Review: The most UNIQUE book I have EVER read!  Mind Blown!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 9, 2012
***Copy provided by author for review***Before I say anything else, I just want to say this and get it out of the way: wow! I can honestly say that Reflection is unlike ANY other book I have ever read before.Heather has lived in a small town all her life and after she graduates high school, she is desperate to leave the town behind. She lost her mother a couple of years ago and her stepfather is an alcoholic who doesn't care about her. The only problem with starting over is that she is leaving behind her best friend Creed. Creed obviously has feelings for Heather but respects her wishes to get away  This is how the story starts, the night Heather says goodbye to Creed. It is a bittersweet moment for Heather but she goes through with it anyway. Next thing we know, Heather wakes up in a hospital. She is confused and has no idea what is going on. She only remembers certain bits and pieces of her past. Her doctor explains to Heather that she has been in a coma and together they try to piece together the pieces of Heather's past and fill in the gaps.The rest of the story is told through a series of flashbacks. Heather is telling her doctor what she remembers about her life. Her earliest clear memory is her first day of college. Heather is extremely shy and incredibly awkward. On her first day, she meets Nick. She is attracted to him but he is very distant towards her. Just when she thinks he might like her, he ignores her the next time he sees her. But he isn't a jerk and they keep spending time together.  Slowly, oh so slowly, she and Nick get closer and closer and start falling in love. As she is telling her doctor this, he informs her that not everything that she remembers might actually really happened. Some or all of it might have only happened in her dreams while she was in a come. Now it is up to Heather to decide what is real and what was a dream. Is Nick real? Was he really her boyfriend? Was she even friends with him or did her subconscious make it all up in her dreams?Crazy right? The whole book I had absolutely no idea what would happen. Like Heather, I didn't know what was reality and what wasn't. Another fact that drove me crazy was that it is not revealed how long Heather was in a copy until the almost very end of the book, which was actually a huge shocker for me. I admit that the beginning of the book was a little bit too slow for me and I was confused at first when the story kept switching to Heather's flashbacks to her present conversations with her doctor. But I quickly got the hang of it. One thing that bothered me was that the blurb describes Heather as spunky when I don't think I would use that word to describe her at all. She is very closed off and is afraid of letting people get too close to her, which is why her relationship with Nick is slow.  I did like their relationship though, although it was a little bit too slow for me at times, it was nice to see them become friends first and see them open up to each other.We finally get answers towards the end which was not at all what I was expecting. Not in a bad way either, but I just can't believe the author actually ended the story THAT way! Cruel move Jessica, but genius because I am dying to get my hands on the sequel, Reaction, to see what happens next with Heather, Nick and Creed. Reflection is a unique, intriguing, emotional and incredibly thought-provoking story that will stay with you long after you are finished reading it.Cover Love: can I just say that I am so in love with this cover! I love everything about it, the colors, the background, the way you don't really know if the girl is sleeping or dead.  It's absolutely beautiful and goes perfectly with the story.4 out of 5 sparkly stars!Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Reflection:-Rules my memory told me I'd set up previously, some time ago.  Rules that I once vowed to keep.  Just two: Don't get close to anyone and don't talk about your past.  Though I wanted to laugh at the second rule since I couldn't remember much about my past, concern wouldn't allow it.-"It's not polite to stare at people," I hissed under my breath.But this only seemed to provoke him since he leaned in and whispered, "The thing is, I never said I was polite."-I let out a large exhale and then stared into the dashboard, telling myself that dreams are just dreams.  Reality is what's real.  And Nick and I are real.  Nothing could change that.-She couldn't help but wonder if her colorful imagination had gone too far in Nick.  He was real, of that she was certain.  But were her memories of him real?  Or were they only friends?  Perhaps the better question, were they even friends?-"Enough of this.  I'm sick of all the pep talks!  Wake up!"I tried to nod.  "I don't care what it takes.  Think of him if you have to.  Whatever it takes.  I'll do this with you.  It's time."He was right.  It was time.***Read more of my reviews and author interviews at:Nereyda @ Mostly YA Book Obsessed