Don't Look Back Review

Spoiler Free

This year I haven’t read as many books as I had hoped so far. A main reason for this is time. I've been very busy at school lately as exam season is too close that when I do get a chance to read, I'm way too tired that I just snuggle up in front of the TV and Netflix my life. However, when I have a Jennifer L. Armentrout book I know that there will be no distractions as they’re so damn good. To express how much I enjoyed Don’t Look Back to you in one sentence it would be that my cup of tea went cold when I was reading this book because I didn't want to stop reading it to drink. Whoa.

-Two best friends disappeared one night, Samantha and Cassie. Only one returned. Samantha was found soaking wet and covered in blood, wandering through the woods with no memory of anything; even her name. Samantha has to rediscover her life and her past to try and find out what happened the night her and her friend went missing and how she can find Cassie. However she doesn't like what she finds… Samantha was the queen bitch of the school, alongside Cassie. She had it all – popularity, wealth and a dream boyfriend. Although looking at it all from a different perspective, Sam doesn't like her previous life, and she hates her previous self.-

This book was perfect for me. The entire premise of the book was so original and fascinating and as it was a mixture of different genres, it allowed me to experience different emotions with each page – supernatural, paranormal, crime, mystery, and romance = awesomeness. This book fits into the genre of awesomeness. The only JLA books I’ve read are The Lux Series, and it is my favourite series ever. This book is up there for being one of my fav’s and Jennifer is still my favourite author.

A way to describe this book would be a mixture of Mara Dyer and Pretty Little Liars. Both of which I love… BUT THIS IS MY FAVOURITE. The book was also very personal for me as I felt that I could really relate to Samantha, the protagonist, as I have experienced being friends with the ‘popular’ people at school and was lucky enough (unlike Samantha) to get out before any damage could have been done. With Sam’s chance to have a new life due to the memory loss, she is able to reflect on her relationships and build them again: learning who her true friends are through new eyes. Jennifer L. Armentrout is always able to get me having strong emotions and attachments to the characters. Even though we get fragments of Sam acting and treating people awfully, we still empathize and love her. There is also, of course a gorgeous boy to drool over as it wouldn't be a JLA book without one! I had a soft spot for Scott, Samantha’s twin brother. They didn't have a relationship full of hugs and kisses, however there was always an appreciation and respect blooming between the two (which had to be rebuilt like them all due to her amnesia). Scott was very protective towards Sam when times were rough and it reminded me of the relationship between me and my brother: never taking anything seriously but if anything were to happen to me, if a boy was to piss me off, he’d be there to give him a black eye ;)

Through the entire book, Sam is trying to figure out who is responsible for what happened the night her and Cassie disappeared. Whether it be herself or someone else. As I usually read books of the same genre and target audience, I usually figure out the ‘plot twist’ about halfway through the book. However on this rare occasion, Jennifer’s fantastic story had me changing my mind on ever chapter when trying to figure out who hurt Sam.

The story had quite a rushed ending, which I think was a good aspect of the book. It was how Sam was experiencing things herself and it had me wide eyed for the last 20 pages. The book was also special to me as it tackled real life events that many people have experienced or know people who have themselves, which just added more emotion and relation to the characters and book.

Overall, I'm giving this book 10/10. I LOVED IT. I don’t want to say too much as this book is something that you should read yourself and if it is spoilt will not be worth reading. This year I set myself an aim to own all of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s books. This incredible book has just made me more eager and my bank account emptier. 

    Hannah

         ♥

If You Find Me Review

Spoiler free

This review is on Emily Murdoch's debut novel "If you find me". This novel was a little different from what I usually pick and I hadn't heard a lot about it either. The book dare I say was a bit of "lets buy this for the sake of it" and I tend to do this a lot just because I like t0 buy books. I haven't seen many people posting on instagram about it and so I'm sure many people won't have heard about this book before. 

"A beautiful book about survival, identity, family, love and so much more."
JENNY DOWNHAM, author of Before I Die.

The books itself was quite a quick read for me but I think that's because I so engrossed in it. The main character Carey lives in the woods in a broken-down camper hidden deep in the forest with her six year old sister, Jenessa and her drug-addicted mother. Her mum tends to disappear for months on end leaving Carey and Jenessa to look after themselves, what comes with this is the close relationship between the sisters. Carey becomes very much like a mother figure to Jenessa - who unfortunately doesn't actually talk. Two strangers turn up at the camper and one turns out to be her father. Carey has to now learn how to adapt to a very different world, one she spent so long away from. 

The other characters are Mrs Haskell (I would say she was a social worker).  Melissa, her dad's wife. Delaney, Melissa's daughter. Pixie and Ryan, Carey's friends at school. Melissa was a very likable character and she soon bonded with the girls and tried to make them feel at home as much as possible. Jenessa tended to "blend in" with the family a lot more but I think that was because she was younger and young children can adapt to new situations more easily, in my opinion. Carey for me, as strong of a character she is, didn't really find it easy to cope with her new lifestyle, she had a few panic attacks here and there because of the busy life she was presented with, rather than the quiet of the forest. She often referred to Melissa and her Dad as Ma'am and Sir which made it hard to see them as Mother and Father figures, it was more like she was on an interview. I hated the character Delaney with a passion, she was everything I dislike, rude and malicious. It wasn't till the end that I started to develop an attachment to the background characters. If I talk to0 much about each one it may spoil it so I will leave the rest to your imagination. 

Overall my feelings on this books are just pure amazement, I loved it. As soon as I finished it, I wanted more I wanted these characters to carry on, which is one thing I really don't like about stand alone novels. I believe this book would be good for teenagers of any gender and I feel like it's something I would go back to if I ever needed a quick read. I give this book 9.5/10. 

Charlotte 

♥