This book was really awesome! We got to deal with the mystery of what Oliver tried to tell her, and deal with her emotions when the Similars come to school and Levi being Oliver's clone, and so much more! It was a really great book!

I felt bad for Emma. She's basically alone, her mom died when she was young and her dad is distant, her best friend just died, and she only really has one other friend. While that isn't easy, she does deal with it and lives her life. And then everything starts happening, and yeah, I really enjoyed reading about her going on this journey! Especially that end! That was pretty shocking! So many revelations!

What I really loved about this book, is that it's less of a discussion about the moral rights around cloning, but more of a show, not tell, demonstration, we see the realities of what's going on. Sure, the characters do have conversations that touch on this topic, but it's not to preach, but to explain how it affects them, personally.

There were a few times in this book were I was like, why don't you contact the police? This is wrong, you know that, you want to do something about it, why don't go to the police? It's not like the bad guys are specifically targeting them, well, Emma. Sure, the police didn't do a good job with what they were told about, but this was bigger then that, and probably would've involved a lot of police scrutiny-like, all of the country, maybe the world, vs. just the people in the area and maybe the families of the students. Yeah.

Loved this book, and I'm really excited for the next book!

A mix of Unwind's scifi base and We Were Liars' intrigue, The Similars is more than it appears on the surface. The tale of Darkwood Academy's student body through the eyes of grieving Emmaline as they discover that six of their students have been illegally cloned, raised on a secluded island by a wealthy benefactor, and are joining them at school this year.
Emmaline is a relatable character for both male and female readers. She isn't "overly girly" in her actions or thoughts as to alienate a male audience. However, I would like to see book 2 with Levi and Emmaline alternating perspective. There's plenty of real world issues to this story to keep readers motivated. The end is one that will be discussed at length as readers find one another, and while it comes out of left field, it is well-established throughout the book to be feasible.
The "secret mission" aspect of the storytelling didn't really come together for me. Perhaps it was a lack of urgency behind the characters' actions...also the clones' apparent superpowers were almost a throwaway. We don't NEED them for a compelling story. However, they may come in handy during the second book, which I will definitely be reading because I HAVE to know what happens next.

The Similars is the first installment in author Rebecca Hanover's The Similars series. 16-year old Emmaline Chance is returning to her prestigious Vermont Boarding School called Darkwood Academy just months after losing her best friend, and her heart, Oliver. But, things are about to change radically with the addition of 6 new students to the school. What is so special about these kids? They are clones of students who already attend the school. But, one clone in particular has Emma all twisted up and confused.

The arrival of these clones triggers Emmaline because one of the clones, Levi, has replaced her dead friend, Oliver. It is also the fact that the clones are very secretive and appear to be up to something nefarious. As Emma gets to know Pippa, Jago, Theodora, Ansel, Maude, and Levi, she learns multitudes of good and bad about them. Then the unthinkable happens. Her roommate, Prudence, is attacked and left to die. There is so much mystery surrounding the events that took Prudence away, that it will lead to some pretty heavy and revealing secrets.

This leads Emma to dig deep into the schools secrets, the secrets of the parents of the clones, the secrets of the schools teachers and administrators, the clones themselves, and the mysterious benefactor who 16 years ago, stole DNA from 6 babies from 6 very high profile parents. These clones where created without the families knowledge, or permission which also led to cloning being deemed illegal in the US. I will say this. I suspended belief for a bit in this story.

I don't believe in cloning. I think it's amoral to create a life out of umbilical cord blood or any other method. But, scientists have used umbilical cord blood, which contains stem cells, to treat hematopoietic and other genetic disorders. I do enjoy the stories written about clones if they are written well. I do think the ending and the surprises where a bit on the predictable side. I don't know where the author is going to go from where she left off this book, but I might be interested in reading the sequel once it comes out presumably in 2019.

Similar books: Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid, Replica by Lauren Oliver.

While I did not personally enjoy the book, I can absolutely recognize the audience for it. The story was clique and predictable, but the concept was interesting. I would be interested in more world building, since we see glimpses of the outside world but not full explanations. I will order this for my library but I will not be reading the sequel.

Book Review: The Similars by Rebecca Hanover
Publishing date: January 1, 2019
read courtesy of netgalley.com

I'm going to start at the end... there's a sequel in waiting. That gives you an idea about the ending: it's a cliffhanger. Unfortunately, I'll never find out how it all ends; I won't be purchasing the sequel for my high school library. I'm not sure how much my students recognize cliched writing, but since it interfered with my enjoyment of the book, I'm not going to expose them to the triteness.

As a mystery, Hanover did what she was supposed to do, provide clues or throw out distractions as to the "real" perpetrator. However, I found these clues too obvious -- they were spelled out instead of implied or alluded to -- which took some of the guesswork out of reading a mystery. Hanover also heavily depended on the readers' willingness to suspend disbelief that a 16-year-old girl would be able to save her best friend from the evil mad scientist when the friend'as own father couldn't or wouldn't -- in the guise of having to wait for his wife to die -- so it HAD to be the teenager to come to the rescue.

One of the Similars, who are all brilliant geniuses, couldn't estimate how large the place from which he came was, claiming that it was hard to "have a sense of scale" when you're inside the place. Really? That felt out of character. (If it sounds like a nitpick, it is; but it irked me to have such a blatant character misrepresentation.)

Basically, the story was a little too schizophrenic for me. the majority of the story was about cloning and clones, and then the last part suddenly became about virtual reality and two mad scientist brothers. Then at the end... I mean near the cliffhanger... a character who had been declared dead via suicide was found alive and returns to the boarding school. Clunk... the cliffhanger was only a 2-foot drop for me. In spite of those who knew cloning was involved, the rest of the world didn't (wouldn't the suicide have made the news?) How could a teenager reappear, and no one called the FBI? No one did because then it wouldn't be a cliffhanger. But like I said, it wasn't a cliffhanger for me. I stepped back up the 2-foot drop and walked away. It was my suspension of disbelief that was the only thing left hanging.

This book was an overall good read. It did lack some of the thrills I was hoping for, but was original premise, chilling, and well written. I thought it was an enjoyable read, especially for those that love ya.
I will be using in a challenge and telling chapter chatter pub about it.

Emma is mourning the loss of her best friend Oliver to suicide as she begins her junior year at the prestigious Darkwood Academy. It’s been all over the news that Darkwood has accepted six illegally created clones, who call themselves “The Similars”. But no one is prepared when The Similars are revealed to be clones of six other Darkwood students...including Oliver. Emma tries to avoid Levi, Oliver’s clone, and the other Similars but can’t help but be drawn into the mystery of their creation and purpose. Raised in isolation by a reclusive millionaire, the Similars aren’t quite normal, but Emma can’t decide if their oddities are interesting...or sinister.

I enjoyed this book up until the last 25%. I think the author could have worked a little bit more on the atmosphere of Darkwood, as it almost felt like an American Hogwarts but lacked the character and magic. The plot was really unique; setting is American but 50-75 years in the future. It was nice blend of sci-fi, mystery, and YA romance, even if the romance was predictable. It also got quite political, as “clone rights” becomes a hot button issue, as many students and teachers are vehemently anti-clone.

As mentioned, my only issue was with the end. It was a frenzied blend of unrealistic action, confusing technology sequences, and a truly infuriating cliffhanger. But still an enjoyable debut and I look forward to the sequels.

The Similars is a binge-worthy YA thriller with sci-fi elements and I look forward to seeing more from this debut author. Set at an elite boarding school (yes please!) six clones known as The Similars are set to begin attending high school alongside their "originals". Raised in seclusion, they were the result of a laboratory mistake and this is their first foray into the regular world.

Emmaline is grieving the death and suicide of her best friend Oliver, and when she discovers that one of the Similars is his clone, she is furious. But as the story progresses, she realizes that all may not all be as it seems. Who are the Similars and why were they really created? What are they doing at the prestigious Darkwood school? We also get an exploration of clone rights that closely mirrors discussions surrounding marriage equality and immigration. This is a slightly futuristic page-turner that is a lot of fun to read, despite a few pitfalls.

I have two main critiques of the book, although I imagine these are issues that might be the result of a less experienced writer, so I will definitely read more from this debut. First, the discussions of clone rights can feel a little heavy-handed and on the nose at times, with almost exact correlations to Prop 8 in California, for instance. While I appreciate the effort to bring attention to the importance of similar issues, it could have been handled more deftly.

The other thing is that in the last portion of the book, we get some rather convenient events combined with a lengthy speech by the villain that is quite the info-dump. This constitutes a good bit of telling rather than showing things that could have been woven in throughout the narrative. Like I said, these are issues that I expect will improve with writing experience and I think this is a fairly strong debut for the genre. I enjoyed the setting, the plot twists, and most of the characters so I do plan to continue with the series. I received an advance copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I have had a review copy of this novel for months and have been waiting for it to be closer to publication, so I finally picked it up. I love the idea behind this novel, clones going to the same school as their originals. It seemed like the perfect set up for a kill-your-double story. While that wasn’t really how this story went, it was still very interesting. It was a bit of a sci-fi mixed with a bit of mystery. This was a knockout debut for Rebecca Hanover.

The Similars had an interesting plot with a few really great twists thrown in that totally caught me off guard. It kept me reading with a decent pace for most of the novel. I love novels set at elite boarding schools, but with the clones thrown in I was immediately drawn to pick this one up. The idea behind this novel was strong and had great groundwork for this novel to go in many different directions. While I did really like where it went, I felt like it could have been stronger. I guess I am still pulling for a kill-your-double story.

There were things that I really liked about this story. I really liked that there was a secret society for the top ten best students complete with hazing rituals in the middle of the night. I also found it to be an interesting idea to have Emmaline’s dead best friend have a clone. It brings up some really difficult issues with grief that I wanted to see confronted in this novel. As someone who has lost some friends, I expected this novel to be emotional when it came to dealing with her best friend’s death, but it wasn’t at all.

The character development is where I felt like this novel was lacking. I didn’t feel much of an emotional connection with these characters. While it wasn’t entirely necessary , as there was a lot of action, it would have made the story stronger. While I did really enjoy reading The Similars, I didn’t feel super connected to the characters, so I don’t think I will continue on with the series.

Overall The Similars was a fun read where science fiction met a bit of mystery. The pacing was done pretty well and it kept me reading the whole time. The character development was lacking a bit and I feel like some important issues about grief were left unexplored. For a first novel it is impressive, and while I might not follow the rest of the series, I would be interested to see what else Rebecca Hanover can come up with. This was a fast read, but it didn’t have much depth to it.

The concept of this book was really intriguing, but the execution was not the best. I was genuinely interested in the story and the characters, but there were too many things that I didn't like and thought could have been better which severely decreased my enjoyment of the book overall. There were too many aspects of the plot that were too conveniently written and came off as unbelievable. And even though I was interested in the characters' story, I didn't connect to the main character at all.

I do have to give props to the author for the plot twists at the end, because usually I can see those kinds of twists from a mile away, but I was completely blindsided by this one! That's not to say that it came completely out of left field - there were definitely hints of it, I just was too focused on other aspects of the story to put it all together.

Overall, an intriguing concept and interesting idea, but I wasn't too keen on the actually execution and ended up not enjoying the book too much.

A clever young adult thriller set in an exclusive boarding school, The Similars by Rebecca Hanover is the first in a new and promising series. The Similars of the title are a group of six illegally created clones, each modelled on one of the students of the school. Their arrival causes a stir among teachers, parents and students alike, but no one is more upset than Emmaline , who must now face the clone of her best friend who killed himself during the summer break. Being forced to spend time with the clones is difficult, and soon proves to be dangerous when Emmaline's best friend is attacked, and one of the clones is a prime suspect. Its hard to say any more without spoiling a well crafted plot with numerous layers of mystery and intrigue, so all I will say is that I was hooked to the very last page, and can't wait to see where the story goes next.
The setting in a boarding school may be a often used trope, but it works well in this book, as it seems neither staff nor students can be trusted. As is to be expected there are several stock characters, the queen bee, the jock etc but even these have been given a new life by having them interact with their clones with varying degrees of success. The pacing is very good, just enough mystery is teased to keep the reader hooked , and though the book does end on a cliff hanger, which I am not a fan of, I liked it enough to want to continue the series.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,

This is such a highly predictable book.

Honestly, I don’t think it’s that I read too much (though I do). It’s just that there’s literally nothing new here. Every time you read this and say “by the end of the book she’s going to” I can tell you that YES she will.

The romance is okay (and predictable).

The drama is okay (and predictable).

The ending is okay (and predictable.)

I read for entertainment, yes, but part of that entertainment is being enthralled and surprised.

I mean…I literally got to the point where I was predicting what would happen in the book on Twitter to other book friends.

This book has been written before…and before and before and before…

3 Stars. It’s acceptable and probably good if you’ve never read a clone book before.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

The Similars is the first book in a brand-new series from Rebecca Hanover, featuring a group of teenagers who just happen to be clones. It's set in an upper-class boarding school, which made it an obvious choice for me to pick up, since boarding school books are my catnip.

Sixteen-year-old Emmaline is still reeling from her best friend Oliver's apparent suicide. It's hard for her to imagine her life without him in it, especially when she returns to Darkwood Academy for her junior year of high school. Memories of Oliver are everywhere, and it seems impossible her grief will ever lessen.

And then, the Similars descend on Darkwood. They are exact DNA replicas of six of Darkwood's students, and the entire student body seems incapable of talking about anything else. Cloning is illegal, so how is it possible that six of them are attending one of the country's most prestigious boarding schools? Who created them, and why?

Emmaline couldn't care less about the Similars, until she comes face-to-face with Levi, a boy who looks exactly like Oliver. She does her best to steer clear of all of them, but as time passes, she finds herself strangely fixated on these six mysterious students. She's desperate to discover what prompted Oliver to take his own life, and she can't shake the suspicion that Levi's existence might have something to do with it.

Before long, Emmaline's attempts to uncover the truth place her directly in the path of a group of very powerful and dangerous people who will do whatever they deem necessary to keep their secrets hidden. Fortunately, Levi and the other Similars band together to help Emmaline bring the truth to light, and she begins to think she might have a chance of defeating her influential enemies. But when she learns a deeply hidden truth about her own birth, Emmaline realizes there's more going on at Darkwood than she bargained for.

The Similars is a highly-charged story filled with danger, intrigue, and a slow-burn romance. It's set in a world that's not all that different from our own, making it easy to become completely immersed in the story. Ms. Hanover does a great job describing the subtle differences between her world and ours without resorting to info-dumping, and I freely admit to having to pause every so often to remind myself that I was reading about a fictitious time and place.

I didn't care much for Emmaline's character at the beginning of the story, but as I continued to read, I discovered her hidden depths. She does come off as a bit spoiled from time to time, but I was able to forgive her and move on. Her life hasn't always been easy, so it wasn't difficult for me to have patience with some of her more annoying behaviors. Plus, she undergoes a huge amount of growth, and I look forward to seeing how she'll behave in book two.

The ending of the book was a little hard to take seriously. I can't say too much about it without ruining the whole thing, so I'll just warn you that the actions of the villain are kind of over the top. They are supposed to be very dangerous people, but they occasionally felt like the stereotypical bad guys who inhabit most bad movies.

The Similars definitely has its problems, but it's still a strong start to what promises to be an excellent series. I adored the setting and the worldbuilding, and most of the characters are quite relatable. It does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I'm super excited for the second book to be released. I'm just hoping the author doesn't make me wait too long.

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I received a galley of this to review for my school. It is a unique new YA. I enjoyed it as something different from most of the YA I read. A novel concept and I think my students will enjoy it.

This is a fascinating concept. You go back to school for your junior year and there are six new students that are replicas of current students -- with the exception that one of the new kids looks just like your deceased best friend. I appreciated the exploration of life with clones, but the attempts to metaphorically link this to the immigration crisis did not work for me. I found the last 1/3 of the book was a bit disjointed and don't know if I would invest in further editions in this series. I just don't care enough about Emmaline and Levi after reading this first book.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this upcoming YA title.

On reflection after reading, the story line felt refreshing and new but as I read it became slightly predictable. I liked Rebecca’s writing style and her ideas, I just needed more depth to her characters. Without giving anything away this was a dystopian story with a twist which really did pique my interest in the beginning, so much potential with intriguing premise but sadly losing my interest somewhat, ending with an abrupt cliffhanger. Even so would I still be interested in finding out what happened next? Yes. I think I would be.

Emmaline "Emma" Chance's world as been upended. Her best friend Oliver committed suicide over the summer. As she returns to her boarding school, their boarding school, for the year, there's a welcome distraction. They've dubbed themselves the "Similars," six clones of students who attend the school. Their existence had been a secret prior to the summer and now they'll be joining their originals as students of the prestigious Darkwood Academy. Some of the most prominent students at Darkwood have a Similar, including the deceased Oliver. Emmaline nearly can't handle seeing Oliver's face on another person. Tension rises between the Similars and the students of the school, but Emma tries her best to give them a chance, let them live a life they've never had. But maybe something about them is a little off, something Emma can't quite put her finger on. As she becomes closer to the Similars, secrets, about them, about the school, about her, start to reveal themselves. Emma doesn't know who to trust, what to believe, or what to do, but with way more than her class rank on the line, she tries to solve the mysteries of the Similars and maybe herself.

This was a quick, thrilling read. I'm somewhat versed in clone literature, Never Let Me Go and all that, so some of the points, politics, and conflicting ideas on cloning brought up by this story are not new to me. In those terms, this book didn't have too much new to offer, except maybe for a younger audience. But the plot was pretty strong and the characters were compelling. The book is not without it's faults. There were a few moments of "hmm, that's awfully convenient" and the ending felt a bit rushed to me, but overall I was totally gripped. There were points where I had so many theories flying around in my head, I had no idea where the story might lead. I'm excited to see that this is going to be a series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and netgalley for lending my this book in exchange of an honest review.

I was so excited to read this early copy of the book, the premise sounded so interesting. I enjoyed the first part a lot, it was engaging and I truly couldn't stop reading it, but the second part(or more like the last 3 or 4 chapters) were a bit rushed, and not as engaging, I liked the surprise or twist but I am not much of a fan of cliffhangers. Anyways, it was a good and entertaining read. I would recommend it. Enjoy!

It's "Orphan Black" meets "Pretty Little Liars". Like most YA novels, it's a quick read. Unlike most YA novels, it's a fun one as well! Engaging characters, a unique story, and interesting twists keep this one a page turner. I think this one will do well!

DNF at 70%.

The Similars had a really cool premise: 6 clones of 6 outstanding students at a highly competitive boarding school start as juniors at said boarding school (their "originals" are mostly seniors - the cloning was done without consent of the parents). And the mystery surrounding the clones was really cool. But then the plot went in about 8 different directions and there clearly wasn't time to properly service them all. For example, the main character's best remaining friend is nearly murdered, and that's basically a footnote. She'll think about it every few chapters or so...and that's about it. There's just way too much going on in this book: secret societies, hazing, murder, suicide, horrible adults, drugs and oh yeah, the aforementioned cloning. Because our main character is just reacting (usually poorly and/or stupidly) to the crazy things happening, we don't really get to know her. I thought I'd be able to tough it out, but as more and more plot elements were introduced, I realized I just couldn't make myself care.

All of that said, there is definitely an audience for this book. Younger teens who are into fast-paced dystopian novels with little character development will love this one. Hand it to fans of Michael Vey, Divergent or The Testing series. Otherwise, try Mur Lafferty's Six Wakes for a better sci-fi mystery with dystopian elements and clones.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advance copy, which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. The Similars will be released on 01 Jan.