Somewhere Only We Know by Cheyanne Young
*This will also be posted on Goodreads.
**I got an ebook version of this to review from Xpresso Book Tours as a Review Opportunity.
BOOK DETAILS:
Title: Somewhere Only We Know by Cheyanne Young
Publication date: June 15th 2014
Genres: Romance, Young Adult
Synopsis
Sadie Bradford’s life is one anxiety attack after another. All she wants is to escape life’s realities for the summer and hang out with her best friend Aaron. But her grandmother has other plans: Sadie will get a job. Sadie will do volunteer work. Sadie will make new friends – friends without brain injuries that make them forget everything… friends that aren’t Aaron.
While Sadie struggles to survive her anxiety with all these new changes, she finds an escape when she dreams herself into the beautiful world of Isola Fiona. It’s a place that cures memory loss and anxiety. It’s a place where she and Aaron can fall in love.
But after dragging Aaron along with her to her dream world, things take a turn. Every time they return home, Sadie’s anxiety is a little better but Aaron’s memory is still gone. And Isola Fiona may not be much of a dream after all. As Sadie realizes that Isola Fiona is as real as her anxiety, she rushes to change the course of fate and make things right, but she may be too late…
***
The concept of this book, this story, is great, and the writing flowed well. You could tell the author did her research on depression, anxiety, and short-term memory loss, as Aaron and Sadie felt real and the information was correct. I don't know a whole lot about short-term memory loss, but everything made since while reading and there was some medical talk as well a few times that you would have had to research anyway. I actually really enjoyed reading about Aaron and Sadie, about how they both had problems to deal with and how they dealt with them. It was just an overall enjoyable read.
I like how Sadie had to get a job because her Grandma was worried, and how she made friends and got responsibilities and slowly got rid of her anxiety (mostly, and thanks to Isola Fiona as well). I like how Aaron and Sadie fit so well together, how they care about each other so much and are always there for another. I just really like their bond. I also like how Jeremy and Jaz fit in, even though they seem more like temporary characters now. Overall, I like the characters and the flow of the writing, and the story all together.
However, while I liked Isola Fiona, I feel like the world-building could have been better. I still have so many questions about Isola Fiona and Gideon, and all we really know about it is that it isn't a magic world that Gideon made and that you're stuck there forever. Who is Gideon, really? What happened to him? Where is Isola Fiona? How is it not a magic world? Why was it described as a scientific world made by Gideon? How is that possible? How do they get there in the first place? Does your soul go into the ring or something, to take you inside of it which could possibly be Isola Fiona? Or is it something completely different? How can you survive in a scientific world made by a man when said man is dead or at least has disappeared? I just wish we had more information on Isola Fiona. And more details about its appearance and workings as well, as all we really know is that the sky is black with no stars, there's many trees of which they hand bulbs on to put the fireflies they catch every year in, and that it has a place where you can come and go if you wear the ring until you start to glow. Who is in charge? How do they maintain control? How do they get food and water and how do they cook it?
Other than that, though, I really liked Somewhere Only We Know and I recommend this for lovers of romance, fantasy-like aspects, and YA books. I think most people would enjoy this book, and so I recommend it.
**
So, that's that. d:
~Sage
