Review: Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different--except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.

This is a dazzling debut that will steal readers' hearts.

Hardcover, 343 pages

Published October 2nd 2012 by Razorbill

Long Story Short:

Loved the book. Don't even know why. I could identify with it, I liked the story, the heroines. I liked the side characters -and I liked the unique concept. Seriously, this is just a thoughtful book I'd recommend to everyone. 

RATING: 3/3 Smarties

Review:

I remember when this book first came out Lauren over at 365 Days of Reading described it as very mature - and I can only agree. Basically, Lucid is the story of two girls and their experiences as almost-adults. It's different from most YA contemporary, because it's not just the same old highschool drama we all know. It's not about friends gossiping, boys taking over life, bad or good grades and embarassing parents. It's not an issue book, either, though. No sex, no drugs, no mental disorders (um...or only...kind of). It's not something to cry over, not a worst case scenario. 

It's just two girls trying to find themselves, to live their lives and overcome struggles.

I listenend to Lucid on audiobook which makes it hard to describe the writing style. What I can say for sure, though, is that I loved the story and dialogue and didn't get annoyed once whenever the characters said something.

Talking about characters - I liked them. Really, really liked how Stoltz made each of them unique, how they talked and went through life. Of course, the leading ladies Sloane and Maggie each had great personalities that I could identify with. Maggie shows the marks of taking on a lot of responsibility at a very young age while still being vulnerable and a bit too hysterical sometimes. She worries a lot, maybe too much, because her mom seems to sometimes not care enough.

Sloane on the other side thought that she knows what she wanted, stumbles through life really numbly with that huge secret she carries on her shoulders. 

Directly after I finished Lucid I thought the story eventually didn't really start somewhere, lacked a common thread and a to the point ending. Thinking about it now, though, that's exactly what made it so beautiful. It's not even all that special, it doesn't really lead anywhere but the next step in both girl's life.

Instead of having a clear beginning and ending, we just see a little part of Sloane's and Maggie's lives, we see them part with old memories and habits, working through issues and problems they face, meeting new people, reconnecting with others and learn their lessons as they continue to get up every morning. They have to make decisions, sometimes hurtful ones.

In the end, there's not too much to say about the book except that I recommend it. It's nice and different and, yes  - mature. Not a single time did I declare one of the characters silly or stereotypical or infantile. They always thought their decisions and behaviour through and if they made mistakes that was because they didn't, couldn't, know better.