Dead to You by Lisa McMann

Title: Dead to You

Author: Lisa McMann

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: February 7, 2012

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Some memories are best left untouched.

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family.

It’s a miracle…at first.

Then the tensions start to build, and his family starts falling apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he’d be able to put pieces back together.

But there’s something that’s keeping his memory blocked.

Something unspeakable…

Until I read Dead to You, I had heard plenty about Lisa McMann but had never actually read any of her books. But once I started reading, I pretty much read the whole book in one sitting. I'm definitely glad I've finally picked up a Lisa McMann book. 

For nine years, Ethan lived with a woman who wasn't his mother. But Ethan doesn't really remember having any other life. That's because when he was seven years old, Ethan was abducted from his front yard an all his memories from before that time seem to be blocked. Now sixteen, Ethan is reunited with his family and everything is going great. At first. But not long after Ethan's return, things start to take a turn for the worst. Right when Ethan starts feeling at home with his family, his younger brother starts doubting that Ethan isn't who he says he is. And from there, everything spirals downwards. But unless Ethan can remember his life from before the abduction, non one will know the truth.

I am very happy that I have now discovered what a fantastic writer Lisa McMann is. Dead to You was an incredible book. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading, and I just couldn't seem to put the book down. Every time I told myself I would stop after just one more chapter, I found myself reading on and on. It was just that good. The way Lisa McMann wrote the story, I couldn't help but want to find out more about everything that was going on. A lot of that also had to do with the fact she decided to tell the story from Ethan's perspective. This way, the reader would get as frustrated with everything as Ethan, and would want to understand what was going on as much as him. And the ending was great, though I'm not sure I was fully satisfied by it. A few weeks later I'm still sort of trying to make sense of it.

With this book, it's really hard to say anything about the characters, mainly because the story focuses mostly on Ethan and how he's reacting to being back with his family after nine years of being away. But that doesn't mean that Ethan wasn't an interesting character, because he really was. I loved that even though he was the one telling the story, there was still a lot of mystery surrounding him because he was missing some of his memories. I really enjoyed puzzling everything out at the same time as he did. But I also really liked finding out more about him and just getting to know him. He was definitely the most important part of the story. Ethan's family was also interesting, but I felt like I didn't know enough about them. But at the same time, knowing more about them would have completely changed the story.

Overall, Dead to You was an incredible story and I'm happy I've now discovered Lisa McMann as a writer. If you're in the mood for a mystery and a thriller, I definitely recommend you pick up Dead to You and give it a chance.