Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Release Date: Aug. 26, 2008
Publisher: McElderry Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 576

"Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family– on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that’s where their differences begin.

For Kaeleigh, she’s the misplaced focus of Daddy’s love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanna sees is Daddy paying a game of favorites– and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol and sex.

Secrets like the one the twins are harboring are no meant to be kept– from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it’s obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is– who?"

Okay so, WOW. I was first introduced to the power of verse writing when I read I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder. I love the rawness, no fluffy descriptions or unneeded stances, just pure emotion. Laci is a huge fan of Ellen Hopkins and she had been trying to get me to read one of her books for a long time. And it isn’t that I didn’t want to, I was just waiting for the right opportunity. And when opportunity comes knockin, you best answer the door.

I read a lot of books. And ones that make a definite impression are few and far between. But I’m not always in the mood to read a book that makes an “impression” sometimes I just want a book that entertains me, makes me feel good. Identical falls in the former category with a few other books that continue to stay on my mind.

This book is engrossing, it’s disturbing, it’s disgusting, it’s addictive, it’s powerful and I loved it. I did have sneaking suspicion throughout the entire book and when it was finally revealed I still didn’t believe it. But, the less you know about that going in, the better. Now that I’ve read Identical, I know I won’t be able to stop, I’ll have to read Hopkins earlier titles and continue to read her new ones. And a fan is born.

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