Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout Also by this author: Wait for You
Published by Disney-Hyperion on April 15, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Pages: 384
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Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.
Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.
But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?
We Jennifer L. Armentrout and are so excited that Don’t Look Back is finally out in paperback. Now we can have all of the versions on our shelves!
The 411:
Samantha wakes up one day far from home with no clue as how she got there or who she is. She has dissociative amnesia and is a stranger in her own life. She doesn’t like who she was or how she lived, so she tries to change, but not everyone is happy with these changes. After learning that her best friend, Cassie, went missing the same night she did, it’s even more important for Samantha to remember that night—especially when it seems like someone is trying to stop her from remembering.
What We Loved:
- We loved that it had us guessing at every turn.
- We loved that it wasn’t predictable. (except the part that was: mean girl turns nice)
- We loved the relationships, especially Samantha’s relationship with her twin brother, Scott, and Julie (who was Samantha’s ex-BFF) and Scott.
Um...Not So Much:
We didn’t love the overall “meh” that we felt when reading, or the fact that Samantha was hard to connect with. More on her in a sec.
The Boys:
Scott Franco. We Scott so much. He was the Best Brother Ever!
Carson Ortiz. He’s a fabulous book boyfriend. Since he’s the groundskeeper’s son, he’s not from Sam’s world. We love that he likes to take risks and the fact that he has flaws that don’t make him fit in with her crowd.
“You were my first kiss,” he said quietly.
“I was? Was it good? Were you my first kiss?”
“We were ten, so I’m hoping I was your first kiss.”
And…
“What if I don’t want you to be the good guy?”
“I want to be the good guy with you.”
Del. Samantha’s boyfriend before she lost her memories. We didn’t feel anything for him, honestly; he creeped us out. Zeroes all around for him.
The Girls:
Samantha Franco. We usually relate to the characters in some way but not with this character. We didn’t hate her, but we didn’t really connect with her, either. She was meh.
“I was stuck in a life I didn’t remember, squeezed into the shell of this girl – this Samantha Joe Franco – and the more I learned about her, the more I was starting to hate her.”
Cassie Winchester. The Best Friend who wanted everything Samantha had. She literally wanted to be her. And that’s all we can say about her.
What We Think Will Happen Next:
This is a stand-alone with a semi perfect, kinda cheesy ending. We really wish there was more, because we would love to see how Carson and Samantha handle their new relationship, and we want to see them in a college setting. You know JLA can do college romance like no other!
Bottom Line:
A story about second chances and finding out who you are when you don’t know anyone as well as you think you do, Don’t Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout wasn’t what we were expecting at all. In both good ways and bad ways. *nods*
Verdict:
| Rating Report | |
|---|---|
| Cover |  |
| Characters | |
| Plot | |
| Writing |  |
| Swoon | |
| Overall: | 3.5 |
I Legit agree with this whole review<33
LOL <3
Oh, I read & reviewed that book last. Overall meh is absolutely the right word! I fell in love with Scott, too, he’s such a lovely character! New book boyfriend for sure! Definitely liked the novel but the certain spark was missing I guess. Still love everything JLA though!
We love everything JLA, too. Sometimes she surprises us with her OMG awesome. Sometimes, it’s more like OMG Really?!? 🙂