I'm going to agree with the readers who said this book had a great concept, but fell flat with the writing style. A few reviews ago, someone said that the third person narrative made the story "detached" which might have been intentional, we are viewing the story the same way Janie is viewing the dreams, an outsider with no real connection to what we see, viewing things through others' eyes. Which fits with the story perfectly, but doesn't really allow for much character development. I think this book will pull in many teens, it's a quick read, the story is interesting, and it holds some edge. But, without that connection to the story (even if the lack of it reflects the concept of the book) I can't rate it any higher than "a good book." It falls solidly in the "good teen read" group without branching into anything deeper. ( )

Here's the issue:
The characters were too thin. They had no substance.
From page one I could never tell who these people were. For example: Cable got a bit of back story and then... a vague explanation? What? I need a real backstory for a character to be believable.
It's not that the books wasn't good. The entire plot was riveting. I just felt like McMann should have goven us a bit more character wise. I really had no idea who these characters were. Or what goes on inside their heads! And this is a book about going into people's dreams, for god's sake!
That was my only issue. Besides that the book was a light and easy read. It was also pretty fun getting to experience things through the mind of someone who can see dreams.
Over all it was an okay book. ( )

What an enthralling story! I can’t wait for the rest of this series! I’d heard good things about Wake and I wasn’t disappointed at all!Janie has a gift, although it seems to be more of a curse. She can visit people in their dreams, well actually she is sucked into peoples dreams, and it is rather impossible to escape. She fist discovers her talent at the age of eight, but doesn’t realize the magnitude of her ability until she is older.Janie grew up in Fieldridge, Michigan. Her mother is an alcoholic and she is often reminded of her "white trash" status at school. While these are obstacles, I think these are the things that makes Janie the strong character that she is. Janie’s only friend is a girl named Carrie, that moved in next door. But Janie doesn’t even trust Carrie with her secret. The only person that knows about Janie’s ability is a boy named Cabel. Janie has been in Cabel’s dreams and she thinks she knows him and even trusts him despite his horrific dreams. But then Janie finds things out about Cabel that would haunt even her dreams. She tries to avoid him, but Cabel’s pleas reach her through one of his dreams. Somehow she finds the strength to trust him and find out the truth behind his bad boy image. Now Janie may be able to use her ability for something good.Wake was quick paced and thrilling! The characters were well developed and the relationship between Janie and Cabel constantly kept me guessing. I was really hoping that Cabel wasn’t just a big jerk! I felt the emotional trauma that Janie was forced to face and it made me respect her character even more. If you still haven’t read Wake, this is one of those books you don’t want to miss. I know I will be anxiously awaiting Fade! (Feb. 2009) ( )

This is a very interesting young adult read. It moves very fast. Since the paranormal only involves dreams, it doesn't take much setup for this book and that makes it easy to get right into the story. I liked getting to know Janie and watching her grow in her ability. I also liked her interaction with her best friend and neighbor Carrie and of course the snobby girl that inhabits all high schools, Melinda. I found Janie's mom sad, but she only plays a minor role (and that in itself is sad). I really like Cabel, though he was shrouded in mystery a lot of the book. The dreams that Janie is sucked into can be anything from amusing (the typical naked in front of a class) to terrifying.

I didn't find the book predictable at all - it kept taking me by surprise and I really enjoyed reading it. I am looking forward to learning more about Janie and Cabel and the other adventures they are in in Lisa McMann's next book in the series, Fade which came out in February.

I think this is a good, easy-to-read series for young adults and older adults alike. ( )

This is a very good and entertaining book. It's fun to read, addicting, and I couldn't put it down. If you want a good, quick, YA fiction book, this is a nice choice. The general storyline, about a girl who gets pulled into people's dreams, is fairly unique, and the characters are likeable. For sheer entertainment value, I'll give it five stars. ( )