Review: One by Sarah Crossan

Title: One
Author: Sarah Crossan
Year Published: 2015

Genre: YA fiction (a book in verse)

Pages: 388

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Location (my 2016 Google Reading map): USA

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my school library

Summary (from the back of the book): Grace and Tippi. Tippi and Grace. Two sisters. Two hearts. Two dreams. Two lives. But one body. Grace and Tippi are conjoined twins, joined at the waist, defying the odds of survival for sixteen years. They share everything, and they are everything to each other. They would never imagine being apart. For them, that would be the real tragedy.

But something is happening to them. Something they hoped would never happen. And Grace doesn't want to admit it. Not even to Tippi. How long can they hide from the truth--how long before they must face the most impossible choice of their lives?

Review: This book was recommended to me so I didn't even know it was written in verse until I sat down to read it! And I confess, I am fascinated by conjoined twins. Not that I think of it that often, but when the topic presents itself, I can't stop thinking about all the logistics and details of their lives. That is probably wrong of me, I know. And that's just what this book points out. We all feel it's our business to know. And it's not.

This book was really good. It is told from Grace's point of view, but I felt like I was hearing both her story and Tippi's. They want so much to have a "normal" life even though they know that isn't totally possible. It is also clear that staying together is important to them. And anonymity. Through their story of attending a regular school, dealing with family, and making new friends, I felt like I was beginning to understand their situation, to know what matters to them, and to hope for them.