Customer Reviews

Sophomore Switch

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

 

 

To be perfectly honest; in the end I am in love with this story. Sophomore Switch was very light hearted and an extremely easy read. Abby McDonald throws you into a world where one carefree college student is switched for one uptight strict college student. They are exchanged life for life; which means housing for housing, classes for classes, and world for world. Leaving two very different girls to sink or swim in one anothers shoes. Which inevitably they do a little of both. Emily and Natasha awesome characters; that I immediately fell in love with and had to see through.As if that was not enough I was even more eager once Ryan and Will were added to the storyline. I was literally cheering when Emily and Ryan hook up. (Don't do this in public people will believe you are crazy) This was a perfect match from the start that I was anticpating long before it was introduced in the story. Unfortunately, the use of "Totes" did become a little excessive, but this is understandably the way the younger generation will use slang so it was easily overlooked. In the end, as far as "Happily Everafters" go I wished Tasha ending had been a little happier, but I understand the authors reasoning and that for the character it probably the best ending. McDonald started easy, and ended strong leaving me as an instant fan.

Gold Star Award Winner!

Tasha and Emily couldn't be more different, but each wants to escape their social nightmares. Tasha needs to hide out from the tabloid drama and Emily needs to nurse her broken heart. They swap lives: Natasha heads to Oxford and Emily heads to UC Santa Barbara.

The only problem - they've each already signed up for classes. So Natasha's stuck taking feminist courses and Emily's stuck learning about film. Neither of them fit in, until they lean on each other for a bit of advice. Both girls start to dress more appropriately, Natasha with preppy clothes and Emily with fewer layers. Slowly, things start to turn around for both girls.

Natasha embraces her classes and becomes determined to change people's mind about her. She joins in the rally to save the women's health center. Emily learns how to relax and let go of her control freakiness.

Is the newfound happiness about to come crashing down when their responsibilities resurface?

SOPHOMORE SWITCH is a great novel on several levels. It's a great tale of two girls switching lives and broadening their horizons and examining the question of feminism. The story especially delves deeply into the topic of what makes a feminist - can a girl have fun and still desire equality for women?

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

I used to be one of those people who would, before even reading the blurb, read about the author instead. I don't know why, but maybe I was still in that omg-authors-are-totally-cool (which I still think is the case, but with less enthusiasm nowadays) phase. But those times quickly faded as I easily found myself entranced by the author's life and then disappointed when I actually finished the published novel and disliked it. So these past years, I just read the blurb, and figured that if I really liked a particular novel, then I'd just go ahead and read the biography. That was how I started this book.

The beginning was practically perfect. No lie, either. The sophisticated writing style pulled me in quickly, and the characters were quite relatable and sounded just like any normal being that I might be friends with. I particularly liked the storyline - after all, I love the study abroad program and hope to participate once I'm in college - since the S.A.S.S series, which was about foreign exchange students and therefore practically the same, really sucked. I mean, there were a few mediocre books in the series, but I never found one that really interested me. Those characters were usually stereotypical, cliched, bland, or escaping from some movie-esque scenario. (Most of the time, I found myself just salivating over the mentions of exotic food, and that was the highlight of the novel already!) So I was really eager about this book, especially since the setting focused on Oxford. Oxford! Imagine that! So it seemed right that these characters would be smart and determined, exactly how I like my protagonists.

Because of the great start to the novel, I was quickly fascinated by the author. So imagine my surprise to read that Abby McDonald was a graduate of Oxford University! And that she's only twenty-four years old! Clearly, this is good writing, and I was fortunate to find something amazing, finally. BUT, and yes, there's that dreaded but.

BUT, the strong beginning quickly turned into an mediocre middle, and then a clump of disaster at the end. The dialogue became awkward, silly, and too fake. Half the time, I would pause just to think, "Seriously? Would I say something like that if I was in that situation?" And 99% of the time, the answer to my question was a solid NO. The ending seemed rushed and choppy. The characters lacked a steady road of development and the so-called "unexpected" twists were fairly expected. The only part I really liked at the end was that everything came crashing down on Tasha and it wasn't resolved. Because that's realistic; I mean, not everything in your life gets solved so easily. Most of the time, the problem's still there; it's just about how you choose to handle it, is all.

So no, I didn't hate the book. But after realizing that this was the work of an Oxford graduate, I just expected more. Well, naturally, not everyone from Oxford is destined to be the next Fitzgerald and whatnot, but my expectations just weren't answered.

I found this to be a very fun and enjoyable book but also at the same time it brings issues that girls everywhere deal with, trying to be the real you but also a better version of yourself. I really liked that the story took two girls that were polar opposites and sort of brought them into a less severe version of themselves, to a middle ground. I also liked how the book shows that even if you aren't exactly like someone you can still have many things in common. I think it's very easy to strike someone off your list just because they have different interests than you, and what we really should be doing is learning from each others differences.

Now for me it was much easier to relate to Emily, the uber-organized, straight laced, Oxford student. I liked seeing her come out of her shell A LOT and then stepping back a bit and taking the bits and pieces that worked for her, that's definitely something I need to do as well. I also really respected Tasha's stand against stereotypes and getting people to take her serious and not base their opinions of her on one incident (The Hot Tub Incident). And I love that the two characters end up getting to know each other, via email and phone calls, I guess that's something I didn't consider (no idea why) but it's a great part of the book! I think this book does a great job of exploring what it means to be a young person, trying to find yourself.

The book was also funny with some great popular culture references. And really, who doesn't want to read a book where one of the characters goes to Borders often! There is also some romance, which is very sweet and it a great addition to the book. One thing I was rather confused about for awhile was the word "totes" and I finally looked it up and found it to mean, totally. Which made a lot more sense, I had never heard that word used for anything other than a tote bag! LOL!

All in all, this was a very enjoyable and engaging book!

Summary: Tasha is an American girl caught in a reality TV scandal who desperately wants to get out of the country; Emily is a prim English girl set on a law career who was unable to attend prestigious Harvard due to application problems and so settles on going to California.

I really liked both of the girls very much although at the beginning they are very extreme versions (Tasha is a party girl; Emily is very uptight) who end up mellowing by exploring new academic venues, interacting with boys in different ways, and just living in new environments. The one thing I didn't like is that the ending does not wrap everything up. This is certainly more realistic but I don't read books for realism necessarily. I do judge books by their cover and if there is pink font/a pink cover, I expect an empowering story where the girl achieves her goal and gets the cute guy. Both characters become involved with a promising guy but that sort of happily ever after doesn't come through. Some people may like this but not me.

My big complaint about this book is that Tasha is a sophomore in college. Now I know that this makes a better title than Junior Switch and I don't know how study abroad programs in England work but I don't know any American college that allows students to study in their sophomore year. I know my college (and most colleges) prefer that you wait until junior year and I believe some will allow you to go senior year with a good reason but usually they make you wait so that is my quibble with the basic premise. I realize there were extenuating circumstances and there may be some colleges but she's at a UC and I just don't think that would happen.

Overall: 4 out of 5. Solid debut but slightly disappointing end.

this was an excellent book and very different than what i am use to. it taught me something about how you can change, but you will never forget what you use to be. This is a great read for anyone with a feminist interest partly.

Honestly, I didn't like this book very much. It's extremely unrealistic. Here is how I would summarize it:
Two girls from very different colleges switch for a month or so. They both have trouble adapting to their new surroundings. Obviously, they end up liking it. It's very predictable. This book is good for a twelve year old, minus the innapropriate events that occur (and in my honest opinion the author added those to make the reader feel like this wasn't a children's story). It isn't thought-provoking in any way. I'm glad I didn't buy this (I borrowed from the library).

This is one of those stories that I was into from page one. I have always been interested in stories where two people switch lives. But this one was especially enjoyable thanks to McDonald's excellent writing and two great main characters.

Each chapter changes from Tasha's point of view to Emily's. I loved both characters. There was something in both of them that I could relate to. Tasha is the party girl. She is more interested in going out and boys then she is her studies. I liked how McDonald wrote the "hot-tub incident". It really showed how out of proportion a story can get in the tabloids. Emily is the one who is all about studies, the right schools and her future career. Everything has to be neat and tidy in her life. I have to admit I carry some of Emily's OCD qualities.

Both characters seem to be polar opposites in the beginning. They are both lost in each other's lives and eventually turn to each other for help. It was great to see these two girls come together as friends. It just shows that even someone completely different than you can be a great friend, and bring out parts of you you might be hiding.

This story really touches on what it means to be a feminist in today's society. It had me thinking about some of the things I do, or things I believe, and how I act on them. You hear a lot about politics in this book, particularly politics involving women, and it was nice to see how much the author knew about the subject. McDonald used her strength in knowledge in her writing and it shone through for me.

While the romance in this story for both girls was sweet, I wished the male characters were a little more developed. But of course, this story's main focus wasn't the romance. I had mixed feelings about the ending. On one hand, I like how it ended realistically. In real life, not everything ends in a neatly wrapped little package, some things are still left unknown. But on the other hand, I would have liked to see a little more closure, especially with Tasha. With that being said, if McDonald were to write a sequel I would be all for it.

Sophomore Switch managed to be cute and sweet, but poignant and insightful at the same time. This is a great book for any girl.

Can a Sophomore Switch make all the difference?

California girl Tasha's Sophomore year was supposed to be great. She had cool film classes, fun roommates, and a steady line of possible guys to date. Though, when the "Hot-Tub Incident" occurs, she only wants to do one thing, pack her bags, quickly.

Meanwhile, across the country, Emily's life isn't going that peachy either. Her boyfriend of five months has just broken up with her because she wouldn't go "all the way." Also, it seems like she can't fit it in at stuffy Oxford anymore.

So, when they are offered to switch places- houses, schools, friends- for a semester, both jump at the chance. But will this make their lives better or just plain worse?

Sophomore Switch was a fast paced novel filled with funny situations, well developed characters, and a question of what it means to be a feminist. I quickly devoured this novel in two short days, thanks to Abby McDonald's writing and her two lead characters: Emily and Tasha. I felt that both were realistic and quirky teenagers, making them extremely fun to read about. I loved how they each had traits that any type of girl could relate to. Emily was the up tight overachiever, while Tasha was the go with the flow party girl. My only problem with this novel was that the minor characters such as Morgan, Will, and Ryan were a tad under developed.

Overall, Sophomore Switch was a well written book that I suggest to fans of Meg Cabot and Sarah Dessen. I look forward to reading more by Abby Mcdonald in the future.

Grade: B+

*Reviewed For Flamingnet.

A fun and witty read from new author Abby McDonald. This was the type of book I started reading and couldn't put down. I left it at my friend's accidentally for a few days and was gutted I couldn't read on. Whether you're reading it in America or the UK you'll probably find it aspirational as what British girl doesn't dream of living the Californian life and I'm guessing what American girl doesn't think Oxford is full of cute British guys! The story is presented from both Tasha (American in UK) and Emily (British in US) sides and swaps between the two narratives fluidly. When the girls finally overlap and meet it feels genuine and like true friendship has been formed.