The Exchange by Nadija Mujagic – Review by Ayla Phipps

The Exchange: A Novel by Nadija Mujagic
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Before this book I had never heard of Nadija Mujagic, but now that I have, I am hooked and must read more of her amazing work. As a mother the first chapter definitely set the mood of the book, Sam’s four-year-old son Jake goes missing from the local public pool. Heart racing, I couldn’t put the book down and before I realized I was nearly halfway through the book needing to learn more. Chapter two is the first-time jump, going back four years to before she had her son. Living in small towns I understand her hunger for something bigger and better.

Her dream is to be an actress, so she starts by looking for an agent to represent her, to help her get into the industry. When Stacy Goldberg responds saying she will only discuss things with her in person 5 days later Sam has no choice but to quickly find an apartment and get a bus ticket to L.A. Our dreams never seem to play out the way they do in our heads, no matter how many different paths you think of, and Sam’s were no different. Her first meeting ends with her feeling confused and like her career is already over. Stacy tells Sam she has “the look” and then tells her you either parish or persist. While trying to figure out how to go about auditioning she begins working as a barista at a local café. Michael her new coworker who freelances as a writer asks her to dinner, declining she says she’s not currently in a good place. Only other than not being attracted to him her biggest fear in any new situation is anyone getting closer to her and wanting to dig into her dirty past. By the age of six Sam had lost her paternal grandparents, the only ones she ever knew, and her father. After her father’s death her mother seemed to care more about her next high than her daughter, so she learned to be independent at a young age. Only Sam has a deep dark secret, a secret so terrible that she not only has to keep it from her mother, best friend, and small town but from herself.

Will Sam parish or persist in the world of acting? How does the handsome stranger she meets at work play into her dream? Is it possible for her to continue to keep her secret after all these years? The world the author creates is realistic, no sugar coating on the ways of the world while always keeping her character relatable. The twists and turns this book had kept me entranced from page one and I couldn’t stop until I was done.

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