Lucy is haunted nightly by dreams of death. Not only that, they are real deaths which have already occurred. Once Lucy hears the news, she dreads the night to come, the helplessness of witnessing the last moments of the people who have died.

Lucy feels isolated by her ability. However, when Tyler moves to town she finds him not only a welcome confidante, but they share a connection with dreams.

This story has an intriguing premise, and the developments in Lucy’s abilities had me enthralled.

I was intrigued by this book from the beginning because of the premise of the lucid nightmares. I found it to be an interesting story because the thought of dreaming of people dying and being able to do nothing to stop it terrifies me. Seeing Lucy deal with that in this story pulled me into the story further and helped me sympathize with her character. The pain that she experienced with each dream made me want to reach through the page and hug her.

I loved how dark this book was, and that when she sees a boy from one of her dreams and a romance begins to bud. I enjoyed the balance of the dark themes and also the romance. It made the story so enjoyable. The characters had incredible chemistry, and it made the book seem so real to me. I have never read a book quite like this one, and I will definitely be recommending it to my friends!

Thank you netgalley for my copy of this book!

This is very unique and thrilling story that I was dying the read the second I read the summary. The world building is spot on and the book kept me intrigued from beginning to end. The second book just came out in May and I can't wait to read it. I love the entire concept of this book and I think it would actually make for a very interesting TV series.

Description
A Terrifying Power. A Horrifying Curse.

Lucy Piper lives a lonely existence on the precipice between life and death. She possesses the horrifying ability to resurrect real-life tragic events in her nightmares, reliving over and over, as if she were there, the last few moments before the victim takes their final breath. Car accidents, drownings, plane crashes – Lucy has seen it all. No one understands what it’s like living death by night and fearing sleep by day. When Tyler Sims and his family move to town to escape past traumas, Lucy is drawn to him. The two of them are linked through their dreams, and with Tyler’s trust and friendship, hope for a brighter future returns to Lucy’s world. But Tyler’s presence awakens something else in Lucy, and with this new knowledge she will be forced to make impossible decisions. Decisions that will change history, and the future.

My Review
The summary for Lucid was so intriguing I knew I had to read this novel. Overall the story is dark filled with nightmares. The characters are well-written and the story-line is quite unique. Overall, this is one of those books that although you can predict what is coming you just cannot put it down until the very end.

Disturbingly good read.

I liked that the book was set in Australia, which was a bit different to me. Most books I read are usually set in the United States or in a fantasy land. The writing style was nice. This was the first part in a two part series. I really enjoyed it.

This novel is the first in a two-part series.

LUCID was a fantastic and very unique story. I liked that the book was set in Australia as this brought something different for me.

I loved Kirsty Fairlamb’s writing style and the conclusion was nicely done.

Overall, I found LUCID deep and enchanting and I highly recommend it. I plan to read book two.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my own request from Lakewater Press via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

After reading the description and seeing the cover (so pretty) I had to read it. Dreams can be so mysterious and sometimes we wonder what they mean. In the book the perspective is a little different but still interesting.
About the story, Lucy has a power, a gift according to her grandmother, a curse according to her. Can’t blame her for thinking that way, her nightmares of their deaths are very vivid, and it happens a lot. Through the story we see how much she struggles with this gift, the hardships she has to handle every time she has a nightmare that affects her mind, body and, in a minimal way, her relationships.
Somehow, she manages but when Tyler appears things change. It’s entertaining seeing their connection, how they meet, and see the relationship between them grow, very innocent and sweet.
The story is simple, apart the supernatural gift, but that is what makes it more fascinating. The writer shows the normal teenager girl going to school and being with her friends. I loved the fact the reader knows how she feels with a constantly desire to want a normal life but can’t really fight against the dreams. Frustrated, hurt, alone, that’s Lucy. Another thing is her family, always supporting specially her grandmother.
There’s a part when the end becomes predictable but still couldn’t stop reading. Deep down I was hoping for a different end but oh well, still good!

Lucid intrigued me and was tempting me like a forbidden sweet. The blurb made me want to understand the world Lucy lives in. She is haunted by the reality of her dreams. She sees people’s deaths and witnesses the brutality. One dream in particular holds a secret. She meets a boy who is about to become her past, future and present. This is a romance with a fantasy element. It’s the first book in a series and will leave you wanting more.

Tyler is the boy of her dreams. His name rings a bell and his presence sets a domino effect of events. Her dreams are about to start a new future. The two worlds are about to collide.

This is an interesting start to a series and outside the box. It gives enough to satisfy a thirst but will leave you wanting more.

4 stars out of 5. It’s hard to rate a book that leaves you with unanswered questions but it’s definitely worth the read. Let’s hope the sequel lives up to the hype.

*Netgalley

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Blog Tour date: 1st May.

The idea behind this book caught me immediately. A curse to see the dark moments people face? How much more interesting is that?

One of my favorite parts of this book was the darkness in the writing. An Australian girl tries to live with the ability to see people’s most tragic memories leading her to isolate herself. Then, everything is interrupted when a boy from one of her dreams walks in front of her.

The main character is a tough one and experiences things that push her to the breaking point. But it’s not a totally dark story as heartwarming romance is slowly spun in.

There were a few moments that seemed to drag a little, but other than that, I was hooked. This is a solid 4 out of 5 stars from me.

I loved the chemistry between the characters, and their heavy emotions accented the plot wonderfully. This is a solid start to a series, and I highly recommend this one for readers who love dark, unique stories.

I was intrigued by the premise of Lucid, but I have to admit it started off quite slowly for me.

While the blurb is all about how main character, Lucy, experiences real people’s deaths in her dreams, the first half of the book is focused more on the burgeoning romance she has with new boy, Tyler. Yes, Tyler was featured in her dreams about a year ago, and yes, they share a connection through their dreams, but to be honest, it felt like I was reading a straight contemporary. There’s nothing wrong with contemporary, of course, but I was expecting something else.

Fortunately, this does pick up at about the 60% mark. This is where Lucy’s begins to recognise the extent of her powers, and that they’re not simply bad dreams. I think the series has been set up in such a way that some of the repercussions of this power will be explored in the second book, but this one is mostly about Lucy’s relationship with Tyler and how that changes her.

I still enjoyed reading it, but I suppose I was hoping for some more exploration of the implications of Lucy’s dreams and the power they come with, and where that power comes from.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lakewater Press for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This review is part of my 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge. Click here for more information.

This book was provided by the author through Chapter by Chapter in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Kristy Fairlamb and Chapter by Chapter!

Lucid is the first book in the Lucid series and tells the story of Lucy and Tyler.

I really like the concept of Lucid, because it’s really interesting. I mean, dreaming about people’s death and then trying to save them is really original. I really liked Lucy and Tyler’s relationship and I liked reading about their friends and family.

I think that the ending was a bit predictable and I had a ‘solution’ in my head for Lucy and Tyler’s problem, but then again I get why Lucid didn’t end with my ‘solution’. I often thought that the dreams were a bit too long and that the story was a bit slow.

Besides that, I really liked the story and I thought that the writing was good. I’m interested in the sequel and I really want to know what will happen to Lucy and Tyler!

**Review can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

Lucy has been having vivid dreams for years, more nightmares than anything else, where she experiences the deaths of strangers that she can't help. She has no one to confide in and feels overwhelmed and depressed about her life, but all of a sudden that changes. Someone from one of her dreams is now attending her school and he seems to know her too. Lucy has no idea what to do, but it seems like fate has everything all planned out anyway.

Oh my geez, this was a heart breaking story! Don't get me wrong, it was a good interesting book, but don't expect unicorns and rainbows from a story that is focused on death. No matter what, horror and heart break swarmed Lucy at every turn, be it her dreams or her having to deal every day with the fact she dreams the death of strangers. This girl needed a hug in the worst of ways. I enjoyed how Kristy intertwined mystery, romance and paranormal elements together to create a new kind of story that I was not sure what was going to happen next or how everything would end.

And as necessary to fit with most of the story, the ending broke my heart but could not have gone any other way- Lucy was 100% true to herself. I did not realize this was a series and with that ending it seemed like this could be a standalone, but the glimpse of hope makes me really want to have another book asap! I recommend this for anyone who likes romance found in dark places and a mystery that may not have the happiest of endings.

I reviewed a complimentary copy of this title.

This book will be a treat to those who like to get lost in a good tale.. "I could not put it down "

Lucy has a gift, which is also a curse. At night, in her dreams, she visits and relives tragedies, watching as strangers across the world take their final breaths.
And then a familiar boy moves in near Lucy, she knows she’s never met him, but why does she remember his face so clearly?
Soon Lucy is confronting the realities of her abilities, are there limitations to what she can do in her dreams or has she underestimated herself all this time?
Lucid is an exciting, mind-bending thriller that throws open the “What-If” door and demands to explore every possibility. I can’t wait for book 2!!

*I received a copy of Lucid from Netgalley and Lakewater Press in exchange for an honest review

When I saw this cover and the description, it sounded like something new and refreshing to read. Going in, I didn’t know what to expect. I felt the premise was an interesting one. It was unique in its own right. Unfortunately, for me, it didn’t grab hold of me as I hoped it would. I feel that maybe this book was not for me.

I do feel that this is a story many will love. I didn’t feel the connection with the characters.

I'll admit that our main character near immediately meeting a boy in that cliche YA way gave me warning signs, but I'm glad I stuck with it because it ended up being nostalgically good instead of bad. If you enjoyed the Wake trilogy way back when, I'm sure you'll enjoy this.

I love books about time travel, changing the past, alternate realities, etc. so the premise of this book really caught my attention. The main character, Lucy, experiences strange dreams every night - vivid nightmares. She doesn't know the people in her dreams, but one day she meets a boy named Tyler and immediately recognizes him from the night before. What's more shocking, he recognizes her from the dream as well!

This book is so well written that I didn't want to put it down. I also really enjoyed the setting. I can't remember the last time I read a novel that was set in Australia, which was refreshing. The conclusion tied up loose ends, but still left me wanting to read the sequel. My only pushback is the amount of profanity that this book contained, which was a bit gratuitous, especially for a book in the YA category. For that reason alone I can't recommend it to my own teenagers, so I give it 4-stars. Otherwise, very well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Lucid is the first I read in a special circumstance for me: I had actual contact with the author. So, even if Kristy wasn't anything else but sweet, it feels pretty strange? For reasons but not bad ones. It's always a tiny more difficult to review a work from someone you actually talked to. That's because I'm a softy and I understand the work behind a book.
So, yes, I just want to be transparent on that, letting you know that I talked to the author but this won't change my opinion. Not that is a bad one anyway, as I hope you can get from my rating. But I've my notes to write down.

One fact to state is that if you dive into the novel, searching for some kind of horror, with ghosts and other stuffs like that... there will be none.

I admit that was a tiny let down, because it would have been very interesting, but the focus is oriented towards Lucy and her relationship with people.
And you know that romance themes in books aren't my forte, so I cannot say much about Lucy and Tyler, but there's something else I want to talk about.

There's a lot in Lucy's life and how people treat her that reminded me of in real life people. Lucy suffer for the things she dream but confessing her truth to friends and family didn't help her. People didn't believe her or their behaviour were definitely... shitty.

Like in her dad's case that tried to expose her to awful news despite knowing how she felt about that. Or her friends. They knew how not helping her was clearly not good for Lucy, but they decided that she was just not "normal", I guess. It felt like re-living the sensation of telling to people something very important and being dismissed. Sad fact that your life doesn't change a bit, but they can ignore what concerns you.

Same reason why, at first I wasn't sure about Lucy and Tyler relationship. I knew where it was going, but I can also understand with the protagonist felt better with him, talking freely. Sometimes there are people who are just like this and you can actually be free with them.

Now, my major issue is that the book took off with a very good premise and started to slowed down once Lucy and Tyler's paths met. I get a lot of knowing each other, experience together, starting to trust one another, exploring both teen's life but also... I wanted something more?

Another note is about Lucy's power. They're never fully explained, and I can live with that, but I felt that the whole concept could slowly disappear in the back. While I get that this may be a symbol of Lucy's relationship with something she grow up with, her dreams also evolved during the novel reaching to incredible life changing occasion. Not sure the potential of that was fully written down?

So, first thing first, is that I was semi surprised when I learned that there will be a sequel. I mean, I will totally read. Yet, after finishing Lucid I was like: okay, this ending is right. The point is that I really don't know how a second book will work out. Will it ruin the story... or maybe not?

Because, I've to say, that while the start of Lucid made me attentive, part of the central execution started to make me watch the thing from afar, a little detached, and the ending really changed a lot.
It was bitter, not very sweet, cruel in a certain sense but also the good choice someone should have made. And Lucy did it, even if that took her time.

On that, I've just positive things to say because it wasn't a classic young adult ending. For reasons, maybe someone would expect a sweet solution, that everything will be fine, but not in this case.

When Lucid started to reach its end, I admit I cried a bit. I told you I'm a softy. As a debut, the novel gave some pleasant vibes and some questions. Despite the doubts, I'm deeply curious to know how the author will handle what will follow and it would be very interesting to see Lucy going on solo, instead of falling inside a trope. But again, any eventual trope in this book was quite well handled.

Now I can only wait for some new reveal.

I liked the idea of the story and Lucy. I wish we had more of Lucy and Tyler in the real world in addition to the dream world. Ending was left open and a questionable HEA. Depends on your point of view. When Lucy started to manipulate her dreams it did get a bit confusing on how and why things changed.

3.5 Stars
I wanted to read something different from the romance and fantasy novels on my TBR list so thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC of this book. LUCID, is more mystery than thriller, but still very unique.

What I really enjoyed about this book was venturing into Lucy’s dreams, or should I call them nightmares? After Lucy hears about an event or an accident, she dreams about it. I would not want to have her gift – saving people’s lives is cool yes, but enduring the nightmares, NOPE. For most of the beginning of the book, Lucy wonders why she dreams these things.

Tyler moves to her small town, which happens to be a mountain tourist town in Australia known for their snow. And he and Lucy are drawn to one another, but not because they find each other attractive – which they do. But Lucy has seen him before, in her dreams. Tyler has a past that is linked to one of her dreams. So what will happen if she alters the dream that he is tied to? Does she have the strength to do it, if it means losing Tyler?

The one thing I wanted more from this book was information about why she dreams this way. Her Grandma Tess has had similar dreams before so I’m thinking it runs in the family but I felt like Lucy needed someone who could give her concrete answers. With a power like altering reality, I would think there would be someone to guide her to do the right thing. Grandma Tess does her best, but even this is out of her realm, at least that’s the way it seems. Lucy eventually figures things out on her own, but still, what a responsibility to have on her shoulders.

Overall this was an enjoyable, solid debut from this new author. It was a quick read at only 248 pages. I am very curious to see what happens next in Lucy’s dreams!