Oh man, I had to listen to a lot of Sufjan to get through this. I enjoyed this a lot! I don't think I'll find it particularly memorable but it did some interesting things with family and some important things with gender and sexuality. Three and a half?
I totally had a moment where I thought it was going to be a huge unreliable narrator thing and Ezra had died in the crash and that I was so clever for figuring it out but alas it was just sleep deprivation on a bus at 4am and I am not really that clever. ( )

Literary Merit: Excellent
Characterization: Excellent
Recommended: Recommended
Level: High School and above

Wow this book is filled with a lot of things that will really make you feel the feels. Where I End & You Begin is all about self-discovery and acceptance as well as the acceptance of others. One of my favorite lines in the book is about labels and how you shouldn’t have to define yourself if you don’t want to, you should just be you.

Ezra and Wynonna are two vastly different human beings. Ezra is a fairly average teenage boy with a huge crush on a girl that he finds to be unattainable, especially because she’s always hanging around her BFF Wynonna, who is a grunge and 80’s loving “outcast” that doesn’t really give a crap about what anyone thinks of her. Or at least that’s how she wants everyone to see her. But when a total solar eclipse causes some Freaky Friday level body swapping to happen between Ezra and Wynonna they both get a feel for the other’s life and experience that the grass isn’t always greener, and everyone has problems and crap to deal with.

I freaking loved this book. The initial friendship between Ezra and Holden, and Wynonna and Imogen were so wonderfully developed, and then when they converged and became a big friend group upon the body swapping it only got better, especially because there were Twelfth Night-ian vibes going on. Ezra is in love with Imogen who is totally into Wynonna who is hard core crushing on Holden who is oblivious to everything, and while all of these shenanigans are going on, they’re actually participating in a real production of Twelfth Night and it is GREAT.

I loved the crazy body swapping and everyone figuring themselves out and accepting themselves and each other and it was just such a fun ride. I think there were some scenes that could have been shaved down a little for pacing purposes, but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book and highly recommend it. ( )

This was such a fun book! It follows the lives of Ezra Slevin and Wynonna Jones as they body-swap Freaky Friday style. They are not sure how or when to predict the swaps. It becomes a love square(?) since Ezra has a crush on Imogen, who happens to be Wynonna's best friend. And Wynonna has a crush on Ezra's best friend, Holden.

Ezra's parents are both doctors at a local hospital, so they are NEVER around. Wynonna's family history is a lot more complicated. It is an essential part of the story, and I won't ruin it. She currently lives with her Grandma, but she calls her by her first name. Even though they body swap, she won't tell Ezra the whole story of her family, and that puts him (while he is her), into some challenging situations.

There was a lot of swearing in the book - more than is necessary for the story. I think the author was going for an edgy teen, but it was over-the-top for my taste. That is the best part about reading; you can skip the parts you don't like.

I loved how the characters all evolved throughout the story. As genuine teens, they all start very self-focused. By the end, they begin to realize the world doesn't revolve around them. Lots of people are hurting, and they just might hurt less if they let other people into their lives.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. ( )