What Dreams We Had! follows five teenagers at the cusp of leaving college who are offered the chance to play at a celebrity wedding in Italy. Part psychological horror/part coming of age tale, Phill Featherstone has crafted an engaging and at times surprising story. What I really liked about this book was the pacing. The set up is just long enough to introduce you to the characters, allowing them time to grow as the story develops. There is a familiarity without the use of stereotypes. Once the location changes to Tuscany, the author follows what seems to be familiar horror tropes – indeed, to me it felt like the set up to a British horror movie of the 1970’s, and I mean that in a good way, with a mounting sense of dread mixed in with the fraying group dynamics. The style of the writing, third person in the present tense for the most part, helps build the tension and the idea that there is something not quite right. It is unfamiliar enough to set the reader on edge as the more psychological side of the story emerges. The last quarter of the book delivers a hefty punch, upending what you thought was going to happen into a climax that delivers in the character sense whilst also remaining grounded in the real world. This book gets four stars for its pacing and effective use of atmosphere (as well as that ending). (Andrew Oyston Book Tour Reviewer)
A tense psychological drama with an unexpected twist, a moral that I thought was brilliant. “…our lives are built not on indisputable truths but rather on what we think we know, and that this is not the same as reality. We know nothing for sure, and what we think we experience has no more substance than a dream…” (Andrew Bell Book Tour Reviewer)
A very mixed book for me. The start is completely different to the middle, and I found the ending confusing. I do think that it could be worked on further to produce a more satisfying read. I wanted to like it and it did get a lot of ticks in boxes for suspense and mystery. It seems like a dream come true to visit Italy, with the youngsters getting a last chance to be together before heading off their separate ways. It has lots of very powerful scenes, but in my opinion it could have been meshed together more smoothly. The character of Sylvani, is one that I could see being in the whole series of books, where his ideas are explored in more detail. (Yvonne Marrs Book Tour Reviewer)
I found this book really hard to put down. The relationships described between the characters were really engaging and it was fascinating to learn how they felt emotionally not only about themselves but about each other. I hope that there is a sequel to this book as I would love to see how the characters are as they grow up and progress into their adult lives. (Anne Rucroft Book Tour Reviewer)
Alex, Alena, DJ, Mia, and Joey think they have it made. When their high school band is asked to provide the music for a wedding in Italy, they think this is the chance of a lifetime and this will be their chance to make the bigtime. They ask DJ’s girlfriend, Mia, to come along. Their problems start early. The people who have asked them have only heard them perform once. That doesn’t matter to Alex and the rest of the band. Their transportation, trip, food, and housing are all paid for. All they have to do is follow the directions. When the five young people arrive, they find they will be living in a mansion, have delicious gourmet meals, be their own bosses, and have all the booze they want. But strange things begin to happen. Worst of all are the dreams …. What Dreams We Had! is an interesting and easy to read mystery. (Deb Hockenberry Book Tour Reviewer)
This book pulled me in right away from the cover, with the illustration being intriguing and the wording providing a very good teaser for the story. My interest was immediately peaked. I enjoyed the story and it had some quite unexpected revelations and plot twists, keeping the reader guessing. The dialogue was strong and realistic. The characters were well drawn although some were unlikeable (intentionally I think) and the dynamics between them were really the nub of the narrative. I found the end of the book to be a bit rushed. A bigger and longer build-up with more clues would have been more satisfying. The final round-up of what happened afterwards did not quite fit with the rest of the story. All in all, a good story however. It was gripping and exciting in many places with the portent and jeopardy well depicted and the tension ratcheted up to keep the reader turning the pages. (Stella Baker Book Tour Reviewer)
A cleverly written story with an unexpected twist, of five friends in a high school band that receive the opportunity of a lifetime to play their music at a celebrity’s wedding in Italy. The characters are well developed with credible dialogue and I love the delve into the different personality types and their interactions with each other. The plot itself moves forward at a good pace, keeping the reader guessing as to what is going on. The story has a nice build up of tension throughout, leading to its dramatic ending which was completely unexpected. There are very little editing issues that would detract the reader from the book. I did find that there were certain parts of the story that I wanted the author to go into more detail, particularly relating to the mysteries and discoveries in the woods near the band’s villa in Italy. I highlight this as a positive as I really enjoyed those elements and wanted to read more. Perhaps this is something the author will consider for the next book in this series. (Kirsty McKay Book Tour Reviewer)
We Award 4 Stars.
