Intriguing premise--kind of a Freaky Friday type twist with switching minds/consciousnesses, but not the humorous style of Freaky Friday. I did get connected to the characters even though I didn't ever figure out what the purpose of the switch was in the first place. It's an interesting "what if" kind of book with two total opposites switching places.

The body swap. The lessons learned. And what is most important for me, the reader - a fresh, witty story with some nice portion of the food for thought.

Carin and Leann are the same age, but totally different in the eyes of the beholder, so to say - Carin is single, stunning, smart and with a good job, with a male best friend with benefits in her tow. Selfish and vain, too, sure, but not without a heart.
Leann is a checkout clerk in the supermarket, obese, not a sharpest pencil in the pack. Also she is married to a rude jerk with a son who is product of her teenage escapade with him.
Simple and without any self-esteem - but not without a heart.

And their hearts will be their saving graces when the unexpected body swap happens. And that heart has a physical demonstration in Trevor, Leanne's precious little son.

Now Carin (from the two heroines she is the "main" heroine, as the story is told mostly from her perspective), always the popular one, realizes how it is to be obese, how many prejudices she is facing in this body. And how hard is to be poor and broken in spirits, living in horrible environment and working in the dull job - but this are her means to survive!
Luckily, Carin is a fighter (and also with the years of much more healthy environment behind her, so she knows how to improve her life and she also knows about the better life from her firsthand experience). Carin is learning so much about her own thoughtless selfishness also, about taking so much things and people for granted - and also about her own insecurities (mainly about her value - before the swap she put so much pride into her physical beauty, while instinctively realizing that just the physical beauty will never be enough).
Leann is, on the other side, happy. Pretty body, enough money, nice apartment, no rude husband - pure heaven. But...but. Leann doesn't value herself, so any body/money/attention will not make her to stop to hide. All the wealth is empty without her son.

I was surprised so much by this book! I was expecting just funny chick-lit, but this is it and so much more. This is a smart story about the values we put on stuff and the real ones, told by a warm-hearted writer who is attentive to the little (but important) details.
This novel has it all - the real heroines (read: bith got on my nerves from time to time, but I was feeling them and rooting for them), real problem (if never explained why the swap happened, but this is not important in the big picture) and real lessons to learn. While being both serious and light, warm-hearted and addictive!

I was surprised to find the real literature under such a disguise. A hidden gem!

Sometimes it's all too easy to say 'if I were you...'. Many of us are guilty of making assumptions about the lives of others, even strangers. In I'm Not Her by Cara Sue Achterberg, an accident causes two very different women to swap bodies.

A bit like Freaky Friday, you might think. Well, kind of. But this novel is less of a comedic, feel-good tale. Instead, it's gripping. At times heartbreaking.

Despite Carin Fletcher and Leann Cane seeing each other regularly at the supermarket, to one another they are strangers. To Carin, Leann is the slovenly, obese checkout girl, and to Leann, Carin is obnoxious. However, after an accident at the Shop N Save, the pair wake up to find that not only have they somehow swapped bodies, they've effectively swapped lives.

Before the accident, Carin had the life most young women dream of. A college degree, a good job, a nice apartment, a caring handsome boyfriend and an enviable, gorgeous body. Healthy, pretty and perhaps a little self-absorbed. Carin is beautiful - something which Leann has never felt. That is, until she sees herself as Carin.

Meanwhile, Carin is discovering that Leann's life is way more troubling that she had ever envisioned. Not only is Leann terribly unhealthy and overweight, she is also extremely poor, with an abusive boyfriend who, thankfully, is rarely at the tiny, scarcely-furnished apartment she calls home. It's clear that Leroy is up to no good, but just what is he hiding?

To Carin's surprise, Leann has a young son, Trevor, who seems to be the only positive thing in Leann's life. Other than that, she is penniless, unattractive and trapped.

As Leann remains in Carin's body, her only downside being Carin's overly-concerned and protective mother and boyfriend who are trying to work through the sudden change in behaviour, Carin is working Leann's low-paid job, trying to get used to her large frame and lack of fitness, and having to deal with abuse on a daily basis. Not just from Leann's mother, Leroy and her teenage babysitter, but the stares and silent judgement of others. The stares that Carin herself would give, wondering how this woman could allow herself to be that big, so unconcerned about her appearance. Just hours into being Leann and it's all starting to make sense.

Understandably, Leann doesn't want her own life back, although she misses Trevor. And with both women unsure of whether they'll ever be back in their own bodies, it's time for them to face the possibility that the change could be permanent.

Carin is determined to get Leann out of her terrible home life - not just for her, but for Trevor. Before it's too late.

Cara Sue Achterberg brings forward an exciting concept and explores it perfectly in I'm Not Her. The two women are so different, living in what feels like different worlds; Carin pretty and privileged, Leann living in poverty, assuming that her life and the regular put-downs she receives from family and co-workers are simply normal. The novel is narrated by both characters, although the majority of the book focuses on Carin as she navigates life as Leann, a woman she once pitied as she worked behind the checkout.

I don't want to give too much away, but this novel is addictive, sad, and wonderful at the same time. It makes you think, makes you wonder about those around you. I warmed to Carin early on in the book as her initial selfishess turned to realisation, and hard work. I found it difficult to like Leann, though it was obvious that her ways were not truly her fault. Towards the end of the novel I became a little more fond of her.

I saw this title on Netgalley and was curious; let's face it, what would you do if you woke up in someone else's body? I had a feeling I would like this book, but it was a lot more interesting than I thought, and I couldn't put it down. It's a brilliant novel.

Rating: 5/5