By Jennifer L. Armentrout
As I continue on my quest to both read more contemporary books AND complete Jennifer L. Armentrout’s backlist, I find myself in the YA standalone section. Don’t Look Back promises mystery, thrills, and of course romance. It’s JLA! One teen girl has amnesia and another is missing. It seems like the truth could create more problems than it would solve. Will I add this to my new favorites or will I read it and never look back? Let’s find out.
Samantha is slowly realizing that her life is a mess. And that’s not only due to amnesia and the mystery accident that left her with more than physical wounds. No, her seemingly perfect life is a mess because she was the leader of the local mean girls. She ruled the school and her family with a reign of teenage terror. Remembering who she was might be as bad as forgetting what happened to her and the still missing Cassie. What’s a girl to do when she wakes up and realizes she’s the worst kind of person?
Her one bright spot is Carson, a childhood friend who grew up to be one of the many victims of her bullying. She can’t seem to understand why because Carson is seriously hot, and despite her treatment of him he’s somehow still nice to her. How will Sam navigate not knowing (or liking) who she is, and people wanting her to just get back to normal, while receiving mysteriously ominous notes about her accident? Will she ever find out what happened to her and Cassie? Will she ever remember who she is?
This book is classic YA. If you are looking for something beyond that, move along. The mean girls are mean, the family is dysfunctional, the hot dudes are hot and sometimes terrible. However, if you are looking for YA/thriller combo that keeps you on your toes then jump in and enjoy the ride. I must say, I usually figure out thrillers and mysteries within the first 20-30% of the book. Sometimes immediately. But with Don’t Look Back there were so many people who could benefit from her situation that it kept me wondering about whodunit until the end. My favorite romance thriller to date. It was YA perfection.
It does get a bit steamy, so I would consider it upper YA. Have fun with this one, folks. I loved Don’t Look Back!
Trigger warnings: assault, murder
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