Parent Trap meets Freaky Friday for these long lost sisters. Jamie and Siri are facing respective career crushing blows and meet again at a mental health retreat. With a bit of mischief and magic they find themselves switching places and walking a week in each other’s shoes.

I really liked Siri, Dawn, and Zarar. Jamie’s character wasn’t for me and the novelty of Siri’s non-cursing gets old fast. Also since I was reading the audiobook there was no way to escape the switching to joke British accents and that bothers me IRL too lol. Otherwise I loved the premise and it was really funny! Excited to read more by Christine! I liked the honest effort at diversity in ethnicity and mental health.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.
This was really not a favourite. These characters unfortunately read so young! And they were adults. I just could not relate to how they were talking/behaving.

I'm not used to audiobooks so listening to this was an adjustment. The story was meh. I feel like I expected a nyt author to be better, but that's just me. I will pick up a physical version to see if I feel the same.

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't work out.

The characters felt very young, like 12 year olds instead of the adults they were meant to be.

Also the fake curse words and constant pop culture references were really off putting.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.

Better Together is a blend of Freaky Friday and Parent Trap with maybe some Sister Sister. Jamie and Siri's parents split and each took a child never to see or communicate again. When they meet randomly fourteen years later on a Rediscover Yourself Retreat in Colorado, their worlds shake up in completely different ways. Jamie has felt a little lost on her mission to becoming a stand-up comic and Siri has recently come off a severe injury ending her hopes to be a prima ballerina. With a little magic and a twist of fate, they switch places to confront their parents.
I started reading the e-arc and switched to the audio. I'm so glad I did! The narrators, Brittany Presley and Karissa Vacker, are perfectly suited to the dual POVs. This novel is a great read/listen for sisterly bonds that defy logic and the journey to rediscovery.
Thank you to @wednesdaybooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy and @macmillan.audio for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I love this book and the way they gave all the characters POV in great detail. I felt like I was actually part of the story and was in touch with the MC's feelings through out the whole book. I feel that it would be a good book for all YA even thought the MC's are in their later teens early 20's I still think it touches on feelings that YA have in one way or another and helps them relate to what they are feeling in the book.

Hmm. First using the word intercourse instead of saying the F word seemed so odd. It made everything seem gross even if it wasn’t. I don’t know if others thought it was off but I definitely did lol. I do however like the whole concept kind of a freaky Friday vibe. Both characters were sort of annoying in there own ways but they also acted a lot a like even if they don’t think so. I guess that’s partly due to being sisters. Siri particularly seemed a little too quick to freak out. Like the whole shower scene she was screaming before anything even happened. She makes herself think she’s crazy when she’s not and she even acts like it. I guess the whole story felt like it was missing something I’m not sure to what. It also kind of seems odd that the dad is rich and is this big movie director yet Jamie has what is described as an old cell phone. And he is more into how her appearance will reflect in Hollywood that what she wants. Even forced her (Siri) to change her hair from black to blond and says it’s popular in hollywood...ok. Overall, it was a decent book. Not one I’d read again most likely but it was interesting.

3.5 stars

This is a mash-up of The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday and that was all I needed to know to peak my interest. Estranged sisters are reunited at a retreat and decide to switch places to confront their parents. There's a bit of magic involved and suddenly they look like each other and are ready to pull off their plan.

I liked the plot and that it addressed how awful it was of their parents to each take a child and never speak of it again. I also thought the character development was well done. At the beginning, I didn't really care for either girl. Siri was rude and in a really bad mental space which she didn't do much to change. Jamie was obnoxious and treated everything like a joke, even when it was uncalled for. The girls grew on me and as they figured out their issues and matured, I enjoyed them more.

I thought the pacing was a bit off and it dragged in the middle. Even though the girls were switched for five days, it felt longer. I would have liked a bit less filler to keep the plot moving.

This is a cute book with a sweet ending. Perfect for the beginning of summer!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the copy.

An amazing twist on the parent trap and freaky friday, this book captivates you with two sisters with different worlds and personalities that after meeting again 14 years later they decide to change places and live in each other's lives for a few days before getting their parents together to get some explanations from them.

All the characters are supremely likeable and real, and so is their pain and trauma. I loved how light and funny it was but also how serious it could get. Their parents are seriously messed up, but I like that the book didn't lightly brushed it away and everyone got over all the issues, instead they had to work hard and have an amazing growth arc.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy of Better Together by Christine Riccio, Narrated by Brittany Pressley; Karissa Vacker in exchange for an honest review. It publishes June 1, 2021.
First off, I thought the narration was very well-done and engaging. I had a lot of fun listening to their talent on-display.
Now, not all books are for everyone, and all books are for someone. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. I was expecting this to be very similar to Again, But Better, which was a fabulous book and everyone should read! However, this was very different. I can see how it would appeal to YA audiences, and maybe I'm just getting too old, but I had a hard time with this one.
I think if you enjoy YA, and not just kind of tolerate it, you'll enjoy this one, but if you're on the fence like me, read Again, But Better!

DNF at 22%

I really tried with this book, but when I found myself dreading picking it up, I knew it was time to call it a day. Both of these characters are irritating in different ways, but both incredibly immature. Siri reads like a 12 year old instead of 18 and is so wrapped up in herself and being miserable all the time. Her alternate curse words are extremely ridiculous and very hard to read and comprehend what is going on. Jamie is also immature but thinks so highly of herself and is so self absorbed. I just couldn't handle this clunky writing and bad characters anymore.

The only good thing this book had going on was the narration and how it fit each character well.

This book was cheesy and silly and just kind of overdone. I enjoyed the storyline but honestly the writing style was so ridiculous. Siri’s way of “swearing” was just so off putting and kept pulling me out of the story whenever it happened.

Christine has the great ability to add mysticism to contemporary. Solid in the real world, with a little bit of everyday magic. It's really refreshing to read.

Thank you for an ARC of this book. It wasn’t to my taste, the swearing that wasn’t swearing was clunky and took me out of the story as a reader. The writing style wasn’t up to par in my opinion and the story was a bit drawn out. The narrators of the book were great and very engaging. Great premise and cover but will not be purchasing for my school library based not only on my personal opinions but what is popular among my student readers at the moment. If they were fans of the author already for her booktube or other creative outlets I'd probably purchase it.

Better Together is a contemporary take on the popular classic movie The Parent Trap with a touch of Freaky Friday magic. We meet Siri and her sister Jamie who meet at a retreat, and later go along with their own parent trap plan as revenge for what their parents put them through.

This is the second book I have read from Christine. I was an avid watcher of hers back when I used to love watching booktube so I was curious how this one compared to her first book Again, But Better. Personally, I don't think there has been much of an improvement seeing as the tone and depth in which we learnt about the characters remained pretty similar to her former book.

The story reads like your average contemporary story perfect for the teenage audience. It is straight to the point, filled with pop culture references, and is a story of self discovery all while bringing a fun and hectic adventure. The upbeat tone in which Christine tells her stories makes the book easy to digest. Though, I'm aware both Siri and Jamie are 18 and 20, I couldn't help but age them down a bit in my head as their level fo maturity felt a bit off?

I wish the story had a bit more depth in its magical system, the girls' grandparents, Dawn, as well as their parents' messy divorce. However, leaving all gaps of the story aside, this was a fun read that doesn'T take too much brain power so it was easy to enjoy. I like to compare these types of books to reality TV shows or sitcoms. All you need to do is sit down, enjoy the ride, all while being able multitask because the style of writing is that straightforward and easy to follow along.

I don't think Better Together is necessarily bad. Perhaps it missed the mark for me because I am older now but I am sure I would have enjoyed this if I had read it was a 16-18 year old.

This book is described as Freaky Friday meets the Parent Trap and that is truly the best description. Siri and Jamie are sisters separated when they were children and their parents divorced, never to see each other again. Until they end up at the same Re-discover yourself retreat. They decide to switch places and each have the opportunity to get to know and confront the parent they have not seen in years. But when they switch, they end up in each other’s bodies thanks to some unexpected magic. Now they have a few days to truly live each other’s lives and try to find themselves in the midst of their broken family.

I loved Freaky Friday and The Parent Trap so I was really excited for this one. At the heart of the book, it truly is a perfect combination of both stories. However, there was so much going on and so many different subplots between personal struggles, family drama, friendships and relationships, that it was challenging to keep track of at times. The parents were HORRIBLE. Like actually the worst and I don’t feel like their actions were ever properly addressed. Overall, I did enjoy this one and thought it was cute.

Audio: this is one I had to pay more attention to and I think would have served me better as a physical book. With all of the storylines I kept needing to rewind because I felt I had missed something. Otherwise, the narrator did a great job with the voices.

Is this a great novel? No? Is it a terrible novel? No? Is it a mostly cute YA novel? Yes. Does it have faults? Sure. Is it a worthwhile distraction and harmless fun break from things more serious? Sure!

This is a very obvious remake of the classic “Parent Trap.” There is a weird magical twist in the story, which was slightly distracting, but it wasn’t enough to ruin the story. This was never promoted as “nonfiction.”

What I found most disturbing - and the fact it was barely addressed is terrible - was the (spoiler?) “imaginary friend” storyline. That was upsetting and irresponsible.

The characters are cute and quirky (ok, maybe a little too much effort was put into making them quirky) and honestly flawed. The story is predictable because, after all, it’s been done before, but there’s a reason authors default to it.

I listened to the audiobook and liked the voice actor. She gave a different personality to each character without being super annoying or caricature.

In theory I wouldn’t be opposed to offering this on my classroom bookshelf for my students, but the language prohibits that.

'Better Together' was like a twist between Freaky Friday and The Parent Trap and so enjoyable. I received the ARC audiobook (Thank you!) and the narrator was perfect for the sisters' roles. I see a lot of negative reviews for this book and I had the opposite experience while reading/listening to the audiobook.

The book is written from the dual POV of each of the sister's which allows the reader to see the story from each of their views. A little character background: Jamie is an aspiring comedian in California but can't make it through her sets without getting sick. She's kicked out of her apartment and has to move back under her father's oppressive presence. Siri on the other hand was a professional ballerina until a career-ending injury ruins her future and passion in New Jersey. These two sisters have grown up entirely separated on opposites sides of the United States.

The story starts when the sisters meet at a Re-Discover Yourself Colorado retreat. Siri's mother had told Sir that her twin sister was actually an imaginary friend. The whole reason was being the mother was divorcing her husband. Siri had been convinced that she was the only child and the girl that was in her life when she was younger was simply her imagination and NOT her twin. So when these twin sisters rekindle their friendship at this camp, they come up with the idea of switching places and getting revenge on their parents. With a little help of some magic, the sisters switch places and take their own personal journies.

I think the story keeps the reader entertained with all kinds of drama and love interests that filter into the story. The character growth and self-discovery were well done and I really enjoyed the banter between the sisters and their close friends. If you love the Parent Trap and remakes of the story, I recommend reading this! The audiobook was really enjoyable and the narrator really made the book more enjoyable than reading the physical pages.

This was a cute read and I really enjoyed the stories of Siri and Jamie and watching them come into their own and finding their passions in life.

Jamie is an aspiring stand up comedian, battling a case of stage anxiety. Siri is a talented ballerina who just experienced a career-ending injury. When they meet unexpectedly at a Rediscover Yourself retreat, they discover that they are long lost sisters, separated by their parents after their nasty divorce. Jamie has been living with their Dad, while Siri lives miles away with their Mother. The girls hatch a plan to confront the opposite parent by switching places. Their plan gets derailed after they are glitter bombed, they find themselves in each others shoes... literally.

I absolutely adore The Parent Trap so I was super excited about this one! It was a cute read, but the dialogue really brought me out of the story. Specifically Siri's... I don't know why, but her switching of curse words to censored versions was super annoying to me. For the first half of the book I really didn't like Siri, but she did grow on me in the end. Jamie was definitely the more likable sister, but honestly not that much better. She's very selfish, and kind of an asshole, which is constantly mentioned so that we know she is in fact an asshole. I did really like Dawn, Jamie's bestfriend though. She was a total sweetheart and deserved so much better. The book was also way longer than it needed to be... I think that it definitely could have been cut down as a lot of it is the same thing... just told from the other sister's POV.

I listened to this on audio, and honestly I think that's what made me give it 3 stars. I do think that the narrator did a good job with the voices, but I don't think I would have liked this if I was physically reading it...

4.25 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an alc of this book!

Long lost sisters each attend a Re-Discover Yourself Retreat in the wilderness as they try to figure out where their lives are going. What they don't know is they will also rediscover each other. Meeting up after over a decade out of each other's lives, Jamie and Siri agree to pull a 'parent trap' and switch places with each other for a week to confront the parents they felt abandoned them.

This book was super cute! I loved how much character growth had to happen and how different yet similar the sisters were. It did take me a little bit to really be invested because Siri's point of view chapters felt whiny to me and Jamie was kind of an a-hole, but they both grew and changed a lot and I really like where it went.

This is such a fast read and the audio is great! The characters are really funny and are put in a completely bizarre scenario that works out in very interesting ways. I also really enjoyed both romantic relationships in this book!

Pub date: June 1, 2021

Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Vomit, Emotional abuse, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Infidelity, Cursing, and Sexual content