This book was slightly boring and very predictable. I felt the characters were bland and I constantly forgot about the story as I read it. I wanted to like this book, but ended up skimming the second half because I just was not enjoying it.

Rosa is facing an unexpected second chance at life--having her brain transplanted into a new body. But when she wakes in her new body and begins to recover, she begins to wonder about Sylvia--the girl whose body she has now, the girl whose parents donated her body to science after she became brain dead. As Rosa works to explore who Sylvia was, she also begins to discover anew who she is. Recommended for YA readers who like a tiny bit of science fiction to go with their family drama and romantic relationships.

DNFed it. It was hard to get through and not nearly as interesting as I thought it would be. I wouldn't recommend this to my audience, especially considering I couldn't get through it. The novelty of what happened wore off really quickly and it just fell flat. It didn't hook me or make me want to care about the MC.

I'm beginning to think that certain books fall on trope spectrums. In this case, it's the teen(s) with illness in a closed-off setting trope. On one end, you've got the popular, well-known ones where the disease is just a setting (Everything, Everything). Somewhere around the middle, you've got the funny, cute, accessible book that balances out the medical portions with the romance (Under Rose-Tainted Skies). And then nearing the opposite end of the spectrum, you've got books that focus solely on the problem in a way that's emotional, poignant, and heartbreaking (Paperweight). 

She, Myself, and I falls somewhere between Everything, Everything and Under Rose-Tainted Skies.

The book focuses enough on Rosa's struggles in a new body and coming-to-terms with herself in order to justify its premise, but it very much mimics the ridiculously cute and (equally ridiculous) thoughtless escapades of Everything, Everything. That actually sounds like something that could be right up my alley, considering that I enjoyed most of those aspects to those books, but She, Myself, and I was different. It took the great parts of all three books and turned them on their heads. 

Everything, Everything's cuteness became a sorry attempt at banter, Under Rose-Tainted Skies' balance made it so that I couldn't really enjoy any one aspect of the story, and Paperweight's seriousness bogged down the relationship parts of the story. The beginning was hard to get into, and the pace remained painfully slow the entire way through. 

That, and nothing new was truly brought to the scene except for that Rosa starts the book in one body and ends it in another. The shock value wears off within the first five pages or so. 

And I'd seen the Goodreads reviews--I knew that I shouldn't go into this one expecting something truly remarkable, but I loved the blurb and the cover and decided to give it a shot anyway. Now? No gracias. If you're in the same situation, trust me, there are much better books to be read. I would recommend any of the above. I think the closest you'd get to this one in terms of feel (except done correctly) would be Paula Stokes' Girl Against the Universe. 1.5 stars.

I found this book to be incredibly interesting considering the surrounding plot. I know that a lot of people may think that it was a fairly far fetched idea for a story but I personally believed that it was incredibly interesting to watch it unfold because who knows what the near future will hold. Another thing that I found to be incredible was of our character's view point. I feel that it made me think of questions that I would have never thought about and helped me better understand the identity struggle. Other than that, I personally did not take an interest to many other characters.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced digital copy of She, Myself, and I by Emma Young! This is Young Adult (contemporary) fiction and has an expected publication date of September 5th, 2017. I honestly didn't know what to expect going into this. I'm privileged to be able-bodied, so I wasn't sure if I would connect to Rosa's storytelling as a quadriplegic. Would I be able to relate? Feel uncomfortable? Regardless, it's rare to find a book featuring a character with a physical disability, so I was going to give She, Myself, and I a shot, no matter what.

Okay, first things first- I actually really enjoyed the writing of She, Myself, and I. It's fluid at times, sharp and broken at others. It's very much Rosa's train of thought, done in an authentic way. She is not always reasonable. She doesn't always have the right answers. And heck, she doesn't always think straight. But who does? We get all of those nuances and she struggles to find answers to her burning questions. And boy, those are some pretty deep questions.

This book tackles what it means to live, what it means to die, and what it means to have an identity. What makes you, you? Is it your soul? Your body? These are age-old questions that philosophers and religions all have their own answers for, but it was unique to have an eighteen-year-old woman struggle to find the answers for herself. These concepts were great, and very different from YA fiction that I've read recently.

There were just a few things that fell flat for me. The book is so focused on Rosa, and rightfully so, as it's told from her point of view, that it neglects to really flesh out her family, or Sylvia's parents. Their perspectives would have really added some depth and dimension to the story that I missed from just getting everything from Rosa's point of view.

She, Myself, and I will be published on September 5th, 2017! Thanks again to Netgalley for the digital ARC!

I really tried to give it a chance but I couldn't get through this book. The summary sounded so interesting and I was excited to receive a copy, but it wasn't gripping or interesting enough to keep me hooked.

This book was very... strange to me. I really wanted to like it, but it honestly disappointed me in many ways.

This book explores Rosa after she receives a brain transplant so that she now has the body of a different girl. It's a very unique premise and that's one of the reason I was excited when I got approved for the e-galley. Rosa is lost - wondering if she's still her or if Sylvia, her donor, and the original owner of the body she now inhabits, is a part of her that she'll never be able to shake.

"What will I become? If I fall in love or strike a person, will she be doing the loving or hitting, or me? If I sleep with someone, without her consent, could it classify as abuse?"

First off, if you're looking for a book that features a main character with a disability, I suggest venturing elsewhere. There's barely any mention of her life pre-Sylvia.

Yes, I know that the blurb mentions that she gets a new body, but I figured we'd get some information about what state she'd been in before. Instead, there were vague mentions of a "nerve disease" and it seemed like from the first few pages that she was quadriplegic (although she mentions moving her hand slightly?). But after that, she gets the surgery, and there is barely any mention of whatever condition she had. (Of course, the blurb does mention that she's quadriplegic, but it's missing from the actual book).

This is forgivable to an extent, since I gleaned from the blurb that the book wouldn't be about her illness anyway. The real thing that ruined the book for me was the main character and her reckless, dangerous decisions that put her in harm's way time, after time, after time.

This girl clearly had no regard for anything but her "mission". With her new body, she visits the town and friends of her donor and interacts with them, not considering what kind of pain that would put them through. She leaves her hospital, where she was not discharged, without telling her family where she was going, and runs off with this guy she barely knows (though the romance was swoony - we'll get to that later) and doesn't consider her own safety.

I'd call her selfish, but she didn't really care about her mental well-being either. The doctors specifically warn her that finding out a bunch of details about the donor would mess with her psychosis. Does she care? Not really. When she gets dizzy spouts and faints, does she tell her doctors? Nope. [SPOILER: This is apparently explained as side effects of her medication later on, rather than the mental trauma she put herself through but she a) didn't know this at the time and wanted to keep exploring and b) didn't even fully believe it once she found out. END OF SPOILER]

Two things made this book somehwhat enjoyable for me: the ending and the romance.

As I said before, the romance was pretty sweet. Joe is a cute guy, a nice guy, a bit of a pushover, but he really cares about Rosa's well-being. He's also a writer, a journalist to be specific, and I thought that was very cute as well.

The ending helped to salvage this book for me. For the majority of the story, Rosa makes reckless, impulsive, and dangerous decisions, but in the end she finally seems to learn how to think things through. I found myself enjoying the last 15% of this novel, as she starts to make amends with Joe, her family, and herself.

I'm sad that I couldn't enjoy this book. Not only that, but it's pretty forgettable. I'm writing this review just days after finishing, and it took me a while to remember the character names. Unfortunately, despite my hopes, She, Myself, and I, just wasn't for me, and I don't recommend it.

This novel was..... interesting. The concept is really good and I was intrigued because of it. An experimental brain transplant? Rosa gets a whole new body?! Could that even work?!? It is more than understandable that Rosa would want to know who Sylvia is, what her life was like and who Rosa is now, but I wanted to know so much more about what was going on. 

Three major things stood out for me as I read. Firstly, I wish we got to find out more about what Rosa's nerve disease was, a bit more backstory on how she got to the point of needing a miracle, and a bit more understanding of how the transplant happened (I'm a bit of an anatomy geek so I kept thinking about how difficult it must be to transplant only the brain and what that would entail). Secondly, I really enjoyed the road trip aspect of the book, especially since it makes sense that Rosa would want to go out and discover the world around her, but I found it a bit unrealistic that she would run off with someone she barely knows. That being said, I thought their relationship was cute but better suited for a friendship than a romance. 

Lastly, I got the impression that Rosa felt that she had no life and no opportunity because she was disabled. The full-body transplant is always referred to as a new lease on life, or that her life is just starting, but what we know about Rosa's disease is that it first showed signs at 10 and it progresses till she's 18. As we don't find out a lot of information of what life was like for Rosa pre-transplant, there is a slight implication that she had no life because she was disabled.

At the end of the day, it was an interesting but slightly weird read, based on a really interesting idea.

This novel follows the story of Rosa, a young woman who becomes a quadriplegic after being diagnosed with a nerve disease, as she gets a brain transplant. In her new body, Rosa has to now deal with the struggle of finding out about who Sylvia, the girl whose body was donated to save her life, was; but most importantly, she has to decide whether she's still herself or if she's a mere intruder in someone else's body.

At first, I wasn't sure if this book would be for me. The synopsis really caught my attention, but as I started reading it, I became afraid that it would turn out to be more of a middle-grade story. I'm going to be honest and say that besides reading the synopsis, I knew nothing else about the book. Not about the author, the genre, what the expected audience is... Instead, I decided to dive into it as soon as I got it. And I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the turns the author took with this story.

Rosa definitely goes through an incredibly hard situation, and her actions and thoughts were, for the most part, completely realistic. In the terms of what her life is like, I can't relate at all. But Emma Young was able to bring this character to life in a way that was believable, and she managed to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of making our protagonist relatable. I know that, if I was in Rosa's place, I would have struggled with the same things she was struggling. And I dare say, would probably have had the same exact thoughts at times.

I really enjoyed Rosa and Joe's relationship. They were both such great characters, and their interactions always moved the story forward. There were very few times where I felt that a scene was being dragged on. And it was mostly at the beginning, where the back story and medical procedures were being described. I love how sweet and understanding Joe was. He's definitely one of my, if not the one, favourite characters in this novel. I also really liked the twists and turns the story took. It was really interesting to follow Rosa on this journey to discover her true self.

However, there were a few things that I didn't like; hence why I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5. First of all, some of the descriptions were... too descriptive; particularly at the beginning. I don't want to give a specific example, but sometimes there would be two or three adjectives/adverbs describing something that was even that crucial to the scene. some of the descriptions could've definitely been shortened.

I would also have liked to hear more about Rosa's life before. And how she felt towards her nerve disease, and how her life was like. There were bits and pieces of information, but nothing too concrete on her feelings about it. It would have also been good to hear about her adjustment to her new body. Not in the sense of being in another person's body, since that was what the whole plot was basically about, but in the sense of being able to walk again, of being healthy again. It wasn't addressed as much but I believe it is a pretty important thing in her life, the whole reason that she had surgery in the first place, but instead we only got a few scenes from the months that she was in the hospital. I'm not saying I wanted the hospital period of the story to be longer (I actually think it could've been shorter since things only started to get going once Rosa met Joe), but I wanted to know more about her adjustment in that sense.

Also, another little thing that bothered me. Rosa repeatedly mentions that she wasn't pretty, but the blond girl on the cover is definitely pretty and some might say that she's even prettier than the brunette, who is Sylvia. So that kind of contradicts the story a little bit.

She Myself and I was a very entertaining read and I definitely recommend for you guys to pick it up once it is published (September 5, 2017 - North America). I am really glad ABRAMS Kids - Amulet Books allowed me to read this really cool story to review for you guys.

This book was WEIRD. SO SO SO WEIRD. The entire concept was so incredibly unique I knew I had to read it. It had so much potentially be an amazing book, but it was honestly just so freaky and weird to me I couldn't really get past that. I mean as of right now, something like this has never been done, although I have read articles about a potential head transplant happening sometime in the near future by an Italian doctor or something. I definitely tended to overthink and freak myself out while reading this. And if it had been toned down a little bit in the weird factor, I definitely would have enjoyed it more. Three stars though for creativety and character development.

NetGalley Review
Truly, a one of a kind story of a journey of self-discovery, self-esteem, and self-acceptance.

Rosa takes life to a completely new meaning and reminds readers to live each day as if it were their last. As the first ever recipient of a full body transplant, Rosa discovers what it truly makes her unique despite her new appearance. Psychological and physical problems embower Rosa to keep fighting and to find what she is living for.

I fell in love with the premise of this story. Young brings about questions that are often too complex to receive a straight answer. But the answers really depend on the person. I can’t remember the last book that made me stop and question everything.

For a young adult book to touch on this topic is rare. Yes, there are many self-discovery books out there for young adults. However, nowadays they mostly revolve around a fantasy background. I don’t read contemporary books very often, but there are a select few that I would read again in a heartbeat. She, Myself, and I is one of those books.

She, Myself, and I follows 18-year-old Rosa, the first ever recipient of a full-body transplant. Rosa suffers from a terminal nerve disease that’s controlled her life since elementary school. While the surgery involves months of rehab, it’s her only hope to not only survive, but to live the life she never would’ve had otherwise. In the months of adjusting to her new body, Rosa becomes obsessed with the girl whose body has become hers. Her journey to discover more about Sylvia leads her on a journey of self-discovery as well. Rosa must learn who she is in this new body and make peace with what she’s gone through to live.

I was initially intrigued by the premise of this story and the psychological drama. What makes a person? Our brains? Our souls? Our bodies? Rosa grapples with this throughout the novel, and it makes for a really compelling read. Rosa is incredibly descriptive of her surroundings, in part, I feel, because she’s spent so much of her life unable to go out in the world and interact with people. She sees the world in a unique way that was really enjoyable to read.

Rosa’s search to find out more about Sylvia’s past was completely understandable, despite the fact that her doctors and her parents encourage her to move forward. I enjoyed the road trip aspect of the story, although I did find it somewhat unbelievable that she’d run away with Ethan, a journalist she meets in the park across from the hospital. I wasn’t completely sold on her romance with Ethan, but I enjoyed their relationship. Ethan is a well-developed character who loves other people’s stories, so it’s understandable that he’d be interested in Rosa despite not knowing the truth of her situation.

Although I personally enjoyed the book, I believe it could be problematic for disabled readers. Because the story focuses mostly on Rosa’s life after the surgery, we don’t get a good representation of her life with a terminal nerve disease. Because the story gives her a new lease on life, it implies that living with her disability meant that Rosa couldn’t have a meaningful life. Additionally, I didn’t feel I had a good grasp of who Rosa was before she winds up in Sylvia’s body. There wasn’t enough medical information to the story, in that we don’t really know much about the progression of Rosa’s disease or the first-ever full-body transplant surgery. I think the story could’ve been more compelling if it had focused more on Rosa’s past; at the same time, the ablest ideas—that living in a disabled body is inherently awful—would be even more pronounced if we had more of Rosa’s past.

Ultimately, while I personally was able to enjoy the book, I can’t fully recommend it, particularly to anyone with a disability or chronic illness. While an able-bodied reader might be able to enjoy Rosa’s identity journey, I don’t feel that we particularly need any more stories about able-bodied people, or that we need miraculous recovery stories for disabled characters. I’m giving this 3 stars for the writing and storytelling, but I honestly don’t feel good about recommending this book.

A wonderful take on this "what if..." scenario. I felt like I was there with Rosa as she struggled with her identity, more than most teenagers would ever have to!
I enjoyed seeing the relationships with her family, especially the playful nature between Rosa and her brother, Elliot. A thrilling read for those who like a touch of speculative fiction and a bit of romance too!

Meh. Exciting narrative. Exciting beginning. But I struggled to continue being excited.

Rosa has a debilitating nerve disease that has left her quadriplegic and terminal. Her only hope to survive is to undergo an experimental brain transplant. Rosa’s brain is transplanted into the body of a girl named Sylvia. Sylvia’s body is 100% functional but her brain is dead. After waking up from surgery Rosa starts a new journey in her life discovering her new self and the life of the girl whose body Rosa occupies.

I really wanted to love this story. I mean how totally weird would that be for your brain to be transplanted into someone else’s body? The whole premise is fantastic since our society puts so much emphasis on our exterior and here is this girl, Rosa who has to get acquainted with two very different bodies. I struggled with a few things with this story. First, the story itself had so much potential to be so utterly different from all the other YA/teen books out there that it just didn’t have the excitement the blurb had promised. The story wasn’t exactly boring but I found myself skipping paragraphs after awhile because I just wanted the momentum to speed up. For me I had expected more drama to go along with something so crazy as your brain occupying a strange body. I expected Rosa’s parents and brother to struggle more with coming to term with her new body and I also expected more confrontation with Sylvia’s parents. I expected a whole lot more drama when Rosa visited Sylvia’s town and ran into Sylvia’s friends. The second problem for me was the characters. The characters just didn’t have the depth. I was hoping to learn more about Sylvia and more how her parents were dealing with her body being out their alive and walking. The relationship between Rosa and her brother was described in the narrative to be very close but I didn’t feel that closeness at all in the story. He was hilarious and I found myself laughing at some of the stuff he said but I didn’t quite feel the tightness between the brother and sister. Lastly, Joe, Roas’a boyfriend was just kind of there. Nothing really exciting about him other than he was beyond nice to Rosa. To conclude, its a readable story but not exciting.

She, Myself, and I by Emma Young is an innovative take on the identity narrative. This YA book follows protagonist Rosa as she attempts to reconcile who she is after an experimental brain transplant.

Having dealt with a debilitating nerve disease in her original body, Rosa experiences both a physical and emotional transformation after her brain transplant. She meets a young journalist, who grapples with his own demons, who helps her navigate this enormous transition.

Young is able to develop strong secondary characters with Rosa’s brother, parents, other patients, and Rosa’s body donor - Sylvia. While our current medical advances make this story impossible today, it is not a huge stretch to think about the ethical considerations that could come up in the future.

This book is worth checking out when it is released in September 2017 by fans of YA fiction.