Review: Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz and Ron Bass

Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz and Ron Bass
Pages: 342
Expected publication: October 2, 2012 (Razorbill)
Source: ATW ARC Tours
Rating: Squee-worthy
Add it/Purchase: Goodreads | B&N | Amazon

___

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different--except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.

My Review

Lucid captured both my interest and my heart from the beginning; as soon as I met Maggie and Sloane, two very diverse girls who dream of one another's lives at night, I knew I wouldn't be putting this book down until I was finished.   Authors Adrienne Stoltz and Ron Bass created a stunningly poignant cast of characters, from actress Maggie to typical student Sloane, who nevertheless keeps secrets, to Maggie's flighty mother and loving little sister, to Sloane's achingly real family.  Against this backdrop, a mystery like nothing I'd ever read played out.  

While at times, I wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't, much less what I - wanted - to be real, I know one thing: I loved Lucid.  Both girl's hopes and losses felt solid enough that I didn't question the fact that, whatever was happening, I adored both Maggie and Sloane.  I found reasons to hope that it was Sloane's life that was real, and reasons to hope it was Maggie's.  Authors Bass and Stoltz did an amazing job of making this twist-y story believable, and making me cheer for the characters.  

Sloane and Maggie's struggles to find or even believe in love were especially heart-wrenching.  As I sped through the pages of Lucid, I found myself hopelessly drawn to both girls, but especially Sloane, in her possible relationship with the beautiful, impossible James.  I also wanted to wrap my arms around Maggie, caught between two guys, and terrified of letting either in.  Wondering if either girl would find real love started to mean more than knowing what was and wasn't real to me, and the explosive ending wasn't something I saw coming.  Having finished Lucid, I'm still trying to piece together what really happened - the fact that the ending was so disjointed both loaned a creepy feel to the book, but also left me confused, which dampened my enjoyment of this book.  But Lucid is still an incredibly emotionally powerful debut, and I'd love to read more from either author!



You're sure to fall for:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Zoe Letting Go by Nora Price