[REVIEW] Dreamology

title: Dreamology
author: Lucy Keating
genre: young adult, contemporary, science fiction, romance
published: March 14, 2017 by HarperTeen (first published April 12, 2016)
format: paperback, 352 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Fully Booked
rating: 1.5 / 5 stars
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Love is a dream. Then you wake up. 

For as long as Alice can remember, she dreamed of Max. Max is the boy 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?

Flatly disappointed.

I'd really like to say that it's a not-you-it's-me case but I'd be lying. This book has a unique premise which really intrigued me. I was so eager to read it when it was released but after reading it, I was flatly disappointed.

In the dream I always know we are going somewhere great. But even if we never get there, it doesn't matter, because I'm with you." -p90

Dreamology follows Alice who dreams of this boy called Max since she was young. Yet one day, she saw Max -- the Max of her dreams is right there, in front of her. He's real and he's denying the dreams they had together. Later on, Alice finds out that she was part of a research and so was Max. And as their dreams and reality start merging, they started searching for help in order to stop it.

Story-wise, I'd say that Dreamology is very unique and wholly interesting -- merging dreams and reality, a research facility, a lead having troubles coping with life, and a possible romance that started through a dream. It's all so wonderful until it was executed. 

"Alice, you were the girl of my dreams," May says. "But Celeste was with me in reality. She saw all the hard stuff. -p93

The premise is very interesting. I like the merging dreams and reality. And while I felt like it wasn't well depicted and mostly happened through conversations, I like the idea. Max and Lucy went out and found all these things that happened a loooooong time ago which connects us to my other points. I don't think I'm spoiling much but the research facility was a very nice concept. While reading this, I feel that it all just fit so well.

The problems I had with this book are: (1) the main characters Lucy and Max, (2) the insta-love romance, and (3) the conclusion/resolution. Let me get through them one at a time. The main characters Lucy and Max weren't very interesting or likeable for that matter. I didn't care about either of them. I just read on because I want to finish the book and see how this cross-over between dreams and reality will go. 

"Because in our dreams, we are all surrealist painters, creating narratives and pictures that are often as beautiful as they are nonsensical." -p136

My disinterest in these two are strongly connected to the romance of the novel. It was a flat out NO for me. I mean insta-love are sometimes okay with me but when the two of them are too unsure of what to do, I'm just like: stop it you two, you annoy me. I mean one day they'll like each other and kiss; the next day Max will be like: nope, I can't do this you don't know me enough. And I'm like: WTH, MAN? 50% of this book had me like: WTH, MAN!?

Finally, the ending just didn't work out for me. It felt highly anticlimactic. With the interesting development on the story, the two of them finally hitting it off then the dreams and reality problem just got solved in a bloody snap. Like, WTH happened to that, man? The next thing we know, Lucy had other problems beside the merging dreams and reality and I guess that's what the book really wants to point out but didn't told us.

I always say my sleep is where my true crazy comes out," I reply, then I chuckle. -pxx

OVERALL, Dreamology just wasn't for me, maybe? BUT in my honest opinion, I think that Dreamology's execution just failed. And this unique story just happens to have annoying leads, an insta-romance that's trying too hard, and an ending that just fell flatly on the floor. I wish I can unread this book and take back all those precious times but what's done is done. Lucy Keating didn't work for me.

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