Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Format: Egalley
Source: Received from publisher via Netgalley for blog tour
Pages: 336
Forgetting changed her. Remembering might destroy her.Six Months Later sounds pretty awesome, right? And you know what? It totally is! It wasn't necessarily what I expected, but in a good way. It is an enthralling and fast-paced novel that delivers just the right amount of intrigue and that just keeps pulling out new surprises, just when you think you've gotten everything figured out.
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?
When Chloe wakes up from a routine nap in study hall to find that it's nighttime and winter, she knows something has gone terribly wrong. Somehow she's managed to miss six months of her life, without a clue as to what happened during that time. Whatever happened turned her life around completely, because she's now dating the boy she's had a crush on for years, has an unbelievably good score on the SAT, and her best friend is no longer speaking to her. As she unravels the mystery, she finds that she may be tied up in something much larger than herself, and that it might just be a threat to her life.
Chloe as a character stands out in Six Months Later. She flies off the pages in the beginning as witty, headstrong, and more than a little opinionated. When she wakes up and her life is completely different, even as she gets her bearings, she never loses that spark. She quickly sees that the person she became during those six months is not someone she would be naturally and she fixes it. Not only that, but she's desperately loyal to her friends and absolutely will not take their abuses lying down. This all makes for a heroine that you can't help but root for.
I do wish I hadn't been able to see a lot of the plot twists coming--though there were a few I definitely wouldn't have called--and I kind of wanted a little more background on the antagonist so it didn't feel quite so separate from Chloe's story. Other than that, though, Six Months Later is a very solid YA mystery thriller that will keep you guessing from the first page to the last, and will likely compel you to read most (or all) of it in one sitting. (I read more than 80 percent at one time!)
About the author:
Natalie D. Richards won her first writing competition in the second grade with her short story about Barbara Frances Bizzlefishes (who wouldn't dare do the dishes.) She later misplaced her writing dreams in a maze of cubicles and general office drudgery. Natalie never forgot about Barbara or those dishes, and eventually she found her way back to storytelling, following the genre of her heart, teen fiction. When she's not writing or shopping her manuscripts, you can probably find her wading through the towers of dog-eared paperbacks that have taken over her bedroom. Natalie lives in Ohio with her amazing husband and their three children, who inspire her every day to stick with her dreams.
Excerpt:
Maggie parks the truck on the side of the road and palms her keys, turning sideways in her seat.
“We’re n-not friends anymore.”
This isn’t exactly shocking, but hearing it doesn’t feel good. I push away that aching hollow in my chest and try to find words.
“I know that. I just don’t know why.”
“I think I believe you,” she says. “But it doesn’t change anything. I c-can’t get into all the things that you did, b-but you made choices, Chloe. Maybe you don’t remember them now, but you made them.”
“And that’s just that? We’re not friends. And that’s forever.”
“I thought so for a long time,” Maggie says, and for the first time I can see the pain behind her eyes. Reddish blotches appear on the pale skin beneath her eyes. It is a telltale sign that she is upset.
She shakes her head then, and her face goes hard once more. “I d-don’t want to get into all of that right now. I’m n-not ready.”
I nod, but I’m not ready to let it go. Everything in me is clinging at this tendril of possibility now. “But maybe someday?”
My voice sounds pitiful, even to me. She turns away from me, looking out the window.
Question of the day (to be answered as a comment for an extra entry in the giveaway!):
I read most of this book in one sitting. What's that last book that captivated you so much you couldn't quit reading?
And now for the giveaway! As part of the tour, Natalie is giving away one signed copy of Six Months Later, a Starbucks gift card, and some swag! The difference with this giveaway from most is that the person with the MOST ENTRIES will win. That means each and every entry brings you closer to winning and there are TONS of ways to earn points! Just check it out on the Rafflecopter. :) Giveaway is US/CAN only and ends October 4th.
Other stops today:
Divergent Gryffindor -- Review
Jessabella Reads -- Review + Guest Post
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