The Other Half of Me
- Downloads：2551
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-31 11:21:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Katherine Slee
- ISBN：1713643510
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Ethell Yarbrough
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The Other Half of Me did something so beautiful for me， it was able to take grief and the aftermath of loss within a family and turn it around through the love of music。 Beth and Lucy's family is so centered on Lucy's brain tumor and praying the tumor won't come back。 Beth feels like the ugly duckling and everyone in their social circles compares her to Lucy。 Lucy becomes an over achiever and in turn forces Beth to shut down from wanting the typical education， the job， the family。When Lucy creat The Other Half of Me did something so beautiful for me， it was able to take grief and the aftermath of loss within a family and turn it around through the love of music。 Beth and Lucy's family is so centered on Lucy's brain tumor and praying the tumor won't come back。 Beth feels like the ugly duckling and everyone in their social circles compares her to Lucy。 Lucy becomes an over achiever and in turn forces Beth to shut down from wanting the typical education， the job， the family。When Lucy creates a scavenger hunt using the people closest to Beth from her past， Beth is pushed towards facing her fears and acknowledging the people who have wronged her and finally going after what she wants， even if she does not know what that is yet。 Isaac and Tristan are complete opposites and yet enable Beth to pursue her passion for songwriting。 I really enjoyed seeing everyone in Beth's corner even when she doubts herself。 Katherine Slee does a great job of not sugarcoating depression and how it can be ugly and affect even the most mundane activities， she is a genius for paying close attention to all of this while moving the story along effortlessly。Reading this， I laughed and cried and truly was mesmerized by flow of Beth's thoughts right after her dialogue， Slee did a great job of balancing her internal monologue while keeping the conversation realistic。 I also enjoyed the personal touch of adding Beth's original lyrics of the four songs that mean the most to the plot。 The only thing I would have wanted to feel were the music sessions between Isaac and Beth and how they slowly connected by writing songs together， but other than that， this book made me feel as Beth learns to do。Highly recommend getting this book and sharing with your loved ones， life is too short to be thinking of what ifs。 Thank you to the wonderfully talented Katherine Slee， NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC。 。。。more
Carolina
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RTC。
Iphigenia
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Beth is lost in a grief spiral after the death of her older sister， Lucy after a protracted battle against cancer。 However， Beth was lost and alone well before Lucy’s death。 Lucy tried to uplift Beth in life， and knowing about her impending death， makes arrangements to continue this after her death。 Thus， several weeks after her death Beth receives a puzzle box from Lucy containing clues to help life Beth out of her doldrums and stagnant life to rediscover her joy and dreams。 Beth was once a tal Beth is lost in a grief spiral after the death of her older sister， Lucy after a protracted battle against cancer。 However， Beth was lost and alone well before Lucy’s death。 Lucy tried to uplift Beth in life， and knowing about her impending death， makes arrangements to continue this after her death。 Thus， several weeks after her death Beth receives a puzzle box from Lucy containing clues to help life Beth out of her doldrums and stagnant life to rediscover her joy and dreams。 Beth was once a talented， aspiring songwriter but she now plays piano in a bar and lives a lonely existence。 The story alternates between the present and Beth’s journey， and past events revealing how Beth developed into the woman she is today。 The structure really worked for me because it creates a little bit of suspense/mystery as to why Beth is the way she is， and breaks up the monotony and gloom of her present。 This is ultimately an uplifting novel， but it requires a little bit of patience and teeth-gnashing at Beth’s attitude。 。。。more
Christy
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sweet and engaging The topic of the novel is heavy yet Slee engages the reader with an imperfect， likable protagonist and a plight that we can all identify with - finding and accepting ourselves。
Angela C
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A cleverly constructed， emotionally resonant novel giving insight into how people cope with grief， betrayal and frustrated dreams。 Trauma and insecurity hold Beth back from living life fully， refusing to recognise the love and support she is offered and denying herself the way to heal the unconscious damage caused by feeling “second best”。A fantastic read。
mrsinkslinger
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Have you ever had a puzzle box？ Mine was given to me by a boyfriend’s family。 If you managed to open it you would find all sort of things that tell of my past。 But would you piece it together & understand it’s meaning？@katherinesleewrites tells us the story of Beth whose big sister has died。 Beth is devastated， angry， sad， lost。 Lucy has fought a long disease。 Beth & Lucy are typical siblings。 Beth feels Lucy is the golden girl。 But what does Lucy think？Beth is a talented musician but seems to h Have you ever had a puzzle box？ Mine was given to me by a boyfriend’s family。 If you managed to open it you would find all sort of things that tell of my past。 But would you piece it together & understand it’s meaning？@katherinesleewrites tells us the story of Beth whose big sister has died。 Beth is devastated， angry， sad， lost。 Lucy has fought a long disease。 Beth & Lucy are typical siblings。 Beth feels Lucy is the golden girl。 But what does Lucy think？Beth is a talented musician but seems to have settled for a life as a piano bar player & teacher。 Sinking before her sister’s death， now her state of despondency is near critical。 From beyond the grave Lucy sends her a puzzle box。 As kids they loved treasure hunts。 Lucy wants Beth to follow the clues & find herself & maybe Lucy too。 Think PS I Love You with more obtuse clues！ The book traces backwards to a series of events。 Growing pains， sisterly rivalry， the music God boyfriend， exams， bad decisions， avoiding & evading your parents - there’ll be lots of situations you recognise。 In following Beth’s journey we get a dose of a good old fashioned love story。 Isaac is so sweet & it put me in mind of Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls。 This is a good portrayal of loss & how we wish those who are gone are here to guide us。 It’s a lesson in being true to ourselves & our passions。 And loving without barriers those who are important to us。It’s lightly written。 The book ends with a songbook & like with Daisy Jones I wanted to go over to Spotify & listen！ 。。。more
Marianne
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“I think you were born with music in your soul，’ he said， looking at me in a way that made my insides smile。 ‘What you choose to do with it is up to you。”The Other Half Of Me is a novel by British author， Katherine Slee。 At the age of eight， Beth Franks is “the girl who would wake in the night and feel compelled to sit down and play the music in her soul。” Her dad James shows her how to make sense of all the music she carries around in her head， how to connect with the magic of music in the worl “I think you were born with music in your soul，’ he said， looking at me in a way that made my insides smile。 ‘What you choose to do with it is up to you。”The Other Half Of Me is a novel by British author， Katherine Slee。 At the age of eight， Beth Franks is “the girl who would wake in the night and feel compelled to sit down and play the music in her soul。” Her dad James shows her how to make sense of all the music she carries around in her head， how to connect with the magic of music in the world around her。 By her mid-teens， it’s clear she has a talent for song writing， especially in collaboration with her best friend， Isaac Hardy。 She carries music in her soul and dares to dream that one day she might be good enough to have her songs played on the radio。 And played， they are， but it’s a source of heartbreak。 Eighteen years on， she feels she’s sitting in the background of other people’s lives。 It feels like I’m existing instead of living。 Playing piano in an old-fashioned London hotel and giving piano lessons is hardly reaching full potential， but she finds it hard to care since her older sister Lucy， the one person who she believes truly understood her， has died。“My mind flooded with a lifetime of memories， pictures of the past that all included her。 The idea of carrying on， of living in a world， making new memories， having the audacity to create music when she wasn’t there to hear it was just too much。”Lucy， having watched Beth abandon what makes her truly happy， and keenly aware of her own， imminent mortality， goes to a lot of trouble to draw her younger sister out of the slump she’s in， even from the other side of the grave。 Her husband， Harry， her father James， and Isaac are all enlisted and armed with riddles and clues to send her down a path of rediscovery。It’s a long road before she gets there， though， and the reader’s patience with Beth’s negativity is required。 Her family and friends have sound advice that eventually filters into her brain: “Regret is nothing more than a waste of time， pickle” and “Maybe if you actually did something with your life， instead of blaming everyone around you when it goes wrong， then you wouldn’t feel the need to constantly compare yourself to Lucy。”She eventually accepts that “You always put Lucy on a pedestal， believed her to be perfect。 But she was just as broken as the rest of us。” Slee paints an effective picture of grief and regret: “When you lose someone， you lose the version of yourself that you were to them。 Not only that， but all the memories and jokes， all the years that we were a part of together。” Ultimately this is a heart-warming and uplifting read， enhanced by the inclusion of the lyrics of four of Beth’s songs。This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing。 。。。more
Caroll-Ann
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I recieved this book as an ARC and I’m thankful I got to read it。 It’s a beautiful story about self discovery， grief and so much more。 It’s about Beth who lost her older sister to cancer， but she didn’t just lose her sister， she lost herself years ago and her sister decided to help her before she died so she arranged for things after her death to reach Beth and help her to find to herself again。 The story is beautiful but I still felt like something has been missing which is why I can only give I recieved this book as an ARC and I’m thankful I got to read it。 It’s a beautiful story about self discovery， grief and so much more。 It’s about Beth who lost her older sister to cancer， but she didn’t just lose her sister， she lost herself years ago and her sister decided to help her before she died so she arranged for things after her death to reach Beth and help her to find to herself again。 The story is beautiful but I still felt like something has been missing which is why I can only give it 4/5 stars， but it’s such a quick read and definitely worth it。 。。。more
Di Paterson
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This book had me up into the wee hours！ I couldn't put it down。 It's full of hope， loss， betrayal， and love lost and found。 As a representation of a sibling relationship， it's very true to life and while the actual plot is fairly predictable， the way it's written kept me hooked。 Initially， I couldn't decide if I liked Beth， or just pitied her， but by the end， I was firmly in her corner。 All the characters were interesting and well defined， and the story with its dual timelines unfolded easily。 M This book had me up into the wee hours！ I couldn't put it down。 It's full of hope， loss， betrayal， and love lost and found。 As a representation of a sibling relationship， it's very true to life and while the actual plot is fairly predictable， the way it's written kept me hooked。 Initially， I couldn't decide if I liked Beth， or just pitied her， but by the end， I was firmly in her corner。 All the characters were interesting and well defined， and the story with its dual timelines unfolded easily。 My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book。 。。。more
The Mythical Bookshelf
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I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing。I am with the living， but part of me wants to be with the dead。 I wish I could go back， start again， be more than the sum of all my mistakes。This was heartbreaking but also heartwarming （a good mix really）。 Beth's journey through her grief was relatable， but also quite distinct due to several factors of her past revealed later on in the book。 The writing was pretty good， and I really enjoyed the incorporation of music throughout I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing。I am with the living， but part of me wants to be with the dead。 I wish I could go back， start again， be more than the sum of all my mistakes。This was heartbreaking but also heartwarming （a good mix really）。 Beth's journey through her grief was relatable， but also quite distinct due to several factors of her past revealed later on in the book。 The writing was pretty good， and I really enjoyed the incorporation of music throughout the entire story and the extra layer of feeling that it added overall。The problem with hindsight， though， is that it creates more questions than answers。I thought the flashback chapters were a great addition to the book， and it created almost a mystery-like atmosphere to why Beth turned out like she did， and what was needed on her quest to figure out Lucy's puzzle。 I thought it started off a bit slow， but I really got into the book towards last half of it when more of Beth， Lucy， and Isaac's pasts came to light。 Overall a 4-star read for me。 。。。more
sari
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This book left me with mixed feelings。 The plot itself is great and I was immediately hooked。 I loved how the chapters go back and forth between past and present， and little by little， we find out why Beth ended up where she is in life: alone， depressed and uninspired。However， the big reveal of the thing Beth did to make everyone mad at her left me confused。 I don't want to spoil it， so I'll just say I kept waiting for something else to come up because I couldn't believe that was it。 It doesn't This book left me with mixed feelings。 The plot itself is great and I was immediately hooked。 I loved how the chapters go back and forth between past and present， and little by little， we find out why Beth ended up where she is in life: alone， depressed and uninspired。However， the big reveal of the thing Beth did to make everyone mad at her left me confused。 I don't want to spoil it， so I'll just say I kept waiting for something else to come up because I couldn't believe that was it。 It doesn't make much sense to me that her loved ones would blame her and be so unsupportive after something that happened when she was a teen and which she was the victim of。That being said， I have to praise the writing for keeping me invested in Beth's story even when things were frustrating me。 。。。more
Kim
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Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to experience the early edition of this book。The best one of this summer reads so far。 A page turner and one that you can not put down。Highly recommend！
Trudie Davidson
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What a great read！ Full of turmoil， betrayal and all kinds of love。 Elizabeth Franks （Beth） had big dreams， but a few misguided decisions， and the death of her sister Lucy， and Beth’s life is a mess - until a puzzle left by Lucy sends Beth on a trail through memories， heartache and truths。 This is a story of regret， guilt and grief， which sounds like a hard read， and it is full of emotion， but it didn’t feel difficult。 I’m not musical in the slightest but I thought the background story added dep What a great read！ Full of turmoil， betrayal and all kinds of love。 Elizabeth Franks （Beth） had big dreams， but a few misguided decisions， and the death of her sister Lucy， and Beth’s life is a mess - until a puzzle left by Lucy sends Beth on a trail through memories， heartache and truths。 This is a story of regret， guilt and grief， which sounds like a hard read， and it is full of emotion， but it didn’t feel difficult。 I’m not musical in the slightest but I thought the background story added depth and intensity to the main characters and the plot。I have to admit to start with I found Beth’s self-pity irritating， and the sisters are very polarised characters - maybe to the point of cliché but， being written in the first person， I soon came to understand this really was the vehemence of Beth’s feelings of inadequacy， and idolisation of the ‘perfect’ Lucy。 The Other Half of Me is one of those books that I wanted to read constantly and yet I didn’t want to finish， and I will miss now that I have。 Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing this advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Dani Mellendorf
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The People You Meet On Vacation meets My Sister’s Keeper meets Coyote Ugly。 After the death of her sister， Lucy， Elizabeth is sent on a journey beyond the grave to rediscover herself， rekindle lost relationships and fall in love with music again。
Jip
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This is my first Katherine Slee book， but it definitely won't be my last！I admit that I was drawn to the cover more than the book blurb， but I ended up really enjoying this story。 So much so， that I read it in one sitting。It has so many great elements:*Lovely sibling relationship between Beth and Lucy。 It made me tear up and want to call my own sister several times。*Great friends-to-lovers subplot。 *Poignant song lyrics that I wish I could actually have a playlist of。Will definitely be adding t This is my first Katherine Slee book， but it definitely won't be my last！I admit that I was drawn to the cover more than the book blurb， but I ended up really enjoying this story。 So much so， that I read it in one sitting。It has so many great elements:*Lovely sibling relationship between Beth and Lucy。 It made me tear up and want to call my own sister several times。*Great friends-to-lovers subplot。 *Poignant song lyrics that I wish I could actually have a playlist of。Will definitely be adding this to my re-read shelf！Thank you to Amazon UK， Lake Union Publishing， and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Rosie Silva
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Beth lost Lucy - her sister。 A brain tumor that would come and go until， one day， she was gone。 Lucy's existence was gone but the memories and hurtful feelings revealed themselves in Beth's life every day。 Beth was not the perfect daughter， not as much as Lucy。 Her life was like a shadow following Lucy needs and her popular personality and the only thing that made her truly happy and alive was music。 Playing on her piano， writing her songs and suddenly the world disappears。 But now， her dreams o Beth lost Lucy - her sister。 A brain tumor that would come and go until， one day， she was gone。 Lucy's existence was gone but the memories and hurtful feelings revealed themselves in Beth's life every day。 Beth was not the perfect daughter， not as much as Lucy。 Her life was like a shadow following Lucy needs and her popular personality and the only thing that made her truly happy and alive was music。 Playing on her piano， writing her songs and suddenly the world disappears。 But now， her dreams of becoming a songwriter are shattered， forgotten as a couple of events happened in the past that cannot be changed。 Still， as the past cannot be changed there is always a glimpse of hope for the future。 Lucy left something for Beth。 Slowly she starts to reveal the meaning behind those memories。 What happened and what it might happen。 Forgiveness and love。 This book is about finding yourself as the world feels unlivable。 When your dreams， your passion， is running away from you。 When there is no hope or happiness or love。 Until there is。 Personally I connected with the main character because I am， as well， in love with music since I remember me as a person。 Dreams can change， it's true， but the passion for music will always be there。 I recommend this book， although I feel like jumping between the present and the past chapter by chapter was making me distracted。 And my health anxiety suffered a little bit while reading this journey of Lucy's brain tumor。 Besides that， I think it was a beautiful story。 Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this eARC。 。。。more
Firetruckmama
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