This was one of the most enjoyable reads of the year for me! I absolutely loved where the author took this story!

Can you imagine a time where I society can not only clone humans successfully, but also clone them into adults? And then you could have another you?

Well, Clark wrote a beautifully done story with that plot. And, I have to tell you, given the advancements in science and tech, it's a little crazy to imagine what that would mean for the world.

But, this story is about a young teen named Lucille who--without the consent of her parents--decides to go through the process of making another 'her' so that she can live her best life.

Lucille is a little bit of a high-strung individual... Kind of a type A personality. So, when her life starts to get a little crazy and she starts to flounder, this seems the best way to navigate it.

From this point on, we get to see Lucille--and Lucy her clone--deal with life, family, friends, school (and EACH OTHER!!) in surprising and difficult ways.

Lucille is not a perfect heroine. I mean, the girl's 17. And I have to say that she has normal teen struggles.

I think seeing Lucy and Lucille grow their own relationship was one of the best parts of this story for me. I loved it!

I only wish there were going to be a sequel!

My review will be live at the link provided on 6/12/20.

This was quite the entertaining book! At first, I was a wee bit iffy, I must admit. It seemed fairly contemporary, and I wasn’t a huge fan of Lucille when the book opens. But I think that is deliberate, so keep with it! Because Lucille is about to go through all kinds of stuff that will absolutely force her to look at who she is and who she wants to be.

When Lucille accepts the cryptic offer from the company who ultimately makes her clone, things are going downhill, and fast. Which makes sense, because Lucille, usually prideful of her rationality, wouldn’t do such a thing unless she felt desperate. But desperate she feels, so when Life2 starts to feel more and more unsettling, she keeps getting in more over her head with each passing day. The author painted this realistically, because I was never thinking “why would anyone be this gullible?” because the reader was made to understand exactly why Lucille was feeling so despondent. Her parents are divorcing, her dreams are being extinguished left and right, and she’s having a big falling out with her friend. And for Lucille, who is quite the perfectionist, this is especially harrowing.

Enter Lucy, the clone, and things get even more exciting! And, very thought provoking. Because it asks all the big questions, and even better, not just of the reader, but the characters themselves. And without giving away too much, the characters are all going to have to do a lot of soul searching. I have to say that I could not stop reading, especially after Lucy comes into the mix. And I promise, it all wraps up in a very satisfying way.

Bottom Line: So thought-provoking and engaging, I couldn’t help but root for our two main characters- no matter that one was a clone!

Have you ever wanted or needed to be in two places at once? Half Life has the solution for you! You just go in, get some tests done, and they'll grow you a clone.

Lucille is uptight and academically driven and because she's that way she often skips out on living life. When she realizes her best friend isn't making her a priority anymore and she's been wait listed for the program she's worked so hard to get into she starts to feel the pressure of loneliness. To top it off her parents have just told her their getting a divorce. Then she receives an email with an offer she can't refuse.

Lucy. Not Lucille. These are some of the first things Lucy realizes when she wakes up. She's a carbon copy of Lucille but why does being called Lucille bother her so much? Lucy has been created using Lucille's genetics and is her exact clone but as the story progresses she comes to realize that she may look and sound like Lucille but she has other ideas about how she wants to live her life.

I thought the concept of this book was really cool. Who wouldn't want to be able to do all the things they want to without having to give everything up. I liked that Lucy and Lucille realize that even when there's two of them it's not perfect. Lucy doesn't want to be told what to do and where to be all the time and Lucille realizes that it's a lot more stressful worrying about getting caught than it would've been to have life be the same. I liked that each one of them still had their own identities and dreams in life. It was like Lucy had the qualities naturally that Lucille didn't. They even fell for two different guys that fit each one of them individually.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun and unique sci-fi contemporary.

I loved this book. I am actually surprised how much I adored it. I was not expecting to enjoy it s much as I did.

It was billed as Becky Abertali writing an episode of Black Mirror and while I could see the comparison it wasn’t as dark as some of the episodes of the show.

Our protagonist is Lucille Harper: naive, overachieving, stressed out of her mind Lucille. I identified so much with her that I am pretty sure she could qualify as the spirit animal of my high school self. She struggles with insecurities about grades, friends and expectations she has placed on herself regarding the boxes she believes she should check to be successful.

I found underlying discussion surrounding the morality of cloning and it was fascinating to watch Lucille/Lucy navigate keeping it a secret. There was plenty of suspense and tension as I waited for the other shoe to drop.

Perhaps my only complaint about the book was that it left me wanting more. I would have loved a longer epilogue of sorts to know what happened but it’s nice problem to have and does not impact my 5/5 star rating.

I would recommend this standalone YA contempory with science fiction elements to people who loved books like: Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl and Nyxia by Scott Reintgen.

Thank you, Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Half Life by Lillian Clark is a YA Sci-Fi novel that tells the story of Lucille, an overachieving teenager who joins an experimental clone-development program to help resolve her problems. After a constant stream of failures and disappointments in her life, she decides to have one more of her will help remove the issues she has. She can be the perfect daughter, perfect student, and the perfect friend and still find time for some fun. Lucille is not the perfect heroine one would expect, she is flawed, self-absorbed, and has issues with communicating with people around her. She hides behind her snark and at times uses jokes to take attention off her. The whole cloning experiment and set up was creepy and weird in a good way. It added to the tension in the story and hooks the reader to the plot very quickly. Lucy was my favorite character in the book and her ability to become more than a clone was wonderful to read about. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. There were some funny, cute, and adorable moments. I loved the romance in this book. I felt it was realistically portrayed. The book is more than science fiction. The issues of self-worth, confidence, teenage pressures, and perfectionism were masterfully portrayed in this story. There is also a commentary of bioethics that arises in situations like the cloning experiment. I felt it was executed superbly. The character progression and the dual perspective helped connect with the characters and their problems. Overall it was a quick enjoyable read with great elements that will appeal to the YA audience. I gave the book 4.5 stars and I highly recommend checking it out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks also to the FFBC for including me on the blog tour for this book! 3.5 stars.

Pun not intended but I’m half-half on how I feel about this book. This ended up being quite different to what I expected. It's more contemporary with sci-fi elements and I think I expected more futuristic sci-fi than it being set in the ‘present day’. I enjoyed the latter half of the book much more than the first half, but I also thought that the ending was very abrupt and all the issues were resolved too easily to be believed—even after having already suspended my disbelief from the start.

Half Life follows Lucille, an overachieving, extremely self-absorbed high school sophomore who is obsessed with perfection — she along with everything in her life must be perfect, but it seems the more she tries, the harder everything becomes. So when things start falling even more apart and she deeply questions her self-worth, she does The Drastic Thing™️ and... decides to participate in a secret cloning program that has chosen her as their perfect candidate. I remember what it’s like to be that age and while certain things that happened with/to her would’ve definitely had me reacting the same way, it was still hard to feel empathy/sympathy for her. There was something about Lucille that made her unlikable, which made it difficult to feel invested in the story, and I honestly much preferred Lucy’s character.

As I mentioned before, things begin to pick up in the second half of the book and we also get alternating perspectives from both Lucille and Lucy. From the start there was already a feeling of ‘foreboding’ but that increased exponentially with the introduction of Lucy. It was really interesting to see how, despite being a facsimile of Lucille, her tone of voice and views were markedly different. I admittedly haven’t thought a lot about the ethics of cloning but I really enjoyed that we explore those questions through the lens of a (sentient) clone. I also liked how Clark explored the idea of a person's truth--how others perceive something might not be the same as you do, and how important self-acceptance is. It did make me think about what it would be like to be in this situation. If I had a clone of myself, how differently would she (it?) perceive the things that happened to us (me) and how different would our reactions be? With the already interesting backdrop of the story I thought all these ideas were uniquely explored although ultimately I found that there was a certain lack of "punch" to the story, and I think that might have to do with how rushed the climax/ending felt.

Everything, especially the tension, built up very nicely throughout the story but the ending was, in my opinion, a bit of "womp womp" moment. I was shocked that when I checked how much further in the book I had to go, I saw that I was already at the 93% mark, while the thrilling action was just kicking off! Again, all the drama was resolved very easily and while I don’t know how I was expecting characters in the story to react, this full acceptance of a completely bizarro situation, with only a few bats of the eye, was pretty unbelievable. 🤷🏻‍♀️ There were also elements that didn't make sense, like how an advanced experimental lab such as this didn't have cameras everywhere or better security? It added to the whole 'this is totally unlikely, but okay' feeling I got from the ending.

As a whole though, I really liked the concept of Half Life. I haven’t read many books about or with the subject of cloning and so that was already a big plus from the go. I also have to mention that while there was a bit of scientific jargon at the start, Clark’s writing is accessible and the content didn’t end up being confusing or overwhelming to digest, even for someone like me who has very limited knowledge of the science stuff 🤣 While the book ended up being quite different to what I expected, it was still a pretty fast and enjoyable read and I'm glad I gave it a go!

Don’t mind me, I’m just pondering philosophical questions such as “what does it mean to be human? What is a soul?” Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for the ARC!

In this book, we follow Lucille, a teenage overachiever who really has no idea what she’s doing in life. She has pushed people away, put all of her attention into her school work (she dreams of the ivies), and has no idea who she is. When she commits to being the beta test for a cloning trial, we also get to follow Lucy, Lucille’s physical clone with her own thoughts and feelings. As Lucille watches Lucy live her life but better, Lucille must confront her own feelings of inadequacy as well as some larger philosophical questions.

I loved the evolution of both Lucille and Lucy in this book. They both felt so authentic and flawed and interesting, and it was a treat to watch them both grow. The writing is by no means superfluous, but there are sections of the narrative that are science/science fiction heavy (which makes sense). There is some medical talk, and I am not qualified to say how realistic the science was. I love science fiction that is still heavily based in a world that looks like our own (light sci-fi?), and so this was the perfect blend of contemporary and fantastical!

The book did feel slower in the middle, and I knew that it would pick up, but the middle third did not hold my attention as well as the beginning and end did. That being said, I never wanted to stop reading the book, and I was excited to see where it would go.

My favorite thing about this book is the philosophical questions that it posed. The clones are such interesting, sympathetic characters, and I became invested in their stories. Much like Frankenstein, this book poses questions about the ethics of creating a cognisant being with thoughts and feelings. It also poses questions about souls/ what it means to have a soul, what makes a person, and ethics/morality in science. This book gave me all kinds of feels, and I think I would have thoroughly related to Lucille at 16 years old.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it if you like science fiction.

This was a surprisingly interesting story that totally kept me engaged throughout the whole book. I loved how it combined an insecure high-school girl with a near-future cloning science to layer teenage angst and existential questions about self and morality. When the book splits into alternating viewpoints of Lucille and Lucy (the clone), it really picks up and comes into its own. Minus one star for cleaning up a little quickly and neatly rather than really dragging you through the mud to conclude.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Black Mirror meets The Parent Trap with a hint of thriller.

For the first third, Half Life reads like a contemporary YA. Lucille is an model student who is suddenly thrown by her parents' divorce, a friend break-up, and the fact that the guy she likes never notices her at all. So behind everyone's back she decides to clone herself. That way, she figures, her clone can do all her work while she finally has some fun.

Things got a bit more confusing (and quite a bit more sci-fi) as Lucille starts attending her cloning appointments. When the clone is finished, she adds her POV. The clone's parts are marked as "Lucy" (clone) and "Lucille." Lucille decides to go off with a new guy she met at an internship and let Lucy the clone take over her old life. And of course things don't go as planned at all - think some Parent Trap style hijinks.
Then the book turns into a bit of a thriller as Lucy finds out some alarming information about the cloning program and the two girls need to join forces.

All in all, I did enjoy Half Life. The tone and feel of the book was a little inconsistent and I found that jarring at times, but by the end it had a lot of heart and I was glad I read it.

I requested this book on NetGalley despite the few reviews from previous ARC readers and my enormous list of to-be-read books because the description of it seemed wild. This book did not disappoint.

Sixteen-year-old Lucille has lived her life trying to live up to the expectations of her friends, family, and teachers. When everything in her life starts to crumble, Lucille decides to take a risk to "Do More. Be More" to try to maintain her identity as a high achiever. So instead of doing what most teens do when faced with life's troubles, Lucille decides to sign up to be part of an experimental cloning experiment. She'll get a clone of herself who can take care of the daily tasks like keeping up relationships with her family and going to school, so Lucille can do whatever she wants in her own time. Sounds great, what could go wrong?!

This book was incredibly engaging, with just a few slow moments in the middle in the midst of the experiment. The last third of the book was a real page turner. Lucille's narrative voice was engaging and unique. I was nervous that adding a clone would muddy this, but Clark manages to make their voices distinct and clear. My only issue with this one was the pacing at the end. I thought there were a few loose ends that didn't get tied up, and while those definitely weren't the main "points" of the book, I left having a lot of questions about logistics that I thought could have been addressed with another chapter or two.

This book is a great piece for teens to think about morality, ethics, identity, and expectations. I can see this starting some great conversations in a classroom.

This book was a cool book about clones. I did think it was a little predictable, but I loved some of the twists in the book. I thought the book wrapped up nicely, but I do wish one more chapter had been added to fully talk about everything after. Overall I enjoyed reading this and it was hard to put down and the right amount of twisty. Would recommend.

I loved the idea behind the book and was able to read through this book pretty quickly. The character was well fleshed out and believable and her flaws were relatable. The friendship dynamic and love interests were interesting and by the middle of the book I was really into where this would all lead...and then the ending kinda just happened all in one fell swoop. I felt a little unsatisfied after the climax as the book was winding down and ended up with more questions than answers. I wish there would have been more interactions between the Lucilles/Lucy and the relationships they made and how everyone handled their transition to life together.
Other than that it was still enjoyable!

Lasting Impressions

The most compelling part of this book are the characters, despite this being a speculative sci-fi. I haven't read Lillian Clark's debut, but I immediately knew that her writing strength was her characters. Lucille is an overachiever, a perfectionist. She struggles to make time for the important things in her life, such as her family—which is breaking apart—and her best friend—who feels really distant. Not to mention her schoolwork and college aspirations. I really related to Lucille because of this—who doesn't want more time in their life to do the things that are important to you? I really liked how the author slowly revealed Lucille's selfishness through Lucy, the perfect foil.

I really connected to Lucy. Her desire to have her own life despite all these memories inside of her... it's tragic and emotional. I loved her part of the story the most. Most clone books revolve around cloning from birth, or finding your clone living another life, but this book is about having a mental, emotional, physical clone—in every aspect. The tension between Lucille and Lucy is so believable because of how alike they are yet how different they are because of their circumstances.

The ethical dilemmas are thoroughly explored in this book, and I really loved to see how it can affect a regular, struggling teenager who might be so desperate as to not consider the consequences. It was exciting to see Lucille realize what she needs to learn and consider, as it was exciting to see Lucy come into her own voice and personality. The author was able to do this effectively because of the dual POV used throughout the book.

The tension is further heightened because of the secondary characters that affect Lucille's and Lucy's life. These characters also felt really three-dimensional to me. They had their own worries, their own lives and hobbies. They didn't revolve around Lucille (and Lucy) and it really shows it in a realistic way.

My only critique is that I think the ending felt really rushed. I was at the ninety-five percent mark and I still wasn't sure how this book was supposed to wrap up. I did love how it ended, but I wish the author could have taken more time to slow it down. Honestly, I wish this could've been a duology—I felt that there was so much more to explore in this world the author created. However, that's obviously not in the author's control, it's just a wish of mine :D

Quick Thoughts
-The science-y stuff... I'll be honest, I didn't take much stock in it. The characters are definitely the important stuff, so I'm glad the author didn't dwell too long on this part of the story (though what was described sounded really cool!)
-The exploration of the ethical dilemmas for the adults in the book is... terrifying. It glued me to my seat. (I won't say more because of spoilers).

Overall Feelings

This is such an intriguing book. I'd highly recommend this to people who enjoy character-driven speculative stories.

**DNF @ 37%**
This was a case of feeling a big disconnect from the main character and the dialogue feeling cheesy at times. The main character is a very rude and selfish person who doesn't know how to be nice or try to do better so the fact that having a clone that's supposed to teach her what's really important didn't end up being compelling for me. The science behind the cloning was interesting but I never got pulled into the story sadly. Teen readers will like this more than me. This was a case of not connecting with the story but I'm glad I tried it.

I received an ARC of this book. It had very strong voices that differed from each other in amazing ways. My only regret is that it ended so quickly. It was a satisfying ending I just wish there were like 50 more pages to really flush it out and pack in some more intrigue and action. Overall though, amazing. Definitely worth the read!

This book was unlike anything I’ve ever really read before. I loved this story and the character development of our main character Lucille. Lillian Clark did a wonderful job!

I snorted and laughed when Lucy and her father greeted each other. He says, “Greetings, Kid” and her reply, “Salutations, Parent.” For some reason, this made me laugh and really like this book from the start.

There was so much to unwrap in this book and so many important messages for readers, especially young women. I really liked the way the author developed each character and brought them to life. I couldn’t help but fall in love with Lucille and Lucy.

A powerful and all too real line from the book is, “Money is power. And the people with power decide how the world works.”

The story takes the reader on several journeys from various perspectives and reveals things about human nature, how we view ourselves, how we think society views each of us, and how we should behave. Overall, a very good read.

#HalfLife #NetGalley

From the author of one of my favorite books last year, IMMORAL CODE, comes this new novel about self-discovery amid self-doubt, the nature of identity and living with/meeting expectations.

I don't want to give anything away, but few writers, I think, handle multiple narrators as well as Lillian does--and in this particular book, that must have been an especially challenging task.

It is a challenge she meets deftly and with aplomb. I can't wait for this book to be out in the world. Read it. It is excellent.

How would it look if cloning a human were possible? Not just a heart or skin, but a full human being with feelings and emotions.

Lucille is an over-achiever who was approached by a cutting-edge, secret company that asks to clone her. As life feels like it is falling apart, she decides to make the jump and what happens is beyond anything she could have anticipated.

While there was language that I felt was unnecessary, I actually really enjoyed this story! There is plenty of YA, high-school angst and drama, but the story was compelling and it was a quick, fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Books for an ARC for my honest opinion.

Half Life is all sorts of fun. Full of characters that you can instantly love, Lucille felt a little too close to home - all you overachievers will rejoice! At the same time, Half Life asks important questions about ethics and doing what's right. Presenting the ethics of cloning, the bonds of family, and asking what makes up the essence of ourselves, it is thoughtful. I definitely got all the Black Mirror vibes, but also Living With Yourself vibes too - which may be a more spot on premise comparison.

Half Life is also a story about friendship and family. It's one of those books where the premise instantly hooked me, and then what unfolded was even better. Wrapped up in this contemporary setting are questions about the future and ethics. What rights do our clones have? Are we responsible for their actions? How much of us do they have? Presenting these conflicts, Half Life feels insightful without being heavy handed. All at the same time, it's incredibly endearing. It takes this basic feeling of not being enough, achieving enough, measuring enough, and just expands it. Asking us what we would do in Lucille's place if we had the option of having a clone. I mean, who hasn't thought of that same question? Lucille felt almost like a mirror of myself. Feeling like she's just barely succeeding and that people's expectations of her raise what she needs to succeed even higher.