Imagine having the power to view someone’s past at the briefest touch of their skin. During freshman year, seventeen-year-old Thea Scott developed the suckiest burden ever. At the slightest brush of a person’s skin, she’s forced to walk in their memories. She’d give anything to get rid of this uncontrollable ability. When breathtakingly gorgeous Cole Conway strolls through the auditorium doors … auditorium doors and she faints, literally, he acts like he knows her secret. The last thing she wants is to end up in a lab with her brain in a jar, so she decides to use her ability to enter his memories.
Cole unveils out-of-this-world dangers she never imagined existed. Even worse, her own past is her greatest fear. The deeper she falls, the more turmoil and heartbreak she crashes into. Dreams of fitting in dissolve when she must protect herself from things far more terrifying than high school rumors.
more
This is a fantastic debut novel!
I have never really been a huge sci-fi reader, but I am so glad I took a chance on this one! It is a definite page-turner, and I love Thea’s voice so much. Her struggles are raw and real, and the message it conveys to teens about the desire to fit in is solid and so on point. I am looking very forward to the next book in this series. Bravo, Ms. Marino!
Awful. Tossed after 2chapters.
Didn’t really care for it. Couldn’t get into the story.
The charactare relatable and the story is mesmerizing! This author can’t write fast enough for me.
Wow!! This Story Is A Gripping & Amazing 5 Stars!!!
This was an easy 5 star rating for me. This storyline was complex, gripping & intriguing!!!
Thea is an orphan that was raised by her Aunt. Thea’s life changed overnight as she went from a popular, happy go lucky & fully confident High School girl to an introverted, outcast that didn’t dare allow her skin to come in contact with that of any other person. If she she even brushed by someone she’d be swamped by their memories!!! It hurt her physically and emotionally. The first time it happened she collapsed in a school corridor screaming at people to stop touching her – that’s when she became a freak & an outcast This book takes us through part of Thea’s extraordinary journey in her final year at School with her two bestfriends, Ethan & Wynter.
When Thea meets a new pupil, a very ‘Special’ guy, Cole and two of his closest friends Nora & Drake. Cole helps Thea come to understand her ability and he is the first person she can touch that she doesn’t ‘read’!! Cole & Thea have a really special connection, he seems to be fighting it but we shall see Things eventually come to light about Thea, Cole & his friends that begin to explain why she’s different to everyone else. It’s clear her very different-ness, even from them, has put a huge target on her back & those closest to her in peril!!!
I absolutely loved this book. It gripped me from page one all the way through to the end. It’s full of emotion but it’s thrilling too. It’s really well written & I REALLY hope the next book will be out soon because I can’t wait to find out what happens next!! I highly recommend this book to anyone & any age group 15+
Debbie, 1970, UK
An incredible and compelling debut with an ending that left me wanting more!
The author really captures the intense emotional drama that is adolescence, including the need to fit in with other teens, as Thea struggles with her ability and how she is ostracized by her classmates. Full of vivid emotional and physical details, this is a perfect blend of romance and science fiction. A great fit for fans of Alexandra Bracken’s Darkest Minds series.
(4,5 )
An interesting world that reminds me of “I am Number Four”, a series I really enjoyed!
The characters are likeable, although I have some issues with Thea. She blushes A LOT, and some of her decisions are not always easy to understand. (This could just be that it was quite a while since I was a teenager myself…)
Some things are predictable, but a lot of times the author surprises me, which I really appriciate. There is a lot of action and the last quarter of the book I just had to read in one sweep, even though it became very late… I just couldn’t put it down! I suggest you try this if you’re into YA sci-fi!
Did not like the way it ended
The characters were not fleshed out and there was no believable connection to each other. The story was trite…. a rehash of other better written stories. I like this genre so was very disappointed with this one.
Ok
The Inflexaen are living among us, have been doing it a long time. And Thea is one of them. She doesn’t know it yet, but her life and memories are not her own. All she knows is that she is an outcast and her fellow schoolmates think she is crazy. Maybe they are right. It isn’t normal to be able reading other people’s memories. When Cole enters Thea’s life everything unravels and she finally has a chance to be herself, without being afraid to touch Cole. But it doesn’t take long and not only Thea’s life is threatened but also the lives of everyone she holds dear.
I need book #2 asap, because……TRUE LOVE. I need to know if Cole has changed and I want to find out if Thea can find a solution to help her people and mankind without risking the life of the human race. This book is a true roller coaster ride and page turner and I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone loving alien romance stories.
I normally don’t like Sci Fi but this story was different enough, and had enough of an urban feel to it that I was able to completely enjoy it. The only thing that really made it Sci Fi was the characters. And I’m not giving the story away by telling you how.
Thea and company including Cole, Nora, Drake and of course Wynter, are a strange little group of teens. Wynter and Thea live a somewhat normal life as best friends, except Thea has a sort of…affliction. She can’t stand to touch anyone because when she does she starts downloading all their memories. Imagine going through life being able to see people’s memories when you touch them. Can you imagine how horrifying that would be after, maybe twice?
The whole book is centered around this premise, this affliction. The ways and whys of it are really fun to read. While there are trials and tribulations that these kids go through, and a bit of natural teenage angst, I found it really different to be reading a basically Sci Fi story again and enjoying it. I never thought I was the type for a teenage love story though. And this is one. A different one, a weird one, but still, basically a love story. Turns out I can still enjoy a good teenage love story. Who knew?
This is pure YA, nothing to say I wouldn’t recommend it to a 14 year old as quickly as an 18 year old. And while I usually prefer a more adult storyline (not necessarily including sex, but not so quick to eliminate it either), this story was interesting enough that I didn’t care that it was pure YA. I found it a delightful tale.
Can’t wait for Memory Seeker! I gotta know what happens!
Great work, Carly Marino! Great work indeed!
Absolutely addictive writing! Cannot wait for more in this series.
This book gripped me early on and I was never able to stop thinking about it; even now, having finished it days ago, it remains on my mind. The writing is very good and the characters are real. There are a few typos and a couple of continuity issues, but none of them made me miss this book any less when I put it down.
After reading this, I’m eager to read more from Carly Marino. She has a knack for developing complex characters that when thrown into chaos, remain true to themselves. Character development continuity was fantastic.
Overall I’d rate this somewhere between three and four stars – with the full four stars being awarded if the minor issues I mentioned were corrected.
Loved this book and how all the pieces fell together. Such a great story that leaves you wanting more! Cannot wait for #2!
I was not prepared for a book about aliens. When I read the synopsis I thought paranormal. I did finish, and it left it hanging where it is necessary to purchase the next in the series if you are really interested in finding out what comes next for the characters.
I loved it but where’s the next one. I don’t liked being left hanging.
I loved this book! I need more from Carly Marino!
I got this book during a sale bc the author had my last name and I ended up liking it. Rly cool. Now I’ll have to find more authors with my same name.
This book was really fun! Unexpectedly so. It’s a sweet high school romance that reminded me a lot of the Lux Series by Jennifer Armentrout. I’ll def read the next one.