Book Nerds Across America

Lisa McMann is known for the Wake Series; however this book takes a whole different perspective from that series.  The Book Nerds were very excited about reading this book and each (of course) of us have different opinions about it.

Mary's Review

I finished this book in no time.  It was a quick read.  First, I had to get through the first few chapters, they seems to drag a bit and there was a lot of "fillers", at least that is what I thought.  However, I am so glad that I kept reading this.  It was outstanding. 

At the age 7, Ethan was kidnapped from his home.  His family goes through this whirlwind trying to find him, but they never did. Until he is 16 and he returns.  He goes back to his Mom, Dad, brother Blake, and his baby sister Gracie.  Then his "girl-friend" Cami, whom he becomes close too.  The problem is that he does not remember a lot before the kidnapping.  It almost made me think that his mind was earased. I truly felt so bad for Ethan because everything was being thrown at him at once.  He was trying to take it all in but it was so hard for him. 

This book had so many twist and turns and I loved it!! The ending was nuts though and I was thinking that it was going to be turned into a series.  However, when I finished the book I tweeted Lisa McMann (I was unsure if she would reply because she is so popular) but she did:

I can still say that I an shocked that it is a stand-alone but it is one book that you will not forget anytime soon!

Jacque's Review:

The story is told from Ethan's point of view.  We can hear all of his thoughts, which were typical of any 16 year-old boy.  He is moody, full of hormones, and trying to deal with a very difficult situation.  I thought the interactions between Ethan and his brother were very realistic given the circumstances, so I felt bad for both of them.  I also enjoyed the relationship that developed between Cami (a neighbor girl he was friends with before the abduction) and Ethan.  Cami was a great source of support for Ethan as he tried to integrate himself back into a life he had completely forgotten.

The problem I had with this book likely comes from the fact that I have a son who just turned 7.  I couldn't comprehend how Ethan could not remember his house, his family, or any of his friends.  My son can remember things from past family vacations, friends from pre-school, etc.  Something did not add up, but I couldn't figure out why.  What sort of trauma did this child endure for him to COMPLETELY forget his past? 

Mary alluded to the ending.  I will not spoil it for those who have not read it, but I personally did not care for it.  I would have given this book 4* until the last few pages. I ultimately decided to give it 3*.  One scene brought the book from "I REALLY liked it" to "I liked it" according to my goodreads definitions.  I was in a state of shock.  The ending was so abrupt and I wasn't prepared for it.  Perhaps I should have seen it coming, but I didn't.


Teri's Review:  

 Ugg this book. I mean I really liked it...yet I hated it also. I will say the story is fascinating , it kept me reading all one afternoon and I don't think I put it down once. The tension surrounding Ethan's family when he come's back after being away for so long was felt in this book. The love of his little sister for him, he called her the replacement child and the hate of his brother, who was there the fated day that he disappeared. His brother remembers every detail of Ethan getting into the car and leaving. Ethan however remembers nothing of it, actually he remembers very little of his life before his " new" mother. We read Ethan's struggles at trying to remember details especially about the girl he was so close to as a child. He has now fallen in love with her, but his brother also has somewhat of a crush on her causing alot of tension between the two. The twists in this book keep coming..and they keep you reading, but the ending..oh the ending...it left me sitting there, holding the book and saying WTF....


Flo's Review

I wanted my review to be as unspoiled as possible by other reviews, so I have not read any -- not even the other BookNerds’ -- as I write this. This is one of the most difficult books I’ve ever had to evaluate. Why? Because -- it didn’t take long to read. It was literally a page-turner. I read the majority of it on a plane, where I’d planned to go to sleep, but couldn’t make myself stop reading. Usually, this means at least a 3 star (out of 5) book for me -- if not 4 or 5. But in order to rank a book that highly, I have to feel that I liked it enough to encourage other people to read it…and I don’t know that I did. I don’t know that You, Blog Reader, should go read this book. It’s an interesting study in just how important book endings are. I was SO unsettled by the ending. So so unsettled. I literally re-read it about 8 times to make sure I understood what happened. It left me very distressed. But even with that…I can’t say it was a good ending, or a bad ending. It just disturbed me. And that is about all I can say about this book. My final verdict: I don’t know. I just don’t know what to think.