Starters by Lissa Price

In the future, teens rent their bodies to seniors who want to be young again. One girl discovers her renter plans to do more than party–her body will commit murder, if her mind can’t stop it. Sixteen-year-old Callie lost her parents when the genocide spore wiped out everyone except those who were vaccinated first–the very young and very old. With no grandparents to claim Callie and her little brother, they go on the run, living as squatters, and fighting off unclaimed renegades who would kill for a cookie. Hope comes via Prime Destinations, run by a mysterious figure known only as The Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to seniors, known as enders, who get to be young again. Callie’s neurochip malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her rich renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, even dating Blake, the grandson of a senator. It’s a fairy-tale new life . . . until she uncovers the Body Bank’s horrible plan. . . .

I don’t know even where to begin with my love of Starters. Actually, it was much to my surprise. I kept seeing buzz about how great it was but the cover wasn’t appealing to me. The image on the internet doesn’t do the book justice – at all. The actual cover is GORGEOUS and stunning; it’s shiny, we all love shiny things!

Now that I’ve gotten my cover love out of the way, the idea behind Starters is so unique. In their world there are only “older” people – think 100 years old or older and kids/teens, everyone else has been wiped out by a disease. Teens either live with grandparents, squat illegally, or live in orphanage-like situations that are more like jail. By renting out their bodies for the adults to do things like play sports or go out partying, teens make some cash. Desperately needing money, Callie signs up. Of course, something goes wrong and she keeps regaining control over her body. She’s now living in a mansion, dating a guy, and fearing for her life.

I can’t really say much more than that, but Starters is the sort of dystopian/sci-fi title that I love. It’s filled with a bit of romance and tons of mystery that keeps you wondering just who Callie can trust. Starters kept me guessing through the whole book.

Callie is an enjoyable main character. It’s entertaining watching her try to fit into this sort of role reversal. I think my favorite characters, though, were the other “adults” in teen bodies that Callie meets. Sure, the concept is pretty immoral, they were just all so much fun.

If you are unsure if you’ll like Starters, I urge you to pick it up and give it a try. If you are eager to read it, get it ASAP! In my opinion, Starters is going to be one of the stand out novels of the year, it’s that good.

I received my copy of Starters in exchange for my honest opinion from the publisher.