Awake

June 1, 2015
British 16-year-old Scarlett Garner can’t remember her life before age four—not exactly uncommon in itself—but a car accident shakes loose strange dreams about a burning building and a girl named Evelyn, who Scarlett’s parents claim was her doll. Meanwhile, gorgeous new student Noah shows strong interest in getting to know Scarlett. What she doesn’t know is that he was sent by a cult, Eternal Life, which has plans to sacrifice her to gain salvation. Scarlett falls for Noah as planned, but he falls for her, too. Preston’s (The Cellar) story unfolds in chapters that alternate between Scarlett and Noah’s perspectives, clueing readers into Noah’s deception long before Scarlett learns of it. Readers who accept the farfetched premise may still struggle with thinly developed characters, mawkish turns of phrase (“I was hopelessly in love with her—and our love was hopeless”), and dubious decision-making (when Scarlett’s parents finally reveal the truth about her childhood, they do so while Noah, a virtual stranger, is present). Hard to swallow, both as a thriller and a romance. Ages 16–up.

August 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-Scarlett Garner has a gap in her memory. She can't remember anything before her fourth birthday and because she always develops a headache when she tries, she is starting to accept that her memories are likely lost for good. When Scarlett meets Noah, the new guy at school, she falls hard and fast; Noah is just as smitten as she and quickly begins helping Scarlett work toward regaining her memory. But when Scarlett is in a car accident and starts to have flashbacks, she isn't sure that she wants to remember after all. Fortunately, Noah is the very definition of emotional support. Unfortunately, his motives may not be as pure as they seem. Although centered on Scarlett, if it weren't for the love interest, the novel's interesting but far-fetched plot-can anyone really remember their first four years?-would fall completely flat. Noah dictates the pace of the work and Noah creates and sustains the mood; readers quickly learn that he isn't as he seems and as each chapter reveals just a little more of who Noah really is, readers will find themselves questioning every minute he spends with his would-be victim. Although the progression of Scarlett's relationship with Noah is unrealistic and the thoughts of both characters are repetitive at times, Noah's internal crisis and ultimate decision will keep readers intrigued. VERDICT An engaging but flawed thriller.-Maggie Mason Smith, Clemson University R. M. Cooper Library, South Carolina

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