Friday, July 2, 2021

That Weekend - Kara Thomas

Is there anything better than a lazy day in the hammock, reading an entire book? Especially when its YA fiction - my guilty pleasure! What was the book? That Weekend by Kara Thomas.

Claire, her best friend Kat and her boyfriend Jesse all decide to head to Kat's family's mountain getaway instead of going to prom. A great idea....but things don't go to plan....Claire wakes up in the woods with a severe head injury and amnesia. And Jesse and Kat are missing....

A great premise that opens up all kinds of avenues for the plot to take. And the lead character has amnesia? Another device that I really like - trying to figure out what the truth is and what is misconception. 

Now, I'm years past, but I think Thomas has nailed the dialogue, the worries, the pressures and the complicated relationships that the teen years bring. I liked Claire as a lead character and was behind her as she tries to deal with the aftermath, the guilt and the suspicion. It is her voice we hear for the most part, but Kat is also given a voice. Thomas artfully manipulates the reader as the book continues - I had bought into the lies being told by some of the supporting characters and was caught completely off guard by the twists and turns woven into the last bit of the book. Especially that last one - I'm still not completely on board with it, but it's a darn good one. I did have to suspend disbelief for some of the police procedures (or lack of), but that's just my pragmatic nature. Just go with it. That Weekend makes for some entertaining summer reading. 

I really liked Thomas's writing. This was a first read of her, but won't be my last! See for yourself - here's an excerpt of That Weekend

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