I'm Not Her by Cara Sue Achterberg
Starts with dedication page to the author's mother and a quote from a Bob Dylan song, meaningful.
A clerk at the store and a customer at the low cost store collide when the sign crashes.
The women have now exchanged places with one another. Leann was the clerk at the store, with a son and a man that comes to visit for the weekends, obosely overweight..
Alternating chapters where each tells what's going on in their world with a different body and lifestyle.
Carin is an inusrance agent and goes to the gym and has a good outlook.
Carin has to take on the role of Leann and learns the real Leann had been stealing grocieies. She tries to get closer to the child and heads to the gym where she gets a job taking care of kids of parents that are exercising.
I do love that Carin tries to take care of the child and is getting her body in shape. Things that only she can control and it's not even her real life.
the fake Leann just stays at home, orders food in and watch soap operas all day. She also is getting money from the accidnet, enough to last her a lifetime.
Twists and turns as the days go by. Never expected what happens next but it's huge.
Love how each of the woemn just get onto life in their new bodies and it makes them both better people.
Story takes me places out of my comfort zone, great read!
Acknowledgements and about the author finish this book.
Received this review copy from the publisher The Story Plan and this is my honest opinion. ( )

Take a person who is the opposite of everything you are, or try to be.

Now imagine suddenly being that person.

That's what happens to Carin Fletcher one day as a Valentine's Day display at the local supermarket comes crashing down on her head: she body-swaps with Leann Cane, the cashier in her line. As can be expected, hijinks ensue.

I will be completely honest: this book made me uncomfortable. Not because it's not a good book, or because it's poorly written; neither of those are true. But because I could very strongly associate with one of the main characters, and not the one painted in the good light. Carin is what most people would call society's "perfect person." She has a successful job that pays her well, she's thin and pretty, and she's never wanted for anything in her life. Leann is clinically obese, in an abusive marriage with the man who got her pregnant at age 16, and has had to resort to desperate measures in the past just to feed herself and her family. Carin is horrified with being stuck in Leann's body, disgusted with the way she looks and feels, and makes it very clear that she feels this is the worst possible thing that could have happened to her, and she may as well be dead.

(She doesn't say this outright, to my memory, but it comes across clearly enough.)

Leann, unsurprisingly, is much more comfortable in Carin's body. She looks like a model, her apartment is amazing, and she has more money than God. She couldn't have asked for a happier accident. Though as it is wont to do, as the story continues, each woman begins to realize that maybe not everything is as it seems for both of them.

When I started reading this, I got through the first bit, looked up at my mother, and said, "I hope they redeem this character later on, because if they don't, I'm going to have put myself through a very uncomfortable situation for no good reason." Carin is unrelentingly harsh at the beginning on the novel, completely repulsed by what she has "become," so to speak. And I don't blame her. Perhaps if I were in her shoes I'd feel the same. The trouble for me is that while I'm not as heavy as Leann, I'm still clinically obese. I've had people look at me sideways because of the way I look. My body is uncomfortable, I struggle with food cravings, I get tired easily--so many things we see in Leann. So hearing Carin's opinion dragged me down.

But I kept reading, hoping that I'd see character change. And while I won't give anything away, I'll say that I was much happier by the end.

However, the character development did seem a little one-sided. We see much less movement in Leann than we do in Carin, and I think the story suffers for it. Carin learns to adapt, work around the larger body's downfalls, begins a proper main character's arc of growth. Leann...I don't see that happening. She learns a few things about herself and makes assurances that when she returns to her own body, she will be different, but I don't see a mentality shift like I do in Carin. Carin I believe will change as she moves on, and for the better. I'm less convinced that Leann will.

In addition to that, (minor spoilers ahead) there is never any clue as to an explanation for why this happens. They switch bodies, they live like that for most of the book, and at the end it switches back. For a book with no other supernatural leanings, this smells of magic. I don't know if that's commonplace in body-swap books/media, but it seemed like a missed opportunity to me. Even if there was a stronger religious element to either character, and we could chalk it up to God interfering (though neither woman thinks much of church), that would be cleaner. It doesn't seriously detract from the tale, but it left me feeling wanting.

All critique aside, this is an excellent debut novel for Achterberg. It's an interesting look at the concept, and a very real look into the life we don't lead, as it were. No corners are cut, and nothing softened to make it look better. This is real, and cruel, and heartbreaking, and at the end, I hope it leaves a smile on your face.

...As for me, I think I went to the gym right after. ;)

Review: **** (Recommended)

I'M NOT HER hits shelves on August 4th, 2015. ( )

I recieved a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I loved this book it was just awesome, it's about two young women who are totally different in every way who after a freak accident they switched bodies. I know it sounds a bit strange but it was a fantastic read and it really goes to show you can't judge a person until you have walked a mile in their shoes. It was a real eye opener for me and I'm sure it will be for others who read it. It's one of those books that if you you say too much you will be giving away the true meaning of the book. I really advise people to read this book and hopefully they too will walk away with a new attitude regarding people who are diffrent than the norm. A lot of people are not tolorant of others who are diffrent in some ways, be it weight or disfigurement. It's really not fair because these people didn't asked to be disfigured or overweight. ( )

A special thank you to The Story Plant and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cara Sue Achterberg delivers her debut I’M NOT HER, a body swap in the theme of Freaky Friday and Vice Versa for an inside look at two different personalities, from different walks of life –filled with humor and insight.

We meet two women, Carin and Leann. When the two women meet at a Shop N’ Save, their lives begin to change.

Leann is poor, overweight, and uneducated working at a dead end job as a clear at the Shop n Save. Carin is beautiful, fit, trim, college graduate, and self-absorbed. She happens to be shopping in the store and gets knocked out. After the accident, they switch places.

Of course, it is very difficult for Carin, to be immersed in Leann’s lifestyle with her abusive husband and six year old son Trevor. She immediately starts trying to change things, since she is out spoken; things Leann never tried. Of course she misses her own life, while getting pulled into this is strange world.

Leann, you would think may be delighted to be rich, slim, smart, and pretty. However, she too realizes, the grass is not always greener. She misses her son.

Each see the pain and joy from different viewpoints as they walk in the other’s shoes. A look at life from both sides. The body swapping storytelling device has been seen in a variety of fiction, most often in television shows and movies, in which two people exchange minds and end up in each other's bodies. I am not a big fan of switching places, reality TV, paranormal, or time travel—however, a certain audience may find it appealing. ( )

The premise of this book is certainly a strange one, definitely a fantasy, but I must say interesting. A freak accident occurs and changes the lives of two women, Carin and Leann. Somehow Leann ends up in Carin’s body and Carin ends up in Leann’s body. Leann and Carin have lived totally different lifestyles.

Carin was a shallow girl who only ever thought of herself. She had no financial problems and took many things for granted assuming everything in life would always be easy. She just wanted to live an exciting and glamorous life.

Leann was an extremely obese woman making a living as a cashier at a Shop N Save. She is married to an abusive man, who is a real loser. He smokes dope, gets drunk, and comes home only on weekends and demands all the money Leann has made. They have a six-year-old son, Trevor, who is sweet and innocent. He is also a smart and insightful child. Trevor certainly deserves a better life.

Leann, living in Carin’s body, assumes life will be perfect, but she soon becomes a rude, mean, and ugly person. She soon realizes she misses her son, Trevor. For Carin, it is pure hell living in Leann’s 350-pound body and living in poverty. But she soon finds herself caring deeply for Trevor, and her view on life soon changes. She realizes outward appearances are not so important as she faces difficult choices and challenges. And the story unfolds ---

This writer certainly has a vivid imagination, and I liked the humor and amusing incidents sprinkled throughout. This was a well-written book, however the tempo varied throughout, sometimes dragging along and then suddenly picking up. The characters stand out – perhaps because of their oddness. Each character had their own distinct voice and their own story to tell. There seemed to be more time invested in Carin’s story than in Leann’s. My rating is 3.5 stars. If you’re looking for a fantasy story, with nonsensical happenings, you’ll probably enjoy this book. Definitely an upcoming writer to keep an eye on.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, Cara Sue Achterberg, and Publisher, The Story Plant, in exchange for an honest review. ( )