Review: Don't Look Back

Title: Don't Look Back

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Date of Publication: April 15, 2014

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon.com

Synopsis: Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

My Review: 

When I started this novel I never expected to end up loving it as much as I did. I started it as something to read in-between sections of a longer book I was reading but before I knew it the other book had completely fallen to the side as this one took priority on my reading list and I finished it in less than a day. I've always loved Armentrout but this book surpassed all of my expectations!

I was immediately fascinated by Sam and her story. I love reading about characters with amnesia and Armentrout did a wonderful job giving Sam a unique and original personality despite the fact she didn't know anything about herself. Sam's new personality is such a contrast to who she used to be and I loved watching her learn more about, as well as come to hate, the person she was before. Likewise I love watching the character interactions between her friends from her old life, mean and conceited they were a complete opposite to the new Sam. The character interactions were fascinating to read and I just loved the cast of characters Armentrout created.

Even though the interactions between characters was fantastic what really made this novel was the plot. Full of twists and turns and an unexpected ending, I absolutely loved it. Mysterious notes, flashes of memory, and the hint of insanity made this whole novel come together. From Sam's own parents thinking she was capable of murder, to her isolation from her old friends there was plenty of drama and excitement to keep me interested. Armentrout kept me guessing for the duration of the novel and I definitely didn't see the ending coming.

The only thing that didn't completely grab me was the romance. I just couldn't feel any kind of spark or connection between Sam and Carson, sure they had their moments but overall the romance felt a little forced and unbelievable. Part of the problem was knowing so little about Carson, he had an interesting enough story but we barely scratched the surface before moving on to the romance. Even though the romance wasn't bad I just wasn't feeling it between the two of them other than a few brief moments. Usually I love Armentrout's romances but since this was such a plot driven book, and the romance really had nothing to do with the plot, it was overshadowed by the action and left a little underdeveloped.

Despite the romance Don't Look Back is another fantastic book by Armentrout and I can't recommend it enough. Full of mystery and excitement this book has been on of my best reads so far in 2015 and I'm excited to read even more by Armentrout!

5/5