Book Review: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Standalone
Genres: Young Adult, New Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary
Published: April 10, 2014 by Disney Hyperion
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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?

This is a gorgeous book. It's too good. Like seriously. Everything abut this was good. I think this novel ought to be her best work so far that I've read. I love the mystery aspect in it, very beautifully written. There was a hint of horror in it, but that's to be expected as it was a thriller and suspense novel. It was also fun to read it because of 'Mean Girls'. I've watched that movie a thousand times and this is the first time I've used it to read a novel.

"The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level..." That sentence from the summary of my copy just sparked a 'mean girl' fangirl in me and I started reading her old friends as Regina, Gretchen and Karen. Oooohhh, it was such a fun read to be able to read it like that.

I also loved the family interactions in this novel. Like we even got to know more about their parents and the actual reasons to actual problems. The only thing I didn't like was the conflict at the end. I felt like it could've been better written and more detailed, but that aside, everything was amazing. Her brother was also a protective one, which is so cute. The amnesia part was very well written and I loved how there wasn't so much of a sarcastic aspect in this novel because she is actually logical at time. Sometimes, the characters are too sarcastic in other books that I can't stand them, but this novel lets me take a nice break from it, but at the same time enjoy some funny comments.

To be honest, I'm very surprised that Armentrout actually fit all the answers to the questions in our head by the end of the story. It's a pretty short thriller novel if I were to say so myself, especially when our main character has amnesia and she was to find everything out. Ahhh, this just gives you the feels and it's too good to not read. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone if you've yet to read it!