Sophomore Switch

Sophomore Switch by Abby McDonald

Summary: Tasha is an American girl caught in a reality TV scandal who desperately wants to get out of the country; Emily is a prim English girl set on a law career who was unable to attend prestigious Harvard due to application problems and so settles on going to California.

I really liked both of the girls very much although at the beginning they are very extreme versions (Tasha is a party girl; Emily is very uptight) who end up mellowing by exploring new academic venues, interacting with boys in different ways, and just living in new environments. The one thing I didn't like is that the ending does not wrap everything up. This is certainly more realistic but I don't read books for realism necessarily. I do judge books by their cover and if there is pink font/a pink cover, I expect an empowering story where the girl achieves her goal and gets the cute guy. Both characters become involved with a promising guy but that sort of happily ever after doesn't come through. Some people may like this but not me.

My big complaint about this book is that Tasha is a sophomore in college. Now I know that this makes a better title than Junior Switch and I don't know how study abroad programs in England work but I don't know any American college that allows students to study in their sophomore year. I know my college (and most colleges) prefer that you wait until junior year and I believe some will allow you to go senior year with a good reason but usually they make you wait so that is my quibble with the basic premise.

Overall: 4 out of 5. Solid debut but slightly disappointing end.