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The Other Side of Dark
Stacy wakes up in a room that's not hers, in a body she doesn't recognize, to discover she's been in a coma for four years. Her mother is dead ‒ murdered ‒ and Stacy, recovering from a gunshot wound, is the only eyewitness to her mother's murder.
She can recall only a shadowy face, so far. But the killer is not about to let her reveal his identity...
She can recall only a shadowy face, so far. But the killer is not about to let her reveal his identity...
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1986
75 people are currently reading
1358 people want to read
About the author
Joan Lowery Nixon
190 books485 followersAuthor of more than one hundred books, Joan Lowery Nixon is the only writer to have won four Edgar Allan Poe Awards for Juvenile Mysteries (and been nominated several other times) from the Mystery Writers of America. Creating contemporary teenage characters who have both a personal problem and a mystery to solve, Nixon captured the attention of legions of teenage readers since the publication of her first YA novel more than twenty years ago. In addition to mystery/suspense novels, she wrote nonfiction and fiction for children and middle graders, as well as several short stories. Nixon was the first person to write novels for teens about the orphan trains of the nineteenth century. She followed those with historical novels about Ellis Island and, more recently for younger readers, Colonial Williamsburg. Joan Lowery Nixon died on June 28, 2003—a great loss for all of us.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 265 reviews
June 8, 2016
Hhhhhhhh. Well that was fun.
The idea sounded cool, but I didn't like the book.
I guess it wasn't AWFUL. But the main character was super annoying. Like, I get that she's supposed to be a 13-year-old in the body of a 17-year-old, but she acted like she was 8. And everyone else was either just as annoying or a lame stereotype or plain dumb or just... meh.
Seriously though like, honestly? She literally ...Seriously?
Also all of them seemed to have all the wrong feelings about everything. Like, she just found out her mom was shot and killed and she didn't cry ONCE? And everyone kept commenting on how she was so clueless about fashion and makeup like that was the most important thing she lost for having been in a coma for four years.
I don't know. Nothing was relatable, everyone seemed fake, and there wasn't much to the plot.
The idea sounded cool, but I didn't like the book.
I guess it wasn't AWFUL. But the main character was super annoying. Like, I get that she's supposed to be a 13-year-old in the body of a 17-year-old, but she acted like she was 8. And everyone else was either just as annoying or a lame stereotype or plain dumb or just... meh.
Seriously though like, honestly? She literally ...Seriously?
Also all of them seemed to have all the wrong feelings about everything. Like, she just found out her mom was shot and killed and she didn't cry ONCE? And everyone kept commenting on how she was so clueless about fashion and makeup like that was the most important thing she lost for having been in a coma for four years.
I don't know. Nothing was relatable, everyone seemed fake, and there wasn't much to the plot.
April 19, 2010
I am about 1/3 into listening to this book and am fascinated by how bad it is. If I were reading it, this would be one I simply could not finish, but the reader does a good job despite the content.
A girl wakes up from a 4 year coma and tries to remember who shot her. OK, that could be a fine plot for a teen novel. However, the way characters respond to her make no sense. Her best friend from age 13 seems surprised that coma girl knows nothing about makeup, even though it seems as though she probably didn't visit the comatose girl much. Yet the sister of coma girl is surprised that her little sister is all grown up?! Wouldn't she have been the one visiting at least weekly, seeing the body growing up? Then the physical therapist, who has apparently been running coma girl through her paces for 4 years like a marionette, asks newly awakened girl if she has a swimming pool, or an exercise machine as if said girl has been up and about, making decisions, seeing her home, and had the inside track to her home for the 4 years she'd been asleep.
I am undecided yet as to whether I want to keep listening. It would only be to listen awestruck to more poorly-thought character and plot devices.
A girl wakes up from a 4 year coma and tries to remember who shot her. OK, that could be a fine plot for a teen novel. However, the way characters respond to her make no sense. Her best friend from age 13 seems surprised that coma girl knows nothing about makeup, even though it seems as though she probably didn't visit the comatose girl much. Yet the sister of coma girl is surprised that her little sister is all grown up?! Wouldn't she have been the one visiting at least weekly, seeing the body growing up? Then the physical therapist, who has apparently been running coma girl through her paces for 4 years like a marionette, asks newly awakened girl if she has a swimming pool, or an exercise machine as if said girl has been up and about, making decisions, seeing her home, and had the inside track to her home for the 4 years she'd been asleep.
I am undecided yet as to whether I want to keep listening. It would only be to listen awestruck to more poorly-thought character and plot devices.
June 4, 2022
I can honestly say this is the worse book I have ever read. I did not like writing, the main character, I WILL NOT NOT EAT GREEN EGGS AND HAM SAM-I-AM.
I read this when I was 13 or 14.
No one should read this pile of shit.
I read this when I was 13 or 14.
No one should read this pile of shit.
October 12, 2011
No one should have to go through what Stacy McAdams went through. Her life was turned upside when she was shot and went into a coma when she was 13. When she woke up she was 17 and her family had changed so much without her. Her sister was married and pregnant, her dad had many jobs to keep up with the hospital bills, and her mom was murdered. The person who killed Stacy’s mom is the same person who put her into a coma. Stacy was the only witness and must now find the murderer before the murderer finds her.
Honestly, I really enjoyed this book. Its very suspenseful and action packed. I really related to the character, me being a 13 year old student, because at heart, this girl was still 13. She may have been 17 but she was 13 when she went into a coma and had a lot of maturing to do when she woke up. Stacy wasn’t the kind of forgiving person her mother was and she was out for blood. Its a great book that shows true perseverance. On the flip side though, this is a really quick read. The number of pages is only around 192 so I would not suggest reading it if you have an elongated amount of time you must read it in. For me the suspense was murderous and it took a very short amount of time for me to read, mind you, I am a slow reader. Other than that I loved the book and I would recommend it to young girls, especially if they are trying to find out who they are.
Honestly, I really enjoyed this book. Its very suspenseful and action packed. I really related to the character, me being a 13 year old student, because at heart, this girl was still 13. She may have been 17 but she was 13 when she went into a coma and had a lot of maturing to do when she woke up. Stacy wasn’t the kind of forgiving person her mother was and she was out for blood. Its a great book that shows true perseverance. On the flip side though, this is a really quick read. The number of pages is only around 192 so I would not suggest reading it if you have an elongated amount of time you must read it in. For me the suspense was murderous and it took a very short amount of time for me to read, mind you, I am a slow reader. Other than that I loved the book and I would recommend it to young girls, especially if they are trying to find out who they are.
February 5, 2018
This holds the dubious honor of being the first of my retro rereads, where my memory of it, far surpassed the reality of it. I think this would have been a far better book if it had just explored the hardship of waking up as a 13 year old in a 17 year old body.
May 21, 2017
สงสัยช่วงนี้คงเป็นช่วงดวงตก
หยิบเล่มไหนมาอ่านก็ไม่สนุกเอาซะเลย
หนังสือเล่มนี้มีดีแค่พล็อตเท่านั้น
นอกจากนั้นแล้ว ไม่ว่าจะเป็นวิธีเล่าเรื่อง (ที่ไม่ลุ้น ไม่อินเลย)
ความสมเหตุสมผล ความฉลาดของตัวละคร ฯลฯ
ไม่มีอะไรดีเลย
นางเอกโง่มาก ทำตัวเรียกแขกตลอด
ตัวเองเป็นพยานคนเดียวที่เห็นคนฆ่าแม่
แถมยังความจำเสื่อม นึกหน้าฆาตกรไม่ออก
แต่ก็ไม่ระวังตัว ทำตัวล่อแหลมตลอด
เรียกว่าถ้าไม่ใช่นิยาย นางตายตั้งแต่ต้นเรื่องแล้ว
ปมก็ไม่ซับซ้อน เซอร์ไพร้ส์ตอนจบก็ตลาดมาก เชยสุด
เซ็งมาก เซ็งติดกันมาหลายเล่มแล้ว!!
ขอเล่มหน้าสนุกๆ ทีนะ
หยิบเล่มไหนมาอ่านก็ไม่สนุกเอาซะเลย
หนังสือเล่มนี้มีดีแค่พล็อตเท่านั้น
นอกจากนั้นแล้ว ไม่ว่าจะเป็นวิธีเล่าเรื่อง (ที่ไม่ลุ้น ไม่อินเลย)
ความสมเหตุสมผล ความฉลาดของตัวละคร ฯลฯ
ไม่มีอะไรดีเลย
นางเอกโง่มาก ทำตัวเรียกแขกตลอด
ตัวเองเป็นพยานคนเดียวที่เห็นคนฆ่าแม่
แถมยังความจำเสื่อม นึกหน้าฆาตกรไม่ออก
แต่ก็ไม่ระวังตัว ทำตัวล่อแหลมตลอด
เรียกว่าถ้าไม่ใช่นิยาย นางตายตั้งแต่ต้นเรื่องแล้ว
ปมก็ไม่ซับซ้อน เซอร์ไพร้ส์ตอนจบก็ตลาดมาก เชยสุด
เซ็งมาก เซ็งติดกันมาหลายเล่มแล้ว!!
ขอเล่มหน้าสนุกๆ ทีนะ
March 5, 2023
Not going to lie, I was dreading getting to this one. This may have been the first one I read - I remember, as a kid, really finding the hook intriguing. I also remembered it being much more about the drama of Stacy not remembering who she was over the mystery. I was surprised to find that the mystery does talk up about half the book, but still, my tastes of changed, and the premise is no longer something that would interest me.
In fact - everything about this screams Lifetime Movie of the Week. And honestly, I should give Lifetime a break - their movies seem like Oscar winners compared to this... Btw - this book did win a ton of awards. I have no idea why - the 80s clearly had different standards for YA fiction.
Anyway, this book feels like a Frankenstein monster of all of her other books. The main character, Stacy, reminds me way too much of the littler girl (Julie) from The Specter - minus, maybe, some of the sociopathic behavior. She's rightfully traumatized by being in a coma for four years, but she acts not like 13 but instead 9 or 10. She's also really obsessed with her mother's murderer - which makes sense, but his hatred of him is reminiscent of how Julie from The Specter was infatuated to a fault of the guy.
There's also the fact that someone's watching her - and out to get her, much like The Stalker and The Ghosts of Now. And the first half of the book takes place in the hospital, again, much like The Specter. The premise would be somewhat interesting in a much better book. But JLN really stuck to everything she had done before instead of trying something new.
Also - this book has some bonkers issues with reality. First, there's the whole idea that someone could be walking around doing physical therapy for four years and still be in a coma. Why not just give her amnesia? Then - there's the fact that a girl who is now 17 is still functioning like 13yo. Where are all the therapists? Why are they leaving her at home alone without any kind of care? Especially when she's a witness for a murder? And then there's everything associated with finding her mother's murderer -- that's treated so flippantly. Like, what is even going on?
The most egregious thing going on is the fact that her bff from middle school doesn't seem to care at all about Stacy's mental issues -- and is obsessed with make up and parties and is shallowly forcing Stacy into all of these things. Like, dude, get a grip, your friend has been traumatized. Also, while I wish there were more f/f friendships in these books (the heroines always end up confiding in their love interest) the girl friends in these books always end up either dumb or shallow or ignored entirely. I wish JLN would be able to write a proper friendship. C'mon!
I should also mention (as usual) there is a love interest. It's a little weird since she feels like she's 13 and the guy is 23. There's a bit of a twist that prevents it from being utterly creepy, but it's still strange and there some what for obligatory purposes of having a romance.
There are a few suspenseful moments in the novel, and the mystery of who the murderer is makes it at least semi-interesting. This isn't the worst of the worst, but I can't say I had a very enjoyable time reading it either.
In fact - everything about this screams Lifetime Movie of the Week. And honestly, I should give Lifetime a break - their movies seem like Oscar winners compared to this... Btw - this book did win a ton of awards. I have no idea why - the 80s clearly had different standards for YA fiction.
Anyway, this book feels like a Frankenstein monster of all of her other books. The main character, Stacy, reminds me way too much of the littler girl (Julie) from The Specter - minus, maybe, some of the sociopathic behavior. She's rightfully traumatized by being in a coma for four years, but she acts not like 13 but instead 9 or 10. She's also really obsessed with her mother's murderer - which makes sense, but his hatred of him is reminiscent of how Julie from The Specter was infatuated to a fault of the guy.
There's also the fact that someone's watching her - and out to get her, much like The Stalker and The Ghosts of Now. And the first half of the book takes place in the hospital, again, much like The Specter. The premise would be somewhat interesting in a much better book. But JLN really stuck to everything she had done before instead of trying something new.
Also - this book has some bonkers issues with reality. First, there's the whole idea that someone could be walking around doing physical therapy for four years and still be in a coma. Why not just give her amnesia? Then - there's the fact that a girl who is now 17 is still functioning like 13yo. Where are all the therapists? Why are they leaving her at home alone without any kind of care? Especially when she's a witness for a murder? And then there's everything associated with finding her mother's murderer -- that's treated so flippantly. Like, what is even going on?
The most egregious thing going on is the fact that her bff from middle school doesn't seem to care at all about Stacy's mental issues -- and is obsessed with make up and parties and is shallowly forcing Stacy into all of these things. Like, dude, get a grip, your friend has been traumatized. Also, while I wish there were more f/f friendships in these books (the heroines always end up confiding in their love interest) the girl friends in these books always end up either dumb or shallow or ignored entirely. I wish JLN would be able to write a proper friendship. C'mon!
I should also mention (as usual) there is a love interest. It's a little weird since she feels like she's 13 and the guy is 23. There's a bit of a twist that prevents it from being utterly creepy, but it's still strange and there some what for obligatory purposes of having a romance.
There are a few suspenseful moments in the novel, and the mystery of who the murderer is makes it at least semi-interesting. This isn't the worst of the worst, but I can't say I had a very enjoyable time reading it either.
August 22, 2010
I read this book for the first time in 1990/91 when I was about 10 years old. I had just moved to a new school for the second time in 6 months and was slow to make friends. The one girl that had befriended me in class suggested this to me, and while I had never read anything of this genre, I was eager to solidify the friendship.
I LOVED IT!
Since the first time I read through this book I was hooked on books that got my heart racing. I left behind all of my "Sleepover Friends", and "Babysitters Club" books and have read mostly thriller/suspence ever since!
While my tastes now run towards more Paranormal Romances and Urban Fantasy than novels without a "paranormal twist", I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this one!!
I don't disagree with some of the other comments that I have read from other reviews regarding how well this one translates into more modern times, but the first time I held this well loved school library book in my hot little hands it was relevent(ish) to me!
I LOVED IT!
Since the first time I read through this book I was hooked on books that got my heart racing. I left behind all of my "Sleepover Friends", and "Babysitters Club" books and have read mostly thriller/suspence ever since!
While my tastes now run towards more Paranormal Romances and Urban Fantasy than novels without a "paranormal twist", I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this one!!
I don't disagree with some of the other comments that I have read from other reviews regarding how well this one translates into more modern times, but the first time I held this well loved school library book in my hot little hands it was relevent(ish) to me!
February 17, 2012
I'm trying to read up a bunch of the books I have just taking up space. This was a fairly decent young adult mystery. I found the romantic angle a little hard to buy into and had figured out the real identify of one of the major figures fairly early on. Although I love a lot of young adult books and think they are excellent reads for adults, I would probably leave this one for upper junior high aged girls.
September 4, 2021
I picked this up at a library book sale not realizing it was a young adult mystery. As such it's filled with absent adults, taut teens, and unbelievable happenings, but as a eight year old I would have eaten it up. Also great for sticking to the story at hand without preachiness or other digressions; something which is missing from lots of adult fiction.
May 27, 2022
At the end of each chapter I was really sucked in and wanted to continue reading. The concept was intriguing, but the book was really lacking character development. To really enjoy a book I have to be able to understand the characters, and I couldn’t. Honestly, I could care less if anything happened to these characters because they weren’t developed enough. They were there in the background and that’s about it.
This is just my opinion though. I understand writing is hard and the author did a great job. Personally, I like books to have strong, developed characters and that’s the only reason I don’t really like this book.
If you want to read leisurely, I would recommend this book.
This is just my opinion though. I understand writing is hard and the author did a great job. Personally, I like books to have strong, developed characters and that’s the only reason I don’t really like this book.
If you want to read leisurely, I would recommend this book.
July 22, 2023
A great, suspenseful story with a terrible, trite ending.
February 1, 2017
Waking up from a 4 year coma, shot at 13 and waking finally at the age of 17. Action, mystery, and suspense? Looking for that type of book, well than this is for you hands down! In my opinion I loved this book !
A seventeen year old girl named Stacey finally wakes up from a coma after being shot at the age of thirteen. She questions if it's really her, because obviously shes been unconscious for so long that she questioned if it really was her, in a different body. A 17 year old realistically but still 13 year old mentally. She later on the story gets told that the her mother was killed, she was killed by the same man that shot her. Reporters come in to question her about what had happened. She does remember the man that killed her mother but not his face, she mistakenly tells the reporter about that, and now shes paranoid that the man will try to find her and kill her to clean up his tracks. It's hard for Stacey to remember him not only because it happened 4 years ago, because she also needs to get used to everything new that had evolved. After her release she goes to her best friends house and she meets this guy named jeff he is attracted to her. Later that day she is baby sitting for her neighbors. She hears odd things and calls the police and they conclude it as paranoia. There was a party the next day and Jarrod an "unknown" person to Stacey puts something in her drink and takes her outside to do something. Little does she know that is her mothers killer and the person that shot her. Jeff come to the protection and gets Stacey out of the situation and takes Stacey home, but the weird thing is that Stacey never told Jeff exactly where she lived so how could he possibly know? Stacey later then pressed charges on Jarrod because she kind of recognized him so she put him in a line up of the possible killers of her mom and her shooter, afterwards Jarrod threatens Stacey with his friend but Stacey questioned who was his friend? Did she know he/she? Did she have contact with him/she? Tony tells Stacey that on some day he had seen Jeff and Jarrod talking, Stacey didn't know if she wanted to believe it or not. At night Stacey sees something outside, someone broke into her house. She sees Jarrod and he has a gun on him pointed at her head threatening her over and over again, Stacey then grabs handle of the gun, she didn't shoot him she called the cops and they arrested him.
In my opinion I feel like this book is perfect if you're looking for a book with mystery, and suspense. This book gives you all those feels. In my opinion I feel like Jarrod should've been explained more in detail. Not only because he was her mothers killer but because he was kind of unknown in the situation. The suspense of the book was kind of ruined because it was a narrative. It would have been better if it was in third person from Jeff's point of view. SInce it was a narrative you could only know what Stacey knew not the thoughts or feelings nor intentions of anybody else. Besides that I love this book!
I rated this book 5 stars because it filled all my expectations, it didn't leave you with a lciff hanger if explained everything in detail besides Jarrod afar from that it was explained well. I love the anguish and feel the book gives as you read it. Once it grasps your attention it's an automatic page turner. It's one of those books that doesn't take so long to get interesting it already in towards the beginning and it doesn't have any irrelevant nonsense. I would recommend this book to anybody who love a good errie book, or a mystery. An unforgettable story of a girl that has no clue what is ahead of her
A seventeen year old girl named Stacey finally wakes up from a coma after being shot at the age of thirteen. She questions if it's really her, because obviously shes been unconscious for so long that she questioned if it really was her, in a different body. A 17 year old realistically but still 13 year old mentally. She later on the story gets told that the her mother was killed, she was killed by the same man that shot her. Reporters come in to question her about what had happened. She does remember the man that killed her mother but not his face, she mistakenly tells the reporter about that, and now shes paranoid that the man will try to find her and kill her to clean up his tracks. It's hard for Stacey to remember him not only because it happened 4 years ago, because she also needs to get used to everything new that had evolved. After her release she goes to her best friends house and she meets this guy named jeff he is attracted to her. Later that day she is baby sitting for her neighbors. She hears odd things and calls the police and they conclude it as paranoia. There was a party the next day and Jarrod an "unknown" person to Stacey puts something in her drink and takes her outside to do something. Little does she know that is her mothers killer and the person that shot her. Jeff come to the protection and gets Stacey out of the situation and takes Stacey home, but the weird thing is that Stacey never told Jeff exactly where she lived so how could he possibly know? Stacey later then pressed charges on Jarrod because she kind of recognized him so she put him in a line up of the possible killers of her mom and her shooter, afterwards Jarrod threatens Stacey with his friend but Stacey questioned who was his friend? Did she know he/she? Did she have contact with him/she? Tony tells Stacey that on some day he had seen Jeff and Jarrod talking, Stacey didn't know if she wanted to believe it or not. At night Stacey sees something outside, someone broke into her house. She sees Jarrod and he has a gun on him pointed at her head threatening her over and over again, Stacey then grabs handle of the gun, she didn't shoot him she called the cops and they arrested him.
In my opinion I feel like this book is perfect if you're looking for a book with mystery, and suspense. This book gives you all those feels. In my opinion I feel like Jarrod should've been explained more in detail. Not only because he was her mothers killer but because he was kind of unknown in the situation. The suspense of the book was kind of ruined because it was a narrative. It would have been better if it was in third person from Jeff's point of view. SInce it was a narrative you could only know what Stacey knew not the thoughts or feelings nor intentions of anybody else. Besides that I love this book!
I rated this book 5 stars because it filled all my expectations, it didn't leave you with a lciff hanger if explained everything in detail besides Jarrod afar from that it was explained well. I love the anguish and feel the book gives as you read it. Once it grasps your attention it's an automatic page turner. It's one of those books that doesn't take so long to get interesting it already in towards the beginning and it doesn't have any irrelevant nonsense. I would recommend this book to anybody who love a good errie book, or a mystery. An unforgettable story of a girl that has no clue what is ahead of her
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 14, 2009In this book, Stacy McAdams, just woke up from a 4 year coma. She was shot in the thigh by her mother's murderer and she can't remember his face, and she doesn't believe that the 17-year-old girl's body that she is in is hers, she believes that she is still a 13-year-old girl whose mother is still alive.
This one reporter, Brandi Mayer tries to figure out the whole scoop on Stacy and her mother's murderer. She tries everything to get the murderer's name and description out of Stacy but fortunately she can't.
Monty, the young man who brings Stacy her food tries to bring her to a "reporter" for twenty dollars. He disappears after the security and everybody else comes to see if Stacy is okay.
When Stacy gets home her friend Jan says that she set her up on a date with a guy named Jeff who just transfered from Michigan. Jeff appears and they hit it off really well.
Later at the party that Jeff and Jan invited Stacy to, Stacy meets Jarrod Tucker. He tries to take her to his car, he gave her a Lemon-Lime drink and then later after she feels dizzy he tells her that he spiked it with Vodka, she tries to get away from him but his grip tightens, then Jeff comes out and throws Jarrod away from Stacy. Stacy then sees the same scared look that she saw on her mother's murderer's face. She then realizes that Jarrod Tucker killed her mother.
Later on Jarrod escapes from jail after he is convicted of robbery and murder, he then appears in Stacy's backyard with a gun in his hand. She falls on him and takes the gun and then she points it at him, he tries to tell her that he didn't mean to kill her mother, it just happened. Jarrod explained that he was robbing her house but when her mother entered into their house she saw him and kept telling him that it was okay and that he should just put the gun down, he was so scared so he shot her and then he shot Stacy because he saw her and panicked as well.
She is about to shoot Jarrod when Jeff comes by and tells her that he is part of the police department and that he is a NARC. After Jarrod is put back into jail, Stacy remembers that she saw him in the police department when she went to sometime before. He then tells her that she wasn't just an "assignment" and that he didn't want to be her "first love" but that he wanted to be the real thing and that he could wait for her.
This book was kind of boring... I mean I chose to read this book because I like mysteries and it seemed to suit me, but when I finished it I thought that there wasn't much of a plot to the story. It was suspenseful but there wasn't really enough suspense to keep me wanting to read more by the same author. I liked the twist ending that one of her classmates Jarrod Tucker killed her mother, but it should have been Jeff because she saw some kind of familiarity in him that she didn't know where she saw him before, it would have been cooler for the guy that she was falling in love with was the killer. But the book was okay...
This one reporter, Brandi Mayer tries to figure out the whole scoop on Stacy and her mother's murderer. She tries everything to get the murderer's name and description out of Stacy but fortunately she can't.
Monty, the young man who brings Stacy her food tries to bring her to a "reporter" for twenty dollars. He disappears after the security and everybody else comes to see if Stacy is okay.
When Stacy gets home her friend Jan says that she set her up on a date with a guy named Jeff who just transfered from Michigan. Jeff appears and they hit it off really well.
Later at the party that Jeff and Jan invited Stacy to, Stacy meets Jarrod Tucker. He tries to take her to his car, he gave her a Lemon-Lime drink and then later after she feels dizzy he tells her that he spiked it with Vodka, she tries to get away from him but his grip tightens, then Jeff comes out and throws Jarrod away from Stacy. Stacy then sees the same scared look that she saw on her mother's murderer's face. She then realizes that Jarrod Tucker killed her mother.
Later on Jarrod escapes from jail after he is convicted of robbery and murder, he then appears in Stacy's backyard with a gun in his hand. She falls on him and takes the gun and then she points it at him, he tries to tell her that he didn't mean to kill her mother, it just happened. Jarrod explained that he was robbing her house but when her mother entered into their house she saw him and kept telling him that it was okay and that he should just put the gun down, he was so scared so he shot her and then he shot Stacy because he saw her and panicked as well.
She is about to shoot Jarrod when Jeff comes by and tells her that he is part of the police department and that he is a NARC. After Jarrod is put back into jail, Stacy remembers that she saw him in the police department when she went to sometime before. He then tells her that she wasn't just an "assignment" and that he didn't want to be her "first love" but that he wanted to be the real thing and that he could wait for her.
This book was kind of boring... I mean I chose to read this book because I like mysteries and it seemed to suit me, but when I finished it I thought that there wasn't much of a plot to the story. It was suspenseful but there wasn't really enough suspense to keep me wanting to read more by the same author. I liked the twist ending that one of her classmates Jarrod Tucker killed her mother, but it should have been Jeff because she saw some kind of familiarity in him that she didn't know where she saw him before, it would have been cooler for the guy that she was falling in love with was the killer. But the book was okay...
August 26, 2023
I'm not sure why I'm as torn as I am about how many stars to rate this one... It's my third Joan Lowery Nixon YA mystery/suspense novel in a short span of time and may well have the most interesting premise of any of her books. I was a little bit disappointed in how she dealt with that premise, but also intrigued enough by a couple of the elements of the plot she brought in to want to stick with this one through the end. What's going on in this one? A seventeen-year-old girl wakes up after a four-year coma, only to discover that her mother was killed by the same man who put her into the coma. She's the only one who can bring her mother's killer to justice, as she's the only one who saw him and can potentially identify him... if he doesn't kill her first! See what I mean about an interesting premise? Keep in mind, though: this is a YA novel from the mid-eighties. It includes certain elements of its time that impact it both positively and negatively... Overall, it's an imperfect but an interesting read; not as good as _The Specter_ or _The Ghosts of Now_ when it comes to the Nixon books I've read, though. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if I could, but I'll go on and go with 4 out of 5.
November 9, 2023
So after finishing up some Caroline B. Cooney, I have decided to make the rest of November dedicated to Joan Lowery Nixon.
Nix-November if you will because for my birthday I got a haul of her books of Amazon after reading the few I had gotten last Christmas from my Half Price Books haul since my reading queue has been planned well in advance.
Nixon is in the same vein as Cooney and Lois Duncan where most of the stories are mysteries or dramatic thrillers with a few going for the more supernatural.
The Other Side of Dark is the only Nixon book that has had an adaptation in a 1995 TV movie with Tori Spelling. It's either called Awake To Murder or Awake To Danger (I've heard both titles) and I have yet to watch it to see how faithful it is to this book from 1986.
Stacy McAdams wakes up in a bed that is not hers - it is a hospital bed.
She is a seventeen year old young woman but her mind still believes she is a thirteen year old girl until she looks down at her mature body.
A nurse hears Stacy ask for her mother and goes to get the doctor. He arrives and brings with him Stacy's father and she can see that he is the same but different - older.
Stacy has been in comatose state for four years after being shot. Still asking for her mother, Stacy's older sister Donna comes in and she receives another bit of news. Donna is now married to a man named Dennis and they are getting ready to have a baby.
The question that Stacy keeps asking is put off for as long as possible and the answer is the biggest shock. Her mother was killed by the same person who shot her four years ago and he was never caught.
It was a robbery where he took a measly ten bucks out of Jeanne McAdams' purse, shot her and then ran out and shot Stacy. The older woman didn't survive but Stacy did and the hospital has been taking care of her and keeping her body healthy with therapy.
Stacy is able to keep her wits about her at such devastating news in front of her dad and sister but does cry in private once it sinks in. Most of her grief turns into anger at losing her mother and confusion at the world she has woken up to.
Her classmate were all in seventh grade but now in high school about to graduate and it seems her old best friend Jan has blossomed and become friends with a girl named B.J. that Stacy vaguely remembers. Stacy is clueless about fashion, make-up, the new hairstyles, computers booming and still has a thirteen year old naivete.
A reporter gets an interview with Stacy due to a snafu even though Donna is there and they want to know all about "The Sleeping Beauty" as a human interest piece. Stacy answers questions as best as possible but she also lets it slip that she was a witness to seeing the killer.
Her memories are trying to push through her dreams and Stacy can remember that she saw the man with the gun after he shot her mother. She knows that he was familiar but his face is still shadowy and this becomes front page news.
Police detectives read the story in the paper and go to question Stacy in the hospital and she is ready to do anything to find the man who killed her mother, the voracity a shock to her father and sister. Her child-like stubbornness only pushes the knowledge or lack of it even more when other reporters swarm the hospital.
An orderly tries to make a quick buck by taking Stacy to be interviewed but gets stopped by a senior nurse and soon Stacy is allowed to leave to go home. Stacy wants to go back to school but her father wants her to take it slow and grieve for her mother and she is left home alone while he has to go and work at two jobs.
The medical bills for Stacy's treatment need payment and her sister can only do so much being pregnant but Donna takes Stacy shopping to get new clothes and their neighbor, Mrs. Conner, is always bringing something over knowing how hard Mr. McAdams works. Stacy tries to pass the time by learning how to cook all on her own but it's clear she is bitter that her mother isn't there to do all of this with her.
Jan as Stacy come over and tells her that everyone wants to throw a party for Stacy and she isn't sure because the kids she remembers are all older now - Stacy is an outsider. They are old friends so Stacy agrees she will go to try and adjust and get back to something normal.
It isn't long until the phone rings and Stacy answers it to a voice - the voice of her mother's killer.
He's read the papers and seen the news on the TV and he tells Stacy he will be keeping an eye on her to see if she finally can remember his face...or take care of her before that even becomes a possibility...
We are thrown a few red herrings to try and get the story going but most of it focuses on Stacy trying to get over her anger and "growing up" and we can sympathize. She still acts like a thirteen year old about certain things but does seem to show a clear head in other instances because she wants justice for her mother.
All of the legal, police investigation stuff is kind of boring but we get some family drama and a budding romance thrown in until we get to the inevitable reveal of who the killer actually is.
It doesn't really blow your mind but getting toward the climax, it becomes suspenseful and reveals a few little twists but again...nothing too exciting.
You might even be able to figure them out beforehand...
The ending may be sort of generic because it is sort of bittersweet and schmaltzy but it is satisfying for bringing Stacy and her family closure, justice for her mother in the end and highlight that Stacy can move on from anger and sadness to find something bright on the other side of the dark...
A good read indeed.
Nix-November if you will because for my birthday I got a haul of her books of Amazon after reading the few I had gotten last Christmas from my Half Price Books haul since my reading queue has been planned well in advance.
Nixon is in the same vein as Cooney and Lois Duncan where most of the stories are mysteries or dramatic thrillers with a few going for the more supernatural.
The Other Side of Dark is the only Nixon book that has had an adaptation in a 1995 TV movie with Tori Spelling. It's either called Awake To Murder or Awake To Danger (I've heard both titles) and I have yet to watch it to see how faithful it is to this book from 1986.
Stacy McAdams wakes up in a bed that is not hers - it is a hospital bed.
She is a seventeen year old young woman but her mind still believes she is a thirteen year old girl until she looks down at her mature body.
A nurse hears Stacy ask for her mother and goes to get the doctor. He arrives and brings with him Stacy's father and she can see that he is the same but different - older.
Stacy has been in comatose state for four years after being shot. Still asking for her mother, Stacy's older sister Donna comes in and she receives another bit of news. Donna is now married to a man named Dennis and they are getting ready to have a baby.
The question that Stacy keeps asking is put off for as long as possible and the answer is the biggest shock. Her mother was killed by the same person who shot her four years ago and he was never caught.
It was a robbery where he took a measly ten bucks out of Jeanne McAdams' purse, shot her and then ran out and shot Stacy. The older woman didn't survive but Stacy did and the hospital has been taking care of her and keeping her body healthy with therapy.
Stacy is able to keep her wits about her at such devastating news in front of her dad and sister but does cry in private once it sinks in. Most of her grief turns into anger at losing her mother and confusion at the world she has woken up to.
Her classmate were all in seventh grade but now in high school about to graduate and it seems her old best friend Jan has blossomed and become friends with a girl named B.J. that Stacy vaguely remembers. Stacy is clueless about fashion, make-up, the new hairstyles, computers booming and still has a thirteen year old naivete.
A reporter gets an interview with Stacy due to a snafu even though Donna is there and they want to know all about "The Sleeping Beauty" as a human interest piece. Stacy answers questions as best as possible but she also lets it slip that she was a witness to seeing the killer.
Her memories are trying to push through her dreams and Stacy can remember that she saw the man with the gun after he shot her mother. She knows that he was familiar but his face is still shadowy and this becomes front page news.
Police detectives read the story in the paper and go to question Stacy in the hospital and she is ready to do anything to find the man who killed her mother, the voracity a shock to her father and sister. Her child-like stubbornness only pushes the knowledge or lack of it even more when other reporters swarm the hospital.
An orderly tries to make a quick buck by taking Stacy to be interviewed but gets stopped by a senior nurse and soon Stacy is allowed to leave to go home. Stacy wants to go back to school but her father wants her to take it slow and grieve for her mother and she is left home alone while he has to go and work at two jobs.
The medical bills for Stacy's treatment need payment and her sister can only do so much being pregnant but Donna takes Stacy shopping to get new clothes and their neighbor, Mrs. Conner, is always bringing something over knowing how hard Mr. McAdams works. Stacy tries to pass the time by learning how to cook all on her own but it's clear she is bitter that her mother isn't there to do all of this with her.
Jan as Stacy come over and tells her that everyone wants to throw a party for Stacy and she isn't sure because the kids she remembers are all older now - Stacy is an outsider. They are old friends so Stacy agrees she will go to try and adjust and get back to something normal.
It isn't long until the phone rings and Stacy answers it to a voice - the voice of her mother's killer.
He's read the papers and seen the news on the TV and he tells Stacy he will be keeping an eye on her to see if she finally can remember his face...or take care of her before that even becomes a possibility...
We are thrown a few red herrings to try and get the story going but most of it focuses on Stacy trying to get over her anger and "growing up" and we can sympathize. She still acts like a thirteen year old about certain things but does seem to show a clear head in other instances because she wants justice for her mother.
All of the legal, police investigation stuff is kind of boring but we get some family drama and a budding romance thrown in until we get to the inevitable reveal of who the killer actually is.
It doesn't really blow your mind but getting toward the climax, it becomes suspenseful and reveals a few little twists but again...nothing too exciting.
You might even be able to figure them out beforehand...
The ending may be sort of generic because it is sort of bittersweet and schmaltzy but it is satisfying for bringing Stacy and her family closure, justice for her mother in the end and highlight that Stacy can move on from anger and sadness to find something bright on the other side of the dark...
A good read indeed.
May 21, 2013
Stacy wakes up in a room that's not hers, in a body she doesn't recognize, to discover she's been in a coma for four years. Her mother is dead--murdered--and Stacy, recovering from a gunshot wound, is the only eyewitness to her mother’s murder. Stacy re-meets not only her friends but her family as well. Stacy is reluctant to move on with her life at first, she only wants to go back and be thirteen again. Forced into a life she feels isn’t her own Stacy is both curious and fearful of what she might find waiting for her. I recommend this book to middle school and above as the reading level isn’t very difficult.
October 9, 2016
What a rollercoaster ride! I mean, if it's a rollercoaster that has no twists and turns and is fairly straightforward.
This book was not as great as I remember it being when I read it in 7th grade. Basically Stacy's mom was murdered and Stacy was shot leaving her in a "semi coma." She wakes up 4 years later and is basically a 13 year old trapped in the body of a smoking hot 17 year old. *eyeroll*
She's desperately trying to remember who killed her mother and honestly, you think the story is clearly going for the twist ending, but nope. Very cut and dry.
I gave it two stars because Mrs Coopers bread sounded delicious.
This book was not as great as I remember it being when I read it in 7th grade. Basically Stacy's mom was murdered and Stacy was shot leaving her in a "semi coma." She wakes up 4 years later and is basically a 13 year old trapped in the body of a smoking hot 17 year old. *eyeroll*
She's desperately trying to remember who killed her mother and honestly, you think the story is clearly going for the twist ending, but nope. Very cut and dry.
I gave it two stars because Mrs Coopers bread sounded delicious.
March 18, 2013
"The Other Side of Dark" is about a girl named Stacy, who was shot by an unknown suspect when she was thirteen. She fell into a coma and woke up four years later. She is now seventeen and feels as though she is not in her own body. Aside from getting used to the changes to her body as well as everything else around her, she must help the police. She must help them by remembering who it was that shot her and her mother, who died at the scene. In my opinion, this book had a lot of twists and turns that kept my attention and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading fictonal mysteries.
February 24, 2011
After waking from a four year comma, 17 year old Stacey must not only come to terms with being a teenager and not a child anymore but also, as the only witness, remember who it was who killed her mother and put her into the hospital. It's possible that a 10 or 11 year old might enjoy The Other Side of Dark more than I did, it was an OK story if you like mystery, but I felt it was dated (which can't be helped since it was written in '87) and a little bit flat.
July 9, 2017
This book was horrible from the beginning. After waking up from a coma like state and learning her mom was killed becomes so hateful it got tiring quickly. Really who wakes up and decides to hunt and possibly kill their mother's murderer? The main character, Stacy is immature but maybe that can be blamed on being in a coma for four years. I could go on but I will just say this is not one of Joan Lowery Nixon's best book.
May 28, 2021
This is a really silly premise about a girl being in a coma for four years and waking up in a 17 year old body, but it's entertaining. For a young adult novel, it was pretty decent.
Read
August 12, 2013Loved it! the suspense was amazing! Definetely a page-turner
October 6, 2019
There are just so many things that are wrong with this book that I cannot believe that it was even written, especially by an author like Joan Lowery Nixon. And yet I am guessing that if I was much younger and didn't know any better it may have been a fave if I was into this type of genre at that time of my life. So I guess there may be some hope for it when it comes to some readership.
The actual story itself is a pretty fast and straightforward read. It charges forth in frank points that are chronological but as a result of its fast charge the biggest surprise wasn't that much of a big surprise nor did it give time for the reader to build up towards the actual close of the book nor did the book have a true satisfactory end but just shut off as it the plug had been pulled.
As for the style of the writing it was so juvenile and unbelievable. First of all there is no such state of a person that allows their body to be exercised, fed or whatever such as this book suggests was done to Stacy to keep her in shape while she was mentally checked out. And of course that magic event allows her to be a gorgeous beauty once she wakes up although still retaining her younger mentality.
Instead of anyone telling her straightaway what happened to her and her mom they choose to delay it until her dad gets there and then sedate her so her dad tells her while she is floating off to sleep. This is the second layering of everything unbelievable with the book. From there you find a newly waken up GSW victim who hasn't grown up being left at home alone with a still free murderer on the loose even after the media made sure to imply she is a witness, she is allowed to have adult meetings with no adult supervision (who doesn't want to be with their child when (s)he is talking to a lawyer?), no protection after she comes up with the identity of the killer and accepting rides from unmarked vehicles that are driven by drivers who she doesn't know. So truly unbelievable!!!
At the same time the book does very little in making the secondary characters very attractive or realistic. Sister is gloriously well pregnant and the book suggests a pregnancy that their mom had supposedly just lost a few years before the events of the story thus tying the mothering factor up to our protagonist, dad is completely lost as well as non-existent thus allowing the events of the story to progress and surprisingly the bestie doesn't care whatsoever what happened to her friend as long as she makes sure that she is well dressed up, goes to parties and keeps her make-up in order. Oh and out of a few generations of high schoolers and older the only ugly seeming guy is the bad guy. Yep how classically creative along with the perverted romance suggestion.
So collectively altogether I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone - not even YA.
The actual story itself is a pretty fast and straightforward read. It charges forth in frank points that are chronological but as a result of its fast charge the biggest surprise wasn't that much of a big surprise nor did it give time for the reader to build up towards the actual close of the book nor did the book have a true satisfactory end but just shut off as it the plug had been pulled.
As for the style of the writing it was so juvenile and unbelievable. First of all there is no such state of a person that allows their body to be exercised, fed or whatever such as this book suggests was done to Stacy to keep her in shape while she was mentally checked out. And of course that magic event allows her to be a gorgeous beauty once she wakes up although still retaining her younger mentality.
Instead of anyone telling her straightaway what happened to her and her mom they choose to delay it until her dad gets there and then sedate her so her dad tells her while she is floating off to sleep. This is the second layering of everything unbelievable with the book. From there you find a newly waken up GSW victim who hasn't grown up being left at home alone with a still free murderer on the loose even after the media made sure to imply she is a witness, she is allowed to have adult meetings with no adult supervision (who doesn't want to be with their child when (s)he is talking to a lawyer?), no protection after she comes up with the identity of the killer and accepting rides from unmarked vehicles that are driven by drivers who she doesn't know. So truly unbelievable!!!
At the same time the book does very little in making the secondary characters very attractive or realistic. Sister is gloriously well pregnant and the book suggests a pregnancy that their mom had supposedly just lost a few years before the events of the story thus tying the mothering factor up to our protagonist, dad is completely lost as well as non-existent thus allowing the events of the story to progress and surprisingly the bestie doesn't care whatsoever what happened to her friend as long as she makes sure that she is well dressed up, goes to parties and keeps her make-up in order. Oh and out of a few generations of high schoolers and older the only ugly seeming guy is the bad guy. Yep how classically creative along with the perverted romance suggestion.
So collectively altogether I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone - not even YA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2020
The Other Side of Dark is a book about a girl who got shot and stuck in a coma for four years. When she woke up she found out her mother was dead. She goes on a crazy adventure with the media, friends, school, the murderer and even love. Stacy McAdams is furious with the murderer but she ends up falling in love with a mad who was assigned to protect her.
Stacy had a great relationship with her mother but it soon ended with her mother's death. She had a friend, Jan. Jan had introduced Stacy tobrand new friends and even old ones. Stacy has a really well off relationship with her pregnant sister. Even though Stacy wanted to be there for Donna’s wedding and her falling in love, they still have a strong relationship. Stacy loves her father dearly but she wishes he would tell her more about what happened in the four years and now. Jeff is the man she fell in love with. He participated in Stacy’s mother and her getting shot.
I relate to Stacy because I feel overwhelmed with all these issues that get randomly thrown at us. I can't even begin to understand how it must have felt to know your mother was dead but I do understand that stress is hard and there are huge obstacles that will always get in your way. Having and keeping up with a social life is very hard especially when you’ve been away for a long time, in Stacy’s case, being stuck in a coma for four years. School is stressful as it is but making up four missed years is pretty much impossible.
I loved this book and I really recommend it to anyone. It was filled with emotion and relatable moments. My favorite part was when Stacy accepted herself for who she is and when she realized she's perfect the way she is. I personally have issues with self image and I'm hoping I could realize my worth too.
My least favorite part is when we found out Stacy’s mom died. I didn’t like it because I hate emotional things like death and warm moments. I'm not the greatest at showing good emotions. The author did really well with making the book fun and relateable to a teen. Overall it's really hard to find something to work on with this book it's so well done but it felt like the end was really rushed.
I already said I would recommend this book,because it's amazing. But, every person is different. I would recommend this book to people who like crime, a little thriller, some romance and heartwarming moments.
Stacy had a great relationship with her mother but it soon ended with her mother's death. She had a friend, Jan. Jan had introduced Stacy tobrand new friends and even old ones. Stacy has a really well off relationship with her pregnant sister. Even though Stacy wanted to be there for Donna’s wedding and her falling in love, they still have a strong relationship. Stacy loves her father dearly but she wishes he would tell her more about what happened in the four years and now. Jeff is the man she fell in love with. He participated in Stacy’s mother and her getting shot.
I relate to Stacy because I feel overwhelmed with all these issues that get randomly thrown at us. I can't even begin to understand how it must have felt to know your mother was dead but I do understand that stress is hard and there are huge obstacles that will always get in your way. Having and keeping up with a social life is very hard especially when you’ve been away for a long time, in Stacy’s case, being stuck in a coma for four years. School is stressful as it is but making up four missed years is pretty much impossible.
I loved this book and I really recommend it to anyone. It was filled with emotion and relatable moments. My favorite part was when Stacy accepted herself for who she is and when she realized she's perfect the way she is. I personally have issues with self image and I'm hoping I could realize my worth too.
My least favorite part is when we found out Stacy’s mom died. I didn’t like it because I hate emotional things like death and warm moments. I'm not the greatest at showing good emotions. The author did really well with making the book fun and relateable to a teen. Overall it's really hard to find something to work on with this book it's so well done but it felt like the end was really rushed.
I already said I would recommend this book,because it's amazing. But, every person is different. I would recommend this book to people who like crime, a little thriller, some romance and heartwarming moments.
September 12, 2018
I decided to read the book 'The Other Side of Dark' by Joan Lowery Nixon. The beginning of this book takes place in a hospital where the main character named Stacy wakes up from her coma and the rest of the book mostly takes place at her house. The other main characters in this book include Stacy's father, her sister Donna, Jeff, Jarrod, and her long lost best friend Jan. I was simply searching for a book in the library when I came across this one, the cover was the first thing that caught my attention because it looked very mysterious. But then I read the blurb on the back of the book and became very interested in reading it.
In this book, seventeen year old Stacy wakes up from a four year coma after being shot by a man that broke into her family's home. Her mother was also shot and killed by the same man. She wakes up very confused because four years has passed since she was last awake, but her family and friends are there helping her through it. The main conflict in this story though is that Stacy is determined to find out who killed her mother, she remembers his face but can't grasp it enough to tell the police who it was. Stacy is terrified when she is released from the hospital because she is worried that the man will come after her. Stacy's friend Jan convinces her into going to a party, where she meets Jeff and Jarrod. That's where the trouble began.
The ending of the book seemed hopeless at first but was also a little predictable. I personally wish the ending would have been more interesting with a little more action. I'd have to say my favorite part of the book was about half way through whenever Jan took Stacy to the party because that's where the conflict really began. I couldn't stop reading when I got to that part of the book because it was so interesting.
I personally enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries. It really puts you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out who the murderer is. The book could have been a little more interesting, but overall I really liked it and would like to find another book similar to it. I hope someone else from the class reads it and enjoys it as much as I did.
In this book, seventeen year old Stacy wakes up from a four year coma after being shot by a man that broke into her family's home. Her mother was also shot and killed by the same man. She wakes up very confused because four years has passed since she was last awake, but her family and friends are there helping her through it. The main conflict in this story though is that Stacy is determined to find out who killed her mother, she remembers his face but can't grasp it enough to tell the police who it was. Stacy is terrified when she is released from the hospital because she is worried that the man will come after her. Stacy's friend Jan convinces her into going to a party, where she meets Jeff and Jarrod. That's where the trouble began.
The ending of the book seemed hopeless at first but was also a little predictable. I personally wish the ending would have been more interesting with a little more action. I'd have to say my favorite part of the book was about half way through whenever Jan took Stacy to the party because that's where the conflict really began. I couldn't stop reading when I got to that part of the book because it was so interesting.
I personally enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries. It really puts you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out who the murderer is. The book could have been a little more interesting, but overall I really liked it and would like to find another book similar to it. I hope someone else from the class reads it and enjoys it as much as I did.
February 6, 2020
***spoiler alert***
A girl woke up from a 4 year coma and tries to find the person who killed her mom while she has to get used to the way things are now. Going to parties and the police station while falling for a guy in between. Catching the culprit and sending him to jail.
The main character is Stacy McAdam's. Stacy woke up from a coma scared because she was in a different body to realize that she is a seventeen year old girl and she was in a four year coma and her mother was killed the same day she was put into her coma. She is confused, scared and hatred towards the person that shot her mother and the way the world is know to her. She has friends that she misses and trusts Jan she knew her for years, B.J. a new friend that she knew, and Jeff who is actually older than he seems. She knows other people that she knows but has suspicion about them Jarrod she knows he’s the murderer.
I could relate to this book because you would want to find the person who would take someone important away from you and make them pay for what happened. Even though no one took anyone away from me I know how they feel. I just don’t want the world I used to live in change.
I like the book because it was a murder mystery, but it wasn’t how I thought it would be in the end because the murderer went to her house she got his gun and pointed it at him until the cops can and turns out that her crush is one of them and just lovey which I thought would have more action. I liked this part too because she finally caught the murderer and she knew it was him the whole time after she remembered his face.
I would recommend this book to people who like a drama type mystery story if that makes sense. I would say that girls who like mysteries and the way things had changed, like being asleep for years and waking up to see something different like the future.
A girl woke up from a 4 year coma and tries to find the person who killed her mom while she has to get used to the way things are now. Going to parties and the police station while falling for a guy in between. Catching the culprit and sending him to jail.
The main character is Stacy McAdam's. Stacy woke up from a coma scared because she was in a different body to realize that she is a seventeen year old girl and she was in a four year coma and her mother was killed the same day she was put into her coma. She is confused, scared and hatred towards the person that shot her mother and the way the world is know to her. She has friends that she misses and trusts Jan she knew her for years, B.J. a new friend that she knew, and Jeff who is actually older than he seems. She knows other people that she knows but has suspicion about them Jarrod she knows he’s the murderer.
I could relate to this book because you would want to find the person who would take someone important away from you and make them pay for what happened. Even though no one took anyone away from me I know how they feel. I just don’t want the world I used to live in change.
I like the book because it was a murder mystery, but it wasn’t how I thought it would be in the end because the murderer went to her house she got his gun and pointed it at him until the cops can and turns out that her crush is one of them and just lovey which I thought would have more action. I liked this part too because she finally caught the murderer and she knew it was him the whole time after she remembered his face.
I would recommend this book to people who like a drama type mystery story if that makes sense. I would say that girls who like mysteries and the way things had changed, like being asleep for years and waking up to see something different like the future.
November 24, 2019
This is a good young adult book. Older people, like me, will just analyze it too much with its simplicity and lack of even an answering machine...weren’t there answering machines in 1986?
Stacy has been in a coma for four years. She was shot, as well as her mother who was killed. So she wakes up, and doesn’t seem to have too much trouble forming sentences and wanting to find her mother’s killer. She was the only witness, seeing the killer come out of her back porch.
Stacy is soon sent home. She’s practically on her own with a father who seems to work all the time and a sister who is married, tired, and pregnant. Stacy’s best friend Jan is only interested in putting make up on Stacy and she gets her big chance when she gets Stacy ready for a big party. At the party she comes face to face with Jarrod Tucker, and recognizes his yellow eyes as the eyes of the killer! Jarrod gets away but later gets taken into police custody. Stacy picks him out of a line up. At a preliminary court hearing, Stacy sees him but at the end, Jarrod seems to have some sort of seizure and is taken to the hospital. It’s at the hospital where he escapes and from there goes to Stacy’s house. Stacy knows he’s about to get in the house so she runs outside and up to her falling apart tree house. She’s able to kick the tree house on top of Jarrod. Thankfully her alert neighbor has called the police, and the hunky guy, Jeff, who always has been around to help, is actually an undercover narcotics cop. Things will now get back to normal for the “sleeping beauty.”
Stacy has been in a coma for four years. She was shot, as well as her mother who was killed. So she wakes up, and doesn’t seem to have too much trouble forming sentences and wanting to find her mother’s killer. She was the only witness, seeing the killer come out of her back porch.
Stacy is soon sent home. She’s practically on her own with a father who seems to work all the time and a sister who is married, tired, and pregnant. Stacy’s best friend Jan is only interested in putting make up on Stacy and she gets her big chance when she gets Stacy ready for a big party. At the party she comes face to face with Jarrod Tucker, and recognizes his yellow eyes as the eyes of the killer! Jarrod gets away but later gets taken into police custody. Stacy picks him out of a line up. At a preliminary court hearing, Stacy sees him but at the end, Jarrod seems to have some sort of seizure and is taken to the hospital. It’s at the hospital where he escapes and from there goes to Stacy’s house. Stacy knows he’s about to get in the house so she runs outside and up to her falling apart tree house. She’s able to kick the tree house on top of Jarrod. Thankfully her alert neighbor has called the police, and the hunky guy, Jeff, who always has been around to help, is actually an undercover narcotics cop. Things will now get back to normal for the “sleeping beauty.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2020
*Spoiler Alert*
Before I tell you about this book,but are you sure this is a spoiler alert because I'm To tell you about the book. A little girl that was in a coma but she didn’t know that her mom was murder by a guy.She wanted to find out the murdered that killed her mother to tell him why or what happend.
In this book there five main characters one of them was a girl named Stacy. Her mother got murdered but her best friend Donna is about to have a wedding but she is already married. Stacy has a boy that likes her and wonders why her or why he wants to see her but the guy decides to see her at the party that Donna was having.
I personally can not relate this book because my mom did not get murdered or have not gone into a coma.My life hasn’t seen in real life happening that a kid in a coma or the mom dead but i never experienced that in my life.
In my opinion the book is great because it gets you excited or you like what is going to happen becauseI just read a random book and found this book so I read a few pages and it got interesting in the beginning because of how she was in a coma for four years but looks the same as four years ago.
In the end it is that you should check this book out because it is interesting.
January 17, 2026
Stacy wakes up from a 4 years long coma to find everything in her life has changed. After a violent assault, her mother was killed and she was shot and severely injured. If only she could remember what happened, she could point the authorities to the killer. Added to this, she's adjusting to being 17 instead of 13 when she went into a coma.
This story is part thriller and part coming of age story. Stacy is trying to figure out the killer while being frightened that the shooter might be someone she knows. Add to that, she has to learn how to fit into life as a young adult of 17.
Usually, I really enjoy Nixon's books. I had to make a choice between 3 or 4 stars for my review and I went with 3, but it's really more like 3.5 stars. This book was enjoyable for a quick read, but it still fell a little flat for me. As well, from the writing, I'd think this book was set in the early 60s or even the 50s instead of the 80s during which it was published. I've found that to be true for other books I've read by her. For example, characters will have names like Peggy or Betty that were common names in the 50s, but not heard of in the 80s.
Family corner: nothing objectionable.
This story is part thriller and part coming of age story. Stacy is trying to figure out the killer while being frightened that the shooter might be someone she knows. Add to that, she has to learn how to fit into life as a young adult of 17.
Usually, I really enjoy Nixon's books. I had to make a choice between 3 or 4 stars for my review and I went with 3, but it's really more like 3.5 stars. This book was enjoyable for a quick read, but it still fell a little flat for me. As well, from the writing, I'd think this book was set in the early 60s or even the 50s instead of the 80s during which it was published. I've found that to be true for other books I've read by her. For example, characters will have names like Peggy or Betty that were common names in the 50s, but not heard of in the 80s.
Family corner: nothing objectionable.
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