Review: SIX MONTHS LATER by Natalie D. Richards

Title: Six Months Later

Author: Natalie D. Richards

Publication date: October 1, 2013

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: an ARC provided by the author for an honest review

Chloe didn't think about it much when she nodded off in study hall on that sleepy summer day. But when she wakes up, snow is on the ground and she can't remember the last six months of her life. Before, she'd been a mediocre student. Now, she's on track for valedictorian and being recruited by Ivy League schools. Before, she never had a chance with super jock Blake. Now he's her boyfriend. Before, she and Maggie were inseparable. Now her best friend won't speak to her.

What happened to her? 

And why can't she remember?

Review: 

First line: I'm sitting next to the fire alarm, and my best friend is going down in flames. 

Apparently, I've been on a twisted book kick, gravitating more towards books that have a "figure me out" synopsis. I still started this one with trepidation, but there was no need, I didn't suddenly grow immune to twisting plots or mysteries. 

Imagine it's late May, junior year is ending, and you decide to take a quick nap in the library. What's the harm? Of course, you can see the harm when you wake up and it's snowing outside. Additionally, when you wake up, you suddenly realize that there's a lot that's happened in those six months. Oh, like, your best friend hates you, your parents think you're an amazing student, you're dating the guy you've had a crush on for forever, and you have this mysterious relationship with the "bad boy" in school. Bye, bye, sanity. 

The Good: 

• The writing. Natalie Richards does a great job of conveying Chloe's panic without being over the top or annoying. I didn't feel as if the plot started veering off to a subplot, like romance, but I felt like Richards made Chloe realistic with her reactions.
• The mystery. There were a few things I guessed at in the beginning, but for the majority of my questions, I was mainly left in the dark until the end. We're given a few answers to satisfy us, but enough mystery is left to keep us coming back for more. 
• The flashbacks. When they're not overdone, I personally love flashbacks. As she's regaining her memory, and spending more time with Adam, she has flashbacks, showing her a little peek into the forgotten six months. They didn't overwhelm the story nor were they useless, making it exciting when she had another flash. 
• Chloe. While I didn't fall in love with all the characters, I do have to give props to Chloe. She wasn't a whiny, annoying girl who makes your head throb, which can be the possibility in these kind of stories. She was resourceful and determined to uncover the truth, not being naive in who to trust as so many YA main characters typically do. I easily could imagine myself doing the same things to find out what happened to me in the last six months. 

The Meh: 

• The romance. Right off the bat, I had a bad feeling about Blake, a feeling I think everyone who has read this book had. However, while I wanted to like and cheer for Adam, I couldn't. He was okay and definitely the better choice between the two, but did I like him? No. Did I hate him? No. He was meh. Personally, their whole romance was meh. While I really can't say anything more about either "love" interest, I do have to give at least one point in favor for Adam being the "bad boy" because that alone gives the possibility of swooning. Note: Anyone else think of the "I'd like it if he could be wicked, but wouldn't" Anne Shirley quote? 
• Maggie. Another character I really wanted to like, but she fell too short for me to do so. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to explain why because that would involve me revealing spoilers. But I felt Maggie was unjustified in her actions and was too unforgiving considering the circumstances. 

Verdict: A suspenseful, keeps-you-guessing debut that didn't disappoint and it had a really amazing concept. 

Note: Blogger keeps messing up my fonts/spacing. Please excuse this. Does anyone know how to change the line spacing?