When I first heard about this book, I was super intrigued by the premise. Clones going to a boarding school? Yes please. And while I still think that the entire idea behind the book is very interesting, the execution wasn’t up to par. There was so much that could have been done with the premise that just wasn’t. The story itself just fell flat for me. I really liked the book until the part where the plot actually started to “pick up”, or where it was supposed to at least. I thought it was interesting, and the similars themselves were still so foreign and new that I was just so eager to learn more about them. But as the story progressed, we never really learned enough about each of the similars themselves, and pretty much all of the characters remained one dimensional. And as for the plot, so much could have been done but wasn’t. The plot twists at the end were very predictable, and much of the plot up until that point just didn’t feel very important to me. The technology that was involved in the book was absolutely fascinating, but we just didn’t know enough about it. I am still so intrigued by the technology, the clones, and even the dynamic at Darkwood, and I wish that we could have seen more of it. Emma and Levi’s relationship was also practically nonexistent and then forced all at once, but it could have been so interesting if it had been thoroughly developed. I gave this book a 3/5 stars because it’s not a bad book by any means with many interesting features, it just wasn’t as good as I think it could have been.

As an educator, I would recommend this to high middle and high schoolers in search of a good science fiction novel. It is about loss, love, and clones. There are a lot of issues tackled in this novel, but they are incredibly worth reading about in this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Source Fire Books for the opportunity to read this novel before release.

Rebecca Hanover has done the impossible – she’s given me a new appreciation for YA science fiction novels. In all my years of reading, I’ve never quite come across something as wonderful and original as The Similars. It had everything I ever wanted – romance, action, mystery. I was on edge the entire book – I wanted more. Now I have to wait another year for a sequel.

I’ve never come across a story such as this one before – maybe that’s my lack of science fiction coming into play – but this story felt so original, so interesting. I was intrigued from the moment I started reading the book. Hanover had me hooked. I was the rabbit and she was dangling a carrot in front of me for the entire thing. But I was happy. The Similars is so fantastically written that I wasn’t bored at all throughout the entire book.

I absolutely adore Emmaline as a main character, and the way she developed through the plot was really interesting to watch. She made a brilliant protagonist, and can only hope that her development will continue into the next instalment of the series. There were a few plot twists throw in towards the end, which I appreciated, and Emmaline handled them incredibly well. She’s strong and fiesty – brave and loyal to her friends.

Though the book is described as a science fiction, I would have probably dubbed it as a thriller or a mystery myself. The book has a few dark moments, and the tone and pace of the story keep you guessing. I wanted it to continue on long after I’d finished reading.

I will be giving Rebecca Hanover my highest score, five out of five. I haven’t read a book this brilliant in a while, and to day that this is her debut novel is absolutely amazing! I expect big things from Rebecca in the future. Until the next book in the series come out, I’ll have to reread this one.

First in a compelling and exciting new series, The Similars takes the familiar boarding school aspect to the next level by introducing clones and asking the very important question: what if you were no longer the only you? How would you react? Not only was this book quite a lot of fun, but I absolutely LOVED the heavy dose of science that runs throughout coupled with some themes that certainly made me think. And it’s definitely something I’m still thinking about. I don’t know how I’d react if I found out I had a clone, but I’d like to think I’d be as accepting and open-minded as the majority of the students at Darkwood. Though I can’t promise that.

The story starts with circumstances shrouded in mystery and continues that way until the many reveals at the end. Nothing in this book is clear-cut. Motives and machinations are as shady as many of the characters and everything — from the creation of the clones to the history of the school — is a puzzle that needs solving. Secrets, deceit, and conspiracies abound and all of them have ties to the clones. Add to that the many plot twists thrown in and I couldn’t put this book down. Readers are given as many answers as deemed necessary, and by the end, the number of questions readers are left with far exceed the number of answers given. I adore slow reveals and The Similars delivered beautifully in that regard.

Everything about The Similars hit so many high notes for me, from the scientific aspects to the boarding school, but I especially loved the characters and the attitudes toward the clones. Most were accepting, but a fair number of them were most assuredly anti-clone and it was an interesting approach to weaving in similar attitudes and prejudices that many people experience in our world, even in the here and now. Aside from that, each and every character had such depth and emotion, each one was truly dimensional, even down to the shallow jerks.

All told, The Similars was a fantastic first installment in a mysterious new series that asks some heavy questions, which I’m still left thinking about. I really enjoyed this first installment and I can’t wait to see what the next book brings. 4.5 stars.

*eARC received via NetGalley.

3.5 stars

Mixed feelings on this one because although I felt like it met the requirements for a Decent Book, I still wanted more and wasn’t 100% in love with this.

I mean–it was pretty good. I think the characters were interesting enough and there was nothing glaringly obviously bad about it. It was all there: boarding school, clones, mystery, secretish societies, rich people.

Yet, as much as the concept was good and even the plot, somewhere along the way, the execution kind of lost me.

And it’s not like Hanover is a bad writer. It’s just that this book honestly was just a little . . . drab.

There, I said it. I felt like it could have used more spice and atmosphere and world-building. It could have used more, emotion (?) I guess. Investment? Something that really connected the reader with the story, because I honestly felt just vaguely disconnected.

I wanted to be absorbed into the almost dark nature of the boarding school–there are so many awesome twisty, dark secret society upper echelon boarding school stories with that dark, almost sinister atmosphere.

I wanted that. I didn’t really get it. Yes, there was a hazing scene, but beyond that it didn’t really reach the atmospheric quintessential “boarding school feel” that I was looking for.

And the twists were just a little predicatable? Which in general I don’t mind, but I wanted them to still be executed in a way that really felt shocking, you know?

I think you can have something predictable and still shocking if you add the right amount of emotional intensity into the scene, and I just didn’t find that.

Overall, it felt almost like this book lacked passion. And it’s not to say that Hanover wasn’t passionate about this–it’s just that I didn’t feel that type of intensity that I was hoping to find in this novel.

However, there were still a lot of pluses. I still thought the plot was inventive and interesting.

We don’t get a lot of stories on clones in YA (not enough, anyways) and I always think it’s a really fun idea to explore. I believe Hanover did a good job in exploring this portion, and I really enjoyed what she did do about the clones.

Plus, the backstory was developed pretty well, and I thought that there were clues along the way that helped, although it did kind of feel like Emma–the main character–was doing a lot of waiting.

A lot of this book is Emma thinking about stuff, and the middle portion sagged a bit in my opinion, because that’s where the least amount of action. I could tell Hanover was trying to keep it engaging, but it did end up losing me in the middle where weeks passed and not a lot really happened.

Overall, I though The Similars had a good concept & plot, but the execution was just kind of lacking and I wanted more from this. If you do like the sound of a not 100% mystery focused mystery (something a little more low key than a full mystery), I might suggest this!

Very clever and well-realized premise. What if there are a group of leading students at a prestigious private school who come to their senior year thinking they will be in the prime position of influence of class, only to discover six new students are clones of five of them, and a sixth the clone of Emmaline's best friend she recently lost to suicide. How will people react? How will the clones behave? The "Similars" have been raised separate from the world on a distant Scottish island, so what will they be like? How much is genetics and how much upbringing and experience? What will it be like staring at... yourself? Now competing against your Similar. And WHY were the Similars "created." What is really going on?
The story builds and races. There are fascinating, diverse characters, good plotting, thrills and intrigue. Fast moving and gripping, and surprisingly believable. Great start to a new YA series.

3.5 Stars, review will be posted on the blog on 1/10/19

As soon as I read the premise of this book, I knew I absolutely had to read it. It's interesting because it details a world we can imagine possible - I mean clones! Scientists are now genetically editing babies and have successfully done so (well, we have to wait-and-see).

This book was an okay read for me. It had so many things I liked: there were some twists and turns I did not see coming, I generally liked the concept, and always give me a book set at a boarding school. The story follows Emma, who is returning to school after losing her best friend Oliver over the summer. Right away, we get great world building as we see that she's in a car that drives itself and she interacts with AI (think Alexa or Siri but these bots can show emotion).

Once she arrives at school, the entire student body is interrupted by the arrival of clones, clones of actual students attending Darkwood Academy, including her best friend's Oliver clone, Levi Gravelle. As the clones try to integrate, we see that there's a big debate as to whether they should be attending the school - because obviously, it makes some very uncomfortable. This really sets the stage for an intriguing story.

But I did find myself slogging through the story as I got about the halfway mark. There were some "character development" issues for me in that I didn't feel emotionally invested in the characters after they had all been introduced. Similarly (pun intended!), I also didn't really connect with the love story that's developed between Emma and Levi. I think it was because it didn't really build organically and I also felt I didn't much know about Levi or see how his attraction to Emma really developed. A third thing is that the story evolved to a comparison of clones v. illegal immigration (a definite hot topic) and every time it was mentioned, it felt like it was forced and preachy - like LOOK, this is what's going on now.

Even though there were some negative aspects, the story ended on a big reveal/cliffhanger, and I'd be interested in reading the second book in the series. I definitely do not discourage you from giving this one a try because it was very interesting and made me think about our scientific advancements and how this will affect us in the future.

As always, happy reading!

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire for an eARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion!

"The Similars" is a boarding school teen drama with a twist that pretty unique to the genre: clones.

I liked the writing of this book. I thought the story was well crafted and well told, but I honestly don't think I was the right audience for this book. I would recommend it to those who are specifically into teen drama, (think, Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, etc), but not to a broader YA audience.

I have a really specific itch when it comes to SF YA and that's the mix of near future and elite boarding school shenanigans. The Similars scratches it perfectly.

Emma is such an unlikable protagonist. She's grieving, angry, and wants someone to reach out while simultaneously swatting every potential friend away. The reader never meets her as a more bubbly version of herself, which I found rather effective in becoming close to her. Her decisions are rather haphazard, in a very realistic way.

The discussion around cloning added to the world-building of this near-future United States. I enjoyed how Hanover explored the world beyond Darkwood Academy, and the in-class discussions did not feel forced.

The twists throughout are well thought-out, though a little bit much. I see the #1 next to the title and I think a piece of it could have been saved for early book #2.

Overall, a thrilling ride from start to finish, as a girl seeks to unearth the new kids' secrets and digs deeper into deadly truths.

I have always been a fan of boarding school books, I even wished I had gone to one for a while when I was a child so combine that with clones and mysteries that makes it even better.

"When six clones join Emmaline’s prestigious boarding school, she must confront the heartbreak of seeing her dead best friend’s face each day in class."

I was drawn into this book right away and there never seemed to be a dull moment as the pacing was set really well. I loved the mysteries surrounding who these clones were and who created and hid them for all of these years. I also found there to be a good amount of romance, not too much like some books are. I was intrigued through the very end and found that it had something different than other books.

It was such an interesting begnning and premise, but I really thought some of the things were just a tad bit too predictable. I expectet the love interest of the character to be a little less creepy.
I did enjoy the writing style and the world building, though. It was fun to read and teh main character was overall likeable witty and brave.

I’ve added the official synopsis for The Similars by Rebecca Hanover because I don’t want to describe the novel. I want to discuss it. There are so many delicious concepts that are becoming closer to reality every day. And they are pulled together in an intriguing story with relatable characters. The Similars reminded me of the free self-published amazing stories I binged on via iBooks a few years ago. They were brilliant stories and just that little unusual. I’m glad someone has published one like that.

There are a few ways you can describe The Similars. It’s a YA novel with teens in school with romance and friendships. It’s also science-fiction discovering and encountering clones, science and technology that’s close but not yet invented. And it’s a political commentary of race and caste, even though clones aren’t a race. Finally, there’s the mystery and cover-up of the clones and their connection to the academy. And a generation-old love triangle that makes it look like Severus Snape moved on from Lily.

I love the way these are all woven together with no one stream really dominating. It’s not a romance, but it’s not really political. The science isn’t confusing or even very sciencey.

But I finished The Similars wanting answers. I’m thankful Rebecca is writing another in the series. Without, too many spoilers I want to know what’s up with the headmaster and principal of the Academy. And Oliver!?! Even Emmaline and Levi—will the romance work? Then there’s Tessa’s campaign against the clones. Oh, and I want to trade my Apple Watch for a plum. Does Dash turn evil? Sentient virtual assistants is probably an extra storyline that can’t fit in the series.

I think what I liked most about The Similars is that it’s not that much sci-fi. We’re on the cusp of having the technology. Actually, we have the early generations of it. In a novel we see how it can be good and evil and how different people react. Even the cloning.

I’m late with this review. The Similars was released on Tuesday. Grab it from the library.

Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we`re going to review a new YA dystopian book called ‘The Similars’ by Rebecca Hanover. This book takes a very interesting look at love, science, & the age old question of where the line should be drawn between technological advancement & basic laws of humanity. Now if Rebecca’s name seems familiar to you, that may be because she did win an Emmy for ‘Best Writing’ in 2008 for her work on the daytime drama ‘Guiding Light’. This book was provided for review by Sourcebooks Fire, however as always this review will be completely honest & spoiler free. So now lets get to the review. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!

‘The Similars’ revolves around a futuristic United States, in which cloning has become a hot button topic. Currently cloning is considered illegal in the U.S, however everything is shaken up when 6 clones known as The Similar (who were cloned from the DNA of the children of some of the most influential people in the U.S 16 years previously) are invited to enroll at the prestigious Darkwood Academy. We follow are main character Emma as she navigates the difficult process of dealing with the fact that her best friend Oliver has recently committed divide, & the fact that he was one of the teens who has a Similar attending Darkwood. When Emma is chosen as one of 5 new select students to enter a prestigious group at the school called ‘The Ten’ (along with a few of The Similars), she embarks on journey that will reveal dark secrets about her school, friends, & ultimately herself.

I will begin by saying that I definitely give this book a 5 out of 5 smiley face rating, due to its’ great balance of dystopian tropes & interesting, well developed characters. The plot of this story is interesting from beginning to end, & will definitely leave you satisfied yet wondering what becomes of these characters & the society they live in.

I requested this particular book because the synopsis drew me in immediately. I thought the premise was extremely unique, and i absolutely love reading about close/cloning. The story kept me engaged the whole time, and kept me on the edge of my seat. The mystery throughout was definitely one that kept me wanting to read on.

I loved Emmaline, she was such an interesting character, who had a lot going on in her personal life. Everything tied in with her story so well, especially one of The Similars being cloned from her best friend who had very recently passed. I thought she was wonderful at handling everything that was thrown in her path. She made a lot of risks for the people she loved, and I admired that about her.

If you are looking for a unique story that will keep you guessing at every turn, this is definitely the read for you. The sci-if aspects were done so well and easy to follow. I thought the whole premise was done amazingly and I can’t wait to read the next in the series.

Title: The Similars
Author: Rebecca Hanover
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

The elite Darkwood Academy is for high-achievers from wealthy families. It’s not cheap, and it’s not easy. But this year, it’s going to get a whole lot more competitive when six new students join the junior class. They’re more than overachievers, they’re clones. And their originals already attend Darkwood.

Emma doesn’t care about the clones. Her best friend, Oliver, died over the summer, and all she can think about is getting through each day without him. Until she meets Levi and realizes forgetting Oliver will be harder than she thought: Levi is Oliver’s clone, and seeing his face every day makes life unbearable.

But something is going on with the clones. They’re hiding something, and Emma discovers they have unheard of abilities to go along with their secret agenda. When her friend is almost murdered, Emma realizes something darker is happening, and she must trust someone if she is to find out the truth. But can she really trust Levi?

This is set in a future-America, but not that future, so it was easy to make sense of the world (sadly). I enjoyed reading Emma’s point-of-view and cannot imagine having lost my best friend and then being faced with his clone every day. There is a lot going on here, and I feel like the author glossed over some things that will hopefully be explored in the rest of the series. I noticed there wasn’t a lot involving the instructors, which seemed a bit odd, considering the setting is basically a boarding school, but it wasn’t something that made the story feel fake. The Similars is definitely a book I recommend.

Rebecca Hanover is an Emmy-winning writer and graduate of Stanford. The Similars is her debut novel.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

Rebecca Hanover’s The Similars has an interesting premise, but lacked that something extra that would take it from being mediocre to something truly unique. Emma Chance is still reeling from the death of her best friend Oliver who died by suicide. Going back as a junior to Darkwood Academy should help Emma feel normal again, but the elite boarding school just brings back memories of Oliver. When the academy enrolls the Similars, a group of clones, Emma’s entire world is turned upside down. Not only do the Similars bring controversy to campus, the U.S. and the rest of the world are wrestling with the ethics of cloning and clone rights, unbeknownst to Emma, one of the Similars is Oliver’s clone. Emma and Levi don’t get along from the get-go, but when Emma discovers there may be something more to Oliver’s death, she enlists his and the other Similars’ help. I wish I could point to more than the premise as being a positive element of this novel, but from the characters to the plot to the writing, I found this one to be incredibly lacking. Emma was not a character I liked or even respected. She was the kind of character who thought not caring made her stand out, making her come across as incredibly privileged. I was not a fan of her relationship with Levi for several reason, one of which being she literally physically attacks him the first time they meet. Secondly, she never fully deals with Oliver’s death, so starting a relationship with his clone left me feeling uncomfortable. There are twists and turns in this one that sometimes felt so disjointed, it felt like I was reading five different versions of the same story. The writing left me wanting more and while I did like exploring this world, I never felt immersed in this world.

High school is hard enough without having to deal with the clone of your dead best friend. In The Similars by Rebecca Hanover, Emmaline Chance’s junior year at her prestigious boarding school is about to get complicated.

Returning to Darkwood Academy for her junior year is difficult for Emma, who is still reeling from her best friend Oliver’s suicide over the summer. Things become nearly impossible when their six newest enrollees – all of them clones of current students – are introduced, and Levi is the spitting image of Oliver. The Similars, as that’s what they call themselves, claim that they’re only there to get an education, but this situation is not what it seems.

On the surface, The Similars presents an intriguing philosophical question: what rights should a human clone have? It is especially an issue for the six clones of Darkwood Academy students, who were created without the knowledge of the originals and raised on a secluded island by a reclusive billionaire. Are they American citizens? Do they deserve a place in the families of the students they were cloned from? There are so many opportunities for an intelligent discussion, but unfortunately this book offers none.

The Similars is a convoluted mess that bounces from one “twist” to another with no thought or explanation. It makes sense when you learn that Hanover writes for soap operas; the original plot of clones and whatever they’re up to is enough without tossing in a secretive student government that serves no real purpose, an anonymous pro-clone group that is only introduced near the end, people faking their death, paternity twists, and more. This book is so full that after a certain point, the revelations have no impact, nor do they leave any lasting impression. Events where you would expect the author to linger are glossed over quickly so that we can move on to the next “shocking” twist. This is the first book in a series, and it seems unnecessary to have packed so much into what really should be a setup novel.

It doesn’t help that pretty much every character save for Emma is woefully underdeveloped, and even she feels flat as a protagonist. I felt no attachment to anyone; they were all interchangeable conduits for the overly complex plot. You can spot the romance coming from a mile away, yet it still feels like it comes out of nowhere and makes very little sense.

As interesting a concept as The Similars is, the execution is sloppy. It was like reading a script rather than a novel – it isn’t that there’s no internal dialogue or exposition, but it was all very straightforward and not very compelling.

The Similars was a uniquely plotted YA novel centered around the idea of clones. Having never read a novel with this subject matter, I was wholly intrigued with Emma’s worldview and that of the mysteriousness surrounding those at Darkwood Academy. Emma’s grief at having lost her best friend a short time ago and struggling to understand the cruelness of his clone existing was both palpable and poignant. The tension centered around this conflict was perfectly penned to pull Emma in to finding answers and leading readers on an intriguing journey with her.

Straddling both the sci-fi and mystery genres, Hanover’s debut did a great job of creating answers that opened up to more questions which furthered my need to keep reading until the end. I fell into the world of the elite students with ease and felt the mix of animosity and insecurity that breeds around teenagers. Emma’s openness to acceptance was what drew me to her along with her thirst for answers–all drawn from her large heart. The romance was well done with just enough to make it believable without seeming forced, and I adored the instant but complicated connection she shared with Levi. I can’t wait for it to be explored more in future installments.

Though I did guess the motive, I was very unprepared for the final twists at the end and the cliffhanger that resulted. I would have liked for the plot to be a bit more tightened up as I believe Emma was too smart to have missed some of the things she did, but I understand also why she was blind to it—it just lost a bit of believability to me, at least. Overall, The Similars was a book I couldn’t put down and I cannot wait to see where Hanover takes our characters next.

This book was unique and a lot of fun to read. I FLEW through the book in 2 days and enjoyed every page. I loved the clone theme and enjoyed all of the futuristic world building and science included. The reactions to situations were relatable, the characters flawed, and the storyline interesting. I think this will be a very popular book and hope it achieves a lot of success!

Received this ARC via Netgalley.

An interesting view of how clones could affect society. There are a few scenes that are kinda Twilight-y. Definitely have to read sequel when it is released.