Awake

 Author: Natasha Preston

 Release Date: August 4th, 2015

 Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

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 Summary:

Scarlett doesn’t remember anything before the age of five. Her parents say it’s from the trauma of seeing her house burn down, and she accepts the life they’ve created for her without question—until a car accident causes Scarlett to start remembering pieces of an unfamiliar past.

When a new guy moves into town, Scarlett feels an instant spark. But Noah knows the truth of Scarlett’s past, and he’s determined to shield her from it…because Scarlett grew up in a cult called Eternal Light, controlled by her biological parents.

And they want her back. (Goodreads)

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First Lines:

Imogen nudged my arm, nodding toward the classroom door. “Finally, some talent,” she whispered. 

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Review:

** Thank you, NetGalley, for a digital review copy of this book **

Can I add Noah to my list of book boyfriends? Please? Okay, okay…I’ll get serious. 

This book started out a little slow for me. I was kind off put off by all the stalkeresque questions Noah was asking Scarlett and how quickly she became enamoured with him. I understand falling fast, it happened to me recently, but not so much when the object of one’s affection is so “creepy”, for want of a better word.

I stuck with the book, however, because I was so intrigued by the premise of the book. Stories about cults just fascinate me. I’m glad I did because the ‘action’ picked up and I really got sucked in. I’m glad some of it was told from Noah’s POV, it made him seem a lot more human. I think I might have hated him for a lot of the book without a look inside his mind. It also reinforced what the mentality of some cult members is like and that they wholeheartedly believe what they’ve been taught. 

I did take a little “issue” to how trusting Scarlett is of Noah and how quickly it happens as well as how all-consuming her feelings become. I realize that, as a teenager, it’s easy to let a boy (or girl in non-Awake-related real-life situations) become a big factor in one’s life. I’m sure I had times when I was positive that I was “in love” with someone and that they were the be all, end all of my life. It just felt a little weird that she so casually took such a long trip with him without letting anyone know. It also felt like she had just forsaken the rest of her life for him and, while I do realize it happens, it’s one of my least favourite things in life. Scarlett’s obsession with Noah made me like her a little less for a while.

I struggled with the start being a little slow, Noah being creepy, and Scarlett being one of those girls that drifts from her friends because of a boy BUT once things started to get juicy, this book had its teeth firmly hooked into me. I don’t want to give too much away (spoilers SUCK) but I found myself yelling “NOOOOO…WHAT THE HECK?!” numerous times in the last part of the book.  

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FINAL VERDICT: 

I definitely enjoyed this read. Will I be breaking my book-buying ban and racing out to buy a finished copy? No. Will I eventually get one? It’s quite possible. If you don’t have the patience to get through the slow parts, I don’t know if you’ll like this book. If you don’t like it, it just means more Noah for me 🙂