Tuesday, March 19, 2019

In Another Life by C.C. Hunter
[Blog Tour: Review]

Hello! Welcome to the next stop on the In Another Life blog tour hosted by Wednesday Books. I'm thrilled I get to share my thoughts on this book with you! I've really enjoyed C.C. Hunter's books in the past, and this one was no different!

Title: IN ANOTHER LIFE
Author: C.C. Hunter
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pub. Date: March 26th 2019
Buy Link: Click here 
Goodreads: Click here

What would you do if your whole life was a lie and learning the truth could cost you your life? 

From New York Times bestselling author of the Shadow Falls series comes C. C. Hunter’s new YA thriller about a girl who learns that she may have been kidnapped as a child, and must race to uncover the truth about her past before she winds up a victim.

Chloe was three years old when she became Chloe Holden, but her adoption didn’t scar her, and she’s had a great life. Now, fourteen years later, her loving parents’ marriage has fallen apart and her mom has moved them to Joyful, Texas. Starting twelfth grade as the new kid at school, everything Chloe loved about her life is gone. And feelings of dรฉjร  vu from her early childhood start haunting her.

When Chloe meets Cash Colton she feels drawn to him, as though they're kindred spirits. Until Cash tells her the real reason he sought her out: Chloe looks exactly like the daughter his foster parents lost years ago, and he’s determined to figure out the truth.

As Chloe and Cash delve deeper into her adoption, the more things don’t add up, and the more strange things start happening. Why is Chloe’s adoption a secret that people would kill for?

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I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I cannot remember the last time I read a book in a single day, but In Another Life was a page-turner! I wanted to know how Chloe's story would end, and if Cash would finally forgive himself. They were both really interesting characters, even if they did tackle something that was way over their heads. 

I think my age is showing, or I've hit a reading growth spurt, because teenage angst is becoming more and more intolerable these days. Chloe and Cash made decisions based on their age and experience, but an adult's perspective would have been a welcome addition the story, and likely saved them a lot of trouble. They could have offered insight and assistance that would have kept the two teens out of danger (or at least made it less dangerous). However, Chloe doesn't want to tell her parents, and Cash respects her wishes, so they try to solve their problems without anyone's help.

Lindsay was the closest thing to a secondary character we see, but her appearances were infrequent, and her dialogue was very simple. I wish she had been developed more, and played a larger role in the overall story. Mostly, we see Chloe and Cash, her parents and his. It made the story feel somewhat flat. Cash doesn't have any friends at school, just a guy that he works with (we see him briefly for quick conversation), and Chloe only talks about the friends she used to have. They both seemed very alone, and only had each other to talk to.

The mystery aspect of the story was actually really sad. I have a hard time with books that involve child abuse, abduction, death, etc., and it was hard to think about all of the nameless faces in this story. The villain(s) were twisted and disturbing, and profited off the hope and misfortune of others. One of them leers at Chloe through a window, and his comments made my stomach turn. He makes similar comments afterwards that made feel terrified on her behalf. What makes it so scary, is that there are people like that in the world.

Despite all of this, I really enjoyed the story. I was glued to the pages waiting for Chloe and Cash to hit an obstacle they couldn't overcome on their own. I knew that meant their parents would get involved, and then everything would be out in the open. Chloe and Cash have a secret that not only impacts their lives, but the lives of everyone they care about, so I thought it was only right that they all knew about it. Besides, the two were in way over their heads from the start.

C.C. Hunter knows how to play with heartstrings and frustrations, and she does just that with In Another Life. Chloe was torn between what she's always known, and what she fears might be true. Cash had a troubled childhood, full of abuse and abandonment, which left him feeling like he didn't deserve anyone's love. They were beautiful and broken, and I enjoyed both of their perspectives.

In the end, I would definitely recommend this one. The mystery was subtle, but it impacted the characters in a big way. It was mostly about Chloe and Cash, their traumatic childhoods, and how those formative years (even if unremembered) shaped their lives.



About the author:

C.C. HUNTER is a pseudonym for award-winning romance author Christie Craig. She is lives in Tomball, Texas, where she’s at work on her next novel. Christie's books include The Mortician's Daughter series, Shadow Fall Novels and This Heart of Mine.

12 comments:

  1. Oh I didn't know that the author had a new novel to be released and I usually really enjoy them so I should try

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    1. I've really enjoyed other books by this author, so I was thrilled when I had an opportunity to read this one a little early. Have you read This Heart of Mine? It's also a wonderful read! <3

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  2. I'm part of this tour as well and while I liked this, I didn't love it. I didn't click with it at all which was a bit disappointing but it wasn't a bad story by any means.

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    1. It wasn't my favorite C.C. Hunter book, but I did enjoy it! Chloe was very emotional and cried for most of the book, and Cash made a lot of rash decisions, but I like that they were flawed and imperfect. They were both struggling, and found each other in the chaos.

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  3. I own Hunter's Shadow Falls series, but I've yet to read it. This is definitely a new direction for her. Glad you enjoyed it, even if they angst was a little high. :-)

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I have to remind myself that teenagers don't always make the best decisions (I definitely didn't), so their frustrating choices and actions can be attributed to their age (to an extent), and I try to look past it. However, once it was clear these two were in WAY over their heads, I wish they had confided in an adult.

      I haven't read the Shadow Falls series, just some of her stand-alone books! I am curious about that one... I'm sure I'll get to it eventually! ;)

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  4. This sounds like a great premise! I too am finding myself rolling my eyes a lot at teenage angst in YA books, but a lot of times I can just look past it!

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    1. I can normally look past it, but sometimes it can be a tad too much. Teenagers are young adults, which is what YA is about, and they're going to make mistakes. Even adults make mistakes, just not the same ones. We have experience that teenagers are still lacking, and they make choices based on what they know, so sometimes it ends badly. I'm sure both Chloe and Cash learned something from this experience, but their journey was sometimes painful to watch.

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  5. This is the second review of this one I've read today and I'm thinking it might be a must-read. I've moved further and further away from YA in the last couple years and read about 90% adult fiction/romance now but I really do like the sound of this one!

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    1. I've started reading more adult than YA, too. The teenage angst is starting to bug me more than it used to, and I have a hard time looking past it. However, there are a few YA authors that I'll always read, and C.C. Hunter is one of them! In Another Life was good, but they do make very adolescent decisions. It hurts more than it helps, but the story was solid.

      I'm reading The Feel Good Factor by Lauren Blakely right now! Have you read anything by her? <3

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    2. I see Blakely's books *everywhere* but have never read anything by her. How are you liking it? I just started one by another author that I've never tried before - Lorelei James.

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    3. The Feel Good Factor was amazing! My review for it went up today. <3 You'll have to let me know what you think of Lorelei James. She's another author I've never read, but want to!

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― Marissa Meyer, Heartless