Waiting on Wednesday (18): The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna

From Goodreads:

Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination—an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her “other”, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.
But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this.
Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known—the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love—to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.
What Eva finds is a grief-stricken family; parents unsure how to handle this echo they thought they wanted; and Ray, who knew every detail, every contour of Amarra. And when Eva is unexpectedly dealt a fatal blow that will change her existence forever, she is forced to choose: Stay and live out her years as a copy or leave and risk it all for the freedom to be an original. To be Eva.
From debut novelist Sangu Mandanna comes the dazzling story of a girl who was always told what she had to be—until she found the strength to decide for herself.

Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: August 28th, 2012
Amazon, Goodreads, Author's website

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I shouldn't have to go into detail of the fact that we need more paranormal, dystopian, sci-fi, etc. stories starring a woman of color, or in this case her copy. That's the first thing that draws me into this book. The second would be the premise, that idea of replacing someone after they die, with their family knowing. I had heard of creating people to replace lost organs, but never entire lives. I think it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.