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Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Dreamology by Lucy Keating

Alice's dreams are full of wonders - and Max. Max is perfect and he's by her side in every adventure. But Max isn't real. 

Or is he. 

Alice and her father have just moved to Boston. Alice is the new girl, lonely already thanks to having to leave her best friend behind. A friend who advises her that it's time to give up the fantasy of Max and meet someone in the real world. But lo and behold, who does Alice meet on her very first day at school: Max. Real Max. And real Max IS dream Max. But the more time Alice and Max spend together outside of their dreams, the more their dreams seem to be seeping into the real world. 

Ah, Lucy Keating's debut is so freaking charming!

I dream. I dream vividly. Which I guess is something of a trade for the fact that I don't actually get much in the way of rest when I sleep thanks to hereditary insomnia. So yeah, there was part of the appeal in this one: dreams, dream boy, new girl in school, and overall a debut that sounded uber cute. Which it definitely was.

Passages of Alice's dream journal are peppered throughout the book, pretty perfectly depicting the wacky world of sleep. And her relationship with dream Max is incredibly sweet.

Of course, neither Alice or Max ever believed the other existed outside of their dreams. Which proves to be a bit problematic. And at first, Max doesn't even admit to knowing Alice at all. So poor Alice is faced with the one thing she's wanted and yearned for for so very long and the very possibility that it's all only in her head!

You can probably imagine Alice's emotional state as the story begins. Plus, there are issues with her mom. ISSUES.

Both Alice and Max are developed pretty well. They both have a lot of emotional baggage, which Keating subtly works into their behaviors and characteristics. Some of the side characters could have used a bit more attention, but seeing as how it wasn't their story it really isn't a complaint - simply a wish that I could have spent a bit more time with Dreamology before it ended.

Dreamology is a contemporary tale with a whimsical edge. Like I said, charming and oh so cute. As usual, I want to avoid spoiling anything for you. But yes, Alice and Max do find out why they're dreaming about each other and how it all began. Whether they get their happily ever after in their dreams or the real world is part of the story.


1 comment:

website said...

This was such a fun read. It was witty and delightful and (pun not intended) dreamy. It took a fairly out there premise and made it real. Also, the main couple is so adorable, I rooted for them so much the whole time.