Review Detail

'Better Together' by Christine Riccio weaves together two well-known and engaging stories—that of 'The Parent Trap' and 'Freaky Friday'. When two sisters are separated at a young age due to their parents' divorce, one remembers, while the other is almost forced to forget. Their lack of a relationship and trouble figuring out what to do with their lives provides the premise for the book, bringing them together at a camp meant to help them find meaning and purpose in their lives. When they find each other, it may seem kismet, but instead, they find themselves frustrating each other, trying to deal with the troubles their parents heaped on them through the divorce and subsequent ending of the girls' relationship with each other, as well as each of their relationships with the parent with whom they no longer live.

Before long, they come up with the idea to switch places. While they aren't twins, they look alike enough, and they think they can pull it off since their parents haven't seen the other child in more than a decade, since they were little children. While one sister works through her emotions by trying to write a comedy routine, the other feels a huge sense of loss since her dream of being a ballet dancer has ended after an injury. Their relationship evolves, slowly but surely, and they plot to teach their parents a lesson for separating them and keeping them from each other for so many years.

Angst, raw emotion, and heartfelt drama comes jam-packed into this novel that captures themes of staying true to oneself and finding the voice and path that are right for each individual. Christine Riccio has written a creative, magical, and thrilling story of relationships, love, loss, and everything in between.