[Review] Contact by Laurisa White Reyes

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Title: Contact

Author: Laurisa White Reyes

Series: N/A

Publisher: Hallowed Ink Press

Release Date: June 23rd 2014

Get it Here: Amazon

GoodReads Page

Source: e-ARC via NetGalley

Synopsis:

It takes only half a second…

…Like those commercials where a crash test dummy rockets forward at high speed and slams into a wall.

…In that instant, every thought in Emma Lynn Walsh’s head collides with mine—every thought, memory, hope, disappointment and dream.

…I open my eyes to see Dr. Walsh peering at me, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Let—go—of—me,” I order though clenched teeth.

Mira wants to die. She’s attempted suicide twice already, and failed. Every time she comes in contact with another person, skin to skin, that person’s psyche uploads into hers. While her psychologist considers this a gift, for Mira, it’s a curse from which she cannot escape.

To make matters worse, Mira’s father is being investigated in the deaths of several volunteer test subjects of a miracle drug. Shortly after Mira’s mother starts asking questions, she ends up in a coma. Although her father claims it was an accident, thanks to her “condition” Mira knows the truth…but proving it just might get her killed!

4.5 snowflakes out of five!

I received an e-ARC from Hallowed Ink Press via Netgalley for an honest review. This fact in no shape or form affects my review. Except for the existence of the review itself. I received no compensation for this review in any way.This is my honest opinion of the work.

This book did not turn out to be what I expected! I expected to be reading a book that really focuses in on the fact that Mira has supernatural powers and while Contact does have some focus on the powers themselves, it also focuses on some of the problems caused by her powers and also on the events that happen around her as she tries to figure things out.

The plot of this novel was really intriguing and it held my interest the entire time. Since the beginning, there was an air of mystery surrounding a lot of things and that mysterious tone persists throughout the entire novel. The mystery of the source of Mira's powers and the miracle drug, Gaudium, is what really captivated me. The book was slow in the beginning as they introduce everything to the reader, but the book was like a snowball rolling down a hill. As time went on, things moved faster as Mira tries to uncover secrets.

The book takes place in an interesting time period. It's the near future. Mira's dad is in the running to become the first Hispanic senator and he was also the ex-CEO of a drug company that founded a miracle drug called Gaudium that can prevent depression, schizophrenia and other mental disorders. With the mention of this miracle drug, I thought in the beginning as I read it that it was about some distant future world, but it wasn't and that was really interesting to introduce this element into a modern universe.

I'm a crime show enthusiast and the plot unraveled a little bit like one of my favourite crime shows. And because I'm an enthusiast, some of the mystery reveals were a little predictable. That didn't detract from the adrenaline as I read the action in the book! There were some moments near the end where I was repeating, "Oh no! Oh noooooo!"

And the love interest in the book is adorable. I thought it was a little weird when he just went along with whatever Mira was doing though. Still adorable.

Mira is also Hispanic! This is the second book that I've ever read that had a Hispanic main character, the first being Matt from The House of the Scorpion. PoC characters ftw!

"But that was just a sliver of everything, one moment out of millions."

"But David doesn't stop. His hands slow, and the music transforms into something melancholy. It's beautiful, though, like someone's broken heart translated into a melody."

"The absence of sound is maddening." 

I highly enjoyed the book and I could see the points in the end that set it up for a next book and those lines gave me a little anxiety too. If you read it, you'll know what I'm talking about. ;D

Contact releases June 23rd!

Happy reading y'all!