I'm mad at Janet Gurtler. THEY DIDN'T DESERVE TO DIE!!! Stayed up til 2 reading this even though I have to get up early tomorrow. Amazing book - I could relate to Tess in a lot of ways... ( )

Easy read, heartbreaking at points. Tess' growth in the few months this book covered was nice to see. Coming of age stories are one of my favorites to read. ( )

This book quickly drew me in and even though it didn't have a lot of pages, I felt like the author put just enough detail in the book to make it seem very worthwhile. The Smiths are the all American, perfect, wealthy family with two daughters. Tess is the artsy and smart daughter, while her sister Kristina is the popular and athletic one. Then, things take a turn for the worse for Kristina when she is diagnosed with bone cancer. Suddenly, Tess is thrown into the limelight at school and is suddenly the popular one, with people constantly asking for updates on her sister and guys are suddenly taking an interest in her. In the end, Kristina and Tess become closer, and throughout her struggles, Kristina finds a genuine friend in the least expected place she thought to look. An extremely moving and heart felt book, I definitely recommend it. ( )

I was a little nervous to try this book after I finished Gurtler's other novel If I Tell. It was okay, but not great. This book however was great! It dealt with some very real, very tough issues. I love the character development throughout the novel as well as the world Gurtler brings to life. This is very much a contemporary YA novel and I think every YA should read it. I will be reading more of Janet Gurtler, that's for sure! ( )

Lately, books dealing with tough issues have been hit or miss with me. I’m either constantly crying or I’m feel nothing whatsoever while reading. I cried randomly from start to finish throughout I’m Not Her.

If I had to explain this book in one word I would say…depressing. Not too much good stuff happens in this book. If something good does happen or you think it is going to happen, Janet Gurtler rips that happiness away from you.

I was thinking of my sister constantly, I kept comparing my relationship with her to the relationship Kristina and Tess have. I was putting myself in either of their shoes and seeing how I may have acted in either situation…they handled it well and at other times handled things horribly, which is to be expected.

Tess’ parents I initially thought we going to be a fantastic support system, but they ended up not being able to cope with their daughter getting cancer. Tess ends up having to be the rock for the family and her dad even told her that at one point…that is a lot of stuff to rest on a 15-year-old’s shoulders. Tess took the brunt of everything and kept on going, I’m very proud of her. She even told her parents off on a few occasions for acting like total idiots and being selfish babies…go Tess!

Just like Janet Gurtler’s other novel If I Tell, she doesn’t wrap up her endings in pretty paper and put a shiny bow on top. Her endings leave us with a little bit of curiosity and we still feel sadness because the book was packed with it. The writing style in this and If I Tell are similar, so if you enjoyed If I Tell and you need a good cry, make sure to give I’m Not Her a read as well! ( )