Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one hurts to write, because I absolutely adore Jennifer Hartmann’s books. So far, everything I’ve read by her has been a hit, but Dream On didn’t capture me the same way. I still enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as her other works.
Part of it might be on me, since I didn’t realize this was young adult going in—I thought it was adult, which set my expectations differently. The story itself was beautiful, like all of Hartmann’s books. Stevie and Lex meet through a car accident, then end up at the same school and in the same play. They grow close, and while it’s not full-blown romance, you feel that connection. Another accident tears them apart, years pass, and then they reconnect when Lex creates a TV show about their story. Lex reconnects with Stevie to help him promote the show, and that’s how they meet again and finally get together.
Now where it fell flat for me was in the execution. The accidents that kept on happening felt repetitive, when so much of the plot revolved around them meeting, separating, or breaking apart because of accidents. Then there were the unfinished storylines: Lex’s abusive father, his past trauma with Bianca, even the complicated dynamic with his mother. They were introduced, touched on, and then left hanging. It left me wanting more depth and resolution.
You get the closure with his mother but for me person it still felt kinda open.
Another frustration was with Stevie’s future plans. Lex had a clear arc—he shifted into screenwriting and we see him succeed. Stevie, however, always wanted to act, then pivoted to music, but by the end all we know is that she took over the bar she used to play piano at. It just felt incomplete, like her arc wasn’t truly finished.
All of this combined meant that, while I liked the story, I didn’t love it. It felt like there were holes that never got filled in, and that kept me from fully connecting the way I wanted to. That said, Jennifer Hartmann is still an auto-buy author for me, and I’ll happily read anything else she writes. This just wasn’t my favorite.