I read Christine Riccio's debut, Again But Better, when it came out and it, unfortunately, did not do it for me. But I really wanted to give her a second chance as an author because I have been following her writing journey for so long and wanted to support her. With Better Together, I think I had a more enjoyable time reading than I did with her previous book. I think she'll end up being an author I may not always enjoy but will read from when I need an easy pick-me-up one rainy day.

Imagine meeting your imaginary friend at a summer camp you were forced to go to only to find out she was actually your sister.

Jamie is an aspiring stand up comedian. She made a deal with her father where she ends up going to ‘discover yourself’ summer camp where she runs into her sister she hasn’t seen in years.

Siri is an amazing ballerina who has been recently injured on top of finding out her boyfriend has been cheating on her with her best friend. Her mom decides she needs to go to this summer camp to re-discover herself.

When the sisters run into each other (literally) Siri thinks she’s losing her mind and Jamie can’t figure out why her sister is acting so weird.

I loved both of the characters in this book. Jamie is outgoing with her not only her personality, but also with her crazy hair color and clothes. Siri is definitely less outgoing, but I still really liked her character because instead of using cuss words she used the actual word for them. It was quite funny and made me laugh a lot throughout the book.

When they swap places with each other they get a taste of what the other goes through on a daily basis and what it’s like living with the other parent.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it especially if you’re a fan of Freaky Friday.

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this arc in return for an honest review.

This was so difficult to get through, which is usually a bad sign. I winded up DNFing this one. Though I hated Again, But Better I thought she might have improved and I decided to give this one a shot. It was (and I can't stress this enough) absolutely horrible. so so bad. Naming two of the MCs from Game of Throne characters??? Yeah no, I was uncomfortable, to say the least. There was just so much that was pointless and felt lazy. Lesson Learned, I won't be reading any future titles by Riccio.

I wanted to like this more than I did. I thought the plot stalled too often and it lasted about 100 pages too long. Not for me.

I didn’t finish this book. Nearly 500 pages was way too long for this story. It seemed unrealistic and over the top. Based on The Parent Trap, this story had potential to be fun and entertaining but it just wasn’t. I can’t review how it ended because I didn’t make it that far.

This one wasn’t for me. I think the idea was great but the execution failed. I’m sure others will like it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eGalley. All opinions are my own.

It really felt as literal as the description says. I was just reading the parent trap and freaky Friday movies in a book. I didn’t mind that it was gathering inspiration from the movies but I wasn't expecting something so similar. By the time the second inspired movie plot was brought in, it just seemed unnecessary and a tad bit too convenient. A conflict and a temporary "solution" had already been introduced, to add on top another "twist" that didn't really add anything to the plot only undid what the first "solution" was trying to do threw me off completely. Might try to give it another try later on but I just wasn’t enjoying myself.

DNF, after around 30%.

I just don’t think Christine’s writing style is for me. This is the second book I’ve read by her and it just… was not that good. The pacing was off, the plot practically boring. And the characters were one dimensional.

I was really hesitant before requesting and reading this book because of all the negative reviews of the author's books. I was also worried that there was more hype around the author than the actual book/content. However, I ended up enjoying this book quite a bit!

In this book, estranged twin sisters get reunited and figure out a way to switch places. Their parents had decided to each take a daughter and pretty much forget about the other half of their family. It's pretty insane to me to think this could be done but it was entertaining to see the girls getting to know each of their parents and take the other's life for a time.

Overall, this was enjoyable even though I would have liked if it had been a bit shorter to get the plot moving more quickly.

(Thank you for letting me read and review this ARC via Netgalley)

This book was a miss for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!


The Holiday meets The Parent Trap in this clever comedic whirlwind brimming with romance, a healthy dose of family drama, and just a touch of magic.

Estranged sisters Jamie and Siri are quarter-life crisis-ing: hard. Adulthood is staring them both in the face and their career aspirations suddenly feel… way out of reach? After thirteen years apart living on opposite coasts, fate brings them back together when they wind up at the same nature retreat in Colorado.

Desperate for a change of pace, the sisters decide to go home in each other’s stead and see how the other half lives. It doesn't take long for them to realize: swapping lives might be more than they bargained for. Turns out, pretending to be a sister you hardly know can really complicate your love life.

Navigating their new surroundings proves to be a precarious task, but what better way to learn about yourself than by trying to live as someone else?

2.5 stars A parent trap twist that didn't quite do it for me. Siri and Jamie experienced a lot of trauma from their parents decision to separate them when they were young. This book was filled with finding themselves, vulnerability and discovering new paths. It was layered with emotion but I found myself unable to connect emotionally.

i was hoping for a lot more from this book, honestly. I love Christine and I thought her writing had drastically improved from ABB but it felt messy with the mystical element added in. i just had expected a lot and it really fell short, unfortunately.

Sadly, this book just wasn't for me. I probably shouldn't have requested it but I wanted to give the author a 2nd chance as her first book also didn't mesh well with my tastes.

I enjoyed Christine's debut, Again, but Better, so I was really looking forward to reading her second novel. However, I very quickly DNF'ed this, and have since completely lost all interest in reading the rest of it. It isn't the worst thing I have ever read, but I know that even if I continued it wouldn't get any better. The humor was weird and profoundly unfunny, and there were way too many pop-culture references. Though, I did appreciate the whole magical element, and how one of the main characters was sapphic.

This is a solid sister swap book for fans of Parent Trap and Freaky Friday. It's going to best for readers who are good with a bit of magic and suspension of reality. Ultimately, I felt that the plot dragged a bit, but it's a good premise.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with this book. All thoughts are my own.

Cute tale of two sisters facing a quarter mid life crisis! The promised hints of the Parent Trap type feel were delivered, and it was a fun read.

Unfortunately, this was not a favorite book and it lost my interest very early on. I think the premise of the relationship is interesting but this just isn't the story I was looking for.

Thank you so much to @WednesdayBooks & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 01 June 2021)

SYNOPSIS | Siri is an aspiring ballerina who recently experienced an injury & has been informed by her doctor that she can do longer competitively dance. Jamie is an aspiring stand-up comedian who has stage fright. Both of them attend the "Re-Discover Yourself" retreat only to find that they are actually estranged sisters.

WHAT I LIKED:
- the Freaky Friday / Parent Trap charm of an idea

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I didn't think it was quirky to literally describe swear words e.g. "excrement" instead of "shit"
- the magical element just didn't work for me (yet I loved it in Again, but Better)
- I wasn't invested in either of the romances
- are we seriously going to ignore the fact that what their parents did was absolutely awful?!
- at 450 pages this book was just far too long for a slightly magical contemporary

This book is one of the few that I truly did not love. I think the idea behind it was cute and fun, however it seemed disconnected and almost painful in a way to read.

I really wanted to like this book for a couple reasons. One the concept of The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday. Two of my favourite movies. Two, I had enjoyed the authours first novel for the most part. I figured with some writing under her belt, this book would be even better than her first.

I just could not drag myself through this book. It took me months, and I still could not finish it. Nothing about this book could hold my attention sadly. I got 20% of the way through audiobook, and then tried reading a physical copy from my library once it came out. That still did not keep my attention.

I think the idea is great, but maybe it is too close to the source material. I did not mind that it was so far fetched, but I feel it could have been rained in slightly.

The narration by Brittany Pressley and Karissa Vacker was okay. It was not bad, it was not fantastic, just kind of middle of the road.

I received an advanced audio copy from MacMillan Audio through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.