Blog Tour / Book Musings - Identity Theft by Laura Lee

Blog Tour by Pen and Muse

Title : Identity Theft
Author : Laura Lee
Genre : Contemporary
Source : Review copy from the author, through Pen and Muse

Blurb : 

When the rock star she idolized responded to her e-mail, Candi was thrilled. When he started to flirt with her, she thought all her dreams could come true. The fantasy takes over her entire life, but none of it is true. The man of her dreams is not a rock star at all, but a bored office worker whose internet game quickly spins out of control.

AMAZON     |      BARNES & NOBLE

My Musings : 

The concept of a person impersonating a famous personality on the internet is what led me to add the book to my To-Read shelf on Goodreads and consequently take part in the blog tour. 

When I first started the book, I wasn't quite sure what to think. Firstly the author was a new one to me and the way she had written it didn't engross me. The voice was too passive and was more about internal thoughts and struggles of the protagonist, Candi. Then it veered off in the form of emails and instant messages between Candi and the hero/villain, Ethan. But eventually it fleshed out into a very good book. I didn't see that coming! I am glad I stuck with it.

Candi is naive enough to think that her favourite rock star would reply to her fan mail. But at the same time, she is jaded too and tired of her life. I was on the fence about Candi at the beginning but sympathised with her situation at the end. I absolutely hated Ethan's character. No one can be that insensitive and have a closed-eyes syndrome to serious problems. I liked his friend,Ale though. He has better sense than Ethan. Then there's Blast aka Ollie who unknowingly started the chain of events which leads to Candi's destruction. He is a simple guy with his family in tatters who is suddenly on the confusing end of the charade started by Ethan. His love for his family especially for his daughter shines through the book. 

As I said earlier, the writing didn't pull me in at the start but as the book went on, I did get immersed in the story. I felt so bad for Candi. Seriously, I can never imagine anyone recovering from such a severe situation. And I felt like killing Ethan!! The devious troublemaker! But I kind of liked him at the end. He is okay I guess if the charade he propagated is forgotten. Ollie didn't make much of an impression on me except that he is confused by life. This book has made me more paranoid and I won't take anything lightly anymore. And it also teaches us to be more cautious and pay attention to the small things which might save us at the end. 

The book isn't just a contemporary fictitious read but also has a subtext of various lessons which is important for our life. I would recommend this book to people who like to read a realistic story having a serious undertone.

My one line review : A tale of impersonation with cautious undertones.

My rating : 3.5/4

My reread factor : 4/5

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Meet the Author 

Laura is the author of 16 books with such publishers as Harper Collins, Reader's Digest, Lyons Press and Running Press. She is best known for humorous reference such as The Pocket Encyclopedia of Aggravation, which sold 85,000 copies for Black Dog and Leventhal. Her first novel was Angel published by Itineris Press and will soon be released in a second edition by DPS. The San Francisco Chronicle has said of her work: “Lee's dry, humorous tone makes her a charming companion… She has a penchant for wordplay that is irresistible.”

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