Life as I Know It: A Novel [Paperback]

Melanie Rose (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 9, 2010

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 the hospital, the doctors insist she’s someone else: Lauren Richardson, wife and mother of four.

    Lauren’s husband wants nothing more than for life to get back to normal—complete with a well-organized house and very properly behaved children. But Lauren’s kids haven’t been allowed to have much fun, and one of them has special needs. Can Jessica embrace this family of strangers and become the wife and mother they need? As she struggles to find her way in this new life—and the way back to her old life—she reconnects with Lauren’s estranged sister and discovers a secret that could rip the family apart.

    Now, torn between Lauren’s responsibilities to her family and Jessica’s chance at love, one woman is about to find out whether the road not taken leads to happiness—or to heartbreak.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Brit Rose's pleasant debut, single career girl Jessica Taylor experiences love at first sight shortly before being struck by lightning. She awakens in the hospital in the body of Lauren Richardson, an unhappily married, materialistic mother of four who was also hit by lightning. While in Lauren's body, Jessica bonds with Lauren's neglected children and with Lauren's down-to-earth sister, Karen, who has sensed the change in her sister from the very start. After Jessica confides in Karen, the two attempt to make sense of why the switch happened. Rose's narrative initially uses all the old chestnuts of chick lit, pitting the life of a career girl against married motherhood; finding the perfect guy at the wrong time; the dubious current love interest (in this case, Lauren's questionable husband). As the story progresses, Rose's novel evolves into a statement about the pitfalls women encounter and the deals they make with themselves in order to make life livable. Rose's light tone packs a punch as the decidedly somber ending looms, taking the story to a foreseeable but still bittersweet conclusion. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

When Jessica is struck by lightning on a walk in the park, she awakens to find herself in another woman’s body, that of Lauren, a wife and mother of four. Jessica alternates between the two lives, trying to figure out what has happened to her, while feigning amnesia as she tries to navigate Lauren’s home life. She discovers that Lauren isn’t exactly a model mother, sister, or wife, and works to repair her relationship with her family. Meanwhile, back in her “real” life, Jessica is falling in love with the man who rescued her in the park, but she’s not sure which life she’s destined to live permanently. Although the ending falls flat with a too-convenient solution to Jessica’s predicament, British author Rose makes a fantastical premise seem realistic and compelling as she delves into a woman’s day-to-day struggles. --Aleksandra Walker

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; Original edition (February 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038534399X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385343992
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #483,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reviews from Brizmus Blogs Books, February 11, 2010

By 

A. Baker "brizmus" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life as I Know It: A Novel (Paperback)

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 necessareily new or unique, Rose brings it to life in a fresh and fun kind of way that feels exciting and new.

Jessica takes her new double life in stride, and while she definitely struggles with it, I was duly impressed by her take-charge, "do the best that I can given the circumstances" attitude. She deals with things so well that it's hard to truly believe, which in the end made this book fun and easy-to-read while at the same time being slightly sad and slightly depressing. I was entranced/captivated as Rose seamlessly moved from one life to the other, and I found myself greedily turning page after page, wondering how events from one life would affect the other, extraordinarily curious about the outcome of things.

While this book was heartwarming and fun, I think I loved it so much for the sense of hopefulness it instilled in me and for the sense of comfort I felt from its predictability. Even though there was really no other way things could have turned out, I was still curious about the outcome and quite pleased when things turned out as they did.

The ONLY problem that I had with this book was that it sometimes took itself too seriously, trying to delve deeper than a book like this is capable of delving. And then it jumped over some of the more difficult topics that I wanted to hear more about, saying "don't even try thinking about it."

This chick-lit novel is a great, simple read for adults and teens alike. I think most readers, like me, will find it impossible to put down.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read!, February 14, 2010

By 

Megan (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life as I Know It: A Novel (Paperback)

This plot has been done before, I will admit, but it was a fun read! It was written very well, with unexpected twists and characters that were easy to get attached to. I very much liked the ending!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars subtle profound tale, February 12, 2010

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life as I Know It: A Novel (Paperback)

Jessica Taylor is walking her dog Frankie when the rain turned ugly with wind, lightning and thunder. She struggles to leave the Downs when a Labrador runs up to them. A man catches up to her and the two canines. He thanks her as his dog got loose and offers her a ride. She feels lightning strike her heart as Jessica falls in love at first sight; only lightning literally strikes her body leaving her dead.

Jessica awakens n a hospital in which everyone calls her Mrs. Lauren Richardson, wife to Grant and mother of four children (Sophie, Nicole, Toby and Teddy). The kids are well behaved, but Jessica feels their sadness as order is their life. She loves each of the children especially brain damaged Teddy and connects with Lauren's sister Karen who she confides in that her memories are that of single in love Jessica Taylor and not that of mother and wife Mrs. Lauren Richardson.

On the surface Life As I Know It is a lighthearted romp that compares a single career woman with a married mother. However, Melanie Rose's contemporary is actually much deeper with a subtle profundity that stuns the audience even with knowing how the tale will end. The light touch enhances the sobering finish that will have readers understand the real intent is not comparing lifestyles, but instead making a powerful case that being a woman means sacrificing personal desires to make a better life for loved ones.

Harriet Klausner