Welcome to my stop on the FFBC Blog Tour for Half Life
by Lillian Clark I am so excited to share with you my thoughts on this fabulous book and give you a chance to win your own copy!!
Half Life by Lillian Clark
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on June 9, 2020
Pages: 304
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley 
An overachiever enrolls in an experimental clone study to prove that two (of her own) heads are better than one in this fast-paced, near-future adventure that's Black Mirror meets Becky Albertalli.
There aren't enough hours in the day for Lucille--perfectionist, overachiever--to do everything she has to do, and there certainly aren't enough hours to hang out with friends, fall in love, get in trouble--all the teenage things she knows she should want to be doing instead of preparing for a flawless future. So when she sees an ad for Life2: Do more. Be more, she's intrigued.
The company is looking for beta testers to enroll in an experimental clone program, and in the aftermath of a series of disappointments, Lucille is feeling reckless enough to jump in. At first, it's perfect: her clone, Lucy, is exactly what she needed to make her life manageable and have time for a social life. But it doesn't take long for Lucy to become more Lucy and less Lucille, and Lucille is forced to stop looking at Lucy as a reflection and start seeing her as a window--a glimpse at someone else living her own life, but better. Lucy does what she really wants to, not what she thinks she should want to, and Lucille is left wondering how much she was even a part of the perfect life she'd constructed for herself. Lucille wanted Lucy to help her relationships with everyone else, but how can she do that without first rectifying her relationship with herself?
This was quite the entertaining book! At first, I was a wee bit iffy, I must admit. It seemed fairly contemporary, and I wasn’t a huge fan of Lucille when the book opens. But I think that is deliberate, so keep with it! Because Lucille is about to go through all kinds of stuff that will absolutely force her to look at who she is and who she wants to be.
When Lucille accepts the cryptic offer from the company who ultimately makes her clone, things are going downhill, and fast. Which makes sense, because Lucille, usually prideful of her rationality, wouldn’t do such a thing unless she felt desperate. But desperate she feels, so when Life2 starts to feel more and more unsettling, she keeps getting in more over her head with each passing day. The author painted this realistically, because I was never thinking “why would anyone be this gullible?” because the reader was made to understand exactly why Lucille was feeling so despondent. Her parents are divorcing, her dreams are being extinguished left and right, and she’s having a big falling out with her friend. And for Lucille, who is quite the perfectionist, this is especially harrowing.
Enter Lucy, the clone, and things get even more exciting! And, very thought provoking. Because it asks all the big questions, and even better, not just of the reader, but the characters themselves. And without giving away too much, the characters are all going to have to do a lot of soul searching. I have to say that I could not stop reading, especially after Lucy comes into the mix. There’s even a mystery element to the story, which adds to the excitement! And I promise, it all wraps up in a very satisfying way.
Bottom Line: So thought-provoking and engaging, I couldn’t help but root for our two main characters- no matter that one was a clone!
About Lillian Clark
Lillian Clark, a graduate of the University of Wyoming, grew up riding horses, climbing trees, and going on grand imaginary adventures in the small-town West. She's worked as a lifeguard, a camp counselor, and a Zamboni driver, but found her eternal love working as a bookseller at an independent bookstore. Now living in Teton Valley, Idaho with her husband, son, and two giant dogs, she spends her time reading almost anything and writing books for teens.
Win Half Life & Immoral Code (US Only)
I originally wrote this one off, because I only really dabble in scifi, but you have me curious. Glad you stuck with the the book and enjoyed it.
It’s not like, too sci-fi, if that makes sense? Like it’s a VERY contemporary setting, just with some interesting sci-fi elements thrown in! It won’t be over your head or anything! And thanks!
Sound interesting- just a bit of sci-fi mixed with reality! I will be adding it to my classroom library as my students enjoy sci-fi.
Oh yay! I think this would be a great one for students, too! Especially since it is so thought provoking!
i do read some scifi and this sounds like a good one. thanks for sharing your review
sherry @ fundinmental
Thanks! I think this is a great one if you like a “lighter” sci-fi that isn’t like, too outside the realm of current times!
I’ve being seeing this one around and it sounds great. I love thought provoking!
Karen @ For What’ It’s Worth
It really was great! I do too, when a book makes me think a lot, I am in love!
That’s awesome it’s really thought provoking. Definitely sounds like a good one!
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
I definitely enjoyed it!
Totally adding this to my TBR. I was a massive overachiever in high school (with parents who were fighting all the time, a fallout with my best friends, and massive stress….though my future career didn’t melt in front of my eyes until college)- I have a feeling I’m going to relate HARD to Lucille/Lucy and resonate with the idea of making good with yourself, first. Thanks for putting this one on my radar!
I like thought provoking books!!! This also really sounds like my type of scifi read. I’ll definitely keep my eyes out for this one!!
Ahh I’m so, so curious about that one. I’m such an overachiever and have a feeling I could relate to it in some ways ahah. Happy to hear you enjoyed it 😀
I read this book as well for the blog tour, and I do agree that it was quite entertaining <3 I found it a bit difficult to get right into the book at the start, but as the book progressed, it has just become quite interesting, entertaining, and quite relatable (in terms of the protagonist's struggles with relationships and perfectionist stuff). Great review Shannon! 🙂
jillian @ jillian etc.
It’s great that this book asks the big questions of the reader and the characters. I love books that get me thinking!