Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Wide Awake by Shelly Crane

Wide Awake
by
Shelly Crane

A girl.
A coma.
A life she can't remember.

When Emma Walker wakes up in the hospital with no knowledge of how she got there, she learns that she's been in a coma for six months. Strangers show up and claim to be her parents, but she can't remember them. She can't remember anyone. Not her friends, not even her boyfriend. Even though she can't remember, everyone wants her to just pick up where she left off, but what she learns about the 'old her' makes her start to wish she'd never woken up. Her boyfriend breaks up with the new girl he's dating to be with her, her parents want her to start planning for college, her friends want their leader back, and her physical therapist with the hazel eyes keeps his distance to save his position at the hospital.

Will she ever feel like she recognizes the girl in the mirror?

Okay, so this is how this review is going to happen... I'm going to tell you how amazing this book was, and then you who are reading this post are going to click on this link and purchase it. Get it?

Got it?

Good. Let's begin.

So picture this... You're sitting around on your couch, surfing around on your favorite social media site   mine happens to be Facebook, go figure   and suddenly this post pops up telling you that one of the books you've most anticipated for months is finally available for purchase, but you can't get it because you maxed out your book buying funds for the rest of the month. Dejection sets in and you find yourself pinning Voodoo dolls made to resemble the profile pics of all of those people in your news feed who aren't feeling the same level of pain as you are and are just gushing about how great the book is... Yeah, don't pretend you've never wanted to do it.  I see you. I know who you are. *giggles maniacally* 

So anyway, that was me, minus the Voodoo dolls, when Wide Awake released. Then, miracle of all freaking miracles, Shelly decided to host a giveaway in a group we're in together, and Fate shined her ever loving light on me and I was one of three winners to receive a copy of this book that I had been waiting on for half of my life. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I'll never tell you the truth. So, wham, bam, long story short and thank you ma'am, I'm in possession of Wide Awake, however, I'm in the middle of the final book in a trilogy that I'd been putting off reading for ages, so... I can't get to it yet. Well, a few short hours, and some ugly tears later, I'm finished and diving head first into Wide Awake. And let me explain something to you right.now.

It. Was. SO. Worth. The. Wait!!!

Holy bat shit!!! This. Book. Is. GOOD!!!

Shelly took my already screwed up emotions, and metaphorically said, "Stop sniveling, little girl, I'm going to wreck you. But in a good way." *insert evil plotting smile on Shelly's face*

So yeah, I was wrecked and it was more than I could ever thank her for. I can only dream of writing a story like that! Trust me, I've tried. It wasn't pretty, and that is why you will never read it. But you HAVE GOT TO READ THIS!!!!

Now for the hard stuff. 

Emma Walker is damaged, literally. This poor girl doesn't know who she is, who her parents are, or where the hell she even is. It's tragic, and confusing, and through the beginning stages of this story, the reader can't help but to be confused with her. The one thing she does know is the man standing over her when she first opened her eyes is the one person who is going to help her to function and to become the girl she's supposed to be. And Mason does exactly that. 

He never treats her like she can't do it, and he lets her fall apart when she needs it. He's patient and he's kind, and he doesn't push her to be someone she isn't, someone that she doesn't remember. For that, Emma is grateful.

Enter Emma's parents... Now look, I know that they mean well, and God knows that all they want is the daughter they lost back, but I really just wanted to knock the ever loving snot out of Isabella, Emma's mother. Rhett, Emma's father, well I cried for that man and though there was a point in the book when I wanted to hate him, I couldn't because he was just as lost as anyone. My heart broke more for Rhett than anyone else, though by the end of the book, I adored Isabella. See, even moms have redeeming qualities. Well, in Shelly Crane's books they do. 

Andy, he just gave me the creeps. Like literally, my skin crawled whenever he showed up. Ick.

But back to Mason... Mason was just perfection. Hot, hazel eyes, dark hair, tattoos... Mmm... Delicious. And he got it. He understood. He understood what Emma was going through, he understood that what she needed was to find herself, he understood her. And why did he understand, you ask? Well, read the book, you'll find out. I can't tell you everything. But he says things to Emma like, "It doesn't matter who you were or what you've done in the past. The only thing that matters is who you are right now," and you just know that he gets what she's going through, but then he says things like, "I want to kiss you when, if we go another second without it, one of us will combust," and you just have to hold on, because you know you're going to fall just as much in love with this guy as Emma is and trust me when I tell you that it is SO worth the fall. Whole E. Shit! God, it is good!

In all seriousness though, you really should not miss this book. It's absolutely incredible, and it is definitely one of those books that I wish I could go back and read again for the first time. The pace is perfect, the plot is heavy without being too dense, and the characters are flawless. The editing could use a small tweak here and there, but I think that some of that could have been formatting too, so we can let it slide. All in all, this book is high up there on my list of 2013 Must Reads, so you know, read it! However, if you hate it, then you're not my friend and I will disown you if you follow me on any social media sites. *wink*

Wide Awake gets my seal of approval, and FIVE BLUE BUTTERFLIES!!!!

Best wishes, and happy reading y'all!


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