Book Review: Dead To You by Lisa McMann

Publish Date: February 7, 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 243
Series: None
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0388-8
Source: From publisher for review

Goodread Synopsis:
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 Review:
What a great book this was! Right away, the synopsis makes the book out to be phenomenal and it truly is, from the first page to the last.
Years ago, a young 7 year old boy Ethan was abducted from his front yard. Years later (9 years to be precise), he returned to his family who have grown up and have had to move on. Ethan has to try to fit into a life of love, friendship and normalcy now. All these years, Ethan has been trying to figure his life out, and he has finally come home. McMann is able to write this story with so much ease it seems. With a book that deals with such serious and difficult situations, it seems written so perfectly. McMann has to portray these characters that have been without each other for years, a son without his parents and brother, and a mother and father without the son they once had - this would be difficult to write I would imagine, but the author does a wonderful job capturing the feelings and emotions of each character. Ethan is the character that you'll feel bad for, he has lived the most part of his life with his abductor, and he can't remember anything that people throw out to him. Blake, the younger brother is having a hard time adjusting to life with his brother back home, but Grace, oh little Grace, the sister born 1 year after the abduction is such a cute little girl. She'll melt your heart with the things she says and does. All of these characters, plus more are so well written and believable. They just add to the overall greatness of Dead To You.
This isn't just the happy ending book we think it should be. No way, this is so much more than that. It's an intense, pyscological puzzle that is just so worth it.
I recommend that you read Dead To You. The ending will leave you speechless!

Thank you so much for sending me this ARC, Simon and Schuster.