I was given the book SelfSame to read through Goodreads’ Making Connections ARR: Paranormal (YA) group, thank you. I decided to read this book because I hadn’t read a book with the topic of split souls residing in different times before and this one sounded good.



This book is told in third person through the eyes of a teenage female whose soul was split in two at her birth. In our present time her name is Sorcha and she is a junior in high school. When she falls asleep in our time, she awakes to her life as Enid, a poor farmer’s daughter in colonial New England. Each night it’s the same, Sorcha/Enid spends twelve hours awake in one time and the other twelve hours awake in the other time.

I don’t know where to begin with my review with this book except to say that it is good, really, really good. It is one of the best I’ve read through the Author Read and Reviews on Goodreads. I didn’t want to put this book down. It had me hanging on at the end of each chapter, wanting to find out what would happen when either Sorcha or Enid awoke.

The author did an excellent job of keeping the plot moving along. I didn’t feel like it stalled in any place except in one chapter near the end of the book when we are back in Sorcha’s time and she is at school. But that is negligible compared to the pacing of the story throughout the rest of the chapters.

The author seamlessly wove Sorcha/Enid’s life together from chapter to chapter. There was no confusion even though Enid would remember her time as Sorcha and how much better her life was as Sorcha. The comparisons in the lifetimes really got me thinking. We in our modern times think we are stressed, but when compared to Enid’s, our life is luxurious. I don’t believe that teenagers, let alone many adults today, would be able to deal with what Enid had to deal with in Colonial time. Reading Enid’s chapters stressed me, because in her life woman had no say, no control, they were little more than property. They were one step above a slave. Every convenience we take for granted today, like cooking, cleaning and even using the toilet was more difficult. The author made Enid’s life very real and made me thankful I was born now and not back then.

I loved Sorcha’s character. She was not the typical whiny, female high school heroine I read in many YA stories. Sorcha had her teenage side, but she was much more responsible than most teenagers I’ve read. It’s possible the hardships in Enid’s life tempered Sorcha’s outlook in her modern life and matured her earlier than most teenage girls. I for one don’t know how Sorcha/Enid kept her sanity, for she never slept. Her body would fall asleep in one lifetime, but her consciousness jumped from one to the other, so that part of her was always awake.

The secondary characters were all well written and I had an easy time picturing them and getting a feel for their personalities. I think my favorites besides Sorcha, were Joseph and Ben. Sorcha’s best friend Paula was a good friend, sticking by Sorcha and supporting her whenever needed, except for one instance which turns out to have been a key spot in the story.

I don’t want to reveal the secrets in the story because they are kept tightly under-wraps, from us, and even from Sorcha. I can tell you that the book had me in tears in several places and especially near the end, and that the epilogue was a complete and utter surprise. I would have never thought of it. I do wonder about the last revelation in the last chapter and in the epilogue. Do not read the following spoiler if you don’t want to know what I’m talking about. In the last chapter we find out that ‘Sarah Murphy’ is Enid. We find out that Sarah has been buried on Sorcha’s family’s property. So we know that Sorcha is related to Enid and that if Enid did not sacrifice her life and go on to marry Charlie Murphy, Sorcha and her family would not have been born either. What I want to know is where the gravestones of Charlie Murphy and their children are? When did Sarah/Enid move back to the area she was originally from? Did she do this after her husband died when she was older so no one recognized her as Enid? Or did the family live there. If the author wants to PM me the answers to these questions, I’d love to find out, lol. The other thing I was curious about was the money. I would've liked to know how Joseph and his children made their money, and how much they'd made. Did Joseph live well knowing all that he did of the future? What kind of life did he live? Also how much money did Sorcha get and how was she provided for? How does she explain that to her parents?

I always review any technical issues along with the story and I could find no problems. The editing was fantastic and the formatting was perfect. The only thing I would suggest fixing is the cover. The story is so superb that the cover does the book an injustice. I think many people would turn away from reading this book because of it, I know I almost did. If you need ideas I can think of a few. A clock’s face, with one half of the clock faces light, the other dark for the twelve hour differences between Sorcha’s/Enid’s lives. Or half of the Sun/Moon when one is asleep and the other awake. Or an hourglass with the sand running out. Altering the cover is the only thing I really believe needs to be changed with this book.

I’ll recap with saying this is one of the best written YA historical/contemporary romance books I’ve read, but it isn’t just for YA’s, adults would it enjoy it also. I would recommend this to everyone. I give this 4.5 stars

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What can I share about this book? I can't say that I don't often give 5 stars to a book I've read, but I can honestly say this is the first time I've wished there was an option for a sixth--maybe a seventh. It is the rare book that can take me away from my other obligations, but this one did. I found myself sitting in odd places with my Kindle, reading. Time passed and I had no recollection of it. Nothing else seemed as important. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next, and kept on reading, though I had many other things to do. I've never read anything remotely like this story. There's this girl, see? But she's no ordinary girl. She's Enid, who lives during the Revolutionary War, and she's Sorcha, who lives in the present. When Enid falls asleep at night, Sorcha wakes. And vice versa. Very, very different lives do they lead.

One of the first questions that came to my mind was "What happens to Sorcha if Enid is injured or dies? (And vice versa?) I also quickly wondered what "The Bens" had to do with Enid, and/or Sorcha, and who "The Bens" are. And how they became involved with this extraordinary girl. She is extraordinary. Intelligent, caring, and sympathetic. A truly courageous young woman.

Naturally, it's a Native American tribe who figures out there is something special about Enid/Sorcha. And so the reader is introduced to Ben and Joseph: Ben in the present day, Joseph in the past. Both are unforgettable, mesmerizing young men.

For most of this book, the reader is kept in the dark as concerns "The Bens." Sorcha, too, doesn't understand why this tribe is so interested in her, why they dog her steps, or why there is someone who wants her dead. Just an added layer of mystery woven into the incredible romance that literally had me in tears on at least three different occasions. It simply broke my heart once or twice. I can't say more, as it would enter into the realm of spoilers, but I will say this is the kind of romance that transcends any book and will live on, and on, and on, in my memory, and, I have no doubt, many others.

Selfsame reminded me of the first time I read The Narnia Chronicles. I was only eleven, and C.S. Lewis's books took me away from my dreary life into another world of magic and amazement, of color and delight. The thrill of the Narnia Chronicles has never left me: Selfsame had a similar effect upon my psyche.

Highly recommended for lovers of the paranormal. Of time travel. Of romance. Of historical fiction. Of mystery. I'm not quite sure what genre I would place Selfsame in. Maybe all of the above? A guaranteed good read. ( )

When Enid goes to sleep in Colonial America she wakes up in the future as Sorcha, due to mysterious circumstances at Enid's birth. This book deals with the girl's struggles to adapt to their circumstances, their loves and family. I really liked this book. It's a really intriguing concept and Melissa Conway did a great job without making the plot confusing. A great read! ( )