Genre: YA

I received this book for free from Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Chloe didn't think about it much when she nodded off in study hall on that sleepy summer day. But when she wakes up, snow is on the ground and she can't remember the last six months of her life. Before, she'd been a mediocre student. Now, she's on track for valedictorian and being recruited by Ivy League schools. Before, she never had a chance with super jock Blake. Now he's her boyfriend. Before, she and Maggie were inseparable. Now her best friend won't speak to her.

What happened to her?

And why can't she remember?

I know I’m in the minority here but I think all the 5 stars gave me too-high expectations for this one. It is very close to a 4 star read so I’m far from hating it but, I expected more – or at least different.

I can understand why so many love it though. Suddenly waking up with no memory of the last 6 months is a very terrifying premise. One that had me completely stupefied, and thus absolutely engrossed. Chloe’s narrative is written with all the disorientation, annoyance, and anxiety of someone who may or may not be going crazy. As you can expect no one believes the “nonsense” she seems to be spouting. She’s an easy to like character with a fierce determination to get to the bottom of things. She knew something just wasn’t right and I liked that about her. The more we read, the more Chloe finds out things that deepens the mystery, increasing the anticipation in turn. It is definitely very addicting and made reading this book a real thrill.

On the other hand – the one not making fist pumps of awesome – when we finally do get answers for the big old mysterious missing 6 months, I was pretty disappointed. It was a touch too out there for me. I was hoping for something more psychological, and thus more poignant. As it stands, not only does it feel like a familiar plot to me now, but the big reveal left a lot to be desired. Answers are thrown at us without delving into them, leaving me with nothing but new questions and cocked eyebrows.

One thing that was a hit or miss was the romance. I really enjoyed the connection between Adam and Chloe. Adam himself I grew to adore. I liked seeing Chloe kick Mr Donkeyface to the curb. I loved that it was kept secondary to the mystery. But then.. what I did not like was how it all turned out. I kind of ended up disliking Adam despite any regret he had. It may not even be fair to him since some of it was out of his control, but alas. I think it’s the fact he kept it from her. Lastly, I wished Chloe didn’t over analyze and/or obsess over Adam so often – though this is really a minor complaint as it was easy to ignore.

All in all, I was expecting something that would just BLOW my freaking socks off, you know, and then it just didn’t. It’s certainly not a bad book by any means. I was fully entertained and it had my gears turning at full steam throughout. I was simply expecting a massive psychological-thriller that, although started that way, ended up being something else.

3 Hot Espressos