Lucy Keating

Vibrantly offbeat and utterly original, Lucy Keating’s debut novel combines the unconventional romance of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with the sweetness and heart of Jenny Han. For as long as Alice can remember, she has dreamed of Max. Together, they have traveled the world and fallen deliriously, hopelessly in love. Max is the boy of her dreams—and only her dreams. Because he doesn’t exist. But when Alice walks into class on her first day at a new school, there he is. Real Max is nothing like Dream Max. He’s stubborn and complicated. And he has a whole life Alice isn’t a part of. Getting to know each other in reality isn’t as perfect as Alice always hoped. Alarmingly, when their dreams start to bleed into their waking hours, the pair realize that they might have to put an end to a lifetime of dreaming about each other. But when you fall in love in your dreams, can reality ever be enough?

Dreamology

Courtney

This was an extremely charming and quick read. I loved the plot and premise of the story!

dija

I JUST WANT TO READ ONE *ONE* FRRAKING FIVE STARS READ THIS MONTH WHY IS THAT SO HARD 

This book started off cute and all but then...???? Like???? Alice and Max were both so shallow and uninteresting...and it was just...ugh i wanted it so bad to be a cute contemporary...

Sven Test

This 3.5 lattes review was originally published on Latte Nights Reviews.

Alice and Max both had very bad nightmares when they were kids that were triggered by a loss of someone close to them. Then suddenly, they start dreaming about each other—dreams that are adventures of them together. Alice thinks Max isn't real until she moves to a new school and she sees him there. From then on, Alice starts to wonder how these dreams came about with the help of a few friends who make the story extremely enjoyable and fun.

Every night with Max, for as long as I can remember, has been a dream. Because Max is the boy of my dreams...and only my dreams. Because he doesn't actually exist.

Alice and Max were so cute together in their dreams. In real life, they were cute too! Yes, Max was kind of a nice jerk (weird but trust me, it fits) at the beginning but when he stated his reasons, I'm pretty sure I said, "Awwww!" Their friendship/relationship was so sweet. The reader can actually feel the attraction they have towards one another but it's very PG...actually, it's very G so that's why it made the story so cute. At times, the characters felt very young for their age, which would throw me off. I mean, Alice and her best friend Sophie made imaginary clones of each other so they wouldn't miss one another when they were away. For a second, I thought I was reading a Middle Grade novel or even younger. It was cute but weird for high school girls.

The dreams were weird for me. I know they are dreams so they are supposed to be weird, which in a way made this story realistic but they were so weird! I felt like I was imagining a movie in my head. Even with the weirdness, it was very entertaining! I really liked the scientific approach this novel took concerning the brain and the dreams. I felt a bit smart while reading and then dumb in other parts but this made the validity of the dreams and the explanation more believable in the story.

At times, I didn't feel that this story was fantasy. I had to look on Goodreads to check if it was really fantasy because the story was very close to being contemporary. I think this made me enjoy the story even more, the fact that it had such a huge realism aspect to it with a hint of fantasy.

Overall, this was a cute and unique story. I'd say it's more for the younger audience but very enjoyable :)

I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.

Tia Malt 

This was a sweet read but I think I built it up too much in my head for it to truly live up to my expectations

Debbi

I was kind of disappointed about how this book turned out. The story started off good and interesting as the plot has a fresh perspective to it. But then towards the middle, it all just went downhill for me. In short, I just wanted to finish it and be done with. The ending bugs me a little. Okay, a lot.

Max, at first, told Alice that he thinks they aren't meant to be. That they are suppose to only be together in their dreams and be invincible together there, only and only when they are fast asleep. Then a chapter later, he comes back and (view spoiler)[ tells Alice how wrong he was, and that he does in fact love her, dreamland wise or not. (hide spoiler)] I mean? Dude, is Alice the one for you or not? You can't just say yes then no.

Sarahi Flores

A cutesy romance you will gush!

If you want to read more of my review, check out my blog for more..

lauren carla

I would've given it four stars, but I thought the end could've been better

Alexa Auerbach 

This was such a cute read. Very interesting take on dreams !

Myla Larsen

This was a super cute book but I did get mad at the main character a few times but from her point of view it's understandable.

Adriana 

Sofie

I wish Lucy didn't start nearly every chapter with an anecdote.

T.A. Joseph

A wonderfully charming read! I enjoyed it from start to finish.

ashley hopkins

Émilie 

Une petite romance entre adolescent très mignonne avec une touche de surnaturel.

L'intrigue ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard mais ce n'est pas dérangeant. Nous découvrons le quotidien d'Alice, lycéenne, qui rêve toutes les nuits ou presque d'un garçon nommé Max. Son Max imaginaire est évidement tout ce qu'une fille de son âge rêverait de trouver chez un homme. Sauf que quelques temps plus tard elle réalise que ce Max est bien réel et qu'ils vont devoir se côtoyer tous les jours puisqu'ils vont dans la même école, sauf que le-dit Max a déjà une vie bien remplie.

On pourrait penser à du fantaisie ou encore de la science fiction mais en réalité tout s'explique sur la fin, sans artifice - ce qui m'a légèrement déçue. Je n'ai pas appréciée la tournure des évènements finaux, très fades à mon goût - mais n'oublions pas que nous sommes dans du YA.
Les personnages ne sont pas très creusés non plus, ils n'ont qu'une ou deux caractéristiques et manquent cruellement de profondeur. Il y aurait pourtant matière puisque l'on traite de sujets conséquents : décès et abandon.

En conclusion, vous passerez un bon moment à condition de ne pas vous prendre la tête. C'est une petite romance de gare ou à bouquiner l'été au bord de la piscine.

The boy of her dreams just might be real in this debut novel with the unconventional romance of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the sweetness and heart of Jenny Han's books. Whimsical, romantic, and utterly original, Lucy Keating’s novel will win readers’ hearts and is perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything. For as long as Alice can remember, she has dreamed of Max. But Max is the boy of her dreams—and only her dreams. Until the morning she finds him sitting next to her in class, very much alive. As Alice and Max get to know each other all over again, Alice learns that real-Max is nothing like dream-Max. He’s complicated and stubborn and has a whole life Alice isn’t part of. When their dream life starts interfering with their waking one, Alice and Max have to find a way to make the dreaming stop. But when you fall in love in your dreams, can reality ever be enough?

Helena

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

THE STORY:

Lisa: Alice has spent her entire life dreaming about a boy named Max. He’s always been solely a figment of her dreams… until she walks into a new school and there he is. Max. At her school. Real Max, however, is the very opposite of Dream Max. Max is insanely stubborn, frustrating, and even annoying at times. Alice is completely confused about these two different versions of Max, and eventually she has trouble keeping reality and her dreams separate.

Dreamology is such a unique type of love story that I’ve never seen done before. I loved how though you would assume this is a contemporary, it’s also fun to try to figure out what other elements might be present in this story. I really liked how it all progressed, and eventually, how it ended as well. The overall feel of this book was extremely cute and lighthearted. You won’t find anything dark or gloomy in this book. Pure fluff from head to toe.
 
Becca: I completely agree with Lisa, Dreamology was very light and sweet. I really enjoyed all of the descriptions of the dreams, Lucy Keating did a great job of painting each one so vividly and I felt as though I were dreaming it myself. Part contemporary romance, part dreamlike fantasy Dreamology was a unique and fun read!

 

THE CHARACTERS:

Becca: For the most part I liked Alice, she was smart, funny and imaginative. At times I felt she was a bit to tied up into her dream world to join reality and that really got to me, but that was the theme of the book so I can’t really complain about that. I did like Max (although he had me questioning that for a bit there LOL) once we got to know him, he was very sweet and funny. I absolutely loved Alice’s friends Oliver and Sophie, they had me laughing at their antics! My favorite character though? Definitely Alice’s bulldog Jerry! He was hilarious and drooly and just perfect! What can I say… I’m a dog lover and I have my very own drooly crazy bulldog at home so I may be biased 
 
Lisa: Yessss!! Major love for the drooling pup! I’m always a fan of adorable dogs in stories as well. And I totally agree, he was adorable!

I also agree about the characters. I honestly enjoyed the side characters more than the main ones, since I never really felt a full connection with Alice. This was frustrating because I really wanted to like her, and at times I guess I did, but I never felt fully invested in her and her relationship with Max, etc. I think this made it a bit difficult for me to be 100% invested in the story when I wasn’t 100% hooked on the characters.

 

TO SUM UP:

Lisa: Regardless of the few issues I had, I really did enjoy this story. It was sweet, fun, and totally fluff overload. If you’re looking for a more serious story with lots of drama, this isn’t it. BUT if you’re looking for a super cute story to read while relaxing on the beach, this one just may be a perfect fit for you.

 
Becca: Overall, Dreamology was an enjoyable read! I am fascinated by dreams and their meanings so I loved that concept being used in this book. I also thought the dreams reminded me a bit of Alice in Wonderland… and the main character’s name is Alice! Coincidence?? If you enjoy a sweet contemporary romance with a dose of the unrealistic then I recommend this book to you 


  


(Thanks to Harper Teen/Harper Audio for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Pamela Alvarado

Phew, what can I say about this book? This is one of the few times I've read some reviews before diving into the books, and I have to admit they led me to do it with a lot of excitement for it. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much.

Contemporaries are such fickle creatures. Sometimes you love them, and sometimes you hate them with the force of a thousand suns. The ones I love, I adore, and Dreamology, is a dream come true.

 

  Alice and Max are flawed, hopeful, and real

A story is nothing without good characters. Alice, who has been dreaming about Max for as long as she can remember definitely sounded as someone I could meet any day. The author made sure to include all these details that rounded her personality; her most obvious trait being that she's literally and metaphorically, a dreamer. Even when she's awake, she loves the magic of it.

Max, in the other hand, or at least, real world Max, he isn't. He's left all that behind, in order to have his feet firm on the ground. But then Alice comes along, with the dreams, and the questions, and the uncertainty, because the two have led lives that they don't take part in.

Regardless, they want to fix things and try to make everything work.

 

  Oliver and Sophie?

Oliver used to be Max's best friend, and Sophie is Alice's current one. They're a constant throughout the book, and even though at first some issues with Oliver seemed to be too neatly wrapped up, overall, I liked how involved they were in the story. You know how sometimes supporting characters are less supporting, and more like a plot device to give the characters people who like them? This was not the case, and I think it's worth mentioning that I love Oliver <3

 

  Wouldn't it be fun if dreams came true?

For reasons explained in the book, Alice's and Max's dreams begin bleeding into their real lives. One second they're standing, and the next they're levitating; Alice's dog is riding motorcycles... You get the drift. They start losing their grip on reality. Since this was a light read, I get why this side wasn't explored too much. This isn't a book about teenagers going insane. (Pss, read A Madness So Discreet and then we can talk about madness ;) ) But still, I loved how it was described.

Honestly, the going insane part had a lot of potential, and it's something the author should totally explore, maybe some day. I'm so psyched about it.

 

  Reality vs Fantasy

In the same vein, the book's plot got me thinking about this reality vs fantasy battle in Alice's mind. I couldn't help comparing her reluctance to give up her dreams to us readers using our books to escape reality. Alice realizes she relies on her dreams to make her world brighter, like patio lights :3 And I loved how relatable was that, in my own way. I read because I can stop being me and be so much more, save the world in a million ways, and just plain experience it in a million more. I wouldn't want to give it up either. Of course, her dreams bleeding into her reality is alarming, because then how she would be able to tell when she's sleeping or awake? But this comparison made the conflict less black and white, which, whether intentional by the author or not, made the book even more amazing.

 


  You should read Dreamology if

 
	 You're a sucker for romance 
	 You like contemporaries where teenagers don't sound like creepy adults 
	 You dream a lot 
	 You sleep a lot 
	 You're not yet tired of the name Max as a love interest

Milana Marie Waller

super cute and omg love the cover but a little bit underrated ? like maybe for younger kids a lil bit

Isabella Stocka

I got the book because I wanted an easy read and it sounded like an 'another love story'. But turnes out it isn't! I absolutly love the idea and the twist and the whole little precious story that I wish it would never end. One of my favoritrs!

Haya

This book was absolutely adorable. I love the idea of the book because it's so creative and fun

Kate

Dreamology was a cute, fun and easy read, mixing contemporary with sci-fi but ultimately, for me, it was nothing special. I didn't find myself entirely connected or attached to either the characters or the plot, although I did appreciate the concept. However, it was cute and fun and it's definitely made me intrigued to read more from Lucy Keating in the future.

Farah Khaled 

Okay, I'm gonna refrain from being too ranty about this book, but I will say I don't really get the hype around this book. I can see why some people liked this, but I don't get how SO MANY people love this across the board. With that being said, my review will contain all the rational reasons why I didn't like this book. I'm usually a really forgiving reader and I let things go pretty easily, but I couldn't with this.

But by the end of the book...all I could think was, really? what was the point of all that drama?

I've been wanting to read this book for a long time because so many people love it and as a contemporary lover, I always thought I would really enjoy it but nothing prepared me for how lame, cheesy and just generally bad it would be.

I was going to give it 3 stars because for the most part of the novel, I didn't really dislike it, I just never felt anything for it, no attachments to the characters or the story, I won't go in full discussion but things got very cheesy after some time, really boring and very immature as well. But something big happens towards the ending that I just couldn't take, it is completely unexpected and quite frankly ridiculous, I just couldn't bring myself to give this book 3 stars.