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R.E.M.
Gwendolyn Gonzales would do anything for her best friend. Even allow herself to be dragged through Macy's dreams by a British coffeeholic who claims to be Macy's Dream Guardian. The rules of the Dream are blend in and don't die. When Macy's dreams take a turn for the worst, following the rules may be harder than it seems. And may end in deadly consequences.
412 pages, Paperback
Published May 2, 2023
1 person is currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
Ashley Schaller
8 books33 followersAshley Schaller is an award winning author who prefers tea over coffee, will never say no to puppy snuggles, and proudly wears the title of “Dog Mom”. When not writing, she can often be found reading her next favorite book, baking, obsessing over owls (but only the cute cartoon ones), or learning new crochet patterns. As a writer, she seeks to create stories that glorify God. Stories that entertain, but you never have to worry about the content. To connect with Ashley and stay updated on all things books and writing, follow her on Instagram @ashleyschallerauthor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
May 1, 2023
3.5 stars, personally.
About this book:
“Gwendolyn Gonzales would do anything for her best friend. Even allow herself to be dragged through Macy's dreams by a British coffeeholic who claims to be Macy's Dream Guardian. The rules of the Dream are simple: blend in and don't die. When Macy's dreams take a turn for the worst, following the rules may be harder than it seems. And may end in deadly consequences.”
Series: As of now, no, a stand-alone novel.
Spiritual Content- Mentions of prayers (including Gwen correcting herself that instead of hoping something goes well, praying that it goes well as they need something stronger than hope); Mentions of a pastor at a funeral & him reading from his Bible; A couple mentions of Bibles; A couple mentions of churches; A couple mentions of a Designer & Heaven (both are capital); A couple mentions Dream Guardians who have died going to “dwell with of the greatest Guardian of all”; A mention of blessings;
*Note: Mentions of a Santa toy; A mention of someone’s “sermons” on a topic they are passionate about; A mention of a ghost that haunts someone’s dreams.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘freaking’, a ‘jeesh’, an ‘oh my gosh’, a ‘shut up’, an unfinished ‘what the—‘, two ‘dang it’s, two forms of ‘drat’, two ‘suck’s, three forms of ‘blast it’, six forms of ‘heck’, seven ‘crap’s, nine forms of ‘dumb’, ten ‘idiot’s, and twenty-three ‘stupid’s; A handful of mentions of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Seeing a death & Thinking a loved one died (twice, in a dream, up to semi-detailed); Fighting wolves, giant spiders, shadow-like creatures, monsters, & Nightmares (semi-detailed); A car crash, gunfire, & seeing someone shot (in a dream, up to semi-detailed); Earthquakes & Fires (including someone being burned, up to semi-detailed); Almost drowning, Being thrown off a cliff, Being held at gunpoint, Being shot, Being choked, Being attacked, Being drugged, Being held hostage, Injuries, Pain, Passing out, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone jump off a building & Gwen follows her (in a dream; Gwen prays that her family will be all right without her as she steps off the edge, up to semi-detailed); Gwen thinks she’s been kidnapped & might be killed (she’s not actually been kidnapped, but thinks through how to safely get away from the “kidnapper”, up to semi-detailed); Gwen has to herself out of a panic attack (being unable to breath and panicking, barely-above-not-detailed); The book opens at a funeral & has a lot of grieving (for a friend); There are Nightmares (villains) that feed off of the dreamer’s fear (described as creepy & one uses winged skeleton heads to aim hateful words at Gwen); *Big Spoiler* ; All about many mentions of nightmares & the possibility of someone dying in their dreams (including by drowning and choking, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of fighting, attacks, passing out, pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of grief & grieving (for a friend, a brother, a son, and a father); Mentions of deaths, car accidents, a coma, & sirens (including Gwen being concerned about someone possibly being in a car wreck, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of Dream Guardians being killed in action & having to retrieve the bodies (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of gunfire, someone being shot, & dreaming of someone being held at gunpoint and being shot (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of being kidnapped, a kidnapper, & being drugged (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wolves attacking someone (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of a bar-like place & drinking non-alcoholic drinks; Mentions of bullies & gossip; A few mentions of a nightclub & clubbing; A couple mentions of a prison; A couple mentions of a drunk driver; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of horror movies (not named); A couple mentions of cigarettes; A mention of the mafia; A mention of someone stalking Gwen;
*Note: *Big Spoiler* ; A Nightmare (villain) threatens Gwen that if she doesn’t listen to them, they will make her become “a vegetable to rot” in her world; Dream Guardians are able to shift their faces or wear a mask to look like someone their Dreamer cares about; Being stung by bees & mentions of someone being allergic to bees (up to semi-detailed); A couple mentions of a car brand; A mention of vampires; A mention of a movie (Pride & Prejudice).
Sexual Content- A hand kiss, a cheek kiss (in thanks, not romantic-based), and two head/hair kisses; Touches, Dancing, Hand holding, Tingles, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); Gwen has to stay at Solomon’s place (they sleep in separate rooms and nothing happens); Gwen falls into Solomon’s lap (once, not meant to be romantic and no details); Mentions of seeing couples kissing & cuddling; Mentions of dating, dates, boyfriends/girlfriends, couples, & cheating; Mentions of crushes & flirting; A few mentions of catching someone making out with another & cheating on the person they are dating; A few mentions of jealousy; A mention of a blown kiss; A mention of ogling someone; A bit of fove, falling in love, & the emotions;
*Note: A few mentions of butting into a conversation, butting heads, & wanting to kick someone’s butt.
-Gwendolyn “Gwen” Gonzales
1st person P.O.V. of Gwen
414 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
This was a wild ride and a very interesting plot!
This book was kind of all over the place, but that’s how dreams can be, so it fit the concept well. It kind of had an Alice in Wonderland feel because of the dreams. Dreams can be crazy and this book definitely showcased that element. I do think I would have enjoyed this book more if it was in third person, but I did really like seeing Gwen’s sass through the first person point of view. I felt for her, though, because she couldn’t catch a break in the dream world.
The ending really caught me by surprise and I definitely like it. It was a good test to see if your heart can feel emotions, haha! ;) This book is over 400 pages, but it went by so fast.
While I would consider this book to be more of Clean Fiction than Christian Fiction, it was nice to see bits of Gwen’s faith and family throughout the book and the ending worked so well.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.
About this book:
“Gwendolyn Gonzales would do anything for her best friend. Even allow herself to be dragged through Macy's dreams by a British coffeeholic who claims to be Macy's Dream Guardian. The rules of the Dream are simple: blend in and don't die. When Macy's dreams take a turn for the worst, following the rules may be harder than it seems. And may end in deadly consequences.”
Series: As of now, no, a stand-alone novel.
Spiritual Content- Mentions of prayers (including Gwen correcting herself that instead of hoping something goes well, praying that it goes well as they need something stronger than hope); Mentions of a pastor at a funeral & him reading from his Bible; A couple mentions of Bibles; A couple mentions of churches; A couple mentions of a Designer & Heaven (both are capital); A couple mentions Dream Guardians who have died going to “dwell with of the greatest Guardian of all”; A mention of blessings;
*Note: Mentions of a Santa toy; A mention of someone’s “sermons” on a topic they are passionate about; A mention of a ghost that haunts someone’s dreams.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘freaking’, a ‘jeesh’, an ‘oh my gosh’, a ‘shut up’, an unfinished ‘what the—‘, two ‘dang it’s, two forms of ‘drat’, two ‘suck’s, three forms of ‘blast it’, six forms of ‘heck’, seven ‘crap’s, nine forms of ‘dumb’, ten ‘idiot’s, and twenty-three ‘stupid’s; A handful of mentions of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Seeing a death & Thinking a loved one died (twice, in a dream, up to semi-detailed); Fighting wolves, giant spiders, shadow-like creatures, monsters, & Nightmares (semi-detailed); A car crash, gunfire, & seeing someone shot (in a dream, up to semi-detailed); Earthquakes & Fires (including someone being burned, up to semi-detailed); Almost drowning, Being thrown off a cliff, Being held at gunpoint, Being shot, Being choked, Being attacked, Being drugged, Being held hostage, Injuries, Pain, Passing out, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone jump off a building & Gwen follows her (in a dream; Gwen prays that her family will be all right without her as she steps off the edge, up to semi-detailed); Gwen thinks she’s been kidnapped & might be killed (she’s not actually been kidnapped, but thinks through how to safely get away from the “kidnapper”, up to semi-detailed); Gwen has to herself out of a panic attack (being unable to breath and panicking, barely-above-not-detailed); The book opens at a funeral & has a lot of grieving (for a friend); There are Nightmares (villains) that feed off of the dreamer’s fear (described as creepy & one uses winged skeleton heads to aim hateful words at Gwen); *Big Spoiler* ; All about many mentions of nightmares & the possibility of someone dying in their dreams (including by drowning and choking, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of fighting, attacks, passing out, pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of grief & grieving (for a friend, a brother, a son, and a father); Mentions of deaths, car accidents, a coma, & sirens (including Gwen being concerned about someone possibly being in a car wreck, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of Dream Guardians being killed in action & having to retrieve the bodies (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of gunfire, someone being shot, & dreaming of someone being held at gunpoint and being shot (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of being kidnapped, a kidnapper, & being drugged (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wolves attacking someone (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of a bar-like place & drinking non-alcoholic drinks; Mentions of bullies & gossip; A few mentions of a nightclub & clubbing; A couple mentions of a prison; A couple mentions of a drunk driver; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of horror movies (not named); A couple mentions of cigarettes; A mention of the mafia; A mention of someone stalking Gwen;
*Note: *Big Spoiler* ; A Nightmare (villain) threatens Gwen that if she doesn’t listen to them, they will make her become “a vegetable to rot” in her world; Dream Guardians are able to shift their faces or wear a mask to look like someone their Dreamer cares about; Being stung by bees & mentions of someone being allergic to bees (up to semi-detailed); A couple mentions of a car brand; A mention of vampires; A mention of a movie (Pride & Prejudice).
Sexual Content- A hand kiss, a cheek kiss (in thanks, not romantic-based), and two head/hair kisses; Touches, Dancing, Hand holding, Tingles, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); Gwen has to stay at Solomon’s place (they sleep in separate rooms and nothing happens); Gwen falls into Solomon’s lap (once, not meant to be romantic and no details); Mentions of seeing couples kissing & cuddling; Mentions of dating, dates, boyfriends/girlfriends, couples, & cheating; Mentions of crushes & flirting; A few mentions of catching someone making out with another & cheating on the person they are dating; A few mentions of jealousy; A mention of a blown kiss; A mention of ogling someone; A bit of fove, falling in love, & the emotions;
*Note: A few mentions of butting into a conversation, butting heads, & wanting to kick someone’s butt.
-Gwendolyn “Gwen” Gonzales
1st person P.O.V. of Gwen
414 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
This was a wild ride and a very interesting plot!
This book was kind of all over the place, but that’s how dreams can be, so it fit the concept well. It kind of had an Alice in Wonderland feel because of the dreams. Dreams can be crazy and this book definitely showcased that element. I do think I would have enjoyed this book more if it was in third person, but I did really like seeing Gwen’s sass through the first person point of view. I felt for her, though, because she couldn’t catch a break in the dream world.
The ending really caught me by surprise and I definitely like it. It was a good test to see if your heart can feel emotions, haha! ;) This book is over 400 pages, but it went by so fast.
While I would consider this book to be more of Clean Fiction than Christian Fiction, it was nice to see bits of Gwen’s faith and family throughout the book and the ending worked so well.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.
November 21, 2022
Holy. Smokes. Hopping into this book, I wasn’t sure it was my jam. I read more fantasy with just a sprinkle of sci-fi. But Ashley caught my attention from page one and kept me glued to the page. I found myself thinking about Gwen, Solomon, and Macy even when I should have been working or writing or doing school work 😂 all in all, I can’t wait for more people to pick up and love these characters as much as I do!
•
Five out of five!
•
Five out of five!
June 14, 2023
I LOVED THIS BOOK
First, I loved the ending. Second, I loved how fast-paced it was, and how imaginative every dreamscape was. It was like reading cinema (seriously, I need a movie). And finally, I loved the themes, and for the author to explore grief through dreams was heartrending and really beautiful.
First, I loved the ending. Second, I loved how fast-paced it was, and how imaginative every dreamscape was. It was like reading cinema (seriously, I need a movie). And finally, I loved the themes, and for the author to explore grief through dreams was heartrending and really beautiful.
April 11, 2023
What a story! I love the variety of the characters, the fun setting, and the ending brought me to tears!! Such a pleasure to narrate.
June 26, 2025
Wow! This was a great story! I felt riveted to my kindle and my headphones as I went back and forth between them to keep the story going throughout my day. The first chapter felt like a masterpiece as the author drew the MC with such poignancy that I felt emotionally attached before the chapter was over. It was helpful that I was hooked before the dream sequences started since I thought I was going to stop enjoying the story because it was getting a bit too weird for me. However, once I got over the initial weirdness, I found I was still thinking about the story and wanting to pick it up. I am glad she hooked me early and that I stuck around because I ended up really enjoying it!
If I had rated it on pure enjoyment, I would have given it 4.5 stars. However, there are some critiques I can make that made me give it four. First, if I really examined the world building, I could definitely find holes. (I enjoyed it enough to turn that part of my brain off, though🤭.) Second, it got a bit repetitive toward the middle and the clue-dropping wasn't enough to compensate for it, so it could have been about 50 pages shorter.
Trigger warnings: grief, , scary dream sequences that include physical attacks.
Content: Romantic attraction, but nothing inappropriate for a YA audience; no foul language. Quite clean!!
If I had rated it on pure enjoyment, I would have given it 4.5 stars. However, there are some critiques I can make that made me give it four. First, if I really examined the world building, I could definitely find holes. (I enjoyed it enough to turn that part of my brain off, though🤭.) Second, it got a bit repetitive toward the middle and the clue-dropping wasn't enough to compensate for it, so it could have been about 50 pages shorter.
Trigger warnings: grief, , scary dream sequences that include physical attacks.
Content: Romantic attraction, but nothing inappropriate for a YA audience; no foul language. Quite clean!!
October 24, 2024
Soooo!!!!! This was SUCH an awesome book!! 🤩
I LOVED how interesting the whole plot was with it literally being in a DREAM…. It was just Sooo cool!!
The ending COMPLETELY caught me off guard….. so much that I almost had to stop and rethink everything because I was NOT expecting that ending but it turned out to be such a great ending. 🥹🥹🥹
‼️ there was a lot of gory scenes, blood, bad bangs to the head, gunshot wounds, bites etc…. But it didn’t bother me really and I didn’t think it was too bad.
‼️ there was also a spot where the “Nightmare” met our MC and had “skulls coming from his fingertips” and that kinda weirded me out, but it kinda was just an analogy… the skulls flying toward her were bad thoughts of herself. So I did like that something weird and evil like that, was just there to represent bad talking yourself as evil, and that was good 👍🏻
It says “Christian Fiction” but it’s not at all what I would call Christian fiction… definitely just clean fiction. 👍🏻
-Romance: wasn’t bad at all… had enough though to be sweet ☺️
-Plot: beautiful 🥹
-cussing: none that I remember 🤔
So, I had rated this a 4⭐️ but besides the goriness that I wasn’t used to I think this should be a 5⭐️
🫣😅😅
Ik, I rate books too high ALL THE TIME… but sorry, it was just awesome!! 🤩
Ok my final answer is 4 1/2 ⭐️😆🤭
Highly recommend reading it! I’d say it’s great as long as those warnings above don’t bother you much!
I LOVED how interesting the whole plot was with it literally being in a DREAM…. It was just Sooo cool!!
The ending COMPLETELY caught me off guard….. so much that I almost had to stop and rethink everything because I was NOT expecting that ending but it turned out to be such a great ending. 🥹🥹🥹
‼️ there was a lot of gory scenes, blood, bad bangs to the head, gunshot wounds, bites etc…. But it didn’t bother me really and I didn’t think it was too bad.
‼️ there was also a spot where the “Nightmare” met our MC and had “skulls coming from his fingertips” and that kinda weirded me out, but it kinda was just an analogy… the skulls flying toward her were bad thoughts of herself. So I did like that something weird and evil like that, was just there to represent bad talking yourself as evil, and that was good 👍🏻
It says “Christian Fiction” but it’s not at all what I would call Christian fiction… definitely just clean fiction. 👍🏻
-Romance: wasn’t bad at all… had enough though to be sweet ☺️
-Plot: beautiful 🥹
-cussing: none that I remember 🤔
So, I had rated this a 4⭐️ but besides the goriness that I wasn’t used to I think this should be a 5⭐️
🫣😅😅
Ik, I rate books too high ALL THE TIME… but sorry, it was just awesome!! 🤩
Ok my final answer is 4 1/2 ⭐️😆🤭
Highly recommend reading it! I’d say it’s great as long as those warnings above don’t bother you much!
September 24, 2022
R.E.M. is a story full of emotion, adventure and high stakes. A story that will not only make you fall in love with the characters, but may also make you crave a coffee. R.E.M. is a beautiful story with a fantastic and unexpected ending.
April 28, 2023
I will never not cry at that ending, my goodness. ❤️
August 18, 2023
3.5 Stars ✨
Clean YA Suspense/Thriller
Gwendolyn Gonzales would do anything for her best friend. Even allow herself to be dragged through Macy's dreams by a British coffeeholic who claims to be Macy's Dream Guardian. The rules of the Dream are simple: blend in and don't die. When Macy's dreams take a turn for the worst, following the rules may be harder than it seems. And may end in deadly consequences.
I picked up R.E.M. up on a whim, not having a clue of what I was getting myself into, needless to say- I really enjoyed it! It had everything I like in a suspense/thriller- intrigue, tiny bit of romance, humor, likable characters, all complete with a twist in the end. I found it to be a very clean, unique read and so glad I picked it up. Would recommend!
Clean YA Suspense/Thriller
Gwendolyn Gonzales would do anything for her best friend. Even allow herself to be dragged through Macy's dreams by a British coffeeholic who claims to be Macy's Dream Guardian. The rules of the Dream are simple: blend in and don't die. When Macy's dreams take a turn for the worst, following the rules may be harder than it seems. And may end in deadly consequences.
I picked up R.E.M. up on a whim, not having a clue of what I was getting myself into, needless to say- I really enjoyed it! It had everything I like in a suspense/thriller- intrigue, tiny bit of romance, humor, likable characters, all complete with a twist in the end. I found it to be a very clean, unique read and so glad I picked it up. Would recommend!
October 9, 2024
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the target audience for this book, but I ended up having so much fun anyways. Dreamscape books aren't something I reach for often. I just don't love dreamscapes. The concepts can be fun, but there's always this little part of me that says 'none of this matter. it's a dream.' Yeah, my brain is a bummer.
Schaller did a great job with making it matter. I was invested deeply in the plot. I can't wait to read more from her.
Schaller did a great job with making it matter. I was invested deeply in the plot. I can't wait to read more from her.
January 21, 2024
Oh what our dreams can weave. This story takes you on many twists and turns into the dream world all with a handsome coffee addicted guide named Solomon he is my fav! This story is original and fantastic. The ending is not what you would expect and I loved that. I thought I had the whole thing figured out but I was so wrong! There is never a moment where you feel like you want to put the book down, you want to keep turning page after page or if you're listening you don't want to turn it off. I would highly recommend picking this book up and see dreams in a whole new light. Ashley's writing sucks you in and if your listening Janes narrating brings the story even more alive then it already is!
November 29, 2022
I had the privilege of reading an advanced copy of R.E.M.
R.E.M. is jammed packed with action, adventure and mystery. I was immediately drawn into its relatable characters and unusual world where dreams reside. Each chapter had me wanting to turn the next page until I finished. R.E.M is easily one of my favorite stories this year!
R.E.M. is jammed packed with action, adventure and mystery. I was immediately drawn into its relatable characters and unusual world where dreams reside. Each chapter had me wanting to turn the next page until I finished. R.E.M is easily one of my favorite stories this year!
March 3, 2023
4.5 stars
Wow! This was an awesome book. The world of dream was unique and intricate! The characters were so vivid and so easy to connect to as well! The ending had me absolutely shook and there were so many moments that left me on the edge of my seat!
I'm not huge on fantasy, so there were a few times where I zoned out, but other than that it was awesome! I would definitely recommend, especially if you really enjoy fantasy!!
P.S.: Solomon is one of my fave new male leads :)
Wow! This was an awesome book. The world of dream was unique and intricate! The characters were so vivid and so easy to connect to as well! The ending had me absolutely shook and there were so many moments that left me on the edge of my seat!
I'm not huge on fantasy, so there were a few times where I zoned out, but other than that it was awesome! I would definitely recommend, especially if you really enjoy fantasy!!
P.S.: Solomon is one of my fave new male leads :)
June 20, 2023
This novel is awesome. I am so proud to say that I sat next to Ashley at a conference once. I remember grabbing her business card and following her writing career.
She has a great sense of style and who she is as a writer. This is a clean book that has all the swooning and sweetness one can ask for plus mystery and intrigue.
The characters are awesome. Gweny and Solly… I mean Solomon are adorable. I totally recommend this adventurous story.
She has a great sense of style and who she is as a writer. This is a clean book that has all the swooning and sweetness one can ask for plus mystery and intrigue.
The characters are awesome. Gweny and Solly… I mean Solomon are adorable. I totally recommend this adventurous story.
November 10, 2024
Woah! And the plot twist?!! :O
June 5, 2023
I love the dream world that was created in this book. The twist at the end and throughout kept me on the edge of my seat and reading more! I highly recommend this book 📚
March 28, 2023
I hope you enjoy R.E.M.!
Read
January 27, 2025Clean YA Thriller/ contemporary fantasy with a hint of romance
R.E.M. is a page-turner with non-stop action and a unique plot that will keep you guessing until the very end.
The writing style is perfect for the YA audience (12 and up) and I can see that teenage me would’ve ate this right up!
I appreciated the theme of grief that was explored in the dreams.
‘There’s nothing any of us can do now except celebrate the lives our friends lived. To rejoice with them, knowing they’ve gone to dwell with the greatest Guardian of all.”’
There were a few humorous moments and all the mentions of coffee made me wish I had a cup right then and there!
I agree that there were some serious Inception and Rise of The Guardians vibes going on here! Readers who like stories with a fast paced plot and an unpredictable dreamscape setting might enjoy R.E.M.!
R.E.M. is a page-turner with non-stop action and a unique plot that will keep you guessing until the very end.
The writing style is perfect for the YA audience (12 and up) and I can see that teenage me would’ve ate this right up!
I appreciated the theme of grief that was explored in the dreams.
‘There’s nothing any of us can do now except celebrate the lives our friends lived. To rejoice with them, knowing they’ve gone to dwell with the greatest Guardian of all.”’
There were a few humorous moments and all the mentions of coffee made me wish I had a cup right then and there!
I agree that there were some serious Inception and Rise of The Guardians vibes going on here! Readers who like stories with a fast paced plot and an unpredictable dreamscape setting might enjoy R.E.M.!
May 13, 2023
Kept me turning ONE MORE page...
REM is a highly creative tale with many twists and turns. It kept me turning pages much longer than I planned on reading each night. The ending is satisfying and somewhat surprising and made me reflect thoroughly over the whole story. Well done!
REM is a highly creative tale with many twists and turns. It kept me turning pages much longer than I planned on reading each night. The ending is satisfying and somewhat surprising and made me reflect thoroughly over the whole story. Well done!
August 15, 2023
I adored Gwen and Solomon and the ending was amazing!
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April 8, 2025
dnf at 35%
no rtc this just wasn’t my kind of book
no rtc this just wasn’t my kind of book
August 13, 2023
This book is fantastic! Had a thrilling plot and a great plot twist--or several!
November 29, 2022
R.E.M. tugs at the heartstrings from the first page, and doesn't let go even as it yanks you through twists and turns and a few OH MY WORD sort of moments.
Also, Solomon is properly swoony.
Anyone who loves dream-scape sort of books, thrillers, light romance, and coffee, should definitely read this book.
Also, Solomon is properly swoony.
Anyone who loves dream-scape sort of books, thrillers, light romance, and coffee, should definitely read this book.
March 9, 2024
(3.5stars) I just finished this book and I almost feel disoriented and I definitely feel duped… I mean who would create all these characters and world and then in the last eight pages tell you it’s fake!!! And then her already knowing a little bit of Solomon and him I guess not knowing her is just hard to process. But honestly it is a really good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2023
WHAT?!? What? What! I’m gonna need a minute to process what I read. WHAT?!?!? *jaw dropped* *mind blown*
May 26, 2025
5 stars
This Book. This. Book.
It's my favorite book. I'm calling it. I mean I was gasping, giggling, groaning, squealing, grimacing, kicking my feet and honestly straight up cackling at times. I struggle to find a book that I would even deem worthy of five stars, so when I say it's my favorite I'm sure of it.
I'm not exactly sure where to start, so I'll start with some quotes/moments that I saved because I just loved them--which is also something I never do. R.E.M. seriously broke the mold.
************************************
𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳.
"𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵."
𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 [Solomon] 𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦.
𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘣 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵.
Then from much later in the book...
𝘚𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘣 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵.
************************************
When I started reading this, it was right before I started working really hard to finish school to the point it was taking up all of my time. So DO NOT let the fact that this took me two months to get through fool you, because I've read about the last 300 or more pages in the last like 3 days🥴
I wish I would have retained more of the beginning of the book, but like I said, I read it here and there during a very busy season. After finishing school, I was worried I was going to be in a baaaddd reading rut trying to pick a book back up. Nope. I. Was. Hooked.
First of all, can we just get some recognition for Solomon? He's not my book crush just for the fact of how SERIOUSLY hard I ship him with Gwen(really trying not to add spoilers here if you couldn't tell), but I mean that man is just the best. He does everything right. I think everyone needs a Solomon.
Love Gwen as well, she is such a likable character and so easy to root for. But girl, are you blind?? There were so many times I was slapping my head for how she was not realizing/accepting that Solomon was falling for her. Honey, he's KISSING YOUR HAIR and you still think you're just friends??? Girl????
I also just don't think I've ever shipped a book couple more than I ship Solomon and Gwen. I haven't read a ton of books with big ships like that, but they're for sure my fav nonetheless.
The last 4-5 chapters were suchhhh a rollercoaster. (In the best way😅) I was seriously starting to think the book was going to have a bad ending, but let me reassure you, the ending is justttt 🤌🏻🤌🏻
And I will not forget to give Ashley Schaller some well-deserved praise!! First and foremost it made me so happy to see her giving glory to God in the acknowledgements, and the fact that she wants to put out good, clean content in a world where it has become so rare. Major respect for her.
The fact that this was her debut just blows me away. I will venture to say I don't think a lot of authors' debut books would be as attention-grabbing or as skillfully written as R.E.M. Ashley, if you ever see this, keep doing what you're doing (I BEG) because you are KILLING ITTTT👏👏
I realize now this was kind of more of me spewing my love for this book than reviewing it, but I hope it encourages readers to pick it up either way. If you love adorable and innocent romance, action, abstract and original plotlines and jaw-dropping twists and turns, you will love R.E.M. I know I am absolutely obsessed with it.
This Book. This. Book.
It's my favorite book. I'm calling it. I mean I was gasping, giggling, groaning, squealing, grimacing, kicking my feet and honestly straight up cackling at times. I struggle to find a book that I would even deem worthy of five stars, so when I say it's my favorite I'm sure of it.
I'm not exactly sure where to start, so I'll start with some quotes/moments that I saved because I just loved them--which is also something I never do. R.E.M. seriously broke the mold.
************************************
𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳.
"𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵."
𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 [Solomon] 𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦.
𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘣 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵.
Then from much later in the book...
𝘚𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘣 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵.
************************************
When I started reading this, it was right before I started working really hard to finish school to the point it was taking up all of my time. So DO NOT let the fact that this took me two months to get through fool you, because I've read about the last 300 or more pages in the last like 3 days🥴
I wish I would have retained more of the beginning of the book, but like I said, I read it here and there during a very busy season. After finishing school, I was worried I was going to be in a baaaddd reading rut trying to pick a book back up. Nope. I. Was. Hooked.
First of all, can we just get some recognition for Solomon? He's not my book crush just for the fact of how SERIOUSLY hard I ship him with Gwen(really trying not to add spoilers here if you couldn't tell), but I mean that man is just the best. He does everything right. I think everyone needs a Solomon.
Love Gwen as well, she is such a likable character and so easy to root for. But girl, are you blind?? There were so many times I was slapping my head for how she was not realizing/accepting that Solomon was falling for her. Honey, he's KISSING YOUR HAIR and you still think you're just friends??? Girl????
I also just don't think I've ever shipped a book couple more than I ship Solomon and Gwen. I haven't read a ton of books with big ships like that, but they're for sure my fav nonetheless.
The last 4-5 chapters were suchhhh a rollercoaster. (In the best way😅) I was seriously starting to think the book was going to have a bad ending, but let me reassure you, the ending is justttt 🤌🏻🤌🏻
And I will not forget to give Ashley Schaller some well-deserved praise!! First and foremost it made me so happy to see her giving glory to God in the acknowledgements, and the fact that she wants to put out good, clean content in a world where it has become so rare. Major respect for her.
The fact that this was her debut just blows me away. I will venture to say I don't think a lot of authors' debut books would be as attention-grabbing or as skillfully written as R.E.M. Ashley, if you ever see this, keep doing what you're doing (I BEG) because you are KILLING ITTTT👏👏
I realize now this was kind of more of me spewing my love for this book than reviewing it, but I hope it encourages readers to pick it up either way. If you love adorable and innocent romance, action, abstract and original plotlines and jaw-dropping twists and turns, you will love R.E.M. I know I am absolutely obsessed with it.
November 6, 2024
This book is perfect for any fans of Inception, “is this real or am I making this up” like-plots, high school drama and swooney/hot coffee addicts :)
The beginning was a little meh for me. I’m not sure if slow is the correct word, but there was something about it that just wasn’t really clicking for me. Once the story progressed though I was enjoying it a LOT more. I liked that everything seems weird and confusing because it was literally a dream. Events and points that seemed like plot holes in the beginning made so much sense once you kept reading, which is honestly one of my favourite types of plot progression. The way how the small little things were being revealed was so nice, like it was confusing the way it is in actual dreams but still with enough info to have the readers wonder and figure out what was actually happening. The ending felt a little rushed to me, but the plot twist of it, though I had sort of seen it coming, was still SO good and had me wanting to cuss out sooooooo many of the people in the MC’s life (also the author cuz like ?????? making it sad is once thing but making it DEPRESSING???? low blow girlie). Still, as sad as the whole situation truly was, I’m happy it ended up being a happy ending (though the really messed up part of me kinda would’ve wished it ended darker just to mess with people lol).
Side note: I feel like both this and MoM have been the few YA books I’ve read lately that actually FEEL like YA without wanting me to scratch my eyes out. Maybe this is just a me thing, but I’ve noticed that so many new YA books have this tendency of being really steamy yet the 17/18 year old characters act like children, not even young adults. But with these, as much as the characters were very much 17 and 18, their actions didn’t feel childish and the romance felt very age appropriate. This book kinda read like 2010s YA, which was a very welcome surprise.
Character-wise, I wish we’d been able to see more from the side characters, though I get that Gwen and Solomon are supposed to be the main characters and given how confused she is half the book, it was probably hard to characterise the other weird people in the Dream lol. I also kinda wish the romance had been developed a liiiiiitle bit more, but considering the amount of trauma Gwen was dealing with, I can also understand why it would’ve been a hard and problematic thing to do.
The beginning was a little meh for me. I’m not sure if slow is the correct word, but there was something about it that just wasn’t really clicking for me. Once the story progressed though I was enjoying it a LOT more. I liked that everything seems weird and confusing because it was literally a dream. Events and points that seemed like plot holes in the beginning made so much sense once you kept reading, which is honestly one of my favourite types of plot progression. The way how the small little things were being revealed was so nice, like it was confusing the way it is in actual dreams but still with enough info to have the readers wonder and figure out what was actually happening. The ending felt a little rushed to me, but the plot twist of it, though I had sort of seen it coming, was still SO good and had me wanting to cuss out sooooooo many of the people in the MC’s life (also the author cuz like ?????? making it sad is once thing but making it DEPRESSING???? low blow girlie). Still, as sad as the whole situation truly was, I’m happy it ended up being a happy ending (though the really messed up part of me kinda would’ve wished it ended darker just to mess with people lol).
Side note: I feel like both this and MoM have been the few YA books I’ve read lately that actually FEEL like YA without wanting me to scratch my eyes out. Maybe this is just a me thing, but I’ve noticed that so many new YA books have this tendency of being really steamy yet the 17/18 year old characters act like children, not even young adults. But with these, as much as the characters were very much 17 and 18, their actions didn’t feel childish and the romance felt very age appropriate. This book kinda read like 2010s YA, which was a very welcome surprise.
Character-wise, I wish we’d been able to see more from the side characters, though I get that Gwen and Solomon are supposed to be the main characters and given how confused she is half the book, it was probably hard to characterise the other weird people in the Dream lol. I also kinda wish the romance had been developed a liiiiiitle bit more, but considering the amount of trauma Gwen was dealing with, I can also understand why it would’ve been a hard and problematic thing to do.
April 7, 2023
So, uh . . . *cogs whir in brain* Nope, still processing this thing nearly 24 hours later.
Wow. This is an incredible story. I almost *never* reread books, but I'm already planning to order a paperback version to reread so that I can make notes. This is like one of those really good movies where you have to watch it multiple times to catch all the good stuff.
Well, if you're wondering what this books is, just imagine a YA book version of Monsters Inc. But definitely the YA version, with the stakes upped, a dash of romance, and added darkness to push through. Ashley takes a common piece of our lives (dreams) and imagines them as a whole new world, one where the rules are solid and the consequences are deadly. Everything is so vivid, it was like a movie (seriously, this is just the more grown-up version of Monsters Inc. Though I will definitely admit to watching Monsters Inc. as a grown-up. Obviously).
The best part of this book is . . . well, nevermind. I changed my mind three times just trying to write that sentence. It has a lot of good parts. The characters (*cough* Solomon), the imaginative world, the plot twists, the writing style . . .
It's just a good book, go read it. 'Kay?
There were a few places where the worldbuilding lost me (very minor plot holes, I suppose), a few logistical things jerked me out of the story, etc. And the beginning chapters took me just a bit to get sucked into, compared to the masterpiece that is the rest of the book (I might have read the last 90% of the story in one sitting - well, two sittings if you count the necessary five-minute break for snacks).
TLDR: If you want a wacky book that traps you inside a world you've never imagined but will never forget, look no further than Ashley Schaller's R.E.M.
Content: Clean! Some fantasy/sci-fi style violence and a few borderline-words that some people might object to, but that's it.
*Thank you to Quill & Flame Publishers for a free eARC of this book. A positive review was not required. All thoughts are my own.*
Wow. This is an incredible story. I almost *never* reread books, but I'm already planning to order a paperback version to reread so that I can make notes. This is like one of those really good movies where you have to watch it multiple times to catch all the good stuff.
Well, if you're wondering what this books is, just imagine a YA book version of Monsters Inc. But definitely the YA version, with the stakes upped, a dash of romance, and added darkness to push through. Ashley takes a common piece of our lives (dreams) and imagines them as a whole new world, one where the rules are solid and the consequences are deadly. Everything is so vivid, it was like a movie (seriously, this is just the more grown-up version of Monsters Inc. Though I will definitely admit to watching Monsters Inc. as a grown-up. Obviously).
The best part of this book is . . . well, nevermind. I changed my mind three times just trying to write that sentence. It has a lot of good parts. The characters (*cough* Solomon), the imaginative world, the plot twists, the writing style . . .
It's just a good book, go read it. 'Kay?
There were a few places where the worldbuilding lost me (very minor plot holes, I suppose), a few logistical things jerked me out of the story, etc. And the beginning chapters took me just a bit to get sucked into, compared to the masterpiece that is the rest of the book (I might have read the last 90% of the story in one sitting - well, two sittings if you count the necessary five-minute break for snacks).
TLDR: If you want a wacky book that traps you inside a world you've never imagined but will never forget, look no further than Ashley Schaller's R.E.M.
Content: Clean! Some fantasy/sci-fi style violence and a few borderline-words that some people might object to, but that's it.
*Thank you to Quill & Flame Publishers for a free eARC of this book. A positive review was not required. All thoughts are my own.*
August 29, 2024
Genre: Contemporary, very unique, action, a touch of romance
Audience: Young Adult or New Adult
My summary: Gwen is taken into the dream realm to help save her best friend from nightmares after the loss of her brother. Gwen works with her friend's dream guardian, Solomon, to make sure the nightmares don’t claim her life.
Audiobook: I really enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator (Jane Maree) used great voices for each character and brought all the emotions to life. The narration kept my attention.
The story is so unique! I never knew what would happen next.
R.E.M. was full of weird dreams that felt like real dreams: weird, unpredictable, crazy, full of emotions, and shifting constantly.
The creativity and emotions kept me riveted to the story, feeling and hoping with the characters. I had to find out what happened next.
I thought I saw the twist coming, but then the real twist came, and I was shocked, but it made perfect sense. Clues were scattered all through the book, but it wasn’t obvious, and I loved that.
The messages, intense action, strong emotions, touches of romance, clever wit, vivid imagery, and plot all blend together into an interesting and enjoyable book.
Overall: Definitely read this unique book!
5 stars
May 1, 2023
My favorite types of books end in a twist and this one didn’t disappoint.
Gwen is dreaming, isn’t she? One day life is normal and the next Gwen is being told to get in a car to help save her best friend Macy. Next thing Gwen knows, she is whisked away to dreamland where nothing is what it seems.
I thoroughly enjoyed the world of the Dream and the Dream Guardians. As a person who has vivid dreams herself, I related to the craziness that Gwen goes through. She doesn’t know who to trust, all she knows is that she must save her friend Macy and defeat the nightmares.
R.E.M. was a fun quick read for me. It is a fast-paced thriller. One of those books that I couldn’t put down because I needed to know what was going on. On a deeper note, R.E.M. is also a journey through grief.
I recommend R.E.M. for anyone who enjoys a fantastical story with heart-pounding and heartwarming moments.
Gwen is dreaming, isn’t she? One day life is normal and the next Gwen is being told to get in a car to help save her best friend Macy. Next thing Gwen knows, she is whisked away to dreamland where nothing is what it seems.
I thoroughly enjoyed the world of the Dream and the Dream Guardians. As a person who has vivid dreams herself, I related to the craziness that Gwen goes through. She doesn’t know who to trust, all she knows is that she must save her friend Macy and defeat the nightmares.
R.E.M. was a fun quick read for me. It is a fast-paced thriller. One of those books that I couldn’t put down because I needed to know what was going on. On a deeper note, R.E.M. is also a journey through grief.
I recommend R.E.M. for anyone who enjoys a fantastical story with heart-pounding and heartwarming moments.
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