Tandem by Anna Jarzab

Tandem (Many-Worlds Trilogy #1) by Anna Jarzad 4 STARS

Everything repeats.
You. Your best friend. Every person you know.
Many worlds. Many lives--infinite possibilities.
Welcome to the multiverse.
Sixteen-year-old Sasha Lawson has only ever known one small, ordinary life. When she was young, she loved her grandfather's stories of parallel worlds inhabited by girls who looked like her but led totally different lives. Sasha never believed such worlds were real--until now, when she finds herself thrust into one against her will.
To prevent imminent war, Sasha must slip into the life of an alternate version of herself, a princess who has vanished on the eve of her arranged marriage. If Sasha succeeds in fooling everyone, she will be returned home; if she fails, she'll be trapped in another girl's life forever. As time runs out, Sasha finds herself torn between two worlds, two lives, and two young men vying for her love--one who knows her secret, and one who thinks she's someone she's not.
The first book in the Many-Worlds Trilogy, Tandem is a riveting saga of love and betrayal set in parallel universes in which nothing--and no one--is what it seems.

Overall- 

Wow. This is one of the best books Ive read in a LONG time. I absolutely loved this book. There were so many twists and turns! Not to say that the book wasnt somewhat predictable, but it did keep me on my toes and kept me very interested and entertained. Which is truly what I care about. Once I got about 20% in I couldnt put the book down, I devoured it! the overall plot of the book was tantalizing for me as it reminded me of Unraveling and When the World was Flat ( and we were in love) both of which I loved. This parallel universe plot is really interesting, and what made this one that much more was the stark contrast that the author created using the sic-fi parallel universe as a back drop. It felt new and was full of romance and adventure. Its not all out action, but its got plenty of mystery and adventure. 

Cover --Intriguing
Rating: PG 13 
Overall: adventure romance mystery!
Characters:  Thomas, Juliana, Sasha. and Callum
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Yes
Book Boyfriend:Thomas for sure! 
Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi
Sex Scenes: No
Setting Multi-Verse of Earth/US called UCC

Armie Hammer - Thomas

Plot- The love triangle here is different than the typical triangle with both people fighting it out for the affection of one, and in this instance is instead unique. In fact the triangle here had a plot purpose, and helped move the plot forward, and in the end, the triangle was resolved. At least that I know of. 

I am in love with this book. The plot of this book is so different and yet so similar to the other books Ive read. What I love the most about this book though, is that similar to the Unraveling and When the World was Flat, the author here takes extra time to explain the "science" behind everything, and ultimtely explains parallel or multi universes better than any other book. What sets this book apart from the others is tat this book travels to a different universe, rather than someone from another universe joining ours (think Unbreakable or Relativity, except MUCH better than Relativity). 

lily collins - Sasha/Juliana

The plot here is different than any book I personally have read (Princesses arent usually my thing) but I was intrigue because of the sci fi and romance. And I was no disappointed. This book took many on numerous twists and turns, some of which were expected, others not so much. I liked the openess with the two main characters and I liked the development of the characters. 

The world building here was fantastic. I could honestly SEE everything and completely understand the world the people in this universe lived in. The pace was also pretty good. There were moments when it felt like the plot dragged, however, in order to convince a reader of true emotions between characters, some of those moments were necessary, especially between Callum and Sasha. 

Sam Claflin - Prince Callum

I think its to be expected at this point in my reading career that frequently I see the twists coming, but that in no way made the book less enjoyable. I was still surprised at times, and the way in which the twist occurs is usually different in each book. At the end of the book though, all the little things that I disliked, were washed away because I fell in love with the plot! Cant wait for the next one!!! 

Characters- the development of the relationships in this novel felt authentic and genuine. Built over "time" in the greater sense of the word. Feelings didnt emerge upon sight. Which is always appreciated. Instead the relationships built over the course of the getting to know each other period. 

I loved Thomas, seeing him develop and grow as a character throughout the book was my favorite. He was smart and driven, fighting for what he believes to be right, even to a fault. Ultimately I was pleased with this character and the direction that he was taken in by the author. 

Charlieze Theron as Queen 

I also really enjoyed Sasha. She was mature, and thoughtful. Sure she cries. Sure she gets carried away at times, but to be fair, wouldnt you in her situation?! I liked that she didnt lack directness, which many characters tend to in the young adult dystopian world with a love interest. Instead she is quite honest, and frequently she is as honest as she can be given her predicament. I liked that she was rationale, and kept to her word. She was fierce when she needed to be and took great caution to protect those she cared about when she could. Her circumstance usually left her with few options and it can be appreciated that in those difficult moments, she was able to come out on top. I think what I liked the most about Sasha was her realism, she reacted in ways that felt "typical," i.e. running away at her earliest chance from her captor even though she has no idea where she is etc. That she doesnt just go with the flow of things before truly getting some answers, some believable ones. I liked the inner fighter within and her ability to actually make some of her own decisions! 

Callum- This one I am uncertain about. I like him, but Im confused by him. Most of the time I felt like Sasha, that he was a genuine guy with a good heart, yet at the same time, by the end of the book, Im uncertain as to his true intentions. Perhaps he is a coward, or a liar. I did like him until the end, now I just dont know...

Of course there were characters that I didnt care for, but thats their purpose! I found Lucas, the General, and the Queen to be interesting and look forward to finding out more of their stories. especially the General. 

What I didnt like: 

I hated that this book ended. :-) 

I was a little disappointed that Sasha's character did not grow more. 

I didnt like Juliana (though I wasnt supposed to) 

The beginning was a little slow going and over descriptive at times. 

I felt the connection thing was weird- but could be useful for future books! 

I have a few unanswered questions that I felt like should have been answered (ie the map)