I received a copy of Why Can’t I Be You by Allie Larkin in exchange for an honest review. How many times do you wish you were someone else, even if for just a few days? Jenny Shaw is about to get the chance to actually be someone else when she hears “Jessie!” being called out across a hotel lobby. Not knowing why, she responds, and is thrust into the life of Jessie Morgan, who’s high school is hosting a reunion at the same location of Jenny’s work conference. Jenny transforms into Jessie and is welcomed into her old clique, and finally feels a sense of belonging that she never got from her own life. But how long can she pretend to be someone else – and what will happen when the friends find out the truth?
I thought Why Can’t I Be You was a really interesting read, because it made me think while I was following Jenny’s journey. Would I take a chance to become someone else? Who? How would I finally spill the beans? Larkin gives readers a short and sweet story that I anxiously followed along, wondering at each turn when Jenny would be busted for not being Jessie. Sometimes I wondered how the friends could not possibly see it – but then, sometimes we are too blind to realize what we don’t want to see. The romance in the story was what really left me questioning, and I’m almost glad we don’t get the full conclusion at the end – I liked leaving that up to my imagination, and I definitely kept thinking about Jenny after I was done reading. An entertaining story, and one for chick lit fans to check out!
4 stars
