This was the best throwback to Freaky Friday that I could ask for. In fact, this was better. Much, much better!
As the author herself says in her author's note, her book really goes where other Young Adult books don't. When do we properly get to understand the perspective of a grandparent or elderly person? I'll give you a hint: never.
Body Swap gave me so much to think about. My whole life I've thought about how cool it would be to have a large family and be around your elders all the time. It feels like we as people in the Western world now don't respect that, and it's so incredibly sad!
That's not to say Body Swap was a very dark book - it wasn't! It was super fun like a Disney family movie, but Young Adult. I was genuinely intrigued by the storyline the whole book, and it was so quick, cute and hilarious.
This was such a different book to my usual contemporary reads, and I'm disappointed that I haven't heard anyone else talking about this book, because I feel like it'd be one that people will absolutely LOVE.
My recommendation: The day this comes out, you get yourself a copy!

This book is a new twist on body swaps – not played for laughs – but really a quite a serious and rather moving tale. It is a bit like Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” – That you don’t know what you’ve got Till it’s gone. Not to say that there is not some humour here (much of it connected to Eli) – just that humour is not the driving force.
The book starts with Hallie being an obnoxious self-centred teenager, too consumed with her umbilical connection to her mobile phone, to have any care for other people about her, or to take any notice of the wider world outside of her current texting mission. Still obliviously texting while hurrying to the mall to catch sight of the object of her latest crush, Hallie walks in front of an accelerating car, and is killed. So is the elderly woman, Susan, who was driving the car.
The next scene is in a carnival, where rides will transport the dead to the hereafter. Neither Susan nor Hallie are ready to let go of life yet. Hallie because she has not yet been kissed by a boy (in particular, Chael), and Susan, because she does not want to be blamed for killing Hallie, when her defective new car is to blame. They are brought together by the mysterious Eli, whom they persuade to give them another chance by promising to use their extra time to expose the defects in Susan’s SUV – before anyone else is killed. Eli assures them, that they are “both going to have your different ending. More different than you can ever imagine”
They wake up back in the carpark. Hallie’s body is pale with “brown spots and blue, bulgy veins”, and knobbly throbbing knees. “Not only am I white, I’m ancient!”. Eli is at pains to point out to her that “Growing old is a privilege – one you may not even earn”. Meanwhile, Susan is very happy with her new body: “My skin is lovely, young and smooth. And the extra pigment is so practical and protective”.
Unfortunately, Hallie’s phone is not so lucky. She manages to convince Susan to replace it with the latest model smart phone (at great expense – “This young girl doesn’t understand anything about money. About making it last till the end of your life because you won’t ever earn anything more”), and to buy Susan herself one too. Thus, they are able to communicate when apart, and somehow pull off the body swap without any of their friends or relations finding out.
Hallie invents an “adoptive Grandmother” scenario to explain why they are spending so much time together. From the initial – very antagonistic – meeting, Hallie and Susan grow into becoming very close – if unlikely – friends. Both are on a very sharp learning curve, and need each other’s support. First thing is to get Susan using the new smart phone with its internet connection and up and running on Facebook.
In their old bodies, neither was particularly confident, and they were used to being underestimated and overlooked. Hallie because she was a black, female teenager (so often thought poor, possibly criminal and stupid), Susan because she was old and female (so considered ignorant of any modern technology, incapable of driving safely, possibly with dementia). Hallie comments: “Cuteness gets attention power; I had power before. I never knew that. Now, in Susan’s body, it’s like I am invisible”. In their new bodies – partly because they do not want to let the other person down – they become confident, creative and capable. They draw other friends, young and old, into their orbit, and together they are quite formidable. Their missions are (1) to expose the dangers of Saji dealership cars and their sticking accelerators (2) get Hallie her first boyfriend (preferably Chael) and (3) sort out Susan’s future living arrangements so that she keeps her independence, and her son happy.
Many years ago, people of all ages worked, lived and socialised together. They learned from each other, and their skills complemented each other. Nowadays, society (at least in first world countries) is stratified by age. Teenagers and the elderly have little contact, and civilisation is the poorer for it. This life-affirming story shows how beneficial such contact between the age groups can be. Hopefully, it won’t always require body swaps to make it work.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Body Swap was a nice little treat for me! I like the concept of "swap" stories of any sort where the idea is that each character comes away with a new appreciation for the other after having (quite literally) walked a mile in their shoes. It doesn't matter to me if they're the type where someone disguises themselves, or a husband and wife who switch roles for the day, or the magical-mystical-wake-up-in-someone-else's-body sort.
Unfortunately, these types of stories often aren't well-written (which can lead to confusing messes) or interesting enough to be worth reading.

Happily, Body Swap is unique enough to be really interesting (an elderly woman and a teen switch bodies), and is also very nicely written. The chapters alternate between teen aged Hallie and and 82-year-old Susan and there is never any doubt about whose voice was represented by each chapter. Author Sylvia McNicoll does a really great job of showing how both a teen girl and an elderly woman can struggle to have their voices heard.

While struggling to figure out how to live in each other's bodies, and navigate the pitfalls associated with the other's age group (zits and young love vs. wrinkles and health conditions), the two must work together to find a way to prove that a car manufacturer is aware of (but hiding) a potentially life-threatening defect in its cars. It's a challenge for the two to get anyone to believe them that something is seriously wrong.

This was a quick, fun book to read and I was really delighted to read something Canadian that wasn't also dreary and depressing. This was a good blend of sweet with just a hint of more grown-up ideas to make it a perfect book for a reader transitioning from the middle grade to YA reading levels. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for providing me with a DRC of this book.

Book Review
Body Swap by Sylvia McNicoll
Read courtesy of netgalley.com
Publication date: 09 Oct 2018

I think that Sylvia McNicoll and Dundurn are selling themselves short: This is not just a YA Middle School novel. While it's appropriate for middle schoolers (i.e., no cursing), I'm sure it would be appealing to high schoolers and adults, too. It reminded me of a seamless mash-up of the stories behind Cocoon, Big, and Lovely Bones (the book, not the movie 😝). Magical realism at its best.

At first I was confused by both the swapping of bodies and the alternating chapters. It took me a while to make the mental switches back-and-forth while I read. I do wonder if some readers will find the double switching confusing. I thought that might detract from my enjoyment of the story, but I got used to the seesawing. I'm glad I did.

The characters were believable and played both of their parts really well. Their duality offered the introspection we often can only assume occurs within characters; McNicoll allowed the reader inside of the characters' heads, which allowed the readers to contemplate what their own reactions might have been under similar circumstances. This provided a very powerful way to get absorbed into a story.

McNicoll provided a means of exploring one's own preconceived notions (in this case about ageism) without being preachy, which is hugely important for our YA readers. I'm looking forward to getting Body Swap for my high school library and will recommend it for my middle school library, as well.

A take on the typical “Freaky Friday” plot, Hallie and Susan, a 15 year old and an 82 year old are both killed in a car accident. In the afterlife, they meet with Eli, “God”, and he decides to allow them back on Earth with one stipulation. They must go back in each other’s bodies in order to work together to bring light to a widespread issue with a specific brand of cars that are causing accidents all over.

This is exactly as you would expect: cute, quick, and entertaining! My only complaints are that the ending seemed very rushed in comparison to the rest of the story, and it got a little confusing sometimes when Susan’s body was referenced as Hallie- due to Hallie actually being the person inside it- and vice versa.

I love the concept of this book, I've read similar and I really did enjoy them, but this one I DNF. I gave this book a gallant try. I could not get past the point where I started hating the main characters and the attitudes so that makes it a DNF in my book. I really do like the cover.

Body Swap by Sylvia McNicoll is a cute story about a teenage girl Hallie, and an eighty-two year old woman, Susan who swap bodies after an accident. While Hallie still believes she is a teenager but with a body that won't cooperate -Susan has all the smarts of an elderly person but keeps forgetting her new body is capable of amazing things..
While this book was an enjoyable read it is sadly the 3rd or 4th book that talks about body swapping this year and all so far have failed to give such a fun concept justice.
Enjoyable with fun characters that needed a bit more depth....and a shorter more to the point ending.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This book had me laughing and wanting to scream all at once. I am assuming that is a good things. All Hallie is worried about is getting her crush to notice her and she is hit by a car by an old lady. They end up at a carnival together. Eli tells them they can go back if they can prove that the car was at fault. The only thing is when they get back the accident does not happen but they are each other bodies. This is giving them some insight to what each go through in their lives but they have limited time to prove their point. Will they get switched back or will they end up back at the carnival? I will not tell. You will have to read it for yourself.

★★★✬☆ 3.5 stars
Hallie and Susan meet in strange circumstances. Susan hits Hallie with a car. They die. The end? No, that's actually just the beginning. Because they find themselves with a whimsical god who is willing to let them go back to life, but switches their bodies. But they also have to do something together in order to keep the status quo…

I like how this story teaches empathy and understanding: our society focuses on the young, the successful – the loud. But there are so many people who are left on the outskirts and silenced – the old, the teens. This is what the book focuses on. By using a body swap as a tool, the author gets to show the old person's world through a teenager's eyes, and the teenager's world through the eyes of a person with years and years of life experience. That teaches understanding that there is no such thing as a common life experience – everyone is at the own place in their lives, everything is individual. And one should never judge a person based on their age.

One passage especially really stuck with me. Susan and Hallie are trying to get people to listen to them about a malfunctioning and dangerous car model, but nobody believes them – because one is too old to make sense, and the other one is too young to make sense. When does someone start or finish being a person? Barring babies or people with severe dementia, this shouldn't be something that we assume about people – that they're of the wrong age to make sense or to make rational decisions.

It’s also a story about how both people manage to find new wisdom by being in the other’s shoes. Naturally, the teen gets a lot of valuable life lessons by living a day (well, several) in the life of an old person. That appearances are not everything, and that one shouldn't take their own young body for granted and worry about the tiny things. But it's not just Hallie that learns things from Susan – Susan also needs Hallie to make all the people that are babying the 82-year-old back off and just let her breathe.

To sum it up, this was a light, although emotional book about helping each other out and developing more empathy. I enjoyed it! The drawbacks would include that perhaps this is not a life changing or world shattering story – but it’s still one with a good moral and pleasant to read.

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

The body swap premise is interesting, but ultimately I didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped I would.

There were some points made about how the elderly are treated, not taking your life for granted, and about technology I'm today's society. I didn't find the plot flowed well, nor did I connect with either of the main characters.

That said, some of the ideas of the afterlife and how they were able to handle each other's lives were fun.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this novel courtesy of Dundurn Press via NetGalley.

Body Swap by Slyvia McNicoll

Release Date: September 15, 2018

Publisher: Dundurn Press

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Rating: 3.5 / 5



Storyline:

This story begins with a sudden tragic incident where elderly Susan backs into teenage Hallie, who is on her phone while walking. Both Susan and Hallie wake up in this carnival-type location, where they meet a man named Eli. It soon becomes apparent that this is some sort of “in-between” life, and Susan explains that she backed into Hallie because her accelerator pedal stuck and wouldn’t release – a problem she has had before, but is ignored by the mechanics at the dealership. Hallie tries to bargain her way back to the living by promising she’ll help Susan prove her case, only if Eli lets them live. However, Eli knows this promise isn’t sincere, so he agrees to send them back to living, on one condition.

Hallie and Susan are sent back to living, and surviving the accident, only to discover their bodies have been switched. The only way to get their real bodies back is for Hallie to help Susan prove the car is defective. Thus begins a pursuit of justice and a life-changing adventure for the pair as they fight to prove the car is killing people.

The Good:

I enjoyed the character development throughout the book, especially how far Hallie comes in learning the importance of respecting others and making smart decisions. The author, Sylvia McNicoll, mentions in her intro that she wants this book to help teens and other readers take notice of the way senior citizens are often treated in society, and I think she does this excellently. Putting a teen into an elderly body was a creative way to have everyone take notice of the injustices independent senior citizens face every day and the lack of respect they can receive after snap a judgement is made. The book was fast-paced and rarely lulled. I was often on edge hoping they would finally get someone to pay attention and listen to a teenager and an 82-year old woman before someone gets seriously hurt from this car defect.

The Bad:

Occasionally, it was confusing to tell who was who. However, this comes with the territory of a body swap, as say, the mind belongs to Hallie, but others around her would call her Susan. McNicoll did a great job keeping them straight, but it occasionally had me going back to figure out who was who. Additionally, while I enjoyed the ending, it seemed abrupt. I liked how everything wrapped up, but it would have been nice to expand that section for a bit more clarity at the end.

Bottom Line:

A fun YA read, with Freaky Friday vibes, but with a stronger plot and unique motives.

This book was a fun read. I thought it was dark, but also really comical. It was really interesting having two characters with a very large age gap and very different problems get the chance to experience what life is like for the other, and I feel it provides a good lesson in humility and understanding. This is a really good story on self-realization, as Hallie realizes that some of the things that seem so huge in her world, just really aren’t all that important when looking at them from someone else’s perspective.

Although I feel I haven’t been able to express myself in a coherent way with this review, trust me when I say that this book is worth the read.

This was a fast YA read about a teenage girl, Hallie, and an elderly lady, Susan, who swap bodies after getting in a car accident.  I liked the premise of  the story which is what can senior citizens teach teenagers and vice versa.  However, I don't think it was executed very well.  Both characters were so stereotypical that it made the story seem too simplistic and predictable.  There were some great moments between Hallie and Susan and their friends though and some funny parts when they are both dealing with technology and boys.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.

What compelled me to request for this book on Netgalley was the summary. I think it would be interesting to read about a teenage girl swap bodies with an elderly woman. I had hopes for this one, but I'm so sad to say that Body Swap did not meet them.

But let's start with what I liked. The actual plot of the book is actually good and quite promising. I like the concept of our two main characters, Hallie and Susan, living the other's life, while searching for a way to go back to normal, despite of their 67-year age gap. It's fun to see Susan's transition from originally being an 82-year-old woman to having a 15-year-old's body, as she learns all about technology and its convenience.

And that's about it. Now, moving on to the stuff that I think needs improvement...

I had a hard time finishing this book due to a lot of factors. Firstly, I did not connect to any of the characters. I tend to enjoy reading more when the books have complex characters with great character development. This book, however, failed to have said characters. Actually, I've come to dislike Hallie. She takes advantage of Susan's money when they swapped bodies. I mean, Hallie insisted on buying not one, but two $600 phones and then eating at an expensive restaurant afterwards. Susan is an old lady, for crying out loud! Hallie has made a dent on Susan's retirement money for sure. Aside from that, I hate how Hallie doesn’t even hide her disdain about swapping bodies with Susan. It's just plain rude. As for the other characters, they just don't have much depth to them.

I also would have had trouble recognizing whose point of view I was reading if not for the indicators at the start of each chapter. It's hard to differentiate them at times due to how flat they all fell.

Another thing is that the goal of the book is just so confusing. There's just so much going on: pretending to be the person they've swapped bodies with, proving that a car company is at fault for their mishap, scoring a boyfriend for Hallie, proving that cellphones are both bad and good. All of these in just less than 250 pages.

Overall, this has a great premise but since I am a character-driven reader I didn't really like this one. Still, go check this out if you want to as this is just a quick read. Unfortunately, this one's not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for an honest Review! 

A collision resulted, Hallie a teenager and Susan an 82 years, found their bodies swap. I really love the concept of the book, it focused on lack of relationship between today's generation with old citizens.

It had the potential to turned out a really good book with all those interesting characters, unique story where 2 people of different age is helping each other to change their lives, but sadly it lost somewhere and it turned into an EL-Q and Saji motors extended commercial, well Saji motors were villain, but seriously EL-Q, so much publicity of non-existing phone, I can understand the necessity of the story but things really feel like forced. I don't think there was the need of dragging this story much.

For EL-Q



I really enjoyed the first half but the second half was a Meh.

The Quick Cut: A fifteen year old teen girl and an eighty two year old woman swap bodies after getting into a car accident with each other. After feuds and miscommunications, these two do what they can to prove that what happened wasn't their fault and take advantage of their second chance at life.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Dundurn Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I inhaled this book in the time span of about 4 hours. Although it definitely has its flaws, the banter and chemistry between our two leading ladies really keeps the story moving so quickly that I quite literally didn't realize how much time had passed.

Hallie is a fifteen year old whose sole focus is boys - particularly Chael. The bane of her existence is the bus she needs to ride in order to get around town, like the mall she goes to with her friends. On this specific day, she is on her way to the mall with her blue haired best friend Abby. Its when they get off the bus and make their way towards their destination that Hallie gets run over by eight two year old Susan driving a new Hurriane SUV.

When these two meet at this afterlife carnival, they immediately dislike each other and start to fight. Neither of them wants anything to do with each other and why would they? Hallie says that Susan shouldn't be driving at eighty years old and killed her while Susan continues to insist that the car malfunctioned. Susan says that Hallie is young, entitled, and has no understanding of respect for others around her. Its in this moments that an olderworldly being Eli gives them a second chance at life and sends them back with a small hitch - they're going back in one another's bodies.

That's right - this is Freaky Friday, extreme ages version. May I say so myself, the story is done very well from start to finish when it comes to these two learning to listen to each other. While they each had their own problems and issues with each other, they eventually learn to put that aside in order to survive their new situations without getting caught. In the process, they learn something new about what its like living the other person's life and appreciating what they had to begin with. Hallie and Susan even start making an effort of protecting each other's best interests before the halfway mark!

There are plenty of flaws in the story too though. Hallie and Susan really are fairly stereotypical versions of the teenager and older woman. Hallie is self centered, only interested in boys, and ignores anyone who isn't her own age without any care for anyone else. Susan is an older woman who is brittle, being harassed by family to move into an old age community, and feels like young people are the problem. These characters could've been diversified a little bit from the social stereotype here. Plus, the SUV storyline gets fairly hard to believe by the end. Although its a perfect way to get our characters together with one goal, it also seemed too far fetched to happen in real life. A company wouldn't cover up like that if they were that wide scale of an organization without being bankrupt overnight.

Even with all its issues, this book is a quick read well worth the chemistry and banter between the two leads.

“Growing old is a privilege…” -Eli (God), in Body Swap

Body Swap by Sylvia McNicoll is a cute story about a teenage girl, Hallie, and an eighty-two year old woman, Susan, who change bodies. In this new altered reality, Hallie still thinks like a teenager, but her body is now 82 years old; likewise, Susan has all the wisdom of an 82 year old, but her body is now young and agile.

Hallie has to deal with the realities of an old age she’s never even dreamed of: daily medications, aching bones, and a son who wants to put her in a nursing home. Susan gets to relive her youth, but in Hallie’s body: thinking about boys, helping with chores around the house, and navigating technology.

Hallie learns some valuable lessons about how her real teenage attitude can come across: “…in my other body, I am the queen of the eye roll. It’s my favourite form of self-expression. Now that I’m an old biddy, I don’t find it so cute.”

And, Susan remembers what it felt like to be a young girl with her parents still living: “For just one moment, I find myself leaning into [Hallie’s mother’s] hand, smiling. It’s nice to have a mother’s touch; I haven’t had that for thirty years.”

Fighting many challenges together, the ladies become unlikely but fierce friends, taking care of one another. The book becomes a lesson in selflessness as each main character evolves from thinking about what she wants for herself, and instead begins making decisions that would be best for the body she now inhabits.

As a reader, I found it a little challenging to picture the correct character throughout the narrative. For example, in Hallie’s mind, Hallie refers to Susan as Susan, even though Susan looks like Hallie. Susan’s friends and family, however, refer to Susan as Hallie, because they don’t realize Susan is now dwelling in the teenager’s body. This gets a bit confusing on paper; on screen, it would play out just fine. After a bit of reading, I did get used to making the switch in my head. The book is appropriate for young readers and adults.

I received an advanced electronic copy of Body Swap in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to publisher Dundurn and author Sylvia McNicoll for this opportunity.

This book was well written and very fun to read. The characters were great and I enjoyed the world building. The author does a great job at introducing the characters and moving the plot along. There were a few things that I didn't like, but it wasn't enough to really sway me one way or the other. It's definitely a story that I can get lost in and both feel for the characters. It is definitely a go-to novel that I highly recommend to anyone who loves a great read. Definitely a highly recommended read that I think everyone will enjoy.

It all started when an accident occurred caused by a faulty Hurricane vehicle. The driver, an 82-year-old woman named Susan bumping into a teenage girl Hallie. Hallie and Susan passed out momentarily after the incident. Only to find themselves with the presence of God. Hallie who’s a teenager keeps on complaining that it is all the old woman’s fault. Primarily blaming her because of her old age. Susan argues that it isn’t her fault but the vehicle’s faulty accelerator.

Both argued that they shouldn’t die yet… They were given a chance to come back to the living. When they woke up, in reality, they found themselves not in each other’s respective bodies but opposites. This is where things start to get tricky.

Here’s the thing; I feel really bad for rating this low. I almost marked it as a didn’t finish but pull through because of the chances I was giving to it. Still ended up being a meh read. And here’s why:

- I find the narration to be dragging and not strong enough to keep me focus.
- The characters were not as strong as thought they would be. Strong in a sense of their personality.
- And it was written seriously stereotypical. Hallie is a teenager who has no depth in life. She was introduced as the “she loves to use her cellphone and go pin on a boy” like almost the whole book not until the end.
- Susan was the same introduced as an eighty-year-old woman whose life is only medicine, attending gatherings and with friends.
I didn’t connect with any of them.
- Felt like I was reading a never-ending commercial, El-Q this El-Q that. It’s like every time there was an opportunity to promote it there it was.
- And it was redundant, I get that it was the latest model.
- There was so much going on that the real problem wasn’t addressed until a few pages left. or was it? It’s just how it seemed to me.
I also feel like there were not many details focusing on the faulty accelerator.

Some of the things I did like:

- Bridging the understanding between Susan and Hallie. The age gap truly is huge and since both had been in each opposite bodies, of course, they don’t see things eye to eye but it gave both more perspective on each other’s circumstances.
- It has a great book synopsis.
- Amazing predicament the body swapping not entirely unique but how it began, yes.
- It tackles about the safety of other people not just by settling because of the company’s money.

Note: Copy provided by Dundurn through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. In no way, my opinion reflects the author’s work, the publisher or any groups of people nor I received any monetary compensation for doing this review.

A fatal accident involving Susan, an 82 year old woman and Hallie, a 14 year old girl results in Eli/aka God allowing them to both return to the land of the living to prove who was at fault. In return for allowing them a second chance he swaps their souls, an empathy experiment, allowing them to see both sides from a new angle. The two must work together to determine the true cause of the accident before their time runs out. Hallie, unappreciative of her body and addicted to technology, finds herself dealing with the complications and stereotypes that come from aging Susan's families desire to place her in a home. Susan, always complaining about getting older finds herself with a new lease on life but quickly realizes that being a teenager comes with its own difficulties. Together they form a new friendship and learn what it's like to be in someone else's shoes.

Body Swap is a really cute YA contemporary fiction novel geared towards ages 12-15. I really enjoyed the positive messages about body appreciation, relationships, and empathy that the author incorporated into the novel. The writing style is geared more towards the younger end of the YA spectrum but as an adult I still found it enjoyable to read. This book discussed several stereotypical ideals that come with both being a teenager, racial and cultural differences, ageism, while teaching about appreciating the little things in life. Eli's character also God has a great sense of humor showing up throughout the novel in different bodies including an elderly man, a young woman and a dog. Although the novel does discuss God and an afterlife it keeps the subject matter fairly impartial to religion/religious beliefs. If you are looking for a fun novel for a young reader that has a positive message then I would recommend this novel.