Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

Summary:(from book jacket). Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether going to school or on a date, no one ever leaves home. There's really no need. And for the most part Maddie's okay with the solitary, digital life- until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He likes physical closeness and face to face conversations. People aren't meant to be alone, he tells her. Maddie is beginning to believe him. Maybe there is a different better way to live, and perhaps Justin will be the one to help her start living in it.
Review: I had mixed feeling about this book. I thought the premise was really interesting and was excited to see how this would play out. I liked the way the society was set up and introduced. However, I thought some aspects were a little bit unrealistic, including the history behind digital school. The plot was paced pretty well and I enjoyed getting to discover different things that went on in this society as the story went on. I also thought the fact that this book contained a lot of family conflict was a nice change from a lot of dystopian type stories that center on the global issues that people are going through. I didn't really like the characters that much though. I felt Maddie had multiple personalities throughout the story. At some points she was strong and determined to make a change to the way things are and then at other times she was complaining about how boring her life was without her computer. It was like she couldn't make her mind up. And all im' going to say about Justin is that he needs to just accept the fact that he has feelings and deal with it instead of running away. Overall, this book was good but not one of my favorites.