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?
It's no surprise to anyone how much of a fan of Jennifer L Armentrout I am. I have been super obsessed with her and her books since I read her debut in 2011. I have read every book of hers to date... multiple times. There is nobody who quite compared to JLA to me. She is already the queen of YA Paranormal, Adult Contemporary and NA Contemporary. I am constantly counting down the days until I get my hands on her next book. I was super excited for this book. It sounds good, the cover is gorgeous and well Jen wrote it... However I have to admit I was a bit nervous. Don't Look Back is a thriller... and I really don't like thrillers. They are the kinds of books I tend to avoid but I knew I would read it anyway because Jen wrote it and she's my favourite author of all time.
Don't Look Back completely blew me away. Coming from the person who hates thrillers I adored this book. It's a contemporary romance, it's a mystery and it's a thriller. Jennifer completely changed my perception of the thriller genre. I couldn't get enough of this book and I couldn't stop reading it.
When Sam is found on the side of the road everyone can't wait to find out what happened to her and her best friend Cassie. There's just one problem... Sam doesn't remember anything, not even who she is. The more Sam continues with her life the more she starts to gradually remember who she is... the problem is she doesn't like who she was and doesn't want to remember but she can't let go of what might have happened to Cassie. Will remembering help her or could it endanger her life?
Sam is such a complex character and I have such conflicted feelings for her. I really sympathise with her and loved going through the journey with her as she tried to remember what had happened. BUT as we met 'before' Sam I realised that I was so glad the book didn't start with the 'before' as I hated Sam. She was horrible and bitchy and just generally not a very nice person. I have to say I'm very relieved that she is better 'after' and I ended up liking her.
Jennifer L Armentrout just continues to blow me away with every book she releases. I was so nervous about Don't Look Back but it surpassed all my expectations and more. It completely changed my perception of thriller books and I won't instantly dismiss thriller books based on the genre. Jen is just phenomenal and she has once again proven that she can write anything and be phenomenal and she is officially the Queen of... well... everything. I just adore her!
Don't Look Back was such a phenomenal read. It has everything that you could possibly want in a YA novel. Humour, romance, action and mystery. I was completely enraptured by this novel and could not possibly put the book down. It's utterly phenomenal and I think it may be my favourite JLA book to date. She is just phenomenal and I am yet again counting down the days until I can have her next book in my hands.