The quick cut: A 17 year old guy wakes up in the hospital to discover he was in a car accident with his girlfriend, who has disappeared.
A real review:
A car accident is always a traumatic experience. Car damage, injuries, and insurance exchanges always seem to get complicated, plus expensive. For 17 year old Hunter, the traumatic part is not remembering what happened and wondering where his girlfriend Chloe went.
Hunter and Chloe were a high school couple very much in love. So when Hunter wakes up in the hospital the night of homecoming with no recollection of how we got there or where Chloe is, all he can think about is finding her. When the cops interview him and the public starts to turn against Hunter, he only becomes more determined to find her. What happened to Chloe? He didn't do something to his girlfriend, right?
This is the author's first young adult novel and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Poor Hunter just tries to do what he can to find Chloe and ends up making himself look guilty in the process. Between the public turning on him and the anecdotal witnesses telling him that Chloe was worried Hunter would do something rash, I can't blame the guy for feeling attacked.
Hunter very much portrays a teenager in love and seeing him bewildered at what he doesn't remember is a large portion of the suspense. His behavior as told by others from that night is so unusual for him - of course he'd start to doubt himself. Seeing that internal struggle play out and his dedication to finding Chloe makes me as a reader want him to find a happy ending.
I really thought I knew what happened that night fairly early and I'll admit I got it partly right. There is a twist late in the story that felt a little convenient just to make it interesting, but it still makes the ending more unpredictable. I wish there were more clues though.
An interesting suspense novel with a dedicated male hero at the core.
My rating: 4.5 out of 5