Astrid has no memories from September 9th, 1999. When she woke the following day, after being in an accident, she cannot remember what she did the day prior. At first, she doesn't realize the entire day is missing. Instead of returning to Boston, she stays in New York with her father and best friend, to recuperate a bit before going home. When she gets home there is so much going on, she still does not realize a day is missing. When she reaches out to Oliver, she realizes the 9th is missing from her memory. Oliver tells her he will help her find those memories. She begins to remember pieces of the 9th which include her meeting Theo. Along the way, Astrid and Oliver begin to have romantic feelings for each other, making her wonder if she really wants to know about everything that took place on the 9th. Things get more mysterious and there is the possibility Theo never existed. There are twists and turns that keep Astrid and the reader guessing. The ending made my draw drop. DO NOT skip to the end of this book!!! I am giving this a 4.5-star rounding to 5

I was probably the angriest I have ever been when I finished Asleep From Day by Margarita Montimore. I genuinely felt betrayed. I won't say specifically how the book ends but it does end on a cliffhanger. Cliffhangers are fine. You want to end your book on a cliffhanger, go for it! This one did not work for me. The hour after I finished the book I was PISSED. Then I slept on it (I am aware my first reactions to things can be (especially with books) a tad over the top). My feelings have subdued, but I still have a few thoughts. But first, what is the book about?

Synopsis:
Astrid can’t remember the best day of her life: yesterday.

A traumatic car accident erases Astrid’s memories of September 9th, the day she spent with a charming stranger named Theo. Ever since, she’s haunted by surreal dreams and an urgent sense that she’s forgotten something important. One night, she gets a mysterious call from Oliver, who knows more about her than he should and claims he can help her remember. She accepts his help, even as she questions his motives and fights a strange attraction to him.

In order to find Theo and piece together that lost day in September, Astrid must navigate a maze of eccentric Boston nightlife, from the seedy corners of Chinatown to a drug-fueled Alice-in-Wonderland-themed party to a club where everyone dresses like the dead. In between headaches and nightmares, she struggles to differentiate between memory, fantasy, and reality, and starts to wonder if Theo really exists. Eventually, she’ll need to choose between continuing her search for him or following her growing feelings for Oliver. Astrid might go to extreme lengths to find what she’s lost . . . or might lose even more in her pursuit to remember (like her sanity).

Let's start with the formatting of this book! (My favorite topic.) The chapters are broken up into what is actually happening to Astrid in the present, what (we think) happened between Astrid and Theo, and dreams Astrid has. I like this formatting a lot. It keeps the reader engaged and allows us to see Astrid and the mystery of her missing memories from a lot of different angles. To put it simply, it just works, and it is easy to think of a scenario where it wouldn't. So it wasn't like I was completely against this book from the start.

Up until the ending, I was pretty in love with this book. Astrid could be a little naive or obsessed at times but not enough to make me hate her. Clearly, based on my response to the ending, I connected with Astrid. This book made me laugh, cry, and occasionally roll my eyes. I'm looking at you, Sally. Astrid's best friend, Sally finds out her fiance is a criminal and now on the run from the law. She comes to visit Astrid in Boston to help deal with her breakup and some of her actions were at times irritating and ridiculous. But, in the overall scheme of things, not hateable. I will say this though: why can't best friends be actual friends? This is the second book I have read in the past couple of months where the "best friend" doesn't act with the main character's best interests in mind. Sally thinks she knows best, but really doesn't. Sure, friendships aren't all sunshine and rainbows, but why do female characters have friends who treat them kind of terribly?

I was really interested in the quest/journey Astrid goes on to find Theo. It had twists and turns and all the elements of a great mystery. I wanted her to find what she was looking for, whether that be Theo or something inside herself that would make her feel whole. I also really enjoyed her interaction with Oliver. My favorite scenes are when Astrid and Oliver are either interacting over the phone or in person. They just have a really good back and forth. Astrid has no problem getting right down to business. She was looking for Theo and Oliver said he could help her, so she was going to do whatever she had to to regain her memory. they have some of the best dialogue in the book. You want Astrid to see that connection but she is so wrapped up in her search for Theo and her memories, she doesn't see it (or want to see it) straight away.

My favorite line in the entire book is this exchange from what (we think) occurs between Theo and Astrid on the day she can't remember:

“Don’t walk away, Astrid. It’s what you do, but don’t do it with me.”
It is what I do. It’s what I did before. With Oliver, but also with Theo

This hit me like a ton of bricks. Mainly for personal reasons (abandonment issues? what are those?). This one section just shoots right to the core of Astrid and her habit of not fully engaging with the people in her life. I had to actually stop reading and just sit with it for a while to fully process what it meant. It's one of those lines that just hit me and I can't really explain why it affected me so much. It could be written in any romance-type novel, but in this book, with this character, in this scenario, it shot me right in the feels.

One part of the story I thought wasn't particularly well developed was Astrid's father. We get a paragraph or two every couple of chapters, but it's not enough. We don't really get to understand why Astrid and her father (Robin) don't have a closer relationship. They have so few interactions in the book that the inclusion of him felt like a throwaway. I don't know if the story would change if her father wasn't in it. Sure, Astrid needs to have some kind of troubled background to establish why she walks away from people and relationships but we weren't shown enough or told enough about her father for it to have much of an impact. They do have one meaningful conversation at the end of the book, but it's too late by then. I honestly forgot he existed until he was brought up again.

Ok, now to the ending. As I said, I am not going to give it away because you might like it. I have seen a few reviews where people did. Astrid doesn't have all the information she needs(at least I think this is where the book is going) and the book ends before she is able to discover all the clues and find everything she is looking for. If there isn't a sequel to this book, I will be forever upset. To me, the ending isn't an ending, it's a plot twist in the wrong place, but if there is a sequel (please Margarita Montimore and the publishing gods), it kind of works. It's like when you watch a TV show live and the episode ends on a cliffhanger and you have to wait until next week (or god forbid next season). You are pissed because you need it wrapped up now. I wish this book could stand on its own, but it just doesn't for me. It needs a sequel. And I hope it gets one. I need it wrapped up. I need Astrid to get some kind of closure.

Alright, rating time! Overall, this was a well-written book and Astrid was a joy to follow on her quest. With the ending and the flaws in some of the character development, I am giving Asleep From Day a 3 out of 5 stars. It's good, but could be better.

Asleep From Day by Margarita Montimore comes out January 10, 2018.

Thank you, NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed reading Asleep From Day over the course of a winter afternoon; caught up in the momentum of a young woman untangling her memories of the day before a traumatic incident. Amnesia slowly unwinds as Astrid remembers a romantic encounter, helped in her quest by friends and a somewhat magical man. I had no idea where this book was going and the final interpretation was left to the reader...rather like the pilot of a television series...but the ride was entertaining. the setting is Boston 1999 and the parties are wild and fun. if you like slightly magical contemporary romance, give it a whirl...

Astrid may have met the boy of her dreams yesterday, she thinks she did but she can't remember.
After an accident Astrid suffers acute memory loss, she can't remember the day before the accident.
As she starts to piece together her day she remembers Theo and the perfect day they had together. If only she could find him to fill in the gaps of the day.
Whilst the rest of Astrid's life falls apart she meets Oliver so wants to help her bit his motivation is unclear, could he simply be a stalker?
A nice easy to read romance which can be read in one sitting

I didn't care for this book. The whole book felt disjointed. The story just didn't come together for me. Astrid gets hit my car and get amnesia, but only loses 1 day. There is snippets of a not so great relationship with her dad thrown in. Parts where Astrid is looking for Theo, but then she is being intimate with him. There were also parts that just seemed like rambling when she was talking to her best friend. Her roommate was thrown in a couple of times for no purpose really that I could tell. Then the end was a let down leaving huge questions. At least it was well edited.