When I first selected Jane Green's Swapping Lives from the library, I was a little skeptical about its content. After all, the title Swapping Lives does not leave much to the imagination.

"Oh great," I predicted, "This is going to be about two unhappy people who decide to switch places in order to fill the void in their lives. A few hundred pages of entertaining situations and delightful mishaps will ensue, and then they will decide that they really had everything they needed in the first place and go back to their regular lives."

Yes, the plot is simple and has been used countless times. However, Jane Green's characters, full of real and somewhat complex human emotions, more than make up for the hackneyed plot. I ended up being pleasantly surprised.

Thirty-five-year-old Londoner Vicky Townsley looks like she has it all. Features director of the high-profile Poise! magazine, she fills her free time with shopping and partying with her fabulous friends. However, as the reader learns in the first chapter, she is not as happy as she seems.

Vicky exemplifies the classic term "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" to the fullest as she sits home alone on her 35th birthday, getting drunk, watching sappy movies, and bemoaning her single life. She envies her little brother's life in the country, with his wife and three children. She describes a wonderful life as one that "involves children shrieking with laughter, giant dogs draped over squishy sofas...and a kind, loving husband who worships your every move."

Across the Atlantic Ocean, Amber Winslow has the life that Vicky desires. She lives outside of the bustling city in a small Connecticut suburb with her husband and two adorable children. Because her husband has an important job as an investment banker, he is able to provide the family with a luxurious mansion and hired help, including a nanny for the children. With no responsibility to care for her house or her children, Amber has the spare time to join many charity organizations and spend time with her high-society friends. However, in all of the hustle and bustle, is she missing out on what truly matters?

Both women get the chance of a lifetime when Vicky writes a features article in Poise! that advertises a contest to swap lives with her. Hundreds of letters pour in, with sob stories from women with adulterous husbands to women who are just plain tired from their demanding jobs and responsibilities at home.

Vicky chooses Amber's letter after extensive research and interviews with the women, and the plot kicks off.

Swapping Lives is by no means a serious or introspective read. However, it is an excellent book to read when you're taking a break from A Room of One's Own for your English class. Furthermore, it begs the intriguing question: if you really had the opportunity to swap lives with someone, would you?

I certainly came away with a more important message than the title of the book foreshadowed. It just goes to show: don't judge a book by its cover...or its title! Grade: A-