REVIVED by Cat Patrick

Title: REVIVED
Author: Cat Patrick
Publisher: Little, Brown
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Number of Pages: 336
Source of Book: ARC from publisher

As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A
secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can
bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has
been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary
risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a
new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy
begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she
discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of
something much larger—and more sinister—than she ever imagined.

I really enjoy Cat Patrick’s writing style. It’s an easy contemporary romance style with a unique twist (at least in the two books she’s written so far – FORGOTTEN and REVIVED. FORGOTTEN made my Best I’ve Read list last year, so I was really excited to see that Cat Patrick had another book coming soon, and grateful to Little, Brown for getting me an advanced copy to read. I went into this one hopeful, and I was not disappointed.

The romance. Cat Patrick writes romances with good guys. I so appreciate authors who are writing about the good, sweet guys who are respectful and act appropriately. It’s a good example for teens to see in books. It doesn’t mean there’s not drama and difficulty, but I appreciate the relationship between Daisy and Matt. It felt a little bit instalove-ish at first, but it didn’t bother me too much because she got to know him a bit more.

The suspense/mystery part with the medical miracle is interesting. The way it was all laid out and explained down to the small details made it believable to me. I could see something like this happening. All of the secondary characters involved because of it were intriguing. However, I did feel like some of those storylines were hinted at, but not wrapped up. But, I didn’t guess who would be responsible at the end, and that was quite the dramatic scene.

Then there’s the part of death and dying that permeates throughout this book. Issues of accepting the inevitable and wanting to be sad/angry/hopeful/relieved/etc. all come into play. It felt really honest and true and although it was done within the context of this larger issue throughout the whole book, Audrey’s storyline was very touching and meaningful to me.

There is also an overlying theme related to friendships, and they can be very difficult for teen girls, especially one who moves around quite a bit. I appreciate seeing these types of storylines (reminded me a little of Sarah Dessen’s What Happened to Goodbye as far as moving a lot and friendships, and think it’s another thing that teens need to read about and want to read about as they’re trying to figure out their own friendships.

Along with that was the issue of families and parents and who really cares for you. I enjoyed the development and growth of Daisy’s relationship with Mason, her father figure. It felt real to me and their interactions were interesting to read. Mason became one of my favorite characters by the end of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading REVIVED, a suspenseful contemporary romance dealing with life and death. I guess I realize through writing this that it was very multilayered. I will definitely be awaiting Cat Patrick’s next book, THE ORIGINALS coming in 2013, as I enjoy getting lost in her books and spending time in her stories.