I really enjoyed this book. There are several twists and turn that you won't see coming. I also like how slow the romance was to build. That is a welcome change for the typical YA novel. My only complaint is towards the end it began to feel really rushed and then just cuts off. I couldn't find any reference stating this is part of a series, but I truly hope it is. I really want to see what happens next .

After the apparent suicide of her best friend, Ollie, Emma returns to find her boarding school in turmoil after it has admitted six clones, including the clone of her best friend. The story revolves around who the clones are and why they were created…sort of.

Emma’s other best friend is attacked; Ollie leaves her a message from the grave; other people leave her notes and clues inside of books. It’s a hunt to find out the truth behind her friend’s attack, her other friend’s death and the real story behind the Similars.

While the subject matter was interesting, the character and plot development didn’t bolster it the way I had hoped. It was a little too predictable at times and didn’t flesh out enough at others. There were lots of unanswered questions and anomalies that were just left hanging out there.

A fast paced and enthralling YA suspense novel. Focused around the arrival of clones at an elite private school, the story deals with prejudice and fear In a relatable way. My only complaint was the end wrapped up fast and, I assume, was setting up a sequel. Otherwise, I'm unhappy that their wasn't more of a satisfactory ending.

The similars are an amazing, immersive novel that I couldn’t put down ! Throughout the book you fall in love with every character espically Emma and Levi ! I loved following their twisted love story and Underwood’s twisted path. There are so many twist and turns but it will capture you until you feel like your right there with them fighting to save Pru, and all the similars! I loved the twist at the end and can’t wait for a second book to see what happens next !!!

The Similars takes place in the not so distant future. The technology is fascinating. The characters are very well developed; I felt like I knew these people. They were relatable in so many ways. The author made me think; the moral and ethical implications of clones are something most of us don't think about. If this is our future, I can see the same issues arising. The author wrote in such a way that I was reminded of the unfair treatment of those who are "different" in our world today. I made connections that I wouldn't have otherwise made. This book was incredibly thought provoking and well written. I couldn't put it down and I was sad when it ended. As a teacher, this would be a great read for a science classroom, as well as other subject areas. The topics the author delves into are great for debate.

This book reminded me a lot of Only Ever Yours, maybe mixed in with a heavy dollop of Stranger With My Face. The concept here is interesting, and fairly unique for a YA novel - six clones join Emma's high school, and she's too preoccupied with the death of her BFF Oliver to really care. This all changes when she meets Levi, who looks like an exact copy of her beloved Oliver.

As you can guess, the "hate that moves to love" trope is strong with this one. Because the YA genre hates ending things nicely, this is the first in a series - but would I read the sequel? It's doubtful. I just did not feel enough investment into Emma and Levi's characters to want to see how it plays out.

(Emma doesn't care about the Similars, a group of six clones who will be starting at her prestigious boarding school this term. She doesn't care that they're exact replicas of some of the students there, that their very existence defies laws, or that their attendance at the academy is making waves. All Emma cares about is that her best friend is dead. And without Oliver, getting through the school year--and life itself--is going to take all her focus.

So what's a girl to do when she comes face to face with someone who isn't supposed to exist? Not just because it's against the law to clone a human, but because he shares a face with her dead best friend. Oliver--no, Levi--is there at every turn, mocking her, straining her already broken heart to its breaking point.

But there's more at stake than just her heart. Secrets abound, and things are getting dangerous. Try as she might to stay away from the imposter Oliver, the Similars are involved in something that keeps dragging Emma deeper and deeper. Something sinister.

Spooky, right?

I haven't been much into sci-fi/fantasy books lately. Everything is so overdone. I'm not going to deny that parts of this book were predictable (and I would have liked a bit more world building!) but man, something about it sure grabbed my attention and refused to let go. Maybe it was the dead friend angle? Having to see his face day in, day out... poor Emma! Or, I dunno, six clones who weren't supposed to exist, which brought up some sort of political talk at parts, making it a little more than just your typical YA romp.

Again, parts of it I could see coming. But I really didn't mind when I did! And I actually can't wait for the second book. I liked the writing, and most of the characters, too. The villains were just okay for me, but the actual story arc made up for it. I don't want to spoil anything, though. The surprises are what makes this.

The Similars are 6, 16 year old clones who arrive at Darkwood Academy, introduced to the real world for the first time after living on an remote island with their guardian their whole lives. Our main character, Emma, is shocked to find that one of these Similars, is the clone to her best friend, who had committed suicide months before.

This novel was a wonderful new take on YA and the plot was fast moving. It was political, intriguing, dangerous and of course, there was a bit of a love story. I couldn’t get through the book fast enough and the ending and plot twists towards the end were a complete surprise. I am now counting down until the second novel.

I just need to first say that this book is really well written technically – whem I read that the author had won a writing Emmy it made sense.

Beyond the writing this book does a good job of introducing characters, dropping little breadcrumbs for the ultimate twist in the tale. The story moves at a nice pace throughout most of the book but towards the end does ramp up pace to the point where so much happens in the conclusion.

I hate books that you get to the end and it’s a sequel (surprise!) And this doesn’t appear to be one. However, I think I would like to return to this world – perhaps from the perspective of a different (human) character. There is a lot of potential for continuation of the bigger story (although I would like this main character to be a supporting character).

All in all an enjoyable read – I’d rate it a firm 4/5.

Book provided to me in return for an honest review by the publisher through netgalley.

I absolutely loved this book from the first page! It was definitely different from anything I've read lately. It has twists and turns that you don't see coming, but they keep making you want to know what happens next step. I'm legitimately sad that I've read the whole book because now I have to wait for the second book.

The Similars is a must read book that had me hooked from the first chapter. If you are a fan of distopian/science fiction books then this one is for you. I can not wait to read the next one in this series I have to find out what happens to Emma and the Similars especial Levi. What a great new series for all ages.

Yes, this is very good. The characters are well developed. The voice and style is pacy and authentic.

It has enough twisty plot changes to keep me guessing. That said, occasionally the new direction smells a little too convenient: and then and then and then. I wish it would slow down sometimes to explore life in the school, the setting, lessons, relationships beyond those of the lead protagonist.

For me, the real judgement of a book is how I feel once I’ve finished reading it. With “The Similars,” I have many questions but I’m not frustrated. Rather, I’m looking forward to the sequel. There will be one, right?!

However many words there are to describe them: Clones, Copies, Cylons, Doppelgängers, Replicants, Similars, I find this stream of sci-fi to be incredibly fascinating! The very idea that someone, somewhere, even came up with the concept of duplicating DNA is completely mind-boggling, and yet, I find myself inexplicably drawn to stories such as these.

While Clone stories have been around for decades, The Similars brings something I haven’t yet come across in this area, and that is: a likeable and relatable young adult story - particularly the use of interesting, strong, and mature teenaged characters, accessible and appealing science, and portraying the interactions and immersion of clones into the community, not just with ‘regular’ people, but also with their originals. There’s also a lot of heart and soul in it, some might call it humanity.

Additionally, this book manages to capture real occurrences in current society that can be applied to real-life factions and groups of people...
“Have they taught you to fear what you don’t understand?”
“I would hate there being a rally to protest my very existence.”
...and is so very subtle about sending a message about human rights.

I thoroughly enjoyed this enthralling novel, my only negative is that I have to wait what feels an age until the next book in the series is published.

Thank you to Rebecca Hanover, Sourcebooks Fire, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The best part of this book was how real it could become. On the surface its about kids at high school, their behaviors, their parents and money. Underneath it has real depth, theres alot of psychology behind the characters actions, thoughts and personalities. This makes it an easy read that really makes you think. Brilliant.

The Similars a fascinating story about clones that reminded me of Your One & Only gets a 3.5 for a promising start.
Emma returns to Darkwood Academy still aching from the death of her best friend Ollie. While everyone else is excited for the new students, Emma doesn't care. So what if clones are coming the school? They won't replace Ollie. But everything changes when Emma meet's Ollie's clone. While her life is in a spin, she must deal with the attack of her roommate and the idea that the clones may just not be here out of the goodness of the administration's heart.

I loved the majority of this book. I was enthralled by the characters and how the story was a parallel of our lives today. I loved the mystery and twists. In fact, I only called one of the two twists! This excites me because I love a good twist.
The only issue I had was the last 50 pages. The story seemed to get bigger than it needed to be and too easy. In fact, the day after I finished the book, my brain wanted to go back and finish the book. This wasn't because I hadn't, but because the ending was really an ending. It tied up nothing. While I have no problem with cliff hangers and unaware questions to propel to the next novel, I was left lacking any closure or clear idea of what was really going on.

“The Similars” is a science fiction novel about a girl who deals with grief after the loss of her best friend, Oliver. Little did she know that she would see a clone version of him in school. The protagonist, Emma, wanted nothing more than to avoid these clones. But because her school seems to be hiding some secrets, she became involved with the clones.

I thought “The Similars” was a plot-twisty sci-fi young adult novel but it didn’t seem unique as what one would have expected. Its side characters weren’t remarkable nor were they relatable. Emma was the only character that drew me in the story and for that reason, I ended up reading the entire book.

The plot twists, in my opinion, did not make the book an exciting page-turner. It was Emma’s determination to seek the truth about her school and the clones that made this book an enjoyable read. While there were moments when I rolled my eyes because I couldn’t agree with the decisions of the protagonist, Emma was a likable character (in general).

My least favorite part had something to do with the development of the romance. I thought the romance wasn’t compelling, nor was there any chemistry between the characters. The enemies to lovers trope had been awkwardly constructed. I’m not sure how to explain this without giving major spoilers away. The gist of it was that the romance was a love at first sight with a bit of “10 Things I Hate About You.” The romance just didn’t seem genuine to me.

Additionally, the NEW scientific technology that was used to tell the backstory of the antagonist seemed to be a lazy way to bring up the motivations of a character. It was like information dump. Besides that, the laughable portion of the novel was when Emma managed to bring along a book with her. I expected her to use an e-reader or other advanced technology for her reading. I was actually confused when this story takes place especially when the characters still had access to physical copies of books. I just wasn’t sure which one had been anachronistic, the book or the technology the the antagonist had created to tell its backstory.

Although the novel was kind of weak in its world building, I’d still be interested in reading the sequel because of its strong main character. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Orphan Black and especially to teens! “The Similars” is a creative take on the psychology behind how people treat others who are unique (or different) and to examine what it means to be human.



***This review will be posted somewhere between December 17 through 31st at http://bookscoffeeandrepeat.wordpress.com

Darkwood Academy is an elite boarding school that has always been progressive, welcoming students of all races, religions and sexual orientations. When Darkwood Academy opens its doors to six mysterious new students, not everyone is ready to welcome them with open arms. These six students are Similars, part of an illegal cloning experiment, exact DNA copies of their originals, who are also students at the Academy. Emmaline Chance, still mourning the recent death of her best friend Oliver, doesn't care about the new students or the cloning debate until she discovers that one of them, Levi, is Oliver's clone.

The Similars is the exciting first novel in this new YA sci-fi series. This novel is told from the POV of Emmaline Chance, a girl who has suffered from the loss of loved ones, including the recent death of her best friend Oliver. Struggling to cope with his death, she is suddenly faced with dealing with those unresolved emotions towards his clone Levi. Although Levi looks like Oliver Emma knows will never be Oliver and she hates him for that. When unusual things begin to happen at the school Emma must put aside her feelings and work with Levi and his siblings to figure out who is behind the events. I felt like certain plot points, like the Ten, were brought up enough to feel important but I was left feeling unsure as to if it will even tie into the other novels. I also prefer stronger female protagonists but that is just a personal preference. Overall, this was an enjoyable quick read that has potential to be better in the future novels.

I liked this more than I thought. I prejudged it because I don't normally like books set at a boarding school with rich, snobby students but the main characters weren't like that. It is an interesting concept, 6 embryos were stolen from prominent families and they were cloned. The clones are facing a similar situation with illegal immigrants as to what rights they have, what documentation they need and a hostility by some. My high school students would like this book.

I gave this book 4.25 stars. I really enjoyed this book but decided not to give it 4.5 stars because I figured the rest of the series would be even better so I’m leaving room for higher ratings.

This book cut off so suddenly it surprised me. I mean, usually when there is a cliffhanger there is a lead up to that, but for this book, I felt like we were in between huge action scenes and this one just sort of ended.

There is kind of a big plot twist that happens in this book, but it isn’t completely a surprise. If you’re paying attention to what is happening in the novel then you could probably guess what it is pretty easily.

This book isn’t anything partially new to me, but it did bring me back to everything I love about Young Adult. This reminded me of the feelings I had about 5 years ago when I couldn’t stop reading anything and everything YA. There was excitement, plot twists, coming of age problems, even love life drama. It was everything I love in a YA novel.

This story follows Emma, who has just lost her best friend and is returning to her boarding school for the first time since his death during the summer. Emma is raw and understandably shaken after what has happened. We follow her as she tries to make sense of everything that has happened and the incoming of her best friend’s clone.

Overall, I’m generally not a big fan of dystopian, but I feel like this one was in the near enough future that the problems were very parallel to what is happening in today's society. The prejudices shown against the clones are similar to what is happening to people of color and those in the LGBTQ+ communities. I think this novel is really suitable for the times.

This book is written great, and the language flows very well in my opinion. But however, the story isn't as engaging in the end as it was in the start. It lost kind of what dragged it in, but I cannot pinpoint what. I found the ending predictable and the plot-twist was something I figured out very fast, but that does not make it a bad book at all.