{Review} Dead To You by Lisa McMann

Title: Dead to You
Author: Lisa McMann
Format: Library Hardcover
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release date: February 7, 2012
Date Read: February 26, 2013 - February 27, 2013
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

Some memories are better left untouched.

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family.

It's a miracle... at first.

Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together.

But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked.

Something unspeakable...

Mindfuck.

That's the first word that comes to mind after finishing Lisa McMann's DEAD TO YOU, because damn, you guys. This book was one helluva ride. 

The plot and premise was absolutely stunning. Sixteen-year old Ethan, abducted at the age of seven, has finally returned to his family. It should be a time of rejoicing and glee, but there are secrets and memories that Ethan can't unlock, and it will rip his whole family apart.

I've always been interested in kidnappings, serial murders, and those fascinating, gory things that let people judge you easily. I don't know why, but DEAD TO YOU just knocked me over, dragged me by the feet, and sucked me in.

Lisa handled the family tension quite well, though I quickly figured out the 'mystery' surrounding Ethan. In fact, as you read this, you may already know the memories Ethan can't quite dig up. I felt like there were gaps and holes in the story, but I can't talk about it because I'd spoil it majorly for you.

Lisa's writing is... gorgeously simplistic. Very easy to read, but it maintains that shy air of elegance many authors loose in first-person. It may have to do with also being in present-tense, but I have absolutely no complaints about the writing style.

All the characters had a lot of depth, especially Blake, Ethan's younger brother. I absolutely despised Blake - yes, even at the end - because he was one of the biggest dickfaces I've ever encountered. Hell, he was my age, and that kid was a ball of infuriating, unstable anger. 

I really liked Ethan, because he was so real. Broken and lost, he had a lot of pressure on him that made him into who he was. And Lisa wrote him like a boy. His thoughts were the unspoken version of everything that would come out of my sexy archenemy's mouth. 

I found Ethan's romance with Cami, an old friend, ridiculous. The guy has just come back to his family after nine years and his life is practically a mysterious living hell, and Ethan's here thinking about how HE NEEDS TO SCREW CAMI I WANT HER WE NEED TO BANG ASAP 

So, yes. Lisa is fantastic at writing from a male point of view. She knows exactly how it works.



I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I'm not sexist! In all seriousness, I'm joking. Don't get offended, please. 

I liked DEAD TO YOU a lot, and the cliffhanger ripped me apart - especially since there won't be a sequel!

THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE A SEQUEL.

WHAT.

Oceana is a French-blooded teenager who enjoys stalking British boys and asking them to marry her. She was diagnosed with severe fangirl disorder in 2011. Able to curse like a sailor with an angelic voice.