Someone Else's Life [Paperback]

Rosie Kenning's lost everything. Her dad died the day she was born and now her mum's succumbed to complications from Huntington's Disease. Rosie decides to get tested for the Huntington's gene only for family friend Sarah to reveal that Rosie doesn't have it because Trudie wasn't her biological mother - Sarah swapped her at birth after Trudie's baby was born with complications and wasn't expected to live.

Deciding to search of her natural parents, Rosie ropes in her former boyfriend Andy to help. As they put together the facts about Rosie's past however, they uncover secrets with the potential to shatter the lives of people they haven't even met ...

Katie Dale's debut YA novel is a contemporary story that couples the seriousness of living with a genetic disease with a soapier swapped at birth storyline.

Dale competently handles twin narrative strands - Rosie's and an unknown female narrator who may or may not be Rosie's birth mother. I liked the fact that Rosie has to consider the implications of potentially having an incurable genetic disease.

Much as I wanted to like this book however, I didn't.

I found it overwritten, particularly the emotional descriptions which became repetitive and although Dale gave details of what Huntingdon's entails, it amounted to little more than a list of symptoms because she didn't really show what the disease was like. The plot moves through a set of repeatedly contrived circumstances - characters accidentally overhearing secrets or refusing to discuss things and waiting for people to find out anyway. The ending was a little rushed for my taste and I was disappointed that it ends with a key character opting not to make the choice that seems so central to the book.

Although I started off empathising with Rosie and her problems, the sheer selfishness that she displays later on really grated - particularly her refusal to consider the impact of her actions on anyone who may be affected. I didn't need her to be a saint, but for me she became so unpleasant that I lost all sympathy for her and I never really understood what Andy saw in her, given that she never saw the need to tell him anything unless she needed him to do something for her.

Ultimately although this book didn't work for me, I would be interested in seeing where Dale goes next and will check out her next book.

One of the characters in the novel is a soap opera actress, and , for me, this had the addictive quality of the best 'car crash' soaps. I read it in one sitting.
The narrative alternates between the point of view of two girls who were swapped at birth. Our sympthy flips between them too, as the consequences of that swap play out.
It gets a little breathless towards the end, with a rapid denoument that has shades of farce. But by that point I so wanted to know the outcome that I didn't care.
A really promising debut and well worth taking to the beach for a satisfying summer read.

This is a beautiful book about love and loss that will stay with you for a long time!

I recommend this book to everyone who loves a good cry/heart break story!