Change Places with Me
Change Places with Me By Lois Metzger
Now on sale in hardcover and ebook
But something still feels wrong to Rose. Because until very recently, she was an entirely different person—a person who’s still there inside her, just beneath the thinnest layer of skin.
Lois Metzger’s latest novel is a bold and original work of speculative fiction set in a familiar future, a profoundly authentic and heartbreaking tale of the things we keep locked away inside us, even from ourselves.
Reviews
“How I admire Lois Metzger’s thoughtful and suspenseful novel—the pacing, the sympathetic characters, the emotional astuteness, the believable near-future setting. It captivated me from the first page to the last.” —Gail Carson Levine, author of Ella Enchanted
“Change Places with Me is a vivid, beautiful novel, a particular evocation of a story many of us have lived and all of us know. Read this to see what I mean.” —Kim Stanley Robinson, Hugo Award-winning author of Aurora
“Really compelling… Unputdownable… I hope that everybody reads Change Places with Me.” —Rob Taub, WOR 710 Radio
★ Starred Review, Booklist: “From the author of A Trick of the Light (2013) comes a nuanced tale of grief and memory. Teenage Rose goes about her life with seeming normalcy in the fictional Belle Heights neighborhood of a near-futuristic New York City, yet both readers and Rose feel dislocated. Rose seems to grieve for her father, and yet the grief feels hollow. Indeed, something is missing, though it takes Rose some time to track down what exactly it is… The austere, almost clinical nature of the story harks back to Kazuo Ishiguro’s classic Never Let Me Go (2005). With a simplicity that belies its profundity, this title will linger long in readers’ minds.” —Jennifer Barnes
“Fan favorite Lois Metzger’s new novel Change Places with Me is a quick, mind-bending ride that combines high school politics with brain-altering medical shenanigans… compulsively readable and lots of fun.” —Paula Willey, The Baltimore Sun
“Tightly written and immediately intriguing, Metzger’s latest novel has what it takes to appeal to reluctant readers. The way it deals with issues like happiness, identity, and memory will lead to interesting discussions among readers. Teen readers who are fans of books with unreliable narrators will also gobble this tale up. Metzger has created a unique work of speculative fiction that does a winning job of dealing with universal themes; it is strongly recommended for young adult collections.” –VOYA, Sean Rapacki
“Lois Metzger has a talent for writing dark, unsettling novels. Novels that, despite their dark mysterious nature, draw you deeper and deeper into the story. That, plus the complex nature of humanity that Metzger showcases in her work, is how I fell in love with her writing with A Trick of the Light. Like A Trick of the Light, Change Places with Me captivated me from start to finish in a darkly fascinating way. I wanted to savor each word, but I also felt compelled to turn the page and could not put down the book until the last words. Metzger does not write your typical YA story. Her work is dark and gritty, but she has a talent for illustrating what it means to be human through coming of age stories. I especially enjoyed how she departed from the contemporary genre with Change Places with Me. It was refreshing and entrancing. I recommend reading this book—and then checking out A Trick of the Light. Metzger is an author to watch out for. I can’t wait to see what she brings us next!” —Imaginary Reads
“Metzger’s novel tackles deep issues: how to cope with painful memories; the futility of trying to be perfect. Eventually, the main character must learn to live somewhere between grief and denial. Touches of sci-fi and mystery glamorize this complex and introspective story of a girl growing up and moving on.” —The Horn Book
“When Rose woke up one morning she felt different. She wanted a new name, a new haircut, a new job. But something wasn’t quite right. Something was missing. Something big. Set in the near future, Lois Metzger’s new book is a fascinating exploration of trauma, depression, and treatment. I don’t want to say too much more than that because a psychological thriller like this can be spoiled so easily, but I will say that Change Places with Me is masterfully done. Everything is off just a little giving the reader that eerie, unsettled feeling which is so difficult to inspire, and I love the way the book is structured. It’s a quiet, cerebral book that I found quite fascinating.” —Intellectual Recreation
“Rose, a quiet, shy girl living in New York City in 2029, suddenly comes out of her shell… Readers learn [of the] radical change in Rose’s personality from the reactions of those around her… The scene changes with the second half of the book, and readers learn why Rose has been acting in this new way. Something she experienced in this brave new world has changed her personality. Now she wants to return to her true self and to her real name. But can she? The exposition is simple and declarative, with no lyricism getting in the way of readers’ growing immersion in Rose’s character, which gains depth and interest as the book progresses… An interesting, experimental near-future character study.” —Kirkus Reviews
“It’s a fairly fast read, but I loved taking my time and savoring it over the course of an afternoon. Metzger’s writing and her heroine, Rose, are compelling and make for a great narrative… it’s a subtly disturbing book that makes you pause and think and wonder. Lois Metzger’s beautifully written prose is haunting and almost lyrical.” —Irish Banana
“As soon as I head the synopsis for Change Places with Me, I knew that it was a book I had to get hands on. I’m so glad that I did!… I really loved that this book honestly doesn’t fit into one particular genre. It was part romance and part science fiction, yet there was also a bit of a mysterious tone as well… Rose was a very interesting character. She was so alluring to read about. I kept flipping pages because I wanted to know more about her and the world that she lives in.” —Downright Dystopian
“Alluring and captivating, Change Places with Me wrapped me in an unsettling atmosphere from the very first page. Indeed the questions started piling up at once, breaking through Rose’s apparent happiness, pulling at it, restlessly… Change Places with Me is an unputdownable scifi/thriller that kept me glued to the pages for hours without allowing me to stop.” —Star-Crossed Book Blog
“After reading most of Lois Metzger’s books and thinking I knew her writing style, she throws me a curve. I was expecting something that would ruin me, but instead I got the most wonderfully weird sort of science fiction tale woven with a mystery and tied up with a memory bow. Yeah, it was one of those quick reads that will have you wondering what you just read, but loving everything about it. In the end, it did really make me think and love how Metzger can pack so much into a book.” —BookHounds
“Metzger creates a world only slightly altered by time to express what happens when one vulnerable teen’s desire to be someone else comes true. Whether or not readers agree with the decisions Rose makes, they may be inspired to examine how their own emotions affect their perception of the world.” —Publishers Weekly
“Fellow book lovers, don’t turn away! This book is about so much more than you might think… Change Places with Me is a compelling novel with a plot full of mystery and wonder. I was amazed that there was so much more to this book than what I assumed based on the surface. It was actually a really great read somewhat connected to the story of Snow White, but with the author’s own twist… This is a story about self discovery, figuring out how to life life with every stone that gets thrown into it. I recommend this book and I hope that you choose to read Change Places with Me. I promise that you will not regret it one bit!” —Under Covers
“OMG! CPWM was so intriguing and short at the same time. It was a fun quick read with humor and amazing character development. It was a blend of comedy, emotions, and confusions… Do read this book!” —Voracious Bookling
