This is the second book I have read by C.C. Hunter. I am a fan! The odd thing is the two books I have read are what I would consider teen fiction and I haven’t been a teen for a long time. In Another Life is the story of Chloe and Cash who are the new kids in school. Both are dealing with family problems and become involved in each other’s life. Cash is the foster kid who suspects Chloe is not who she thinks she is. Chloe is dealing with divorced parents and a mother recovering from cancer. She doesn’t need any more drama but the attraction she has to Cash inevitably leads to trouble. In Another Life has so many twists and turns it’s hard to put the book down. Hunter has a way of adding to the plot at just the right moment. The good and the bad weave together to create an exciting story that keeps the reader enthralled.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

This book was engaging enough. I read it in a couple of sittings. I also want to add the disclaimer that I read the ARC and it’s possible some of my issues will be fixed in the final version. The formatting was a problem as there was no indication of a change in POV – and as there were several POV characters, this did frequently pull me out of the story.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book – I knew that illegal adoptions happened but didn’t really know anything about them. The idea of someone growing up in a happy adoptive family only to discover there is another family somewhere missing them and hoping they might one day return is a really great premise for a novel.

The way the book is structured meant that we knew more about the mystery than the characters did and in some ways, I felt that lessened the stakes too soon. We knew who the bad guys were and figured they would probably get their comeuppance, so there wasn’t as much mystery as there might have been.

I thought Chloe was a very well-written character. She’s got a lot goinig on – her parents’ divorce, her mother up and moving her to a different city, and now a strange guy claiming she’s trying to con his foster parents by pretending to be their long-lost daughter. I did think the romance betwee her and Cash happened a little fast, but I guess that could just be because I’m a sucker for a slow-burn. I did like the fact that when it was revealed that Chloe had been kidnapped, she still acknowledged her adoptive parents as mum and dad, even as that upset her birth parents.

Cash frustrated me a bit with his absolute refusal to accept any help from his foster parents. I got that he didn’t think he deserved it, but he just went on and on and there never seemed to be an arc there. There are several villains of the piece and to be honest, I got them all a bit confused.

All that being said, I did find this book an engaging read and I think it was a good break after I’d read a tonne of fantasy.

(Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a gratis copy of the book in exchange for an honest review)

I've found that I can't go wrong by reading C.C. Hunter, and that holds true for In Another Life.

As always, I was drawn in by C.C. Hunter's writing and the characters she creates. In Another Life deals with relatable topics and issues people face: divorce, cancer, adoption, depression, familial strife, etc. Add in some romance and a little mystery and intrigue, and it easily kept my attention throughout.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

I was looking to read something a little bit different than my usual psychological thriller and was intrigued by the promised suspense by the synopsis of this book. I'm happy that it didn't disappoint. Although it was easy to predict what exactly had happened to Chloe, In Another Life took me on an engaging journey while trying to get the answers Chloe needed through her recently turned upside-down life. It didn't tug at the heartstrings or put me through an emotional journey but it was a good book that I got to finish in one sitting. The main characters were fleshed out and likable and I thought Cash and Chloe were really cute and sweet together.

Overall, it is a beautifully written book that will captivate you enough to keep the pages turning until the end.

Interesting concept, sort of a mystery, adoption and teenage drama story all rolled into one. I found the writing a bit bland and predictable though which was a disappointment. The character seemed like such a stereotype, it was hard to relate or care what happened.

Wow! Wow! Wow!

I never thought that was going to happen! Holy mother of pearl!

I am still in shock! Does this happen often?! OMG!!!

This review was very hard to write because I don't want to give anything away.

I will tell you that I devoured this read. It was so good and I couldn't even put this book down.

Chase is a young man that has been in 4 different foster homes after his parents died.

Chloe is a young woman that was adopted when she was 3 years old.

But there is way more to this story and I promise you will love every single word.

I was intrigued by the concept of this book and I liked the story, for the most part, although I think it got a little too dramatic and over-the-top towards the end, but the grammar was atrocious and it needs a great deal of editing.

I really liked Chloe and Cash and all the parents. They seemed fairly well-written and the romance between Chloe and Cash was cute.

The only thing plot issue that I question is the idea that the Fullers could have lived in the same town as the Holdens. Surely, the Holdens would have seen her picture on the news and realized she was the same child. To really make sense, the author should change the story so that the family moved out of state immediately.

I haven't read too many books that handle adoption so I was super excited to jump into this one! In Another Life is definitely one of those reads that you could devour in one sitting. The plot it super intriguing and even though you ultimately know the end of the story it's still all the right amount of dark, intriguing, angst, intimate, and emotional. Cash and Chloe pasts are sure to tug on your heart strings and it's almost impossible not to love both of them.

My heart ached for Chloe as her life was literally torn apart. First, with her parents divorce and ultimately having to be the "mother" of her family by taking care of her own mother who had cancer and was severely depressed after Chloe's father left. Second, being told that she potentially may have been kidnapped and struggling with the emotions that follow. But as much as my heart ached for her I needed to keep reading because I was rooting so hard for her to get the answers she deserved.

Overall, this book will evoke a lot of emotions from you but the ending will be sure to patch up any cracks this book may leave in your heart!

I LOVED this book,. YA and NA books are always a breath of fresh air and this book was no different.

The characters were well developed and both main characters were likeable and relatable. Reading the protagonists story, you really become invested in what the truth is and what that will mean for everyone involved.

It was amazing that the author was able to make this story, although fictional feel deeply personal almost cathartic.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

It's been awhile since I've read an adoption themed book that flows through a suspenseful vein. While this had all the budding romance and tender intimacy I was looking for, it did feel light on the mystery/thriller aspect. If you've read a handful of books where you are trying to solve a mystery alongside the main characters, you will likely be able to see the solution well before the reveal, but in all, this was a beautiful, entertaining tale that evokes strong emotions from the reader. I do feel a younger audience would enjoy this more than the adult looking for a YA read.

**I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

ALSO, disclaimer: Netgalley makes it clear that some ARCs have not gone through final editing, and this was definitely the case for this book. It REALLY needs editing. I lost my place a couple of times because of it.

I liked this book a lot!! The title and cover caught my eye.

The premise was very interesting! Chloe had a great backstory and her personality felt realistic. She's adopted, but loves her adopted parents even though her dad is a jerk and ditched her and her "mom" for another woman. Did I mention her mom is recovering from cancer and Chloe had to deal with that all on her own? And her "dad" is acting like nothing is wrong?? ALIKGKMSJDJSPASJHG!!!

So of course Chloe - literally - runs into Cash and he's a jerk (with good reason, but you can find out for yourself why) but give it time and they fall in luv. It's a little quick for me but what I think readers (including myself) keep forgetting is, at that age, it's ALL instalove. I was in (what I thought was serious) love three times throughout my high school career. Yeah, we didn't get married or anything so it wasn't forever. My point is, instalove is pretty normal at that age.

Chloe's normal life and relationship with Cash often got in the way of their amateur investigation about whether or not she was kidnapped (and are the culprits her sick "mom" and jerky "dad"?!?!), which made sense to me, because I'm sure if it happened to me I'd probably ignore the whole thing because I'd be so overwhelmed by the possibilities. So I get why she wants things to be normal - her mom is finally recovering from cancer (but getting depression) and they just moved, she started a new school, etc. Chloe doesn't have time for figuring this stuff out.

Luckily Cash does, and he has some experience with these matters. Chloe goes back and forth between deciding if she even wants him to dig deeper or not.

I really liked their relationship but GRRRRRR Cash irritated me at times. Especially near the end. Chloe was too easy on him!!

I liked Lindsey and her friendship with Chloe, but I felt a little bad for Jamie. I can definitely understand her feelings or jealousy, and fear that she would be losing her best friend. I did feel, however, that she didn't have to be painted as SUCH a bad friend and it would've been more realistic to have her still be in the group but her and Chloe never really get along. Instead, Chloe's a saint and needs a good friend in Lindsey so good-bye Jamie!

I'm also not entirely sure if I bought the "climax" of the book. I won't spoil it, but it seemed to escalate really quickly and I'm not sure if all that action was believable. It was kind of like Veronica Mars...I loved that show...or like Nancy Drew...where unlikely things kinda happen because of who the main character is. But, maybe it could've been just as intense without it. I really did not need or care about the 3rd POV - Cash and Chloe were enough. I felt like the 3rd POV gave too much away too soon. I would've liked our dream team to discover it for themselves.

I enjoyed the resolution/ending and would check out more from this author!

PS: Not sure I needed all the boob references. Hunter is a woman, but it totally reminded me of the internet's description of a man writing a female character. Which is hilarious, but still.

C.C. Hunter plucked the heartstrings out of my chest and played them like a finely tuned violin in this YA novel! As if Chloe doesn't have enough hardship in her life: her mother has cancer, her dad has left for a younger woman, and she's starting senior year in high school as a new student in a new town. Add to this the fact that her new boyfriend, Cash (a purported "bad boy" with a father like Dirty John) suspects she may be the long-ago-kidnapped daughter of his foster family. And this is just the beginning! So as Chloe and Cash set out to solve the mystery, we see both try to cope with their past and present situations. Hunter writes with compassion and understanding of teenage angst, emotional outbursts, familial obligations, and love. It's a poignant look at relationships and the volatile nature of love.

I was super intrigued with this story due to being a social worker and working in foster care/adoption.

In Another Life is about Chloe who discovers that there is a hidden story behind her childhood and being adopted. The story was quick to take on a romance turn.... which I wasn't expecting at all.

Cash and Chloe soon bond with one another about both being violently separated from their birth parents. The relationship takes on a powerful and strong connection based on both being vulnerable about their childhoods.

This story explores love, friendship, family, and what it means to make sacrifices in finding love in a family.

I was hoping for a little bit more with the ending of this book and I feel that it fell a little bit flat for me. I was a tad disappointed in all honesty. I was hoping to see more of the aftermath when Chloe found out the truth about her family/adoption etc.

But, overall it was an enjoyable read!

3.5 stars for In Another Life

Huge thank you to Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 3/26/19
Published to Goodreads: 2/1/19

I was really excited to read this book as the premise sounded really interesting. I like reading contemporary stories that have more serious topics and deal with things that are sometimes hard to talk about. Unfortunately I found the execution of this book to be a little lacklustre and I did not connect with any of the characters. In Another Life follows Chloe, who moves to another town after the divorce of her parents. She soon meets Cash, a boy who tells her that she looks very similar to the kidnapped child of his foster parents. They embark on a journey to find out what the truth is.

The plot started out intersting enough, with the mystery of who Chloe was at the forefront, but then it quickly changed to a fairly romance heavy story. The relationship between Cash and Chloe was very instalove to me and I never really bought their whole love story. When we weren't focused on their romance, we were back to the original plot line of the story, the kidnapping. While, again, it started off interesting and I really was curious about who Chloe really was, it dissolved into a very almost cartoonesque plot line that lost a lot of the impact for me. The villains were doing and saying things that, to me, were very outlandish and something straight out of a movie. It didn't seem all to realistic and it took me out of the book. It just got a little too over the top for me closer to the end and it really hindered my enjoyment of the book.

The characters were also a little hit or miss for me as well. Although I was not the biggest fan of our two main leads, they were fleshed out with interesting backstories. The reason I think I didn't connect with their characters is they didn't, in my opinion, have the best character arcs and they didn't change that much over the course of the book. The secondary characters, such as Chloe's best friend Lindsey or the bully Paul, could have been taken out of the book and nothing would have changed. There was so much potential in this book, with the premise, to have such interesting and deep characters, and it just did not hit the mark for me.

Overall, this book has a very interesting plot line and premise, but the execution just did not work for me.

Story about missing child, very engaging, couldn't stop reading. The plot made me think about the children going missing in real life and actually check the statistics on it. Good book.

A fun, fresh take on a missing child story- perfect for anyone who loved ‘Dead to You’ or the classic ‘Face on the Milk Carton’. The characters are compelling, their issues are realistic, and the ending is awesome. Can’t wait to book talk this one!

Book: In Another Life
Author: C.C Hunter
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with this ARC and for allowing me to be a part of the spring preview. It’s really great to be working with you again.

Well, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from this one. I really did think that it was going to be about a girl searching for her birth family and that was going to be the end of it. I never imagined that I would get such an action packed adventure, full of surprises, and amazing characters. I was just stunned. This book is so well written and with so much packed into it, it really was hard to put this one down.

So, let’s start with Chloe. Chloe is the main character-just a normal, adoptive high school girl. She finds herself torn between a rather ugly divorce. To make matters worse, her mother is dealing with depression and recovering from cancer. Now, this puts a lot of pressure on Chloe. In a sense, it really does make her seem a lot older than what she is. At times, it was actually kind of hard to remember that she was a teenage girl. This maturely will not make it difficult for younger readers to connect with. She is mature not because the author doesn’t understand the mind of a teenager, but because of the curveball that life has thrown at her. Not only was all of that going on, but her parents did not get along at all and she found herself kind of being pressured to almost pick a side. The emotions of the divorce just come right off the page, almost as if you are experiencing them yourself. All of this just really impacts Chloe’s character and why she takes the course that she does. It’s just really amazing to see this kind of character being developed.

Next, is Cash. Cash is a foster child, who really had a rough childhood. Once again, like with Chloe, this past really affects his character. He is smart, doesn’t want handouts, and doesn’t want people to get close. He completely freaks out whenever his foster family, the Fullers, want to help him and let him into their hearts. It’s almost like he doesn’t know how to handle this kind of affection. Once you really get to know his character, you understand why he is the way he is. He is completely afraid to let people because he doesn’t want to get hurt again. Really, the only person he lets in is Chloe.

This story is very action packed and I know that the first half or so of my review does not show that. As the story goes on, C.C lets it kind of take a dark path. The Fullers’ daughter went missing a long time ago and Cash thinks that Chloe looks like her. So, they start looking into Chloe’s adoption and find out that things are not what they seem. This leads them to high speed chases, evil characters, and more. So, this is where the action is people. It doesn’t sound like much, but I really don’t want to give away too much. Think of it as Unstoppable movie with Chris Pine action fun-yeah, I just rewatched the movie and it’s what popped into my mind.
This brings us to a very important question: Why four stars instead of five? Well, if anyone has ever read my reviews before and has read this book, then you know why. It’s not really anything wrong with the book, but a personal thing. I cannot stand books that go from first person point of view to third person point of view. That is what is happening here. I like reading from different character’s point of view, but let’s pick either first person or third person and stay there.

Alright, so In Another Life comes out on March 26, 2019. I hope you will enjoy it.

From the moment I read the description of this book I was hooked - it sounded like a new generation's take on The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B Cooney (which I loved as a kid). In Another Life was a surprise for me - it's a interesting mystery that explores the idea of kidnapping in a grounded way, albeit with a bit of a boring ending.

In Another Life follows Chloe as she adjusts to her new normal - her mother and father recently went through a nasty divorce and she has been forced to move to a new town with her mother. To pile on - her mom has recently had a rough bout of cancer, and while she is in remission, she's become severely depressed. Chloe is receiving no support from her father either: he's too wrapped up in his new life with his girlfriend to notice the wake of destruction he left behind him. Enter Cash: a mysterious foster child who is convinced that Chloe is the abducted daughter of his foster parents. The two set out to figure out who Chloe truly is, no matter what the consequences are.

I went into this book sold on the premise. It's one of the few YA books I've picked up recently that felt like a fairly original concept. I was a little nervous about how the suspected kidnapping plot would be handled - it's a theme that I feel requires a delicate treatment. I was very pleased to find that the whole kidnapping theme wasn't used solely to add drama to the plot - it was thoroughly explored and well fleshed out. My favorite part of this book was that it didn't feel too far-fetched - there were a lot of common YA themes stuffed into this novel (divorced parents, terminal illness, mental health, teen angst, school bullies, etc), but the book never felt weighed down or over the top because of them. My only gripe with this book was the ending. While it was realistic, it just kinda fell flat for me. I would have liked to have more of an epilogue or a more exciting ending. 

I really enjoyed Chloe as a main character - she was well defined and interesting to read about. She cares deeply about those around her and often puts the well being of her friends and family above her own. Her reactions as she slowly unraveled the mystery of her past felt real and raw - it felt like she was just trying to keep her head above water and cope with what life threw her way. When she did have emotional outbursts, they felt earned (if that makes sense). Cash was also a great character - while his background is treated as more of a subplot, it's still compelling and fun to unravel. It was nice to slowly discover where his mistrust and aloofness were rooted. 

In Another Life was a fast-paced mystery with a sweet romantic undertone that took on a deeply complicated issue and didn't try to oversimplify it for the reader. It was executed well, but fell flat in the last 50 pages. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a breath of fresh air in YA contemporaries, or for any fans of The Face on the Milk Carton. 4/5

A little mystery + a little romance + 2 angsty teens = a fun ride. Chloe literally runs into Cash in a mini-mart and his reaction to her starts a relationship that has them digging into Chole's past and uncovering an adoption snafu she didn't know existed. I liked both of these characters. They were both a little angsty, but with good reason. Chole's father left when her mother found out she had cancer leaving to Chole as caretaker. Cash has been in the foster system after his con-man dad was killed; he has a hard time trusting anyone. But the two of them find a peacefulness with each other that they don't find other places n their lives. Cash immediately notices a resemblance between Chloe and the time lapse photo of Emily, the daughter of his foster parents who as kidnapped at three-years-old. when he discovers Chole was adopted at three, the teens start investigating Chloe's origins. Could she have been kidnapped?
I liked the realistic relationships between Chloe and her parents. She's mad at her dad for "abandoning" the family but still loves him. She's not sure how to process that. (I'm much older than Chloe and still grappling with those emotions!) She loves her mom and wants to care for her, but she's exhausted from worrying. She's grown up fast! Cash is a good kid who was put in some shitty circumstances. His tendency to handle problems with his fists is understandable.
Hand In Another Life to readers who like a mystery with a side of budding romance and family drama.

I picked this up because I enjoyed the first novel I read by C.C. Hunter and this one was also quite good. It had a bit of mystery, a bit of romance and family issues which are all very commonly found in a ya story. I liked this story but I felt like it was a little slow to move. Overall, I enjoyed the story and will recommend it to my students! I will also look for more by this author!