Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme hosted here. To participate, choose a random book from your TBR and show it off! Don’t forget to link back here and feel free to add your links to the comments so that others can see what you picked! 

Hey guys! I hope you all had an awesome weekend! It snowed and then rained promptly afterward, so relatively wet over here!

Anyway, this weeks pick for me is a book that doesn’t come out until a little later on in the year BUT I received an ARC of it via Netgalley! I absolutely loved book 1 (Follow Me Back) and I cannot wait to see what this conclusion will bring!

Tell Me No Lies by A. V. Geiger

Expected Publication: June 5th 2018 by Sourcebooks Fire

Love. Obsession. Jealousy. Murder.

No one knows what happened to pop icon Eric Thorn. His Twitter account? Frozen. His cell phone? Cracked and bloody, buried in the snow.

Agoraphobic fangirl Tessa Hart knows the truth, but she’s finally left her #EricThornObsessed days behind. She has no intention of ever touching her Twitter app again. But Snapchat… That’s safer, right?

After months of living under the radar, Tessa emerges from hiding, forced to face the deadly consequences of her past. But in the interrogation room, answers only lead to more questions in the pulse-pounding conclusion to the Follow Me Back duology.

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Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy

Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy

Expected Publication: January 2nd 2018 by Entangled Teen

Beautiful. Perfect. Dead.

In the peaceful seaside town of Cape Bonita, wicked secrets and lies are hidden just beneath the surface. But all it takes is one tragedy for them to be exposed.

The most popular girls in school are turning up dead, and Penelope Malone is terrified she’s next. All the victims so far have been linked to Penelope—and to a boy from her physics class. The one she’s never really noticed before, with the rumored dark past and a brooding stare that cuts right through her.

There’s something he isn’t telling her. But there’s something she’s not telling him, either.

Everyone has secrets, and theirs might get them killed.

Note: I received an ARC copy of this from Entangled Teen via Netgalley. This in no way influences my opinion. 

I had seen this book floating around a little on Goodreads before I found it on Netgalley, so when I saw it, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved the cover and the premise sounded extremely promising because Whodunnits are absolutely my kind of thing. Overall, this book was a quick and relatively enjoyable read, with a few minor issues along the way.

The plot of this book was definitely fast paced. We knew who was being targeted, but we didn’t know why and by who. My guess as to who was doing it changed multiple times throughout the book and not one of my guesses was right – so kudos to the author for keeping me blind for so long! Whilst I enjoyed the plot ad playing the guessing game, I felt like the reasoning behind the murders was a bit lacking? I don’t feel that it kept up with the rest of the book and it felt a little anticlimactic after everything that had happened!

I also have mixed feelings about the characters. Whilst I liked our MC, she was definitely a little snotty in places (mostly to the younger Larks). However, I feel like the author tried to make Penelope out to be someone that she wasn’t. Whilst she was sometimes snotty to the juniors, I could understand her reasoning at the time, but the author then tried to make her out to the the Queen B – but her actions throughout the story never really indicated that she was really in that position. There was definitely a bit of a personality crisis in the middle of the book where the MC is concerned and I feel that definitely distracted from the story a bit.

I also felt that the interactions between the characters wasn’t always befitting that their relationship was supposed to be. We’re constantly reminded that Dani and Penelope are best friends, but its not really shown in a huge way that they are best friends throughout the book – more like reminded. They never really acted like best friends toward each other, more like casual friends. We are also told that, whilst they have their issues, Penelope was friends with Gretchen and Courtney, but their interactions also claim the opposite. They are pretty bitchy toward each other throughout the book, and this isn’t really resolved at the end even after the things that Penelope did for Courtney.

I did enjoy the slow build relationship between Penelope and Cass. They didn’t really liked or trust each other at the beginning and I loved the way that their relationship developed throughout the book. It wasn’t and insta love, or really a huge slow burn, but something more in the middle that is befitting of teenagers in high school. I enjoyed watching the relationship and how they overcame the issue of trust and struggling to really believe that the other isn’t the killer.

Having said that, I don’t feel that the secrets that Cass revealed throughout the book were all that shocking. I was expecting something huge and it just wasn’t? The secrets actually never really had a huge impact on the plot line itself because of who it turns out to be, so I feel these were added for a shock factor, which didn’t really deliver.

I did enjoy the )extremely) short chapters in between which were written from the killers perspective. They were written in such a way so that the identity was never revealed, which kept me guessing right up until the end. I enjoyed getting that little snippet throughout the book because it was refreshing reminder of the fact that the killer is there and watching.

I do, however, believe that the identity of the killer was a bit anticlimactic. We didn’t really get to see all that much of them throughout the book, so it was a bit of a ‘really?’ moment when they were revealed. It didn’t seem very realistic and we only got a very short explanation of why they were doing what they were doing. I would have much preferred It to have been someone we had been reading about from beginning to end, someone that I would have related to as a reader before finding out that they betrayed the characters and my trust. I feel that other characters would have been a more appropriate fit (just not the person that they suspected it to be) and would have ultimately led to a better ending if it had been someone different.

All in all, I have very mixed reviews about this book. Whilst it was mostly enjoyable, I had some issues with the characters and the overall ending of who did it and why. It is a quick and easy read, and I read this in one sitting! I gave this book 3/5 stars

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First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirrowy

First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirrowy

Published: July 25th 2017 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Amazon: First We Were IV

It started for pranks, fun, and forever memories.
A secret society – for the four of us.
The rules: Never lie. Never tell. Love each other.
We made the pledge and danced under the blood moon on the meteorite in the orchard. In the spot we found the dead girl five years earlier. And discovered the ancient drawings way before that.
Nothing could break the four of us apart – I thought.
But then, others wanted in. Our seaside town had secrets. History.
We wanted revenge.
We broke the rules. We lied. We told. We loved each other too much, not enough, and in ways we weren’t supposed to.
Our invention ratcheted out of control.
What started as a secret society, ended as justice. Revenge. Death. Rebellion.

I added this book to my TBR a while back, before its release, because it looked like something that would be right up my alley. I loved the premise and this was a highly anticipated read for me. Unfortunately, this book fell flat in a lot of ways for me and I ended up DNfing.

I loved the beginning of this book! It started out at the end, with one of them dead – we don’t know which one and we don’t know why or how it happened, just that it did. This immediately created an air of mystery and I just wanted to know what happened and how they got to that point. We find out about the dead girl not long after that and it added even more mystery because we never find out what happened to her at the time of her death. I was looking forward to seeing what had happened to the girl and why she ended up where she did.

However, this book fell off into a tangent it didn’t need to go in. It felt extremely long winded after that and it didn’t focus on the main points of the story – namely the murder. The creating of the secret society and what they were there to do etc. took too long and it felt like not even the characters really knew what direction they wanted to take with it.

I feel that, because the plot itself went off on a bit of a tangent, I struggled to pick this book up and really get into it. I often found myself putting it back down and doing other things because I didn’t feel like the book was going anywhere all that fast. The pacing of the book itself needed to be speeded up a little and something interesting needed to happen plot wise for me, as a reader, to remain invested in the story.

I also didn’t feel a connection to or between the characters. Whilst they were supposed to be best friends (and outsiders), I didn’t get the feeling that they were as close as they thought they were and the friendship between them often felt forced rather than natural. I personally didn’t feel a connection the characters, either, so it didn’t really bother me when things happened to them. I wasn’t emotionally invested in the characters themselves and, at the point of DNF, I didn’t really care which one of them died.

Whilst this book had a promising beginning, it definitely went off on a tangent and lost its way a bit – which is a shame because this was a highly anticipated read of mine! I gave this book 1.5/5 stars.

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You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston

You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston

Expected Publication: February 1st 2018 by Sourcebooks Fire

Amazon: You Will Be Mine

Book Depository

A YA thriller about a group of friends that starts receiving notes from a secret admirer whose words of adoration quickly become deadly.

Note: I Received an ARC of this book from Sourcebooks Fire via Netgalley. This in no way influences my opinion

For me, Natasha Preston became an author to look out for after reading The Cabin. It had me hooked from beginning to end and the ending was absolutely shocking. So when Sourcebooks uploaded this to Netgalley, I just had to read it! This book had me guessing throughout, but there were some things that I feel were a little unbelievable, considering the situation.

This book follows a group of six housemates at university as they begin to get notes and they start getting murdered. The police are trying to catch the culprit, but they don’t seem to be getting anywhere. I felt like this book was obvious in the sense of who it wasn’t. The characters had an idea of who they thought was the perpetrator from the very beginning and they often blamed this character for the events throughout the book – so obviously it wasn’t the character that they thought it was. I think I’ve been reading too many murder mysteries… I know the tricks of the trade… or the books.

Whilst I knew who it wasn’t, I had other suspects throughout the book. Both guesses turned out to be wrong and I only started getting an inkling of who it was going to be toward the end. The book left me guessing and I loved the way that the events were described and the ultimate ending and explanation that was given. I felt like the explanation was well thought out, but I would have liked to maybe have seen more of the relationship dynamic between the characters (I don’t want to spoil it) to really give weight behind the actions themselves.

I did feel like a lot of the actions of the characters were a bit unbelievable considering the circumstances. There was a lot going on with the murders etc. but the characters often acted pretty stupid and ultimately did things that were getting them hurt/murdered. Even after the first couple of times, they carried on acting stupid and it grated on my nerves.

I would have also liked to have seen more of the relationship dynamic between the character they believed were committing the murders and the rest of the housemates. I feel like flashbacks would have been a great tool to add to the book to help give it that extra bit of depth with the characters themselves and the readers.

Can we also just talk about that ending. I should have really guessed that an ending that shocking would have come from this author after reading The Cabin, but I forgot and it sprung on me. It has definitely left the future open for the characters and for the reader’s imagination to run wild on what could happen next. It was a great way to leave it as either a standalone or even as something the author could come back and visit in the future with a follow up book.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and the plot itself. I felt the murders were well planned out and the explanation was definitely fitting to the book itself. I absolutely loved the ending and would not be opposed to a second book! I gave this book 4/5 stars.

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One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. Mcmanus

One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

I was extremely excited about reading this book, but at the same time, I was worried that it was going to be a carbon copy of other books within this genre. I decided to listen to the audiobook whilst doing other things and I absolutely loved it! I was completely sucked in from the very beginning and I just had to know what was going to happen next.

This book starts at the detention that sets the ball rolling. We are not given much background information on any of the characters, other than the basics, which I quite like because the information came along throughout the book the further you read. There was absolutely no info dumping and it just flowed naturally, with secrets coming to light regularly and when the time was right.

I was left guessing throughout this whole book as to who maybe did what and, when is was finally revealed, I hadn’t even guessed at the theory! The various secrets that came to light, with the regularity of something new being revealed, kept me guessing and on my toes right up until the end. I liked the fact that the ending was not rushed and the pacing was kept even and quick throughout the book.

All of the characters had their own voices that stood out. The book is told through various POV’s (our MC’s) and each stood out on their own merit with their own personalities. I liked the take of each characters’ perspective on the events and how it was affecting them and the way in which they came together and started to stick together more. It brought about an unlikely friendship between characters who would usually have absolutely nothing to do with each other. There was one character (Jake) who boiled my blood every single time his name was mentioned. He was a complete Jerk to Addy and I just wanted to smack him every time his name was mentioned! I don’t want to give too much away because spoilers… but he is a character that just needed a bitch slap!

All in all, I absolutely loved this book and it kept me on my toes from beginning to end! I loved each and every one of these characters and the perspectives that they had. I gave this book 5/5 stars

S.T.A.G.S by M. A. Bennett

S.T.A.G.S by M. A. Bennett

Expected Publication: August 10th 2017 by Hot Key Books

Nine students. Three bloodsports. One deadly weekend.

A twisting thriller for fans of Looking for Alaska and The Hunger Games

It is the autumn term and Greer MacDonald is struggling to settle into the sixth form at the exclusive St. Aidan the Great boarding school, known to its privileged pupils as S.T.A.G.S. Just when she despairs of making friends Greer receives a mysterious invitation with three words embossed upon on it: huntin’ shootin’ fishin’. When Greer learns that the invitation is to spend the half term weekend at the country manor of Henry de Warlencourt, the most popular and wealthy boy at S.T.A.G.S., she is as surprised as she is flattered.

But when Greer joins the other chosen few at the ancient and sprawling Longcross Hall, she realises that Henry’s parents are not at home; the only adults present are a cohort of eerily compliant servants. The students are at the mercy of their capricious host, and, over the next three days, as the three bloodsports – hunting, shooting and fishing – become increasingly dark and twisted, Greer comes to the horrifying realisation that those being hunted are not wild game, but the very misfits Henry has brought with him from school…

Note: I received an ARC copy of this book from Hot Key Books via Netgalley. This in no way influences my opinion.

When I saw this book on Netgalley and read what it was about, I just had to request it. The blurb instantly drew me in and I love reading these twisty cat and mouse kind of books. However, whilst I was expecting to love it, I just didn’t. I feel like this book fell short in a lot of areas and I just did not enjoy myself as much as I thought I would reading this.

From the very first pages, we already know what is going to have happened by the end of the book, to who it is going to happen and who did the doing. This completely took away from the mystery surrounding the book and the blood sports and the people who we were meeting because I already knew what was going to happen. As soon as I got to know the characters a little more, the book became completely predictable and I really struggled to actually continue reading at times.

I also really struggled to like out MC, Greer. She won a scholarship to a prestigious, private school (there is only one scholarship given out per year to a student from a normal school) and I feel like she acted really really stupid throughout the whole book. Like, I literally wanted to reach into the book and smack some sense into her because there were some really obvious signs of stuff going on that she just completely missed. We are told about how intelligent she is etc. but I just wanted to shake her throughout most of the book. Even when she knew what was going on, she still questioned everything after a few words from Henry because he was “Oh so chamring” (this vibe about Henry not coming over to the reader at all). Again with the shaking.

The “Medievals” also all really bugged me. I don’t feel like any of their voices stood out and I wasn’t getting the vibe that I was supposed to be getting from Henry. I also feel like the ending didn’t fit with anything that we were told about them. I feel like they would have done other things or maybe sorted out the issue a different way.

A huge issue I had with this book was the ending. There was a new aspect added to the book about 85% of the way in that I feel wasn’t really explained very well and should have been introduced much earlier so that we could have gotten used to it being part of the story a bit earlier. The ending and the solution was pretty rushed and it was also left open in a way that could mean a book 2 is coming – but it was also ended in a way that I can’t see another book coming because of the ages of our MC’s. So, I’m confused, really.

I think the only aspect I really liked about this book was Shafeen – he was the smartest person there and thank goodness he was there because I probably would have DNFed this book without him. He was a no nonsense, save the day kind of guy, who wouldn’t have even been there if Greer hadn’t gone. Hey ho. I would have liked to have seen more of the ship that was setting sail in this book, because I don’t feel like I saw enough of them and the relationship/the way it grew to actually ship them, but it is a cute concept.

All in all, I was pretty disappointed with this book. I was expecting so much more, but I was left annoyed with the MC and wishing that the certain aspects of the plot had been revealed either later or earlier. I gave this book 2/5 stars.

Wicked Fallout by Kelly Charron

Wicked Fallout by Kelly Charron

Published: July 17th 2017 by Dark Arts Publishing

Convicted of six murders when she was just fifteen, the notorious Ryann Wilkanson hasn’t been able to act on her darkest, deadliest urges for twelve years. She’s exhausted her appeals and has little hope of ever getting out of prison and back to hunting.

Until a media-hungry legal team mounts a campaign to do the impossible—get her immediately released with a commuted sentence.

Forensic psychiatrist Nancy Clafin has mere weeks to evaluate Ryann’s current mental state against her grisly past to determine if she’s changed. But under the shadow of her own questionable history, it’s not easy to separate her personal life from her professional duty.

At least that’s what Ryann is counting on.

Behind the cold steel doors of a Colorado maximum-security prison, will Nancy find a cold-blooded killer or a newly redeemed woman determined to right her past wrongs?

Note: I received a copy of this from the author. This in no way influences my opinion.

When I checked my inbox to see that this had landed in it – I was so excited! I absolutely LOVED Pretty Wicked and I was so stoked to read this. This is the sequel to Pretty Wicked, but it can also be read as a standalone without reading PW first. However, I have mixed opinions about this book. I enjoyed the second half more than I did the first.

This book is set 12 years after the events of Pretty Wicked and follows Ryann further as she tries to get a commuted sentence for her crimes. What I enjoyed about this book was that we got 2 POVs – Ryanns and that of the Forensic Psychiatrist (Nancy) who has to determine whether Ryann has rehabilitated or not. I enjoyed watching the way that Ryann thought and acted and what Nancy was also thinking and whether she was believing what Ryann was saying to her etc. I definitely feel that Ryann has changed some from PW (I don’t want to give too many spoilers out) and it is interesting to see her thoughts and the way that she does certain things.

I think a big issue I had with this book was the fact that I felt like the first half was just rehashing the events of PW. I don’t feel like enough happened outside of that and there were times were I was feeling a little bored because I already knew what had happened. I did enjoy watching Nancy’s reaction to the way that Ryann was describing the events and whether or not Nancy was believing her.

The second half of the book definitely had me more gripped. I HAD to know whether Ryann’s sentence was going to be commuted or not – especially with the way our characters were around each other. I enjoyed the way that the drama unfolded in the prison with Ryann and the other inmates and the way that things got more and more heated the closer they got to making a decision about Ryann’s sentencing.

I would have liked to have seen various aspects of Nancy’s past shown in a little bit more detail. I feel like the issues that she had regarding members of her family were resolved a little too easily and quickly, whilst the other mistake that she made in her past (and still struggles to deal with) wasn’t shown enough. I would have liked to have known more about the case and the person etc.

The ending was AMAZING! It is very unclear right up until the very end what decision Nancy is going to make! I also love the way that things were left off! I am not sure whether there will be another book in the series, but the ending is definitely open to the possibility, or the reader is able to decide what is going to happen next themselves! If there is going to be another book, I am so on it! I absolutely have to know what the author would have in store for our characters next!

I think my favourite thing about this book is the way that the psychology of Ryann’s actions and the way she does things. There are not very many books that focus on the killer themselves, and those that I have read have nothing on this book. The psychology is so easy to get sucked into, with the reader feeling conflicted because you know that what Ryann has done and is doing is wrong, but you just have to know the way that she thinks and acts. It’s fascinating…

All in all, I had mixed opinions about this book. I definitely enjoyed the second half more than the first and I am excited at the idea of another book in this series! I gave this book 4/5 stars.

Pretty Wicked by Kelly Charron

Pretty Wicked by Kelly Charron

Expected Publication: September 30th 2016 by Dark Arts Publishing

The daughter of a local police detective, fifteen-year-old Ryann has spent most of her life studying how to pull off the most gruesome murders her small Colorado town has ever seen.

But killing is only part of it. Ryann enjoys being the reason the cops are frenzied. The one who makes the neighbors lock their doors and windows on a hot summer’s day. The one everyone fears but no one suspects. 

Carving out her own murderous legacy proves harder than she predicted. Mistakes start adding up. And with the police getting closer, and her own father becoming suspicious, Ryann has to prove once and for all that she’s smarter than anyone else—or she’ll pay the ultimate price. 

Written in a mature YA voice. Some graphic content.

Note: I received an ARC of this through Netgalley. This in no way influences my opinion.

When I saw this on Netgalley, I just had to request it! We often see books like this, but they are written from the perspectives of people who are being hunted, people who are on the outside etc. But never actually the killers themselves! It was interesting to see what the author did with this and which mentality she took for our favourite serial Killer here!

I think the most enjoyable thing about this book was the fact that it raised the question of Nature vs Nurture. Are we born evil or are we made evil? Our MC had a pretty good upbringing and home life, so our author took away the normal stereotypes we have for people who commit crimes such as these. We, as a society, are always looking to place the blame onto something – video games, violent films, terrible upbringing etc. But what about the people who don’t play video games, who don’t watch films like this… who have had a pretty normal and good upbringing? The author questioned this through the style of the book and the mentality of the MC and it was a great thing to watch!! The question really is, can we be born with the DNA of a killer?

What I also loved about this book was the fact that this wasn’t a mystery!! We knew all along who it was, but the others didn’t! It was like being in on a secret! For me, Ryann began to show the many traits of a serial killer – at least what we know about them!! She started off really well, and then became sloppy. She wanted the kill, and began to leave marks behind! She became jumpy etc – which, if you look at any other serial killer, is exactly what happens! I read once somewhere that serial killers want to be caught because they want the recognition of what they have done…

It was a really weird feeling, as a reader, to be inside the head of a character like this. It feels wrong. Which was another thing I really enjoyed about this book. As someone who doesn’t go around killing, I enjoyed reading and looking inside the psychology behind what it takes to be a serial killer, but at the same time, my mind was telling me to abort because the thought process behind it is abhorrent! I think any book that can create those kinds of feelings is just fantastic!

I think this book is definitely for the higher end of YA, with the kind of content that it has within it. While this kind of thing doesn’t actually disturb me, it may disturb others, especially younger readers – so its a good thing that this book comes with a warning!

I really enjoyed this book and apparently there is going to be a sequel, which should be interesting! I can’t imagine how the author is going to top that, so I guess we shall find out! I am definitely going to be buying a physical copy of this book to put on my shelf because I loved it! I can’t wait to read more from this author 🙂 I gave this book 5/5 stars!

Have you read this book? Would you read this book?

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With Malice by Eileen Cook

With Malice by Eileen Cook

Published: June 7th 2016 by HMH Books for Young Readers

It was the perfect trip…until it wasn’t.

Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital room, leg in a cast, stitches in her face and a big blank canvas where the last six weeks should be. She discovers she was involved in a fatal car accident while on a school trip in Italy. A trip she doesn’t even remember taking. She was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident…wasn’t an accident.

As the accident makes national headlines, Jill finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. It doesn’t help that the media is portraying her as a sociopath who killed her bubbly best friend, Simone, in a jealous rage. With the evidence mounting against her, there’s only one thing Jill knows for sure: She would never hurt Simone. But what really happened? Questioning who she can trust and what she’s capable of, Jill desperately tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.

Ok, so, I have had this book on my TBR for ages now. I was so stoked to finally get a copy because I was so excited to finally see what was going on with this premise. I had seen reviews about it being too much like Dangerous Girls, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. They were right. I should have listened! Whilst I did enjoy the book to some extent, there were a lot of things that were similar to Dangerous Girls, which was a major disappointment for me! I wanted unique! Anyway, here are some lists!

Likes:

• The beginning. Right from the very beginning, we are thrown into the events of what happened, with no actual knowledge of it. We know as much as the MC does and how much the MC family decides to disclose. The mystery of it all was what kept me hooked at the beginning.
• I liked the fact that the MC didn’t know anything that was happening because of the injuries she sustained. It was realistically done and this kind of thing does actually happen on a day to day basis.
• The use of Social media and the media in general was also pretty good. When something like this hits the news, people do tend to flock to social media to talk about what happened, whether it is good or bad. People also tend to be swayed pretty heavily by media itself, so whether they are spinning a good or bad light on the person involved, is generally the direction that comments on social media will take!
• The way in which it was written with interviews, news reports etc, interspersed between chapters was pretty interesting. We have the view from the MC and what she is hearing and getting on a day to day life basis and then we have it from the other side of people hitting social media, the media themselves and the police force and the people they are interviewing. It gave an extra insight into the characters from the opinions of the people who are supposed to know them because they taught them or they went to school with them etc. The extra insight helped to really get into the minds of the characters.

Dislikes:

• It was TOO much like Dangerous Girls. I don’t want to say too much… but the news reports, the way in which it happened in a country that is not the MC’s own, the doubt from people  around them, the way in which the case itself was built against the MC… even the ending was pretty similar! I was holding out hope that it would be something completely different, but it wasn’t… which was a shame! I don’t want a Dangerous Girls part two, I want something unique!
• The ending felt rushed. The explanation and the way in which it ended all happened way too fast. I think it could have may been stretched out from earlier on so that the build up was a little better. I felt like the build up toward to explanation was lacking and then I was info dumped by what had actually happened.
• Some of characters were really irritating! Like, the lawyer. Lawyers wouldn’t usually act like that (or so I would hope) so it felt a little unrealistic to me. HE was the kind of guy that constantly gets under your skin and you just want to punch him in the face. AS well as the father!
• It sometimes felt a little slow plot wise. I don’t know whether this was just me, but some parts were a little dry and I had to push myself through it!
• I wanted to see more from and about Nico! He was a majorly suspicious character for me and could have easily swinger around to him. I disliked him from the get go, but I still wanted more from him!

All in all, whilst I vaguely enjoyed this book, it was too much like Dangerous Girls for me to actually fully enjoy it. I was getting a watered down version of an amazing book where I wanted something unique and with its own story! I gave this book 2.5/5.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

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Dear Charlie by N. D. Gomes

Dear Charlie by N. D. Gomes

Expected Publication: October 20th 2016 by Mira Ink

Death should never meet the young. But it did. Thanks to my brother, death made fourteen new friends that day. Maybe even fifteen, if you count Charlie.

At sixteen, Sam Macmillan is supposed to be thinking about girls, homework and his upcoming application to music college, not picking up the pieces after the school shooting that his brother Charlie committed.

Yet as Sam desperately tries to hang on to the memories he has of his brother, the media storm surrounding their family threatens to destroy everything. And Sam has to question all he thought he knew about life, death, right and wrong.

Note: I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in return for an honest review. This in no way influences my opinion.

This book. I don’t even know where to begin with THIS BOOK!! I don’t know why I do this to myself. I always choose books which I know will make me blubber like a baby and feel all the feels and I go and read it anyway. I torture myself… in a good way. If you are looking for a hard hitting book that hits all of the general stereotypes about a school shooting on the head and then addresses the fact that it isn’t really the way it always appears to be, this would be it.

I loved the unique beginning of the book. It starts of in a letter format, which gives the reader an insight into the thoughts and feelings of Charlie’s brother, Sam. Charlie is now dead, but Sam is struggling to deal with what happened that day and why Charlie did what he did. At first I was worried that the entire book was going to be set in letter, form, but it wasn’t. I don’t want to say too much, but I definitely think that the letter at the beginning helped to highlight the changes and the transitions that the characters go through.

This book dealt with a really tough subject. There are quite a few books out there that look at and deal with the aftermath of a school shooting, but this is the first one that I have read that dealt with the family and what they had to go through in the wake of Charlie’s actions. I found myself rooting for the family to get through it and I was actually angry because the actions within this book of other people, is actually what happens in today’s society.

I think the book highlighted the fact that we are always looking for someone to blame extremely well. Someone always has to take the brunt of it, whether it was the actual person who did it or not. I lao think it highlighted extremely well the way in which the media has a role in swaying the masses. The media can make someone wither love you or hate you and they are always looking for their next victim, whether they are to blame or not.

I wanted to adopt Sam and put him in my little puddle of protection! I felt so sorry for him and I had a hard time dealing with his feelings!! That is how hard hitting this book is! I think I felt pretty much the same way that Sam did and I don’t even know what I would do if I was stuck in his position!

I also think the ending was perfect! I don’t want to give too much away, but I definitely think it helped to highlight the changes the entire family had to go through and the things they had to accept. I struggled with the ending, and it made me bawl my eyes out!! Like a baby. I was a blubbering mess!

I definitely recommend this book because it is so true to society on how we look at school shootings in the aftermath and how we treat the family of the perpetrator afterwards. It is hard hitting, it takes stereotypes and throws them out of the window!! I definitely think this book needs to be read by the masses!! I gave this book 5/5 stars.

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