This is Not a Test, by Courtney Summers Review

This is Not a Test (This is Not a Test #1), by Courtney Summers
Published On: June 19, 2012, by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Zombies, Dystopia
Pages: 326
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

Look—another zombie book has gone by… And I didn’t think of it as all as good. Now, play all of your sad music, call the police, and cry of sadness, because hey—I’m also surprised that Courtney Summers didn't really get me so excited with this one.

So for many years, I’ve been trying and trying to find the perfect 5-star zombie read for me. I really did have high hopes for this one—especially since it’s written by Courtney Summers, who in fact I’ve read many books from. And there’s positive reviews on this one all over the place. Actually, I’ve even seen this in my school library. So what’s the catch?

This is a lot like The Walking Dead. You know, it’s your annual zombie apocalypse and survival is key. Actually, it’s the end of the world, and this is thrown into the point of view of teenagers whose lives changed and switched by the second before they even saw it coming. Yeah, they had tons of stress on their hands before the apocalypse came, but now everything’s blurred out and it’ll never be the same again. Sloane Price is our main protagonist, whose world has collapsed and she’s trying to forget about it—but this is her real chance to. 

I just don't even feel like putting myself in the characters’ shoes. You know, I’m not really much of a risk-taker in terms of survival and sacrificing yourself to some zombie kind, but I didn’t really find the characters to be strong in this situation. I normally would’ve pointed that out later in the review, but I just wanted to get things straight here. Sloane and the rest of the crew were people coming out of the impossible. Like honestly, too many bad things were happening to each of them that I began to question this book on how believable the story was. It was dystopian—like isn’t that so bland? Of course we all have some predictions for the future, and this is just a plain old zombie apocalypse when the whole world saw it coming.

If you look back onto other books where these things are happening in present day or in the past, now that’s some action. But I’m questioning the author on why she decided to push this into the future when it’s expecting? Why not create a shock for the characters and the audience and just add the event in on a random day where everyone’s not feeling it? 

The story itself was just a meh for me. Like, it wasn’t anything above and beyond, and it wasn’t anything hideous, either. It was just some regular story that I didn't find my feels exploding all over the place, but I sure do like the survival aspect of it all. There were some key messages of friendship and all of those things, especially anything can happen when you don’t see it coming. I guess that’s why we’ve got to be ready and ahead for these sorts of situations? 

Afterwards, I guess we can all say that the romance saved it all. The romance is what kept Sloane together from breaking apart. Before the massacre began, we had a broken-up teenager who didn't know what to do with herself, and afterwards, she became stronger and more knowing of life. She didn’t realize that the choice of life and death was upon her, though. And to be honest, this wasn’t a real memorable read. I don’t even remember the names of the other characters which does show that it didn’t mean much to me, but I can say that I’ve experienced it in one way or another, right?

The thing is, this isn't a full-out horror story. The zombies were hardly there, and we didn't have a main appearance of them until the end. Sloane did give us an okay showing of them and background story, but it’s not like their guts were flying all over the place, killing and scarfing down remains of humans. Okay, I’m sorry that I’ve given you a gory description, haha.

In the end, I’m really glad that this was a standalone. WAIT, IT’S NOT? Nope, people. Watch this become a trilogy. And what I can say is that the ending would’ve been fine to just stay as a standalone. But whatever, I guess. For a 3 star, I wouldn’t waste much of my time to read the sequel anyway and still feel all “meh-ed” out. This could be the book for you. especially if you enjoyed something like Alice in Zombieland.

Contemporary Duo Reviews #1: My Beautiful Failure + Beauty of the Broken

My Beautiful Failure, by Janet Ruth Young
Published On: November 12, 2013, by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Suicide
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Rating: ½

The haunting account of a teen boy who volunteers at a suicide hotline and falls for a troubled caller.
As her life spirals out of control, Jenney’s calls become more desperate, more frequent. Billy, struggling with the deteriorating relationship with his depressed father, is the only one who understands. Through her pain, he sees hope. Through her tears, he feels her heart. And through her despair, he finds love. But is that enough?
Acclaimed author Janet Ruth Young has written a stunning and powerful story with no easy answers; it is about pain and heartbreak, reality and illusion, and finding redemption and the strength to forgive in the darkest of times. 
 

What’s outrageously hilarious here is that I’m sitting here, dying of laughter while I’m writing this. I ACTUALLY LOVED THIS BOOK! *kisses the floor because of love* The thing is—you cannot even imagine how afraid I was to pick this up. I honestly expected so much worse. I was ready for dazing, daydreaming and procrastinating, anything to get me away from reading this book. But then, little did I know back then that I would finish the book in one short sitting, and that I’ll be sitting here, writing a positive review.

You see, when I read really good books, I’m not able to concentrate on anything else until I finish that book. This book started off amazing from the first page, but not as amazing as it turned out until the end. I sat there face-palming myself, over and over again, feeling mental and crazy because I was so rude to this book. YES, THEY HAVE FEELINGS, OKAY? 

This book gave me a crazy amount of feels. I shipped, my ship sunk, and I cried.

I honestly wish that I was able to somehow film myself while reading this book and then post it onto here. I barely moved while reading, and I made such weird face expressions, as I remember. There were so many times when I was patting my heart, or where I was frowning. Like really, WHAT BOOK DOES THAT TO YOU? Let me tell you, only the keepers, my friends. 

My Beautiful Failure was… exactly what I was hoping and praying for. It was so beautiful, and heart-breaking and crashing and shattering all at the same time. It was the cutest thing that you can ever imagine in a darker contemporary, and it dealt with such modern issues that many teens are sadly going through today. And plus, where did that idea of a suicide hotline worker come from? THAT WAS BRILLIANT, LET ME TELL YOU.

And for once, we have a love story with two broken people. Both Billy and Jenney were both struggling, with two different stories from behind. And to really understand how they both clicked and connected, you have to read in between the lines. In many ways, they both cured and helped each other, when no one else could have.

 It all began with a call… And then another, and another. 

Billy is almost teared apart. Everyday when he comes home, his depressed father is getting closer and closer to the point where he won’t be able to take himself as a person. He’s strongly depressed, and as Billy sees this happening to the person who was there for him from the start, he also begins to not be able to take it. To keep himself busy from paying attention, he volunteers at a suicide hotline, where he feels like he may not be able to stand to not help someone who wants to commit suicide. His first few calls go okay, and he’s nervous, as expected. One of the next callers is Jenney, a girl who has went through so much in her life, including abuse and psychotic hating parents. Everyday, her calls become more frequent and needy, and as they communicate more, Billy finds that he’s falling for the girl who can only understand him, and as he is the same back to her.

This book was the cutest thing ever. The storyline is so deep and dark, all at the same time. There’s such a large bursting message that is popping out at us throughout reading the whole time, and I feel like I need more from Janet Ruth Young—master of contemporary literature for mature audiences. But really, you can have a young soul and still have to deal with such horrid things, as Jenney did. It really tears a hole in my heart as I’m not able to expect anything else. 

Didn’t I already mention that this concept is the most beautiful thing ever? It was fitted out and sculpted and written to perfection, every single bit of it. Every word was like a new breath from a baby when it’s brought into the real world. 

As I began reading, everything wasn’t as clear as it became to be when Billy joined the hotline. I had a few mishaps with confusion, but as the story unfolded, a sunrise came out and the water turned crystal clear. After that, there was no looking back and I wasn’t able to live without knowing what would happen and how everything would turn out. The writing was powerful, moving, and heart-tearing, at the same time. As watching the characters becoming more and more experienced with each other, I got goosebumps and shivers all over. This really shows how issues can be solved and turned into something healing and stressless.

But when you read and really listen to Billy and Jenney’s story, you feel for them, you don’t feel guilt, but you feel sadness and sorrow. They were such gorgeous and amazing characters, I didn’t have enough of them and their strong voices. Billy was like the therapist, but inside, he had his own personal issues. But at the same time, you realize how much he cares about the people he loves. Just, look at his dad and Jenney. He did everything for them, and in the end….

I was done, and so was he. THE ENDING HIT ME SO HARD. I just am still not able to let it go and realize that it’s all over. *sighs*

I cried, I literally died of sadness, but I’m sitting here smiling from head to toe. I see everything differently now, and I’m surely am not going to forget about this gorgeous story. It was all there, and I didn’t ever have enough. Beautiful characters + a gorgeous story and concept = a Happy Michelle. What else can we ask for? A Beautiful Failure? Yep.

Beauty of the Broken, by Tawni Waters
Published On: September 30, 2014, by Simon Pulse
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

In this lyrical, heartwrenching story about a forbidden first love, a teen seeks the courage to care for another girl despite her small town’s bigotry and her father’s violent threats.
Growing up in conservative small-town New Mexico, fifteen-year-old Mara was never given the choice to be different. Her parents—an abusive, close-minded father and a detached alcoholic mother—raised Mara to be like all the other girls in Barnaby: God-fearing, churchgoing, and straight. Mara wants nothing to do with any of it. She feels most at home with her best friend and older brother, Iggy, but Iggy hasn’t been the same since their father beat him and put him in the hospital with a concussion.
As Mara’s mother feeds her denial with bourbon and Iggy struggles with his own demons, Mara finds an escape with her classmate Xylia. A San Francisco transplant, Xylia is everything Mara dreams of being: free-spirited, open, wild. The closer Mara and Xylia become, the more Mara feels for her—even though their growing relationship is very much forbidden in Barnaby. Just as Mara begins to live a life she’s only imagined, the girls’ secret is threatened with exposure and Mara’s world is thrown into chaos.
Mara knows she can't live without Xylia, but can she live with an entire town who believes she is an abomination worse than the gravest sin?

    Guess what? After reading this book, I can see the truth in everything. Broken-down contemporaries are simply the best, especially since the message behind them are so strong and gorgeous. Beauty of the Broken was a read that was absolutely fulfilled with all of those priceless elements that are found in a book, bound to make the reader wanting more.

“She lives through us, my momma. We’re her chance to make up for the life she lost when she got married. People say that you only live once, but that’s not quite true. You can live two, three, or even four times, depending on how many kids you have. It irritates me suddenly, like a mosquito buzzing my brain, the way my momma’s trying to steal my life away.” 

This book was so fucking sad. I can easily say that it’s one of the saddest and most heart-breaking thing I’ve read this year. MY FEELS WERE TEARED APART and by the end, they were teared and ripped apart even more. During this book, there was no time indeed for recovery and for better. I cried, I got pissed—my feelings were all over the place. And that incredibly shows that the author, Tawni Waters, is a fantastic writer and can captivate readers in a snap.

What I’m trying to say here is that if you hate crying in books or getting depressed and sad, then you should run away, right now. But I really don’t recommend you doing that, because this book was SO GOOD!

A gorgeous brother-sister bond was present all throughout.

Stereotypically, you’d expect the big brother to protect the sister from the darkness and wonders of the world. It’s always known for that to happen, no matter what book or movie you read or watch. But in this book, it was the opposite, and that stood out for me. But throughout the whole book, both Mara and Iggy completed each other, and wouldn’t make it through the world without each other.

So really, that was the romance of the book, except the true love wasn’t incest. This simply was such a strong bond and friendship between the two, when they both were living in unloving and horrible conditions in their family. Iggy, Mara’s brother, got abused by their father, and there was no way out of it. Their mother felt bad, but she couldn’t do anything about it since the father had such an overpower all over everyone. 

Picture the dad as a ferocious grizzly bear. Iggy’s the little fawn, but he gets picked on repeatedly instead. Mara was the little rabbit, spying in the corner, leading the fawn to safety. And the mother was a tree, just standing there. That was Mara’s bigoted family.

Now, as I explained the characters to you, you can probably already suspect what was happening in the book. Tawni Waters dealt with such sad subjects, but in the end, they were such huge messages that slammed onto us and stuck with us. I still hear Mara’s whimpers in my head, as her character is in my heart all the time. That kind of writing is absolutely memorable. They were all dealing with their own personal demons, and at the same time, Mara didn’t know who she was.

DON’T YOU DARE ROLL YOUR EYES, PEOPLE! Mara didn’t know ‘who she was’ because she wasn’t straight. She had feelings for a girl named Xylia, but for her to like her was forbidden in her small town. Their town was full of bigotries who thought that these types of behaviour was reckless and wrong to God. 

As I was reading, I was wondering if things could get any worse for Mara and her brother. And of course, they did. I was really captivated from this story from the start, as I kept wondering what would happen, and I was left wrong every single time. 

What I didn’t like so much was the ending, although it was tearing my heart to shreds. Poor Mara didn’t deserve to happen. Everything was GOING GREAT FOR HER… AND THEN THAT. I’m sorry guys, I’m raging a little too much today. But it’s just so… agonizing to even think about. WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYYYYY. 

After reading, I felt like I needed to see a therapist because of my sorrow and injustice that was going on in the book. This is such a depressing but fantastic read. It’s mainly quick, but the meaning was so strong and a more in-between-the-lines thing. I absolutely recommend this if you’re looking for a read with strong but hurt characters. Because of its broken beauty, this will probably make your day. Just remember that’s it’s not perfect, but dangerous instead.

Poor Little Dead Girls, by Lizzie Friend Review

Poor Little Dead Girls, by Lizzie Friend
Published On: November 29, 2013, by Merit Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller/Mystery
Pages: 285
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Perfect people aren't just born. They're made.
The first time she is blindfolded and kidnapped, star-athlete and posh boarding school newbie Sadie is terrified. She wakes up in a dark room surrounded by hushed whispers, hooded strangers, and a mysterious voice whispering not-so-sweet nothings in her ear. 
But once the robes come off, she realizes it’s just an elaborate prank designed to induct her into the group that’s been pulling the strings at Keating Hall for generations. The circle has it all--incredible connections; fabulous parties; and, of course, an in with the brother society’s gorgeous pledges. 
The instant popularity is enough to make Sadie forget about the unexplained marks on her body, the creepy ceremonial rituals, and the incident that befell one of her teammates the year before. So the next time Sadie is kidnapped, she isn’t scared, but she should be. The worst of Keating Hall is yet to come.

 
   For years and years, I’ve always been a fan of those hardcore mysteries that are so unexpected and absurd at the same time. Of course, when I was a little girl, Nancy Drew was my favourite series and sort of books for a long time. I guess now, as I’m reading more mystery books more often, my love for them never faded away. Plus, this was one of those Private-like stories that come upon in boarding schools where girls don’t really have a say to run to the police station or wherever.

Poor Little Dead Girls captivated me from the first strand—from the first time I laid my peculiar (just kidding) eyes on its cover. 

It’s very much like Pretty Little Liars mixed with Private, by Kate Brian.

For a short 285-paged novel, I felt like I was reading one of those absurd stories that you read on the news and where you feel afraid, even for your own life. You’ll end up looking out your window before you go to bed, staring and lurking for someone/something strange to your eyes, and you’ll be so afraid that you won’t be able to fall asleep. Okay, I’m overly exaggerating it a little too much. But you get the point.

Is kidnapping that frequent in boarding schools? Hah, because every time I seem to be reading a book about one of those preppy perfect blonde girls (stereotypically, to be honest) I find that one of them gets kidnapped and the whole story begins to revolve around that. This was Sadie’s case, in this story. 

Before I hand you my little summary, I just want to note that this is not a paranormal-related book whatsoever. I was dumb and naive, and I totally fell for the “scary scratches” stuff and imagined some blood flesh-eating monster who is after all of these “perfect chicks.” NOPE. This is your typical mystery, and there was nothing supernatural about the whole situation. Because really, who believes Goodreads and its saying of genres? *laughs*

Aw—poor little dead girls. The title fits this whole story. So of course, there’s the new girl—Sadie. She’s honestly everything you expect from some rich stereotypically preppy kid that we mostly find in a ton of books. She’s a trihard. (Funny thing is that it keeps spell-checking to thyroid–maybe there’s something else we don’t know about her?) She’s such a butt-licker to everyone around her. She’s annoying, bitchy, and naive. She’s really so stupid that she got kidnapped and wakes up in some dark room surrounded by whispers and strangers. Sure, things happen, but it happens again. This time, Sadie thinks that she’s too popular and confident to think that this is a trap or something bad’s bound to happen. Of course, when you “have it all,” you don’t worry about anything, right?

What probably took out more than 1 star from 5 stars for me was this bitchy protagonist we had named Sadie. First of all, not to be stereotypical or anything (which I find that I very am with this book), but most protagonists in boarding school mysteries are bitchy and gross. So why did I expect any better from her? 

She was dumb, she was wicked, and she was a witch.

“She woke up feeling as if she had barely slept, her head pounding like her skull was suddenly two sizes too small. She felt like she was emerging from a bad dream, or from one of those drunken nights on TV where all the actor has left is a bunch of blurry flashes with nothing to connect them.”

Phew, now that we got all of that handled… let’s talk about the story, and what really happened to these ugly characters.

I honestly can say that this was majorly predictable, for most of the time. I could totally see this all happening in some big-shot university or college where nothing rarely happens. This was like one of those strange mysteries happen that are so easy to solve, but no one will ever come near to, when the answer is right there. 

I started off with low expectations—much lower than what we’ve got over here. Without finding this at the library, I would’ve never heard of it, since there’s not a bunch of buzz and rave. I guess I now understand why—it is more of a meh, but quick read for people who decide to. No one’s necessarily noting that you need to read this book in order to continue living your fabulous life—but it’s there if you decide to read something quick to find out your thoughts. 

As I was reading, I was motionless and sat there with a straight-on poker face. There were NO feels or details, or depth. Don’t expect to sit there with rage, or happiness, or fear. There was nothing, nada, while reading. If this was a 400-paged book, I probably wouldn’t have gone on and read it all. 

The way the book ended was something special, to be honest. I never really saw it coming, and my prediction for the way it would hit me wasn’t even close. The secret spy society and dark setting it had in the background truly and surely was captivating, and I felt very urged to see what would happen next in the future of the characters’ lives.

What I wanted more of the most? DEATH AND SCARINESS. The author did a great job at the romance keeping—as it was barely there and it absolutely didn’t need to be, for once. No insta-love or love triangles were present, haha. Why not portray the mystery to another darker level? Add some psychopathic behaviour and there, we’ve got passion.

You may feel like I was ranting for more than half of the review, but the negativity that I’ve claimed to see was strong, but it didn’t effect my feeling too much. Overall, this book was not bad. It was okay, in that matter and it was just a simple but tiny bit darker than I expected, for a good thing. The protagonist sucked, but the story was not bad at all. I’d say give this a shot if you adored Private by Kate Brian, or PLL. 

Indelible by Dawn Metcalf Review

Indelible (The Twixt #1), by Dawn Metcalf
Published On: July 30, 2013, by Harlequin Teen
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Paranormal
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Rating: ½

Some things are permanent.
Indelible.
And they cannot be changed back.
Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room—right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world—a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same.
Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink’s chosen one—his helper, his love, his something for the foreseeable future...and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes.
Somewhere between reality and myth lies…

DNF @ 230-260 pages?

      Meh. Bum bum bummmm. Bleh. I don't know any other words on how to explain my feelings towards this book. Another DNF? Ugh I don't really feel like getting there.

         Okay, I don't really get sweaty or those kind of things when I'm bummed. But hey—this did thoroughly ruin my mood for a couple of hours... days. And I know that I'm not the only one who thought of this.

          Indelible was something that I really wanted to like and enjoy, honestly. I was waiting to finally read that perfect paranormal romance, and then it all collapsed. The world was confusing, annoying, and just typically strange. It was like a trihard version of City of Bones, one of my favourite books of all-time. 

         The surprising way that I discovered this novel was through its sequel, Invisible. One day during the summer, I was on Netgalley (obviously requesting books) when I came upon the sequel. I didn't request it since it had a book before it, and then I decided to find this book and check it out. Thank goodness that I didn't request the sequel—or else I'd seriously lose my mind.

          WHAT WAS THIS BOOK EVEN ABOUT? The Sight? The Twixt? Ink? What the heck are these things? Even after reading more than 200 pages, I still haven't caught on any of these things and their purposes. This book's "world" was probably one of the most disorganized settings and concepts that I've ever read to this date. The only thing I can say is that Joy was depressed and trying to feel free in her life and reality, and then she saw a stranger in her room which changed her life.

           For more than half of the time while I read this, I was struggling. I couldn't keep my patience going. I felt like I was sitting there, on my couch, reading for five years. Now I've realized what it takes to read a book for a long time, since I'm not really used to that stuff.

             I've been confused and abused with this book. I'm sorry, but the only way I can describe the plot to you is through my anger, haha. Like—I feel that this book was such a knockoff and a mix of so many of my favourites. Now you're probably thinking: Wouldn't and shouldn't you be happy to read something of your past liking? NO. I'm not, haha. Tiger's Curse, City of Bones, this book is like a copy. And those came out way before this one. 

              As I was confused for 75% of the time during the time that I was reading this, I don't even want to comment on the concept, except for the matter: What is this theory that is so frequently revolved about over and over again? What does this world have to do with Joy? I feel like I'm either too dumb, or that this was just mumbo jumbo the whole time.

              As for the plot, it was lacking depth and detail. Those two elements probably would've gotten us to understand what was happening and why. The only good thing about this book was that it was really good for 85 pages, let's say. After that, it lost its contact with me, and I felt like the whole book disappeared, in that matter.

               Was that the only positive thing? Probably, as well as Joy. Joy was a great heroine who had a lot of potential to become strong and a perfect character for a lot of paranormal/dystopian stories. She could've been that perfect role model, but as the book got even more boring and confusing by the second, I guess you can say that I lost my interest in her and her life. And really, let's not even get started with the romance stuff.

   You know, I really hoped for so many more amazing things to happen with this book. I decided to go against most reviews and go for it, but hey, let me just join the "Indelible Hate Club" right now as we're at it. The book was so confusing, and an absolute bore for most of the time. Come on people, there are many better paranormal books out there!

The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher Review

The Killing Woods, by Lucy Christopher
Published On: January 7, 2014, by Chicken House
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery/Murder/Thriller
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Fatal attraction, primal fear, survival in the forest: From the author of the Printz Honor Book STOLEN, the highly anticipated thriller about deadly games played in the dark.
Ashlee Parker is dead, and Emily Shepherd's dad is accused of the crime. A former soldier suffering from PTSD, he emerges from the woods carrying the girl's broken body. "Gone," he says, then retreats into silence.
What really happened that wild night? Emily knows in her bones that her father is innocent -- isn't he? Before he's convicted, she's got to find out the truth. Does Damon Hilary, Ashlee's charismatic boyfriend, have the answers? Or is he only playing games with her -- the kinds of games that can kill?

   

        The funny thing in this situation is that I extremely have held off of writing this review. It's honestly been more than two weeks since I finished this, and I've found that I keep on moving it, haha. It's not that I'm speechless or wordless, it's just that this was so different and stranger than what I expected.

         If I saw that I was going to read this book before Stolen one year ago, I wouldn't have believed it. I've heard so many positive things on Stolen, and I've been dying to pick it up ever since. And then, I found this and borrowed it from the library. 

         Now, from what I believe, this is probably the most unique mystery/murder story that I've read about for a long time now. Lucy Christopher has decided to deal with such sudden concepts all together (especially PTSD). After reading, I definitely can say that I came aware of my surroundings more and news stories that had to do with these subjects.

          This story was good. Now, I'm using the simple word: good, especially because it was just okay. Nothing special happened that made me want to rip my hair out, out of happiness or plain anger. This just was a simple story with a good concept that wasn't taken too far, as it should've been paid more attention to.

              WHAT WOULD YOU DO? That actually was the main question that I kept asking myself while reading. Now, you may be thinking: You, miss, are pretty absurd for asking yourself these odd questions—but don't blame me, if you read this, you'll find the need to question yourself and the story. What would you do if someone in your family is blamed for something they say they didn't do?

                I'd die of sadness and depression. In a way, I do feel like giving Emily Shepherd a pretty large high-five here. She was strong for her own self, and she did take this situation in a mature matter. But in a way, she was used to this feeling since her father has had PTSD, which strikes families in many horrible ways. It can totally collapse a family, right? Emily's dad is accused of killing a girl who was literally perfect. At least, there was a guy who cared about her, right? He tried to get back at Emily. And then, games begun...

                 The concept was great, but as I began reading, I felt all "meh" and didn't really care to go on reading. To be honest, I almost DNF-ed it, until the middle got better. There were a few heart-racing moments, and I totally wanted to find out what would happen by the end. Overall, the actual plot and storyline was nothing special.

              Emily was a little weak, but I guess if you put yourself in her situation, you'd understand. It is probably so difficult to be in her situation—imagining that what if's and all of that. But you can't lie and say that she wasn't a boring person. If we put in Tris from Divergent, then that would surely be something all right. :)

               Now you're asking: was there romance? I really don't know how to classify it. Sure, there were a few hints, but I mostly saw it as fake and abuse.    

       This book mainly focused on the crime's effects. There was a lot of confusion since there weren't a lot of details, but this simply was just too simple for my liking. If you enjoy a lot of action and awesomeness, then run away. This was a half-half read of good and bad, for me.