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Book Review of Life as I Know It

Life as I Know It
Life as I Know It
Author: Melanie Rose
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Romance
Book Type: Paperback
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The story behind "Life As I Know It" is actually kind of cool. Apparently, it was originally self-published, but it got so much hype that Harper Collins eventually took notice, and now it's being published by a major publishing firm. Pretty neat, right?

After reading it, I can see what all the fuss was about. It starts off when a woman, Jessica, is struck by lightning. As a result, she finds herself leading two completely different lives in two separate bodies. While this premise isn't necessareily new or unique, Rose brings it to life in a fresh and fun kind of way that feels exciting and new.

Jessica takes her new double life in stride, and while she definitely struggles with it, I was duly impressed by her take-charge, "do the best that I can given the circumstances" attitude. She deals with things so well that it's hard to truly believe, which in the end made this book fun and easy-to-read while at the same time being slightly sad and slightly depressing. I was entranced/captivated as Rose seamlessly moved from one life to the other, and I found myself greedily turning page after page, wondering how events from one life would affect the other, extraordinarily curious about the outcome of things.

While this book was heartwarming and fun, I think I loved it so much for the sense of hopefulness it instilled in me and for the sense of comfort I felt from its predictability. Even though there was really no other way things could have turned out, I was still curious about the outcome and quite pleased when things turned out as they did.

The ONLY problem that I had with this book was that it sometimes took itself too seriously, trying to delve deeper than a book like this is capable of delving. And then it jumped over some of the more difficult topics that I wanted to hear more about, saying "don't even try thinking about it."

This chick-lit novel is a great, simple read for adults and teens alike. I think most readers, like me, will find it impossible to put down.