Monday, October 12, 2015

WE'LL NEVER BE APART by Emiko Jean

Rating: C+
Synopsis:
Murder. 

Fire. 

Revenge. 

That’s all seventeen-year-old Alice Monroe thinks about. Committed to a mental ward at Savage Isle, Alice is haunted by memories of the fire that killed her boyfriend, Jason. A blaze her twin sister Cellie set. But when Chase, a mysterious, charismatic patient, agrees to help her seek vengeance, Alice begins to rethink everything. Writing out the story of her troubled past in a journal, she must confront hidden truths.

Is the one person she trusts only telling her half the story? Nothing is as it seems in this edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller from the debut author Emiko Jean.


My thoughts on the book:
We'll Never Be Apart was a solid debut from Emiko Jean. The novel managed to keep me interested the entire time, and I was able to have sympathy for the main character. The writing was top notch, and the narrator's (Alice) voice was believable. The big reveal didn't shock me, though, and the Epilogue kind of bothered me. However, I did enjoy this book, and I'm going to attempt to write this review without giving anything away.

Alice was a great narrator. While I never trust narrators who are institutionalized, I couldn't help but sympathize with her. She'd had a horrible life, and it broke my heart to see what she went through. Chase was a great leading guy, too. It didn't take me long at all to warm up to him. He was a good guy, even though he was broken, and he just wanted to do what was right. The supporting characters, such as Donny (who had a mullet) the tech and the psychiatrist were also well-rounded and intriguing. 

Jean's writing was top-notch. The author really has a knack for great storytelling. The big reveal wasn't shocking; I had it figured out by the 20% mark, but I kept thinking and hoping that I was wrong. That hope kept me turning the pages. The novel was fast paced, and I flew through the pages. Some of the revelations were shocking, but the main one was not. I'm really glad that there are more books coming out that deal with mental health issues. It's so important for people to understand those with mental health problems, and I'm happy to see that more is being done to foster that understanding. The Epilogue was a big letdown, and I really hope that things don't end up the way the author hinted they would. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book to people who enjoy psychological thrillers. There were some parts of the story that turned my stomach a bit (some graphic violence), but for the most part, this novel was gritty without being too harsh. It dealt with some real life problems, and sometimes those are harder to take than fantastical problems. This wasn't a feel good book, but it was good nonetheless. It'll stick with me for awhile, that's for sure. 

Order We'll Never Be Apart

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