I am so excited for this book to be published so I can recommend it to all of the teens at my library! Body-swapping plot seeped in oodles of queer discussion with actually funny jokes and likable characters - this is my favorite book of 2019 so far.

This was an interesting retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. The characters are funny and the body swapping is an interesting idea. The drama in the various pairings of characters made this special.

This story is Twelfth Night meets Freaky Friday with tons of pop culture and teen banter thrown in to make it a strange but endearing read. This book kept surprising me and completely forged it own path to be a stand out among the typical YA classic story adaptations. I couldn't stop reading because I didn't want to leave these hilarious quirky characters.

This very ambitious retelling and merging of classic stories (with plenty of references to their other popular retellings, She's the Man and Freaky Friday with Lindsey Lohan) somehow made Shakespeare understandable and enjoyable and avoid the second hand embarrassment factor I normal can't stand with body switch stories. There's even plenty of actual Shakespeare dialogue in the book because the characters are doing a play of Twelfth Night. It is a lot for the reader to keep track with getting to know the four main characters, the new identities of the two who switch bodies with one another, who they are pretending to be, and who they all act as in the play. All told through Ezra's perspective which is something different for YA books which more and more often have multiple POVs with big casts of characters. But this story expertly walked the reader through it all. I was never overwhelmed but became increasingly impressed with the complexity of the story. gender fluidity is also a big theme in the book that I think the author employed very well. I was, however, expecting more of an explanation about why this body switching was happening that I felt was underplayed and I am still a bit confused on that aspect.

The plot is hilarious and surprising enough to keep me reading, but the true heart of this book is the compelling characters. These are real teenagers with real problems who deal with them in ways that always felt authentic and never overblown or sensationalized for the sake of the plot. I appreciated their strong voices and all of the ways they feel like real teens reacting to these situations. Plus, they are hilarious. I think teens will pick up this book and find characters they can really relate to in this highly entertaining, strange, wonderful book.

The real strength of this YA contemporary was the characters, who were well-drawn and had realistic relationships that pulled me along through the reading. I think the book considered itself somewhat funnier than it actually was, it needed to change a lot of the pop culture references (so many of them seemed better suited to teens growing up in the eighties or nineties; if there hadn't been mentions of cell phones and YouTube I might have thought it was a period piece) and include fewer chunks of Shakespeare quotations, and the changing back and forth, along with the sort of wiggly sexuality stuff, got quite confusing toward the end, but overall very readable.

Where I End And You Begin is a truly unique story. It was not what I expected, but I liked it because it's unusual and requires you to think. The characters are likeable and engaging and entertaining. The story is well written and kind of crazy but in a good way. I think young adult readers will enjoy it. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the story of Ezra and Wynonna! The author did a great job of drawing in the reader and I really enjoyed reading this book! I will be recommending it to friends. Thanks!

I personally liked the perspective change and I think many young adult reader's will enjoy this novel because it is fresh and different from everything on the shelves right now.

Ezra is an awkward insomniac with a huge, longstanding crush on Imogen. Before he can build up the courage to ask her to prom on day of the solar eclipse, Ezra somehow switches bodies with Imogen's protective and sometimes surly best friend Wynonna, who coincidentally has a crush on Ezra's best friend Holden. For the next several months, Ezra and Wynonna randomly switch bodies and try to avoid wreaking havoc on their lives, while fixing each other up with their dream prom dates.

The four main characters were wonderfully quirky. The banter between characters, particularly any conversation with Holden, was laugh-out-loud funny. I found the relationship between Ezra and his little sister particularly believable and honest.

My only quibble with the book is that the pop culture references seemed to be a bit dated for present day teens, even if they were obsessed with the '90s.

*Thanks so much to Disney Book Group for providing me an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 / 5 stars

Where I End and You Begin follows the troublesome situation of two teenagers body-swapping. Ezra and Wynonna must navigate acting like each other until they can figure out how to stop swapping. Ezra and Wynonna definitely do not see each other eye to eye at first, but they must learn how to better understand and support each other so that they can stop this unique situation.

This book is filled with meaningful friendships and conversations. Everything went a lot deeper into diverse topics than I thought it would and I really appreciated it. I genuinely enjoyed most of the characters all the time throughout the story. I thought it was interesting how the story follows Ezra but is still able to give a deeper inside look to Wynonna through Ezra swapping lives with her. I thought the approach for this would be a bit different but this was actually a more impactful approach to me.

Overall I enjoyed this story and I found it to be quite humorous at times. The writing was fairly simplistic but it really captured the important moments and content well. The idea for this story is not original but it does take it in a pretty unique direction that others have previously avoided. The book does include some language that may not be suitable for all readers. It was a good contemporary read for me and I would recommend it.

I really enjoyed Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe, and I was excited to see this new book.

I was not disappointed. The book tells the story of Ezra and Wynonna, two high school students who hate each other, but are connected in a very interesting way. This book tackles gender issues, attraction, love, and what it means to connect in a modern, insightful and fun way.

As an adult, I loved this book, and as for a teenager, especially for one who is struggling to define him or herself, the book would be engaging and offer an interesting perspective on gender issues.

I do not want to spoil any of the plot, but if you enjoy witty romances, this is the young adult book for you.

The storyline is super unique.
Ezra and Wynonna don’t like each other but one day they switch bodies. Ezra becomes Wynonna and vice versa.

Ezra has been in love with Wynonna’s best friend Imogen for years. Wynonna has a crush on Ezra’s best friend Holden.

When they keep swapping bodies, they decide to make the most of it. Ezra will help Wynonna with Holden and Wynonna will help Ezra with Imogene.

The more time they spend living as the other one, the more they find their lines blurring. Ezra tries to fix the sadness in Wynonna’s life.

I really respect how unique the storyline is but I kept fighting to get into it. At about the 60% point on the ebook, I gave up.

I feel like there’s several possible scenarios for how this book ends.
Ezra/Imogene together, Wynonna/Holden
Ezra/Holden, Wynonna/Imogene
Ezra/Wynonna

I was curious how it would end but I wasn’t curious enough to stick with it. It doesn’t really matter to me which of those couples winds up together.

Sorry. I hate not finishing a book and I always try to finish a galley. But my enjoyment level didn’t increase as the book went on, so I had to stop at some point
.

It appears to be getting rave reviews from others. Sometimes it’s just personal preference, a book might not work for me but you might love it.

I got a chance to read an early ebook edition from Netgalley. Thanks!

This book made me laugh out loud! Plenty of witty banter between characters with a comedic Shakespearean plot (and the characters take part in their school's production of Twelfth Night). Not exactly each other's favorite person, Ezra and Wynonna, swap bodies every now and then. As a result, they slowly begin to understand each other as well as learning more about themselves. (Readers learn more about Ezra rather than Wynonna as the story is told from his perspective. While I think exploring Wynonna's character further would be great, readers do get a very good understanding of her from Ezra's perspective.) Adding in prom, crushes, witty friends, a school play, family issues, self discovery, and understanding one's sexuality, creates a witty contemporary teen story.

I received a free ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion. Rarely do I feel like YA books show a good portrayal of make protagonists, but this one did. That, coupled with a few literally tropes and Shakespeare make it a winner. Will buy for my classroom when it comes out. 4.5 stars

I was really excited to read Where I End And You Begin but I have to say I was disappointed with this one. I think if the story went back and forth between Ezra and Wynonna I would have enjoyed it better, I feel Wynonna was a great character and we didn't get to see her perspective of the body switch.