**REVIEW** Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards

Release Date:  October 1, 2013
Published By:  Sourcebooks Fire
Length: 336 pages
Review Copy: ARC, provided by publisher for honest review

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Chloe didn't think about it much when she nodded off in study hall on that sleepy summer day. But when she wakes up, snow is on the ground and she can't remember the last six months of her life. Before, she'd been a mediocre student. Now, she's on track for valedictorian and being recruited by Ivy League schools. Before, she never had a chance with super jock Blake. Now he's her boyfriend. Before, she and Maggie were inseparable. Now her best friend won't speak to her.

What happened to her?
And why can't she remember?

  I'm really not sure what I was expecting going into this one but it wasn't what I got.  No, what I got shocked the heck out of me and had me grasping at the pages trying to figure out what the heck was going on!  If I were going to compare this to anything I have ever read I would say Mara Dyer with no supernatural edge to it and more of a contemporary mystery touch to it.  There was so many questions and though I kept on grasping at the truth, I was never fully sure if I had ahold of it.

  Chloe has no idea what is going on.  That is how the entire plot starts; her standing in the library that she fell asleep in six months ago.  Her life was never that of a star but she was okay with that, she was happy with the way things were.  When she wakes, she wants to be happy, wants to enjoy all that she has but no matter what she does or how hard she tries, she just doesn't feel she fits.  The set up for this was wonderful and there were moments that it was super clear that there was something going on but it was a matter of what.  Richards created the perfect amount of mystery and balanced it with enough questions and progress to make it interesting from start to finish.

I seriously felt for Chloe.  She had everything she thought she had ever wanted and yet lost everything that was ever important to her.  Despite this, the girl was a disaster throughout the novel though and truth be told I don't think anyone should blame her.  Though her life was perfect on the outside, on the inside she felt everything was off.  Admittedly though she did not give up.  It did not matter what anyone else said or who told her it was in her head, she pushed on and followed what she believed.  Many of you think this would be simple I am sure but when you can't remember several months of your life, it isn't.  She constantly pushes through and fights to not only remember but figure it out.

 There is no triangle but there is two guys... Figure that out.  There is Blake, that felt more than flat right from the get go.  Everything about the darn guy was fake and just felt like a game.  Inside Chloe knew this but what do you honestly do when you can't remember the last six months and this guy is supposed to be your boyfriend?  Then there is Adam and everything about him screams chemistry and sparks.  He is the stereotypical bad boy but he is perfect for the situation.  Though Adam is not all he seems to be either.  I think the romance and how people feel about it will vary.  Personally I did not see it as a triangle but I know that there is people out there that will see it differently.

  Basically Six Months Later was the different read that I had been waiting for.  It has a good plot and Richards did a great job writing it.  There is constant movement and when the flashbacks come they don't overtake the story.  It is easy to get a feel for Chloe and what is going on but not at the end result.  Pick this up if you are a fan of mystery and want something that can honestly keep you guessing!

Unbelievable.  I'm missing time, and this doctor, this highly trained medical professional, wants to pat my hand and tell me I'm stressed?  He's still talking but I'm done listening.

He cocks his head, giving me a million-dollar smile.  I remind myself he is the guy I've always wanted.  And if I don't resolve my crazy memory stuff, I'm going to push him away right about the time I realize how and why we ended up together.

I don't have to ask to know what night he means.  The night I hit my head.  The night I forgot.  Or remembered.  Hell, I don't even know what to call it.

  I think this must be what it feels like to be slapped.
  I return to my seat feeling like there's a gaping hole where my important parts should be.  Mags looks up briefly, returning to her notes without noticing my expression or even asking where I've been.
  It wouldn't matter if she asks.  She'd only think I was crazy if I tried to explain.
  And maybe I am.  Maybe I'm every bit as lost as Julien now.