Wake by Lisa McMann

I recently finished Wake by Lisa McMann. I decided to read the book after attending a signing for Casandra Clare when City of Glass came out. Lisa McMann was there as well and read part of her book. The book really drew me in, so I checked it out from the library. Here is a synopsis of the book:

Not all dreams are sweet.

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant....

The main character, Janie, is a very believable character in the start. She comes from a poor family and a detached mom. Her best friend is also from a similar situation, however doesn't really appear to be there for her. Which is apparent in the book. She then falls for a guy in her neighborhood who also has a similar situation. However, he's not so believable. If anything, he's almost too perfect in my opinion. Sure, he has his flaws. But over all I found him strange and not quite believable.

The synopsis makes the book seem like it'll be a twister and full of suspense. But in my opinion it lacked a lot of that. There are a few psychotic dreams and they are described, but it just ends short. The one dream that was from a criminal wasn't until the very end. The struggles the main character Janie go through are also cut short and solved way to easily. Even when she gets together with her boyfriend, it goes a little too fast. There is an additional plot thrown in there with her boyfriend as well that just went too easily.

The book is choppy, the way a dream would be at times, but I actually liked that part. I also enjoyed the way it started and how she feared students falling asleep in school and the flash backs of when she first started to get sucked into dreams. The problems it caused were very real as well. But again, she seemed to find a way to work with it way too fast.

Over all, I would have to say this book developed a little too fast and in some ways would not quite believable. I would have liked to know more about her mom and would have liked a more believable boyfriend. His personality was mostly believable, but other parts revolving around him that show up in the book weren't quite so believable. I'd describe more, but then I'd give it away. It was an enjoyable read though so I'd give it a 5 out of 10.