Is there anything Jennifer L. Armentrout can’t do? The answer, mere mortals, is no (unless you want a poncho). Do you like Contemporary? Mystery? Paranormal? Romance? Regardless of your preferences, Jennifer L. Armentrout has probably written something that will appeal to you. Now we can add Don’t Look Back, a Contemporary/Romance/Thriller, to her list of hits.
Don’t Look Back follows a pretty simple formula for success: a chilling mystery, a complicated yet pleasant main character, enough sexual tension to make you blush, and the mother of all shocking endings. I would describe it as a mix between Mean Girls and The Lying Game by Sara Shepard. While I wouldn’t consider this novel a standout, I did enjoy it enough to gush about it.
Our main character, Samantha, has amnesia. She’s found in the middle of nowhere without any recollection of her entire life or the events that transpired the night she went missing. She soon finds out that she wasn’t alone when she disappeared. Her frenemy, Cassie, is still missing. What follows is an edge-of-your-seat kind of book, the type that keeps your mind alert because you don’t know who to trust or what’s lurking around the corner.
Samantha’s amnesia generates the most amusing moments in the novel. From ordering coffee to hearing stories about her “old” self, I couldn’t stop laughing at her reactions. I also really enjoyed the unpredictability factor that propels the novel forward. Just when you think you know what’s happening it changes course again. As a reader, I was suspicious of everyone and I was so determined to unravel the mystery before the end of the novel that I ended up missing some pretty huge clues. Even though I didn’t see it coming, I think some people might be able to solve the puzzle a lot sooner than I did.
Even though it can get very silly at times, it can also get super creepy. Among all the creepy and all the silly, you’ll find some very swoon-worthy chapters. No one can write sexual tension like Armentrout (that’s not necessarily true but go with it) and Don’t Look Back doesn’t lack steamy moments. Did I care for the relationship or the love interest? No. Did I have a good time reading about it? The answer is a huge fat yes, which also applies to Armentrout’s previous novels.
Unfortunately, Don’t Look Back falls into the cliché trap more than once. Samantha’s friends are the typical, flat snarky popular girls. None of the secondary characters possess any depth to them; they are just there. The love interest, Carson, is the hot dude we’ve read about in so many other novels. Even some of the moments throughout the story—the “you-have-a-little-something-on-your-face” and the “there’s-someone-in-the-backseat”—feel recycled and unoriginal. The ending takes a major soap opera turn, which I didn’t really enjoy but the shock factor is definitely there.
I don’t know about you but I have a love/hate relationship with Jennifer L. Armentrout. Love because I can’t get enough of her books. Hate because I get really annoyed that I can’t stay away. At the end of the day, I know that I’ll always pick up her books and I will most likely enjoy them. While this novel didn’t blow me away, it did manage to keep me up until four in the morning on a school night AND give me nightmares. So, if Armentrout was going for a super creepy yet slightly cliché novel then MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
Kate Copeseeley
Nicely summed up. I haven’t really read any Armentrout books that I’ve fallen in love with yet. But if she can really make that poncho, I’ll try again. 🙂
Paola Carolina
Haha, I would definitely read this one! It feels a little different from her previous novels.
Kristen@My Friends Are Fiction
I really enjoyed this book too. I had pretty much decided I was done with her books and then this one drew me back in. Glad you enjoyed it too!
Paola Carolina
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Cassi Haggard
I hate when books just use generic popular girls without fleshing them out into real characters. It’s a pet peeve of mine.
Paola Carolina
It really bothers me, too. I feel like Samantha’s “friends” were there to show you that she was a terrible person because of them but I wanted more!
Michelle
I like Jennifer L. Armentrout’s writing style after reading some of her books. Have yet to read this book but I definitely will! That’s a great review you have, which pretty much summarize the pros and cons of the books.
Paola Carolina
Thank you so much, Michelle! I hope you enjoy this one. 🙂
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Samantha Wallace
This book has been on my TBR for a while now, It looks like a really good book!! 🙂