Jennie is headed to Seattle on her first business trip when she is mistaken in the hotel lobby for someone named Jessie and assumes her identity. Nervous about flying and messing up on her presentation Jennie decides to go with the flow when it becomes apparent that she is a dead ringer for Jessie at Jessie's ten-year class reunion. Instead of coming clean she takes in Jessie's friends and lets them believe that she is the class-it-girl, now ten years older.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
Recently dumped by her boyfriend Deagan Jennie is down in the dumps and figures “why not?” She is presented with several opportunities to clear up the case of mistaken identity but the attention gets good. Besides, this Jessie gal was the go-to girl in high school and Jennie has never had so many people vying for her attention all at once. She figures if Myra and Heather (BFF's of high-school Jessie) can't figure out that something is off then she can't be doing too badly.
She attends all the reunion functions and is careful to listen for clues that tell her how to act and respond to the endless inquiries regarding her fabulous life.
Fish had the biggest crush ever on Jennie in high-school and can't believe his luck when Jennie/Jessie sleeps with him, after sharing much of his post-high school life details. Jennie is playing a dangerous games with people's lives. It occurs to her that she may get caught, but she is reeling from being left and this is only for a weekend.
Not everyone is happy with Jessie. Myra has a forgiving heart though, she tries to mask her hurt over the real Jessie sleeping with her father when they were teens and helping to break up her parent's marriage. Karen has stood by Myra and isn't thrilled that Jessie would show up. She calls Jessie/Jenny out on being mean to Fish and using him all during high school. It looks liked Jessie/Jenny might get jumped. She takes off and uses the Internet to find the real Jessie.
She confronts Jessie and admits that she has been impersonating her all weekend and invites her to go back to the reunion and clear a lot of things up. Jessie declines. Jenny goes back, risking life and limb and apologizes. The fake friends are real-life hurt and send her off again, threatening to give her a beat down for playing with their emotions. Fish is hurt to the core, he's even lost the fake Jessie.
Jenny returns home to no Deagan and Luanne, one friend she has. Jenny quits her job, someone busted on her for running out of the conference and not showing up for mandatory sessions. She gets accepted to an MFA program for painting in Seattle. She decides to start her life over and find out who she really is doing what she wants. Painting is her calling. She and Myra become friends deciding to put the newly minted past behind them.
Best part of story, including ending:
I liked that Jennie was brave enough to come clean about lying about who she was.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene was Jennie and Jessie having a face-to-face conversation.
Opinion about the main character:
I liked that Jennie's willingness to try something absolutely crazy.
