Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards

Title: Six Months Later

Author: Natalie D. Richards

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: October 1, 2013

Source: ARC from publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

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?

As we all know by this point, I'm a sucker for anything contemporary, even better if there's an element of mystery or a bit of a twist thrown in. All that considered, Natalie D. Richards' Six Months Later sounded right up my alley. As it turned out, it was a story that hooked me and left me wanting to know exactly what was going on.

Chloe's always been the kind of person who put just enough effort in school to get by. It's not lie she was failing, but she also wasn't a star student. So for Chloe, falling asleep in study hall wasn't anything new. Waking up with six months of her life missing, on the other hand, that was unheard of. Now, Chloe is at the top of her class, dating Blake, the guy she's had a crush on forever, and she even has her pick of colleges. Except something doesn't feel right. She's no longer talking to Maggie, her best friend, and even though she's dating good guy Blake, Chloe feels safer around bad boy Adam. If only she could figure out what happened to her during those six months, Chloe might understand what she's supposed to do now.

Right form the start, the premise of Six Months Later caught my attention. A contemporary YA story with a twist AND a mystery? How could I possibly not want to read this book? And I" happy I did. While Six Months Later was what I hoped it would be, it was also different, and that was one of the best parts of the book. I didn't expect for things to start up so quickly: the first chapter was barely over and already, the six-month jump had happened. And from that moment on, I was completely hooked. I wanted to know what had happened in those six months just as much as Chloe did. I had my theories about it all, but for the most part, those just turned out to be completely wrong. But what truly made the story work was that its as told from Chloe's perspective. Because of that, the reader was in the same boat as Chloe: trying to piece everything together right alongside her. And I'll admit, it took me a while to clue in to what was actually happening.

I really liked Chloe. I loved how snarky she could get, but really that was just a way for her to hide how scared and confused she was about those missing six months. And I totally got that. I'm not sure I would have handled things quite as well as she did in the same circumstances. But in spite of everything, I really admired Chloe's determination and perseverance when it came to figuring out the truth about what had happened to her. And at least she had help, even if at times that help was a little reluctant, as Adam and Maggie tended to be. Even though she bugged me a little at first, I came around to Maggie pretty quickly and she really was a great friend. Adan I took a little longer to warm up to. He was supposed to be the bad boy but he gave off a better vibe than Blake. Because Blake just felt like a creep, while on the other hand Adam fell like he really cared about Chloe, even if had trouble showing it at times. But in the end, it all worked itself out.

Natalie D. Richards' Six Months Later was a fantastic story that kept me guessing the whole way through. Even now, after having finished the book, I'm still not quite sure I completely understand it all. But the story was totally worth the confusion it induced.