I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I enjoyed this book, though I do wish that I'd read it closer to when I read the first book, because I forgot a lot of what happened in that book, to these characters, how they related to each other, and what threats they were facing. I eventually got it, but it would've been a more enjoyable experience if I'd read them closer together!

Sometimes I don't know what I felt for Emma. She got put in these situations, but she couldn't do much about them. And I felt bad for her, but I also felt so frustrated. There were two near the beginning, one with the kids that don't want the clones at the school, and the other with the Headmaster, and Emma basically does nothing, and walks away. And it was just so frustrating that they were getting away with it!

She's in a interesting position, she has all these secrets about the Similars, and in the political climate is a hot topic, and emotions were heated. But then there's this new plot that's uncovered, and things unravelled from there, it was a pretty intense ride!

But oh, that big twist! It worked so well and it was so shocking, and put all the pieces together and was just so darned clever! Loved how that worked out, it was a really fantastic ending! And oh, it was just so satisfying!

I had a really great time reading this book, and I've love to read more by Rebecca Hanover!

Having read The Similars by Rebecca Hanover and loving it, I was completely in when I saw she had written a sequel, The Pretenders. All my favorite characters were back and I was so ready to see the next step in their journey.

The second story follows Emma again as she is back at Darkwood Academy with her clone friends and some add on friends as well. This time things are STILL not as they seem. I loved being reintroduced to all my favorite characters. I feel like this second book really gave you more insight into the personalities of the similars than we got in book one. They were meant to be enigma’s in the first book and now they are meant to be just one of the crowd.

The mystery in this book really had me going. I was not at all figuring out what was going on, which really made me want to read more because I just needed to know! It definitely keeps the readers attention and keeps the story flowing so you don’t get bored. The story line twisted enough where there were a few moments I thought maybe it was too much, but as the pieces of the puzzle came together, I realized it was just the right amount of confusion to keep it interesting for the reader.

While this book is primarily labeled YA Fiction and Mystery/Thriller, I could categorize it with science fiction with the amount of science geared stuff in it. It would appeal to lovers of mystery of sci-fi. I love the characters, their development, and the writing is smoother, making for an easy read. Everyone should check this book out… but make sure you read book one first.

I think this is a good wrap up to the first book. I would say that the first book was more enjoyable that the second. The first book ended on a cliff hanger, so I anticipated a very exciting beginning but it was very anticlimactic. The charter development was confusing and the plot twist was a trope that I am not the biggest fan of. I still enjoyed the world and to know how the story ended but it was not the ending that I wanted.

I found this book to be a good follow up to the first book, but it wasn’t my all time favorite. Overall, I thought it was chilling and did involve some important topics, but it was very slow paced which sort of had me putting it to the side quite a bit.
Will make sure to mention that this is out!

With it's dark secrets, shocking truths, and political angles, the first book in this series hooked me, and I couldn't wait to get to the sequel.  It also hinted at a very bizarre love triangle.

The things I enjoyed in the first book - cloning, clone rights, and ethics - aren't as prominent in this sequel.  Instead, it focuses more on high school cliches and teen drama.  Yes, this is a young adult novel, and those actions are to be expected in some of them; however, compared to the first book in this series, The Pretenders takes an entirely different path.  Almost like The Similars, but in an alternate universe - Bizarro world, maybe?

Characterization is done well and I enjoyed the scientific aspects of the story.  The message of not hating others for their differences is an important theme throughout.  But the ending made me think of Scooby-Doo when masks are removed from the villains.  Some big reveals occur, but the scene is chaotic, rushed, and felt out of place in comparison to the first book.

Overall, I'm glad I finished this series, but it didn't work for me as well as the first book.  

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Similars (The Similars, #1): ★★
The Pretenders (The Similars, #2): ★

—☽.｡* Quick recap!
☆ Short synopsis: After discovering a shocking truth on Castor Island, Emma must figure it all out while also stuck in a love triangle with two boys who has the same face.
☆ Read this book if you're: Fan of a fast-paced & light sci-fi.
☆ You might want to consider it because: The romance plot was extremely way more dominating, considering this book promoted as a YA Sci-fi.

Sadly, my review of the first book is still applicable for this sequel. The plot twists didn't leave any dramatic impacts. However, the romance pissed me off even more than before because of Emma's continuous emphasis on physical attractiveness, which happened multiple times (ever since the first book) and made her shallower than ever. Not to mention Emma's internal monologue for categorizing Levi as hot and tough while Oliver as cute and sweet? What is this? 2012 boyband fanfic?

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read THE SIMILARS super early, months before it came out, so I feel like I’ve been waiting for the sequel forever. I was soooo addicted to it and I’m pretty sure read it in one sitting. I think reading the first one so quickly and being super addicted meant that I overlooked some things with my rating?

The writing here in THE PRETENDERS wasn’t particularly great and I definitely noticed it this time around because I read it much slower. It was moderately addicting when I really got going and pushed myself to read it though. I mostly enjoyed it but the writing and internal dialogue of the main character, Emma, got super repetitive.

There was a love triangle, which I saw coming based on the ending of the previous book. I don’t mind them if they make sense and this sort of did, but it was also super weird. She was stuck between Ollie, her best friend from childhood, and his clone, Levi. So, basically the same dude with different personalities. Again, I could SEE the reason for its existence and how the two guys were different from each other, despite the clone stuff, but it annoyed me a lot.

The ending was absolutely batshit and unexpected, so that took it to a different level! I’m not sure those twists were necessary (some things seemed like twists for the sake of them and not because they made the book better). Overall, I’m glad I read this duo.

I really loved The Similars which was the first book in this series and couldn't wait to read The Pretenders. It was very slow in the beginning but half way through it picked up. I really liked the twist at the end and definitely didn't see that coming. If you read the first book you will want to read this and see how all the stories get tied in the end.

I really enjoyed the first book, the premise was believable. It is a good duology to get teens and young adults talking about things like cloning, ethics, and technology. I don't think the sequel was as good as the first one. I feel like this one didn't quite flow as well. There were some great twists and turns.

You know that scene in the office where Jim says the Dwight revealed that he was a double agent which allowed Andy to share that he too was a double agent and then wait for it Michael was also a double agent? That’s this book.

“The Pretenders” follows Emma as she works through the chaos that found Levi back on the island and Ollie home sage and though she wants to celebrate having her friend back he can’t fill the hole in her life where his clone used to be and when mischief in the form of Duplicates shows up on campus the 10 must work together to bring down their creator once and for all.

I feel like the author too every chance they could get to throw in plot twists for shock value instead of writing a story that took a very real issue and made it a jumbled mess. I was interested to see how the reveal for Emma would carry her and her relationships with Ollie and the Similars towards the final resolution of the book and if we would see a climax that put the creator up against those he felt wronged and abandoned him but instead we got a mess of an ending that was supposed to have this emotional weight to it but given how fast the information was thrown in it left me rolling my eyes than appreciating the sacrifice.

I don’t know I feel like there was a lot of potential here for some sort of conversation since it relies heavily on a narrative we’re seeing play out on the news and the concept of hating other simply for being different but even that arc got wrapped up without any final statement as the characters in question were shuffled offscreen suffering no real punishment.

If you like sci fi I’m sure this will be a good ending for you but for me it was like they tried to cram the entirety of Orphan Black into a half hour and for me it just didn’t work.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review the E-arc copy of The Pretenders by Rebecca Hanover.
The Similars, book one, was a surprise for me because the cover caught my attention before the story. I loved the spiral staircase and it just pull me into picking it up. The Pretenders cover could not be any different than the while backdrop of the staircase. Once again the cover caught my attention with the dark contrasts behind the teens walking through. It clearly picks up on the feel of the novel. Before you even read the synopsis its off and running. Revenge the cover gives the reader that vibe right away. Emma and her friends find the truth, but it is covered with too many secrets to deal with while trying to stop the creator from doing any more damage. I think that Rebecca Hanover has great suspense building skills because throughout the novel I felt the anticipation of what's coming next. I also liked the duology of the series. I hate when a story drags out over longer than it really needs to in order to tell itself on the page.
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