Wild Awake

I have to admit - from the get go I was really intrigued about this one. The synopsis didn't 100% prepare me for everything this book was going to unleash, and that was in a good way, mostly. While I don't think Wild Awake is going to be the ultimate book for every reader, I think it is definitely a debut to give a chance.

Hilary T. Smith has an endearing writing style that will captivate readers. It just entices you to read more. There is a balance of humor within the rest of the story. There were just so many great lines!

Wild Awake is a page turner - that is for sure. I never wanted to stop flipping pages, always wanting to know what would happen next.

I definitely want to read more from Hilary T. Smith in the future. Wild Awake overall was a hit for me, and I am beyond intrigued to see what she will come up with next.

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.

What I Liked:
Wild Awake got so many rave reviews from trusted reviewers, but even so I was a bit hesitant to read the book. Reason one was that I'm not much interested in books on drug use. Reason two is that a couple of people mentioned the style was sort of stream of consciousness, which I tend not to enjoy. Thus, I decided the audiobook would be a good way to not be bothered by the latter but still check out the book. This was a good choice for me.

Kiri has been left alone for the summer while her parents go on a cruise. Her parents are seriously neglectful, because this Kiri spends the summer making terrible decisions: getting drunk, smoking pot, neglecting to practice for her piano recital, and mostly entering bad neighborhoods alone. Kiri has gone off the rails because she got a call from someone who said he had her dead sister's stuff. Since she idolized her sister Sukey, and learning so many things her family kept from her (like the fact that her sister was murdered and didn't die in a car crash) dredges up her emotions again and she's not prepared to handle that.

While I cannot say that I particularly liked Kiri, she did feel very real and very much like a teen. There was just something so naively unaware about Kiri and the way she approached life, and she did everything with so much sincerity. She truly had no idea that taking a whole bunch of pills after smoking pot and drinking alcohol was liable to end with her death. She just felt so young and innocent, even if she doesn't act that way most of the time. She and Skunk are the only ones who really get fleshed out, though, so I did feel like some of the characterization was lacking.

Oh man, and I thought Piz was a horrible name for a love interest. We have a new winner! Skunk. Stinks, doesn't it? (*insert groans here*) Anyway, I actually liked Skunk, nickname and smoking aside, and his real name is Philippe, so he does have one. The two of them are both bad news bears and need to get on the straight and narrow. I don't think I want them to date forever, but they both needed someone to help them through some issues, so it was a good time for them. I didn't even mind that they instaloved, because Kiri thinks so many things that aren't true are true that it just felt like being young and naive.

What Left Me Wanting More:
This is where the story really lacked for me. There wasn't really ever a big confrontation with her family. She has a bit of an emotional arc with her older brother when he comes home to find her nearly dead, but her parents come home and just order her to see some shrinks. Like, really? That's it. Ugh. I just felt like there should have been MORE with all of that, since the central issue was Sukey, but the focus was more on Kiri's romance with Skunk, which was a bit unfortunate.

How was the Narration?
The narration totally delighted me, because McManus' voice sounds a lot like Christina Ricci, so I was picturing the whole book as a movie starring a young Christina Ricci, who totally would have been boss at this roll. Ricci was one of my favorite actresses back in the day because she shares my first name and was the only one to get to kiss a cute boy in Now and Then (even if she did grow up to be Rosie O'Donnell). Anyway, McManus does a good job capturing Kiri's youthful idealism.