Jane Was Here by Sarah Kernochan - Review and Giveaway!!

I have been meaning to write this review for weeks. In fact, I read the book in one sitting on a random day off weeks ago, but have since been (excuse, excuse, excuse, excuse), and have not had a chance to write the review.

Seriously, though - this summer has been insane. I have had a crazy number of visitors, my library moved in to a spankin' new building (did I mention that? Yeah - it's been an intense couple of weeks!), and since the move, our numbers at work have more than tripled. I've been running around like a crazy librarian, and have totally slacked off on my blogging and reviewing duties. Please forgive.

Back to the task at hand, though. As I said, I read Jane Was Here by Sarah Kernochan in one sitting.

From the Book Jacket:

A mysterious young woman calling herself Jane turns up in a small New England town. She claims a fragmentary memory of growing up in this place, yet she has never been here before in her life. Upon her arrival, strange and alarming things begin happening to some of the town's inhabitants. As Jane's memories awaken piece by piece, they carry her back to a long-buried secret, while the townspeople hurtle forward to a horrific event when past and present finally collide.

Now isn't that an intriguing synopsis? That is what initially grabbed me when I decided to review this novel. Ms. Kernochan, a screen writer known for such films as What Lies Beneath, knows how to paint an amazing, and sometimes creepy, picture.

While I don't know if I really felt a lot for the characters, they all played a significant part in the story. It felt to me like everything was intertwined and all the characters intersected not only in the present, but in the past as well. The whole idea of reincarnation and past lives is really intriguing to me, and this book really dives in to one woman's search for answers about her past life.

And, since Ms. Kernochan is a film writer, I can totally see how it would translate into an awesome movie. There were some great twists, and it really kept me guessing to the end. Who knows, we just might see it one day!

But, if that happens, then I want you to be prepared!! I'm going to give away a copy of Jane Was Here to one lucky reader!!! All you have to do is fill out the form below by Thursday, July 28, and I'll pick a winner using Random.org on Friday, July 29!!! And, what the heck, let's include International readers as well!!! Good luck, everyone!!!

Also, a big thank you to Kelley and Hall Book Publicity for sending me a copy of this book!!!