FFBC’s Six Months Later Blog Tour, Excerpt, & Giveaway!

 

 

 

Synopsis:   Forgetting changed her. Remembering might destroy her.   Chloe didn't think about it much when she nodded off in study hall on that sleepy summer day. But when she wakes up, snow is on the ground and she can't remember the last six months of her life. Before, she'd been a mediocre student. Now, she's on track for valedictorian and being recruited by Ivy League schools. Before, she never had a chance with super jock Blake. Now he's her boyfriend. Before, she and Maggie were inseparable. Now her best friend won't speak to her.   What happened to her? And why can't she remember?

Today I am hosting a stop for The Fantastic Flying Book Club’s Six Months Later Blog Tour! Check out the rest of the tour by clicking here.

Source: NetGalley
Expected Publication: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Purchase Link: B&N | Amazon
 Book Depository | Kobo | IndieBound

 

What can I say about Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards?  It was such an enjoyable read. Once I began reading, I didn’t want to stop until I was finished with the book.  

I could sympathize with Chloe almost immediately. She felt like a real not super annoying teenager just trying to figure out what happened to her during those missing months she cannot recall.

I love reading mysteries, especially ones with a solid story line and a unique twist. This story has exactly that. The mystery surrounding Chloe and how something like this could happen to her is what first drew my attention to this book.

When Chloe wakes up she rightfully freaks out and tries to piece together what happened. As she begins to remember, she experiences flashbacks that give her clues to the past missing six months.

Flashbacks are something that I am not always a fan of, but in a story like this, I felt like it was pretty much necessary.

There are boys in this story, who both have some things going for them. Blake is the popular friendly guy in school that most likely every girl would want to be with. Adam is the quiet misunderstood bad boy who is smarter than he appears.

 

I think Ms. Richards does a good job with the writing and flow of the story. I never felt bored and nothing felt rushed. Some small things in the story I was able to guess, but not everything. The romance was okay. I don’t think I was feeling it all that much. But this was a really good YA Mystery/Thriller story that kept me turning page after page.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

EXCERPT:

“I tilt my head, watching the late May sunshine stroke my arms with soft, golden fingers. I do have all weekend to study. And I’ve got that stupid study group tonight, so I’m taking steps in the right direction. How much harm could one teeny little catnap do?

I give into the warmth and let my eyes slip closed. I’ll worry about my lack of self-discipline after the bell rings. But the bell doesn’t ring. There’s no sound at all to wake me, just a cold sinking feeling in my middle. The hair on the back of my neck prickles, and my heart changes rhythm. Skips one beat. Then another. And I know something is horribly wrong. Chapter 2 i ’m afraid to open my eyes, but I do. Darkness closes around me like a fist. Even still half-asleep, I know this isn’t right. I blink blearily, but everything feels off. The room, the air…me. Dreaming. I must still be dreaming. Outside the window, everything is dark. Wait, that can’t be right. It can’t be that late. Can it? A slate-gray sky stretches beyond the glass. I see bits of white trailing through it, drifting down like glitter against velvet.

What is that? Flowers? Dust? No, it’s just snow. Snow?

I bolt out of my seat, the scrape of my chair legs shattering the silence. I’m alone. Goose bumps rise on my arms as I stare at the emptiness. The clock above the whiteboards reads 9:34 p.m. Mr. Brindell, who I’ve never seen anywhere but behind his desk, is gone. I look around, realizing that it’s not just the teacher. Everyone is gone. Everything too. Books, papers, backpack dangling from the corners of chairs. I’m in the belly of a skeleton, the remains of a class long over.

Panic shoots through me like a shock from a bad plug, white hot and jangling every nerve. No. No, this can’t be happening. It’s a bad dream. A mistake. I lean closer to the window, but the snow refuses to be anything other than what it is. It falls thickly on the brown grass, clinging to the spindly branches of barren trees. Where are the leaves? For that matter, where is the freaking sun? Please let me wake up. I need to wake up. But I won’t. I feel it in my bones. My heart screams, Nightmare! But my mind says otherwise. This is happening. I press my hand to the glass, then snatch it back in shock. My nails—they’re filthy. I examine the black half-moons of dirt wedged under each nail, black streaks caked into the creases of my fingers. Okay, this is too creepy. Like horror-movie creepy and I need to get out of here. Right now. I reach for my backpack, but it’s not there. Gone too is the strappy sundress I zipped myself into today. I’m wearing a black sweater and jeans now. The feel of the soft knit beneath my fingers makes my stomach roll. This isn’t right. Nothing is right."

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: NATALIE D. RICHARDS

Natalie D. Richards won her first writing competition in the second grade with her short story about Barbara Frances Bizzlefishes (who wouldn't dare do the dishes.) She later misplaced her writing dreams in a maze of cubicles and general office drudgery. Natalie never forgot about Barbara or those dishes, and eventually she found her way back to storytelling, following the genre of her heart, teen fiction. When she's not writing or shopping her manuscripts, you can probably find her wading through the towers of dog-eared paperbacks that have taken over her bedroom. Natalie lives in Ohio with her amazing husband and their three children, who inspire her every day to stick with her dreams.

 Contact Info: Website 1 | Website 2 | Twitter | Facebook

Here is my Question of the Day: If you fell asleep and woke up six months later, and your life was near perfect, would you question the how and why or just let things be and enjoy it?

Let me know your answer in the comments below!

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