Hmm... This was a really fast book for me after Cam discovered a whole new world. I really like the idea of this book. He gets to see his dead girlfriend and gets a new friend. It's all sorts of sad too though. It's a really strange story and I liked it that way. ( )

review originally posted here

Do you remember the last book that you wished and hoped for? That you wanted, just wanted to be fantastic . . . and then when you finally read it actually was? It was maybe even better than you were expecting?

That's what Emily Hainsworth's Through to You was for me. I'd been dying to read this one and then it lived up to all of the (created by me) hype.

Camden "Can" Pike feels as if the only good thing in his life is gone now that his girlfriend Viv has died. Out of football after an injury, his parents divorced and his father gone, Viv was the one there to see him through his pain - to show him he didn't need football or the popularity it brought. They had each other.

But now she's gone.

Visiting the site of their car accident - deadly for her, not for him - one night, Cam sees a girl. Only she's not really there. The girl, an apparition, a ghost, isn't Viv, either.

She's Nina. Not a ghost, as she tells Cam, but from another world. A parallel world where Viv is alive.

How crazy it all sounds doesn't matter to Cam, all that matters is that there's somewhere where Viv is alive.


But as he goes to Nina's world, he finds that more than Viv's mortality is different there. The Cam and Viv there have made different choices, gone down different paths. The Viv he encounters doesn't seem to be the same girl he remembers from his world.

With Nina keeping secrets from Cam and the opening between their worlds likely temporary, will Cam find the what he's looking for? Will he find the Viv he lost months ago? Will he see the truth in things - in both worlds - even if it hurts?


Through to You makes excellent use of the parallel worlds. They're not exact replicas of each other nor are they so vastly different that you're left wondering what they have in common. They're two worlds, with the same town, same people who have gone down different paths in life. It's a great way to present things to the main characters - the different outcomes slightly different choices could or would have created.



Hainsworth has created exceptionally strong characters. From the main characters of Cam, Nina and Viv to the more secondary characters of Mike and Owen. They're well developed characters who all bring something great to the book and leave you feeling for them.

I love that this isn't a book that makes the end obvious. If you're like me, you'll be hoping certain things will - or won't - happen and some of them will - and won't - but Hainsworth does an excellent job of the story going up and down with Cam. It wouldn't make sense for him to have everything figured out right away - he's still grieving and then amazed at finding Viv. It's a lot for him to take in and then deal with. The progression going up and down with his emotions, etc flows well. Even if it leaves the readers hoping he'll see what they can, but he can't.

The ending wasn't quite what I was expecting but I think it fits perfectly for the story, I wouldn't change a thing.

In fact, the only thing I really would change about Through to You is the amount of smoking. I understand the initial smoking in the car, but Cam's mother is always smoking, and several other characters/mentions. It just seemed unnecessary.

This is one book where the plot is fantastic - parallel worlds, grieving, finding your lost love in said parallel world, possibly having to choose a world - and the characters are equally strong if not stronger. Whether you're a character girl (or guy) or a plot girl (or guy), Through to You has it.


Rating: 9/10

(digital copy received from Harper through Edelweiss for review)

Cam and his girlfriend Viv have each other, and what more could they possibly need? Everything seems to be going well, and then Viv dies in a car accident that Cam feels responsible for. Cam is heartbroken and can't seem to move forward in his life. He visits Viv's shrine everyday, he dreams of her at night, and he replays the accident throughout the day. One evening as he is visiting the shrine, he sees a girl who looks ghostly. He doesn't know what to make of it; the girl doesn't look like anyone he knows, nor does it appear to be Viv. Cam wonders if he is going crazy, but then he realizes the girl is real, and from another dimension. Cam follows Nina into her world, and he sees what he has longed to see for two long months: Viv, alive. But as Cam interacts with Viv in "her" world, he discovers that it all looks the same, but underneath, it is really very different. For a first novel, Through to Me is not a bad book, but it felt to me that the plot didn't really move. Nothing much exciting happened until the last few chapters; it was just a lot of going back and forth between the two dimensions, and a lot of teen love story gone bad. The characters seemed a little shallow. I liked the idea of the two dimensions, which is always intriguing to me; I often wonder if there is another world that is parallel, or what would happen if one different decision was made. This book explored the teen love story, but not the interaction of the dimensions, which would have been interesting. Overall not a bad read, but a little too teen lovey-dovey for me. ( )

Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Publisher for Honest Review
Reviewer: Me



Through to You is a tale of love, grief, and sacrifice. The unrelenting pain a person goes though when a loved one is suddenly ripped from their life. At first glance, Through to You is a love story, but at its core is a heart-pounding mystery that spans two universes. An extremely dark tale of what may happen if a person is given a second chance at love.

Camden Pike, our main character, is struggling with the loss of his football career, a father who left him, a mother who is barely around, and his true love Viv who died in an accident he believes is his fault. But all that seems to change when he meets Nina, a girl from a parallel world who claims to know him. Try as he might, and despite Nina’s pleas, Camden cannot stay away from this other world, and the life he feels should have been his. And things really begin to look up when he discovers the Viv in this universe is alive and misses him as desperately as he misses her. Unfortunately for Camden, as he soon discovers, the grass is not always greener on the other side, or in this case…the other world.

I thoroughly enjoyed Through to You. Although, the first ten or so chapters were a lot to take in as a reader, I was surprised by the mystery and intrigued by all the characters. Camden was in a tremendous amount of pain, and that pain was hard to read at times. If you have ever lost someone it shouldn't be hard to relate to his suffering. However, if you can take a step back from that and get to the meat of the story which is a fantastic mystery, I guarantee you’ll be surprised by how much fun is wrapped up in the novel.

Overall, I recommend Through to You to readers who love a good mystery with a splash of romance. There is quite a bit of adult language used throughout the story so parents should definitely read this one first before lending to their teenagers. I also recommend it to anyone dealing with grief and loss because it does teach a valuable lesson about forgiving one’s self, letting go of the past, and moving on to a brighter future.
( )

REVIEW: 4-STARS **** This Debut Author has come blazing through the starting gate- with a Intriguing, Captivating, Beautiful, Smart, and Thought Provoking story* After reading this book I knew I had to write a review the same night- Everything about this book screams for me to give it 5 stars- I love it, but something is holding me back that I'm not sure I understand fully yet. Something that has to be small is missing in this story- which happens often, but the difference is I'm sure this Author can deliver what's needed..... All around this is an amazing story and Highly Recommended- Amazing plot, Perfect Pacing, Beautifully Written, Fantastic Characters, Stunning Ending, and total Movie Material.... About a quarter of the way in I thought that maybe this book isn't for me and I started to lose some interest but not for long... I'm so happy I didn't dwell on it and pushed right through- Though I thought this book was missing a little something at the same time the Author also delivered more than some by not over describing and filling this awesome story with non-sense. The Characters were full of life for me- likable- and they developed well throughout the story. I loved the twists in this plot- not that I saw them all coming- I did figure out the first major twist... Viv was a little to accepting of the other world for me and it's seems like a little more exploring would have brought this story around more. The Ending was stunning with the right amount of suspense. The Author leaves room for the reader's mind to wonder, which I enjoyed. I would love to read more from this Author and will keep my fingers crossed that a sequel will come. I'm so happy I had a chance to read this book- It's a great addition to the shelves and I HIGHLY recommend it... ;) Reesa*** http://reesasbookblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-through-to-you-by-emily.html ( )