Blog Tour: Review of I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan + Giveaway!

Today, as part of Erin McCahan's tour for her debut novel, I Now Prounce You Someone Else, I have a review of that said novel, as well as a contest for all my US  readers! Cool, right?

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Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Here Comes the Bride -- If She Can Pass Chemistry.

Eighteen-year-old Bronwen Oliver has a secret: She's really Phoebe, the lost daughter of the loving Lilywhite family. That's the only way to explain her image-obsessed mother; a kind but distant stepfather; and a brother with a small personality complex. Bronwen knows she must have been switched at birth, and she can't wait to get away from her "family" for good.

Then she meets Jared Sondervan. He's sweet, funny, everything she wants -- and he has the family Bronwen has always wanted too. She falls head over heels in love, and when he proposes marriage, she joyfully accepts. But is Jared truly what she needs? And if he's not, she has to ask: What would Phoebe Lilywhite do?  

Review:
 
In my eyes, I Now Pronounce You Someone Else is the breakout hit of 2010. Because not only does it contain relatable, messed up, and funny main characters, it's witty, real, and contains writing similar to Dessen or Colasnati- a high regarded coming from me.

I Now Pronounce You Someone Else tells the tale of Bronwen Oliver, a girl who has never exactly been happy with the family she was given. This is where Phoebe Lilywhite comes in. Phoebe is who she truly is, in her opinion, the girl who she was supposed to be, but thanks to the hospital were she was born got stuck in the Oliver family, one that contains ketchup loving, emotionally distant odd balls. Though, by the age of seventeen, she's given up on the hope that the Lilywhites will come and save her… that is until Jared Sondervan and his family comes into the picture. Jared is amazing and sweet and his family is even better, truly the people she was meant to be with, and before she knows it she's engaged to Jared and soon to be an official Sondervan. Because that's what she wants, right? Soon Bronwen learns that there's more than just a ring and a change of last names in becoming who she wants and needs to be, as well as one of the hardest decisions she will ever make looming in the near future.

Browen is a character I absolutely loved, because not only is she one of the most real protagonists I've read about in YA, but she makes mistakes and has fears and wants similar to me and probably most teen girls. And mentioning that, it's easy to relate to her wanting of a "new" and more "perfect" family, because who hasn't ever thought to themselves at least once, "How did I end up in THIS family, and not (enter blanks) family?" Further more, I adored the fact that Browen and Jared's relationship was one that didn't happen in just an "instant", instead it took plenty of time and getting to know-yous to develop, the way that most romantic relationships occur in the real world. And talking about Jared, I loved him too, and while he was nearly perfect and swoon-worthy, in my opinion, McCahan also gave him reasonable down-falls to his character, which was something I liked seeing amongst all the other "perfect" YA boyfriends in books.

The plot of this was also nearly perfect and when adding in the characters and McCahan's writing, it made it even more so! I especially enjoyed the fact that even thought some parts of this book were predictable to the max, other portions made you hesitant to make a final decision on what would occur, because the ending of the situation on hand was just that ambiguous.

Though, there was a downfall to this book and that was the ending. It was just too rushed and didn't truly give you closure on several aspects of the plot. Though, it defiantly wasn't one of the biggest problems a book has ever had.

In all, I Now Pronounce You Someone Else is one of those books that I highly, highly suggest you pick up as soon as humanly possible, because it's one of the best coming-of-age stories of the year. Lastly, McCahan is an author I'm truly looking forward to reading more by in the future.
 
Grade: A-

Source: Book Publicity Firm. Thanks, Christelle!

I Now Prounce You Someone Else is now out!

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To enter the contest portion of this post, please fill out the following the form.

Though, as with any contest, there are rules:

~ Must be 13 years or older to enter.
~ Open to US only.
~ This giveaway will close on September 29th.
 
Good luck! :)