Review: Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl

Title: Neverworld Wake 
Author: Marisha Pessl  
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publishing Date:  June 5th, 2018

Pages: 327
Length: 8 Hours 46 Minutes 
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Psychological Thriller

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

Once upon a time, back at Darrow-Harker School, Beatrice Hartley and her six best friends were the cool kids, the beautiful ones. Then the shocking death of Jim—their creative genius and Beatrice's boyfriend—changed everything.
One year after graduation, Beatrice is returning to Wincroft—the seaside estate where they spent so many nights sharing secrets, crushes, plans to change the world—hoping she'll get to the bottom of the dark questions gnawing at her about Jim’s death. But as the night plays out in a haze of stilted jokes and unfathomable silence, Beatrice senses she’s never going to know what really happened.
Then a mysterious man knocks on the door. Blithely, he announces the impossible: time for them has become stuck, snagged on a splinter that can only be removed if the former friends make the harshest of decisions. Now Beatrice has one last shot at answers... and at life.
And so begins the Neverworld Wake.

This book came at a great surprise to me. I did see it around on audible and on Goodreads, but really didn't pay too much attention to it. One day I decided to get it from audible and see what this book was about.  I wasn't prepared for this book taking my life over. This was a page turner, gripping, I was completely obsessed with this read, in the end I had major book hangover!

There once were six friends, all really close. They were on top of the world, they seemed to have everything, then tragedy strikes... now there are five. The five friends try to go on after losing one. They move on with their lives.... four together, one separate. Now the five are back together and their lives are going to change forever. With secrets and lies and betrayals and truths. The past becomes clear even if the future isn't. 

This book really took me for a ride. I really had no idea what it was about or what would come from this read. I truly was unprepared for what I read. This book was very gripping. This book was tragic. This book was addictive. This book was intense. I really haven't had a book grab me like this in a little while. It was a wonderful surprise. 

I don't want to give too much away because the mystery and the suspense is a huge part of this read. There is drama and relationship trauma and damaged characters. There is also a mysterious death that looms in the past of all five friends. This story explores death and the relationships between friends and loved ones. It also explores how far one will go when put on the edge.

All the characters were really flawed and damaged on this book. I didn't like or dislike any of them and I loved them all. I don't think the book would have been the same if even one character was deleted or a different one was added. The chemistry between all the characters just perfect and it made for a very emotional and magical read. 

The pacing was just right, the writing beautiful, the story moved along smoothly. The suspense was there the mystery was there, the drama and emotions were there. I really couldn't have asked for me in this read. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to see what else comes about from this author. 

Perfection for me! 

Marisha Pessl grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and now lives in New York City. Special Topics in Calamity Physics, her debut novel, was a bestseller in both hardcover and paperback. It won the 2006 John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize (now the Center for Fiction’s Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize), and was selected as one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book Review. Her new novel, Night Film, comes out August 20, 2013.

Marisha's Facebook: facebook.com/MarishaPesslOfficial