I Now Pronounce You Someone Else

I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU

SOMEONE ELSE

By:  Erin McCahan

FIRST SENTENCE

“I was switched at birth.”

SUMMARY
from goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Bronwen Oliver doesn’t just want a family.  She has one of those, and there’s nothing terribly wrong with them apart from bickering grandparents, an image-obsessed mother and a brother she describes simply as Jesus.  But there’s no natural sense of connection between Bronwen and her family, leaving her with the belief – and the hope – that she was switched at birth, that she was never supposed to be Bronwen Oliver but someone else entirely.

When she begins dating college senior Jared Sondervan, she finds herself thoroughly embraced by the loving family she has always wanted and does not hesitate to say yes when Jared proposes on her 18^th birthday.  Plans for the Perfect Beach Wedding before her junior year of college become plans for the Perfect Beach Wedding before her freshman year of college.  And a wedding so soon isn’t exactly what Bronwen wants.  But Jared is.  And his family is.  Or so she thinks.

Before Bronwen can determine what she truly wants, she must first determine who she truly is, and the answer, she discovers, is only partially what she thought it was.  She wasn’t switched at birth, but she’s also not Bronwen Oliver and hasn’t been for a very long time.

REVIEW

Bronwen lives in a fantasy world where she truly believes that she was switched at birth and that her family is not her own.  When she meets Jared and his normal family, Bronwen falls madly in love.  It seems like the answer to her prayers.  SEEMS.

Bronwen’s mother was very demanding and she expected so much from her daughter.  Even though I think she really did love Bronwen, she had a crazy way of showing it.  Bronwen’s stepfather was a nice man who treated her like his own daughter.  I am glad that Bronwen accepted him – he was the only “normal” person in her family.  Oh, and Bronwen’s brother was super-duper spoiled.

Jared’s family was the opposite.  They were immediately warm and inviting to Bronwen.  She could be herself around them and I think she felt very at home with them.     

In this story, Bronwen transforms from a superficial high school girl to a more mature high school graduate.  The transformation was gradual, which I liked and was my favorite part of the story.  It seemed realistic – even when she was facing a major decision. 

I do think the relationship between Bronwen and Jared moved a little too quickly at the beginning.  It seemed that they were only dating for a very short time before they were discussing marriage.  I wish that they had taken more time to get to know each other before thinking about something as huge as marriage.

Thank you to Booksparks PR for sending this book for me to review.

RATING

4        Plot

5        Characters

4        Attention Grabbing

5        Girlie Meter

4        Ending

22      TOTAL

5        STARS