**REVIEW** Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she’s prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she’s been in love with her brother’s best friend, Alex, since forever.
After a mugging exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust—her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they’ve found them.
In a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone—there are others out there just like her—people with special powers—and her mother’s killer is one of them…

     Just wow.  This was not at all what I was expecting but in the best possible ways!  Hunting Lila was a well written, action packed, page turning novel.  This is the kind of book you start and fall in love with right from the get go and can't believe how much you love it by the end.  I had issues putting it one down for so many reasons and couldn't believe it was all over so fast when I reached the final pages.  Sarah Alderson really blew me away with her writing style and how easy everything seemed to flow out.

  Lila is really a character that you can relate to.  Now if I do this just right you will understand why but I am not sure I can make it so that I truly do her justice.  Lila has a hard time accepting what she is.  The strength she has is unbelievable but she doubts herself... Frequently.  However instead of this making her look weak and annoying, it is what made her feel real and easy to relate to.  I am not a fan of whiny or weak characters so I can tell you with 100% certainty that she is anything but.  Her doubt is only human and she will constantly shows her strength by helping those that ask, even when she isn't sure about how honest they are or if they are really on her side.

  There is romance in this one but it is so far from insta love.  It was awkward and at times seemed impossible but I loved it.  This is probably one of the more real and possible romances that I have read of lately.  As most of you know I don't shy away from insta love and most of the time I kind of appreciate it but it's nice when something real comes along.  Plus it is so not hard to see why Lila has been in love with Alex for so long.  I mean the guy is hard core hot.  Military training and hot as hell...  I will take two!  It didn't take long for my heart to fall in love with him and I haven't known him as long.  The memories that Lila carries of Alex is more than enough to make you feel like you really know him.

  Unforgettable characters are a big draw for me with this one as well.  There is a unique feel to everyone you meet and sometimes I found my original conclusion about who they were to be wrong.  This said I can still tell you the names of the majority of the characters.  That is saying a lot for me.  Most of the time I find that people fade into the background and my notes are what remind me of who everyone is(excluding the main characters).  With every one's unique traits and for some their abilities it's hard not to remember who is who.

  The twists in this book are just mind blowing.  You think you know and then it all changes every time and I love every moment of it.  You would  think that all of the changes would confuse or take away but really they just make the book that much better.  The way they are written just take you right along with them and you wonder how you never seen it coming.  They are really quite brilliant and make this such an amazing and unforgettable novel.

  I found it hard to believe that this was Sarah Aldreson's debut novel.  This was all but flawless writing and I will probably revisit this one in the future just because I enjoyed it that much.  This is a book that EVERYONE should have on their shelves.  In fact if you don't have it there already I highly suggest that you leave this page to order it!! This is one of the best books I have picked up this year hands down.  I have Fated on my shelf and will be picking it up as soon as I can and also ordering Losing Lila very soon.  PICK THIS BOOK UP!!