Both of Me by Jonathan Friesen (Review)

Both of Me
by Jonathan Friesen
YA / Christian Fiction / Contemporary
Available December 2014
Zondervan
272 pages

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About the Book

From award winning author, Jonathan Friesen, a contemporary story dealing with mental illness and an unexpected friendship.

Elias Phinn copes with his painful reality by slipping into the imaginary realm of Warilia, a world that colors his every waking moment and feels more real than the actual one around him. When his carry-on luggage is switched with that of the beautiful and mysterious Clara, Elias becomes convinced that she is a Warilian diplomat’s daughter. But as the two become friends and their carefully constructed worlds begin to crack, Elias must save them both before everything falls apart.

Poignant, heartrending, and powerfully real, Both of Me is the latest young adult novel from award-winning author Jonathon Friesen. As it explores themes of friendship, mental illness, and self-discovery, this gripping novel will catch—and keep—the attention of teen readers.

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My Thoughts

I cannot tell you how much I wanted to like this book. The plot is totally unique, which is a little rare these days to find something that no other author (that you're aware of!) has attempted or sort of done or whatever. A story about a teen with multiple personalities? Never read anything even close to that before. When I started reading the book, though, it was hard for me to connect with the storyteller (Clara) or the other main character (Elias Phinn). And when we started getting into his problems and his alternate world, I just got confused and couldn't really sort through everything. Unfortunately, after picking up and putting down this book over the past couple of months, I just can't get into it (30% done). [DNF]

I will say that I'm in the minority on this book. If the plot intrigues you, check out this review from Sara Ella, who raves about "stellar writing, an engaging story, and a well done ending." Her review caused me to pick the book up at least twice more in my quest to finish it. :)

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.

About the Author

Jonathan Friesen is an author, speaker, and youth writing coach from Mora, Minnesota. His first young adult novel, Jerk, California, received the ALA Schneider Award. When he’s not writing, speaking at schools, or teaching, Jonathan loves to travel and hang out with his wife and three kids.