3.5 stars

I had no idea what was going on at first for this book because some of it is from a dream-like state using symbolism or telling about things that you don't know the connection to until later in the book. One character is trying to figure out what happened in this altered state while another is trying to figure out the murder from clues in real life. Some parts are quite suspenseful and some are scary action. It definitely held my attention but the parts that tried to make the story have a lighter feel felt off to me. It's mostly mystery, even a tad on the thriller side, but it's also sad. I liked the story but it did leave me sad. Everyone getting together at the end seemed weird to be like a happily ever after or something, especially the reenacting. I was like what? I guess the author wanted to not leave the reader sad maybe? ( )

Basically an outstanding book, well written and well narrated, but it might be best to read the book before listening as the story line and plot are very involved. I love audiobooks, but when your attention drifts, you can get lost. This a SYNC title in the SORA app., and is not easy to move back and forth in. Donovan is basically in a coma and near death so his story is very confusing at times

On the night Donovan Turner is thrown out of a car on a highway in the middle of nowhere, he can barely remember his own name, let alone the past 24 hours. Where is he? Where is his girlfriend, Bee? In an attempt to flag down the next passing car, he startles the driver, causing a fatal accident. With sirens in the distance and the lingering feeling that he's running from something - or someone - Donovan grabs the dead driver's briefcase and flees. Meanwhile, Bee is fighting for Dono's life every bit as much as he is. But when the police show up and hint that he is the prime suspect in a murder, Bee is determined to put together the pieces of what happened and clear his name. With echoes of Dante's Divine Comedy, this harrowing journey through hell and back is a page-turning tale of guilt, retribution, love, and redemption. ( )

I was reluctant to start reading this book due to somewhat low ratings and negative comments in reviews. I need not have worried though. Once again I'm reminded not to be influenced by the ratings of others.

I actually liked this book and didn't find it confusing at all. It was a slightly different way of putting together the pieces of a mystery and leading the reader forward. The supernatural aspect overlapping the real world events was energizing to the storyline. The main character, Bea, made some poor choices - typical of her age -which raised the danger level and the suspense. The ending was a bit weak, but satisfying enough. ( )

Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: OK
Grades: 9-12
Optional Purchase

Donovan’s father was murdered and on the same night he was gravely injured in a hit and run. The police suspect that Donovan murdered his father and then stepped into the path of a vehicle to kill himself, but Bee doesn’t believe this and will do anything to prove that Donovan did not hurt his father or himself. Donovan’s body is unconscious in a hospital bed, but in his mind he is on a journey to answer some important questions about how he ended up in this state. Meanwhile, his girlfriend Bee sits by his side trying her best to interpret the garbled words and phrases he utters in his sleep.

From the very beginning, this book throws the reader off balance. Donovan’s journey seems realistic at first but soon takes a bizarre twist, and the reader is left to search for clues to what really happened in this fever dream spiked with memories. Part two of the book takes an unexpected left turn and becomes a much more plot driven, traditional, murder mystery novel. I appreciate when an author writing for teens puts a unique spin on a genre that can sometimes be filled with stock characters and cliches; however, it just didn’t work for me in the end. The two parts of the book were too disjointed in tone, and I didn’t like how the major turning point separating part one from part two happened off the page. One final gripe...some of the decisions that Bee makes in the second half of the book are throw the book across the room level of stupid.
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