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I was so excited to read this book by Cesca Major because I have been a fan of hers ever since reading "Maybe, Next Time." Although, I don't think I typically enjoy the Fantasy genre Cesca has a way of pulling the reader in with just enough romance and enough compelling plot lines that make the reader really think about life and complex issues. This book makes you pause and truly think about life, relationships, what it means to listen, what it means to be heard, and what ti takes for a relationship to be successful by truly putting yourself in the other person's shoes both figuratively and in this case literally. Definitely a must read.

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This book had so much potential—who doesn’t love a Freaky Friday twist? I was ready to enjoy it, but honestly, Amy (the FMC) made it hard for me to fully get on board.

Flynn and Amy have been together for two years, but something’s been off lately. On their way to Amy’s sister’s wedding, a thunderstorm and freak lightning strike cause them to swap bodies. Now, they’re stuck in each other’s shoes—literally—for the weekend.

Both had their flaws. Flynn was secretive, sure, but Amy’s constant negativity and unfair assumptions about him were hard to overlook. She judged him harshly for things beyond his control, like where he went to school, without even trying to understand his side. Her character growth felt too little, too late to change my opinion.

Flynn, on the other hand, was much more redeemable. He owned up to his mistakes and really tried to make things right, even when he messed up.

The writing itself was easy to follow, and the occasional cheesy moments added some charm. Overall, it was an okay read, but Amy’s character definitely brought the rating down for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow!

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I do love reading books/manga where the main characters swap bodies though and my last read - If I Were You by Cesca Major had a similar premise where the MCs Amy and Flynn end up switching bodies after a fight. And they need to make it to Amy's sister's wedding and get through the weekend without making a huge mess of things.⁣

Though Flynn and Amy have been dating for two years, there's a lot of miscommunication(or actually no communication regarding certain things) that has left them in a weird place where Amy is contemplating breaking up while Flynn wants to move in together and propose later. Their meet-cute was adorable but their personalities started clashing after a while and it doesn't help that they weren't too forthcoming about each other's pasts(which was very weird considering the fact that they'd been dating each other for so long but okay). We switch between the past and present - and it was pretty nice to see things from both of their perspectives. ⁣

But things get more chaotic and messy after the body-switch because they have zero coordination with each other😅😂 I guess that's supposed to be the highlight but it was a bit frustrating to see them do that constantly 😂 Individually both Amy and Flynn go through a lot of character development and learn to see things from each other's perspectives but I was a bit miffed that it took them so long to figure things out and just talk it out. The book gets a bit serious at times(like it wasn't as funny as I'd been expecting it to be) but I did end up liking most of the secondary characters(with the exception of Tanya - I don't think she deserves forgiveness). I did enjoy reading this one but I think I was also left wondering whether they could have worked it out if they had never switched bodies in the first place?🤔

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So much fun. The body-switch trope worked and gave all the feels. My only critique is I would have liked more story post-body switch back to normal.

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This story was really light hearted and funny. I enjoy romance books with a magical element, so this was right up my alley! I thought the storyline was unique, and the plot was fast paced. I really enjoyed reading about the characters, Amy and Flynn.
Overall this was an enjoyable story, that I would recommend.

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Cute idea - a freaky friday love story - but it just missed the mark for me. Execution just didnt work well. Arc from netgalley.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
I thought this was a delightfully funny romance that gave me "Freaky Friday" vibes, but instead of a mother and daughter switching places, it was a romantic couple. I like how this book truly shows that you can''t really experience what goes through a persons head unless you are literally walking in their shoes. Just like Cesca Major's last book, this book is a beautiful and thought provoking look at what it is like to be in love.

I definitely recommend this book.

Many thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

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This was such a good book! I love the swapping bodies and how they navigate this wedding in their significant others body. It was funny and introspective. The flashback stories were good, and overall the pacing was good and entertaining to read

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

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On the way to Amy's sister’s extravagant wedding, she and her boyfriend Flynn have a massive argument during a thunderstorm. Lightning strikes, and in Freaky Friday fashion, they swap bodies, forcing them to experience the wedding weekend as each other. As they navigate exes, secrets, and wedding chaos, their relationship is tested. While the body swap is a humorous twist, I wanted them to break up so badly! They weren’t a good fit at all and knew absolutely nothing about each other. LIKE NOTHING. The wedding antics were fun at times, and I enjoyed how their relationships with family members evolved over the story. But yeah, Amy and Flynn were better off as friends (if even that.)

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The idea behind this book was really interesting! It didn’t play out quite how I expected and felt a little lackluster by the end. The bulk of the story wasn’t bad and actually enjoyed some of the heart of the characters. The backstories and memories went prettt deep at times and that was nice to see.

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3.5stars—IF I WERE YOU by Cesca Major is a contemporary, adult, body-swap, romance story line focusing on Flynn Waller and Amy Norman.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Flynn and Amy) using present day and memories from the past, IF I WERE YOU focuses on the embattled relationship between our story line couple. Amy’s sister is getting married, and our couple is struggling with their own relationship but a sudden rain storm and flash of light results in a body swap between our story line couple. Having to attend the weekend activities in one another’s bodies, secrets are revealed, misunderstanding and miscommunication threaten the breakdown of their floundering relationship.

The world building follows the struggle of two people caught in an unimaginable situation but a situation that reveals a lifetime of secrets and regrets. Flynn is hoping for a future, Amy is battling between head and heart, reconsidering her relationship with our story line hero.

The secondary and supporting characters include Amy’s sister Laura and her fiance Jay, as well as Amy and Laura’s mother Trish, and her husband Geoffrey, Flynn’s ex Tanya and her boyfriend Eddie.

IF I WERE YOU is a story with a little bit of everything: drama, heart break, humor and fantasy. The premise is entertaining and intriguing but often confusing as the reader had to remember the Amy/Flynn / Flynn/Amy dynamic. The characters are colorful and desperate. There is little to no romance as throughout most of the story line the embattled couple are not themselves, and the world around them is not what they expected.


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At the start of this novel, Amy and Flynn have been dating for two years but they definitely have communication issues and are not on the same page. On the way to Amy’s sister’s wedding, they get hit by lightning and swap bodies! We then see how they are going to navigate the weekend, plus flashback chapters both to their relationship before the weekend, and to their lives before that.

I had mixed feelings about this one - Amy and Flynn were kind of annoying (especially Amy), and the miscommunication was kind of out of control. But that being said, it was an enjoyable and easy to read book and I was invested in what was going to happen. And despite the light touch with which the book was written, it actually was a somewhat deeper book than I expected as both characters had some tough stuff in their backgrounds. I did not like this quite as much as Cesca Major’s prior book Maybe Next Time, but still enjoyed it enough that I would definitely keep reading her books

3.75 stars

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I thoroughly enjoyed Cesca Major's new book, "If I Were You". This Reese's Book Club pick author (Maybe Next Time), is back with a romance version of Freaky Friday. Amy and Flynn are in an argument on their way to her sister's wedding and their circumstances find them switched in each other's body. How will they get through this whole weekend as each other, around people who know them so well? In addition, they find out that each of them is keeping secrets. There is laughter and tears along the way and beautiful lessons learned about the importance of family, friendship, trust and the mistakes we make when we jump to conclusions about the people who know us best. This book will make you smile. I can easily see this novel adapted for the screen. Many thanks to HarperCollins Publishers, William Morrow, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.

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If I Were You by Cesca Major is such a funny and emotional story.
I was enthralled by this story from the first page and felt every single emotion the main character went through. This story was beautifully written and highly entertaining.
I really enjoyed this unique style on the body-swap storyline here.
A nice and simple story that I really enjoyed.

Thank You NetGalley and William Morrow for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

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4.25 ⭐️ I really enjoyed this book!! I loved how Flynn was so funny and I loved the progression of their relationship! There is cussing in this book but no spice! I laughed and I wanted to cry! The author did a great job of having a funny story with heart!💜

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I really enjoyed this humorous and unique romantic comedy. It was like “Freaky Friday” but for a couple. This book was light and fun, but it was also quite emotional at times. The story is told in dual POV and alternating timelines. It did get a bit confusing, and it was hard to keep track of who was who before and after the body swap. Once I caught on, it was an enjoyable read. This book is about putting yourself in others’ shoes (or bodies!), and I think everyone could learn a lesson or two.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you netgalley for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review, i was super excited to read this book because I absolutely loved Cesca Majors last book “Maybe next time”. It brought me to tears. Pick it up if you havent read it yet! The premise of this book is one we are all familiar with two people change bodies with each other and are frantically trying to figure out their way back to themselves. Amy is in a particularly difficult situation because they were on the way to her sisters wedding. Now she has to trust her boyfriend who she was ready to leave to be her for all of her maid of honor duties. Obviously chaos ensues, this one has a happily ever after. Well done four stars,

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Amy and Flynn have been together for 2 years and while Flynn thinks they are ready to move to the next level, these two have major communication issues (which is probably why Amy is having doubts). On the way to Amy's sister's wedding the two are struck by lightning and end up in a "Freaky Friday" body swap situation leading to a weekend of confusion, revelations, humiliations, and even more miscommunication.

I had a hard time getting into this book and I think it was because miscommunication for me is not a favorite trope/theme for me. I also found many of the characters' personalities to be frustrating (Amy more than Flynn)- therefore those two elements alone made this novel hard for me to fully enjoy. I didn't understand how the characters could be in a 2 year relationship when in many ways they didn't really know who the other person was (more from Flynn's lack of sharing than Amy's) - and while I get this is a major theme of the book, the frustration level for me personally was very high. In addition because of the body swap element I was often confused as to who was doing and saying what (that may have been me). That being said, I did enjoy the story itself, I like the magical realism and the hard topics that Cesca Majors tried to take on with a lighter touch, but I think I preferred her previous novel and I do look forward to her next.

3.5 stars

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC to review

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This was your typical Freaky Friday situation. The execution just didn't work for me. It may be someone else's cup of tea but the don't like when characters have big secrets and are waiting for everything to blow up.

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The premise for this books sounded so good and right up my alley. I really wanted to love it. Unfortunately, I spent most of my time reading wondering if these two should even be in a relationship at all.

The idea of a ‘Freaky Friday’-esque body swap between a couple opens up so many fun and interesting possibilities. Here, while it did lend opportunities for Amy and Flynn to gain more understanding from each others perspectives, it really showed me even more that despite having been together for two years, they barely knew each other. It seemed as though they never discussed anything deeper than surface level, and as such, I didn’t feel there was any real depth to their relationship.

Some of the situations they found themselves trying to navigate were entertaining, and the backstories both Flynn and Amy had for their past made me sympathetic to them. I just wanted to feel more of a connection between them.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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