Title: Someone Else’s Life
Author: Katie Dale
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publishing Date: February 14th 2012
Length: 464 pages
Genre: YA contemporary
Source: Netgalley
When
seventeen-year-old Rosie’s mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington’s Disease, her
pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty-per-cent chance of
inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when she tells her mum’s best
friend, ‘Aunt Sarah’ that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a
midwife, reveal that Trudie was not her biological mother after all...
Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, hitching along on her
ex-boyfriend’s GAP year to follow her to Los
Angeles. But all does not go to plan, and as Rosie
discovers yet more of her family's deeply-buried secrets and lies, she is left
with an agonising decision of her own - one which will be the most
heart-breaking and far-reaching of all...
Katie Dale
makes it easy to love SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE right from the start. I was only
about eighty pages into the book when I started re-reading my favourite
scenes. Yeah it was that good!
SOMEONE
ELSE’S LIFE is made up of two parts. The first one is smaller and both parts
contain alternating point of views. Rosie does most of the talking in the first
half of the story. The person behind the second point of view is revealed in the second part. They both are fitting and create a
complementary pair of perspectives. The second point of view really confused
me, until I knew who was the other narrator. What a surprise!
Katie’s
writing is really engaging and she totally surprised me, because I never
expected so much to happen. I didn’t want to stop reading even though I had to
hold back my tears all the time.
I really
felt with Rosie who lost her mum Trudie to Huntington’s
disease and now finds out that she wasn’t her real mother. She is an emotional and impulsive character so it doesn't take long for Rosie to decide to
search for her biological mother. Of course we are invited to follow her on that journey.
Then
there’s Andy, her ex-boyfriend who she hasn’t seen since her mother was
diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease. Now after Turdie’s death, he wants to be
there for Rosie and does anything to help her and make her happy again.
He’s a
character I liked so much, because he never gives up and shows how much Rosie
means to him. You will love him!
I liked
that Rosie and Andy's relationship felt familiar and still there were many new things to
learn about the other. To me it was a balancing act between weeping and being
enchanted by their romance. Rosie can be a bit unfair towards Andy, although he
is a truly good guy. But I can imagine that it’s a hard task to keep a newly
blooming love stable when Rosie finds herself in a rush of emotions crashing
down on her. Their relationship is not the typical love story, it is absolutely
authentic and real and feels like a love story life itself couldn't have written any better.
Hesitant at
first, SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE explodes into so much more. The story is not only
about Andy and Rosie’s relationship, there are more family, love and friendship
bonds to care about. I expected the story to be mostly about the search for
Rosie’s mother, but then it becomes huge and huger after only a few chapters. I never
expected that much drama and hurt behind it. It’s about difficult decisions
that could change you and your life forever. All characters fit into a net of
lies and secrets. I hoped all the time for a happy ending for every single one
of them.
1) of an
utterly sweet and caring companion
2) of the
people and moments that shape your life and make you who you are
3) of
mingling foot prints
4) of a
perfect NY
5) of every
single word dedicated to rise awareness of Huntington’s Disease
5/5 ***** A sensitive & moving story about
the hardships in life and the possibility to balance them with moments full of
sentimental and heart-breaking joy, never-ending dreams and all-consuming
desires.
Love,
friendship, family, moments of joy, grief and everything in between.
Katie Dale
tells a sweet love story, a story about family bonds and a story about belonging.
At the same time she raises the awareness for Huntington’s Disease, a terrible
illness. She is one of the awesome authors who mark my reading year 2012 with a
highlight of a debut.
* Here's the beautiful UK cover for SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE.
* Read an
excerpt of SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE here.
* Watch the
book trailer here.
* Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's Books!
