Book Review: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

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If you didn't know, I love Jennifer L. Armentrout. Like, I will read anything that she writes. I repeat, anything. I did go into this book a little hesitant though. One of the big reasons being that I don't really like reading mystery books. I mean, their okay, I just don't like reading them as much as other genres. I love Jennifer L. Armentrout's books because they are so fun, and I didn't know how that would work in a mystery where it is mostly suspenseful. I found myself loving this book though! 

I absolutely adored Sam in this book. One thing in particular that I don't like about mysteries is that the lead female protagonist usually makes stupid decisions. I cannot remember one stupid decision that Sam made throughout this entire book. Sure, she made some mistakes, but who doesn't? When Sam was in danger, she didn't become a member of Scooby Doo and chase after the bad guy, she ran, (which is what you are suppose to do!). She acted like a normal person would, and not like a hero that she knew she wasn't. At the same time, you can't help but feel so bad for her. She remembers almost nothing, and she learns that she was a terrible person. I think that she had very realistic reactions to everything that happened to her, and I love how she became a better person because of it.

I really was interested to see if this book would be as fun as Jennifer L. Armentrout's other books, and I am pleased to say that it was! Yes, the whole book is not fun; there are some serious topics in this book, but it was mixed really well with fun moments. Sam is still in high school, so it was interesting to see how she handled going back to school. Sam was very strong, where I would have hid from everybody, she went back to school and tried to figure everything out. It was really fun to read about her going to prom and reconnecting with old friends, but it was also tough to read about how she breaks up with her boyfriend, and gets lied to.

I don't know what I can say about the mystery without spoiling the book. I will say that I was surprised. The sad thing is that I could see that scenario happening in real life. I think though, that that is what makes this book so much better. 

I feel like I should talk a little bit about Sam and Carson's relationship. I liked their relationship, did I absolutely love it? No. I think that is because it wasn't the main focus of the book. If it did play a big part in the book, I bet I would have liked it more. I really liked it not being the main focus of the book though. There was enough of it in the story that I cared about it, but it did not take all of my attention away from the mystery.

Overall, this was a fun mystery! I am happy to say that I have read another one of Jennifer L. Armentrout's books, and who knows? Maybe I will pick up more mysteries. 

5/5 Points

A new favorite! Who could expect anything less from a Jennifer L. Armentrout book!