Double Take by Melody Carlson

CUTE & CHARMING

From the Publisher

It's spring break of her senior year and Madison Van Buren is fed up. Stressed over Ivy League pressure, her parents' marital problems, and her boyfriend's neglect, Madison gets in her car and drives west. 

Meanwhile, eighteen-year-old Anna Bronner wants to escape the so-called simple life--which for her consists of caring for younger siblings, sewing, cooking, and gardening--and she's well aware that her future will simply be more of the same with a man she doesn't love. 

Suddenly, worlds collide when Madison and Anna meet in a small town, realize they look uncannily similar, and decide the grass is definitely greener on the other side.

My Take

I was really excited to receive this book for review---I love Amish stories and I the thought of an Amish & “Englisher” girl trading places sounding fascinating. So I had high expectations when I sat down to read Double Take.

It’s understandable that an “Englisher” girl would want to leave the hustle & bustle of her high-profile, fancy life in New York City provided by her wealthy parents. But going Amish? Hmmm…..interesting choice!  It’s also plausible that a young, Amish girl would want to get out & see the world past her community. But making a snap decision to trade lives with someone you don’t know or trust? Even more of an interesting choice.

It’s amazing to me that a young lady from NYC has absolutely nThato ability in the homemaking arena—it’s totally different than the life I know but maybe it’s true. Who doesn’t know how to make eggs? Yes, the stove is different but…..  As for an Amish girl to go into the big city, I can see how intimidating that can be!! However it was fun reading about each of their experiences—it’s something we would never think of.

The biggest part of the book, in my opinion, was seeing how the girls changed. For Madison, she went from a spoiled, self-centered material girl to a praying, more compassionate and honest young lady. Amish Anna realized there is more to true love than a romantic vision and that life doesn’t always come out the way you want it to. They both came through the switch more kind-hearted and considerate toward others along with getting more self-esteem for themselves.

There wasn’t a lot of background on the Amish lifestyle so if this is your first Amish book, it could be confusing. Beside the fact that Amish are fairly timid, it’s hard to believe that an Amish girl would do what Anna did. But then, this is fiction! The story is a quick and easy read with a few chuckles and some hard-to-believe situations but all in all, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars just because I could lay by the pool & have some mindless reading fun.

Available June 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

I received this book free from Revell as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

About the Author

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling books, Christmas at Harrington’s and The Christmas Bus. She also writes many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series and several books which  are being considered for TV movies. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.