Split by a Kiss (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

Firstly, any author who mentions Buffy the Vampire Slayer in their book will immediately get my attention. And Snow Patrol too, for that matter. Thumbs up for that, Luisa!

Split by a Kiss is like a cross between the movies Sliding Doors and Mean Girls. It's fun, original and very hard to put down.

Jo/Josie has a brilliant voice, and reminded me of Georgia Nicolson from the Angus, Thongs... series. She's funny, honest and is your typical sixteen year old girl. I laughed out loud quite a few times, especially at some of her UK to US vocabulary mistakes. Speaking of US to UK, this aspect of the book is one of the things I liked most. It's interesting to learn about the different phrases and words that each country uses to describe the same thing: for example, 'closet' and 'cupboard'.

All the characters are likeable and realistic, especially Tori (the nice mean girl), Albie (Tori's lovely brother) and Chelsea (rich bitch clique leader). I won't spoil the plot, but I was very happy to see who Jo ended up with. I think I may have clapped at the end, or something along those lines. That's how much I wanted her to end up with the character-that-can't-be-named.

I like how the story has been left open, and I would love to know what happens to the characters in the future. I also liked the sneaky hint about the voodoo doll, and the possibility that it could have been the cause of Jo's split. Very clever.

If you're a fan of Louise Rennison or Liz Rettig, then you should enjoy reading this book. Split by a Kiss has reminded me why I love UK teen fiction, and I am now eagerly awaiting Luisa's next novel, Extreme Kissing, which is being published this April. It sounds great!

Warning: cute book alert! Anyone who knows me will know that I tend to go for speculative fiction in a big way, preferably with a side order of apocalypse. The fact is, all that doom and gloom takes its toll on a girl. Sometimes, we all need a book that will make us smile. Enter Split by a Kiss. We may even need a book that will make us snort out loud on the bus so that other people stare. Again, Split by a Kiss.

As every British teenager knows, when it comes to high school Americans do it better. Of course they do. In Britain, it's all packed lunches, GCSE coursework and dodgy uniforms. Americans have prom. Americans can drive themselves to school. Plus, what American teenage girl has to wear a shirt and tie five days a week? For Jo, moving to America is an opportunity to exchange her boring everyday British life with the stuff of movies. Or so she thinks. And for the reader who gets to go with her... well, it's a riot.

The standout aspect of Split by a Kiss is definitely its structure. When our protagonist splits, we follow Josie the Cool and Jo the Nerd through two different versions of the same story. This means we get to experience the same events from different perspectives: the parties that Josie's invited to but Jo is left out of, the different ways that Jo and Josie spend the same snowy day. The most magical part of all: we're given one perfect guy for Jo to fall for, but two different journeys to get her there.

Split by a Kiss may be Fun with a capital F, but there's a whole lot of real life in there too. We've all met the intelligent girl who dumbs herself down to fit in with the in-crowd or get the attention of some boy who probably isn't all that interesting anyway. Rather than go in all heavy-handed with the `be yourself' stuff, Split by a Kiss really gets that it's as hard to fit in with the nerds as it is with the in-crowd. Also, best incentive ever for chucking out the labels and just being yourself: if you're off simpering after the wrong guy, you might miss out on your big love scene with the right one.

Whether you're a fan of light-hearted romantic comedies or a cynical devotee of all things dark, Split by a Kiss is the kind of book that'll give you a serious case of the warm fuzzies. It's charming, hilarious and frankly irresistible. Just beware of the snorting.

How cool would it be to move to another country and be able to reinvent yourself? When Josephine's mom first tells her that they're moving from England to the USA for a year for a job contract, Josephine thinks she doesn't want to go. But the more she thinks about it, she figures, what does she have to lose? She and her friend, Hailey, aren't part of the popular crowd. Her father is remarried. Why not go for it?

So Josephine (or Josie or Jo...) and her mom pack up and move to a Boston suburb. On the first day of school, Josie asks this Goth-looking girl where the principal's office is. She runs into the same girl at lunch and asks if she can join her. The girl tells her to get lost. Upon hearing the rejection, Josie turns around and notices that a group of popular girls are headed straight towards her. They inform Josie that she best avoid Rachel the Freak and join them at their table. There begins a fragile friendship.

After the first week of school, one of Josie's new friends, Tori, invites her to a party. The party changes everything for Josie. During a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven, Josie is selected by the IT guy, Jake Matthews. While in the closet, Jake gets a little too friendly. At this point, the story splits in two...literally.

Two different girls come out of the closet. The first storyline follows Josie after accepting Jake's advances, and ultimately being welcomed into the popular group. The second storyline makes Jo out to be a loser for not realizing how lucky she would've been had she accepted Jake.

The story unfolds, alternating between the Cool Josie and the Nerdy Jo. The book spirals to a conclusion that brings the two halves back to one whole. But which personality will win out?

Ms. Plaja creates a unique story based on the age old "What If" dilemma. If Josephine becomes Jake's girlfriend, will she be popular and happy? If she tells off Jake for his roaming hands, will she be left out in the cold and end up miserable? Josephine doesn't realize that she can be happy if she just accepts who she is and is happy with the life she has. The story is surprisingly easy to follow, even with the two concurrent storylines. The print changes for each personality of Josephine. And if that's not clear enough to the reader, the author designates the cool Josie with lips and the nerdy Jo with eye glasses.

I adore the movie Sliding Doors, which is based on the same concept. So it was a treat to read a story that uses the same idea. There are some strong characters through both storylines and the reader is rooting for them as well as Josephine for the right conclusion.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr