{Review} I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler

I'm Not Her

by Janet Gurtler

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Pages: 285

Source:  Self Purchased

Available as of May 1, 2011

"For the first time in my life, I didn't feel envy..."
Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that's okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her.  Yet the smiles of her picture-perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn't hold it together, who will?

Rating:

Review:

When I read I’m Not Her the first time, I cried. It was no different the second time around. Janet Gurtler created a believable plot through her eloquent writing and the main character’s feelings towards her sister’s diagnosis.

Tess is the baby of the family. She envied her sister until the word cancer and Kristina were uttered in the same sentence. She is invisible to everyone at school. And then Kristina misses one day and Tess becomes the center of attention because everyone wants to know why her sister isn’t there. Kristina asks Tess to tell nobody. She doesn’t want people knowing she has cancer because she doesn’t want people feeling sorry for her. Kristina is the “It” girl, outgoing, likeable, beautiful, and carefree. Their parents are in denial. Tess needs to step up or risk her entire family falling apart.

Despite the tears, I really enjoyed this book. Tess had to be the adult. Her parents were either absent or not dealing with all the possible outcomes of Kristina’s situation. She is the one who has to pull her family back together and make everyone face the music. Tess grows up during Kristina’s illness. She is no longer the quite, invisible girl; she is the outspoken girl who doesn’t want to be in the limelight struggling to keep her life from falling apart.

I highly recommend this book to ALL readers! It was phenomenal and is definitely worth a read….or two. 

This book satisfies one of my twenty books for the 2012 Completely Contemp Challenge.