Review Detail

I kept hearing the buzz about Wild Awake through friends,social media, and YA book talk. Wild Awake is not the type of YA book I pick up but over the summer I always like to try something new. I was impressed with this debut novel.

All in all, Wild Awake is a novel about grief and grief can make people do crazy things. At times the narration is messy and chaotic. I mean messy and chaotic in a good way. It makes the narration real. The stream of consciousness while disjointed is true to character. Krir's voice in authentic and Hilary T. Smith did a wonderful job touching about the range of emotions a young woman would go through. These emotions are not always clean cut and can be messy- but isn't that what real life is like?

Hilary T. Smith is a gifted writer and definitely knows how to draw a reader in and keep them engaged. I couldn't put this book down and read the entire novel one day at the beach. She provides an honest portrayal of a young teenage girl who has gone through more than anyone can imagine. By the end of the book the reader has delved deep into Kiri's mind-it isn't pretty and Kiri can be unlikeable at times. But this makes the book all the more interesting and addicting. Kiri is not sugar coated to fit a standard vision of what a young teen with a troubled history should be. The fact that Kiri is not always likable puts me in a love/hate relationship that I always love in books. It is this type of character that adds a little something extra to the story and makes the story memorable. This book leaves people with something to think about.

Wild Awake will leave you with lots to talk about. It is a unique book and one that will appeal to certain readers. But for those willing to take a risk- read Wild Awake. I think readers will be pleasantly surprised.