Another book was added to my September's wrap up yesterday morning courtesy of my success squeezing in some reading times in the midst of busy college life. Just so you're aware, Not If I Save You First became my seventh book by Ally Carter after I was deeply engrossed in The Gallagher Girls series around this time last year.
Not If I Save You First starts when Maddie Manchester is still a ten-year-old girl living in the White House with her Secret Service agent father and best friend Logan. Despite the fact that Logan is the president's only son, the two are inseparable. They do a lot of things together until one day a kidnapping attempt happens and Maddy is whisked off to Alaska for safety. She never hears from Logan anymore in the ensuing days.
Jumping forward into six years later, Maddy is used to the solitary life she and her father are living in. She doesn't go to school, the mall, or basically anywhere except the woods. She no longer has a friend too as Logan never once replied to her messages. So when something happens and Logan is sent to live with Maddie and her father, Maddie is mad. She is even madder when another kidnapping attempt happens and there's no one she can turn to but herself.
Just like The Gallagher Girls series, Not If I Save You First was such a fun book in spite of the made-up political issues mentioned. But if the first series used Cammie's point of view through the length of the story, this book explored its journey from two perspectives: Maddie's and Logan's. No matter how interesting it might sound though, I was sort of bothered by the way the point of view changed in some scenes. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I read the translated edition or maybe it didn't, but I'd stand by my opinion that the switching perspective in this book could've been much smoother.
Thankfully, I didn't have anything to complain about in terms of the characters. I found the brave Maddie adorable and I quite liked Logan. While I was very excited about the idea of the two ended up together, I also really liked the fact that the friendship between them was developed even better. It was believable to say the least and overall cute. However, the same thing didn't exactly apply to the other aspects especially the plot to name one. While a larger part of it intrigued me that I remained on my seat reading, some scenes felt a bit unrealistic. Take an example of the way Maddy talked to the kidnapper which was somewhere between brave and foolish. I didn't get a rational reason behind her father's decision to move (or I'd rather say "isolate") her to the woods also. I mean, even if it was for the sake of safety didn't it still seem too extreme to begin with?
Even when we put the inexplicable into consideration, I'd say that I was still able to enjoy this book thoroughly especially when it came to the parts where Maddy and Logan had to survive in the wilderness alone. The scenes were descriptive enough that I could almost feel the cold, the frustration, and the fear. How it took a turn in the end was quite satisfying too. Alongside fun characters like Maddy and Logan, Not If I Save You First contained the wintery adventure I had been craving for so long.
Based on my fondness for her books including this one, I would certainly be more than happy to pick up Ally Carter's other works in the future. For now, I'll let you absorb the news that there's a Gallagher Girls/Not If I Save You First cross-over scene on Carter's website which I haven't read yet but I will soon. Let's hope that we're gonna get a dose of Zachary Goode there.
Actual rating: 4★
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