by C.C. Hunter
Synopsis:
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 déjà 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?
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication date: March 26th 2019
Source/Format: eARC/Netgalley
Purchase links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
Trigger warning/s:
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆
My Thoughts:
“In Another Life” begins on the road with Chloe Holden throwing tantrums at her adoptive dad for leaving her and her depressed cancer-stricken mom for a younger girlfriend. While stopping by at a convenience store and as the father-daughter arguing ensues, Chloe accidentally bumps into Cash Colton who is a tad suspicious of her about something. Chloe and Cash meet again in school with Chloe as a transferee student. It turns out that Chloe resembles the age-progression photo of his foster parents’ missing daughter. Cash thinks that she is going to con them, as he did so many years ago as the partner-in-crime to his deadbeat biological dad, so he is determined to keep an eye on her.
My first gripe about the book is why it is being marketed as a YA mystery when it is more of a YA contemporary? I don’t know who to blame for this: the readers or the publisher. Look at Goodreads and most users filed it under mystery. Then read the blurb and it sounds like a Kara Thomas book. What I got is something like a Sara Dessen book instead. Granted, the first few chapters seemed like leading to an intriguing mystery: Are Chloe’s loving adoptive parents kidnappers? Why are people accusing Cash of murdering his dad? But, the book gradually shifts into the generic plot points of a YA contemporary that is basically more focused on romance: girl meets boy, they become close and eventually date, there will be some conflict or something, but then they resolve it, the end. It’s not that I don’t read and enjoy romance-centric YA contemporaries, because I do. My issue here is that I felt duped by the clickbait nature of the blurb and the bait-and-switch nature of the plot.
And then there are these main characters who become annoying bit by bit as I read along. Cash is your typical broody chick magnet YA lead, with a bad reputation and who of course falls for the hapless new girl in school. He is a bit of a creep at first, stalking Chloe around and letting the air out from her tires so he can get a chance to talk to her. Chloe lets him be close to her despite catching him as the culprit of the said creepy act because good looks trumps creepy behavior, I guess. Or because Chloe is a whiny baby who whines about everything and a boy with a huge hero complex like Cash is what’s perfect for her.
The supporting characters fared no better. So the real kidnapper is revealed too soon and is given bits of PoV narration. Despite this, the villain is cartoonishly evil for the sake of being evil. Chloe’s new next-door neighbor and insta-friend, Lindsey, has no immediate purpose but to be Chloe’s rant person when Cash is not around. And the parents, whew, are mostly there to be the source of these teens’ angst. The dialogues between the characters were cursory, any emotions that could’ve flown the scenes were clipped. And some periphery characters, like a gay cousin of Chloe’s adoptive dad and his husband, add no value but to crowd the scenes they are in.
The overall message of the book for me is not letting the pain in the past damage what you have in the present. But it missed on a lot of chances to make this message soar. The annoying main characters, shallow supporting characters and cursory dialogues blocked me from feeling anything aside from boredom. “In Another Life” has the initially intriguing set-up of a YA mystery that ultimately switches to a middling YA contemporary.
Diversity Watch:
Setting: Texas, U.S.A.
Chloe Holden – described with thick dark hair, brown eyes with green and gold flecks in them. It is mentioned that she might have a bit of Latinx blood in her.
Cash Colton – described with jet black hair and green eyes
Lindsey - Chloe’s new friend. She is described with sandy blond hair with highlights.
Lindsey’s mom is a lesbian. A cousin of Chloe’s adoptive dad is gay.
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I'd love to hear from you!
Have you read this book yet? Do you agree with me that it's more YA contemporary than YA mystery? Are you also annoyed when a book is mismarketed? Tell me in the comments.
