Better Together by Christine Riccio Book Review

Title: Better Together
Author: Christine Riccio
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: June 1, 2021
Pages: 448

Jamie’s an aspiring standup comic in Los Angeles with a growing case of stage anxiety.

Siri’s a stunning ballerina from New Jersey nursing a career-changing injury.

They’ve both signed up for the same session at an off the grid Re-Discover Yourself Retreat in Colorado. When they run into each other, their worlds turn upside down.

Jamie and Siri are sisters, torn apart at a young age by their parent's volatile divorce. They’ve grown up living completely separate lives: Jamie with their Dad and Siri with their Mom. Now, reunited after over a decade apart, they hatch a plot to switch places. It’s time they get to know and confront each of their estranged parents.

With an accidental assist from some fortuitous magic, Jamie arrives in New Jersey, looking to all the world like Siri, and Siri steps off her flight sporting a Jamie glamour.

The sisters unexpectedly find themselves stuck living in each other's shoes. Soon Siri's crushing on Jamie's best friend Dawn. Jamie's falling for the handsome New Yorker she keeps running into, Zarar. Alongside a parade of hijinks and budding romance, both girls work to navigate their broken family life and the stresses of impending adulthood.

Buy it on Barnes & Noble or Amazon 

My Thoughts

**Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for sending me an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review!**

Jamie and Siri were separated by their parent's divorce when they were six and four. Jamie grew up with their dad and Siri grew up with their mom. Since then, they haven't been in contact with each other.

I know she was young and it's been over a decade, but come on. We still look so alike. Being this close it like looking into a warped mirror.

Siri has always wanted to be a ballet dancer alongside her mom on Broadway, but her dreams are cut short when a back injury ends her career. Jamie is a stand-up comedian but she can't get over her stage fear. 

There are load of different "keys to success" you hear the world reference in passing as you're growing up: you have to have goals, passion, preparation, discipline, perseverance, luck.

The two girls end up together at a camp where they cross paths. Jamie recognizes Siri but Siri doesn't recognize Jamie. After a series of unfortunate incidents, the two girls decide to switch places to try and meet their other parent for the first time in years, hence The Parent Trap plan.

Yes. It sounds kind of perfect. I don't want to waste this retreat. I need to use it to find inner peace and all that excrement. I love the idea of a sister-bonding travel plan.

Star Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2.5)

I was very excited to read this because I love The Parent Trap so so much. Because I love it so much, I’m sad to say this book didn’t quite meet my expectations. Some parts of it dragged on too much like dialogue I thought was unnecessary. I also felt Siri and Jamie seemed too similar at some times like they were the same person instead of sisters.

What I did like though, was the relationships between Jamie and Zarar. They made such a cute couple and I was rooting for them to be together throughout the book.

Overall, Better Together was a creative book based on The Parent Trap but it wasn't the book for me, I will give the author's books another try because I felt that this book had potential that it just didn't quite reach.

About the Author

Christine Riccio is the New York Times bestselling author of Again, But Better. She’s been on a quest to encourage more humans to read since the third grade. Her YouTube channel PolandbananasBOOKS has over 410,000 book-loving subscribers. She makes comedic book reviews, vlogs, sketches, and writing videos chronicling the creation of her own novels. She’s also one of the three YouTubers behind BOOKSPLOSION—YouTube’s longest-running book club. She graduated from Boston University in 2012 with a degree in Film and TV and now lives in Los Angeles, CA.