Wake by Amanda Hocking::Review

WAKE by AMANDA HOCKING

Movie Rating: PG-13 for language and sensuality
Book Rating: @@@
Swearing: nothing really major, like H**l, D**n, and B**ch
Inappropriate Scenes: Two teens make out but that's it. No detail.
# of Pages: 309 (hardcover)
Genre: YA Fantasy? (i dunno)
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Back Blurb:

Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy, the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi, and Thea have caught every one's attention--but it's Gemma who's attracted theirs. She's the one they've chosen to be a part of their group.
Gemma Fisher seems to have it all--she's carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He's always been just a friend, but this summer they've taken their relationship to the next level.
Then one night, Gemma's ordinary life changes forever. Penn, Lexi, and Thea invite her to party with them at the cove, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.
Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she's forced to choose between staying with those she loves--or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

My Review:

I have wanted to get my hands on an Amanda Hocking book for forever. (just ask my mom i tell her that at least once a day) Wake was the first one available. So I snatched it up. Mainly, the cover. I mean, in when you see it in real life (not on a computer screen) the water looks so very real. It's really cool. So anyway. I can see  now why Amanda Hocking is a popular teen writer. She's really good!
What I liked about Wake was that instead of focusing on just one character, Hocking introduces
you to the whole family! And then has a second story going about another family character. So Wake felt like two books in one. One about Gemma and one about her sister. 
The character-development was really good. Like Really good. I did think that the romance between Alex and Gemma was a little rushed. You're introduced to Alex (nearly as soon as the book starts) as 'the boy next door'. They're just friends. And then by Chapter 2 or 3 he's not 'the boy next door' anymore. It was like
Hocking was afraid that if she didn't have any romance between Gemma and Alex by page such and such that it wouldn't sell as many copies. For that reason I enjoyed Gemma's sister's romantic experience a LOT more. :)
And, thanks to the major cliff-hanging at the end, I am impatiently waiting before book 2, Lullaby, is released to the public! This is a mermaid, I mean, siren book that is a major addiction!