I Now Pronounce You Someone Else [Hardcover]

Erin McCahan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2010

The teen-girl fascination with weddings comes to fiction in this hilarious debut, as 17-year-old Bronwen Oliver plots her escape from her family . . . by marrying into someone else's.

Here Comes the Bride -- If She Can Pass Chemistry.

Eighteen-year-old Bronwen Oliver has a secret: She's really Phoebe, the lost daughter of the loving Lilywhite family. That's the only way to explain her image-obsessed mother; a kind but distant stepfather; and a brother with a small personality complex. Bronwen knows she must have been switched at birth, and she can't wait to get away from her "family" for good.

Then she meets Jared Sondervan. He's sweet, funny, everything she wants -- and he has the family Bronwen has always wanted too. She falls head over heels in love, and when he

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—Bronwen Oliver has spent most of her life convinced she was switched at birth. After all, she isn't blond, she detests ketchup, and she has no desire to be Homecoming Queen. She is so convinced that she belongs to another family that she invents an alter ego, Phoebe Lilywhite, her "true self." Her friend Kirsten even calls her Pheebs. She's having coffee with Kirsten the day after prom, explaining why she broke up with her boyfriend, when a stranger comes in and asks if she's Phoebe Lilywhite. He turns out to be Jared Sondervan, a high school friend of her older brother's, who remembers that she told him her Switched at Birth theory years before. So begins her relationship with Jared and his family—the kind of family she hasn't had since her father was killed in an accident when she was very young—and she finds herself becoming someone else: not Bronwen, not Phoebe, but "Us"—Bronwen and Jared. Fortunately, at the 11th hour, Bronwen realizes that she wants to find out who she is before she becomes Jared's wife. Lively and light, McCahan's novel covers that time period of high school and college when young adults try on and discard personalities in search of their true selves. It should appeal to fans of Meg Cabot and Maureen Johnson.—Suanne Roush, Osceola High School, Seminole, FL
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From Booklist

This debut novel offers a coming-of-age story with surprising twists and turns. High-school senior Bronwen’s favorite daydream is that she was switched at birth and really belongs with another, more accepting family. She loves her boyfriend, Jared, whose family feels like the one in her fantasy, but she wants to wait until they are married to have sex. Then Jared proposes, and as the teens begin to plan an elaborate beach wedding, Bronwen’s questions about both the past and future begin to surface. Told mainly in dialogue, this first-person narrative about the complexities of family and commitment will grab teens. Grades 8-11. --Hazel Rochman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books; 1 edition (June 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545088186
• ISBN-13: 978-0545088183
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #621,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Winning Story of Teen Love, Marriage, and Identity July 9, 2010

By S. Su

Format:Hardcover

17-year-old Bronwen Oliver operates under the theory that she was probably switched at birth. That explains why she is unlike the rest of her perfect, golden family. In the life she was supposed to have lived, her name is Phoebe Lilywhite, and she and her parents have an amazing relationship because they are just like her.

However, her Phoebe Lilywhite days get put on the wayside when she starts dating college student Jared Sondervan. Jared is charming, kind, funny, sweet--and best of all, he has a great family that she fits right into. Then Jared asks her to marry him. At first, Bronwen is ecstatic. Finally she has the chance to fit in with the family she has always dreamed of. But as the wedding date approaches, she starts to doubt if marriage is really what she wants.

I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU SOMEONE ELSE is the perfectly light yet fulfilling read for the reader who's in between the teenage and adult years. It is endearingly thoughtful, with memorable characters and a modern humorous sensibility.

Erin McCahan's writing is bright and witty, reminiscent of a more succinct version of Meg Cabot's. Bronwen wastes no words with her narration, instead providing us just enough to get the picture, get her tone, and focus more on the story and characters. Bronwen's intelligence, irreverence, and simultaneous disenchantment and idealism about family and love made her a unique YA character that I didn't want to look away from.

The strength of I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU SOMEONE ELSE lies in its characters. Debut author Erin McCahan uses the simplest of dialogue to create differentiated and well-rounded characters without the dose of melodrama that YA contemporary fiction sometimes has. This means that, no matter how far-fetched the plot might get (Bronwen IS muleheadedly determined that she is not related to her family, after all), we are still charmed and want more of Bronwen, Jared, Jared's family, Bronwen's family, and all others.

I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU SOMEONE ELSE is a delightful contemporary read with a surprisingly strong amount of depth and feeling to it. I know for sure that this is one book I'll be returning to when I'm in the mood for a not-so-ordinary tale of romance and growing up!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Keep an open mind about this one! July 10, 2012

By Donna G

Format:Hardcover

The plot of I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU SOMEONE ELSE is pretty straightforward, but the execution is what really makes the book stand out. McCahan is fabulous at writing characters. Fabulous. So whether or not you understand their point of view (teen marriage was the OPPOSITE of my high school goals), you want to read about them. They pretty much leap off the page.

Bronwen's family is hilarious and heartbreaking. I can totally understand why Bronwen wants to become Someone Else, why she fantasized about being Phoebe Lilywhite. What I love about McCahan's portrayal of the Olivers is how NOT awful they are. They're flawed but aren't demonized, and though they're quirky, it never becomes caricature-ish or outrageous. Depth and humor are woven in their interactions very naturally. (And, hey, a YA book with parents!)

I read the book crossing my fingers that the romance between Jared and Bronwen didn't make me cringe with overwhelming "OMG I'd die if we weren't together forever"-ness. McCahan didn't lean that way AT ALL. It was sweet and genuine and true to their ages and experience levels. And though I'd never have considered getting married at 18, I understood why Bronwen would.

And I can't NOT mention that Bronwen has chosen to wait to have sex until marriage, for super-practical, non-religious reasons. It's a refreshing POV in YA, and I think that even readers who disagree with Bronwen's logic would find it a valid, reasonable, non-preachy choice for her character. Yayyyy diversity!

Bronwen herself is a great MC. I loved getting inside her head, and her voice was totally clear. Plus, the character development made complete sense and felt natural within the plot. I'm SO Team Bronwen.

But the characters wouldn't be so awesome without the witty, entertaining humor that McCahan has infused in the dialogue and scenes. I frequently read it with a smile on my face ---- looking like a complete idiot, of course.

Overall, I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU is a feel-good contemporary YA with depth. (It reminds me of a lighter version of Twenty Boy Summer, another fabulous contemporary novel.) It's solidly written and super enjoyable, a great deviation from your traditional YA novel.

* This review posted originally at www(dot)FirstNovelsClub(dot)com

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Pronounced Read September 4, 2010

By Galleysmith VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Muted, understated, quiet -- all adjectives I would use to describe I Now Pronounce You Someone Else. The story of one young girl's struggle to find where she fits in. What was interesting and unique about this was it wasn't the typical fitting in amongst the different cliques at school, it was where she fit in with family.

Filled with plot elements that were profoundly emotional and deeply influential, this is an excellent book to fit into a teen reader's life. Touching on such serious and interesting subjects as maintaining virginity until marriage and the loss of a beloved parent, the infusion of each into the other was mostly well done though not without some shortcomings.

Focusing first on what worked well, I found the use of the virginity issue as a catalyst for larger issues to be the most effective. Bronwen valued her virginity and held true to her morals. She didn't allow it to become what defined her, it was merely just a single aspect of her life. Not to mislead you, this element of the plot was not a huge focus of the overall story, but it was infused within that larger whole very well.

The main focus of the story was on Bronwen's desire to be part of a perfect family. What makes this desire so heartbreaking is the fact that she had what she wanted most before her father's unexpected death. A strong bond between she and her dad, a loving and vibrant mother and fun and energetic brother. Then her father died and personalities changed while distance grew between she, her mother and brother.

The strength of this story is in the characterization of Bronwen. In a circumstance where she could be a whiny shell of her former self, isolating herself from friends and family, she instead flourishes in school and in social situations. She even attempts to encourage and maintain a close family bond which later includes her step-father. Unfortunately, with family she becomes more introverted over time. Her mother becomes overbearing and controlling, her brother is more and more absentee and her step-father remains distant with her. then she finally meets Jared, and falls in love with him and his perfect family. The family she's always wanted.

As a character Bronwenis quite complex -- an intelligent girl with deep feelings. Those feelings are explored primarily through her relationship with Jared, her betrothed. As wonderfully supportive as he is for her. They were quick to love and even quicker to be engaged so that was a bit disconcerting. From Bronwen's perspective it kind of made sense because she so desperately wanted the connection of family. From his, I couldn't quite get what the motivation was. Why he was so into her so quickly and then fell in love and proposed with equal speed.

Bronwen also tended to be quite passive aggressive, particularly in her interactions with her step-father. While that behavior felt typical and understandable given her past, there was a real reason behind it which unfortunately we didn't learn about until much closer to the end of the story. What also made sense was the passive aggression Bronwen displayed when interacting with her domineering and controlling mother.

Speaking of which, the character of Bronwen's mother was a blt too cliche for my liking. She was controlling in all the typical ways -- over Bronwyn's appearance, her social life, and who she dated. Given the loss of her husband and the changes in her family it certainly seems realistic to act out in this way. To grab hold of everything and control it so that it doesn't change. But it was tiresome and the woman was selfish and self-absorbed in all the wrong ways.

I can't quite pinpoint my exact feelings about this book overall. It runs circles in my head a little. One day I really like it and the next I'm kind of apathetic. I do think it was well written and I liked the overall plot and the takeaways we were to leave with. It's just that some of the execution made me waffle. So, in the end I do think it's worth a read -- particularly for teens who may struggle with family -- maybe you all can help me pinpoint why it just couldn't quite get to the point of great for me.