Changers by T. Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper

'Goodnight,' I say, and then 'Geesh,' under my breath. It's about the twentieth time Mom and Dad have come into my bedroom and wished me goodnight. Like they don't want me to go to sleep or something. It's not like I'm enlisting, or getting married; it's just high school. 

Published January 12th 2016 by Atom Books

Pages - 288

Summary

Changers book one: DREW opens on the eve of Ethan Miller's freshman year of high school in a brand-new town. He's finally sporting a haircut he doesn't hate, has grown two inches since middle school, and can't wait to try out for the soccer team. At last, everything is looking up in life.

Until the next morning. When Ethan awakens as a girl.

Ethan is a Changer, a little-known, ancient race of humans who live out each of their four years of high school as a different person. After graduation, Changers choose which version of themselves they will be forever - and no, they cannot go back to who they were before the changes began.

Ethan must now live as Drew Bohner - a petite blonde with an unfortunate last name - and navigate the treacherous waters of freshman year while also following the rules: Never tell anyone what you are. Never disobey the Changers Council. And never, ever fall in love with another Changer. Oh, and Drew also has to battle a creepy underground syndicate called 'Abiders' (as well as the sadistic school queen bee, Chloe). And she can't even confide in her best friend Audrey, who can never know the real her, without risking both of their lives.

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Imagine waking up as the opposite sex? Seriously? How freaked out would you be? Well that's what happens to Ethan when he wakes up as Drew. I was surprised how quickly he learnt to live with his new gender. I'm not so sure I would have coped as well as he did. Especially considering that everything he loved doing as a boy became difficult to do once he became a girl.

The concept of the book is really very clever  as it clearly shows how  gender defines you and explores other people's reactions to you. Drew's parents completely change the way they are with him, when he changes from a boy to girl. His father becomes very protective. It was fascinating to watch how Drew's own attitude and mannerisms change to complement his new gender. 

This book also shows that love is genderless. Chase used to be girl and is highly attracted to Drew. Drew is pretty much convinced that he would have been attracted to Chase before they both changed. Yet Drew also has such strong feelings for Audrey. Due to the change in his gender, he is unsure if he loves her because he used to be a boy or because he is now a girl. 

 I did find the book a little slow going and I was hoping for a more dramatic ending. However this is the first book in the series and obviously sets up the story for future episodes. It was well written and I felt the duo expressed Drew's character really well. 

I am intrigued to see what happens in the next book and who Drew comes back as for his second year as a Changer.