Spotlight On Insanity by Lauren Hammond

ebook 190 pages

Published April 10, 2012

SB Addison Books

Find it on Amazon

Sometimes love...can drive you crazy.

Adelaide Carmichael and Damien Allen couldn't be more opposite. Adelaide's mother abandoned her when she was ten years old, leaving her to be raised by her abusive and alcoholic father. Damien on the other hand came from a wealthy family, was a local celebrity, and seemed to have a bright future ahead of him.

Despite their differences, Adelaide and Damien were young, wild, and fiercely in love. And they had a plan. They were going to run away. Be together forever. And their plan was set in motion, until tragedy struck and for some reason, Adelaide wound up in The Oakhill Institution for the insane.

Adelaide has no idea what she did to wind up at Oakhill, but she knows one thing for sure... She wants out.

And after Damien follows her there to aid her in escaping, Adelaide slowly begins putting together the pieces of her memory that are missing. And it doesn't take Adelaide long to figure out that sometimes... That one true love never dies.

Lauren posted an excerpt from the first chapter on her blog and my reaction was, "Wow, that's freakin amazing!" I had to read this, like immediately. And I wasn't disappointed. I mean a love story set in an insane asylum? It doesn't get more awesome than that. Addy claims she shouldn't be in the asylum, but the reader can tell that's not exactly true. She's trying to piece together her lost memories with the help of Dr. Watson, who seems to really care for Addy. But Addy's not all the concerned with recovering. All she wants it to run away with Damien, the love of her life. He's all she can think about and their stolen moments in the asylum are what she lives for. But things aren't what they seem. I mean, when your narrator is in an asylum, you have to question everything. I'm not giving spoilers because this book is seriously awesome with the twists and turns Hammond throws at you. And once you have that OMG moment, you can see how Hammond has been leading you to it so subtly that it's genius.

One thing I really loved was the way the story is told. There are "Before" and "After" chapters. The "Before" chapters take place when Addy is 17 and she falls for Damien. They give great insight into their relationship and also Addy's relationship with her abusive father. The "After" chapters are when Addy is in her early 20s in the asylum (in the 50s). Hammond weaves the two seamlessly as you piece together Addy's story. It's seriously brilliant.

I could gush forever, but I'll just say, Go read it!

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Miniview with Lauren Hammond

What's the craziest thing you did when you liked a guy?

Oh man... This is tough, lol. Honestly, I'm the shy type. I've never done anything truly crazy because I
get so nervous whenever any guy tries to talk to me. 

Who was your big crush in high school?
Hmmm... This is another tough. LOL. Honestly, I didn't really have a thing for anyone in my school during high school. 
But I will say that I had an ongoing crush on Leo Dicaprio that spanned from the first time I saw Titanic until the 10th grade.
Does that count?
(That so counts, Lauren! Ask my college roommate about my Leo posters in our room. ;P )

Love is...
Love is beautiful and dangerous at the same time.