Review: Lingering Echoes by Erica Kiefer

Lingering Echoes

By: Erica Kiefer

Pub. Date: November 16, 2013

Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing

Pages: 388

Source: Netgalley

She's broken with guilt.
He harbors a chilling past.
It's safer if they keep their distance...
But, the echoes that linger connect them.

Returning to Hidden Pines is the last thing Allie Collins wants to do during her final summer before college. For her, the family cabin she spent her youthful summers in, now holds a dark memory that has haunted her every day for the last year.

While struggling to forget her past, Allie runs into Damien, a local rebel with secrets of his own. He's dark, dangerous and he keeps showing up when Allie least expects him to. She has every reason not to trust him. So why does she find herself opening up to him in a way she hasn't been able to with anyone?

As pieces of Damien’s identity emerge, answers to a rumored mystery begin to unfold. By the time Allie unearths the secrets of Damien’s past, she realizes just how intricately they are connected. Now she is caught in a dangerous battle that threatens her life and those she loves. 

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Clean Teen Publishing and Netgalley.

Note: This review has spoilers.

I was really excited to read Lingering Echoes. It sounded so good! But the book ended up just being ok for me. It was fast paced and a quick read, but I couldn't connect to the characters, and the story ended up taking a completely different direction then I could have ever imagined, which ended up just being stupid and too far fetched.

Allie is on vacation with her dad, stepmom, stepbrother and best friend and this is the last place that she wants to be. The last time she was here her younger cousin drowned, and Allie couldn't save her. While no one in the family blames her for what happened, she blames herself and carries around that guilt. It was hard to not feel for Allie and what she was going through. I never really understood why her family would make her go back there though. Even after they explained why, it just didn't make sense too me.

While hanging out with the locals, they learn about a haunted house and a young guy that murdered his entire family. It was easy to figure out who that young guy was. When we meet Damien, it's easy to tell this guy is holding on to some pretty big secrets. But I couldn't stand how Allie reacted to Damien when she finally found out about him. He tells her that yes, he murdered his family. We don't know why, we don't know anything except that he says he did it. Then when her family tells her to stay away from him, she says that she doesn't care that he killed his mom, dad and younger sister, people can change. Um....WHAT? I'm sorry, but seriously? I liked Damien, and you can tell that we don't know the whole story, but at the same time, I just didn't and couldn't understand that reaction.

When we finally learn the whole truth about the events surrounding Damien's family's death, I had to stop taking this book seriously. Samoan gangs? Really? I just thought it was so out there and came from left field. I imagined that maybe Damien started the fire accidentally that killed his family (like Jace in Hot Ticket....a favorite, by the way) which is why he admits to killing them. But no, it was Samoan gangs trying to scare him. Oops, sorry, didn't mean to kill your family, but oh well!

I don't know. I am on the fence with this one. I gave it three stars because I was able to get through the story, I just wish some things were different.