I absolutely love Cesca Majors work her first book stuck with me for a very long time and when I was asked if I wanted an early arc copy of If I were you and snapped up the opportunity think freaky Friday but between a couple it was ok but not amazing something that you could easily read but wouldn’t stick with you if you get me I loved the concept of the story just didn’t love it when I read it!

A fun romantic comedy about a couple that switch bodies on the way to a wedding when they are struck by lightning.

An interesting read.Didn't quite know what to expect from this book when I imagined what was going to happen as Flynn and Amy were about to swap bodies so I read it with an open lind and really enjoyed it in the end. It was funny, romantic and emotional at times with a bit of drama as well and as they reveal more of their past traumas they finally find themselves becoming more open and honest with each other

This was such a great read that it actually made me re-evaluate my own life and relationships. Surely that really is the power of a good book!
By swapping bodies in a freak lightning strike, a couple are forced to see the world from each others points of view.

I was initially interested by the novel’s zany concept, but unfortunately I didn't think it pulled it off. The frequent body swapping and time jumping was disorientating, and I wasn’t rooting for the romance.

There was a lot of time jumping at the start of the book. Each chapter was either a flash forward or a flashback, but this was rarely consistent. As a result, it could be confusing trying to determine the overarching timeline of events. When Amy and Flynn did eventually switch bodies, it was often difficult to keep track of who was doing what. It didn't help that they were both (particularly Flynn!) so inept at pretending to be the other. I felt some serious second-hand embarrassment!

As a couple, I wasn't convinced by Amy and Flynn. I actually agreed with Amy at the start of the novel - they seemed better off apart. Flynn wasn't an easy love interest to root for as he was often so out of touch with Amy. Even as secrets from their past were being revealed, I didn't feel more connected to the couple or sympathetic to their story.

Sadly, I wouldn't recommend this one... BUT definitely check out the author's previous book, 'Maybe Next Time'! It was similarly high concept, but had a lot more heart, making it easy to get invested in the characters' lives.

A light hearted summer read about a couple who accidentally swap bodies. I liked the premise but found some of the story confusing.

🎧Audiobook Review🎧

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I want to thank NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book.

❤️Romance
😁Humour
👨🏻‍🤝‍👩🏻Body Switch
💞Family

Freaky Friday but in a book? Yes, please! Amy and Flynn had me giggling whilst they tried to navigate their situation. I particularly liked the dance scenes. This was an easy and enjoyable listen, filled with humour and secrets!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the first book I am reading that has the concept of body swapping and I was so intrigued by the blurb. To be honest, I held back on this review because I'm still not very sure how I feel about it.

The body swapping led to a lot of hilarity but was accompanied by confusion, both experienced by the characters in the book and the readers. The narration clearly emphasises that Amy and Flynn are not compatible, to the point where Amy is planning on breaking up with Flynn. There were two tropes in this books that I personally dislike - insta love and miscommunication. These elements made me disinterested in the story in general, but we later realise that the story is about how lack of communication leads to the death of beautiful relationships.

Safe to say that I'm glad that the book shows, in the end, that Amy and Flynn decided to work things out and make better changes that would help make their relationship stronger. I think that this is something that happens to a lot of real life relationships and might be relatable to many (except for the body swapping part, obviously).

I enjoyed this book it had everything romance, laughter and sadness also we see the couple as the book goes on understanding more about each other.

Amy and Flynn are on their way to the venue where Amy’s sister Laura is getting married, when they are stuck by a bolt of lighting and they have swapped bodies. This is where we see what happens to them over the next few days, Amy’s sister feels something is off with Amy. Will the couple get back to their own bodies only time will tell.

I enjoyed the book it was kind of a bit confusing at times.

Well written.

A really unique idea which was skilfully handled and I never questioned who was who. The book highlights the need for communication in relationships and I think it’s the key to a successful partnership. I will definitely be recommending this book to friends and I’ll be looking out for more from Cesca Major.

If I Were You, by Cesca Major, was a brilliant body swap love story. I’d argue this is more a women’s fiction than a contemporary romance given that the most significant part of the story is the MCs growth arc, rather than their romance, though romance is still at its heart.

If I Were You finds Amy and Flynn on the way to the wedding extravaganza of Amy’s sister Laura and Flynn’s pal Jay. Flynn has recently asked Amy to move in together but she finds herself pulling away from him worrying about how much she really knows him. Whilst en route they’re hit my lightening and find themselves with the ultimate change in perspective, and now they have to get through the weekend walking in each other's shoes… Literally. Will this crazy experience split them up – or make them fall in love all over again?

This was such a cleverly written novel that utilised duel POV to explore how Amy and Flynn coped in each other’s bodies. Once you get into it it was easy enough to follow but you do need to remember that when they’re talking about each other it’s the person within the body, not their outward appearance that they’re referring to. Interspersed amongst the now were significant flashbacks that helped to explain so much about why they are each how they are. I found Flynn’s to be particularly devastating.

I really enjoyed how Major explored the different facets of the male and female experience. For example Fynn’s body Amy felt that she was taken more seriously in situations where she might not have been when she was fully herself, whilst Flynn felt more able to be open to tactile moments and expressions of emotions whilst presenting as Amy. Interesting too was how Amy was able to see herself and her appearance with a much less critical eye when looking at herself through Flynn’s eyes.

The character growth arcs were so very satisfying. I’ll admit I found Amy pretty unlikable for quite a lot of the novel, though I understand why she was how she was. She learnt so much about herself and came through the experience a nicer person who was able to move past her self centred view that had been hardened by grief and misguided guilt. Meanwhile Flynn learnt it was ok to allow himself feel and hold space for his emotions and acknowledge his difficult past.

This was an interesting read and one I’d recommend.

Started off promising but I found this quite a confusing read. Amy and Flynn find themselves catapulted into each other's bodies during a thunderstorm en route to the venue for her sister's wedding. Cue lots of mix-ups and realisations about each other, not to mention the other wedding guests and their family and friends!

The part I found confusing was that they referred to each other as their true names, rather than the body they were in, although to everyone else they rightly assumed the person they saw was who they thought.

One good part was that the couple became more empathetic with each other and saw things from another point of view.

Loved the premise if this one, sadly struggled a little with the execution of it. I found myself having to keep flipping backwards and forwards to confirm who was who which really pulled me out if the story until I got to grips with it. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable and quirky read on the whole.

This was such a treat of a book! I laughed, I cried and my god i cringed lol.
Such an interesting premise for a story and Amy and Flynn were amazing characters, so well written and felt real to me.
I couldn't imagine having a chance to live in my partners shoes, No thanks!

Highly recommend, Definitely one of my favourite books i've read this year!

I loved Cesca Major's previous book, "Maybe, Next Time" so I was thrilled to be offered an ARC of her new book "If I Were You" Thank you to Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review.

The body swap premise of the book is exciting, who wouldn't love to know what their partner is thinking and feeling? Unfortunately it didn't quite work for me and I found it difficult, at times, to follow who was who and that distracted me from the story.

What did stand out for me was Amy's realisation that she was viewing her own body in a less negative way, when she was seeing it from Flynn's perspective. I do love a body positive message.

Overall an enjoyable, lighthearted read

Well written but found it confusing due to the swapping - kept having to go back a couple of pages to see who I was meant to be reading about - great premis, just didn't work for me.

So, of course, we are all familiar with the freaky friday-esque storyline, I've seen it in countless movies. I'd never read it before, though, so that was a refreshing change.
En route to sister Laura's wedding, Amy has a fight with her boyfriend Flynn, and they switch bodies. The timing couldn't be worse, but it forces secrets out and confrontations to be had.
I loved the setting. Yes, it was completely over the top, I mean, flamingos, seriously?! But it was perfect for this story.
Amy can be quite unlikeable at the start, and it's only through the switch that you see a different side to her, Flynn definitely seemed far too good for her, though!
It's a fun story, with plenty of seriousness thrown in, so it doesn't become completely far-fetched.
It's a quick read, I finished it in two sittings. Pages just seemed to fly past.
I'd be glad to read more by this author, and I'm sure this book will do well.

A cute body swap comedy set at a wedding. It’s nice and lighthearted and a very easy read. .in the back of the book in acknowledgments it mentions that the story is being optioned for a film and I think it would work well in that media.

This is such fun! We meet Amy and Flynn, then Amy calls her sister and says: “He’s gurt lush” - a quick search tells me this is Bristol slang for ‘really lovely’ - just delightful!

I feel like diving right in is the way to go here. And the degree of difficulty must be about a 4 😮‍💨 No spoilers but this is a body swap romcom and author Cesca has done a fantastic job to kept it all on track - it’s not perfect, but it’s pretty close! Flynn and Amy get their bodies swapped in a thunderstorm and then they have to navigate Amy’s sister Laura’s wedding, even as their own relationship is at a crossroads. Flynn wants them to move up a level, Amy thinks she doesn’t really know him and maybe they are done.

The body swap is pretty tricky. We have to keep track of whose body/whose mind. It’s first person dual POV which helps us and Cesca is up for the funny side. It’s also closely observed how our physicality (and our gender) affect our confidence and place in the world.

As if that isn’t enough, we also have some flashbacks to their childhoods, the causes of unresolved grief and how they use unhelpful strategies to manage their pasts. Flynn twenty years ago breaks my heart 💔

While Amy and Flynn have built something together there so much unsaid and unresolved, so this body swap is a make or break for them, maybe literally as well… Yes, you’ll need to pay attention to who is doing what, but it’s so rewarding and so worthwhile. It’s closed door and largely set over the days of the wedding.

This clever romance reminds me of Beth O’Leary and Ashley Poston, whose plots can be technically difficult and also move between comedy and tragedy. Thank you NetGalley, Cesca Major and HarperCollins for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

'If I Were You' was a fun summer read. If you like romance, weddings and body swap storylines then this will be right up your street. At the beginning I got a bit confused re Amy and Flynn's body swap as to who was speaking etc but once my brain got the hang of it I quite enjoyed the book. Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for an early read.