The Opposite of Me: A Novel [Paperback]

Sarah Pekkanen (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 9, 2010

Twenty-nine-year-old Lindsey Rose has, for as long as she can remember, lived in the shadow of her ravishingly beautiful fraternal twin sister, Alex. Determined to get noticed, Lindsey is finally on the cusp of being named VP creative director of an elite New York advertising agency, after years of eighty-plus-hour weeks, migraines, and profound loneliness. But during the course of one devastating night, Lindsey’s carefully constructed life implodes. Humiliated, she flees the glitter of Manhattan and retreats to the time warp of her parents’ Maryland home. As her sister plans her lavish wedding to her Prince Charming, Lindsey struggles to maintain her identity as the smart, responsible twin while she furtively tries to piece her career back together. But things get more complicated when a long-held family secret is unleashed that forces both sisters to reconsider who they are and who they are meant to be.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Veteran journalist Pekkanen debuts with a promising yet pedestrian post–chick lit novel about a successful New York ad exec who's passed over for a promotion then unceremoniously canned. Workaholic Lindsey Rose leaves Manhattan for her family's Maryland home, resuming her role as the smart, capable daughter. Years of jealousy surge into overdrive at her beautiful twin sister Alex's engagement party when she watches her lifelong friend Bradley, possibly the guy that got away, begin to fall under her sister's golden spell. After the obligatory ugly duckling makeover, Lindsey, no longer the plain daughter, continues to hide her new look from her family. Away from them, however, a newly confident and gregarious Lindsey emerges, one able to parlay her advertising skills into a new position at a matchmaking service. It takes a terrifying medical diagnosis and a visit to her parents' musty attic to complete Lindsey's transformation. Though the story is Lindsey's, Alex also plays a large part, though her selfishness is so relentlessly portrayed, it's difficult to determine just who she is. The pace is slow, and the story just adequate.
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Review

"Pekkanen's wry voice and engaging characters—the bumbling parents are especially lovable—keep things fresh" —People (3.5 out of 4 stars)

"With her smart, soulful novel, author Pekkanen explores the place where self and sisterhood intersect." - Redbook

"It's warm, it's whimsical, and it's a winner." --The Courier Mail (Australia)

“Fresh, appealing…the story is at turns funny and poignant.” — Booklist

“Pekkanen's involving debut is an honest examination of the limits we place on ourselves, with well-drawn female characters.” —Kirkus

“If a book makes you think and be introspective, well that’s magic, and The Opposite of Me has done just that. Pekkanen has hit the nail on the head with her unique premise and original observation on what makes us who we are…an absolute must read” —New York Journal of Books

“Fresh and funny and satisfying. A terrific book about sisters that actually made me laugh out loud. I was completely drawn into Lindsey’s world and rooted for her from beginning to end.” — Jennifer Weiner, New York Times bestselling author of Best Friends Forever and In Her Shoes

“Pekkanen's debut is heartfelt and richly drawn. With a delicate touch, she had me believing and sharing every laugh and every tear - it was a completely satisfying read. I look forward to more from this talented writer.” — Beth Harbison, author of Hope in a Jar

“Sharp-tongued. . .a spot-on portrayal of the existential dilemmas of young adulthood.” — Washington Post

"Sweet, smart, and funny" — Cosmopolitan.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 377 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press; Original edition (March 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439121982
• ISBN-13: 978-1439121986
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Sisters

More About the Author

Sarah Pekkanen is the internationally-bestselling author of the novels THE BEST OF US, THESE GIRLS, SKIPPING A BEAT and THE OPPOSITE OF ME. Please find her on Facebook and twitter @sarahpekkanen!

BIO: Sarah is the mother of three young boys, which explains why she wrote part of her novel at Chuck E. Cheese. Seriously. Sarah penned her first book, Miscellaneous Tales and Poems, at the age of 10. When publishers failed to jump upon this literary masterpiece (hey, all the poems rhymed!) Sarah followed up by sending them a sternly-worded letter on Raggedy Ann stationery. Sarah still has that letter, and carries it to New York every time she has meetings with her publisher, as a reminder that dreams do come true. At least some dreams - Brad Pitt has yet to show up on her doorstep wearing nothing but a toolbelt and asking if she needs anything fixed. So maybe it's only G-rated dreams that come true. Please visit www.sarahpekkanen.com

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#33 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#49 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction

#33 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#49 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT book! March 11, 2010

By WriterCrys

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love the whole premise of this book - how the roles we are given when we are growing up stick with us. In this case it's about two sisters (fraternal twin sisters here) - one who is the smart one, and one who is the pretty one. Having grown up with two sisters, I can totally relate to the labels that our own parents, teachers, family and friends gave us. My whole life (even now into my thirties), I've been defined by those labels put on me (and the same for my sisters) when we were young.

This novel is about how Lindsay (smart one) and Alex (pretty one) begin to understand that those roles they were given, which caused them to feel very opposite of each other, may not be who they truly are, definitely not all they are, and that they have more in common than they thought.

Sarah Pekkanen has a fresh and funny voice, I laughed out loud many times and could relate to both sisters who were adoringly flawed and fantastic. The premise is that Lindsay, who was working in NYC at a high powered ad agency, gets fired (thanks to a comical bad decision and scenario in the boardroom) and goes back home to Maryland to get her ducks in a row. Back home, her beautiful sister Alex, who seems to have it all, is getting married to a gorgeous, rich prince charming. There's also the old high school flame and the very funny parents. Things unfold in a humorous way, at a good pace and even when things get serious and the story turns in a way that's unexpected, Pekkanen has the gift of balancing the right amount of humor and heart.

You will LOVE this book... If you love Jennifer Weiner, Emily Giffin and Allison Winn Scotch, then be sure to embrace Sarah Pekkanen because I believe her career in women's fiction (fun, relatable and real stories for women) is just taking off.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE this book! March 11, 2010

By Elizabeth A. Fenton

Format:Paperback

I Loved this book! I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy and was hooked from page one, when we are thrown into the life of ambitious advertising exec Lindsey Rose as she prepares to receive the promotion of a lifetime.

When things don't work out exactly as planned, Lindsey is forced to move back in with her parents and face the many issues she has with her seemingly perfect twin sister.

Poignant and funny, THE OPPOSITE OF ME is a must read for any Giffin or Weiner fan. I couldn't put it down!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book!! March 24, 2010

By Ocean Lover

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just finished The Opposite of Me: A Novel by Sarah Pekkanen and I absolutely loved this book. The author did an incredible job of describing the competition that occurs between sisters no matter how much they love each other. It had wonderful insight into what siblings are really feeling. I was drawn to the main character Lindsey and became her biggest cheerleader. I wanted her to find happiness, success and herself. When a crisis in her sister's life occurs and brings her closer to her twin you see them grow in new and wonderful ways. I am definitely going to share this book with my sister. Highly recommend this book!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Would've been great if not for the cliche sob story February 28, 2011

By silenceiseverything VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Okay, so I've got a crapload of sisters. I have two older sisters and two younger sisters (although the youngest sister is 16 years younger than me and only six so she really doesn't fit into the competitive mold), so I understood the relationship between Lindsey and Alex perfectly. While my sisters and I have all gotten over the whole competitiveness a few years ago, I still remember when it was rampant during our teenage years and it was FIERCE! So, again, I identified with Lindsey on that and that was why originally I intended to give this book five stars. But then, it turned for me.

I liked The Opposite of Me for the most part, but in the beginning I thought that it was wonderful. I loved it and couldn't wait to get back to it when I put it down. I just loved Lindsey and was so curious about her relationship with Alex. But then the sob story happened. I'm sorry, but does EVERYTHING have to have a sob story?! Don't get me wrong, I don't want the very few chick-lits I read to be all fluffy and airless, it's just that that particular sob story has been done to death. I would've preferred a different sob story, one that doesn't happen in every other women's fiction/chick-lit book. And another thing: that HUGE family secret? A bit on the disappointing side and just made Alex seem more like a Mary Sue. And I don't like Mary Sue characters. At all. Also, I didn't buy that crap that Alex said (very mild spoiler here) about not knowing that Lindsey was jealous of her. No one is that oblivious.

Now that I got that off my chest, I have to say that I did like some of the other aspects of The Opposite of Me. I loved the whole dating service storyline. I thought that it was actually a good way to have a dating service. I also adored Lindsey's parents.... They were just so cute and hilarious. Speaking of hilarious, Matt was also great. Such a sweet and great friend. Basically, all of the supporting characters in this book were good. Plus, this book was a major (and I do mean MAJOR cause even when I was complaining about it, I couldn't put it down) page-turner. I basically read it in one day in breaks between my classes.

So, regardless of my little rant above, I did like The Opposite of Me. I thought it was pretty funny and pretty sweet if a bit predictable. However, I would've liked it more if it had been sans big sob story and a little more about the sisters dealing with their issues without that major thing prompting it. Read more ›

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars I'm shocked that people liked this October 4, 2011

By luvnyc

Format:Paperback

My title says it all - people actually liked this? I felt it should have come with a warning that it's really written for teenagers. It was horribly stereotypical, predictable, and poorly written. Every cliche regarding sisters was used, and I fully agree that the big family secret was laughable. The parents were unnecessary characters, the story line between Lindsey and Matt was one of the most obvious I've ever read, and if Alex was really the smart one, she would have known how Lindsey felt. Also, on the whole IQ front, it's been proven that your IQ doesn't show what kind of student you are or how "smart" you are. It only shows how quickly and accurately you apply logic to situations. Skip this at all costs!