Review: HERE by Ella James

HERE
Ella James
January 1, 2012
Barkley's Books
176 pages

Synopsis: Milo Mitchell's life used to be charmed, but that was before her family dissolved, she went a little crazy, and her best friends started acting more like strangers. Spending Saturday morning in a treehouse with a stun gun for company and a herd of deer for friends is the only exciting thing in her life...until she shoots a fawn and finds her dart stuck in a guy.

Her gorgeous victim is dressed in a Brioni tux and armed with a hanky. He has no idea who or where he is. Afraid her dart caused his amnesia, Milo takes him in, names him Nick, and vows to help him solve his mystery. Soon the pair find Nick's face in a newspaper obituary, and Nick beings to have strange, ethereal memories of Milo--who is sure she's never met him. Suddenly Nick knows things he shouldn't know and is doing things he shouldn't do. When the Department of Defense shows up, Nick and Milo run--toward a shocking conclusion that could destroy both their worlds.

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Review:

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I disliked the first chapter so much, I think I rolled my eyes and sighed after reading it. It was just a little too juvenile for me. Although chapter two was leaps and bounds better, it still took a while for the story to actually progress much beyond cute boy with no memory meets cute girl when she unintentionally shoots him with a tranq-dart. No one knew anything for what seemed like ages! It is told in first person alternating between characters, a perspective I've come to hate in other books, but it really worked in HERE, emphasizing Nick's sense of loss that extends way beyond his memory. Not since Unraveling has a YA book caught my attention on the geeky sci-fi front so much. I loved that Ella James unapologetically uses Star Trek and Star Wars references alongside teenage text-speak. At times my brain ached a little as I was processing the science behind the story, but I love that feeling! It made me nostalgic for the early X-Files episodes when I'd be thinking about episodes days after watching them.
The back end of the book picks up the pace significantly and is filled with action which made up for it's slow beginning. In fact, it was so compelling, I read the last 100 pages in one sitting, straining to read as I lost the light in my backyard (here is where I wished I had one of the new backlit nook instead of my old one!). The ending was a bit abrupt, as most endings of opening books of a trilogy are, but answered enough questions that I didn't feel cheated with the cliffhanger. There could have been a bit more of the romance between Milo and Nick - there was enough to get me interested and root for them, but I'm really hoping for more in the next book. I don't think I can say much more without giving away some major spoilers, but I am definitely looking forward to reading book 2 when it comes out! 

HERE: 4/5 Stars

Cover: 4/5 Stars 

Audience Rating: PG (some mention of drugs/alcohol, mild violence) 

Note: I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.