After Reading: EARTHBOUND by Aprilynne Pike

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her parents. When she starts to see strange visions of a boy she’s never spoken with in real life, she begins to suspect that there’s much about her past that she isn’t being told. 

Tavia immediately searches for answers, desperate to determine why she feels so drawn to a boy she hardly knows. But when Tavia discovers that the aunt and uncle who took her in after her parents' death may have actually been responsible for the plane crash that killed them--and that she may have been the true intended victim--she flees for the safety of Camden, Maine, where the boy she sees in her visions instructs her to go.

Now, Tavia is on the run with no one to trust. No one, that is, except for her best friend and longtime crush, Benson.Tavia feels torn between the boy who mysteriously comes to her at night and the boy who has been by her side every step of the way. But what Tavia doesn't know is that the world is literally falling apart and that to save it she will have to unite with the boy in her visions. Only problem? To do so would mean rejecting Benson's love. And that's the one thing Tavia Michaels swore she'd never do. (Goodreads)

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thanks HarperCollins and LibraryThing!*

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I haven't read any of Pike's work before, though I've heard great things. I'm kind of glad I started with this book, however, as I loved the originality of it, and the incredible interesting twisty tale it took me on. Plus, I'm a major sucker for reincarnation tales--always have been, always will be. The way Tavia handles her situation felt really believable to me, especially how she dealt with the plane crash and its aftermath. I liked her from the start, despite her insta-love with the random apparition she sees. 

And then there was Benson. Okay, it may be blatantly obvious from some of my other reviews that I am a major sucker for a hot, nerdy guy. I can't help it. And Benson? *Fans self* Yep, totally fit the bill to utter perfection. Yes, there's a twist that I saw coming a mile away, but I'm still absolutely Team Benson. 

Fair warning: minor rant to commence. WHY is it that the best friend always gets the shaft in books? Seriously! Just once I'd like it where the best friend wins out over the swoon-worthy other guy. Can anyone name a book where that happens? Because I'm a little tired of the good guy getting friend-zoned and totally losing out. Because, like Benson, he's totally the one who SHOULD win out.

Blah. Can you tell that irks me?

So, yeah. Totally looking forward to the next book in this series. Recommend it highly for the Benson factor :)