I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a twisty turny kind of story that leaves you on your toes. And keeps you coming back to flip the pages.

The characters are relaly well developed. And had so much depth and dynamic to them.

And the overall story really impressed me. The idea for the book has had similar versions of it used. But this one gave a really unique spin to it. And made it such an original and interesting read.

There was pleanty of mystery and drama. And I loved evey page.

A 5 star read for me

I really disliked this. The characters are insufferable, the author can’t seem to go a page without talking about the main character’s breasts and the story as a whole was just... meh. A let down.

I'm an adoptee, and often find myself skeptical of books involving adoption. There are certain tropes and stereotypes that drive me positively mad. Fortunately, In Another Life by C.C. Hunter navigates those well, sensitively and smartly. Less fortunately, the writing and characterization felt flat, lacking the sort of complexity and detail that create a rich, realistic world, making this a bit of a struggle to get through. The description and marketing of this book made it seem like it would fall on the mystery/thriller end of the spectrum, but it lacked both the pacing and level of suspense a reader tends to expect from those genres. I think this is certainly a book many readers will enjoy—so long as they know what to expect going in: a YA contemporary with a pleasantly thoughtful approach to a sensitive subject, rather than a YA thriller.

“In Another Life” by C.C Hunter had a wonderful premise. Girl thinks she’s adopted, parents split, she moves to start a new life with her mom. Only, everything isn’t as it seems, so she and a cute boy set out to find out the truth.
This book is supposed to be in the mystery/ suspense genre. Unfortunately for me, I felt like this aspect was missing entirely. This was more of a contemporary YA than the mystery YA I was hoping for. In addition to this, I really did not feel any way about the characters and the storyline was a little all over the place as well as predictable at times. With all this said, I do appreciate the fact that adoption/ possible kidnapping was the subject within this book.
Overall, this book just wasn’t for me, but a friend did suggest I check out the “Shadow Falls” series and I am looking forward to it!

* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

While the story sounded interesting, unfortunately the large number of spelling are grammer issues made it challenging to read.

Chloe Holden had lived a blissful life with her adoptive parents of fourteen years. She didn’t remember much about her early childhood days, but that didn’t stop her from appreciating life to the fullest. Until her parents’ impending divorce drove her away to Joyful, Texas. First person she met accused her of something she had no knowledge of. Cash Colton, the man of the hour, left a mark on Chloe’s and seemed to follow her every move. Little did she know that Cash was actually on her case; he believed she was someone detrimental to his own foster parents’ happiness or doom.

Cash Colton’s attitude towards Chloe was deeply rooted, one moment he was furious and suspicious of her; the next moment, he’s protective and charming, making him an antithesis. I liked how both characters were described and portrayed.

In Another Life is a fast-paced, stirring, love story that will pull at your heartstrings. I loved how Cash & Chloe’s romance evolved, although it felt lacking in other department. This book was initially meant to be suspense/mystery, but as the story progressed, the mystery was easily resolved and the suspense fell short. I would have loved to see how the real villain in the story suffered under the hands of the people he compromised. Maybe I was just expecting too much. Maybe it’s just me.

This is my second CC Hunter book. The first one I’ve read from her was This Heart of Mine which immediately became my favorite. I remember crying for days after reading it. In Another Life didn’t excite me as much as the first one, but I still loved it because the topics about adoption and dealing with divorced parents were greatly justified in this book. Will definitely read all the other books by CC Hunter!

Awesome book! It's like 3 books in one...kidnapped toddler, foster system, adoption fraud,.......yikes! Great happy ending.

**3.5-stars**

When Chloe Holden moves to Joyful, Texas, with her mother, her once perfect life is in shambles. Her mother is in remission from her cancer but still very sick. Her Dad, who she has always considered her super hero, has cheated on her mom and left her for a much younger woman. They're not speaking at all and using Chloe as a go-between.

In spite of all of this, Chloe is doing her best to hold it all together. Her mom is in the throes of a terrible depression and most days, Chloe functions more as a parent than a child. With her mom's utter lack of being able to get out of her own way, Chloe is left to deal with a lot of stressful things by herself.

When Chloe bumps into Cash Colton at a local convenience store, he has an unexpected and far from friendly reaction to her.

Cash believes Chloe is lurking in town to scam his foster parents, the Fullers. They had a baby girl who was kidnapped when she was three years old and Chloe looks exactly like an age progression photograph that has been used to scam them before.

This would seem ludicrous except for the fact that Chloe is actually adopted. She remembers nothing of her life prior to being surrendered by her bio parents. Well nothing except for one vague memory that his been haunting her: her 3-year old self in a princess dress, sitting on a dirty sofa, crying and having a scary man tell her, your momma and daddy don't want you anymore.

As you can imagine, this memory frightens her so she does her best to suppress it. As her and Cash eventually strike up a friendship, then begin to grow closer, he confesses to her what he fears. As they begin to explore the idea that she could actually be the missing girl, Emily Fuller, Chloe begins to remember more details.

In Another Life is a solid YA Contemporary story. I had moments in the beginning that gave me pause but as the story continued, I felt myself drawn in more and more. Chloe and Cash's relationship was enjoyable. It was interesting to me to have two main characters who were part of the adoptive/foster care system. Both Chloe and Cash are struggling with issues stemming from that, Chloe definitely less so, and I found those topics interesting to explore.

Cash's back story was very interesting and when I would find myself getting frustrated at some of his choices and behaviors, I had to remind myself of how he perceived the world differently than myself.

I did have a slight issue with Chloe's mom. She was annoying AF and I think we had a bit too much of her. Her constant issues sucked me out of the story by taking the focus off of Chloe and Cash. I found her distracting, TBH. Also, I wouldn't classify this as a mystery/thriller. I have heard some people talking about it and I think if you go into this with that assumption, you will be disappointed -- at least if you read a lot of thrillers, which I do.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this story and would definitely pick up more works by this author. Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity.

The plot to this felt really fresh, so I was excited to read it. It started off strong enough to hold my interest, but it quickly went downhill from there.

I didn't like the odd alternating POV, especially since it seemed to alternate from first person with the female character to third person when it was focusing on the male character. It was jarring and confusing.

As other reviewers have mentioned, there was way too much focus on descriptions of the girl's appearance (particularly her breasts). It was super strange overall. The intriguing plot wasn't enough to get past the appearance-focused descriptions and the weird POV changes.

I will also say that hopefully some of the glaring errors in the e-ARC were fixed for the actual publication as well. There were issues with names (The male protagonist, Cash, was referred to as a different name randomly in one paragraph) and some typos, though I imagine those were caught before final publication.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I love YA novels and this one was definitely one of my favorite. Christie did an amazing job with this story!! This story isn't just about adoption -- it's about family, friends, overcoming life tragedies and coming out on top!! This is the first book I have read of Christie's and now I am a huge fan!!

An interesting concept for a novel - who is Chloe really? And how does Cash fit into her narrative. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC.

This was very easy to understand why it’s labeled as a ya book versus older genre, with it being more ya versus adult, I truly was captivated by it. I thought it had an important premise and loved the mysterious layers beneath. Overall, I thought it was a intriguing read, which had some nice layers of mystery/suspense build up for the reader to enjoy.
I will make sure I let Chapter Chatter Pub know about it’s release!

Despite being a dinosaur so this story could have maybe induced a case of déjà vu thanks to The Face on the Milk Carton, I was still all over requesting it because I have been digging the YA mystery vibe this year. What I didn’t expect to find upon starting was . . . . .

“Every girl in school has tried to get his attention and failed. You get here, and he gets punched when he’s checking you out.”

Oh yes, the ol’ fallback “Bella Swan Syndrome” and yet another case where a storyline (despite not being particularly fresh) with so much potential immediately falls off the rails. And things just kept getting worse. From a “bad boy” in the foster care system who has been brainwashed into thinking everything is a con, to a potential kidnap victim who was adopted by people IN. THE. SAME. DANG. TOWN. where she would have been taken from, to said potential kidnap victim being THREE YEARS OLD when she would have been taken and somehow NOT saying, “yo dudes, thanks for wanting to give me a home but I already have one like one subdivision over and my name is Emily so why don’t y’all just drop me off there, huh?” to a mother with cancer (and an almost 18 year old that doesn’t realize you need to be cancer free for like YEARS before you’re really considered cancer free), to a cheating dad with a new live-in half his age, back to mom because I forgot to mention the severe state of depression she’s in. Ugh.

This thing was so schizophrenic in themes it had no chance of succeeding. Not to mention the writing was just terrible. Really the only thing that could have made it a bit of fun for me would have been if Edward Cullen’s Cash the dreamboy’s daddy would have been the kidnapper.

Like I said before, YA mysteries have improved tremendously over the past couple of years. I highly recommend checking out Karen McManus or The Goldfish Boy or All These Beautiful Strangers or People Like Us if you want a teenie bopper whodunit.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Though it took awhile, I did eventually find myself rather invested in the story of Cash and Chloe. In fact, their budding relationship is what kept me reading. While romance isn't generally my thing, a love story that is written with palpable chemistry definitely is. Cash and Chloe had that in spades.

Of course, the point of the story isn't entirely the development of their relationship, but also the uncovering of Chloe's past - that mystery being what brought them together to begin with. Admittedly, I solved that particular mystery rather early in the game, and as I think it was the foundation on which the story was built (rather than the major point of the story - this is NOT a YA mystery or thriller), that's perfectly fine. It was an interesting way to highlight the complexities of parent/child relationships and work through the question of "identity" most typical teenagers grapple with, even under the best of circumstances.

Chloe's circumstances were certainly less than ideal. Her dad left her and her mom for another woman, her mom then got cancer and is now depressed, they had to move, and NOW she finds out she might have been kidnapped rather than put up for adoption. Chloe's life is a dumpster barrel on fire. And she handles all of that a lot better than I would and is much more forgiving.

While I wanted to ring her parent's necks most of the time, I really did love Chloe and Cash. If you like contemporary YA with a decent love story, this book is worth a look.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, Wednesday Books & C.C Hunter for the free advanced digital copy! This book is available now!

🌟BOOK REVIEW🌟

▪️MY THOUGHTS
✔️I loved the concept of this book and it reminded me of the show Finding Carter - so I was automatically drawn to the story. I was hooked right away trying to find out what happened to Chloe and who exactly were her parents. I thought the book did a good job in talking about adoption, foster homes, depression and acceptance. Ultimately I felt that love was the main theme and it was quite evident in many of the different relationships. The story however, felt a bit rushed at the end but other than that I was entertained throughout.

▪️OVERALL RUNDOWN
✔️I thought the story was really well written. The relationships between Chloe and her parents was a difficult one at times and I thought that it was written in a very realistic way. I just found the ending a bit hard to follow because it felt rushed. Overall I enjoyed it! If you’re looking for a mystery/with a side of teenage romance this book is for you. Especially if there are any Finding Carter fans out there!

▪️TITLE RUNDOWN
In love
New kid
Adoption
New love
Open
Teens
High school
Emotional
Relationships
Lying
Interesting
Feelings
Exciting

Thank you Wednesday Books for gifting me an E-Arc in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I rate this book a 3 out of 5 Stars.

I enjoyed this book, it was fast paced and fun. I don’t necessarily agree with it being labeled as a Mystery or a Thriller as it was very light in both. Even saying that, I think the book still flowed well. I am not a big romance reader, and when I do, I like it to have some dramatic elements to it, and this one definitely had them. I think maybe this could be considered more of a Romantic Suspense.

This was my first C.C. Hunter book, and I did like it, and I thought she did a good job writing a story about adoption, and capturing the emotions of teenagers. I’m impressed, and I definitely will read another Hunter book in the future!

In Another Life is so much more than what I expected it to be. If you're like me, you were really intrigued by the description more so than the cover, but I highly recommend picking this book up. Inside is a first person and third person story following a teenage girl named Chloe, and a teenage boy named Cash. Both have been in foster care, and both have very different lives. When they meet however, everything they know will come crashing down around them.

After being adopted as a three year old, Chloe had a seamless transition into her new family, and her life was almost perfect. Her parents loved her, they did things together as a family, and she couldn't ask for more. That is, until her father cheated on her mother with a girl only seven years older than herself, and then after they divorced, her mother found out that she had breast cancer. Her father left them to take care of themselves, and Chloe ended up taking care of her sick mother until she was put in remission.

Cash, on the other hand, had been in multiple foster homes, and can never stop thinking about the lessons that his criminal father taught him; lie about everything. He feels like he doesn't deserve his new family, who loves him, and wants to claim him as their own, because of things he did when he was a child, and no one can convince him otherwise. His foster parents, however, have a sad backstory, having their own daughter kidnapped when she was three, and never finding her again. He also feels bad he can't give them what they want, their own child back.

However, when these two meet, there's an instant connection. They become tied up in each other, romantically and when Cash has a wild thought that Chloe may be his foster parents missing child, they start doing a little detective work of their own. But will Chloe remember the childhood she's always wondered about? She's always thought that her birth mother gave her up, but was she really kidnapped and adopted out?

This book is an interesting mix of contemporary fiction and a mystery. Though the characters are just like everyone else, it's a highly emotional book, and really leaves you thinking about it long after you've finished it. The world they live in is just like our own, where any of these events could happen. It's exciting, and sometimes sad, and highly addictive. Once I started it, I didn't want to put it down until I was completely finished. If you're looking for an emotional book about teen love and a mysterious kidnapping, or you just want something addictive to read, then you need to pick this up next. Though i haven't checked out the author's other series, Born At Midnight, they've been on my to-read list forever, and I'm glad I finally got to check out one of their books.

Thanks for reading!
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

I featured this book in a recent post and will send the link directly to the publisher in the next round of this process

I cannot remember the last time I read a book in a single day, but In Another Life was a page-turner! I wanted to know how Chloe's story would end, and if Cash would finally forgive himself. They were both really interesting characters, even if they did tackle something that was way over their heads.

I think my age is showing, or I've hit a reading growth spurt, because teenage angst is becoming more and more intolerable these days. Chloe and Cash made decisions based on their age and experience, but an adult's perspective would have been a welcome addition the story, and likely saved them a lot of trouble. They could have offered insight and assistance that would have kept the two teens out of danger (or at least made it less dangerous). However, Chloe doesn't want to tell her parents, and Cash respects her wishes, so they try to solve their problems without anyone's help.

Lindsay was the closest thing to a secondary character we see, but her appearances were infrequent, and her dialogue was very simple. I wish she had been developed more, and played a larger role in the overall story. Mostly, we see Chloe and Cash, her parents and his. It made the story feel somewhat flat. Cash doesn't have any friends at school, just a guy that he works with (we see him briefly for quick conversation), and Chloe only talks about the friends she used to have. They both seemed very alone, and only had each other to talk to.

The mystery aspect of the story was actually really sad. I have a hard time with books that involve child abuse, abduction, death, etc., and it was hard to think about all of the nameless faces in this story. The villain(s) were twisted and disturbing, and profited off the hope and misfortune of others. One of them leers at Chloe through a window, and his comments made my stomach turn. He makes similar comments afterwards that made feel terrified on her behalf. What makes it so scary, is that there are people like that in the world.

Despite all of this, I really enjoyed the story. I was glued to the pages waiting for Chloe and Cash to hit an obstacle they couldn't overcome on their own. I knew that meant their parents would get involved, and then everything would be out in the open. Chloe and Cash have a secret that not only impacts their lives, but the lives of everyone they care about, so I thought it was only right that they all knew about it. Besides, the two were in way over their heads from the start.

C.C. Hunter knows how to play with heartstrings and frustrations, and she does just that with In Another Life. Chloe was torn between what she's always known, and what she fears might be true. Cash had a troubled childhood, full of abuse and abandonment, which left him feeling like he didn't deserve anyone's love. They were beautiful and broken, and I enjoyed both of their perspectives.

In the end, I would definitely recommend this one. The mystery was subtle, but it impacted the characters in a big way. It was mostly about Chloe and Cash, their traumatic childhoods, and how those formative years (even if unremembered) shaped their lives.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on March 19, 2019.

Hunter is a wizard with words. The premise of this book is so intriguing and is executed so well. The teen romance is YA gold and the mystery of whether or not she was "adopted" kept me turning the pages.