Wake

Reader reviewed by Cowgirl

Janie is almost normal, the one thing that separates her from everyone else is her ability to be inside of other peoples dreams. At first she sees it as a terrible thing, and regrets it happening. However, things get more difficult the higher grade she enters and when she starts working at the nursing home to earn money for college. When a lady at the nursing home dies, she also leaves Janie a note about her dreams and a good hunk of money for college. Janie learns that its not so bad to be in other peoples dreams, and she even learns how to help them out in their dreams. She even figures out how to use them to help solve a mystery that involves drugs. Throughout the story, Janie also has to struggle through boy problems and they learn some important things about each other. What will happen with the rest of the story? Thats for you to find out!


I enjoyed reading "Wake" it was one of those books that you constantly are reading! However, after finishing, I was asking myself "what were the main points of the story?" However, I still really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading "Fade!"

Also pulished by myself on my Young Adult book blog: http://booksforteensreviews.blogspot.com/

Reader reviewed by Jessica

Unbelievable and a glorious page turner, "WAKE" keeps the reader captivated throughout each page of the book. It is impossible to stop reading once you start and even more impossible not to fall in love with the characters that Lisa McMann develops throughout the novel.

Each page builds up the action and the mysterious intrigue until it all crashes down at the end, filling the reader with too many thoughts to manage at once. Unbelievable and wonderfully written. It will leave you begging for more.

Reader reviewed by abscae

In its entirety, Wake felt exactly like a dream. Luminous and mesmerizing, when I was done with the novel, I was in a complete dream state: hypnotized slightly and barely grasping that wonderous feeling of an out of world experience. The story itself is written in such a manner that left that feeling behind.

Janie's dreams are nightmares, for instead of dreaming only hers, she is pulled into the dreams of anyone else sleeping nearby as well; and she never gets a break from them. Not all of them are normal dreams though. There's one dream, more of a nightmare, where the monster is after her. And it's all in Cable's dream, him being this guy that has suddenly caught Jaime's eye.

Fast-paced with spurts of energy, this novel proved to be monumental. If you have time, read this one.

Reader reviewed by Kayla (Midnight Twilight)

Janie is just like every other seventeen year old, except that she gets sucked into other peoples dreams. She's been in almost every type of dream; the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, the sex-crazed dreams, and the horrible drowning death dreams. She has to keep this power a secret for fear of them thinking she's crazy. The dreams are fine for her to deal with, but the nightmares are starting to kill her. One night she falls into a horrible nightmare and for the first time for Janie she is not only watching the dream--she is a part of it.

Usually after i read an amazing book like the Host was any other book i read right after pales in comparison. Which is why i was surprised when i was drawn into Wake so quickly and fully. The characters are amazingly portrayed, and her "powers" of going into other peoples dreams were very understandable. I never wanted this book to end, yet i finished it in 1 day. I can't wait until the next two books in the series come out.

Reader reviewed by hillary

Janie has always been sucked into the dreams of whoever is near her. She can't help it, it's uncontrollable and unpredictable, and she wants it all to stop. But it's been happening to her ever since she could remember. It's more of a burden then a gift really, especially with the nightmares. You think dreaming them is bad, imagine what Janie feels like. But somehow she keeps it together and is quite sane for a person with problems like hers.

Then there's this guy at her school. He always sleeps during her study halls. When she gets sucked into his dreams it's not a pretty picture. His are possibly the worst nightmares. Then she gets to know him. And for the first time in her life, she has her own dream...and he's in it.

Will Janie ever be able to control her problem?

I thought that Wake was a fantastic book. I was totally captivated for beginning to end. It was fabulously written. The characters were great. I could very easy compare them to real people that I know. (I know a few Melissas!) I would recommend it to anyone. Which I pretty much all ready have. My best friend got the book too and she told me she really liked it also.

The sequel is coming out sometime next year...maybe. Amazon was once again withholding valuable information. Why do they do this to me? Whatever, I can live without knowing. That way I won't be creepily counting down until then like I'm doing with multiple other books.

Reader reviewed by Kelsey

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, and the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime. She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control. Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant...


Wake was the novel I was waiting to read. I've heard good things and I've heard OK things. I loved the story line but I hated the point of view Miss McMann made. The characters where so real and deliberate. The family lives felt standoffish in a good way. Although I wish there was a bit more description and detail to the story. As I said, I'm not a big fan on the point of view the author wrote with but in the end, I didn't really care.


I loved it a lot and can't wait until Lisa McMann's sequel to Wake, Fade, comes out in February '09.

Reader reviewed by ambeen

Wake is an amazing first novel from Lisa McMann. The premise and plot for the story grabbed me from the beginning. I was truly invested in Janie and her abilities to enter other people's dreams. I did not want to put the book down for a minute.

The dynamic between Janie and Cabel was great. They fit perfectly together and just meshed real well in the story. Wake moves quickly with few lulls in the fast pace the story takes. I will definitely looking forward to the sequel, Fade, to be released sometime in 2009.

In the sequel, I hope to see better explanation of the dream catcher's abilities. There were many questions Janie asked (and several I could ask as well) that were not answered in the book, so hopefully any confusion about how Janie's and others abilities work will be answered in the sequel.

Reader reviewed by Hillary

Janie has always been sucked into the dreams of whoever is near her. She can't help it, it's uncontrollable and unpredictable, and she wants it all to stop. But it's been happening to her ever since she could remember. It's more of a burden then a gift really, especially with the nightmares. You think dreaming them is bad, imagine what Janie feels like. But somehow she keeps it together and is quite sane for a person with problems like hers.

Then there's this guy at her school. He always sleeps during her study halls. When she gets sucked into his dreams it's not a pretty picture. His are possibly the worst nightmares. Then she gets to know him. And for the first time in her life, she has her own dream...and he's in it.

Will Janie ever be able to control her problem?

I thought that Wake was a fantastic book. I was totally captivated for beginning to end. It was fabulously written. The characters were great. I could very easy compare them to real people that I know. (I know a few Melissas!) I would recommend it to anyone. Which I pretty much all ready have. My best friend got the book too and she told me she really liked it also.

The sequel is coming out sometime next year...maybe. Amazon was once again withholding valuable information. Why do they do this to me? Whatever, I can live without knowing. That way I won't be creepily counting down until then like I'm doing with multiple other books.

Reader reviewed by Megan

Wake, by Lisa McMann, brings us headfirst into the life of Janie. Her story begins at the age of eight, when she first thinks that there is something strange going on with her: she can see peoples dreams. Sounds like fun? Maybe to some people, it would be. But when you can not pick and choose when you go into a dream or whose dream it is, then it becomes less fun. You tend to learn a lot about people this way. For instance, she learned that her hateful girl classmate dreams about having sex with her best friend& ahem, her best girl friend. That same friend dreams about the death of her little brother. And, one dream hits her the hardest the one of a boy turning into something with knives for fingers, trying to chase away a man catching him on fire. She finds out later that this dream belongs to none other than Cabe, the boy who also dreams about Janie& holding Janie, kissing Jamie. She gets tangled up in these dreams, but after the death of one of the elderly at the place where she works, she learns that she can help people in their dreams. The other thing she learns is not so pretty the old man trying to catch the boy on fire in Cabes dream& really happened.
Lisa McMann is such an amazing author! I can not wait to get my hands on the sequel to Wake, called Fade. This book was definitely worth reading.

Reader reviewed by courteney123

This book was really good... and very original. Jannie lives on the poor side of town and as if that's not bad enough, she gets pulled into people's dreams and she can't controle it. She's never let anyone know about this but she finally spills ... GREAT BOOK!!! I can't wait to see the following book FADE !!! I definetly recommend for all those who like an author who dosn't describe much and gets to the point and for those who wish they could see what others are dreaming.