Book Review: Awake by Natasha Preston!

Awake

by Natasha Preston

Release date: August 4th 2015 by Sourcebooks Fire

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Cults, Suspense

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.

Scarlett couldn’t remember a thing before she was 4 years old. Years and years of trying to remember, she finally made up her mind that she would not let her missing memories trouble and hinder her future. That is until the car crash accident that led her to regain bits and pieces of it.

Onto her teenage life, she has a large group of friends and a wonderful family. Parents who loves her and a brother who annoys her every now and then. But what will she discover when she finds out the truth they’ve been hiding from her?

Right off the bat and we’re already into cliché scenes. Not a good start for me. A gorgeous new student transfers into the school of the heroine. The guy only pays attention to her blah blah blah. But I’m still hoping it’ll change as I gradually go deeper into the story.

I initially thought the novel was a paranormal one. I was completely wrong in thinking there will be vampires or immortals involved. Hahaha. I must admit though that I enjoyed the sweet and cheesy parts in the beginning for Scarlett and Noah. Some of them made me laugh though. Like the part where they texted nonstop and then after a week of hanging out with each other, it’s time to meet the parents. Don’t get me wrong, it was adorable and it’s the right move but it’s sorta fast.

All the fluffy romance ended after one accident that awakened Scarlett’s fractured memories. Her family insists it’s just a dream but she knows it’s a memory. This is where everything starts to become clear. Noah slowly reveals who he really is (not to Scarlett) and what he’s doing in Scarlett’s life. At the same time, it gets creepy.

It turns out everything isn’t what it seems. At least, not for Scarlett. Frustration turned into determination in getting answers. But will she want to know what lies behind her locked memories? The heart-pounding scene near the end was the best part of this book. Creepy and exciting, it was unexpectedly a fun read.