Book Breview- In Dreams

16 Sep, 2011 by in book review, ya paranormal Leave a comment

In Dreams
by J. Sterling
Publication Date: Aug 1, 2011
ISBN 9781461078067
Page Count: 266

Source: author
3.75 stars

When Katherine Johns starts dreaming about a boy she doesn’t know, her college roommate Taylor is determined to find him. Convinced he must exist, Taylor is relentless… until she finds out exactly WHO he really is.

The realization rocks the girls to their core and sends them down a path of unimaginable heartbreak.

Follow Katherine & Taylor’s journey through love,
friendship and tragedy in the debut novel by J. Sterling.


What I loved: Cooper! He’s one of the best male YA characters I’ve seen written in a while. All-American, confident but put in his place by the right girl. I have to say if this were a YA contemporary novel without the paranormal element or other male character I would have been happy reading it that way. Austen, boy of her dreams is great but I just didn’t feel the same pull to him as I did Cooper, alive and in the flesh.

J. Sterling did an awesome job of fleshing out all of the characters and the friendship between two college roommates. I really enjoyed the hockey element, the setting and the concept behind the story.

I also like that the main girl is from California and is living in the East. There is a big difference between the two coasts (which I know since I’ve lived on both) and I liked the way Sterling added that into her book.

What I struggled with: The storyline is constantly shifting between the thoughts of all the characters which got a little confusing for me.

I received what I am guessing was an advanced reading copy from the author- there were several typoes, weird spacing and even font changes which are a bit distracting.

For some reason I just didn’t feel a connection to Austen so I think the pull in the story between two men didn’t carry the full emotional reaction it otherwise would have.

Content: Moderate swearing, college drinking and co-ed sleepovers. One small scene with a car accident and gunshot, very mild. No sex.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend reading In Dreams and I would read it again.

You may also like: Jennifer Laurens or Joy Preble’s YA series.

About the author: J. Sterling holds a Bachelor’s degree in Radio, TV, & Film.

She has worked for such companies as The Walt Disney Company & Lucasfilm Animation. The idea for In Dreams came to her one night over 10 years ago in her sleep.

She currently lives in California, where she drinks lots of chai tea lattes and eats far too much taco bell! 🙂

For more information, please visit her website!

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