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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enchanting Review: My Double Life, May 19, 2010
This review is from: My Double Life (Hardcover)
MY DOUBLE LIFE
JANETTE RALLISON
Contemporary YA
Rating: 4 Enchantments
Alexia Garcia can't believe the offer that comes her way after a mean girl's prank on her backfires when the photo catches some surprise attention. With her uncanny resemblance to pop star Kari Kingsley, Kari and her publicist want her to play the role of Kari's double, filling in for Kari at a handful of events and small concerts so the real Kari can concentrate on working on her long delayed album. The offer seems too good to be true, and her mother is decidedly against the idea, especially when she confides the identity of Alexia's father, something that's been a secret all of Alexia's life. The girls' resemblance isn't so much a coincidence, as the two are half sisters, a piece of knowledge that spurs Alexia to quickly agree to the plan and move to California for a chance to get to know the half-sister she never knew existed and for a chance to meet her father.
I really enjoyed MY DOUBLE LIFE. While Alexia struggles to fit into her role as Kari's double, including a complete make-over with hair extensions, dance classes, a designer wardrobe and more, she finds herself facing some unexpected issues of her own. With the physical distance between her and her mother and grandmother, things aren't exactly the way Alexia thought they'd be. Add in her developing feelings for fellow teen star Grant who thinks she's really Kari, and not only is Alexia confused, she's also torn between doing exactly what everyone expects her to and what she feels is right. I have to say I really liked the friendship of sorts that forms between Alexia and Kari and the way that Alexia wants to help her half-sister out of the trouble she's in, which I wish would have played into the story a little more. However it didn't make the book any less enjoyable. I have to say my favorite scene that still makes me smile is when Grant goes to drop 'Kari' off after their date and instead of taking Alexia to where she's living with the publicist, he takes her to Kari's home. Alexia panics but it looks like maybe no one is home, until she hears footsteps in the house. Between dealing with a very confused poolman who tells her that she just argued with him in the driveway (obviously the real Kari) and Kari's real boyfriend showing up after Grant leaves, it's one enjoyable mess.
Janette Rallison lives in Chandler, Arizona with her husband, five children and enough cats to classify her as "an eccentric cat lady." You can visit her online at her website, [...]
Lisa
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
March 2010
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable, March 27, 2011
This review is from: My Double Life (Hardcover)
Another great book by Janette Rallison! I just love her books! My Double Life was about a girl named Alexia who lived in a small town called Morgantown, West Virginia, (which ironically is that same place I lived for 1 yr. on my teen yrs.). She lives with her mother and grandmother and has never met her father and doesn't even know his name. Her life is pretty boring and normal until someone sees her picture and says she is an exact look alike of a famous rock star named Kari Kingsley. Suddenly her life changes when Kari asks her to play her double and go to events pretending to be her and be paid thousands of money for each event. She finds out who her dad is and that if she goes with Kari to be her double she'll get a chance to meet him. Soon enough she is pretending to be Kari and enjoying all the perks that go with it, like a hot famous boyfriend, paparazzi, clubs and concerts. Things get really complicated when she can't even tell her boyfriend or her dad who she really is.
Like I said, this is another great book by Rallison! The reason I love her books is because there just a simple book about a teenagers life. They make me laugh and there always a fun read. This story line was very cute! Everyone pretends they are a celebrity at one point in their lives and how amazing would it be to actually professionally pretend you are your celebrity look alike! Very great story, easy going, up-beat and just an enjoyable read!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Pop Princess and the Pauper, July 24, 2010
This review is from: My Double Life (Hardcover)
A self-described "half-Latina" from a small-town, working-class family, Alexia Garcia is a dead ringer for twenty-something pop sensation, Kari Kingsley, who is also half-Latina. The amazing resemblance leads to a lucrative job offer to serve as the secret double for Kari at some of her public appearances so Kari can focus on completing an overdue album. Alexia's mom is strongly against the masquerade because, as she confesses for the first time in Alexia's 18 years, Alexia and Kari share the same father. He's pop legend, Alex Kingsley, the lead singer of The Journey Men--a fact that both Alex and Kari have been kept in the dark about as well. Alexia is furious at her mother for hiding this crucial information from her, knowing how much all her life Alexia has wanted to know about her father. Since Alexia is legally of age and doesn't need her mother's permission, she takes the job Kari's publicist is offering and heads for Los Angeles.
In adult romance novels, there is a classic story line called the "secret baby plot," in which the heroine had a baby years before that the hero never knew about. This is the first time I've ever personally heard of a novel where the "secret baby" is the heroine. What a great twist!
I am a huge fan of Janette Rallison and have read every one of her young adult novels. I must confess I was a bit disappointed initially on realizing that, other than a couple of scenes of comic relief, this story is light drama, not her usual laugh-out-loud comedy. But I quickly got into the book because, no matter what type of story she chooses to tell, Rallison is a great writer. All of the things I normally enjoy in a Rallison YA novel are here in spades: vividly three-dimensional characters, strong conflict, and compelling love stories, both familial and romantic.
Alexia is a dynamic and compassionate heroine, and her efforts to get to know her half-sister are emotionally moving. The complications created by Alexia's pretending to be her sister are both painful for Alexia and occasionally very funny for the reader. I particularly enjoyed Alexia's romance with teen heartthrob Grant. It is extremely well done, and I really liked Grant, who is not just gorgeous and sexy, but a thoroughly decent guy. One of Rallison's strengths has always been her ability to write a good romance plot, and as usual, she shines at that here.
Perhaps most moving of all is the growth in Alexia's relationship with her mother and the eventual outcome in Alexia's quest to know her father. The resolution of that portion of the book brought tears to my eyes. It was also a nice change to be able to experience YA-novel parents as caring nurturers. And not only that, but as deserving of a chance at achieving romantic happiness as well.
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