OFFICIAL REVIEW: The Other Half of Me by Jennifer Sivec

[drunyan]

Official book review: The Other Half of Me.

I received a free book in exchange for this review, but it did not affect my perception of the story.

As a child Maggie feels like she is missing a piece of herself. She has a dream about a boy that always goes away. The other main character, Sam, has a dream about a girl that always goes away.
In high school, she dates Trip. He is not like the other boys. He says she understands him.. One day they are together and he tries to touch her. She is angry and tells him to stop. She leaves, and for several weeks refuses to see him. He apologizes and says it won’t happen again. They get back together, and after some time, he invites her to his home. She thinks it is unusual that his family members are all gone for the weekend. She has a feeling in the pit of her stomach when he talks about the last time they were together; maybe she thought he was going to rape her. He starts touching her again, and she loses consciousness. He rapes her, and threatens her. He tells her that he will say it is all her fault. She blames herself and feels dirty and violated. She becomes suspicious of everyone.

Sam meets Maggie in their college classes Sam watches her all semester. She is shy, dresses conservatively, and is “possibly damaged.” He asks her to tutor him. He feels stupid, and she thinks he is smarter than he says. She is attracted to him, but remains cautious until she is clear on the fact that he isn’t pursuing her, trying to her get into bed.

After she moves in with him, they make love. She feels like she opened her soul to him.

Sam is involved in a car accident. Maggie finds stuff out about Sam through her dreams. He hasn’t told her all his secrets. she learns that Sam’s dad left him and his mom, when Sam was 2. In her dream, she sees that Sam was verbally and physically abused by his mom’s boyfriend. He is afraid he will be like his dad, and is afraid to marry her. Maggie also learns that Sam’s mother used drugs and attempted suicide when he was 12. In one of her dreams, Sam tells Maggie that he can’t be with her anymore.

When he wakes up from his coma, Sam doesn’t even recognize Maggie and doesn’t want her around. She goes home and waits for him to come back to her, When he finally comes home, he tells her that it will never work . So she packs up her stuff and leaves, moving back to her parents’ home. She finds out she is pregnant and doesn’t tell Sam it is his child.

Although she is going to get married to Dylan, Maggie has a dream about Sam on her wedding day. After the ceremony is over, she sees that Sam is there, and she faints.

Is Sam back to stay? Is their relationship over?

I liked this book, and read it from beginning to end in one sitting. There is a violent scene in the book, but the rest of it seems to have a soft, tender touch.

The author did a fine job of developing the characters. I especially liked the character of Diane, Maggie’s mom. The beginning of the book portrays her as judgmental and harsh and over time, and the introduction of the grandchild Moira, she mellows out. She is depicted in the end as a supportive mom to Maggie and tells Maggie some things that help Maggie understand why her mother is the way she is.

This book was well edited. I only found two small errors (Location 370, needs the word “got” in the phrase “until she hit by a car, sending me into a tailspin.” Location 587: “discovering each other in every possible away."

I rate this as a 4 out of 4. The storyline was plausible, and Maggie’s reaction to her old lover showing up at a wedding is unusual. I liked the fact that Maggie’s choice of who to be with in the end was a surprise.

[Darakhshan Nazir]

wow! Plot seems admirable. And I am always into love stories.
Thank you for such a nice review