Stop him.
After her friend Samantha is murdered, seventeen-year-old Olivia is the only one who still hears her voice.
Years ago, Jacob closed his eyes. In a park. Playing hide-and-seek. His little brother is still missing. And Jacob’s mom is the FBI agent who couldn’t find him.
Now Jacob has dreams he can’t explain. And draws faces of those about to die.
In a town terrorized by a serial killer, Jacob meets Olivia. Sparks ignite.
Until the voice in Olivia’s head echoes the warning in Jacob’s dream…
You’re next.
MY THOUGHTS
With a serial killer on the loose, and Olivia’s friend, Samantha, found dead, Olivia can’t help but feel unnerved, if not scared, when she hears Samantha’s voice. Despite her friend being gone, Samantha speaks to her from beyond the grave, whispering in Olivia’s head, giving her warnings.
Jacob’s little brother went missing years ago, an event that tore his family apart. After a drunk driving accident, he is sent to live with his mother, whom he has barely lived with since this bother disappeared. His mother just so happens to be an FBI agent, one who was unable to find her own son.
When Olivia and Jacob meet, their pasts and futures collide to take them down a path that neither could have predicted.
Olivia’s struggles were incredibly well written. Her father was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and he would hear voices, listen to them, talk to them. When she starts hearing Samantha talking to her, her thoughts go directly to one thing – that she is becoming like her father, that she will, someday, do something like he did, and someone will end up worse off than she did, with just a scar on her arm. Olivia grows scared of herself, of what she might do, or say. Her descent into the unknown, as she finds herself scared to go to a doctor in case they would confirm her fears, and is afraid to tell Jacob what she is going through, should it drive him away, is heartbreaking to read, and I really felt for Olivia as the story progressed.
Since Jacob’s accident, he gets bad headaches, with blinding pain that makes him pass out, and dreams, nightmares, of people jumping off a cliff and being unable to save them. When he wakes up, he draws them, sketches the portraits of each person who jumps, and it seems that each time, he finds out that the person has died soon after the dream. Like Olivia, being scared of her mind, Jacob starts to grow afraid, for he can’t account for the times lost when he passes out, and it is a mystery as to how he knows the faces – how can you know someone you’ve never seen? It all seems too much like a coincidence to him and, with an FBI agent for a mother, he ends up worrying, trying to keep his dreams from Olivia, lest she feels unsafe around him or wants to leave him. Then again – maybe she should feel unsafe, maybe she should get away.
Jacob and Olivia’s love story is a slow burn, full of hand-holding, blushing, and hiding in closets when parents come home unexpectedly. They make the perfect couple, being incredibly supportive of each other, and looking after each other. Olivia gets cold and tired very easily when she hears the voices, and Jacob not only notices when this is happening, but makes sure she is warm or has somewhere to lie down. They tease each other, but the jokes never go too far, and they respect each other’s boundaries. It was beautiful to read about the growth of this relationship, from a sapling to a flower in full bloom, and I would be happy to read more about their day-to-day conversations and activities.
There was one thing that bothered me a little, and that was the lack of a clear explanation about Olivia’s hearing voices and Jacob’s dreams. Both seem to be premonitions, and there is a hint of supernatural elements, but there is no clear explanation given. This being said, it was not enough for me to lower the rating.
I read this book in one sitting, extending the time I had given myself within which to read, so I could continue turning the pages. I expected a young adult thriller, but what I got was so much more, with romance, mystery, and action, all stirred in together and tied up in a little package. This is the kind of book that you can read again and again and not get bored of, for even knowing the story, you can enjoy it just as much the second and third time as the first.
I must say, at the end, we do learn about what happened to Jacob’s brother, and I cried. This book can certainly stir emotions – keep some tissues close by!
I immensely enjoyed reading this book, and I absolutely recommend it to anyone wanting a book that will give you a little of everything, while not leaving you bored at any point. You will be thoroughly entertained and enthralled throughout the entire experience.
“Why did you bring all these broken drumsticks?” my mom asks, pulling a coffee can full of them out of the moving box. She picks one up and squints, reading the writing on the side. “Hysteria?”
If she hadn’t ditched my dad and me four years ago, she’d know that I always write the name of the song I was playing and the date when a stick breaks. I’m just about to explain it to her when she says, “It took a week, but you’re finally all unpacked. Not bad. Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got to get back to the case.”
Big fucking surprise. It’s always about the case. Once upon a time my brother was the case. Now it’s someone else’s kid. Or spouse. Or whatever. Anything so my mom doesn’t have to face the people still in her own life. My dad gave up trying to matter to her a long time ago. That’s when he and I moved to northern Michigan. My dad’s a day trader. He buys and sells stocks on his laptop. You can pretty much do that from anywhere. Except from where you’re not wanted. We were doing fine. Then my dad got himself a new wife. And I got into a car with my drunken best friend.
Okay, yeah, I was drunk too. We hit a tree in Ricky’s piece-of-shit car that’s too old to have airbags. And yeah, I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. So I cracked my head against the dashboard. And I guess I passed out. From the conk in the head or the booze, I’m not sure which. I’m pretty much okay now except for the occasional pounding headache and some freaky-ass dreams. And the fact that my parents actually spoke to each other and decided I should move in with my mom. Get a change of scenery. Get away from my jackass friends.
I shuffle after my mom. I don’t know why we bothered unpacking that last box. My mom will realize soon enough that she doesn’t want to deal with me and my crap, and I’ll be on a plane out of here.
In the kitchen, I pour myself a glass of ginger ale, missing the beer that my dad used to have piled in the fridge, free for the taking. Then I score some chips and M&M’s from the counter. In clearing off a space on the table for my snack, I knock a file folder on the floor, and papers spill out everywhere.
“Seriously, Jacob?” my mom says, pissed. Hey, maybe if I dump my drink all over the papers, I can get myself shipped back home in time for dinner. Well, at least I could be in Pittsburgh in time to get on a plane before dinner. I tilt the glass, and then my conscience kicks in. Fuck it. I take a drink instead and reach down to scoop up a photo. That’s when I choke on my ginger ale. I swear I’ve seen that girl somewhere before.
“Who’s this?” I ask between coughs, holding up the picture.
“Damn it, Jacob. You’re not supposed to touch that.” Of course. I bite my lip. Here we go again.
I stare at the girl’s face and feel another headache coming on. Why does she look familiar? “She been missing a long time?”
My mom rolls her eyes. “Jacob, that’s the girl that we found on Monday.”
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