FNORDincorporated

A strange twist on the “freaky friday” body swapping idea, Life as I know it takes the standard bodyswap and turns it on it’s ear. Jessica Taylor is walking her dog in a park when a storm rolls in. she is unlucky enough to be struck by lightning, awakening in another womans body.

Lauren, her host, is a married mother of four, very contrasted against Jessica who is single, has a dog, and works long hours.

The twist is what makes this book so above par for the commonly Disneyfied plot process. When Jessica falls asleep, Lauren wakes up, reversing when Lauren passes out.

While slipping between locations/host bodies, Jessica is forced to play the mother role she is unprepared for, the wife role to a complete stranger, and balance it all with her original life.

Released in the US by Bantam Books (Random House), Melanie Rose’s Life as I know it turned out to be a very refreshing read. The novel was engrossing and as the last few chapters come closer, you will begin to wonder how the author will be able to close things out. She managed to do so with out rushing the plot, leaving you at the end with a torn feeling of both disbelief and happiness. The ambiguity suits the story well. It falls firmly into the standard fiction genre with a smattering of romance and scifi/fantasy mixed in.

In the UK, this book was originally released under the title Being Lauren in 2005 (Matador). Canadian TV fans will automatically think of “Being Erica” after reading the name, but make no comparison, there is a wit and charm to this that has a similar feel, but they are completely unrelated.

Later, prior to US release, the UK book was picked up by Harper Collins UK under the title Do you believe in Magic?.

The US cover is very housewife friendly, though will detract from the book by limiting interest of male readers… This could have partially been circumvented by using the ISIS “Audio Download” cover image. Maybe after it moves from Trade Paperback to Mass Market PB.

Authors website: http://www.melanierose.co.uk/