Both of Me {Review}

Both of Me by Jonathon Friesen

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Publisher: Blink

Publishing Date: December 23, 2014

Goodreads Summary:

It was supposed to be just another flight, another escape into a foreign place where she could forget her past, forget her attachments. Until Clara found herself seated next to an alluring boy named Elias Phinn—a boy who seems to know secrets she has barely been able to admit to herself for years.

When her carry-on bag is accidentally switched with Elias’s identical pack, Clara uses the luggage tag to track down her things. At that address she discovers there is not one Elias Phinn, but two: the odd, paranoid, artistic, and often angry Elias she met on the plane, who lives in an imaginary world of his own making called Salem; and the kind, sweet, and soon irresistible Elias who greets her at the door, and who has no recollection of ever meeting Clara at all. As she learns of Elias’s dissociative identity disorder, and finds herself quickly entangled in both of Elias’s lives, Clara makes a decision that could change all of them forever. She is going to find out what the Salem Elias knows about her past, and how, even if it means playing along with his otherworldly quest. And she is going to find a way to keep the gentle Elias she’s beginning to love from ever disappearing again.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via BookLook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Buy a copy today!

My Thoughts:
Elias, the MC, is the best part of this novel hands down. His DID and his Quest as the Other One were downright intriguing. I wanted more, more, more of that. I would love to see Elias at the B&B with his mom and the quirky cast of characters found there. Much too quickly Friesen had us chugging along on a crazy, and criminal, adventure.

On the other hand is Clara. The intriguing thing about her is what caused her to take off on her world-wide journey in the first place. Otherwise, her travels, and most of her life....and thus most of her, were confusing. Clara herself could have almost been the character with DID. One one hand she is the weary traveller, tied down to no one. The other part of her is emotional, dramatic, and desperate for relationships.

So when Clara meets cute Elias on a plane trip to Minnesota (yay!) and their bags get switched, she tracks him down. After meeting the Other One, she doesn't take the time to get to know him or Elias or anything about DID. Instead she kidnaps (Yes, this is kidnapping) him and follows along on the Other One's crazy quest to find the Lightkeeper. All the way to Maine.

I just couldn't get into to it as much as I wanted too. The writing felt too forced, too contrived. I couldn't connect with Clara. She became attached to Elias much too quickly for a self-professed wanderer. I couldn't swallow the fear and anger Elias's mom had to have been feeling as her DID son disappeared. The ending was so dramatic and sudden. Overall, the premise was interesting but it was all still bare bones. I can only give this one 2 stars. A reader who enjoys prose, a brief adventure, and touching ending would thoroughly enjoy this one. Also, it is being sold as a YA but really doesn't feel like one. It could go adult or YA.