Title: Dead to You
Author: Lisa McMann
Release Date: February 7, 2012 (hardcover)
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 256
Source: ARC provided by publisher

Overall: 4 Stars

Summary:

A page-turning realistic novel with a shocking twist from bestselling author Lisa McMann.

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It’s a miracle…at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn’t going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he’d be able to put the pieces back together. But there’s something that’s keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...  

My Thoughts: 
Lisa McMann's Dead to You marks her first departure from anything paranormal-related in this short standalone novel that you'll be sure to finish reading quickly. I've enjoyed reading all of Lisa McMann's previous YA novels, so when I first heard about Dead to You, I was quite curious to see just what kind of contemporary novel she would write!   

What really makes Dead to You such a page-turner was the way Lisa McMann focused on building up the tension in the De Wilde family once Ethan returns home. It's not the peaceful transition that everyone would have hoped it could be, but rather, a fragile relationship between Ethan and his family members. Ethan is not the same boy he was before his abduction and his past is made up of blurred memories; his parents have a strained marriage; and his younger brother is more suspicious than overjoyed to see his return. The two brightest spots in Ethan's life are his adorable little sister, Gracie, and his childhood friend, Cami. 

And as Dead to You progresses, we notice the psychological effects that have taken their toll on Ethan as he tries to adjust to a normal lifestyle again and the strain it causes with his family. When I finished the novel, I was left completely stunned and speechless! I immediately began to frantically turn the pages, in a state of disbelief that Lisa McMann could so suddenly end the book that way. And for days afterwards, it was still all I could think about because I wasn't prepared for it to end the way it did...

In a haunting portrayal of a family trying to become whole once more, Lisa McMann's Dead to You stands out among other contemporary novels. McMann's signature writing style, glossing over the rich descriptions and heading straight to the character's emotions, made the novel all the more compelling and gave it just the right intense edge it needed. I can't wait to read her next novel! 

Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me this review copy! And if you missed it before, you can read my author interview with Lisa McMann where we talk more about Dead to You.