Like Never and Always by Ann Aguirre – identities and cars and scandals

 

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration at all to say that I am always, always in the mood for a good suspenseful thriller.

 

I love twisty narratives. I love unreliable narrators, and misleading writing, and red herrings and dark stories. I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t read any Ann Aguirre book before (though I have Honor Among Thieves on my TBR because, I mean, SPACE THRILLER. ‘Nuff said), from the moment I read the synopsis of LIKE NEVER AND ALWAYS back in mid-2017, I knew I had to read this one.

 

 

So what is this book about? Without giving away too much, I can tell you that the plot ball starts rolling the moment Liv, Morgan, and their respective boyfriends Nathan and Clay are involved in a car accident … and Liv wakes up inside Morgan’s skin.

 

What intrigued me the most, before, while, and after reading, is the premise itself. The whole “I’m-now-inside-someone-else’s-skin-and-must-get-used-to-their-life” gave me major HERE LIES DANIEL TATE by Cristin Terrill vibes (which I liked but did not love, and my review is right here, if you wonder), or even IN HER SKIN by Kim Savage vibes. That is to say, this idea is not new, by any means, but the whole confusion following the switch is interesting in and of itself.

 

 

I like Liv’s narration, and the anguish and just plain freaking out after waking up inside the broken body of her BFFFF, Morgan, is delivered perfectly. What I found particularly neat, too, is the progression of her feelings – from shock to adaptation to even borderline acceptance, followed by a flare of panic after thinking about how she might just get stuck like this.

 

 

What I did find a bit jarring, though, is the root of the problem itself. I thought the plot would go the direction of trying to figure out WHY she was switched into the body, but instead we go the route of investigating the murder of Morgan’s mother. Which is fun, sure, but not really what I was hoping for.

 

But overall? A very fun, very quick read – made all the more faster due to the tension that makes the reader want to flip the pages even faster to get to the end.

 

Thanks to Tor Teen for the ARC with such a creepy cover omg it’s so weird and freaky.

 

 

 

“An intense, emotional, compelling read.” —Kate Elliott

Liv Burnham thinks nobody knows Morgan Frost like she does, but a terrible accident pushes her down the rabbit hole
where Morgan’s secrets hide and she’ll be lucky to make it out alive….
On a hot summer night, Liv, Morgan, Clay and Nathan are on the way home from a party in Clay’s convertible. Best friends
dating brothers? It doesn’t get better than that. But the joyride ends in sudden impact, a screech of brakes, and shattering
glass. On that lonely country road, four lives change forever.
Liv wakes in the hospital. At first she’s confused when they call her Morgan, but she assumes it’s a case of mistaken
identity. Yet when the bandages come off, it’s not her face inthe mirror anymore. It’s Morgan’s.
Morgan always seemed to have the perfect life. But as Liv tries to fit herself into Morgan’s world, she discovers endlessly
disturbing secrets of the criminal and murderous variety and a dark task to finish…if she doesn’t lose her mind first.
Forced to confront the disturbing truths that Morgan kept hidden in life, Liv must navigate a world of long-buried murder, a
dangerous love affair—and a romance that feels like a betrayal.
And be sure to follow along the blog tour schedule! I’m the second stop (and it’s on my birthday, too!), but there are, of course. plenty more:
Monday, July 16 The Book Nut https://booklovingnut.com/
Tuesday, July 17 Just Add A Word http://justaddaword.com/
Wednesday, July 18 The Pages Inbetween http://thepagesinbetween.com/
Thursday, July 19 Arctic Books https://arcticbooks.wordpress.com/
Friday, July 20 Dark Faerie Tales http://darkfaerietales.com/
Monday, July 23 A Gingerly Review https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com/
Tuesday, July 24 Hello Jenny Reviews http://hellojennyreviews.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, July 25 The Lovely Books https://thelovelybooksbookblog.blogspot.com/
Thursday, July 26 Where The Reader Grows http://www.wherethereadergrows.com/
Friday, July 27 SciFi Chick http://scifichick.com/

 

 

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