In Another Life
Author: C.C. Hunter
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 352
Publication: March 26th, 2019
Age Group: 13+
Purchase: Amazon Wednesday Books Barnes & Noble Book Depository
Jacket Copy Synopsis:
What would you do if your whole life was a lie and learning the truth could cost you your life?
From New York Times bestselling author of the Shadow Falls series comes C. C. Hunter’s new YA thriller about a girl who learns that she may have been kidnapped as a child, and must race to uncover the truth about her past before she winds up a victim.
Chloe was three years old when she became Chloe Holden, but her adoption didn’t scar her, and she’s had a great life. Now, fourteen years later, her loving parents’ marriage has fallen apart and her mom has moved them to Joyful, Texas. Starting twelfth grade as the new kid at school, everything Chloe loved about her life is gone. And feelings of déjà vu from her early childhood start haunting her.
When Chloe meets Cash Colton she feels drawn to him, as though they’re kindred spirits. Until Cash tells her the real reason he sought her out: Chloe looks exactly like the daughter his foster parents lost years ago, and he’s determined to figure out the truth.
As Chloe and Cash delve deeper into her adoption, the more things don’t add up, and the more strange things start happening. Why is Chloe’s adoption a secret that people would kill for?
Thoughts
I’d like to thank Wednesday Books for letting me be a part of the blog tour. My review is completely honest.
You guys know I’m a sucker for the cheesy romance with tension – both sexual and angst, some kissing, typical good looks, etc. The summary drew me in because of the concept between these two characters. I’ll say that it didn’t disappoint, but it did in some parts.
This book is about a girl named Chloe who moves to Joyful, Texas. I wonder if this place really exists, though. Anyway, she lives with her mom who is a cancer survivor and is extremely bitter over her illness and the fact that her husband (Chloe’s dad) cheated with a much younger woman. When Chloe attends her first day at a new school, she starts to interact with Cash, who believes she is a con woman trying to get money from his foster parents, who have had their child missing for fifteen years. But, here is the twist while these two team up to solve this mystery: is Chloe the missing child?
Let’s start off with the characters. I think they fit the typical gushy teen romance main characters. The girl has boobs, which is unfortunately mentioned quite a lot for some reason. She is pretty, there is a hard life going on, she is new. The guy, Cash, is a hard ass. He throws punches when he is pushed far enough, he is handsome and he has issues, too. These kind of characters, though, don’t turn me off. I love it because it’s always a different story as to how they get together and I eat up that tension. It just makes me swoon and root for the couple.
So, their relationship. I’ll admit that this is a total insta-love thing. Well, maybe more of an insta-attraction, if that exists. Chloe and Cash have a spark and some readers might think it’s only because Cash believes Chloe is the missing child and that is all they have in common. No, they learn a lot more about each other along the way. They have little arguments, they push each other mentally and logically, but the connection is just there. It’s angsty, romantic, sexy and I loved it. The insta-whatever wasn’t the best because I can’t really agree with that. Maybe that’s a personal thing, I don’t know.
Let’s get down to the stuff that turned me off and disappointed me. The storyline is great. I had my world tipped while reading certain parts. I read one scene in class and my mouth dropped open in shock. Thankfully, nobody saw me. But, I applaud C.C. Hunter for letting that happen. You gotta have some shock factor with these romances. What really disappointed me was the detailing and the flow of certain chapters. The detailing was off. Once a paragraph started or a scene started or even dialogue started, it would be cut abruptly and go to something else. It caused the flow to give me whiplash. Sometimes, it was too fast. I might be a hypocrite in saying this, considering my history with writing, but sometimes, it read like Fanfiction. Like, if you are still kind of new with Fanfiction but you are getting some of the skills together to not make it all happen in one chapter. Does that make sense? I mean, when I started Fanfiction years ago, my writing was crap. I grew and I look back at those stories and cringe, but I’m proud of how I have grown. But, this isn’t about me.
I loved the story all together, but sometimes, it just went too fast and too jumpy. The ending was really abrupt, too. If you were to see it on screen, it might last all of five minutes, give or take a few. This is why I gave it 3.5 stars, but this doesn’t mean I did not love the story. The story, I suppose, is more important. If you still feel some sort of connection or feeling with the story, I think you’ve accomplished plenty as an author and you’ve made a reader happy. I know I was with the outcome either way.
Reviews:
“Hunter deftly delivers a complicated back-and-forth point of view between Chloe and Cash, building suspense along with a steamy sense of attraction between the two teens.” – Kirkus
About the Author:
C.C. HUNTER is a pseudonym for award-winning romance author Christie Craig. She is lives in Tomball, Texas, where she’s at work on her next novel.
Christie’s books include The Mortician’s Daughter series, Shadow Fall Novels and This Heart of Mine.
