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Replay
I DIED. For forty-two seconds I died.
They were operating on me—why isn’t important anymore—and it was a simple surgery, everyone said so. My dad didn’t even take off work.
Breathing, breathing, not.
I can picture it. The “oh, no,” the scurrying around, the paddles on my chest, thwump. Clear! Thwump. Beep beep, beep beep, she’s back.
Everything back to normal.
THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING.
**
Cara Campbell thought she had it made: star athlete, popular student, winner. But when she dies during surgery, she sees something she knows no one would ever believe. The doctors manage to revive her, but what happened during those 42 seconds of death has changed everything.
Now Cara is having a hard time adjusting to her former life. None of her friends or accomplishments matter anymore. What does matter is the face she saw as she came rushing back into her body. That face belongs to David Mayer, a brainy outcast who dislikes Cara even more than she does him.
As Cara sorts through the ramifications of her near-death experience, and struggles to overcome her fear of telling everyone what really happened, she discovers a path she never realized lay ahead of her.
And as Cara is about to learn, there are no coincidences.
They were operating on me—why isn’t important anymore—and it was a simple surgery, everyone said so. My dad didn’t even take off work.
Breathing, breathing, not.
I can picture it. The “oh, no,” the scurrying around, the paddles on my chest, thwump. Clear! Thwump. Beep beep, beep beep, she’s back.
Everything back to normal.
THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING.
**
Cara Campbell thought she had it made: star athlete, popular student, winner. But when she dies during surgery, she sees something she knows no one would ever believe. The doctors manage to revive her, but what happened during those 42 seconds of death has changed everything.
Now Cara is having a hard time adjusting to her former life. None of her friends or accomplishments matter anymore. What does matter is the face she saw as she came rushing back into her body. That face belongs to David Mayer, a brainy outcast who dislikes Cara even more than she does him.
As Cara sorts through the ramifications of her near-death experience, and struggles to overcome her fear of telling everyone what really happened, she discovers a path she never realized lay ahead of her.
And as Cara is about to learn, there are no coincidences.
290 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2012
About the author
Robin Brande
73 books265 followersRobin Brande is an award-winning author who writes in multiple genres, including fantasy, science fiction, young adult, romance, and nonfiction. Her young adult novels have been named Best Fiction for Young Adults by the American Library Association.
She is also a lawyer, martial artist, and wilderness medic.
Connect with Robin at:
www.robinbrande.com
www.facebook.com/robinbrande
www.twitter.com/robinbrande.
She is also a lawyer, martial artist, and wilderness medic.
Connect with Robin at:
www.robinbrande.com
www.facebook.com/robinbrande
www.twitter.com/robinbrande.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 28, 2014
Cara, second most popular girl at school, super athlete, hottie Alex's girlfriend, dies--for 42 seconds--during a routine operation. In the time that she's dead, her entire world changes, as she comes face to face with an afterlife of sorts and realizes that she needs to make some changes in her life, once she returns to the living. What she doesn't know is why David's face pops into her head--or how she's going to get him to spend even a few minutes talking to her, given what she and her friends have done to make him know he's not as good as they are. As she tries to become friends with him, she also tries to figure out who she wants to be and how to be that person.
I was a little disappointed in this book. Brande's book Fat Cat is one of my favorites, so I had high hopes for this one, but Cara didn't draw me in as a narrator...which is never good for a character-driven reader. The idea of reincarnation, which comes up in the book, was interesting to explore but not necessarily one I buy. I thought it was pretty good, but not as good as I'd hoped.
I was a little disappointed in this book. Brande's book Fat Cat is one of my favorites, so I had high hopes for this one, but Cara didn't draw me in as a narrator...which is never good for a character-driven reader. The idea of reincarnation, which comes up in the book, was interesting to explore but not necessarily one I buy. I thought it was pretty good, but not as good as I'd hoped.
March 29, 2013
Amazing book. It's a plausible story about very hard to imagine things, and makes you question your purpose in life, how the things in your life connect, and what happens before and after life. Surprisingly complex with intense character development, especially for a YA novel.
February 9, 2021
This book is WILD lol. I read it because I’m continuing my experiment of reading the other books by Robin Brande, who wrote one really good YA book (Evolution, Me, & Other Freaks of Nature). Honestly, the question is HOW did she write that one good book?! Because the other books I’ve read by her are absolutely bizarre.
Brande seems to have a cause of some sort that she advocates for in each book - in the book I liked, it’s evolution and believing in science even if you’re religious. In Fat Cat, it’s veganism and eating clean for weight loss. In this book, it’s...reincarnation and resurrection?? This would be fine — a lot of books explore these themes — if it didn’t seem like Brande REALLY believes in it and wants everyone else to believe in it too. I mean, idk, I don’t know if teenage popular girls should be hypnotized to remember their rape and murder in a previous life.
The love interest in this book, David, is also SO STRANGE. When’s the last time a book had a romantic interest who’s literally supposed to smell bad?? I cannot get past this. Cara seems to not care about it anymore once they get together, but like...what? He’s also legit mean to her and ignores her constantly. She’s rude to him too, but it really seems like he dislikes her. There’s no slow build to the relationship at all. They hate each other until they don’t. When they did get together, it was sweet.
Cara herself didn’t make a lot of sense. She didn’t have a voice that felt especially like high school, but she was also pretty immature. Idk, this whole book was freaking WEIRD and I cannot recommend it!
Brande seems to have a cause of some sort that she advocates for in each book - in the book I liked, it’s evolution and believing in science even if you’re religious. In Fat Cat, it’s veganism and eating clean for weight loss. In this book, it’s...reincarnation and resurrection?? This would be fine — a lot of books explore these themes — if it didn’t seem like Brande REALLY believes in it and wants everyone else to believe in it too. I mean, idk, I don’t know if teenage popular girls should be hypnotized to remember their rape and murder in a previous life.
The love interest in this book, David, is also SO STRANGE. When’s the last time a book had a romantic interest who’s literally supposed to smell bad?? I cannot get past this. Cara seems to not care about it anymore once they get together, but like...what? He’s also legit mean to her and ignores her constantly. She’s rude to him too, but it really seems like he dislikes her. There’s no slow build to the relationship at all. They hate each other until they don’t. When they did get together, it was sweet.
Cara herself didn’t make a lot of sense. She didn’t have a voice that felt especially like high school, but she was also pretty immature. Idk, this whole book was freaking WEIRD and I cannot recommend it!
January 28, 2021
Very good story, super compelling, really makes you think and wonder and ponder and allow yourself to think of an alternative to what you think you know.
December 19, 2012
I really enjoyed this book, and I found myself continuing to read it although I wasn't drawn-in by some of the ideas it contained. It's well written and very easy read in a couple sittings.
Robin Brande does a fantastic job making you dislike, and at the same time like the main character, Cara. There are points where the voice of the narrator is off-putting, but Cara's voice is consistent and maintains a nice flow. You start to see Cara's character change in small increments as the book goes along, however, she is still ultimately a self-absorbed teenager.
There are several points where you are sure you know what will happen next only to be surprised at where the author went. It keeps you interested until the last page.
I would absolutely recommend this book to older teens and adults that aren't squeamish about classically "female" issues.
Fair warning- I got this book as part of a first reads give-away. I have said it before and will again- it did not sway my opinion of the book one bit.
Robin Brande does a fantastic job making you dislike, and at the same time like the main character, Cara. There are points where the voice of the narrator is off-putting, but Cara's voice is consistent and maintains a nice flow. You start to see Cara's character change in small increments as the book goes along, however, she is still ultimately a self-absorbed teenager.
There are several points where you are sure you know what will happen next only to be surprised at where the author went. It keeps you interested until the last page.
I would absolutely recommend this book to older teens and adults that aren't squeamish about classically "female" issues.
Fair warning- I got this book as part of a first reads give-away. I have said it before and will again- it did not sway my opinion of the book one bit.
Read
July 6, 2012Another great novel by Robin Brande. Although Cara is, at times, difficult to like, she is entirely believable as a typically self-absorbed teenager discovering what kind of person she wants to be. In fact, there are no "perfect people" in this novel, which is one of the things I loved most about it - each character is layered, multi-dimensional, and unidealized. "Replay" embodies everything I've come to expect from Brande's novels (true-to-life characters, spot-on dialogue, and thought-provoking content), but differs from most of her others in that its premise is less grounded in hardcore science and more grounded in spiritualism. In "Replay," Brande proves that the incredible skill with which she incorporates real science into her novels is matched by the skill with which she blends a discussion of spiritualism with contemporary issues, namely dating violence.
March 13, 2012
Oh, this is another winner for Robin Brande.
Cara is a 16 year old athlete and one of the most popular girls in school. Her near death experience makes her start to question her actions, her friends and her past. This story is engaging and so well written that at times I didn't even like Cara...or more that I didn't like her behavior, I guess.
This book is great for teens, to help them understand how their actions affect others, to see that things are not always as they seem and to let them know it's ok to be different.
But I'm a middle aged adult and I couldn't put this book down. Read it in one day and now I'm off to find another Robin Brande book.
Cara is a 16 year old athlete and one of the most popular girls in school. Her near death experience makes her start to question her actions, her friends and her past. This story is engaging and so well written that at times I didn't even like Cara...or more that I didn't like her behavior, I guess.
This book is great for teens, to help them understand how their actions affect others, to see that things are not always as they seem and to let them know it's ok to be different.
But I'm a middle aged adult and I couldn't put this book down. Read it in one day and now I'm off to find another Robin Brande book.
May 28, 2012
I think I've found my new favorite author. I know this because I do not believe in reincarnation or souls traveling from one body to another blah blah blah. But I really liked this book. Brande has a way of making me get completely involved in the lives of her characters. They are very real and worthy of respect. I loved the way she brought in a complete skeptic to the world of reincarnation in the character of David. It gave my thoughts about the whole thing a voice in the story. She might just be a literary genius.... :)
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June 8, 2013I really wanted to like this so much more than I ended up doing, in part because a YA novel with a teen who's had a near-death experience could be awesome. (No doubt influenced at least in part by how much I loved PASSAGE, flaws and all) But this just wasn't for me, mostly because I just didn't get on at all with the reincarnation stuff. Also Cara was *meant* to be unlikeable, but her lack of sensitivity - and her flat-out dishonesty - went on far too long. As a side note, I was quite amused by how astonishingly different she was from my daughter Cara. :)
October 14, 2015
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Cara is a 16 year old popular athlete who dies during knee surgery for 42 seconds. When she awakens, she knows that she has to make changes in her life. But what needs to be changed? Throughout the book, I really didn't like Cara. She was so self-absorbed that I got frustrated with her. Overall, it is a good book though. This is one I will request our library to purchase for our YA collection.
Cara is a 16 year old popular athlete who dies during knee surgery for 42 seconds. When she awakens, she knows that she has to make changes in her life. But what needs to be changed? Throughout the book, I really didn't like Cara. She was so self-absorbed that I got frustrated with her. Overall, it is a good book though. This is one I will request our library to purchase for our YA collection.
July 12, 2012
Without giving away too many spoilers, in Replay we follow the story of Cara Campbell, whose life irrevocably changes after she recovers from a near-death experience during surgery. Review on Finding Wonderland: http://writingya.blogspot.com/2012/07...
July 2, 2013
I thought the take on reincarnation was very unique but I didn't connect with Cara at all. In fact, I really didn't like any of the characters. Maybe I'm too old, but I found most of them shallow. I did enjoy the premise though and would try another book by this author.
March 29, 2012
I love Robin Brande, and her books are always GREAT. This book is as awesome as her others.
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March 1, 2016A different writing style than the other books of her I've read.
Read
August 16, 2012This is the most unusual book I think I've read this year. Brilliantly thought out.
October 26, 2021
* Read for the
2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge
task: A book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover
May 19, 2012
I enjoyed this book so, so very much. It is thought-provoking and beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews