"Half Life" by Lillian Clark blends elements of science fiction with coming-of-age themes, earning a solid rating of 3.5 out of 5. This near-future adventure explores the consequences of perfectionism and the quest for self-discovery through the lens of an experimental clone study.

Lucille, an ambitious overachiever struggling to balance her academic goals with a social life, jumps at the opportunity to participate in Life2, a clone program promising to enhance productivity and personal fulfillment. Through this experiment, Lucille creates Lucy, a clone designed to help her manage her hectic life. Initially, Lucy proves to be the perfect solution, allowing Lucille to excel academically and explore relationships she previously neglected.

However, as Lucy develops her own identity and desires, Lucille confronts difficult questions about her own authenticity and desires. The novel delves into themes of identity, self-worth, and the pressures of societal expectations, challenging readers to consider the implications of technology on personal autonomy and emotional fulfillment.

Clark's narrative is fast-paced and engaging, blending sci-fi suspense with a heartfelt exploration of teenage experiences. The characterization of Lucille and Lucy is nuanced, highlighting their evolving relationship and the complexities of self-perception. The novel's exploration of self-determination and the search for authenticity resonates with young adult readers navigating their own paths to maturity.

While "Half Life" excels in its exploration of philosophical themes and character development, some readers may find the pacing uneven, particularly in balancing the sci-fi elements with the emotional depth of Lucille's journey. Additionally, the narrative's reliance on futuristic technology and ethical dilemmas may require suspension of disbelief, which could affect readers seeking more grounded storytelling.

Overall, "Half Life" is a thought-provoking novel that combines sci-fi innovation with universal themes of identity and self-acceptance. It offers an intriguing look into a future where technology intersects with personal growth, appealing to readers interested in speculative fiction and contemporary explorations of teenage identity. Clark's sophomore effort is a commendable exploration of the human experience in an age of technological advancement.

I really enjoyed the storyline in world building in the novel. I also really liked the characters. I thought this was a solid read, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

-- This review is several years past the review date due to the many issues of 2020, but a huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of the book.

I remember this book being a very tough read for a recovering perfectionist like myself. While it felt YA, that was not necessarily a bad thing, as I am of the opinion that we need more YA books that feel like YA books. This is a book I will certainly reread in a better post-2020 headspace.

Have you ever wished that you could clone yourself just to get more done in a day? In today's fast-paced world, it's not an unreasonable fantasy. Who wouldn't love to have a duplicate of themselves? Someone to take on the drudgery of the day, freeing you up to do the things you really enjoy? In Lillian Clark's sophomore novel, Half Life, cloning becomes a reality for one ambitious teenage girl.

Lucille wants to do and be everything, the only problem is she can't be the perfect student and the perfect daughter, while still pursuing her hopes and dreams. So when she receives a possibly sketchy email from a company offering her the opportunity to do and be more, she can't help but check it out and see if the offer is legit. As it turns out, Life2 has been researching cloning methods and needs a volunteer who is willing to literally duplicate themselves. Figuring she has nothing to lose, Lucille signs up without really considering the consequences. Those repercussions are at the center of Clark's pulse-pounding novel about a girl and her clone, and what happens after.

Half Life is an inquisitive, satisfying science fiction novel that will serve as a great introduction to the genre for young adult readers. Combining scientific elements with real world problems, teens will be able to relate to the character of Lucille, but even better, this book will raise some interesting questions in the minds of readers. Is it ethical to clone humans? What logistics would be involved in bringing a clone into your life? Are clones actual people deserving of rights? These are just some of the issues raised in Half Life, a novel that would make for a compelling YA book club pick, and also one that would work well in a classroom as a discussion-starter to debate the ethics of cloning.

As an adult reader, I wanted Half Life to go deeper. Clark raises some thought-provoking questions in her novel, but skirts over the issues without delving deeply into the consequences. I think this book would have been more compelling had those repercussions played out to their fullest extent. In all though, Half Life is a solid read for its intended audience.

Half Life by Lillian Clark is a great young adult science-fiction novel. The story centers around Lucille Harper. She is a 16-year-old perfectionist, who has lost sight of daily life as she chases her dreams of going to college. When she gets the chance to clone herself, she feels like this will be the perfect solution to allow her more time to accomplish everything on her agenda, while also making more time for friends and family. What she does not realize is no matter the duplication, her double will have her own perspectives and mindset.

Once the clone, Lucy, arrives on the scene, things start to go awry. However, it is not all bad, and once both girls realize how perfect they are in their own right, they can each craft their own futures. This book has a lot of wonderful messages about accepting one’s self and accepting one’s life as it is, rather than chasing what could or should be. I think both teens and adults can enjoy the story and appreciate the lessons, while perhaps even reflecting on their own tendencies. The book also has good LGBT representation, and I appreciate that the author included this for today’s audiences. Thank you so much to author Lillian Clark, Knopf Books for Young Readers/Random House Children’s Publishers, and NetGalley for access to this title!

3.5 stars

Half Life was sci-fi contemporary that revolved around Lucille and concept of cloning. It was about identity, individuality, how cloning affects a person, realising self-worth comes from within, there isn’t anything perfect, relationship and friendship.

Half Life was written in first person narrative, first from Lucille’s POV and after the cloning, from both Lucy and Lucille’s POV alternatively. I liked the concept and plot. Who wouldn’t like if you can be more, do everything, be present at two places at a time without sacrificing anything by having a clone, an exact copy of self who thinks, acts and says like you, with same genes, mind and heart! Sounds exciting right? It didn’t turn out as exciting as Lucille thought.

Lucille felt not good enough even though she was overachiever, she had to keep up at everything to be best but divorce of parents, disappointing grades, fight with best friend, and her crush not paying her attention, pushed her towards something reckless- She saw an ad of Life2, who made her feel wanted, to ‘Do More, Be more’ like its slogan said, by creating a clone. Things started becoming interesting when the clone made- named Lucy- had her own feeling, instead of being like robot. Both Lucy and Lucille had 4 weeks of half-life.

I was curious to find out what will happen when their 4 weeks are over, how Lucy will feel and what will Lucille do with the mess this half-life was going to create and how she will get out of ‘perfect’ obsession.

First half of the book was character introduction, Lucille’s reason and feeling for going through experiment and making of her clone. Second half of the book was about both Lucy and Lucille adjusting with their half-life, Lucy going to school, keeping and mending relationship with Lucille’s friend and her parents while Lucille enjoying her relationship her new boyfriend. This part was both foreboding and interesting.

Lucille was not exactly likable character and I feel it was deliberate. She was self-absorbed, overachiever, uptight, obsessed with perfection with low confidence and self-worth. She saw the world, even her parents and friends, through her mind’ lens. People actually loved and cared about her but all she saw was their expectations and pity. I could see Life2 was deceiving her, I don’t know why she felt great being wanted by them. She was too naïve and I don’t know why boy asking her out is the point she have a spark of self-worth! Her being ignorant and careless towards Lucy was rude and selfish but at the same time she didn’t know Lucy had her individuality and once she got to know about it, I liked she made things right. That development was too late in book for my liking.

Lucy was easy to sympathize with. She gave perspective towards how it feels to be clone, not the original, real self, without real life or family and friends. It made her resentful towards Lucille who didn’t appreciate freedom and life she had and also for being selfish and careless. It was surprising, even being exact copy of Lucille, she was developed and had more awareness like identical twin which was both odd and fascinating. She had her own mind, talent and feelings. She too had her flaws for not trying to talk with Lucille while at least Lucille made a bit of effort some time. She made her mind to hate Lucille. Her feelings were realistic and relatable.

This was mainly contemporary. It wasn’t like futuristic sci-fi as it was set in present day but I enjoyed that scientific jargons, procedure of making clone in initial chapters. Making organs of exact same size, giving it life, filling the body with veins, artery and blood, transferring memory, behaviour and all small things were fascinating to read.

Romance wasn’t the big part of the book but I liked some cute and adorable moments between Marko and Lucille and Bode and Lucy. Heartbreak was inevitable when Lucy started to have feelings with Bode, Lucille’s long-time crush while Lucille for the first time dated and felt more alive with Marko. I knew it will make their situation more complicated but I liked the focus was kept on main issue of trying to mend relationship with each other and what to do when their 4 weeks are over and stop Life2 from taking Lucille away.

All the development, making things right, coming out clean, and actions happened, after climax, in last 20% of the book. This was my favourite and most exciting part in whole book. Content of the flash drive was shocking. What happened after that was both surprising and tense. I liked the end. It didn’t end as I expected, in fact, it was better.

Why 3.5 stars-

Like I said it wasn’t easy to like main character. Middle part of the book was a bit slow. Development and all exciting things happened too late in the book. The soul concept was explored a bit in book but did Lucy really have a soul? I’m still not sure about it.

Overall, Half Life was unique concept, interesting and enjoyable. I didn’t love this but I’m glad I read it. Teens and YAs will enjoy this book.

The story follows sixteen year Lucille Harper, who is constantly labelled as an overachiever. She weigh almost everything logically, facts over emotions. Then one day everything begins to change as she enroll herself in an advanced experimental program. The company, Life2 is a multi billion dollar company making exceptional progress on scientific advancements with a prime focus on cloning. And Lucille happens to be an ideal candidate for this.

Lucille expected her life to get simpler. With Lucy, her clone, everything was supposed to be manageable. But as the story progresses, Lucy starts to develop her separate traits from that of Lucille, becoming more like an individual.

What happens when Life2 finds out? Monitoring Lucy's every emotion, the company is extremely protective of their investment. And troubles are just getting started for both of them.

I am an avid science fiction reader, whenever I see a sci-fi book, I immediately make it my priority to read it. I was genuinely intrigued by the blurb of Half Life, it sounded fascinating and ultimate verdict - it did not disappoint. I think the concept was awesome and the author took time in fleshing out the characters as well as the plot to their potential. I could highly related to Lucille and when people described her as an overachiever I felt so furious because there is no harm in having an ambition. I also like the scientific terminologies and technological advancements that were included in the story which made it a wholesome Sci-Fi novel.

I was completely immersed in the story and by the time I reached the second half of the book, it was unputdownable.

Half Life was one of the most exciting read of 2020 and I enjoyed every minute of it. Highly recommend it

Lucille is a perfectionist. She has perfect grades, but she wasn’t accepted into the intern program she applied to for the summer. On top of that, her parents are getting divorced and her best friend has a new best friend. When Lucille gets an email about an exciting opportunity that is just for her, she decides to take a chance. The opportunity is to have a clone made of her. After the clone is made, she will have to join Lucille in her life to prove that they are the same. However, Lucille’s parents and friends don’t know that she is having a clone made. Lucille thinks this will be a great chance to do more things in life to be more perfect, but life with her clone isn’t as easy as she predicted.

I love stories about clones. When I was in middle school, I loved the novel Cloning Miranda. More recently, I was obsessed with the TV show Orphan Black. The idea is fascinating to me, and a little scary. I’ve heard of programs where you can have your dog cloned, so cloning humans doesn’t seem too futuristic anymore.

At the beginning of the book, I found Lucille annoying. She was very self-involved and pushed everyone away. When her clone was introduced to the story, she was a great contrast to Lucille. I was so glad that I kept reading, because the story became fast paced and suspenseful.

This is a great story!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lucille is a perfectionist and overachiever. Her life revolves around success and getting into the best college, but that leaves almost no time for friends, falling in love, or pretty much anything "fun" that most teens are doing. When a strange email catches her eye, Lucille finds herself in a position to be a beta tester in an experimental cloning program. This may just be the chance she's looking for - the opportunity to be in two places at once - to do everything! But Lucy turns out to be more than just a clone, and ultimately Lucille realizes she has to learn to see herself as she is if she really wants to be happy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Half Life.

I used to read more YA books but stopped years ago when they all began to sound the same.

Still, when a premise intrigues me, I'll give the book a try, YA or not, so I was pleased when my request was approved.

I love the sci-fi concept; who wouldn't want a doppelganger to help you navigate a busy life?

That's what Lucille Harper does. An extreme overachiever struggling with her parents' divorce and losing her best friend to a boyfriend, Lucille desires to be accepted, to be wanted, to be desired.

When an opportunity allows her to have her cake and eat it too (spend time with her family and go to school while she pursues more engaging activities), she jumps at the chance to be cloned.

Naturally, all is not what it seems.

Her clone, Lucy, is an empathetic, kind young woman, with a mind and abilities and talents of her own. When she develops an identity far faster than her handlers could ever have imagined, Lucy and Lucille must work together to protect each other.

First, I didn't like Lucille. She was a brat, lacked self esteem and spoke constantly about how 'perfect' she thought life was but wasn't after her parents split up.

I get it, she's only 16, she's naive and sheltered, but I thought that was such an ignorant perspective, especially coming from an educated young woman.

Nothing is perfect.

Second, Lucille is crushing hard on an artsy kind of guy named Bode, but her constant pining and desire to be wanted left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I don't know why she believed that was validation of her self worth. Not every young woman thinks her life will be fulfilling if someone desires her.

Third, it was no surprise that the evil scientists are...well, mostly evil. They are mostly one dimensional bad guys, concerned only with making a miraculous scientific breakthrough that will change the course of humanity and not thinking about all the lives and clones lost in the process.

The concept of souls and identity comes up often but the author doesn't spend enough time on it.

Lucy develops self awareness very quickly. Why? Because she's Lucille or a part of Lucille? Or, because she's an individual separate from Lucille, like identical twins have the same DNA but are two wholly different and unique people?

There are typical tropes here you find in every YA book; handsome boy(s) Lucille is too shy to talk too; losing touch with her BFF, confusion and anxiety about her life and future.

The premise was great, but befitting a YA novel, there were some moments you really had to suspend disbelief for; how Lucille was chosen to be the next person to be cloned, how her parents had connections that enabled them to find where Lucy was being taken, how quickly and easily everything is wrapped up in the end.

A part of me thought Half Life was going to be a bit like Gemini Man (not a good movie) and suspenseful and exciting.

It wasn't; there was plenty of talk between friends, conversations, boyfriend/girlfriend interaction and less sci-fi drama than I was hoping for.

I did like her parents; decent, supportive people who listened and assisted their daughters when they discovered what Lucille had done.

Oh, and there was a brief reference to sexual identity. Allo. I've never heard of this term before and I had to look it up.

It was mentioned only a couple of times but the mere mention of it felt contrived, as if the author just threw it in there to look like she was covering all her bases in terms of sexual identity. Nothing else pertaining to sexual identity was made other than that term.

Great premise but the execution didn't work for me. Some readers will love Half Life.

Lucille is uptight and academically driven and because she's that way she often skips out on living life. When she realizes her best friend isn't making her a priority anymore and she's been wait listed for the program she's worked so hard to get into she starts to feel the pressure of loneliness. To top it off her parents have just told her their getting a divorce. Then she receives an email with an offer she can't refuse.

Lucy. Not Lucille. These are some of the first things Lucy realizes when she wakes up. She's a carbon copy of Lucille but why does being called Lucille bother her so much? Lucy has been created using Lucille's genetics and is her exact clone but as the story progresses she comes to realize that she may look and sound like Lucille but she has other ideas about how she wants to live her life.

I thought the concept of this book was really cool. Who wouldn't want to be able to do all the things they want to without having to give everything up. I liked that Lucy and Lucille realize that even when there's two of them it's not perfect. Lucy doesn't want to be told what to do and where to be all the time and Lucille realizes that it's a lot more stressful worrying about getting caught than it would've been to have life be the same. I liked that each one of them still had their own identities and dreams in life. It was like Lucy had the qualities naturally that Lucille didn't. They even fell for two different guys that fit each one of them individually.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun and unique sci-fi contemporary.

I had a great time with this book! Love the writing of Lillian Clark!!
Read my full review here: https://booksteahealthyme.home.blog/2020/06/13/book-review-half-life-by-lillian-clark/

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy of the book. Thank you also to The Fantastic Flying Book Club for having me as a part of the official blog tour.

Thank you FFBC for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Half Life
By: Lillian Clark


REVIEW ☆☆☆☆
I would like to order one clone of myself, please. Sounds fun, right? Maybe not? In Half Life, sixteen year old Lucille is feeling the pressure of taking tests, getting into the right school, daily tasks, etc. In other words, life. She decides to join an experimental program that will clone her. My thinking is that a clone should do whatever its originator tells it to do. Lucille's clone, Lucy, acts independently. The idea is that Lucy will take care of the menial tedious things of day to day life, and Lucille will be free to do as she pleases. Personally, I would not leave this type of responsibility in the hands of an autonomous clone because it could seriously mess up your life. Lucille is too young for this kind of decision making, and her bad choices soon come calling. This is a very compelling story that raises questions about ethical and moral issues and taking responsibility for your life. Lucille is naive and has a lot of growing up to do. Lucy is like the alter ego representing daydreams and wishes come true. She is fun when reality is not. Lucille is learning what an unpolished Instagram life looks like. The ideas in this story are perfect for discussion among young adult readers. They are the ideal audience and would likely find the premise highly appealing and plausible. While it's a bit too unbelievable for me, I did enjoy the story overall. I was engaged and wanting to know more because it is a fascinating concept. This story is good for any age with an interest in the subject, as well as fans of numerous genres because it spans a few of these. I mean, seriously, who couldn't use a clone of themselves?

I really loved the concept of this book and I believe Contemporary or Low SciFi is really making its way into YA Literature. Half Life felt like a Black Mirror episode made for teenagers, with a uncanny familiarity that made me think of The Parent Trap.
Told in two different POV, one from Lucille and another one from Lucy, Lucille's clone, you can't help but wonder about the ethics of cloning and the existence of a soul in a clone.
There's romance, coming-of-age events and the test of friendship and family bonds.
I loved this book so much and I can't wait to see the genre take over our shelves.

I'm excited to be a part of the HALF LIFE blog tour with The Fantastic Flying Book Club from June 9th - June 15th, 2020!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Knopf Books for Young Readers, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.

All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.

Content Warning: Profanity, Premarital Relations, Divorce, Under-aged Drinking & Consent to Scientific Experimentation

"Happy parents, thriving daughter. We see what we want to see. It makes me wonder if anyone really knows anyone. Do I even know myself?"

From the first page of this story, there is the feeling of “impending doom.” Main character Lucille tries so hard in life, but never feels like she measures up. Half Life is really quite sad. The main character undergoes so much turmoil in life--much of which she puts herself through because of perfectionism. When her parents decide to divorce, any semblance of “normal” is shattered and forces Lucille even further down a destructive path. Unable to confide in her best friend Cass, Lucille ends up distancing herself from everyone that she cares about.

At the end of her rope, Lucille decides to open up a “spammy” email that she continually had been receiving from a company called Life2. Taking a risk, she decides to enroll in an experimental project that will result in a “clone” or extension of herself. Allowing her to have more time to achieve in life, she believes that ultimately, it will be a good thing to try. Once the copy is made, she will have a four-week trial run, then the copy will be returned and decommissioned.

Lucille, with all of her flaws, is incredibly relatable. Doubting that she is good enough, or ever will be, is a feeling that all teens experience at some point or another. Her internalizations make her a very real and complex character.

"But I can’t remember a single time in my life where I wasn’t stuck inside my own head. Where I wasn’t thinking about how what I said or did looked from the outside, if it fits into how I wanted people to see me, to think of me. If it fit inside whatever shape I thought I was supposed to take. Smart, pretty, fun, interesting, thoughtful, easygoing, determined, cool. All of it, all at once. Rounding out the edges of the Perfect Girl."

It isn’t exactly a shock that Lucille’s clone, “Lucy” also has similar internalizations. Designed to help out another, and never thought of as her own being, Lucy gets the brunt end of the deal. Struggling to find her place in a world where she shouldn’t exist, Lucy undergoes a lot of turmoil.

"Am I an abomination? Am I even human? Do I have a soul?"

While the two girls initially work together to tackle Lucille’s lengthy list of goals and expectations, it’s easy to see early on that things will soon go awry.
Marco who likes me, who wants me, even though when I think of myself, it’s with a prevailing sense of fear.
Fear of inadequacy, of looking foolish, of being too much or too little. Fear of not doing something, anything, everything right.

"I resent it. That omnipresent sense of judgment. Feeling like I could do it all “right” yet still be wrong. Be ambitious, but don’t try too hard. Be capable, but not intimidating. Be attentive, but not clingy. Be aloof, but not unattainable. Be feminine, but not too girly. Be “one of the boys,” but not better. Fast, but not faster. Smart, but not smarter. Funny, but not funniest. Be cute. Be sexy. Be fun. Be likeable."

Despite everything that will clearly go wrong, the reader can easily empathize and understand why Lucille made the decisions that she did. The fact that she used a fake ID to enter into the Life2 program certainly wasn’t a good choice--she also had no idea what she was really getting into. Her desperation made her act out in ways that truly needed intervention. Lucille’s story is a prime example of how dangerous self-isolation can be. Having people in one’s life to check in when life gets tough is what helps us through the darkest parts of life.

"I’ve slipped through a crack and suddenly, all the time I spent thinking I was getting to be more like myself feels like fiction, and instead I’m less. Still left out and separate, just telling myself a different lie."

Half Life is a well-developed story, down to the scientific details and dispiriting thoughts and philosophy, which puts its characters through imaginative, but realistic situations that effectively pairs reality with science fiction.

Vulgarity: Moderate.
Sexual content: Moderate.
Violence: Minimal.

My Rating: ★★★★1/2

Have you ever wished there were two of you so you could do 2 things at once, or be 2 places at once? Well Lucille ___ has this opportunity when Life2 reaches out to her with a proposition.

I will admit the first section of the book was a little confusing for me. The timeline was off to a rocky start and left me struggling for a while. However, around 30% into the book, I felt like I was getting back into it.

I really enjoyed the reminders of Lucy not truly being human throughout the book. It makes you feel as though you get a glimpse at how she is feeling/dealing with situation of just being a clone of Lucille.

Lucille’s relationship with Cass reminded me so much of friendships I had back in my high school years! Friendship can be hard, especially when you are trying to figure yourself out, like Lucille was. I could relate to the back and forth of being friends and then not getting along, then being friends again. Those were some confusing times!


I can’t imagine having another person that is literally the same as me! I sometimes struggle handling things between me, myself and I, let alone another person that is a literal copy of me, walking around, taking over my life. Plus high school is hard enough on its own! Imagine not only competing with friends and other students, now you are competing with your clone!

This book gave me Orphan Black vibes! It is definitely not as complex as the tv series but it makes you wonder what would happen if there was another one of you. Would they be the exact same as you or would they start developing other personalities like the characters in Orphan Black? Check out Half Life to see how Lucille’s clone turns out!!

A contemporary science fiction that brings questions of consciousness and personhood to the fore, Half Life is the story of a girl who gets herself cloned to manage her life. Lucille who thought her parents’ marriage was perfect, seeing them separate, and herself having fought with her only friend, and basically tired of choosing between being perfect friend, perfect daughter, perfect student, gets roped into a secret experimental trial run by Life-squared, where her body and her consciousness would be cloned into another, called Lucy, and they both would be divvying up Lucille’s life between them for a month in a ‘field trial’, after which Lucy would go back to the Life-squared to be their ‘floor model’ for investors and clients.

Now, I don’t know about you, but once, in the depths of a ‘bad time’ where I found myself unable to leave my home, I had fantasized about having a much braver (read ‘stable’) self go out and live out my life’s obligations while I could be at home and work on fixing myself. Which is why I sort of related to Lucille’s desire to have a second self so that she can live up to every expectation of herself. What she didn’t count on was Lucy being a whole person in her own right, and not just an extension of Lucille. Lucy, who has Lucille’s memories but not her ‘experience’ has the ability to see her (Lucille’s) past actions from a slight distance, and because of the separation of self from those memories, she also doesn’t have Lucille’s insecurities; instead, Lucy has rage – rage that she can’t even have a life where she is treated as a person beyond this field trial. Lucille basically checks out of her regular life when Lucy first arrives, and they both don’t interact much; Lucille’s messes which are now Lucy’s to work through lead to resentment, and she fights back in small ways.

There were hints of Frankenstein’s themes in the story, but not the horror part, but the whole existential debate. Lucy, while grown from the same cells and same memories as Lucille, has a different perspective because of her not being considered a person, and so this fuels another side of Lucille’s (or in this case, Lucy’s) ‘personality’. She is able to see more clearly than her Original where the latter made mistakes, and Lucille, when her lies and evasions come to roost, finally realizes what she is doing to Lucy. I liked their individual perspectives and how their relationships with people were developed in their respective circumstances, though I feel the ending sort of skips over realizing those arcs to completion, because we don’t see how they get the people in their lives to understand and forgive them. Additionally, the start of the novel is quite slow until like a third of the book, and I found myself putting it down more often until Lucy’s entrance, at which point the story really gained my interest.

Overall, I liked the themes of the book, the exploration of having a self, the pressures of fulfilling expectations and learning to forgive yourself for falling short. Lucy truly steals the show with her narrative.

The idea of this book was so interesting to me! I really like books about clones, it is just interesting to me how they do it and how it will work out! And the beginning of this book did really focus on this aspect, and I really liked reading that!
In this book we follow Lucille who has some stuff happened to her, so she decides to reply to this email, asking her to take part in this program, since she is the perfect candidate. When she replies she does not yet know what it exactly is all about, but she decides to do it anyway. So you already kinda know something has to go wrong. But that’s what were here for! So then Lucille is ‘cloned’ into Lucy.
Then we go into the middle part, which was not my favourite.. We just followed both Lucille and Lucy living their life. But since they are clones they have to not be at the same place, and have to know what the other one did etc. This part just felt very bland to me..
And then the ending happened, where things obviously went wrong. That part was definitely interesting and I wished we got more from that! But I don’t want to go into this part too much because of spoilers.
I definitely really enjoyed this book and kept wanting to continue to see what was going to happen! I really recommend reading this book if you want to read a quick science-fiction.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Half Life

Author: Lillian Clark

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: Thrill seekers, black mirror, cloning

Publication Date: June 9, 2020

Genre: YA Thriller

Recommended Age: 16+ (cloning, sexism, morality)

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Pages: 304

Synopsis: An overachiever enrolls in an experimental clone study to prove that two (of her own) heads are better than one in this fast-paced, near-future adventure that's Black Mirror meets Becky Albertalli.

There aren't enough hours in the day for Lucille--perfectionist, overachiever--to do everything she has to do, and there certainly aren't enough hours to hang out with friends, fall in love, get in trouble--all the teenage things she knows she should want to be doing instead of preparing for a flawless future. So when she sees an ad for Life2: Do more. Be more, she's intrigued.

The company is looking for beta testers to enroll in an experimental clone program, and in the aftermath of a series of disappointments, Lucille is feeling reckless enough to jump in. At first, it's perfect: her clone, Lucy, is exactly what she needed to make her life manageable and have time for a social life. But it doesn't take long for Lucy to become more Lucy and less Lucille, and Lucille is forced to stop looking at Lucy as a reflection and start seeing her as a window--a glimpse at someone else living her own life, but better. Lucy does what she really wants to, not what she thinks she should want to, and Lucille is left wondering how much she was even a part of the perfect life she'd constructed for herself. Lucille wanted Lucy to help her relationships with everyone else, but how can she do that without first rectifying her relationship with herself?

Review: This book was absolutely amazing! I loved every minute of it and I totally got Black Mirror vibes. The character development was amazing, the world building was stupendous, and the writing was amazing. The plot kept me intrigued from start to finish and overall I really love this book! Definitely worth the reread as well.

However, the beginning of the book is a bit slow and it doesn’t really fit the flow of the book, but it was a very interesting premise and I enjoyed the book overall.

Verdict: I highly recommend this read!

Lucille is a perfectionist. She does everything as per by the rules and as she is supposed to be doing. She doesn't have enough time to go out with friends, act on silly crushes or enjoy life as she wants. Because she needs to prepare for a flawless future.

So when she gets an email from Life2 for beta testers to enroll in an experimental clone program she agrees to it. Finally she can be a normal teenager and be an overachiever too. But what happens when her clone, Lucy starts living Lucille's life better than her? Lucy does what she really wants to, not what she thinks she should want to, and Lucille is left wondering how much she was even a part of the perfect life she'd constructed for herself.

Review-

The issues discussed in the books makes for a home run. Every individual can relate to being able to get all or to achieve all the things they desire. There is a constant pressure to better ourselves. To meet the expectations of others regarding us. But what do we want? Do we really want what others expect from us? Or we are just choosing an easier path so that we can always blame others when things don't go as per plan.

This same issue is with Lucille. She is not living her life as she wants to but as she is expected to. And thus she is always running behind something, trying to achieve everything and unintentionally starts judging and blaming everyone around her when things go wrong.

This is such a sensitive topic and author has nailed it. Lucille is a character with whom everyone will connect. In the starting you feel pity and bad for her but as the story progresses, through Lucy you understand the other side of the situation.

The Science Fiction part is written with such ease and simplicity that it is not complicated or over the top at all. You understand each and every scientific phase of the book. Author has excelled at the main elements of the book, the emotional content and the science fiction content.

Only the ending was quite rushed. I felt such a huge world shocking news to have a clone was taken very lightly and everything got solved very quickly. I was waiting for some big earth slipped from my feet kind of ending, but everything was as normal as discovering a twin not a clone.

Aside from that if you are looking for YA Science Fiction that this book is an ideal choice. It has teen friendships, academic expectations. romance, over thinking everything and a mirror that shows you how to do better in your own life.