Great, read, well written with a great plot and characters. I was engrossed from start to finish. I absolutely loved this book and I will definitely be reading more books by this author. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.

Well I'm so sorry I can't finish this book. The beginning was really interesting and I found the construction of the book mysterious but at some point, the story lost my interest. I didn't understand where the author was leading us and the characters were not really sympathetic for me.

Ridiculous and plain. We have two stereotypical characters: the rich, petulant (on the outside) and gorgeous guy, and the fearless female (Katniss wanna be). They hate each other because she is... smart and he is rich? Whatever. They end up in this island where they come out as different persons and now they love each other because, hey! the rich guy has does have a heart and all that cockiness was just to hide some bullshit that all rich people in YA go through.

Forget about the conspiracy in the plot. This clichéd story seems to have been written following a template.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title.

First of all this story was interesting but oh so confusing, and by the end I was still scratching my head trying to figure out what was going on. The book cover was what first drew me to this book. The characters were wonderful, the storyline was captivating.

Echoes by Alice Reeds is a heart pumping, action filled book that will have you wanting more. I flew through this book but had to provide a very low rating for the lack of answers, leaving me as a reader, disappointed and very unsatisfied. I understand it's a series, but a little could've been revealed, for example...were they in Germany or not?

This book was EXTREMELY confusing, and I wanted to not finish it several times through the book, once again, because I was receiving so much information but was not even getting a hint on the answers. You tend to start feeling disconnected to the character, when you simply do not understand why they were going through eg. why is this person all of a sudden sent to kill them? Why the fake bear etc etc.

There is a way of creating a book where readers still want more, and yet we are still left satisfied. I understand this is a fine balance, but it felt like there was action after action, but absolutely no reason for all that they are running from.

On a good note I did enjoy the characters, their growth, the writing was thrilling and suspenseful, i just disliked the lack of a plot line.

**4.5 Stars**
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“There’s something you have to know. They’re watching you. They’re behind this.” Another pause. “Trust no one.”

Fiona is on the way to Berlin Germany, one of two students chosen by the pharmaceutical company Briola for an internship based on the results of an aptitude test- which Fiona found shocking she was selected due to her abysmal performance in her science classes. On the down side is that the other student chosen is Miles, her arch-enemy, the boy who is the bane of her high school experience. Once on the expensive private plane left for them, Fiona is enjoying her small taste of freedom from the stress and training of her life with competitive kickboxing. But pretty soon her exciting internship takes a turn and she wakes up in a plane crash...on an island...

Echoes kind of reminded me of the show Lost, in the amazing way the show kept you on your toes guessing, completely uncertain what was real (not in the crazy what am I watching kind of way). I loved the delivery of the story, the back and forth between "worlds" that don't really seem to tie together yet you are 100% invested in both. We have the life on the island with unknown dangers, and then we have the teens in Berlin with real life threats they have to escape. I was kept trying to predict possible outcomes and falling short, and I loved that about the book. If you are looking for something unpredictable, look no further.

“Survival won’t mean shit if we don’t get off the island.”
"Getting off the island won’t mean shit if we’re dead.”

The tension built as the story progresses and so did the questions and the mystery. The story alternated chapters between "Berlin" and "The Island", two very different locations and problems, but both narrated by Fiona with Miles present. Can I just tell you how impressed I am by Alice weaving in the same or similar conversation pieces or physical items in each location, but making it relevant to the situation? It was so cool to see the parallels pop up in the most unique of ways.

As a side note, I really feel like Fiona's hatred of Miles was slightly unfounded. Sure we get a flashback of one of their first encounters where he saved her with a teacher and then gave her a mean comment in passing, and then a few other stations over the years that were annoying but not evil- but I don't think that warranted 4 years of burning rage and hatred. Just saying. I did like how both character realized they did not know the truth about the other and this forced time together really helped them get to know each other. This story is kind of similar to the enemies to lover concept (without the focus on romance, more of partnership), but with way more at stake then a just a relationship.

I do not want to give anything away with my review so it is pretty brief but I will say that if you like YA mysteries, with emotions running high and a dose of angst, that keep you on your toes then you need to pick up Echoes asap! Most certainly worth the read.
I received this title for reviewing purposes.

Based on overall plot/mystery/suspense excellent book.
The mystery and suspense had me turning the pages frantically at times, desperate for answers. I love a good mystery, and this did not disappoint. However, our questions, ultimately, are not answered; the book ends with no real explanations, and left off as a bit of a cliff-hanger, so I am REALLY hoping there is a sequel in the works.

WHOA. I don’t… What just happened?!? This book was INSANE. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting—maybe a romance adventure about two teens surviving a plane crash? And well… it definitely IS that, but also SO MUCH MORE. My brain is still spinning and I can already tell I’m going to have to reread this to try and catch everything I missed the first time.

This is such a hard book to review because EVERYTHING is a clue and if I say too much I’ll give something important away. The book starts off deceptively straightforward. There’s Fiona, a unique spirit who has wonderfully blue hair and mad kickboxing skills. There’s Miles, a popular rich kid who makes Fiona’s life miserable. They’re on their way to Germany for an internship program until they crash land on an island and need to survive. Easy right?? HA! The next chapter rewinds to the hours leading up the crash and two timelines emerge that the book alternates between. Slowly, more information is revealed that makes you stop reading and say “...hey...wait second…” until you reach the end and your head implodes.

The way this was written was so great and I loved how it kind of tricks you into letting your guard down. I thought I knew exactly what was going on and stopped paying too much attention until I caught a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it word here and there that threw everything askew. It was so awesome how little things like that made you more and more unsettled until you couldn’t trust anything anymore.

And the same kind of slow-reveal treatment was used for Fiona and Miles, which I really enjoyed too. In the beginning I was pretty disconnected to their characters, but I was so curious about what was going on that I didn’t even mind. We slowly learn more about them and the story progresses though and I really loved getting to know them. It was like I was falling for them while they were falling for each other.

Plus, THAT ENDING!!!!!! GAHHH!!! Open-ended endings usually make me super salty as a reader, but I actually really liked this one! When it was over, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor and stop myself from making gasping sounds out loud.

FINAL WORD
What a crazy, fun read! This was nothing I was expecting and I mean that as a compliment. I’ve never been so happy to be confused. If you love mysteries with a bit of romance, you’ll love this.

Um, whoa. This book was a wild ride. It's mainly told in alternating stories; 1 chapter is about our MCs in Berlin and then the other is about them on an island. This book was just insane. The island gave me crazy Lost vibes. Another reviewer said that the Berlin parts gave her Jason Bourne vibes and I can see that too.

Our MCs are Fiona and Miles. Fiona is a scholarship kid at a ritzy private school for rich kids. She has blue hair and kickboxes competitively. She has some daddy issues which make her cower in the face of male authority. She is also harboring a sizable amount of disdain for Miles. At first glance, Miles is your typical rich boy, but upon closer look he is smart and compassionate. He, too, has daddy issues.

I don't want to delve into the plot too much because it's really better to jump into this one not knowing or expecting much. The romance is mild, timid, and in my opinion, not necessary. I rarely see a book with a female and male MC who don't fall in love. It would be a breath of fresh air.

I really hope this was the first in a series because that ending! OMG! So many questions were left unanswered and the epilogue had my jaw dropping. If you want a fast-paced adventure, which essentially has 2 stories in one, then pick up Echoes.

I was completely confused for a good portion of this book. I was interested, but so confused. I'm still not exactly sure what happened, but I do know I enjoyed it. Fiona and Miles were interesting and resourceful, but a little bit flat.

Echoes by Alice Reeds is a wonderful young adult book. Fiona and Miles are high school students that win an internship at Briola Tech in Berlin for the summer. Fiona and Miles are opposites and don't get along. Fiona is a average income kick box champion and Miles is a smart rich kid. WOW! This book kept me interested and reading from page one. Everything goes wrong and nothing is as it seems. I sure hope there is a follow up book!
I strongly recommend this book, you won't be sorry.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Echoes
Alice Reed
Entangled Teen, August 2018
ISBN 978-1-64063-247-9
Trade Paperback

From the publisher—

They wake on a deserted island. Fiona and Miles, high school enemies now stranded together. No memory of how they got there. No plan to follow, no hope to hold on to.

Each step forward reveals the mystery behind the forces that brought them here. And soon, the most chilling discovery: something else is on the island with them.

Something that won’t let them leave alive.

Well, my goodness. To say I was surprised by this book would be a mild understatement. I thought it sounded like it could be good—otherwise, I wouldn’t have signed on to review it for this blog tour—but this is better than good. This is the Young Adult thriller that might just convert some of those adult readers out there who think YA isn’t interesting enough or able to grab their attention.

The stakes are high from the very first page when Fiona is relating the abject fear setting in on Miles and herself as their plane begins to go down and the tension never really lets up from then till the end. Sure, there are some quiet moments, but here they are on an island, all alone with no idea where they are or if anyone knows the plane crashed. Survival has to come first but little hints here and there pull them hither and yon as to what’s real and what isn’t, all while these two teens who really don’t like each other have to learn to get along. If they don’t, the consequences could be deadly.

Or might the truth be something else entirely? An alternate timeline weaves in and out and we don’t know any more than Fiona and Miles do. That, my friends, is a perfect setup to mess with your minds as well as theirs and I promise you’ll be scratching your head the whole time.

Fiona and Miles are not my favorite characters ever and, truthfully, there are flaws in this story plus I could do without some of the teen angst, but I truly do think this is a tale worth a few hours of a reader’s time. Fair warning, though—you won’t get all the answers you want and I, for one, am certainly hoping a sequel is in the works 😉

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, August 2018.

tw: emotional abuse and neglect talked about on page

What kind of absolutely mind f-ery did I just read? How in God's green earth can a book just end with THAT ENDING? I need more answers and I need them now!! I honestly don't know what I expected when I started this book. It seemed like it was going to be a fairly typical plane crash story but holy hell, it ended up way crazier.

Despite all the craziness, it did have it's slow moments. Especially when Fiona and Miles were on the island and they were gathering materials to survive. Fiona tended to have a lot of inner monologues that did get a bit wearisome at times.

Speaking of those two, I adored them. Their banter gave me life and the hate to love trope was in full swing, my friends. Holy cow, those two are my new favorite couple. Honestly, there were just so great and they complemented each other perfectly.

Okay, on the real though, is this a standalone because if it is, I will actually cry. I have to know things. Alice Reeds, please don't be cruel to my poor fragile heart and leave the book like that. Please.

Do pick this book up now (as it's just been released). You will not be disappointed.

They wake on a deserted island. Fiona and Miles, high school enemies now stranded together. No memory of how they got there. No plan to follow, no hope to hold on to.

Each step forward reveals the mystery behind the forces that brought them here. And soon, the most chilling discovery: something else is on the island with them.

Something that won't let them leave alive.

Review:

Sooo many questions still unanswered after reading this.

Not that I did not like the story, I really did, but am I to assume there will be a second book? or will us the readers just have to come up with our own resolution in our heads? Even though this is a YA book, the writer has done a great job that you could picture a person of any age that this could happen to. This book is so full of twists and turns, that even if I went point by point could give away all the twists. Plus, like I said before I still have so many questions. One thing to take away from this reader, don't trust anyone. I am not sure what else I can say, but this book was great and I am really picky about YA books that I read. It is not overly angsty, it is fast-paced, extremely mysterious, with just a little romance to make it more interesting.

5Stars
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

Echoes is a young adult book which is about survival with unexpected sci-fi twists.

The plot is really interesting because I like the concept of alternate realities. However, I took me a few pages before I got totally hooked and curious about what truly is happening. The questions that were build in my mind were the things that kept me reading. The characters , being stuck on an Island, reminded of "Lost." That's why I expected there will be some sci-fi elements involved in the story.

The characters are just okay. They are typical character teens in YA books, and they don't leave any impression on me.

I wasn't a big fan of the writing style. Often times, it is a little flat and bland that makes the story dragging.

I was a little disappointed about the ending. There are a lot of questions left unanswered that are essential to the plot.

Lastly, Echoes has a potential to be a great read because it already has a unique concept and enough mystery that keeps the readers on edge.

3.5 Stars

*I received an earc copy from Entangled Teen via Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

This book kept me guessing until the very end!

I will say that this was a perfect mystery. We follow two time frames within this book that slowly release new bits on information before the two pieces begin to ever fit together.

Even though this is completely different story from other books, this plot gave me The Maze Runner and The Hunger Game vibes. The characters are on the verge of discovering the mystery behind their alleged crash but what they remember and the evidence in front of them doesn't seem to add up. Is there someone behind this mess?? You always get the feeling that something isn't right.

The characters themselves comprise of the popular and not as popular classmates that have to strategize together to survive, but then again, she was warned to trust no one.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 Stars. The two time frames in the story were both fun to read and a complete mind game. Through the writing you could feel the tension and the hopelessness that they begin to feel once their situation is uncovered.

And that ending.. wow!

Twists and a cliffhanger ending = riveting mystery!
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled for the opportunity to read and review Echoes by Alice Reeds.
The book opens on a flight that goes terribly wrong, landing two known survivors on an island. The story then alternates from the island setting to previous events before the crash. Fiona is on a scholarship while attending a private school, she excels in kickboxing and has dyed blue hair. Miles is a rich kid, attends the same school as Fiona and has a wonderful academic record. The two of them have been invited to Berlin for an internship at Briola Pharmaceutical. When they arrive at the supposed address of the Briola Pharmaceutical Factory, all they find is a rundown warehouse. They also discover, through researching, that there’s no record of who reserved their hotel room or the Briola company website and the company itself doesn’t exist, even though it was all online twenty-four hours ago. Now Miles and Fiona are on their own. I assumed that the island segments happened after the Berlin parts of the story, but that’s supposedly not the case. While on the island, Fiona and Miles find evidence of the two of them being in Berlin, but neither one of them has any memories of it. All they know, in both settings, is that someone means to cause them harm and completely isolate the two of them from everyone and everything else. The danger grows and the mystery continues to the very end of the book, where another twist appears, which isn’t the end of Miles’ and Fiona’s ordeal. The mystery kept me riveted, 5 stars!

I love how simple the synopsis is! It says just enough to make you curious, but not enough to give anything away. That's definitely a good thing with this one, because there is a lot going on. I had so many questions and only a vague idea of what was happening. I felt just as lost as Miles and Fiona.

However, the romance felt forced and unnecessary. They were two teens that disliked each other but found themselves tossed together under dire circumstances. Flirting, feeling zings of electricity, and doing anything even remotely romantic felt wrong. They were stranded and fighting for their lives, unreliable hormones should have been the furthest thing from their minds. Although, a truce that turned into a friendship would have been understandable and more likely in their situation.

I also didn't like how many times Fiona made a reference to her kickboxing. Yes, you have fighting skills and know how to stay calm in stressful situations, but you do not have to compare every single scenario with how it related to your training. I loved how strong and determined Fiona was, but I felt like that fact was thrown in my face way too often. Miles is an arrogant asshole, Fiona is strong and quick on her feet... I grasped the concept in the beginning and didn't like how frequently it was repeated.

There were a few times I had to go along with something I didn't believe or agree with, but it was necessary to keep the story moving forward. Miles and Fiona did a few things that likely would not have worked in real life, but needed to work to get them out of one situation or another. Most adults wouldn't be that gullible or oblivious.

Echoes was a weird, trippy story that left me guessing the entire time. The information we're given was vague and only enough to keep me curious about the ending. I wanted to know why these two teenagers were abandoned and unable to reach anyone that mattered. From the beginning we know something creeptastic is going on, but it isn't until the very end that we discover exactly...

Exactly what? What happened at the end? I have no idea. I think I have more questions now than I did at the beginning. Have you seen Lost? It feels a lot like a YA version of Lost, but the ending isn't really an ending... or is it? I don't know if this was intended as a stand alone (it should be), but the ending was ugh. I did not go through that mindfuck to get to an ending that wasn't an ending. It didn't even feel like a cliffhanger, but like the story was left unfinished.

In the end, Echoes will make you question everything and everyone. The characters were okay, but I never felt attached to them. The author tells you a lot about who they are and why they act a certain way, but I would have liked drawing those conclusions for myself. I like it when I'm able to discern things based on how a character acts, rather than being told what makes them who they are.

I don't think I'll read the second book (if there is one), but this was a quick read with a somewhat interesting story. I did want to know what happened to them, but since that wasn't really answered, I feel like I wasted all the time I invested in this book.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on August 7, 2018.

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Teen for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Fiona and Miles have been picked to be interns for and they are on the their way to Germany. However, once they arrive they find that things aren't quite what they seem. First, they have only one room and one bed, and when Fiona tries to find another room she learns that they hotel doesn't know who booked the room.


To top it off she received a voicemail from Joe telling her to trust no one. But things go from bad to worse when she wakes up and realizes that they survived a plane crash and appear to be on a deserted island. Told between the events leading up to the plane crash and their survival on the island. We slowly begin to learn about how Fiona and Miles ended up there.


So I know that is vague, but this is one of the cases where telling too much can really ruin the story. But, I want to get my complaint out of the way. It seemed really interesting and like the author was going to unveil everything, but then it took a turn went vague and kind of confusing. Plus it ended like a first book, but I don't see anything saying there is going to be more than one book. So those factors make me want to rate this lower.


However, I will leave it higher because the writing was fantastic, the plot original, and lastly because I am hoping there is at least a sequel that clears it all up. If the sequel doesn't happen I may change my rating. I loved Fiona, and I like how she really gets to know Miles despite the fact that they haven't been friends this whole time.


I like the evolution of their relationship, and both of them are amazing characters that are totally likable. I really wish the ending wasn't as messy as I felt it was.

DNF @ 64%

Plot? What plot?
Hahahahahahahaha! This book has no plot. I thought it might. I got a quarter of the way through the book and went “oh, I know what the plot is. This is kind of lame.” and then… the plot NEVER FUCKING HAPPENED! Literally we went from “this is mildly intriguing” to “and I’m sticking my tongue down your throat” bullshit YA romance that is such fucking cliche it’s not even funny. Good GOD! Please stop pushing romance into books that LITERALLY DO NOT NEED IT! What’s more, don’t push it so much that I forget there even is a plot to the book. If you want to write shitty romantic garbage that has NO real precedence and would never happen in a million years, but you are forcing like nobody’s business, there’s a place for that, it’s called FanFiction. Fuck.

Cliche Characters
Oh. My. Good. God. “He’s a rich boy who actually has a tortured past and is truly a good person” and “I’ve loved you for forever and thought you were fascinating and amazing and unique, but I treated you like a total asshole for…. no FUCKING REASON!” Could you literally create any more stereotypical characters?! It’s bad enough you threw romance into a book that’s supposed to be a suspenseful mystery (which it’s not. More on than in a sec). But you forced a romance between two characters that are the most cliche most stereotypical archetypes of all fucking YA time! Is a little originality or believability TOO much to ask for?

Mis-Genreing
… a suspenseful, ya, mystery where… nothing is actually scary or suspenseful or mysterious or interesting… So wait. What was this story about? First off, that blurb does not do anything for saying what the story is about. It’s only half of it and the ominous, mysteriousness they try to express in the blurb is just garbage compared to what’s actually in the book. There’s nothing interesting or suspenseful. It’s just the same “oh, I’m scared” over and over and over again until the two characters end up making out. -.- Kill me.