I was really excited to read this book because the premise sounded really unique and interesting. I haven't read many books about clones, and this one didn't disappoint. Thank you to NetGally and Sourcebooks for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Similars takes place in a world in which cloning has been perfected and people have begun to clone human beings. Although this is becoming a normal practice, cloning is still very controversial, some people questioning if clones should be consider "human". We follow Emma, who goes back to Darkwood Academy for her junior year to find that there are six new student at her school. These new students are Similars, clones of students that already attend the school. Unfortunately for Emma, one of the clones is of her best friend, who happened to have committed suicide that summer. Emma now has deal with seeing the face of her dead friend, while beginning to unravel the mystery surrounding the Similars.

As I said before, the plot sounded very intriguing when I first read the synopsis, and it didn't disappoint. The plot was full of mystery, intrigue, and a lot of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the mystery that Emma was working to solve, and the end reveal left me shook. I also really enjoyed the futuristic setting, and all the new technology that was incorporated throughout the story. I found the pace at the beginning of the novel, when we were learning about the characters, and world, to be great. It had action, while still making sure the reader knew what was happening. At the end, I found that the plot started to feel rushed. There was a lot that happened, and a lot of it wasn't of explaination, like at the beginning.

I enjoyed learning about the characters, especially the Similars and what made them similar and different from their genetic counterparts. I still wished we got a bit more the the Simlars' personilities though. I felt we got a lot about them at the very beginning, but they weren't developed much further in most cases. Emma was an interesting main character, and it was cool to see how she navigated her way through the year considering all the stuff that was thrown at her. She really grew as a character. I didn't totally buy the romance in the story and I felt that it was underdeveloped, but maybe that will change in the next books.

Overall, if you you are looking for a quick, fast paced, sci fi read, than The Similars may be the book for you.

I wanted a break from Psychological thrillers and I heard good things from other readers on Goodreads, that I was thrilled to be accepted for an ARC of this book.
Emmaline Chance returns to the prestigious Darkwood Academy boarding school. Where in the previous summer, her best friend Oliver committed suicide. She still hasn’t got over his death. She returns to find six human clones join her year. Not only, do the look like doubles of some of her friends but, one of them Levi is spitting image of her dead friend Oliver. The pair have an instant dislike for each other, but, also a connection. She eventually gets closer to Levi and discovers about what he is like and what the other clones are all about.
I don’t read many dystopian novels, But I enjoyed this very much. I couldn’t put it down. I thought the story was an original and I like the mix of science fiction and teenage high school drama. I only problem I had with it, was that it was going on in a leisurely pace and then the last few chapters it was rushed a sounded a bit silly. But this is worth a read and will look forward to the next book to find out how the story develops. I would also like to see how the world came about, having the clones (similars). What started it all.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for a copy of this book.

Clones!  Interesting for sure.  I wanted to like this book more than it grabbed me.  I think maybe a had high hopes for this book, it let me down just a bit.  I did enjoy some aspect of this book. I enjoyed the plot twists, they were fun to keep up with while reading.  The characters were exciting to get to know. I think the book just lost me in the end.  *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

The Similars is a unique, debut novel with a promising future. While this novel didn’t knock my socks off, I do believe that the next book will be much better. The premise of this series is very unique and fun which I think a lot of readers will enjoy.
This book follows our narrator, Emma Chase, as she returns to her reputable boarding school, Darkwood Academy, for her junior year of high school. However, this school year is different for two reasons. One, Emma’s best friend, Oliver, died over the summer and she is still reeling from this loss. Two, the Similars will be attending Darkwood this year. The Similars are six clones of students from Darkwood.
The thing about the Similars is that they were created secretly without the permission of the families of the original children. None of the families realized their children had been cloned until a few months ago. But, it isn’t until the first day of school that Emma, along with the rest of the student body, learns the identities of the six clones. Emma is shocked to see just how identical the Similars appearance is to their “originals”, but she never expected to see Oliver’s face on one of the Similars.
Emma detests Levi, Oliver’s clone, on the spot. Yet somehow, she gets swept up with the Similars. She finds herself defending them in class. Then, before she knows it, she is delving deep into the secrets of the Similars--and spending more time with Levi.

My Complaints:

From the way this book is written, I believe it’s written for a younger YA audience which is part of why I think it wasn’t perfect for me. It’s chock-full of tropes such as a love triangle and the mysterious, dangerous love interest *yawn*. All of these tropes caused the book to feel predictable. I saw that ending coming from a mile away.
The next issue I had with this book was the romance. It needs to be developed quite a bit. I found it very hard to believe these two characters cared about each other; it felt forced. I also wasn’t a fan of the execution of the action scenes in this book. There were only a few action scenes and they were brushed over fairly quickly. It felt as if they ended just as they began.
Lastly, the plot twists could have been written better in order to achieve maximum impact. This story is full of twists and turns yet I never felt surprised. Emma’s reactions to the various revelations throughout the book fell flat which in turn made them fall flat for me also.

Overall:

I did enjoy this book. I just expected more from it based off of the synopsis. That being said, I will read the sequel when it comes out. I still have high hopes for this series because it has a lot of potential. *fingers crossed*

I was so excited to read this book. The description seemed like a Stepford Wives but with kids! It was and it wasn't. The focus was with Emmeline Chance who was returning to school after her best friends suicide. The book started out so good. I mean I was invested in these characters, the story, everything.
Then it all fell apart.
like literally fell apart. I don't know what happened in the 2nd half but it fell flat. It felt rushed, and not properly thought out. I wanted to like this book, hell I wanted to love it (and I did the first half). THank you Netgalley for an ARC in return for my honest review.

I enjoyed this more than I thought that I would. The story kept me engaged (although I figured out a couple of the plot twists way ahead of time). I felt that it spluttered a bit towards the end and got a bit muddy, but I will definitely be looking forward to the sequel.

I received an advanced copy of this book a few months ago and started reading it, but then put it off because it was categorized as young adult / science fiction which isn't my favorite genre. I was unexpectedly surprised that it also had a significant amount of action and mystery-thriller twists and I really enjoyed it. It was definitely young adult science fiction since the premise of this story is about 6 clones joining the prestigious high school Darkwood, but there are also a lot of secrets being kept and someone is not telling the students the whole story about these clones.

The main character, Emma, is dealing with her own demons, but she wants to find out everything she can about these clones and what the adults are keeping from them. I liked Emma and the relationships she developed, although she was definitely getting in over her head trying to figure everything out. For a debut novel, this was really well done and I enjoyed reading it.

I really liked the premise for The Similars, and while I enjoyed it for the most part, I found my attention wandering a little towards the end. I had suspicions for some of the reveals, but I still liked how it was done! Good writing and a really interesting debut!

Yet another YA novel where the characters are somehow 'special' due to scientific misbehavior. A prep school, a mystery, shadowy scientists. It's all been done before. While the novel was interesting enough for me to finish it, it unfortunately doesn't have anything new to say that hasn't already been said by other titles that went before it. Teens will enjoy it because they will see themselves in the relationships between the characters.

Emmaline Cline is beginning her junior year without her best friend, Oliver. After his suicide, she's been in a funk and her absent father is not helping. Changes at school help to distract her, the biggest being that 6 new students are enrolling, and they are exact clones of 6 students already enrolled at the prestigious Darkwood Academy Boarding School. To Emma's surprise, Oliver has a clone, Levi. As she struggles with seeing her dead best friend's face daily, she also has to deal with the anti-clone movement and her involvement with the Similars (the 6 clones), whether she likes it or not.

This book has a bit of an identity crisis. It seems like the author started this is a character-driven look at technology, artificial intelligence, grief, and (insta) love. However, about halfway through, it becomes a look at the darker side of humanity and technology, and more of an action-packed thriller with chases and secrets and adventure around every corner. While I'm all for either genre, I don't think that there's a good mixture of it here.

The idea of cloning is fascinating, but this only scratches the surface of the topic. There were also so many "huh?" moments. Someone would be in the middle of a conversation, and it's like they would completely forget that there were important questions that needed to be asked. Overall, this is a nice change of pace from the fantasy/kingdom realms that are popular right now.

The idea of clones has always been controversial. Why do these clones go to the same school as the originals? Surprised that while that question was answered, two new questions popped up at the end. So a sequel is coming.

The setting is a prestigious high school where our group of characters are the elite of the elite. The main protagonist, Emmaline Chase, is starting her Junior year without much enthusiasm. She lost her BFF to suicide over the summer and she is still reeling from the pain of that loss. The romance is very much a back burner to the plot. There is mystery, suspense, and danger. In fact, the secrets tend to overwhelm the story-line. Some of the reveals were a surprise, but some of them were a bit predictable.

The Similars by Rebecca Hanover is an excellent and scary look at cloning and how clones could fit into a private school setting. An interesting premise with well developed characters, The Similars is an eerie look at what the future could become. My thoughts on this? Be careful what you wish for! I loved this novel, not just for young adults, but for adults in general!

I think that younger teenagers would really enjoy this book. It's written within the known-universe of school, but acts as a bridge to other dystopian literature. I'll be recommending it along with 'The Rule of One' and 'Never Let Me Go' to my Year 9 pupils.

What an intriguing premise.... 6 human clones attending a prestigious boarding school, Darkwood Academy. I was excited to read this YA fantasy themed novel, BUT it failed to capture my attention or "wow" me.

I think my expectations were too high and I was craving more of a Stepford Wives type of scenario (full of suspense with a touch of horror). This one had some of the ingredients, but just fell flat for me.

Darkwood Academy has accepted six clones that are referred to as "the similars" and they are all clones of existing students. Creepy huh? When the original students see their clones, they are quite stunned.

There is a back story to the clones creation and we get the POV from one of the students, Emma who is mourning the death of a friend, Oliver. She learns that he has a clone, Levi and this is devastating news.
I enjoyed some parts and wanted to see how the story would play out, but in the end it felt a bit one dimensional and lacking suspense.

Recommend for fans that are just looking for a fantasy read with a bit of a dystopian flavor.

Thanks to NG for my advanced Arc to read/review. Book is out in January 2019.

Holy cow.

The Similars is about a girl who just lost her best friend and is going through a lot. Only to find out that this year in school, clones are the hot topic and one of them resembles her friend. From there, intrigue and mystery abounds.

I loved it so much. I finished reading it in one night. I can't wait for the next one. It started out very slow but the character growth and the mystery captivated me so thoroughly that I was held in my seat.

The Similars was almost perfect. I had to rate it a perfect score. It was just...yeah. Emmaline was personable and likable and honest. She just wanted to hang out with her friends, get into a good college, and sleep. I relate to that so much, it hurts. Levi was cute and adorable and trying and my kind of boy. He was the perfect "enemy" for Emma as she went through grief and loss. Emma had been abandoned, as she put it, and she needed to grow up emotionally throughout the book. And grow up she did.

The cliques were so reminiscent of the ones that were in my high school, it astounded me. And the twists this book took were unpredictable. There were so many twists but they never got tired or overdone. And they weren't done simply for shock value. They pertained to the story.

I honestly can't wait until the next one. But I have to. Since this book doesn't come out until January 2019. All in all, I one million percent recommend.

This book was everything I hoped for and more. It's one of my most anticipated 2019 releases and I am so happy I got to read the ARC. It was so well written and the characters were easy to connect to.

This book's target reader is a young adult. I left that age group many years ago. BUT, this book was great! In the tradition of Hunger Games and Harry Potter, the author has taken a group of misfits and melded them together to create a story that will be enjoyed by any age group. The book description is enough to pique your interest, but the story itself is so much more. 6 young adults, the Similars, join the junior class at a prestigious boarding school. These young people are clones. Clones of 6 other Darkwood Academy students. The main character is Emma, a returning Darkwood Academy student whose friend committed suicide during summer break. The story begins as she meets Levi, her friend's clone. What happens next has many twists, taking the reader on a journey of discovery where Emma learns her life may not be what she thought it was. The ending leaves the impression that this is the first book in the Similars lives. I will most definitely be reading what comes next.

The concept of this book is what made me want to request this one. Clones. And not just clones, but clones of people walking side by side with the person who they look like. Could you imagine?

Our main character Emmaline goes to an elite boarding school that has just accepted the six Similars into their school. Over the summer Emmaline found her best friend Oliver dead after he committed suicide. Imagine her horror when she finds that one of the Similars named Levi looks just like Oliver.

For the most part, I really liked Emmaline as a character. In the beginning, she was very hard to connect with, but everyone deals with grief very differently. I’ve never had to deal with anything that she went through so I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would feel like to see a clone of the best friend that you just lost so tragically.

My favorite part of this story was the advanced world that we were introduced to. It really gave me the vibes of Warcross in a way. Not with the gaming but with the technology.

There is also a mystery aspect here. You really don’t know who you should trust. The Similars, the school, the parents. Everyone seems to have secrets and it really made it hard to put this book down. I couldn’t wait to see what would get exposed in the end.

While I was shocked by some of the things revealed, most of the book seemed predictable to me. There were some things that I called at the beginning and some that I didn’t. That is what really torn me about my rating for this one. Do I rate three stars because of the predictability? Or do I rate it four since even though it was predictable, it was fast paced and kept me reading?

Overall, I give this book four stars. I loved the advanced world that we get here and also I’m very curious to see where book 2 leads!

**Review will be on blog closer to release date!

The Similars is a Sci-Fi novel set in the future of Earth. The story follows Emmaline who attends the prestigious Darkwood Academy. It is a boarding school for the elite of the elite. Each student is special in some way in that they have some talent that helped them get admitted past just being extra smart. Emma is returning to Darkwood for her senior year but there are two things she is going to have to cope with: the suicide of her best friend, Oliver, and the fact that six clones (the similars) will be attending Darkwood with her. This was fine until it turned out that one of the clones is Oliver’s. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the clones and initially Emma couldn’t be bothered about it. However, she quickly gets sucked into the conspiracy surrounding them and the school.
The Similars was a fascinating story. I gave it four out of five stars on Goodreads because I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story took me a little bit to get into but once I got into it, I could not put it down. I was caught up in the conspiracy and I needed to know what was going on. Why were the similars so weird? Why were they the clones of only those specific students at the school? I had a lot of questions, and fortunately a good chunk of them got answered, which is always satisfying. The story kept me guessing and then the ending had me eagerly anticipating the sequel and considering the book doesn’t come out until January 2019, I am going to be waiting a long time.
I really liked the set up of the world Emma lived in. The story was futuristic, but it was realistically futuristic. What I mean is that it felt like the technological advancements that the characters used and interacted with, seemed completely likely that we would have them. The AI technology seems to be something that we will achieve eventually (whether that’s good or bad) and all of it just seemed like the path that we will follow technologically speaking. I also appreciated the way that things weren’t overly explained. The science was there, it seemed to make sense, but the story didn’t talk down to us. I enjoyed the characters and it was really interesting to explore Emma’s grief over her friend Oliver, but also her friendship with her only other friend. I liked the aspect of cloning, because I haven’t read too many novels where that features heavily into the plot. It felt fresh and original. I also enjoyed how realistic the world felt. It made sense to me that people would be prejudiced against something they were unfamiliar with and that happened in the story with the clones and certain parts of the school turning against them.
So why four stars you might ask? Well, the slow start. It took me a little while to feel hooked by the novel despite the premise being really intriguing. I find for a five star read I need to be gripped all the way through and really blown away. I definitely had a great time reading The Similars but the book didn’t completely blow me away. I just wanted something a little bit more gripping at the start of it. That being said, I do think the story started appropriately, it just didn’t fully pull me in like I had hoped. It made up for it in the end.
I definitely think that this book will do well when it comes out, and I recommend that you pick it up and read it when it comes out next January. I think I will be grabbing my own physical copy when it comes out so I can have it and re-read it as a physical copy. So please join me and read it when it comes out because it deserves a lot of hype and love.