Beside Myself

Reviewed by Michelle Ellis © 2006

Wild Child Publishing.com © 2006

Title: Beside Myself
Author: Ginger Simpson
Publisher: Writer's Exchange
Genre: Romantic Suspense with a touch of comedy
ISBN Number (if applicable):0-9727270-5-1
Release date: August 05
Author's website: http://www.gingersimpson.com

Ok, so that was a good, fun read!

Imagine having an electric shock that makes you swap bodies with the opposite sex. The resulting scenes after the body swap occurred were a joy to read. Not only did I get to imagine what it is like in another body, but I also got a good plot too.

When in one another’s bodies, Alex and Cynthia have to do the other person’s job, live that person’s life – with some quirky and funny events. Just trying to imagine what that must be like gave me something to think about. Reading a book that makes me pause and muse about things is one of the main ingredients I look for in a story, and Ginger Simpson provides this element.

Imagine trying to be a policeman when you don’t have a clue what that job entails. The same goes for an accountant. I can’t imagine having to do either, but of course, they did. Telling one another everything they could think of about their jobs, and who they worked with – that alone would have been hard work, but to have to do the job too?

Alex and Cynthia also swap apartments. One of them is house-proud, the other isn’t. The thought of switching homes with someone and going to live in their pigsty while they dirty up my house would drive me mad, so I felt for Cynthia in that respect. These two characters were well depicted, I could relate to both of them, and sympathised with both protagonists.

The plot races along. The ending speeds up because you want to know what happens and if they get to change back into their own bodies. My eyes shifted from side to side during the last couple of chapters – I nearly went goggle-eyed! This was an intense part of the book that I had to read quickly to find out what was going to happen. Would they or wouldn’t they? Well, you’ll just have to find out for yourself, lol.

I like books that give you snippets from the nasty one in the story, where you know what he is thinking but not who he is. Those parts were my favourite, as I love the sinister side of stories, getting into the mind of the weirdo or psycho. My only quibble is there weren’t more of these chapters, but this is a personal preference.

I had a feeling I knew who the perpetrator was, but got a shock when the one who it seems to be was up to something else entirely. A great twist!

A fun, sometimes tongue-in-cheek tale, cleverly written so that the reader is never confused as to who is who and in which body – sounds complicated just explaining it, but Ginger Simpson was on the ball.

Excellent. Thoroughly enjoyable! Beside Myself was fun to read.

Four cats.

* * *

To find out more about how to purchase Beside Myself, visit Ginger Simpson's website.