Why Can't I Be You

Written by Melissa Walker

Claire's summer unravels as friendships shift and secrets surface.

4.1/5 Goodreads · 127 ratings

208 pages· 33,230 words· Est. 4.5 hour read

$16.99Save 7%

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Bookroo's summary

Claire Ladd's twelfth summer promises freedom, but with Brianna's glamorous cousin Eden visiting, Claire feels sidelined. As Brianna's new lifestyle creates distance and Ronan's moodiness deepens, Claire questions her place in their world. Can she navigate these changes, or will she wish to be someone else entirely? Discover the tangled web of friendship and identity in a summer where nothing stays the same.

From the publisher

“This book is for anyone who has ever felt ‘less than’ or on the outside. That is to say, this is a book for everyone.” —Elana K. Arnold, author of A Boy Called Bat Claire Ladd knows that this summer is going to be special. She and her two best friends, Ronan and Brianna, are turning twelve. She is leaving camp behind and gets to do what she wants all day. She feels everything starting to change. But things don’t always change for the better. With Brianna’s cousin Eden visiting for the summer, Claire feels like a third wheel. Even though she is only a year older, Eden seems so much more sophisticated and glamorous . . . and when she is around, she takes up everyone’s attention, including Brianna’s. But that doesn’t explain why things have felt awkward with Brianna ever since she moved to a fancy new house, or why Ronan, who lives in the trailer next to Claire’s, has started acting moody anytime anyone mentions his dad. Claire has always been happy with her life just as it is, but as the summer wears on and the issues with her friends start to grow, she can’t help but wonder: Would everything be better if she could just be someone else?

At a glance