Identity Crisis Tour: Review + Giveaway

Identity Crisis
Author: Melissa Schorr
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: January 18, 2016
Publisher: Merit Press

Rating: 4 Stars!

Synopsis:

When curvaceous Annalise Bradley’s scandalous freshman year hookup sparks the anger of her female classmates, three of them decide to get her back by "catfishing" her, creating a fake online profile of the perfect boy to toy with her affections.

Against her better nature, introverted Noelle Spiers, goes along with her friends’ plan, hoping to distract Annalise from dreamy Cooper Franklin, her lifelong crush who has fallen for Annalise instead.

As Annalise discovers she is being played and seeks revenge, Noelle increasingly regrets her role in the cruel hoax and tries to salvage their relationship.

Told in alternative perspectives, IDENTITY CRISIS covers romance, betrayal, and timeless friendship in the age of modern technology.

Identity Crisis is an exciting young adult contemporary novel that fans of the genre will definitely want to get their hands on! It follows the story of Annalise - who turns into a curvy hottie right before freshman year. All of the girls in her class - friends and foes alike - are jealous of her and of her scandalous hookup that has them all mad. Three of these girls decide that it's time to get Annalise back and decide the perfect way is to "catfish" her by setting up a fake online profile for the seemingly perfect guy just to mess with her. Part of this group is the shy Noelle, who goes along with her friends plans even though she doesn't think it's a good idea. Soon enough, Annalise discovers that she's being messed with and decides to get her revenge. Noelle is left wishing she was never a part of this mess and attempts to smooth things over with Annalise. 

If you've read my reviews before, you know that YA contemporary isn't one of my favorite genres and I rarely read any. This book sparked my interest because of the whole 'catfish' prank as well as the story's use of the Internet and other modern technology to complete the girls' goal. The novel deals with several incredibly relevant topics in today's society - friendship, regret, betrayal, bullying, romance, and the increasing use of technology to hurt others. Another aspect of the story that intrigued me was the alternating points of view. I'm a huge fan of first person POV, so the alternating views made it the book all the more fascinating for me. I was eager to see how the author would pull it off - if it would work in the story's favor or if it was going to be a tangled mess. Luckily, the author wrote it in such a way that it fit really well with the characters and story lines. Instead of just one character's perspective, we get to see multiple viewpoints - from both sides of this horribly mean hoax. Which is another fantastic use of multiple POVs that made the book all the more interesting and realistic to read.

All of the characters were well written, especially those of Annalise and Noelle. They both had distinct personalities with strengths, weaknesses, and individual quirks. The secondary characters were also well done, although some seemed a bit cliched at points. Both girls (Annalise and Noelle) were very realistic and easy to identify with right from the beginning. I was really shy and introverted in high school, so I was able to connect with Noelle early on in the book. I could also put myself in Annalise's shoes due to some pretty terrible things that happened to me in high school - it made it very easy to commiserate with her throughout the story. I really enjoyed reading from both character's points of view, along with watching them both change and grow throughout the novel as they realized the more important lessons in life - like friendship.

The plot was surprisingly refreshing for me. I normally don't read this genre because I feel that the majority of the novels have the same template with varying details filled in. However, this book was different and incredibly relevant in today's society. There are shows on television dealing solely with 'catfishing' others - so the concept fits in perfectly with our culture and today's world. I've never really known the details of the whole 'catfish' hoax, so reading about it in such depth and personal accounts made it very interesting for me. I loved that the author chose such a secular topic to center her book around and to teach lessons that readers today can learn from. Overall, this was an exciting YA contemporary novel and I highly recommend it for fans of the genre! It's a great story that breathes some fresh air into an already overflowing genre.

Follow the Identity Crisis by Melissa Schorr Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

 
Melissa Schorr is the YA author of GOY CRAZY (Hyperion 2006) and IDENTITY CRISIS (forthcoming, Merit Press 2016), and a contributor to the YA anthology DEAR BULLY.

She is currently a contributing writer/editor to the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. Her freelance work has appeared in numerous publications, including GQ, People, Self, San Francisco magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. 

Melissa currently lives in Boston with her husband, her daughters, and her dog, Bailey.

US Only

IDENTITY CRISIS has part of a song’s lyrics in it. Come up with a SECOND VERSE for the rest of the song in order to enter the giveaway! (Song on the Rafflecopter entry) Leave your answer in the Rafflecopter and in the comments section!

SONG: “INNER BEAUTY”

(FIRST VERSE) 

You sparkle

You shine

Your cheekbones

Sublime

But a pretty face does not mean a pretty heart.

(CHORUS)

There’s just no inner beauty

Where is your inner beauty?

Without some inner beauty

You’re a perfect waste of time.

Please note that this entry is mandatory and it's named as the Free Entry.

a Rafflecopter giveaway