are circumstances and situations that we as people are thrust into, that are for our benefit, although we might not know it at the time and that is what I think this bo
...more
A woman is struck by lightening and wakes up in another woman's body and life, who also had been struck by lightening. every time she goes to sleep, she wakes up in the other life, while that body sleeps when she's not there. she was a single legal secretary, although embarking on a new relationship, and now she has to deal with a husband and four kids. i was really interested to see how she'd deal with living two lives at the same time, and the ending was a bit gift wrapped up, but i liked it a
...more
This was a really enjoyable debut novel from this author lent to me by my friend, Angela, who won it from Goodreads. Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be someone else? Most people probably have at some point in their lives. What would you do if you got struck by lightening and realized when you woke up that you were someone else? Not only someone else but someone who is married with children. When that someone else you have become goes to sleep you then wake up as yourself--the single
...more
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
BRILLIANT! This is just such a wonderful book. I don't know if it can be easily classified though. It has elements of the paranormal and chick lit but it is just so unique. Jessica is such a wonderful and real character that the short description that follows doesn't even begin to tell you how wonderful this story turns out to be.
Melanie Rose has another book Coming Home to be released in the UK, but I don't think I can wait for it to be released in the US. If you enjoyed the ...more
BRILLIANT! This is just such a wonderful book. I don't know if it can be easily classified though. It has elements of the paranormal and chick lit but it is just so unique. Jessica is such a wonderful and real character that the short description that follows doesn't even begin to tell you how wonderful this story turns out to be.
Melanie Rose has another book Coming Home to be released in the UK, but I don't think I can wait for it to be released in the US. If you enjoyed the ...more
I won this book on goodreads from first-reads.
I liked how smooth the transition from Jessica to Lauren and back again. This book was an interestingread. It brought up a lot of different issues like love and honestry. It raised questios about homosexuality and how it tears families apart, wen it shouldn't. I enjoyed Rose's interpretations on the issues that she raises. I agree with her that family is family no matter what and that true love comes from the heart. It is not forced from you. I have ...more
I liked how smooth the transition from Jessica to Lauren and back again. This book was an interestingread. It brought up a lot of different issues like love and honestry. It raised questios about homosexuality and how it tears families apart, wen it shouldn't. I enjoyed Rose's interpretations on the issues that she raises. I agree with her that family is family no matter what and that true love comes from the heart. It is not forced from you. I have ...more
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Melanie Rose is the author of Finding Home (Jan '11) and Life As I Know It, (Feb 2010)
Both books are published in the US by Bantam and previously published in the UK as Coming Home and Could It be Magic? and across Europe under different titles, earning her a place on the bestseller list in Germany as Mein Tag Ist Deine Nacht.
Melanie has been a writer all her life whilst caring for children as a c ...more
More about Melanie Rose...
Both books are published in the US by Bantam and previously published in the UK as Coming Home and Could It be Magic? and across Europe under different titles, earning her a place on the bestseller list in Germany as Mein Tag Ist Deine Nacht.
Melanie has been a writer all her life whilst caring for children as a c ...more
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