Dreamology by Lucy Keating

I seldom read a book that I absolutely love so much I have the desire to go out and buy the finished copy of the day it releases.  However, in the case of Dreamology by Lucy Keating, I honestly can’t wait to get myself a copy.

Dreamology is like being under a nice, soft blanket on a snowy afternoon with a big mug of hot chocolate (with extra whipped cream!).  It’s cozy, it’s heartwarming, and it’s everything that you love in a contemporary romance (with a slight hint of science fiction thrown in for flavor – think of it as the marshmallow bits in that hot chocolate I mentioned) – and it makes you feel – well – complete.

After I finished reading this book, I just stared up at the ceiling and thought “Wow, that was exactly what I needed right now.”  It was such a hopeful, fun read, and I devoured every page with curiosity and the need to figure out what will happen between Alice and Max.

Alice and her father, having been abandoned by her mother years ago, are moving into Alice’s grandmother’s old house, where she will be starting a new school and meeting new people.  While she isn’t looking forward to the whole new school thing, at least she has her dreams – dreams in which she has been seeing and interacting with the same boy, Max, for years now.  Alice is in love with him, and he is essentially her “dream boyfriend” – she finds him absolutely perfect and is happy dreaming about him.  She keeps a dream journal, in which she records all of her dreams about Max, so she can go back and relive them when she feels lonely or needs to be away from reality for a while.

Well, on her first day at the new school, Alice comes into contact with someone she never expected – Max, the boy from her dreams.  Curious as to how that is even possible, Alice tries to figure out what’s going on – and how the boy of her dreams could possibly be sitting in the same classroom as her.  What’s worse is the fact that Max claims not to know Alice, and he also has a girlfriend, Celeste. Definitely not the happiest situation for Alice.

When Max and Alice spend more time together in reality, Alice realizes that this Max is a lot different from the Max she is in love with – and while she still loves going to sleep and dreaming about him, when her dreams begin to blur into reality and threaten her sanity, Alice and Max must try and figure out what to do next, in order to save them both.  But what would life be like for Alice if she doesn’t dream about Max anymore?  Would the real Max be enough for her?

This book is just beautiful.  From the writing, to the characters, to the whole entire story, there isn’t anything negative to say about this.  The chapters featuring the dream sequences are just awesome – they remind me of how absolutely bizarre my own dreams are sometimes, and you can’t help but fall in love with both Max and Alice as you experience some of their dreams with them.  The way the plot progresses and the secrets are brought to light made the book that much more lovable – there isn’t a dull or boring part of this book.

It’s such a mood lifting experience that will make anyone smile – even if you aren’t a fan of the genre, I have to recommend that you give this one a go, because I can’t see anyone possibly being disappointed in it.  I have read a lot of books so far this year, and this is in my top 5 favorites – it’s such a nice treat!