LitPick Review
Better You Than Me is a book about two 12-year-old girls who live two completely different lives. Ruby Rivera is a teen icon, an actor on her hit show "Ruby and the Lamp," and she's a singer. Her life is in the public eye, and she hates her life. Skylar Welshman is a normal teenage girl. She lives with her mom in California, she goes to school every weekday, she's a huge Ruby Rivera fan, and she can do almost whatever she wants. She also hates her life; her parents are divorcing, and she is dragged out to California because her mom gets a job there, and she's being bullied at school.
Skylar runs away from school for a day and takes a trip to where Ruby films her show, and she accidentally traps herself and Ruby in the prop room. Ruby and Skylar speak about how much they hate their lives and that they would take the other’s life in a heartbeat. When an earthquake hits, Ruby and Skylar switch bodies. They decide trading lives for a few days is going to be great and they might even help make the other's life better than it already is. After Ruby and Skylar both make huge mistakes, they make each other's lives worse in some awful ways. Can they fix their mistakes? Will they be able to switch back?
Opinion:
Better You Than Me is a fantastic book. The way Jessica Brody (the author) wrote it was easy to understand even though there was a lot of switching around from Skylar to Ruby and vice versa. The story is consistently a page turner, and I enjoyed the story immensely. The book portrays the characters' emotions and personalities quite well. You can feel what Ruby and Skylar are feeling throughout the book. It also had a relatable feel (not that I, nor anyone, can relate to switching bodies with another person). When the character was crying, you could feel the weight on her shoulders. Also, when the bullies were making fun of Skylar, you could really feel that pain. I gave Better You Than Me a five-star rating because of the relatable characters and emotions and the amazing way Jessica Brody wrote the book. I loved every page, and I think most girls around the age of 12 will love it too!
