Review: Reclaimed by Sarah Guillory

Synopsis:

Jenna Oliver doesn’t have time to get involved with one boy, let alone two.

All Jenna wants is to escape her evaporating small town and her alcoholic mother. She's determined she'll go to college and find a life that is wholly hers—one that isn't tainted by her family's past. But when the McAlister twins move to town and Jenna gets involved with both of them, she learns the life she planned may not be the one she gets.

Ian McAlister doesn't want to start over; he wants to remember.

Ian can’t recall a single thing from the last three months—and he seems to be losing more memories every day. His family knows the truth, but no one will tell him what really happened before he lost his memory. When he meets Jenna, Ian believes that he can be normal again because she makes not remembering something he can handle.

The secret Ian can’t remember is the one Luke McAlister can’t forget.

Luke has always lived in the shadow of his twin brother until Jenna stumbles into his life. She sees past who he’s supposed to be, and her kiss brings back the spark that life stole. Even though Luke feels like his brother deserves her more, Luke can’t resist Jenna—which is the trigger that makes Ian's memory return.

Jenna, Ian, & Luke are about to learn there are only so many secrets you can keep before the truth comes to reclaim you.

MY THOUGHTS: 

4 out of 5 stars

Several weeks ago, I was lucky enough to win this book through a contest hosted by Liza Wiemer on her blog, WhoRuBlog.  Based on her own reviews, I found myself drawn to the premise of Reclaimed and out of all the books she offered, this book was the one that I said I wanted.

I chose right.

Now, while I didn't grow up with the same family dynamic as Jenna, I could appreciate her absolute desire to escape the small town where she grew up.  I made that promise to myself early on and as I read her thoughts and her plans for her life, I felt like I was able to completely relate to where she was coming from.  

Even with the obstacles thrown her way, Jenna is on the right path...all she has to do is survive the summer and her senior year in High School.  That's it.  Easy peasy, right?

You'd think so.

When the McAlister family comes to town, lets just say that Jenna's straightforward path gets a little bit murky. 

First, there is Ian.  Sweet, swoony, smart Ian.  He plays football, makes good grades, and even with the fact that he can't remember some of his past, there is something about him that draws Jenna in.  Falling for Ian is something that looks like it is going to happen.

Until Jenna finds out about Luke.

Like so many of us, Jenna finds herself intrigued by the bad boy.  After spending so much of her life being good, it is hard for her to resist the allure, the mystery, the unf...even as she constantly reminds herself that she needs to stay away.

And she tries, she really does.  

Until she can't. 


I read lots of books, so it isn't often that I am completely blindsided by a twist or a turn in the plot.  Yeah...I was completely not expecting what happened to happen.  I mean, I was sitting in my car reading in the carpool line when THE MOMENT was revealed and I felt a little like this:

 and then like this:

   and then this:

 

   Now, I don't need to remind you of my no-spoiler policy, so don't even ask.  But I completely mean it when I say that I was blindsided.  And I LOVED IT!

Please, I need somebody to go get this book and read it and then come find me so we can talk about it.  Because for real, I need to talk about it with somebody that has read it.

The way the author describes the town, the emotions, the relationships in Reclaimed...GAH, she can tell a story.  And she did it all without giving anything away.  Did I mention that I was blindsided?  I'm gonna need Sarah Guillory to go write more things so I can read them all.  

Go get this book today and read it and then come tell me what you think.  I'll be waiting.