Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away. (From Goodreads)
This book took me completely by surprise. There's all these things and feelings that I feel like I need to sort through, but I hardly know where to start. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, or where the story was going, I was totally taken by surprise. I don't really remember the last time this book kept me so completely on my toes. By the time I was heading into the last half of the book, I was flipping through the pages so fast. Jennifer Rush is amazing at making intense situations ambiguous so you have to keep reading so you can know how it turns out.
Oh. And have I mentioned yet that there isn't just one hot boy, or even just two. THERE ARE FOUR. And I love them all. Each one has his own personality, quirks and little things that just make me want to squish their cheeks and tell them how adorable they are. Even Sam, who's all business, is endearing. Nick is pretty much the only one I wouldn't go all squishy-cheeks over. He's scary. But in a way that makes me question my sanity because all I can think about is how hot he is when he's being scary. He's actually my favorite, mostly because I just want to know more about him and what he's thinking. Because he's always just on the verge of saying something revealing and meaningful, but he never quite gets there.
This is a story that just gets better and more complex as it goes on. It's like Sam's tattoo (a whole scene of birch trees on his back...which sounds incredible - can someone draw this please?) which is so much more than it seems. With all the memory loss there's just so much to find out when it comes to government experiments and secrets. It's all fast paced, but it's not breakneck. The beginning takes off pretty quick and the end happens so fast, but there's a nice plateau in the middle so there's a chance to get to know and connect with the characters.
This book is well written and entertaining. I'm definitely going to need more of this story - because the complexities raise so many more questions. Plus, I NEED to know more about why Nick is so intense. If you liked False Memory by Dan Krokos, definitely check out this book. There are some of the same things going on - memory loss, government experiments to turn people into weapons, and all the things that go along with such scenarios.
