Identical

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I would have liked to have read more about Kaeleigh's relationship with her father and also about the events in his childhood that set him on the path of the abuser. Also, the twist at the end would have felt more authentic if it hadn't happened so close to the end of the book. I wanted to know more about what happened AFTER Kaeleigh faced the truth. Basically it's about these two twins, Kaeleigh and Raeanne. They are half of the All-American family, with a dad who is a judge and a mom who is running for a position in Congress. But what lies beneath their facade is really dysfunction; and the worst, worst kind.

Instead, the ending is rushed and bleak. But it felt bleak as if Ellen had decided that since all of her other books have bleak endings, this one should have one too. I'm not asking for a happy ending, I just think that the more interesting story is watching someone go through something horrible like that and then figure out how to get to the other side. Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started CloseTheres more I wanted to say but I have no energy to speak of this book any longer. I just want to forget this ever happened. Their mother is gone all of the time running her campaign. Their father is a judge and starts drinking when he comes home among other things. What happened to these people in their lifetimes? It's not a pretty story, all things come from somewhere... and someone is always the one to let it happen. Now you get to relive the soul-shattering agony tear you apart stitch by stitch under a spotlight of eyes that scream,

I loved the format of the novel. The poems were beautifully written and the shapes, especially of the mirrored ones, made me slow down and savor the structure. Ellen Hopkins and Identical made me feel A LOT. I love when an author can do this to me. I kept wanting certain things to happen I wouldn't have wanted my own daughter, of which I don't have kids, doing. To me, that is part of what makes this book so good.This book was... disturbing. Very disturbing. I really like the author's style and I think the use of verse is highly effective and contributes something to the story that I never imagined possible... but. And there is a but. I felt this book, unlike Burned which I loved, just went too far. It made me feel uncomfortable, too much so. I can't explain, I usually really like books that are controversial and stretch boundaries but... a man performing oral sex on his daughter while her twin watched and secretly wished it was her? The revulsion I felt was too much. Way too much. Nonetheless, I think the book an excellent choice for young adults and mature teens to read. It shows so much of what really happens and the how and why victims of sexual abuse almost never go public. However, I think if a reader is a mature teen or close to being a mature young adult, especially sensitive or abused teens, they should have a responsible smart non-abusive kind adult available for guidance in reading this book, or to be there as a listener for younger readers to vent. Raeanne and Kaeleigh are drawn to different kinds of boys. How are the boys different, and why do the girls connect with them?