Replica (Replica, 1)

I finally dove into Lauren Oliver’s Replica! I had been hearing so many good things about it that I picked it up last year and I have to say it was quite the unique read! The dual points of view was done in a way I’ve never seen before where the book is divided in half. You can read one girl’s point of view and then the other, or you can alternate. I honestly recommend alternating because it’s the easiest and you won’t be repeating the story as much. I am so excited that I can jump immediately to the sequel next because a lot of things happened and it only left me craving more answers.Gemma and Lyra couldn’t be more different. They don’t know each other or even that the other exits. I’ll start with Lyra because she was who I started with based on the fact that she was the “front” of the cover! Lol! Lyra is a replica. She was made to look human by scientists who seem to be studying diseases and wanting to test possible cures or just new diseases themselves. They’re not good people needless to say. Lyra has grown up with other female replicas as the boy replicas were kept separated from the girls.Then we have Gemma who is human. Though she’s had a rough life with health issues. Her father is always away on business and is a cold, distant man while her mother is a hoverer and over-protective. Gemma suffers from weight issues and bullying problems. Her only friend is April. They had plans to go to Florida over spring break but the trip is cancelled when a bullying prank goes wrong and her father demands that she stay home. It’s when there was an attempted kidnapping of herself that Gemma started to do a little investigating. The ramblings of the kidnapper started her thinking and it’s not long before she learns of a place called Haven and how her father was connected to it.Each part of the girls’ story runs over 200 pages, so it’s almost at the 100 page mark that their worlds collide. So the beginning portions of each of their story start off a tad slow. It took some time to build into the story at large, but once we got to that point it was smooth reading until the end! Gemma gets a ride to Florida with an unexpected person from her school who turns out to be genuinely nicer than anyone other than her best friend. She plans to nose around Haven and see what they’re all about, but nearly as soon as she arrives, Haven explodes!! This book is seriously twisted, but that’s what makes the best kind of reads!As I said before, I think that reading the book by alternating points of view is the best way to go about it. The first few chapters lets you see into each girl’s world and what they deal with. Once their worlds collide, it becomes easier to read through alternation. Some bits get repeated but you’re on the other end of the conversation or whatnot, so you do learn more and see the conversations differently. It’s not a direct repeat anyway, so you won’t feel bogged down by having to repeat a scene.This story is pretty intense too! There is so much mystery surrounding Haven and when Gemma learns her father has a connection with it, the mystery only seems to thicken! By the end, you’re still left feeling unsure of things and what will happen next, but there’s a very decided air of danger. Haven is trying to cut all loose ends and possibly just start over elsewhere but with two of their “patients” missing, well things are going get to pretty messy indeed!We do get some answers though. There’s one in particular that was especially mind-blowingly awesome! I guess I was so wrapped up within the story that I didn’t really see it coming. That happens sometimes and honestly, I like it! Guessing the answers is always fun, but so is being completely taken aback with shocking reveals!There is some romance going on in this one as well for both heroines. It was done nicely too, in a way that doesn’t take over the entire storyline.Replica was by far one of the most intriguing books I’ve had the pleasure of reading. And not just in the way I read it where I go back and forth with flipping the book around. The story itself was unique as well. It’s an exciting and thrilling kind of story and I am most eager in seeing what will happen next!Overall Rating 4/5 stars

Initially posted at: [...]So this book is SUPER UNIQUE in the fact that it is made up of two independent, but interwoven narratives. You can choose to read Lyra then Gemma, Gemma then Lyra, or alternate between chapters of both.I decided to read this book by starting with Lyra’s story, then moving onto Gemma’s. I’m really glad that I read it in that order, as whilst Gemma’s story is more fleshed out and provides more answers, the mystery left by Lyra’s story gave me that drive to finish reading the book.Lyra’s story is faster-paced, intriguing, and I was flying through her chapters. Due to being a replica Lyra has a unique outlook 0n life, something that was refreshing compared to a lot of other YA protagonists. The exploration into biotechnology and science that we see in Lyra’s chapter was something I really enjoyed (as I am a massive science nerd, and study biotechnology at uni!!!). Despite Lyra’s detachment from the outside world and her style of storytelling, I found myself easily attached and invested with Lyra and her adventures.Gemma, on the other hand, I really struggled to understand and empathise with. I understood why she had a feeling of not-belonging, but I couldn’t handle her near-consistent whining about being overweight. Also, due to the more fleshed-out, descriptive style of Gemma’s story, the pacing was far slower than in Lyra’s. We definitely got a lot more explanations from Gemma’s story, but I didn’t enjoy her story half as much.The mystery aspect of this novel is great, and the few plot twists throughout were definitely enhanced by the order that I read the stories. I would highly recommend reading this book in the order of Lyra then Gemma.One thing I didn’t enjoy was the romance that arose throughout. I didn’t feel like it was necessary for both Lyra and Gemma to become romantically involved (not with each other, haha, but no spoilers!). And I was extremely frustrated at the trope-y, ‘I’d never been told I was perfect, but I could see that he meant it, so I finally felt perfect’, crap. It drives my feminist side crazy that a girl needs a guy to feel like she’s perfect..ugh. However there were also some great moments of friendship in here between the girls, so props for that.All in all, it was a fast-paced, unique book with some great character development and unexpected plot twists. Would definitely recommend.

This was one probably one of my most highly anticipated reads this year. I heard Oliver speak about Replica at the Southern Book festival and I immediately came home and ordered a copy. The really cool thing with this story is the reading experience. Not only do you have a fascinating plot (Girl who has never fit in finds she has a connection with a secretive research facility that creates clones), but you also can choose how you want to experience the story. Replica is a "flip book", which means you can choose to read Lyra's story first then flip the book over and read Gemma's story, read Gemma's story first then flip the book over and read Lyra's story or you can alternate chapters between the two POV's (which is what I did). Really cool concept that I think added a neat aspect to the story! By reading alternating chapters, I got to see how Lyra and Gemma reacted differently to the same situations. Perspective is everything! Oliver did an amazing job developing these characters. Not only did I feel invested in what happened to them, but I genuinely believed their story arcs. Some may say that the character's reactions or parts of the plot were predictable, but that didn't deter me from devouring this book. Replica is a really solid and unique read. The story is action packed, full of emotion and really makes you think. I highly recommend this book and can't wait for the next one in the series!

Excelente libro!!!! Me encanto la historia!!! Como siempre bueno! La autora es muy buena!

I loved the story, looking forward tout reading the next one... Wasnt what I expected!

Amazing book! It’s worth the reading! I couldn’t put it down until I finished it! I recommend Replica if you like sci fi.

AMAZING NOVEL! I loved the concept and both stories

Daughters Favorite Book!