Tuesday, August 31, 2010

ARC Tour & Review: Jump by Ginger Rue

High school junior Brinkley Harper is beautiful, wealthy, admired, and powerful—until the day she wakes up in the body of a classmate she wouldn’t be caught dead hanging out with.

Goth girl Miranda is everything Brinkley isn’t: she won't leave the house in anything but black, her family life is in tatters, she’s practically invisible at school, and she’s hiding a dark secret. As Brinkley experiences Miranda’s life from the inside out, she’s forced to consider the world from a very different point-of-view. But this won’t be Brinkley's last “jump,” and each time she lives a day in another classmate’s body, Brinkley not only begins to feel empathy for others, she also begins to glimpse the fears, vulnerabilities, and disappointments behind her own perfect façade. By experiencing the world as somebody else, Brinkley may finally learn to understand herself.

Looking back at high school experiences and memories is more enjoyable for some people than it is for others.  I've got quite a few friends who insist that we reminisce every time we see each other, even if it's on a regular basis.  As the years go by though I would hope that whether you were popular and constantly surrounded by friends, or were more of a loner and kept to yourself, that maturity kicks in and helps you realize a thing or two.  Ginger Rue introduces us to Brinkley, an uber-popular, beautiful and very mean high school girl.  She's given an ultimatum, go to therapy with a school counselor and change your ways or be expelled from high school for your bad behavior.  Rue takes readers on the journey or self-transformation (even if it is forced) and learning the error of your ways.

Now as much as I'd like to think that anyone who has ever uttered an unkind word to me sees their error and changes later on in life, we all know that isn't realistic.  Some people just are who they are and there's nothing that's going to change that.  But every once in a while I still want to like a character like Brinkley as I see her morph from this terrible person into a very different and kind individual.  I didn't hate Brinkley, but it took me a while to warm up to her.

As she jumps from body to body of fellow students she considered less than worthy of her attention before her forced therapy sessions, lessons are learned.  You saw that coming didn't you?  So yes, this story was slightly predictable but overall it was fun to watch unfold.  Good triumphs and the resident mean girl gets a strong dose of reality and learns that her ways need to change dramatically.  If only all high school bullies were forced into this kind of therapy and counseling sessions!

I gave Jump 3 shamrocks!!!



1 comment:

  1. I thought this story was a bit predictable too, but an overall easy read. Check out my review on amanadarosetew.blogspot.com

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