Synopsis

Bryn Reyes is a real life sleeping beauty. Afflicted with Klein-Levin Syndrome, she suffers episodes of prolonged sleep that steal weeks, and sometimes even months, from her life. But unlike most KLS patients, she doesn’t spend each episode in a catatonic state or wake up with no recollection of the time she’s missed. Instead, Bryn spends half her life in an alternate reality made up of her memories. For Bryn, the past is a place, until one day a boy she’s never met before washes up on the illusory beach of her dreams with no memory of who he is.
But the appearance of this strange boy isn’t the only thing that’s changed. Bryn’s symptoms are worsening, her body weakening as she’s plagued by hallucinations even while awake. Her only hope of finding a cure is to undergo experimental treatment created by a German specialist. But when Dr. Banz reveals that he knows more about her strange symptoms than he originally let on, Bryn learns that the boy in her head might actually be the key to understanding what’s happening to her, and worse, that if she doesn’t find out his identity before it’s too late, they both may not survive.

My Thoughts

I have not heard of KLS before I read this book but found the idea to use this illness as part of the plot of the book an interesting idea, the story is well written and nicely paced, although a YA it is certainly a good read for any age and I really found myself liking Bryn and routing for her as she struggled with school work, her parents and a strange boy who turns up in her ‘dreams’.

It is hard to go into too much detail with out spoiling the plot so I will say that the characters are great, the adults are irritating the kids, and the kids are well dealing with everything that all kids have to deal with when growing up = except Bryn who also has her illness to contend with.

The issues that the characters face outside of the illness issues are real and believable, and the illness that Bryn deals with make you ache with empathy for her.

A great read and 4 out 5 Goodreads * for this one.