To Dream in Daylight- Book Review

 To Dream in Daylight by Cadence J. Thomas

Publication Date: 1 Sep 2020

Genre: New Adult/ Romance/ Fantasy/ Sci-fi

2.7 Stars

The cute cover and the blurb attracted me to the book. Imagine two people, dreaming of each other since childhood and wondering if the other is real or imaginary. It’s not until a humiliating video of the girl reaches the guy, thanks to social media, that he realizes she is indeed real.

His conflicting emotions and desire to meet her leads him to Chicago from Portland. Meanwhile, the girl, sick of all the unwanted attention, chooses to get off social media and go invisible. How will the dream mates meet? Will they find each other? Can they have a happy ever after?

That’s the premise of the book (in my words). Doesn’t it sound like a cute, angsty, sweet love story with the promise of HEA?

But does the book deliver? Yes and no.

Here is what I like about the book.

• The story has a HEA.
• The secondary characters are interesting.
• The relationship between Simon and his sister was warm and sweet.
• The concept of dreams was handled very well.
• The reactions are realistic to a good extent.
• Geeky references will make it a better book for some readers.
• There is enough mismatch of time to keep the readers hooked towards the end.

 What I wished was better or was disappointed in the book-

·  The narration alternates between Simon and Adri with the dream sequences in the third person. That’s very good. But, if not for the names and setting, I wouldn’t have been able to differentiate between Simon’s narration and Adri’s. They sound so similar, it’s hard to distinguish (until 80% of the book). That’s where Simon’s ready belief in Adri’s existence is contrasted by her disbelief. Even then, they react similarly, in just about every situation. The voices have got to be different and unique.

·       The genre says NA, but the leads act like young adults. I couldn’t imagine either of them being over 18. But they were supposed to be in their 20’s, and I still can’t picture them in that age group. The writing style is typical YA.

·       Adri is a lot more confused and stuck up on her ex. While it’s understandable she wants to live in the real world, she seems more disoriented about her life than Simon. Her character growth could have been better.

·       Both characters are socially awkward, geeky, writers (with other jobs) and seem to let others make decisions for them. Similarities again, and having two awkward leads tends to cut down the appeal for me. (Another example of why it is more suited to be a YA romance).

·       Finally, when the two of them do meet, the book is over. Bam! There is an epilogue of sorts, but that’s it. To read 90+% of the book only to know that it ends soon after they meet was disappointing. At least the ones who helped them should have been thanked or referred to. Considering our leads, without the supporting characters, their meeting wouldn’t happen.

Overall, it’s a clean romance (with mild kissing) and a decent YA (not NA) book.

I hope the team is going to proofread it another time before the final publishing. There are a few typos that need to be edited.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and Shadesilk Press.

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