In Some Other Life

by Jessica Brody

Overview

A fresh and funny young adult contemporary romance about how one different choice could change everything

Three years ago, Kennedy Rhodes secretly made the most important decision of her life. She declined her acceptance to the prestigious Windsor Academy to attend the local public school with her longtime crush, who had finally asked her out. It seems it was the right choice—she and Austin are still together, and Kennedy is now the editor-in-chief of the school's award-winning newspaper. But then Kennedy's world is shattered one evening when she walks in on Austin kissing her best friend, and she wonders if maybe her life would have been better if she'd made the other choice. As fate would have it, she's about to find out . . .

The very next day, Kennedy falls and hits her head and mysteriously awakes as a student at the Windsor Academy. And not just any student: Kennedy is at the top of her class, she's popular, she has the coolest best friend around, and she's practically a shoo-in for Columbia University. But as she navigates her new world, she starts to wonder whether this alternate version of herself really is as happy as everyone seems to believe. Is it possible this Kennedy is harboring secrets and regrets of her own?

Jessica Brody's In Some Other Life will keep readers guessing and find them cheering for Kennedy until the final page.

More from Jessica Brody:

A Week of Mondays

52 Reasons to Hate My Father

My Life Undecided

The Karma Club

The Unremembered Trilogy:

Unremembered

Unforgotten

Unchanged

Praise for In Some Other Life:

“With realistically flawed characters, plenty of humor, and much to say about the perils of wish fulfillment, Brody’s novel will appeal to anyone longing for a second chance at success.” —Publishers Weekly

"This amusing and accessible novel explores the unexpected consequences resulting from taking a different path in life. . . . This light-hearted novel will resonate with teens who are in the midst of making some critical choices about school and relationships." —VOYA

"Well written. Kennedy's friends in both realities are clearly characterized, and her family members, especially her physics-loving 11-year-old brother, steal the show. . . . A fun and light YA novel that will find a home in most collections serving teens." —School Library Journal

“The temptation to second-guess decisions is an instantly recognizable one, and Brody’s execution of Kennedy’s process is a thoughtful one. Readers will find themselves wondering 'What if?' right along with Kennedy.” —Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250158604
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	08/28/2018
Pages:	480
Sales rank:	422,458
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Jessica Brody is the author of several popular books for teens, including A Week of Mondays and the Unremembered trilogy. She splits her time between California and Colorado.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for In Some Other Life:

“With realistically flawed characters, plenty of humor, and much to say about the perils of wish fulfillment, Brody’s novel will appeal to anyone longing for a second chance at success.” —Publishers Weekly

"This amusing and accessible novel explores the unexpected consequences resulting from taking a different path in life. . . . This light-hearted novel will resonate with teens who are in the midst of making some critical choices about school and relationships." —VOYA

"Well written. Kennedy's friends in both realities are clearly characterized, and her family members, especially her physics-loving 11-year-old brother, steal the show. . . . A fun and light YA novel that will find a home in most collections serving teens." —School Library Journal

“The temptation to second-guess decisions is an instantly recognizable one, and Brody’s execution of Kennedy’s process is a thoughtful one. Readers will find themselves wondering 'What if?' right along with Kennedy.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

06/12/2017
It’s the fall of senior year, and Kennedy Rhodes has some regrets: blowing a college interview, trusting her boyfriend and best friend together, and—most profoundly—not enrolling in a prestigious private school when she had the chance. Then, while visiting the campus of the esteemed Windsor Academy, she falls and injures her head. When she regains consciousness, everything’s different. Kennedy is no longer the student editor of the Southwest Star at Southwest High. Instead, she’s the top-ranked student at Windsor, with no spare time to start up a school paper or go on dates. In a clever novel with a Sliding Doors–style setup, Brody (A Week of Mondays) examines “grass is greener” attitudes and the rippling ramifications of one’s choices. Through Kennedy’s eyes, readers see how the pressure to stay on top takes a toll on Kennedy and her family, despite her glamorous surroundings in this parallel universe. With realistically flawed characters, plenty of humor, and much to say about the perils of wish fulfillment, Brody’s novel will appeal to anyone longing for a second chance at success. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

07/01/2017
Gr 71–0—Incoming ninth grader Kennedy faced a difficult choice: attend the prestigious prep school whose acceptance she had been awaiting for years or attend public school with the boy who finally asked her out. She picked the boy. Now it's senior year, and Kennedy is still with Austin, running the award-winning school newspaper and applying to Columbia. But part of her has always longed to be at Windsor Academy, and she second-guesses her past decision when she walks in on Austin kissing her best friend. Through a contrived set of events, Kennedy hits her head and wakes up as a different version of herself who attended Windsor and appears to have it all: great grades and popular friends. But it becomes evident that this alternate reality has its downsides, and Kennedy wonders if her first choice was right all along. Even though the execution of the alternate reality concept isn't perfect, the story is well written. Kennedy's friends in both realities are clearly characterized, and her family members, especially her physics-loving 11-year-old brother, steal the show. For those students who wonder what their choices might have cost them, this book suggests that the path not traveled might well have been untrod for a reason. VERDICT A fun and light YA novel that will find a home in most collections serving teens.—Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township High School, Cape May Court House, NJ

School Library Journal

2017-05-10
Three years ago, Kennedy Rhodes passed up her dream—a spot at a prestigious high school—for a boy she hardly knew. Now 18 and a senior at an underfunded public school, Kennedy is still with Austin, serves as editor-in-chief of the award-winning school paper, and dreams of studying journalism at Columbia—but she still wonders "What if?" Following a few humiliating incidents, Kennedy goes to Windsor Academy to beg for the spot she gave up. Angered by the dean's predictable rejection, Kennedy storms out, falls, and is knocked unconscious. She wakes in a reality in which she had accepted that space at Windsor: she's now at the top of her class and will no doubt get into Columbia. As she navigates this privileged new life and puzzles out the differences between herself and the seemingly perfect Other Me, Kennedy discovers the latter harbors a troubling secret. Kennedy needs to right Other Me's wrongs, but at what cost? Aside from some non-European surnames such as Wu and Patel, race is ambiguous, implying that Kennedy and Austin are both white. Many readers may find it difficult to drum up sympathy for a girl who gave up her dream for a boy, but the temptation to second-guess decisions is an instantly recognizable one, and Brody's execution of Kennedy's process is a thoughtful one. Readers will find themselves wondering "What if?" right along with Kennedy. (Fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews