Both of Me by Jonathan Friesen

★★★★★
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From award-winning author, Jonathan Friesen, a contemporary story dealing with mental illness and an unexpected friendship.

Elias Phinn copes with his painful reality by slipping into the imaginary realm of Warilia, a world that colors his every waking moment and feels more real than the actual one around him. When his carry-on luggage is switched with that of the beautiful and mysterious Clara, Elias becomes convinced that she is a Warilian diplomat’s daughter. But as the two become friends and their carefully constructed worlds begin to crack, Elias must save them both before everything falls apart.

Poignant, heartrending, and powerfully real, Both of Me is the latest young adult novel from award-winning author Jonathon Friesen. As it explores themes of friendship, mental illness, and self-discovery, this gripping novel will catch – and keep – the attention of teen readers.

I hadn’t read anything by Jonathan Friesen before, but I do love a good YA novel about misfits and different worlds, so I took the chance and picked up Both of Me. Luckily, this bit of chance-taking paid off - I really enjoyed reading this novel. Both the main characters, Elias and Clara, are very real, vibrant and imaginative and I loved following along with them through this adventure-filled story. With their individual challenges, pains, difficulties, they deal with and address tough issues realistically and honestly and require their readers to pay close attention to the narrative.  Moving and emotional, original and engaging, Friesen’s Both of Me is worth a read and I definitely recommend it.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of Both of Me and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

About the Author

Jonathan Friesen is an author, speaker, and youth writing coach from Mora, Minnesota. His first young adult novel, Jerk, California, received the ALA Schneider Award. When he’s not writing, speaking at schools, or teaching, Jonathan loves to travel and hang out with his wife and three kids.