Title: Dream Me
Author: Kathryn Berla
Publication Date: July 11, 2017
Find: Amazon | Goodreads
Zat is a dreamer from the distant future—a time when humans no longer dream and Earth is a desolate wasteland. He dreams of the beautiful Earth of the past, and a fiery-haired beauty named Babe. Against the wisdom of his peers, Zat decides to risk everything to travel back in time and live in Babe’s dreams…
Babe is the perpetual new girl in town. Her father’s job frequently moves the family around the country, and Babe just longs for a place to call home. As she settles into the sleepy town of Sugar Dunes, Florida, Babe begins to have strange dreams of a green-eyed boy named Zat. Night after night, Babe shows Zat her world. But the dreams come at the cost of nearly crippling migraines every morning. Babe’s life outside of her dreams pales in comparison to her growing love for Zat and their time spent together.
But the more time Babe and Zat spend together in her dreams, the more Babe’s pain increases, and Zat begins to question the reality of his existence. How can he live a life with Babe, when all they have is her dreams?
Can a dream become a reality?
Kathryn Berla graduated from the University of California at Berkeley as an English major. She has lived in many different countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the author of the young adult novel, LA CASA 758, published by Penguin Random House in Spain; and the middle grade fantasy, LITHIUM LUKE AND HIS GAL PAL PEANUT. Reading, movies, exercise and traveling are her passions–especially travel to Hawaii, location of her upcoming Limitless novel 12 HOURS IN PARADISE.
The first thing that hit me about this book is that Ms. Berla can write. She definitely has a way with words. Dream Me was in no way lacking when it comes to the author’s ability to tell a story.
When I requested to read this, I was certain it would be an amazing read. I mean, time travel, some science fiction…Love it! But, it ended up being a tad bit different than what I imagined.
At times, Dream Me is almost an epistolary novel; featuring blog entries from the story’s protagonist, Babe. And, although, I respect this approach, I feel like it just didn’t need to be used here. Her “blogging” voice, didn’t seem much different than her “narration” voice. Babe’s side of the story is told in first-person, so, in my opinion, there were times, the blogging just seemed unnecessary.
However, the love that grew between Babe and Zat really did help with any of my perceived deficiencies. Even though these two were from two different worlds, they were perfectly suited for each other. It was beyond endearing to “watch” these two get to know one another. And, the only thing that could have made it better was a tad bit more of an ending.
There were some surprises for me later on in the book, that just reinforced my respect for this author.
