DNF&Y [2] - The Official Launch!

DNF&Y is used to explain why I gave up on certain books, and what about them just didn't work for me. What I didn't like about something, might be what you love, so it helps to share your thoughts even when they're negative! If you would like additional information, please click on the DNF&Y tab at the top. If you want to join, you can link up at the bottom!

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Replica (Replica #1) by Lauren Oliver
Sarah Drew & Erin Spencer (Narrators)

Synopsis (via Goodreads):
Lyra

From a distance, the Haven Institute, tucked away on a private island off the coast of Florida, looks serene and even beautiful. But up close the locked doors, military guards, and biohazard suits tell a different story. In truth, it is a clandestine research facility where thousands of replicas, or human models, are born, raised, and observed.

But when a surprise attack is launched on Haven, two of its young experimental subjects—Lyra, or 24, and the boy known only as 72—manage to escape. As they make their way through a new and menacing environment, they meet a stranger named Gemma, who has embarked on a perilous quest of her own. And as Lyra tries to understand Haven’s purpose, she uncovers earth-shattering secrets that will change the lives of both girls.

Gemma

Gemma has been in and out of hospitals her whole life. A sickly child, she has grown into a lonely adolescent whose life is circumscribed by home, school, and her best friend, April.

But after she is nearly abducted by a stranger claiming to know her, Gemma starts to investigate her family’s past and discovers her father’s mysterious connection to the secretive Haven research facility. Hungry for answers, she travels to Florida, only to stumble upon two human models, or replicas, 24 and 72—and a completely new set of questions. As Gemma tries to unravel the mysteries of Haven, she learns terrible truths about herself and her family that will threaten to destroy everything she loves.

Two girls, two stories, one novel.

While the stories of Gemma and Lyra mirror each other, each contains revelations critically important to the other story. Their narratives can be read separately or in alternating chapters. 

DNF after the first hour of the audiobook.
*I'm going to quote part of the author's note because I really like what she says!

"The minor variations in the novel reflect the belief that there is no single objective experience of the world. No one sees or hears the same thing in exactly the same way, as anyone who has ever been in an argument with a loved one can attest. In that way we truly are inventors of our own experience. The truth, it turns out, looks a lot like making fiction."

I really enjoyed Lauren Oliver's Delirium; however, I haven't read any of her other books until now. I was looking forward to losing myself in another uniquely beautiful beautiful world, but I never made it outside of walls of Haven. Honestly, I didn't even make it to Gemma's part of the story.

I read reviews about the concept for this book, and I believe it's two books in one, but I still don't know how it works. I borrowed the audiobook from my library, so I didn't have to figure out the logistics of the pages and chapters. (If you've read this book and can explain it to me, please do!)

I didn't get very far into this one because it starts at a snail's pace. I felt bogged down by details that I didn't completely understand. I know with stories like this, you need a lot of background information, but I didn't care for how it was presented to me. I listened to it for about an hour, but never felt a connection with the characters. I'm not entirely sure I knew what was going on, and I image it would have been explained later, but it just wasn't for me.

If you would like to read a different perspective, try Kelly (Diva Booknerd)'s review on Goodreads!

This is the only DNF&Y for me this month (since the original post), and I can't wait to visit everyone that links up!