"I Now Pronounce You Someone Else"
by Erin McCahan
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Release Date: June 1, 2010
Source: sent by publisher and booksparkspr in exchange for review
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
My Review:
Bronwen always felt so different from her mother, her stepfather, and her brother (the golden child) that she thought she might have been switched at birth. She knew this wasn't really true, but it was a fantasy that her 'real' family was out there and was more like her. In her senior year, she meets Jared, who is in college. They fall in love and before graduation, Jared asks Bronwen to marry him. Their parents are reluctant to accept the decision, and so do Bronwen's friends. When Jared pushes the wedding date even sooner, will Bronwen be able to go through with it?
This book really had a lot of emotion!! The author was able to fully explore the issues at hand, including stepfamilies and romantic relationships.
Bronwen never felt accepted by her mother. She never felt good enough, or as good as her brother. Her father passed away when she was little, which changed her relationship with her mother as well. She wanted to give her stepfather a chance, but when he didn't follow through on something very important, she stopped giving him that chance. She felt like she was even more of an outsider in her family.
With Jared, Bronwen finally feels accepted and that she is a part of something- a family. Jared's family immediately takes Bronwen in as one of their own, and she bonds with each of them. Her love for Jared is definitely enhanced by his family.
Bronwen was a strong character and she became even stronger as the story went on. I liked her stance on not having sex until marriage and that she stood by that decision. I couldn't help but wonder if this was part of why Jared wanted to get married so soon. We may never know...
Jared was a sweetheart, but not flawless by any means. His flaws added to the overall real-ness of the story. Bronwen had some very real decisions to make, about college and love, all of her decision making did not revolve around Jared only.
I was really surprised by a couple of things that happened at the end. I won't give any spoilers of course, but I didn't see these things coming at all!
Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: This is a really unique YA romance that deals with some real questions that teens face with romance and with family.