Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Teen aims to recover memories in mature psychological tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Seventeen-year-old Ember has come back to her parents' home in an affluent Brooklyn neighborhood after being hospitalized for eight months in the wake of a terrible car accident she doesn't remember. Her mom, dad, and longtime friends are overjoyed to have her back, and her ex wants to get back together. But she soon realizes that there's quite a bit they're not telling her about the weeks leading up to the accident, of which she has no memory -- in particular, anything about the young man who was killed when Ember was driving. Before long, she's drawn to places she can't recall that seem strangely familiar -- and a boy who appears and vanishes as she tries to find the truth and her own path in life.
Is It Any Good?
LOUD AWAKE AND LOST covers less toxic territory than author Adele Griffin's recent All You Never Wanted, and the characters, while flawed, are more appealing. Some readers will find Ember's psychological odyssey so compelling that they'll immediately start again from the beginning to pick up the hints pointing to the resolution. Others will find the wanderings through her own mind so convoluted that they give up or wonder whether the conclusion's a sufficient payoff for all the angst. Teens who like cooking, dance, or New York will get lots of interesting detail.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stories set inside a character's head and the uncertainty of what's real and what's not. Why do you think such tales are popular? Do you think Loud Awake and Lost does a good job of dealing with the issues?
Do you think Ember is justified in lying to her parents, or is she treating them badly? When do you think it might be OK to lie to your parents or just not tell them what's going on?
Have you been to New York City? Does Loud Awake and Lost make you want to spend time there?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Emotions
- Topics : Arts , Friendship , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Knopf
- Publication date : November 12, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 17
- Number of pages : 304
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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