by Natalie D. Richards
Published by Sourcebooks Fire
on October 1, 2013
Source: library
Summary from Goodreads: 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?
Welcome to the last 2013 installment of I (Finally) Read, in which I feature 2013 releases that I put off reading until the very, very end of the year. If you want to check out the previous posts, I also (finally) read The Program by Suzanne Young and Crash by Lisa Mc Mann.
How long did it take me to decide to read this book? Nearly two months -- not that bad!
Why did I put off reading it? Regular blog readers know that I am getting kind of tired of amnesia books -- this post explains it better. On top of that, I don't think the cover and summary of Six Months Later reflect the book at all. To me, the book's summary (above) reads like one of those magical realism women's fiction novels by Allison Winn Scotch or Liane Moriarty in which the main character bumps her head and wakes up and is not married to her husband but some "what-if" guy from her past. (Not that there's anything wrong with those kind of books -- I enjoyed What Alice Forgot very much.) But my point is that the book's cover and summary give the impression that Six Months Later is some sort of amnesia romance.
What made me pick it up? I saw a review on Goodreads that revealed that this book is not some kind of what-if amnesia romance story. Six Months Later is a thriller, and a pretty good one! As the book opens, Chloe is an average student, checking out a cute guy named Blake and ever loyal to her BFF Maggie. Then she wakes up and everything has changed. Fall has turned to winter, but she can't remember the last six months at all. She's now Blake's girlfriend. Maggie won't speak to her. She's suddenly an amazing student who just earned a near-perfect SAT score. And she has the feeling that something is terribly, horribly wrong.
Although I pieced together the clues that Chloe has and figured out much of the Big Secret pretty easily, that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book. I really enjoyed watching poor Chloe try to figure out what happened to her. She's juggling a lot -- trying not to let on to Blake that she has no memory of their relationship, trying to adjust to her parents suddenly being proud of her, and missing Maggie like crazy. In addition to the suspense, Six Months Later also had a romance that I really enjoyed. Chloe can't believe that she's suddenly the girlfriend of gorgeous, perfect Blake. But she keeps bumping into Adam, a gorgeous guy she knew from detention, and feels drawn to him for reasons she can't remember.
Six Months Later does what a good thriller should do. It takes some things that are real sources of anxiety to teen readers -- stress over college and grades and pleasing their demanding parents -- and magnifies them into something truly terrifying.
I was surprised that you were tackling another book with an amnesia plot but now that you've explained that it's more of a thriller, it makes sense. I'm not uninterested in reading this but it's of a lower priority than other books on my list so it will probably end up being one I skip as it doesn't sound like a must-read.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's probably why I put it lower on the priority list at first. Once I saw it was a thriller, I was very excited! The amnesia was not just a plot device -- it was integral to the story.
DeleteI love this book,I really enjoyed reading,before this book I haven't read very much YA Thriller,but after reading I change my mind,now I want to read more YA Thrillers:)
ReplyDeleteAnd Adam,eh,I really love him :)
Glad you enjoyed reading this book :))
Lovely review :)
There are definitely more YA thrillers and mysteries coming out -- I'm going to do a series of trends posts and I'll feature some of them!
DeleteHmmm, the cover definitely would have made me skip over this book, but knowing that it's a thriller has me interested!
ReplyDeleteI think you'd really like it!
DeleteI ADORED this book! There are seriously not enough YA mystery/thrillers, so I'm always so excited to find great ones like this this! You should also check out Michele Jaffe's books. The YA ones are all mysteries or thrillers... Also Megan Miranda's HYSTERIA and McCormick Templeman's THE LITTLE WOODS!
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I'm so glad that you decided to pick this one up AND enjoyed it. :)
Thanks so much for the suggestions :) I'm a lifelong fan of thrillers! I've read two Michele Jaffe books: Rosebush, and Ghost Flower. I especially liked Ghost Flower! I also enjoyed Hysteria. I haven't read Little Woods, but I have The Glass Casket, her new 2014 book!
DeleteI'm glad you got this one in. I really enjoyed it! I would say that it was probably my most surprising read this year - in a good way. In fact it's one of my favorites from this year. It was a thriller that I could handle and also realistically and technically worked for me.
ReplyDeleteBoth this and the Thin Space by Jody Casella were books I'd call my most surprising reads in a good way. Sometimes having no -- or wrong -- expectations can make for a fantastic surprise!
DeleteI really enjoyed this book. I'm glad you decided to pick it up and enjoyed it! I thought the suspense, mystery and romance were all well done. It really kept me guessing. Great review. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree -- at first all my warning bells were going off due to the amnesia and seeming love triangle -- but there wasn't a triangle and the amnesia really worked as a plot element.
DeleteAh, same here I didn't realize this had a thriller angle! I like that mix.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely try this one, then :)
DeleteI've been really curios about this book. I picked it up a few months ago and really want to check it out :) I'm glad you enjoyed this because I was sort of thinking the same thing when pick it up my copy. Great review!
ReplyDeleteJanina @ Synchronized Reading
Can't wait to hear what you think!
DeleteYeah, I remember reading a review on another blog a couple of months ago and being totally surprised by what the book actually entailed. I pretty much didn't give this book a second glance when I saw the cover. It sounds so good though. I'm glad I read reviews (including yours) that set me straight about it. ;)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of this "I Finally Read" series is looking at the bizarre (and sometimes completely wrong) reasons I don't read a book.
DeleteA new title for me but I like the sound of it. Yes, come to think of it.. the amnesia card is played a lot....
ReplyDeleteIt is, and in some books the amnesia seems a bit forced. But in this book -- and the Program -- it really worked!
DeleteOh, wow -- my friend spotted this lovely review and sent it my way. Thank you SO much. I'm so glad you took the time to check out Six Months Later and I'm thrilled you enjoyed it!! As much as I love my cover, I know it doesn't necessarily scream thriller from a distance. But I'm certainly glad it kept you turning the pages. And to all of your supportive commenters--WOW. This post just made my night. Thank you all!! :-)
ReplyDeleteYay - thanks so much for stopping by!
DeleteThe cover is pretty, but I kind of wish there was a dark figure lurking in back there in the trees or something.
I'm so happy I got a chance to try this and look forward to reading your next book!
I know exactly how you feel! Amnesia books are starting to annoy me but I really liked this one! Some things could have been better but oh well.
ReplyDeleteNice review!
Glad you enjoyed it too :)
DeleteOhhh, sounds good! I haven't heard anything about this one (except that it exists). I don't mind amnesia books anyway, but this does sound a little different.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people love amnesia books, and if you do, you should definitely check this one out!
DeleteOooh, like you I sort of avoid these books cause I'm not sure what to expect or if it will capture me. I think I can give this book a try. It sounds thrilling!!
ReplyDeleteYou've made me a lot more interested in this one--I enjoy amnesia/thriller stories when they're done well, and if you guessed certain things but still enjoyed it, I probably will, too! It's frustrating re: blurb, though--I just read WILD AWAKE (also, like you, trying to cram in a bunch of 2013s before end of year) and couldn't believe how far off the mark the blurbs were in terms of both story and tone.
ReplyDeleteWendy @ The Midnight Garden
I remember when Sunny was so excited about this one, and I added it to my TBR then because I don't really mind the amnesia plot, but to find out it's a thriller on top of that is even better. It's difficult deciding what books to make a priority, especially when all you have to go on is the blurb or a few reviews, neither of which I want to put my trust in completely. I'm glad you approve of this one because now I know I need to make time for it on my schedule, too!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, this sounds much more interesting by reading your review of it than it would from the synopsis alone! I'm probably gonna be adding it to the TBR list!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked this one!! I really liked it. :)
ReplyDeleteI purchased this for kindle and I'm glad I did now. Need to get a move on and read it. E-mail me the spoiler???? :)
ReplyDeleteOoh! Now I'm excited. I actually haven't read any amnesia books in a long time, but the cover was putting me off. Obviously, don't judge a book blah blah blah, but I'm a little sick of "lone girl standing in all white background" covers. Just hope that her disbelief that her bf could ever be with her doesn't drag on a little long.
ReplyDelete