I love books about sisters and their relationships, and so I was intrigued in The Opposite of You from the start. However, this book simply did not go deep enough when exploring the characters, and the plot was too cliched for me.

Bex and Naomi are identical twins who used to be best friends. They used to know everything the other was thinking and feeling, they used to finish each other’s sentences and communicate without words. However, for the last few years they have drifted apart, and the connection that they used to have seems to be firmly closed. When Naomi goes missing, Bex must find a way to reopen that connection to find her sister.

Bex and Naomi are cookie cutter characters, with little dimension to them. Bex is the ‘good’ twin, and Naomi is the ‘bad’ twin. Bex is perfect, does well at school, is responsible and sensible with a group of close, equally sensible friends. Naomi, the bad twin, sneaks out at night, drinks, and generally disappoints her parents in every way. The pair’s relationship has essentially disintegrated so that Bex has no idea what her sister is up to. Despite their characters being a bit two dimensional, I did find the portrayal of their relationship interesting at times and simply wish it could have been explored more. I was particularly intrigued by the sisters’ desire to be individual and distinct from the other, and if their characters had been more fleshed out this could have been explored more.

In terms of plot, I think the book was lacking in depth and rushed to tick off the boxes of what the author felt should be addressed in a young adult mystery without actually devoting the time to develop any aspect of the book. The ‘mystery’ of where Naomi was was dampened by the fact that Naomi was a narrator, so although Bex has no idea where her sister is, we always do. I think it would have been much better if we stuck to Bex’s perspective, and perhaps only heard Naomi’s side of the story in the form of the flashbacks to when the sisters were younger. The use of dual narrators also felt repetitive and boring at times, as sometimes we were shown the same scene from the two perspectives. I also found the use of the twins’ mental connection to be a bit of a cop out, as it simply meant that Bex could solve everything by ‘connecting’ to her sister’s mind. I also didn’t like the ‘romance’ sub-plot, which felt out of place and unrealistic – I simply couldn’t relate at all to Bex going for coffee with a guy she has just met the day that her twin sister goes missing.

Overall, this book had potential and could have been really interesting. It reminded me a bit of Goodbye, Perfectly by Sara Barnard (see my review here), but it simply did not go far enough.

Unfortunately I didn't finish this book, as I couldn't get into it - nothing against the author or book, just not to my personal taste. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

I really didn't enjoy this book at all - as you can tell from the rating, unfortunately. It was boring, there was no plot and although the romance aspect was the most pleasing part of this book, I found it quite unrealistic for 15 year olds. The best thing about this book was how fast it was over, because it's so short 😬

//Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review//

It was not really as great for me as I expected it to be. It was entertaining, but the characters did not have much depth, they felt very flat for me and because of that I could not really get into the story,
It was also a bit cliche, good twin, bad twin...
I also think the book should have been longer to make the plot better. The ending was really rushed and that did not do the story much good.

This was a nice read. It was an intense look at the bond between twins and how hard it is when they grow apart. It delves deeply into the stories of bonds between twins and reports of knowing when their twin is in danger. I enjoyed it immensely, loving to explore the relationship between Naomi and Bex in the flashbacks to when they were younger and the relationships between them now.

It's interesting to how things break apart and change, especially when there's the question of supernatural twin psychic powers may be involved. I loved how the question of how much the twin stuff was real was left open through most of the book.

Naomi was such an interesting character as well. It was interesting how lost she was and how much she resent Bex for that. I'd definitely love to know what Naomi ends up doing, but I doubt there's enough story left for a sequel unless there's a big change in direction.

While I really liked how this was written, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would because I just don't think it was for me. The narrator seemed very young for her age, and was a couple years younger than me anyway, so at times it was too juvenile for my liking. The mystery was decent, but it could have been a lot more fleshed out in my opinion. I still quite liked it though.

What drew my attention to “The Opposite of You” was the beautiful cover and, of course, I always wanted to be a twin and have that special bond everybody always talks about. To be able to speak with each other in your mind and no one knows what’s going on. Bex and Naomi are those twins, from early age on, they talked to each other in their heads and were able to help without really being there. When they got older this bond got broken, by new friends and a lot of misunderstandings. But when Naomi disappears, Bex finds out that only she can help find her sister before it’s too late. I liked the premises of the story and the take on twin sisters coming of age. The problem I had, was that I didn’t expect the story being made into something paranormal. That made it more unbelievable to me and I couldn’t enjoy the book like I thought I would. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Little Tiger Group!

An interesting story about what people see you as and who you really are, told from the point of view of the person who should know you the best.

Bex and Naomi used to be really close, as close as twins can be. However, something changed between them and they grew apart. Bex didn’t really notice this change until it was too late. Until Naomi missed her last GCSE exam and no one could find her. Bex had to dive into Naomi’s double life and their shared memories trying to find her. She realises that she didn’t really know Naomi as well as the thought she did.

The Opposite of You started out pretty good. It had potential, but ultimately, I think it failed in its execution. The ‘mystery’ was lacklustre, the characters undeveloped, the pacing was off and the ending was abrupt.

What initially drew me to The Opposite of You was 1) the cover and 2) the fact that it featured twins. I started out enjoying the twin aspect. I liked how it portrayed the relationship in terms of individuality. I understand that want, but also fear, of being independent and individual. As the book stated,

“Naomi doesn’t want to be half of a matching pair. What’s the point of it, anyway? No, she wants to be Naomi – not one of the two Harper twins. Identical in every way.”

As an identical twin myself, I really related to that feeling. Constantly being referred to as ‘the twin’s’ and never your individual names. This relationship had potential. But I felt like the psychic connection ruined the whole relationship – it’s an old and overused trope. I hate that it got made into something weird and paranormal. Especially because it seemed very convenient, in terms of solving the ‘mystery’.

The characters themselves could have been more fleshed out and developed. I felt like we didn’t really get to know who Bex or Naomi really were, and I think that mainly came down to the length of the book, it was just too short.

Ultimately, there isn’t anything inherently wrong or bad about The Opposite of You, because I’ve heard good things about this from other reviewers. The mystery or relationships just didn’t really work for me.

RATING: ★★☆☆☆

Review featured here - https://youtu.be/4pDdp2m-3Bc

This was the story of Bex and Naomi, two identical twins that grew apart over the years. When Naomi disapears after a fight with her family, Bex is forced to face their past and realises how little she actually knows her sister.

This book was fine, just fine. I enjoyed the characters and the sisterly bond.
The writing was simple but effective.
It only took me a couple hours to read it and I enjoyed it fine but I don't feel like I got a lot from it.
It was just a nice, enjoyable, very short story.

I love reading books about family relationships and the thing that caught my eye with this book is that it depicts the relationship between identical twins; one who follows the rules, and one who doesn't.

Bex and her identical twin sister Naomi used to be close. They used to be able to finish each other’s sentences, used to know exactly what the other was thinking. They were a matching pair.

And then something changed.

When Naomi walks out of the house the night before their last GCSE exam and doesn’t come back, Bex has to think hard about how to find her. Bex is forced to unpick their shared history and the memories and everything she thought she knew is called into question.

With her worries dismissed by everyone, the only person Bex can trust is a stranger – Josh – as she tries to piece together a picture of the person she thought she shared everything with. As Bex chases Naomi, she realizes it isn’t just whether she can find her twin: it’s whether she knows her at all.

I admit, the book does seem a bit cliché: one good twin, one bad twin. But it doesn't ruin the book at all. The book has a very unique concept to it that I can't talk about because of spoilers, but there is a key thing about Bex and Naomi's relationship that was amazing and really well thought out on Morgan's part.





"The way the mood had shifted when she walked into the kitchen... It had made her feel like an outsider in her own family"

- Lou Morgan, The Opposite of You





I did feel really sorry for Naomi because all she wanted was her sister back, to have those times back where they could sit with each other for hours and just laugh about everything. Naomi felt replaced and so I can understand why Naomi would want to live a different life; she doesn't feel part of the one she's already in. I just don't think that Naomi's character was explored as well as it should have been. I would loved to see some more character development, some background building... The characters just felt very flat to me.

I think this was because the plot was very fast and it could have easily had 100 more pages. Easily. The plot felt rushed and this meant that the characters got lost in a blur. I think that Morgan should have taken more time developing the plot and really could have dragged out some more of the dramatic bits to make it more gripping. Everything felt over in a matter of minutes, so the plot didn't really do anything for me.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Released 4th May

Bex and Naomi are identical twins, but whilst Bex knows exactly what she wants in life and how she is going to get it, Naomi just doesn't. In fact, Naomi couldn't be further apart, with very little direction and no real connection with who she is. All she really knows for sure is that she is trapped with a face the same as someone else's.

The story progresses very quickly, and largely the twin aspect of the story is easily forgotten, which was a shame - it's a cool, interesting concept to play around with. However the author does tie in the possibility for twins to have some unexplainable connections allowing them to almost show the other twin a mirror image of what is happening to them. It's an interesting idea, and it certainly works in this story as Naomi disappears and Bex may be the only one who could find her using the bond, but I think a lot more could have been done with the idea, in perhaps a more believable way.

Bex and Naomi are great characters to see the adventure through because they view things so very differently; this adds a nice dynamic to the story. And whilst Bex initially might seem easier to like, Naomi is a lot more complex with more to her than you might at first imagine. How must it feel to share a face with someone? To not really know who you are but to instead by defined by who you could be? Her complexity was really great to explore and I felt for her when she couldn't connect with herself, wanting desperately to disconnect from Bex, but feeling conflicted by her situation enough that she couldn't. Her story is quite sad, but a brutally honest reflection of what a lot of young people probably go through.

This is a great story, with a fast pace and fun characters to read about - it just wasn't as good as some similarly themed YA novels offering more from the concept.

Bex and Naomi are identical twins leading opposite lives, though Bed doesn't realise this, at first. Supposed to be having an important exam, Bex sits it to realise Naomi never turned up.

Bex soon takes it upon herself to unearth her sister's secrets and find her after her parents have reported her missing to the police and Bex meets a nice friend there, Josh who listens to her troubles and they commiserate their situations together.

Naomi however, has a backstage pass to a festival though plans soon go awry upon arrival and has her stuff stolen, yet she meets a supposedly kind stranger, Max at the festival after having had her bag stolen and he gives her his and it's contents to survive off.

Bex and Naomi use their unique twin telepathy to let each other get snippets of the situations and when Naomi ends up in a bad place with a drug dealer alone in his ran down flat, it is up to Bex comes with the help of Josh and the police to find her before it's too late.

The key to the plot of the novel and the title, is that Naomi has struggled to find her own identity and her sense of self. She has a secret life of partying and dressing up and reinventing a new her all the time. Yet her sister is more down to earth as she knows she wants to be an artist, study hard and enjoy life as it flows.
We also learn of how secondary school really tore their identical twin bond as Naomi played tag along to Bex and her new best friend, Kay. Bex comes to realise as does Naomi that they are closer than they have felt in years and they can't break their unique bond and more importantly, they don't want to.

I thought it was a great unique book the way it looks into the twin bond and how each one can try to break apart but the bond in will never break and nor should it have to.