Krystal's Review: I’m Not Her by Janet Gurtler

I’m Not Her by Janet Gurtler

Paperback, 320 pages

Published May 1st, 2011 by Sourcebooks - Teen Fire

ISBN 1402256361

Courtesy of publisher

 “For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel envy…”

Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that’s okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her. Yet the smiles of her picture-perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn’t hold it together, who will?

 Goodreads 

Krystal's Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book.  It is rare for a book to be written from the “unwanted” sisters’ side.  Tess does not consider herself the favorite sister; she has good reason to think this way, her mother will say something very unforgivable in the book to that extent.  As a character, Tess was easy to connect to and she was very likable.  She can come off as slightly whiny at times, but she typically handles herself and the situation quite well. 

Kristina isn’t a bad character.  She is a little bit too sweet at times, but she becomes more angry and weary as the book…and her condition, wear on her.  The author writes the concept of teen cancer very matter of fact, the plot comes off as believable and extremely unfortunate.  

This book is certainly not the happiest I have read, there are quite a few parts that made me cringe.  Overall, the plot is interesting and different-it is not every day an author writes about a teen character suffering from cancer. 

The secondary characters, particularly the sisters’ love interests, are fun to get to know.  They each have quirks that will make them memorable to the reader.  The events in this novel are fairly fast-paced, the reader won’t be bored.  This book is recommended to teens and young adults.

Krystal's Rating: 4 Wine Glasses!