Cesca Major is one of the few authors that I read in one sitting. In fact, Cesca Major seems to be one of the few authors that I cannot NOT read in one sitting – I absolutely devoured “Maybe Next Time” - a time-twisting novel of “what ifs”, so to say I was excited to get an advanced e-copy of If I Were You would be an understatement.

This novel takes the plot device of body switching and delivers a masterful, page-turning tale that’ll have you enthralled from start to finish. Amy and Flynn have been dating for two years – and now they find themselves in slightly different places. Flynn is ready for them to move in together – but Amy can’t help but wonder if she really knows what kind of person Flynn is. After all, any conversation that threatens to become deep or meaningful gets batted aside with a quick witticism. If only she knew what was going on in his head - and he hers.

Then lightening ZAPS the couple into each other’s body on the eve of Amy’s sister’s wedding, and what was already going to be a difficult weekend to navigate becomes a veritable storm that’ll test their relationship to its breaking point (I think cliff jumping, tennis competitions, spa days, and flash mob rehearsals would test ANY couple, let alone one navigating the world in a body that isn’t theirs!)

This novel was witty, entertaining, but also deeply emotional. The character development was really carefully done, and you end up coming to love both Amy and Flynn and really rooting for them to overcome everything life (and the wedding!) is throwing at them, and realise that they really are made for one another.

Thank you to the author Cesca Major, NetGalley, and HarperFiction for my advanced e-copy!

Early in the book a bolt of lightning cause Flynn and Amy to change bodies. Now, I’ve seen this happen in films – but wondered how it would be dealt with in a book – and I have to say that it was a bit of a headf*ck to start with. I kept having to stop and think ‘so who is this? Is this Flynn in Amy’s body – or Amy in Flynn’s body?’ But I did get into the swing of it.

Whilst Amy’s sister’s wedding is the back drop – lots of history is covered and uncovered in a really clever way for numerous members of the wedding party. It also addresses some fundamental issues and differences that men and women feel – but may not necessarily have considered. For example Flynn feels much more vulnerable when he’s Amy – and Amy is expected to be more aggressive when she’s Flynn.

There are some slight inconsistencies – where skills each of them possess when themselves are sometimes exchanged to the other person – and sometimes most definitely not. But you’re massively suspending your belief because they’ve body swapped – so whether someone can or can not then sing or play tennis is a bit irrelevant I guess!

I was interested to see if they ever swapped back into their own bodies, and if so how that could happen – because lightning doesn’t often strike twice (yes, I went there, yes, I am a d*ck) – and there are no spoilers from me here.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was desperate to keep reading.

It’s out on 4th July – which is a big day for lots of new releases, and I think something else might be happening that day too?!?

A big thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my ARC.

If you like romances, weddings and the film freaky Friday this book is for you. Complicated family and friends give this story its heart.

I really enjoyed If I Were You. Amy and Flynn are moving in together, he's getting ready to propose but she's having doubts. They go away for her sisters wedding weekend when suddenly, they swap bodies. Really bad timing!

74 glorious chapters.
Out of body experiences [literally] at the most inconvenient time… be careful what you wish for!

Totally made my jaw drop with heart crushing scenes. Cesca Major you have smashed this book!

Perfect for those who enjoy:
- Kirsty Greenwood books
- Easy read fiction
- Gut wrenching storylines you don’t see coming
- Time loop fiction

With thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

When Flynn meets Amy in a bar, it is literally love at first sight. Two years later, they are getting ready to move in together, and he is ready to propose.

Amy however, is having second thoughts. She feels as if she doesn't really know Flynn at all, as if he is holding something back, and his constant jovial mood frustrates her. Does he never get flustered or irritated about anything?

Flynn thinks that Amy is sometimes quick to jump to conclusions, sometimes quick to judge. But he loves how alive she makes him feel. Of course he gets frustrated and worries about things, but believes there's no point on dwelling on these things.

If only they could read each others minds!

They are on route to Amy's sisters wedding, when lightning strikes.

Literally.

Causing them to swap bodies. Suddenly Amy is in Flynn's body, and Flynn in Amy's.

The timing couldn't be worse.

Amy has multiple bridesmaid duties to complete, speeches to give, dances to rehearse and Flynn hasn't got a clue about any of them.

Flynn on the other hand has to look after the ring bearing dog (Amy is scared of them) and take part in multiple pre-wedding activities (she isn't in the least bit sporty).

With both hilarious and disastrous consequences, the swap isn't like anything I've ever read before.

Can they survive the weekend, or will it be the final straw?

Ok, it was really quite sweet. I appreciated the little tidbits of perspective Flynn and Amy gained from experiencing life as a different gender, but it felt a little self consciously done, occasionally shoe horned. And all just a bit too conveniently closed at the end. Totally fine, easy reading.

If I Were You is the second book I’ve read by Cesca Major, and it’s another that I really enjoyed. It’s a fresh new take on the body swap genre, featuring likeable characters and a realism that I wasn’t expecting. It explores several emotional themes and issues, and I was pleasantly surprised by how invested I found myself in Amy and Flynn’s lives.

I liked Amy and Flynn straight away, even before the unfortunate lightning-induced body swap, and I enjoyed learning about their pasts, both of which are peppered throughout the book. They’re both dealing with really difficult, complicated things, yet they found each other and compliment each other so well. They both grow and learn more about one another as they live in each other’s bodies, which also has hilarious consequences as it just so happens to be at Amy’s sister’s wedding!

If I Were You is a great read for anyone who likes fast-paced contemporary novels, especially those with a Freaky Friday-style twist. It’s heartfelt and relatable, with a thought-provoking premise and addictive writing. I’m already looking forward to Cesca Major’s next book, and I’m really hoping it’s as good as this and Maybe Next Time. Fingers crossed!

3.5/5.

I loved the idea of this book but sadly it just didn’t live up to its hype for me. I was going to give up but read some others reviews and how it is to be made into a film and so presumed it had to get better, so kept going but it just never really lived up to it’s potential for me.
For me it was a kind of half swap of minds, Amy’s skill of being able to sing was able to be experienced by Flynn, but Flynn’s skill of being really good at tennis wasn’t able to be experienced by Amy………….why? The storyline about the ex and the unknown Charlie was very predictable. As was the storyline about the mother and her ‘secret’ that she needed to reveal.
Disappointing for me, sorry.
My thanks go to the author, the publishers and to NetGalley for an advance e.reader copy.

If I Were You is an amazing flipped identity story, perfect if you loved Freaky Friday. It's funny, heartwarming and romantic. I love Cesca Major's books and this is no exception.

I found it hard to get into the book at first - maybe because at times following them you start to question why they are together as she really doesn't seem to like him. And I didn't warm to her straight away as it seemed a selfish life she led.
But as it progressed and the body swap made them both internally reflect on not just their relationship but how they tackled everything in their lives, and the stuff they studiously avoided, I came to be invested in their growth.
Not going to lie, I think the sister would have thrown her out of the wedding party so she couldn't ruin it after the first couple of things. Whilst there are some funny, and often downright cringeworthy moments, the thing that kept me reading was their growth and Amy's realisation of how focused she was on the negative and a gradual unfurling of the great things about Flynn. And Flynn finally realising that you need to talk and share, even the hard and bad stuff, to truly be committed to one another.

I love a flipped identity story, which is why I requested to read If I Were You.
Flynn and Amy seem to be viewing their relationship from entirely different viewpoints.
It's been two years, and he is smitten. He wants to take the next steps with the woman who feels like she can give him all he has craved for his whole life. Amy isn't sure because she doesn't feel the right vibe of commitment coming from him since he rarely opens up about his own life to her.
Something happens when they are struck with lightning. They are horrified when they realise they have swapped bodies and are on their way to Amy's sister's wedding, where a whole heap of other complications are set to arise.
A bit of forced-proximity always helps a relationship along, doesn't it?
Cesca Major highlights in this story the importance of openness and communication within relationships of all sorts and how a little white lie, or even a failure to mention certain details, can mess things up, as misunderstandings are borne from miscommunication.
Sometimes, the changeovers of POV, knowing the characters were in each other's bodies, got a teeny bit confusing, but I guess that is to be expected when he is a he in a she body and vice versa!
I sped through this book and was gutted that my Kindle died on me at the last few pages. Thank goodness for the Kindle app, eh! I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC.

I couldn’t wait to read this book as I’d really enjoyed Cesca Major’s previous novel, 'Maybe Next Time'.

‘If I Were You’ is a witty, quick paced story about Amy & Flynn who have been dating for 2 years – but find they aren’t where they used to be in their relationship.

On route to Amy’s Sister’s long planned big wedding, Amy & Flynn suddenly swap bodies and the pandemonium starts! How well do they really know each other, and can they carry this off at the wedding of the year?

At times it was difficult to separate the swapped characters and who was talking about who... but you soon get the hang of it, and it was a fun, quick read, full of humour and bizarre funny situations.

Thanks you to NetGalley for the ARC in return of an honest, unbiased review.

Loved this story, it was full of laughter, emotion and heartbreak. This was so hard to put down as the story of Flynn and Amy keeps you well hooked in.

This is not generally the type of book I would read being more of a crime/thriller type reader however the concept of this really grabbed me and I thoroughly enjoyed following this story as it panned out

I love the premise of this- a real taste of walking in your partners shoes and gaining a greater understanding because of it!
The voices of Amy and Flynn were particularly compelling but the editing (or maybe just the way the book presents on the kindle) made it hard to work out whose perspective you were reading at times and when the swap happens the voices are further confused as it is not always clear who is speaking and the revelations from the two main characters about how it feels to occupy the wrong body needed to be better highlighted in the text (Again maybe an e-file edit issue).

The plot is excellent, the sister unbearable and the build up to the wedding something of a disaster!

A lovely book with great characters. I found the concept really interesting and the relationship between the two main characters was really good . Highly recommended.

The premise behind this story is really interesting and thought-provoking, but I did find myself constantly having to think about who was who and it did get confusing at times which made the reading experience a little disjointed. But there was also a lot that I enjoyed about the book so overall would recommend

I really enjoyed this book- why is communication so difficult for us? If only we could be in someone else’s head for a little while, it would be so easy- haha.
Great read- 5 stars

If I Were You is a brilliantly fun and unique plot where a couple have a bizarre "body swapping" experience on possibly the worst moment ever, on the way to Amy's sister's wedding.
Flynn and Amy have to navigate existing as the other, experiencing many hilarious situations but also eye-opening truths and confronting secrets they both keep.
It is a heart-warming and comforting book that reaffirms what really matters in life and the importance of family.