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    The Opposite of Me: A Novel
    The Opposite of Me: A Novel
    The Opposite of Me: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Opposite of Me: A Novel

    Written by Sarah Pekkanen

    Narrated by Madeleine Maby

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    A "fresh, funny, and satisfying" (New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner) about the complicated bonds of sisterhood.

    Twenty-nine-year-old Lindsey Rose has, for as long as she can remember, lived in the shadow of her ravishingly beautiful fraternal twin sister, Alex.

    Determined to get noticed, Lindsey is finally on the cusp of being named VP creative director of an elite New York advertising agency, after years of eighty-plus-hour weeks, migraines, and profound loneliness. But during the course of one devastating night, Lindsey’s carefully constructed life implodes. Humiliated, she flees the glitter of Manhattan and retreats to the time warp of her parents’ Maryland home.

    As her sister plans her lavish wedding to her Prince Charming, Lindsey struggles to maintain her identity as the smart, responsible twin while she furtively tries to piece her career back together. But things get more complicated when a long-held family secret is unleashed that forces both sisters to reconsider who they are and who they are meant to be.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateDec 4, 2018
    ISBN9781508268321
    Author

    Sarah Pekkanen

    SARAH PEKKANEN is the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of four novels of suspense including The Golden Couple and The Wife Between Us, and the solo author of the thriller Gone Tonight. A passionate volunteer for rescue animals, she serves as an Ambassador for RRSA India and works hands-on in India to heal and vaccinate street dogs. She lives just outside of Washington, D.C., with her family.

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    Reviews for The Opposite of Me

    4/5

    173 ratings16 reviews

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    • 3/5
      They story of grown twin sisters who could not be more different who are each going through their own life changes and turn to each other for the first time in their lives. It had a decent plot but was tied up a little too neatly for me in the end.
    • 4/5
      Lindsey and Alex are fraternal twins and complete opposites. One is the "smart" twin, and one is the "pretty" twin. Though Lindsey is on the road to major success at an ad agency in New York City, she's always been jealous of Alex, who things seem to come easy to because she's beautiful. When Lindsey's job spirals out of control, she moves back home to Bethesda, Maryland. There she learns a lot about family, her sister, and who Lindsey really is. Another great read by Pekkanen that will suck you right in.
    • 5/5
      From My Blog...Delightfully witty and endearing, The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen is a beautiful story that will capture the reader’s heart. Lindsey is the smart twin and Alex is the pretty twin, or that is how they were raised. Lindsey has it all as an add executive at a prestigious New York firm, until one slip-up found her without a job and returning home to her parents and her sister. Alex is a successful model, works in television and is about to be married causing all the old jealousy and inadequacies Lindsey has felt her entire life to return. The Opposite of Me is told by Lindsey in a bright, witty, and absolutely charming manner. The book starts out as a rather light and predictable read until Pekkanen takes the reader through some very serious issues with her characters and which point the novel picks up speed and intensity. I found myself truly enjoying The Opposite of Me and could not set the book down (we order takeaway) as I wanted to know what would happen to Lindsey, Cheryl, Alex, Bradley and Matt. I adored Pekkanen’s writing style and would recommend The Opposite of Me to any reader, especially reading groups.
    • 3/5
      Bittersweet novel of twin sisters who look and act nothing alike. The labels they were given when young: the pretty one, the smart one define their lives until Lindsey's gets turned upside down, and she.... returns home to re-group. The parents are a sitcom of a pair, Alex is beautiful as always but now even thinner, and engaged. Lindsey is surprised that she allows her good sense to guide her in a different, more positive direction than she planned. She's happier than she's been in a long time but soon life throws some punches her way. Upset, yes, angry, yes, but strong enough to weather through and find the silver lining. I enjoyed the 2nd half more, and loved the way Lindsey re-invents herself, and how Lindsey's family become closer. I found one weakness in the predictability of part of the plot. All in all a good book.
    • 5/5
      When I first began "The Opposite of Me: A Novel" I thought, "Oh no, another book about a stressed out workaholic New York woman who loses her job and finds out what she really wants in life...boring!". Then I progressed in the book and realized it was so much more than that, and that I loved it! I actually did laugh out loud at some of the comments Lindsey makes in her head and got a little weepy towards the end (most of this happening in the confines of my office so I am sure my coworkers now think I am crazy!). This is such a great read that I plan to recommend it to many of my reader friends. I cannot relate to the complicated, mixed-bag-of-emotions relationship between Lindsey and Alex, but the book is written so well that you don't have to have experienced what the characters are going through to really feel what they are feeling. I just can't praise it enough. You will finish the book feeling calm, clear and highly satisfied!
    • 5/5
      OMG – Loved this book! The only issue --I have read ALL Sarah’s books and savored this one as carefully as the last delightful crumb. I enjoyed her humor, style, and the characters which were so realistic (Lindsey was my favorite as can relate to the workaholic tendencies (being in the advertising arena) loved her journey in recreating herself with the makeup, new clothes, the dating service, her new home, and her new friendship/partnership with May).

      The parents were a riot (I thought I had the only weird parents). Did not like Alex in the beginning; however, you learn to really like her by the end. Amazing story of two sisters finding their way back to one another. Loved the happy ending! Would love to see a sequel and continuation of Alex/Bradley and Lindsey/Matt to see where they end up –exciting journeys.

      Highly recommend this read and all Sarah’s books – they are five star quality . She reminds me of Jennifer Weiner (also another favorite author)--Wickedly funny, sassy, and insightful.
    • 4/5
      One of my new favorite authors, Pekkanen does not disappoint. A tale of siblings and how close relationships with family are important. Will be reading more of her books. Easy, quick read.
    • 3/5
      This is a quick delightful read. It is about twin sisters who are very competitive
    • 3/5
      Okay, so I've got a crapload of sisters. I have two older sisters and two younger sisters (although the youngest sister is 16 years younger than me and only six so she really doesn't fit into the competitive mold), so I understood the relationship between Lindsey and Alex perfectly. While my sisters and I have all gotten over the whole competitiveness a few years ago, I still remember when it was rampant during our teenage years and it was FIERCE! So, again, I identified with Lindsey on that and that was why originally I intended to give this book five stars. But then, it turned for me. I liked The Opposite of Me for the most part, but in the beginning I thought that it was wonderful. I loved it and couldn't wait to get back to it when I put it down. I just loved Lindsey and was so curious about her relationship with Alex. But then the sob story happened. I'm sorry, but does EVERYTHING have to have a sob story?! Don't get me wrong, I don't want the very few chick-lits I read to be all fluffy and airless, it's just that that particular sob story has been done to death. I would've preferred a different sob story, one that doesn't happen in every other women's fiction/chick-lit book. And another thing: that HUGE family secret? A bit on the disappointing side and just made Alex seem more like a Mary Sue. And I don't like Mary Sue characters. At all. Also, I didn't buy that crap that Alex said (very mild spoiler here) about not knowing that Lindsey was jealous of her. No one is that oblivious. Now that I got that off my chest, I have to say that I did like some of the other aspects of The Opposite of Me. I loved the whole dating service storyline. I thought that it was actually a good way to have a dating service. I also adored Lindsey's parents. They were just so cute and hilarious. Speaking of hilarious, Matt was also great. Such a sweet and great friend. Basically, all of the supporting characters in this book were good. Plus, this book was a major (and I do mean MAJOR cause even when I was bitchin about it, I couldn't put it down) page-turner. I basically read it in one day in breaks between my classes. So, regardless of my little rant above, I did like The Opposite of Me. I thought it was pretty funny and pretty sweet if a bit predictable. However, I would've liked it more if it had been sans big sob story and a little more about the sisters dealing with their issues without that major thing prompting it.
    • 5/5
      Started reading The Opposite of Me at 10 AM and finished it at 5:25 PM I haven't read a book in one day in a long time! I couldn't put it down. It is a story about how life isn't always what it seems. Two sisters reinvent themselves completely and are better people in the end because of changing who they are. Some of the changes are out of there control, but all has a way of working out. Pekkanen is a wonderful writer and once I started reading I had to finish the story. Make sure you ahve plenty of time if you pick up this book, you won't want to lay it down.
    • 4/5
      Loved this book! It was a wonderful story with great characters with lots going on with them. So enjoyable highly recommend reading it!
    • 4/5
      ** spoiler alert ** Not your run of the mill chick-lit-beach-read novel. I've read more of those in the past year than I care to admit. It was incredibly refreshing in the approach this book took. Lindsey may have been in advertising (rather than PR or publishing) but the author actually took the time to research the world of NY Advertising to actually teach the reader a little bit about it all. And while Lindsey did chuck her life for a new one, it wasn't to live in some exotic location (unless you consider su ...more Not your run of the mill chick-lit-beach-read novel. I've read more of those in the past year than I care to admit. It was incredibly refreshing in the approach this book took. Lindsey may have been in advertising (rather than PR or publishing) but the author actually took the time to research the world of NY Advertising to actually teach the reader a little bit about it all. And while Lindsey did chuck her life for a new one, it wasn't to live in some exotic location (unless you consider suburban Washington DC exotic.) She may have moved back home with mom, but mom still lived with dad, in a kind of quirky retiree world of sales and early bird dinners.Lindsey leaves her shining career and path to VP of the ad agency all behind because of an enormous out-of-character mistake she made that sidelines her completely. So instead of being the brilliant success she's been on the glide path for, which would finally help her come out from the shadow of her gorgeous, successful, TV reporter twin sister, finds her back at home, with mom buttering her toast, and Lindsey struggling to find her feet again.What was nice for me was that Lindsey's growth and finding a new place to "be" involved not a man, or glamor, but a true journey inside herself to dust out the cobwebs and take a look around. She opens her eyes to herself, her past, her assumptions, and ultimately her future. The Lindsey of Blind Dates (the shoestring business she gets involved with after intervening for May, the owner, when her ex was threatening her) is not the same Lindsey who left NYC. That NYC Lindsey could never have had the courage to be there for beautiful Alex when her world went out of focus.Interesting to note, (and here's a real spoiler so even if the last paragraph didn't alert you, then don't read on) the diagnosis Alex had is the same one my dear friend Lindesay had (or one of them). Their pathways were different, but I found myself remembering a wonderful soul who I miss.
    • 4/5
      Labeled as chick lit, I find The Opposite of Me to be more substantial than that. There are life lessons to learn and self-reflection to consider. Ms. Pekkanen's story comes to life through human emotion and her characters' very real issues.Lindsey is the perfect heroine, in that she faces a challenge and through her own self-reflection, realizes that life is about taking chances. Through her experiences, the reader gets an accurate assessment that we all need to stop and reflect on our lives, determine our wants and needs and adjust them if necessary. We need to understand what success means to each of us. More importantly, we need to enjoy life. To quote one of my favorite movies, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it" (Ferris Bueller). Ms. Pekkanen drives home this advice through Lindsey.One of the most enjoyable aspects of the novel is the lesson in empathy Ms. Pekkanen shares with the reader. Lindsey's main problem is the fact that she never stops to consider what others are experiencing. Lindsey is very self-absorbed, which proves to be one of her main downfalls early on in the story. As she grows and learns to put herself in others' shoes, only then does she begin to move forward with her life. Again, this is a lesson we can all afford to learn.The Opposite of Me proves to be the perfect summer read. It has all of the elements - humor, heavy on relationships, romantic, a life crisis or two, soul-searching, and a happy ending. It is slightly predictable yet enjoyable and engaging. I look forward to reading future books by Ms. Pekkanen.
    • 4/5
      Lindsey has spent her entire life chasing after her dream of a successful, advertising career, even if it costs her 20 hour work days, constant headaches, and any chance at a social life. When she is suddenly fired after a moment of poor judgement at the workplace (following an unbelievably low stunt by a coworker to sabotage her), Lindsey is left without a job or an identity, and returns to her hometown to salvage her dignity and professional reputation. Returning home though, requires her to be in close contact with her fraternal twin sister, whom she has resented for years due to her flawless beauty and seemingly perfect life. As an unexpected family crisis develops, Lindsey and her twin, Alex, are forced to confront their respective identities of brains and beauty, and come to terms with the value of family versus career. This was a good chick-lit book, as it was interesting, had twists, and explored deeper philosophical issues such as values, the development of personal identity, and the meaning of work. It was a quick read as the story was fast paced and the characters were well-developed and entertaining.
    • 5/5
      Lindsey Rose is at the top of her game. At 29, she’s on the path to become the youngest VP Creative Director at her advertising firm. All she has to do is nail this top ad campaign and it’s pretty much in the bag. Lindsey is convinced she has nothing to worry about. That is until an announcement blindsides her and sends her crashing on a path she never thought she would find herself on.With her career and future in shambles, Lindsey decides to leave Manhattan and return home to Maryland to live with her parents while she tries to figure out her next step. There’s just one small problem: her parents aren’t aware of the REAL reason she came home. She can’t tell them, she thinks, as she doesn’t want to disappoint them. You see, Lindsey has a twin sister Alex. Alex is the beautiful, outgoing sister and Lindsey has lived (not so comfortably) in Alex’s shadow as the smart sister. Lindsey has lost her New York City apartment and status of her job, so keeping her “smart label” is all she has right now.The Opposite of Me is a story about Lindsey and Alex told through Lindsey’s eyes. The reader is privileged to learn about their relationship through flashbacks and current events. Pekkanen does an amazing job with describing Alex from Lindsey’s perspective, leaving the reader to form his/her own opinion about Alex. I have to admit, never once did I dislike Alex. I thought there would be more to her than what Lindsey thought she knew and I was happy to learn there was.Both sisters have lived their lives by a label that was placed on them. As adult women, both have allowed these labels (either subconsciously or consciously) to shape their lives. When the sisters share a life-altering event, they are finally able to rewrite the script for their lives.What I liked best about The Opposite of Me was I felt I was being told a story instead of reading a story. I easily pictured myself as one of Lindsey’s high school friends and we bumped into each other on M Street in Georgetown. We grab lunch and catch up. Lindsey then proceeds to tell me about New York and why she’s now back home. Early in the novel, I was lost in the story as the hours slipped by. I think fans of Emily Giffin will love Pekkanen’s debut novel.Ms. Pekkanen is currently working on her second book. I do hope she brings back these characters in the future. Without spoiling the ending, I want to know what’s next for them! Highly recommend.
    • 5/5
      When we first meet Lindsey Rose, she's a panicking ad creator at a Manhattan agency, desperate to land a new account and a promotion, and not especially likable. It's hard to relate to her panic or to take it seriously when she's up against Comic Relief Cheryl's Giant Bosoms, but as soon as she leaves that world behind she's an engaging, interesting, serious, funny character, trying to figure out who she is and where she wants to be. Once you finally get to see the flawed, confused, but charming Lindsay who has more reasons to live than a job she doesn't even really like but can't easily let go of, you don't want the book to end. The plot here isn't groundbreaking, but the characters are well-drawn and compelling, and Pekkanen brings a funny touch to even the roughest moments of her characters' lives. This is a really enjoyable read, quick but not so quick that it's not satisfying, and well worth your time. If you find yourself a little put off by the Lindsey at the beginning of the book, give her time to grow on you, and you won't be disappointed.