I'm so late writing this review, but if you are looking at these reviews, wondering if you should read this, this is for you: READ IT! Sarah Zachrich Jeng followed up her incredible twisty debut, THE OTHER ME, with another incredible twisty mystery about friendship and secrets. Go go go and read this!

This was a very different type of book I normally don’t read this genre, but I loved stepping out of my comfort zone!

We meet Mary, it’s been seven years since her expulsion from college, she is trying to pick up the pieces of her life and she has plans of avenging the person who ruined everything she worked for Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a highly popular, rich influencer, she is living her dream life, plus she’s married to Nate, the boy Mary fell for in college.
Mary was betrayed in the worst way she was the scapegoat of a crime committed by Elizabeth, it was a crime against one of the members of the most influential family in the city! Mary then lost her college degree, plus any chance to get an education, or even find a job, and her family's business also dragged into the mess, which led them disowning their own daughter. Now She's alone, broke , living in a horrible apartment. She watches while Elizabeth enjoys beauty, comfort, money, love, and Nate. This is absolutely not fair! But finally it seems like
her prayers are answered by an anonymous benefactor who sends her the Empathyzer, which helps her switch bodies with Elizabeth and be able to live her life to the fullest, just as Elizabeth might also take the blame for the death of her college nemesis who ruined her entire life.
The only thing Mary now has to do is put the Empathyzer into Elizabeth's tote bag while she's out with her college friends. She'll finally get her revenge by stealing her bestie's life. But what if Elizabeth's perfect life is not as perfect as it seems? What if she's not the villainess of the story as she thought from the beginning? What if she's in prime danger, and by switching their bodies.

Think Freaky Friday with trading bodies with someone else, only what can go wrong does go wrong, and then some.

Unique story, took a bit for the book to gain momentum though, first 30% was hard to get through and was debatable about DNF-ing. This was more revenge than sci-fi, but it does have a lot of technical info and sci-fi on how these Empathyzers work.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to @berkleypub @prhaudio for the #gifted copy.

I listened to this one on audio and I thought the was good. This sci-fi type thriller kept me engaged from start to finish. The story is told from both Mary and Elizabeth’s alternating POV. I was definitely more interested in Elizabeth’s, but when they switched what a hot mess. Here comes the revenge. The premise was different, but stick with jt! You won’t be disappointed!

This book is a gripping 5-star thriller that incorporates dark depths of revenge and deception. This is my first time reading a book by this author and I think the premise was chilling and exhilarating with lots of betrayal and consequences. As the protagonist, Mary, seeks retribution against Elizabeth, the story unfolds with intense twists and turns. This book navigates the complexities of obsession, identity, and the ultimate price of revenge. With each page turned, the suspense builds, keeping the reader on edge until the shocking conclusion. "When I’m her" takes is a must read !!!

Thank you to the Berkeley and the author for allowing me to arc read this book in exchange for my honest review

I was intrigued by this one. It’s a story about female friendship and revenge.

Elizabeth is the pretty one and Mary is the smart one. In college Mary interned at a tech company that developed the Empathyzer, a device that lets you swap bodies. Mary and Elizabeth try it out. At a frat party something bad happens when the two girls swapped bodies, and Elizabeth (in Mary’s body) was the one at the scene and Mary is the one who gets in trouble. Years later Mary and Elizabeth are no longer friends, and the Empathyzer shows up on Mary’s doorstep. Mary is determined to get revenge on Elizabeth, but Mary quickly learns that Elizabeth’s life isn’t as perfect as Mary thought it was.

This was an interesting concept. It was told via dual perceptive of Mary and Elizabath in the present and flashbacks of the past. I thought the book was ok. There was some suspense and it was fast paced, but I figured out everything pretty quickly. I also found it confusing at times especially when the women “switched bodies.”

If you enjoy revenge stories give this one a try.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I expected a bit more of a technical scifi aspect. There wasn't too much on the technology. I'm With Her is much more a psychological thriller. One young woman, Elizabeth, is confidant and used to having her way because of her beauty. Mary is by no means ugly but lacks confidence and is more interested in science and her career. Somehow they become friends in college.

The story is told with flashbacks to 7 years ago in college and now. Elizabeth did some things (as Mary) which cost Mary and her family everything. It all started with a guy blackmailing Mary because basically he wanted to rape Elizabeth. Because he had money and connections, he could ruin Mary's internship and scholarship by lying. Mary didn't want to do that and lost it all anyway.

Mary has spent the last 7 years struggling. Elizabeth has married Mary's crush, Nate and become a wealthy influencer. Now Mary plans to take over Elizabeth's life to enjoy the guy, the influence and money she wrongfully denied.

I feel for Mary. She got in trouble because of Elizabeth. She didn't want fame or money. She just wanted to study and get a reasonable science job and maybe date a guy she liked who had been nice to her.

Elizabeth has made some bad choices without considering the consequences to others. Now some of those are coming home to roost - for Mary. I didn't like how Elizabeth continually used Mary for her own purposes or fresh start.

There were interesting moral dilemmas which mostly Mary considered. Both women could have been kinder to others. They understood each other and needed the friendship for their own purposes. I enjoyed seeing the tangled mess and how they rebuilt their lives.

When I'm Her
Sarah Zachrich Jeng

📖 Best friends Mary and Elizabeth use a new technology to periodically switch places (like actually switch bodies). Until one night, something goes terribly wrong, putting an end to their friendship. Years later, Mary is still thinking about what it felt like to be in the body of the gorgeous, confident, charismatic Elizabeth. And so Mary concocts a plan to switch places one last - and final - time!

💭 What a unique read! Admittedly, I don't read a lot of sci-fi thrillers, so my frame of reference is limited, but this one feels fresh and clever! Told in past/present timelines from both women's perspectives, I did get mixed up a time or two (which I suppose is only natural when the MCs are inside the others' body 🤪). Overall this was a fun, well paced read that I enjoyed!

**My review was posted to my IG in late March**

This was an interesting read. I feel like reading it vs listening would have made me less confused on who was who. I did find myself having to relisten because there were so many moving pieces to this. I enjoyed the thriller aspect of this and I felt like Elizabeth really came into her own. The character development for Mary and her definitely got better towards the end. There were a few twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Overall, if you’re looking for a freaky Friday girl fight type book, this ones for you.

If you could switch bodies with someone else, would you do it?

After reading When I’m Her, my answer is a resounding no. It is a sci-fi kind of book about two college friends who have a special device that allows them to switch bodies, Freaky Friday style. Except they both have ulterior motives and things just go kind of bonkers. This book was clever and intense, albeit a little confusing at times as I had to remember who was the narrator at any given moment. I really appreciated the uniqueness and the overarching message that nothing portrayed on social media is really what it seems and while grass may seem greener on the other side, you never really know what someone is going through.

Sarah Zachrich Jeng’s newest speculative thriller When I’m Her will have your mind in a blender as you follow two women whose lives are so intertwined, they are able to change places. There are a lot of takeaways from this book, so let’s get right into the review.

Eight years ago

Mary and Elizabeth were in college and formed an unlikely friendship, though they couldn’t be more different. Mary is a brainiac who doesn’t care much about her appearance. She’s working as hard as she can to afford school and get a good job, including an internship at a mysterious company called Confluence Innovations. Elizabeth is beautiful, popular, and instantly magnetic to everyone who meets her, but she hates that people only see her for her physical appearance and not who she truly is.

Elizabeth begs Mary to take a pair of devices from Confluence called Empathyzers. These devices allow the two people in possession of a pair to switch bodies. The devices are in testing, which means they don’t work more often than they do. However, Mary is surprised when she and Elizabeth try the devices and are able to swap bodies. They begin to test it out, and Mary logs the experiences in a journal.

The body swapping devices were originally designed to build empathy in a relationship—to allow someone to really see what their friend or partner experiences. And the devices do make Elizabeth and Mary much closer than ever before. Until one night when something irreversible happens while they are swapped, and their lives change forever…

Now

Mary’s life was ruined that night back in college. In the wake of the incident, they swap bodies back but no one believes that Mary wasn’t the one responsible. How could they? The devices were still in testing and no one knew she took them from work. Mary was expelled from college. The family of the victim were influential (and litigious) people and they also went after Mary’s parents, who eventually disown her in shame. Now, Mary can barely hold down a job and afford to live day to day.

Meanwhile Elizabeth’s life seems perfect. She’s a very successful influencer whose job it is to showcase her life (and a few sponsored products) and interact with fans. Her status really grew when she announced her engagement to a man she had kept hidden in posts before—Nate. Nate isn’t just anyone, he’s Mary’s college crush—the one she told Elizabeth about. Mary is seething. Her life was ruined and Elizabeth got everything she wanted. It isn’t fair!

Mary has spent years working to get her hands on a set of Empathyzers that were allegedly destroyed when the company went under, and she finally has them. She goes out to where she know Elizabeth is having brunch and casually drops one into her bag, then goes behind the restaurant and swaps bodies. This time Mary has no intention of swapping back. Let Elizabeth take the life she ruined and see what it’s like, Mary will finally get the life she deserved—successful, secure, and married to Nate.

But it soon becomes clear that Elizabeth’s life is nothing like Mary thought. It’s not perfect at all, actually. Meanwhile Elizabeth is hiding out in Mary’s body, taking the swap much better than expected. When it becomes apparent that the woman are in danger, Mary realizes she has made a deadly mistake. The two friends-turned-enemies will have to work together if they want to live.

My Thoughts

What a twisted tale this turned out to be! I’ll be honest that I hesitated to pick it up because I thought it might be too science-fiction for me. However, I’d describe this as much more of a psychological thriller with a dash of science fiction. It took me a while to get the hang of who was in which body at which timeline. This is a case where I’d recommend the audiobook. In part because the narrators are both fantastic, but also because Mary and Elizabeth each have their own narrator which helps keep straight who’s talking. Keep in mind that each chapter will start with some version of “Mary, in Elizabeth’s body. Now.” This means that we will be hearing Mary’s narration but she is inside of Elizabeth’s body and life.

Once I got used to the swapping and wrapping my head around who was who, the story got much easier to follow. In general, outside of the parts of the past timeline and the very beginning of the present timeline where Mary engineers the swap, they are almost always narrating from the other person’s body. Confused? Don’t be! The author and narrators make it clear who is speaking and which body they are in.

In an interview, Sarah Zachrich Jeng explains what inspired this story:

“The body swapping piece is just an extreme extension of the human desire to have what someone else has. I was also thinking about how women are so often set up to envy and be in competition with one another, even when they’re friends, and I wanted to both play into and subvert that.”

It resonated with me that pressure women have to compete with one another. Perhaps men feel this way too—I haven’t swapped places with a man so I can’t speak on that! But every reader can relate to having the desire to want what someone else has. At least once in our lives, we’ve all been jealous of someone else. The story of Elizabeth and Mary shows that often what the other person has isn’t as great as it seems. Further, even in our lowest points (and Mary is in a very low point), there are things about our lives that are great and that others may want.

If you were to rearrange the chapters to go in chronological order, the arc of Mary and Elizabeth’s friendship is actually a fascinating case study on the effectiveness of devices like the Empathyzers (and also the dangers). At the beginning of their story, Mary wanted to be friends with Elizabeth much more than Elizabeth wanted to be friends with her. Elizabeth pressures Mary (her roommate at the time) to sneak a pair of Empathyzers out of her work. And while Mary partly did this out of scientific curiosity—she really did it because she can’t help but want to see what it would be like to be Elizabeth.

The devices were originally designed to help with empathy (note, I have actually seen research that using VR goggles to do this can be highly effective at increasing empathy in people). Mary and Elizabeth do gain more of an understanding of how the other person lives, and this pulls them closer into a real friendship.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

When I'm Her by Sarah Zachrich Jeng

Pub Date: 03/26/24

Thank you, @berkleypub, for the free copy.

When I'm Her is Freak Friday meets science fiction in this fun thriller. Two friends swap bodies using a prototype device called the Empathyzer, whose purpose is to help two people live a day in each other's shoes. However, a crime committed during one of the swaps completely derails the life of one of the friends, and seven years later, she's out for revenge.

For the most part, I enjoyed the unique premise of this one, even though there were a few times I got confused with who was in whose body. It initially was a deterrent, but eventually, I got a handle on things and was able to immerse myself in the story.

I was expecting more from the ending and was left a little underwhelmed with the way things concluded. More so because I thought the story was heading in a different direction, but I would recommend this if you're a fan of science fiction and thrillers.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌠

I really enjoyed this sci-fi thriller! It was such an intense and gripping story about friendship, deceit, envy, and identity. Mary and Elizabeth have always been total opposites. Mary is brainy, mousy, nervous, and incredibly shy. Elizabeth is confident, popular, lucky, and the fantasy of every man on their college campus. Mary is working at a lab that creates an invention called an "Empathyzer" that allows the people wearing it to swap bodies. Mary takes it without permission, setting off a series of adventures, experiences, and deadly mistakes as Mary and Elizabeth inhabit each other's bodies.

After Mary is accused of something that Elizabeth did while inhabiting her body, her life is ruined. For eight years she has only had one goal: getting revenge on Elizabeth. She obsesses over her, stalks her, and schemes for all of those years, while Elizabeth is thriving as a wealthy, married, and beloved social media influencer. Mary lost everything, and Elizabeth has it all. Mary is determined to swap bodies one more time, and this time it will be permanent.

OMG. I really could not get enough of this story. I loved the flashback chapters and the themes of this novel. Feminine rage, dysfunctional female friendships, revenge, and realizing the grass isn't always greener on the other side were so incredibly well done. My only complaint is the chapters are confusing sometimes since the girls are in each other's bodies for much of this book, but the chapters are labeled so you can flip back to check. The twists, reveals, and overall ending were excellent. Even though the final reveals were a bit anti-climactic and any seasoned thriller reader will have guessed it, I still enjoyed and devoured this story!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

OK! This book. Kinda weird concept, but I was here for it. I should have probably not went in blindly into this book, but IT WAS A GOOD SURPRISE. I do enjoy sci-fi books, and this had a bit of a everything.

It is set in a normal world, where an experimental device is created to let you literally walk in someone else's shoes. You can switch for as long as you want, but it doesn't work for all and never gets off the ground. Mary, one of our MC's gets an internship at this company, and gets her hands on these devices when her roommate/friend Elizabeth says that sounds like a fun concept to try out.

It is a bit of a mystery, as one guy ends up dead, and the detective is set on these two friends, and that they were involved in this man's death. It is a bit of an obsession story, as we have two very different ladies - Elizabeth, the life of a party, a current influencer, and Mary, smart but the quiet mouse.

The relationship has a bit of a weird vibe. That constant obsession - sometimes with revenge, and in the past with just wanting to be popular, seen and acknowledged. But at the same time it is easy to recognize all the feelings you feel in a friendship, such as love, wanting, trust and betrayal, jealousy.. All of these feelings and not finding a way to communicate properly, leads to the revenge story. And Mary gets her hands on the devices one more time, to try and get her dues. But is it all nice and roses as Elizabeth portrays on social media? And can this end in a good way?

Just go on this wild ride of the book.

2.5 stars
I enjoyed Jeng's previous book, The Other Me, but I found this one to be more confusing and actually a bit boring once I finally figured out what was going on. Jeng's book felt like a cross between a Faith Gardner and a John Marrs tale (with a dash of Sarah Pinborough).

The main premise of the book (that isn't really explained early enough) is that two college roommates, Elizabeth and Mary, get their hands on some new tech that allows them to swap consciousnesses. Seven years later, they aren't speaking to each other. Elizabeth is a famous influencer and Mary hops from job to job, trying to avoid bill collectors and the consequences of something that happened in college. Mary is mad that Elizabeth is living this amazing life when they were both involved in the incident while in each others' bodies. Mary gets her hands on another "empathyzer" bracelet that allows the switching to take place and figures out how to swap with Elizabeth one last time. Mary is determined to live Elizabeth's glamorous life while making Elizabeth learn what it's like to live as Mary permanently. But are things really better as someone else?

It's a complicated setup, made much more confusing by the narration in the past where I was never completely sure who was actually speaking and who was in whose body. The present day was a bit more clear because the chapters are from one viewpoint or the other and they were switched most of the time, so that made it a little easier to understand. I honestly didn't really get it for the longest time.

I liked the premise and it could have worked if it was clearer who was who and what was actually going on. We don't find out the driving incident that caused Mary's life to fall apart until really late in the book and that didn't help my confusion either. It's possible this would work better on the screen, as the story is really original and had an interesting sci-fi twist.

There are many people who were blown away by this book, so maybe it was just me being confused. I definitely liked the author's first book better so I will give another one a try in the future.

After reading this authors debut novel in 2021, I knew I would I have to read this one! I honestly didn’t even read the synopsis. This book is a domestic thriller mixed with sci-fi. This author has such a way of weaving a tale together, throwing in lies, betrayal, and revenge! This was such a quick read and is told in dual timelines and multiple perspectives. I recommend going into this book blind

Wow! This is the quickest I have read a book in awhile. I started it two nights ago. Since being pregnant and having my daughter over his never happens anymore.

Mary and Elizabeth are friends in college until a accident occurs, and Mary blames Elizabeth for the outcome and becomes obsessed with getting her revenge.

This one is a Sci-fi thriller which I can’t say I have read before and it was unique and twisty and I had to keep turning the pages to find out what happened next. The sci fi aspect really kept this fresh for me and I liked both Mary and Elizabeth though they were both pretty unlikeable characters. But they felt real to me. It is also always fun for me to read about female relationships even if it isn’t a good one.

Highly suggest this one!

3.75⭐️

If you could swap bodies with someone on demand, would you do it? That’s the premise behind Sarah Zachrich Jeng’s latest thriller. It’s Freaky Friday with the help of technology and with a definite edge.

After a major fallout in college, Mary and Elizabeth parted ways, but Mary never quite got over what Elizabeth did to her. After years of planning and preparation, the opportunity to take her revenge appears in Mary’s mailbox. She can step into Elizabeth’s charmed, shining life, but that life may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

It’s an interesting premise, but ultimately I found the two main characters to be unsympathetic. I guess I was rooting for them in theory as the story unfolded, but I didn’t really like them.

I kept turning the pages on this one because I wanted to see how everything would end, but there are a lot of morally grey happenings in this book.

And things got a bit overly dramatic for me.

It sure was an interesting ride, though.

I received an advance copy of the book from Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This was a unique one. What happens when you can literally walk in someone else’s shoes ? This device allows for that but in a thriller it’s not just as simple as experiencing someone else’s life. It’s best to go in to this one blind. I had zero clue what to expect with this one!
Huge thank you to #berkleypub and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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Thank you @berkleypub for my complimentary digital copy and @prhaudio for the audio version. My thoughts are my own.
#penguinrandomhousepartner

This book contains such a unique storyline and deals with themes of rivalry, envy, and revenge. I literally could not stop reading (and listening to) it!

Elizabeth and Mary are best friends and college roommates. Mary, the brainier of the two, works in a lab where they are experimenting with switching bodies. Mary ‘borrows’ a set of empathizer (body switching) bracelets, and she and Elizabeth begin to enjoy secretly switching bodies…that is until everything goes terribly wrong at a fraternity party.

Years later, Mary and Elizabeth are estranged. Mary stalks the perfect Elizabeth online. Jealous of her beauty and her Instagram-perfect life, Mary plots revenge because of the repercussions of that night at the fraternity party.

MY THOUGHTS: Mary and Elizabeth’s stories unfolded through alternating perspectives. I enjoyed both points of view, but I was more intrigued by Elizabeth’s perspective, especially once I saw the MESS Mary had transferred herself into! Suddenly Mary (as Elizabeth) found her new life overshadowed by affairs, deceit, and a murder investigation. She was forced to turn to Elizabeth. As I read, I wondered how Mary and Elizabeth would resolve things. The stunning conclusion will keep you thinking!

I preferred the audio version of this story. The alternating personalities caused confusion at times, and the audio (with two narrators) made the characters easier to distinguish.