Review: The Originals by Cat Patrick

Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Pages: 304

Received: Received a copy from Hachette Book Group Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: May 7, 2013
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Goodreads Synopsis:

A riveting new story from Cat Patrick, author of Forgotten and Revived.

17-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets... until they discovered a shocking family secret. They're actually closer than sisters, they're clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, attending social engagements, and a group mindset has always been a de facto part of life...

Then Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a guy who seems to see into her very soul. As their relationship develops, Lizzie realizes that she's not a carbon copy of her sisters; she's an individual with unique dreams and desires, and digging deeper into her background, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created.

My Review:

I read my first Cat Patrick book last year and really loved the story. The first thing that I love is that her books are all standalone's so you don't have all these other books to keep up with. The second thing I love about her books are that they all have this scientific idea behind the plot. The Originals was a unique concept, three triplets living as one person, these three girls are actually clones of someone else and are hiding in plain sight.

This story is told from the perspective of one of the clones, that of Lizzie and how she deals with her situation, this being the only thing she has ever known. I was expecting to hear from each of the three clones, but this was a little short, I felt that there could have been a little more character development, I felt that there was a little something missing. I will say though that Cat Patrick does an amazing job of giving each of these girls their own distinct personalities... I was a little nervous thinking that I would have trouble telling them apart, but I didn't at all, and it made the story that much better.

It took most of the book to get to the actual threat of the government, and it felt that it came and went a little to quick, I was hoping for a little more development on that front. But there was an interesting build up to their mother's life. There were definitely some moments of the book that kept me wanting more.

The character of Sean is definitely swoon-worthy, and I loved how his character comes along and really changes Lizzie's view on things. Their relationship develops quickly, like a lot of them do in YA, but they weren't in love right away, and their relationship was realistic in that they argued about things instead of always being perfect around one another.

Though I felt this book was missing a little something, I had so much fun reading about the cloning idea. I loved that though these three girls were technically the same person, they still developed their own personalities and habits. Cat Patrick has always impressed me with her ideas, and this book is no different. She is definitely an original writer herself.