Gemini

Author: Sonya Mukherjee
Release Date: July 26, 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction, Coming of Age

*I received this book as a NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own. Thanks NetGalley!*

Summary

Seventeen-year-old conjoined twins Clara and Hailey have lived in the same small town their entire lives--no one stares at them anymore. But there are cracks in their quiet existence, and they're slowly becoming more apparent. 

Clara and Hailey are at a crossroads. Clara wants to stay close to home, avoid all attention, and study the night sky. Hailey wants to travel the world, learn from great artists, and dance with mysterious boys.

As high school graduation approaches, each twin must untangle her dreams from her sister's, and figure out what it means to be her own person.

The Rundown

This book could easily be written off as a campy and cliche high school drama with the exception that the main characters happen to be conjoined twins. All in all it was a light and fun, well researched view of life with this rare disability as two girls, joined at the back, face the "what comes next?" with high school ending.

Clara and Hailey felt really stereotyped to me, like how some say that twins are day and night different. Clara is the quiet scientist. Hailey is the pink haired, tattooed artist. While I feel that their story could only be told in alternating views, there were several times that I couldn't remember who was narrating. Maybe that's what the author intended though, to let the reader see how quickly these two individuals could be blurred into one? 

They have caring, devoted parents who advocated for them from day one by refusing to separate them and later making sure they felt normal and like everyone else. I wish we could have dived into their relationship with their mom a little more, who was the clear ruler of the house (especially when it came to all things twin related). I would have liked the ending to have had some sort of resolve with their mother as they strive for independence away from their parents. 

I think the biggest struggle for me with this book was the romance. Now I love a good romance. I guess what left me scratching my head was that they've lived a relatively secluded life. Same small town. Same classmates. But it wasn't until this year that they suddenly had love interests? Granted, one of them falls for a new student, but the other falls for a guy who has been a classmate for a while. As a teen librarian and someone who was a teen not long ago, I had a hard time believing that (conjoined twins or not) hormones were suddenly a factor senior year.

There were some high points though! I felt like the author researched and gave an accurate portrayal of everyday life as a teen who happens to be conjoined. The girls had great relationships with each other, their parents, and their friends. 

Mukherjee's coming of age story of striving to be your own person with your own future while forever being tied to another will have readers riding the emotional roller coaster that comes along with your first kiss, first disappointing crush, picking a college, surviving a formal dance, and leaving all that you've ever known. It's a little cheesy and predictable, but not bad!

Rating: 3.5 Stars