Customer Reviews

DupliKate

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

i've been eagerly awaiting duplikate's release since reading she's so money, cherry cheva's first book. it did not disappoint! as with she's so money, duplikate has a feel-good plot that leaves you smiling at the end. witty, with just the right touch of sarcasm, duplikate is fun to read and captures the complicated trials and tribulations of high school life.

snatch this up before amazon runs out of stock!

Reading this book made me realize several things. One, high school students have far too much pressure on them to get things done in order to get into a good college. This book brought back memories of my high school days when I was frantically trying to accomplish many tasks simultaneously to make my college portfolio stand out. Like Kate, I had to study for SATs, write college essays, do outstanding in my college classes, and only choose extracurricular activities that would make my application look worthy enough for the school I was applying too. Without having a clone, it's almost impossible to get everything done without stressing yourself or having a nervous breakdown. It's something that can be expected from adults in the workplace or even college students, but for teens to have to go through this, I think it's expecting too much. Yes, there is a time to learn how to handle responsibility and know how the real world is, but teens are too young to give up enjoying life to be stressed out physically and emotionally like this.

The second was, I need to go back to my Sims game and make sure my game self has plenty of stuff in their room to keep them happy! Rina has been living in a room with barely anything for the past 4 years because Kate got tired with the computer game and didn't think to stock her house! I found this hilarious because there have been many times I've played the Sims and depending on my mood, I've either maxed out my Sim's house to give them the comfiest pad possible or I've been bored and had them living in a bare bones house. I could not imagine with it would be like if one of them came to life like Rina did in this story. The little thing about how Rina devoured every book, just like a Sim were hilarious.

The storyline was extremely well done as we see Kate having to balance her life between her studies, her relationships and then now with Rina. I loved how Rina just got shoved back into the closet at the end of the day or when she had to hide. Something else that was also a really nice touch was having an Asian American character NOT be the stereotypical perfect student who always gets good grades. The only thing I would have changed would be more interaction with Rina and Kate. As it stands, I felt it was a little abrupt at the ending, and thought it would have been more interesting to see how the two would have interacted after everything they had been through died down. It seemed at first that there would be a possibility that Rina was trying to take over Kate's life and then send back Kate to the computer world but that storyline never really took shape.

Other than this, I really enjoyed this story. Even though there's the fantasy aspect to it, I think it's something a lot of teens will relate to, both the scholars and the gamers. I found the book hilariously funny and that's also due to the fact that the author is a writer for Family Guy, one of my favorite shows. I'll be looking to reading more books from her and in the meantime, off to make sure my Sims are happy!

a good read that leaves you feeling smiley and ahh at the end, refreshed and ready to go. get it, save it for a lazy sunday or when you're in a funk. the humor is smart, and you cant go wrong with all the high school drama! love it!

i thought it was funny, sweet, clever and entertaining. got so absorbed in it and read the whole book in 2 days!

This is one of those unrealistically realistic books that you just can't put down. You know it can't happen to you - ever - but at the same time you can't help relating to the plot and the characters and thinking "that happened to __".

I've been a fan of Cheva's writing since reading her debut novel, She's So money, which was one of the first books I reviewed. Because of that, I was expecting an insanely hilarious and can't-put-it-down novel in DupliKate and in most ways, it was. I found myself rolling my eyes or giggling at multiple scenes and rarely put the book down.

Since I'll only be a freshman, I can't really relate to all of the SAT and college essay pressure but I was still able to be pulled into the novel. Stress and drama are things we all have to deal with, even if the focus point of the stress is different, and that makes it easier to relate to.

The one thing I would have liked to have seen more of in this novel was character development. Kate was a well-rounded character but I really felt that getting to know the other characters more would have added more to the novel. I never really understood much about her one love interest and I would have liked to.

Other than that, I felt DupliKate was a continued display of Cheva's talent in writing comedy and stories that you won't want to put down.

Recommended.

This is reviewed as part of the 1 ARC Tours.

This is an awesome book! Ms. Cheva is a very talented writer and will bring high school days alive for you (whether you are still in school or high school is behind you)! The main character, Kate, is smart, lovable and scatterbrained at the same time, and her duplicate, Rina, provides most of the book's funniest moments. Paul and Jake, the two guy characters, are cute and funny too. Totally funny and well worth the read!!

I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely a new story line for me to read. It totally brought back memories of my senior year of high school and trying to cram everything in so I could get into the school of my dreams.

I really liked all of the characters. I could identify with Kate--being stressed out and trying to balance a social and academic life. And I enjoyed Rina, Kate's computer-generated twin. But I couldn't decide if I liked her or if I thought she was evil--a lot of the time I felt pity for her. I also liked the two main male characters- Paul and Jake. They both had qualities that I would have found appealing in high school.

Overall, this was a quick, fun read. It took me on a trip down memory lane, and made me laugh while doing it!

Gold Star Award Winner!

Kate Larson is busy enough for at least two people. She's on the fast track to get into Yale, but she has to work twice as hard as her boyfriend, Paul, to guarantee her entry. Paul is a legacy and the top of their high school class, so he's a shoe-in. But according to Kate's research, Yale has only ever admitted two people from her high school in any one year. There are other students with just as decent grades as Kate, and she HAS to get in. She and Paul have been planning on the two of them going to Yale together.

It's the last few weeks before winter break and finals and projects are piling up. And Kate can never say no, so she's taken on the added responsibility of reviewing senior essays for one of her teachers. She hasn't even been able to make a dent in her own Yale application essay, and she has to review fellow students'!

So, when Kate wakes up one morning to find an identical replica of her, she almost screams. But this one is wearing lip gloss, pink, and, could that possibly be, glitter?! Kate figures she has to be dreaming, until she remembers the night before and her attempt to delete the SimuLife icon on her computer. It kept asking for the disk, which of course Kate couldn't find, and the end result was a real life Rina in her room.

With Kate stressed out with all her end-of-term work, she decides to deal with Rina later. She creates a comfy space for Rina in her walk-in closet, and sets her up with the complete works of Harry Potter. It doesn't take long for Rina to get bored, and convince Kate to let her help her with her busy schedule. It starts simply enough: Rina attending a school board meeting in Kate's place. It blossoms into allowing Rina pose as Kate with Kate's friends. Finally, Rina stands in for some time with Paul. But when Kate catches Rina making out with Paul, she knows it's gone too far and has to come up with a final solution.

I'm always hesitant to read the follow-up work of a young author when their first book was fantastic. But as with SHE'S SO MONEY, DUPLIKATE was great. Kate, like Maya, is expected to succeed. But unlike Maya, Kate's expectations are all self-imposed. Though the story may be somewhat predictable in what will happen, the way Ms. Cheva gets there is well worth the ride.

Told with wit and spunk, Kate tries to stay honorable in the face of Rina's persistence. For anyone who always wished there were two of them, read DUPLLIKATE - and be careful what you wish for.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Duplikate was a funny and cute book that I adored!

The concept of having computer-generated twin was an interesting topic that I don't think I've seen before in a book. Even though it was unique, it still kind of scared me. Since, I kept thinking about the possibility of this occurring in real life. I mean with technology getting more advanced every day, this could possibly occur in the future. But even with saying that I still loved how Rina and Kate kind of became "sisters" from this ordeal because their constant bickering proved several laugh out loud moments and I adored how close they became because of this.

Kate was a character that I could relate to on many levels. One being the all the stress she had from school and her trying to achieve the goal of her live: getting into an Ivy League school. Seriously, you should see me during the school year, I get so worked up/ stressed over tests, quizzes, and extracurriculars just like Kate. Overall, I think having Kate being a character that girls can relate to will earn many brownie points in readers' eyes all around. Also, I really enjoyed reading about Rina and Jake.

Cherry Cheava's writing also was a high point. Since, it flowed extremely well which lead to the story going by in an extremely fast pace, allowing me to finish Duplikate in one semi-long sitting.

In all, Duplikate was a great story that had a fantastic message of "Don't overwork yourself, since you only have one life to live" to go along with it. I highly suggest you all pick this up when it comes out!

Cheva's sophomore effort is, in my opinion, much better than her first. While I enjoyed She's So Money, Duplikate just had that extra oomph factor to it. It's an absolutely hilarious read and an extremely intriguing concept. The romance was a bit cliche and predictable, but still very cute. The final act of the book had my heart pounding and with me on the edge of my seat (or bed, since that's where I did most of my reading) and the ending had an unexpected twist to it, which made me smile. Overall, a solid book and one I really loved; I can't wait to read more from Cheva.