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The Filipina Booknote
Hi I'm Ella! A piano teacher and a bookworm who found solace in fiction books and music.
Wide Awake
Originally posted at The Filipina BooknoteIt's funny how the mind chooses what it wants to remember.
A girl who woke up from a coma only to discover that she can't remember anything. Who she was, her family, friends, where she lived and that she's not a virgin anymore. Her parents, friends and people around her pressuring/expecting her to go back to somebody she doesn't recognize. And a therapist she had seemed to latch on because of an unknown connection she can't explain.
If you're looking for a book that has complex characters and story, then this is not what you're looking for.
This had a lot of potential, unfortunately it only lasted half of the book. At first, I thought this deserved at least a 4-point rating because it was really good at the beginning. The conflicts were slowly unfolding and it showed promise of a good story. The romance wasn't made hastily and it was written beautifully. The back story of her accident and why she's drawn to her therapist made me anticipate what really happened, and of course, the suspense of waiting to see if her memories will come back and what will happen then.
These were what made me excited to finish the book. How amazing it would have been if all these were answered right? Well. This is where things went a bit awry. I was expecting too much from this book after it laid down all these issues that it disappointed me a lot when I realized I already reached the ending. BAM! It just ended. It felt like it had no distinction whether it will be a light fluffy read or a heavy deep book. It felt in between and I was confused.
Don't get me wrong, all these were resolved towards the ending and every question was answered. However, it felt so abrupt that I'm not even sure if that was really the ending. It did end on a happy note because she ended up with the person she wanted to be with and the pressure of who she's going to be is gone, but in a way, it didn't felt like a happily-ever-after to me. The characters may have resolved everything, but I haven't. The book presented issues that could have been a deal breaker if only it was thoroughly settled.
I mentioned that the romance was really good in this book, but even this went amiss after a while. Both of them fell in love with each other despite having conflicting opinion on where their relationship's going to be. See, even this started a whole new conflict for the story! I wish this had a sequel. (I saw on Goodreads that it has a sequel but it features a different story.)
Where the story went might have disappointed me but there's one thing that I liked from start to end, Mason. His character was very like-able despite some discoveries that might make you think of him otherwise. He was older than Emma and he acted his age. He was matured and acted like it. I had a lot of negative theories regarding his relationship with the main character and what happened to her and I was glad that none of it came true. Shelly Crane created a character that's dreamy not just for his looks but also because of his values that never wavered even in the middle of a very tempting kiss. He's every mother's wish for a son-in-law, I swear. He's considerate about others and his needs will always come last. I fell in love with him too.
Wide Awake wasn't a bad read overall. Yes it was disappointing for me but it doesn't mean others won't enjoy this. I still enjoyed reading this despite all these issues, it was just a let down to see a good story go askew. If you're looking for a light read with no deep story and over-complicated past then this is for you, but if you're looking for a mind blowing twist then maybe schedule this for another day.
I want to commend the author because she finished writing this book despite her own health issues.
