The Avid Reader

Book Review: Before We Met by Lucie Whitehouse

Published: January 2014

Source: I received an e-copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

GoodReads Summary: 

Hannah, independent, headstrong, and determined not to follow in the footsteps of her bitterly divorced mother, has always avoided commitment. But one hot New York summer she meets Mark Reilly, a fellow Brit, and is swept up in a love affair that changes all her ideas about what marriage might mean.

Now, living in their elegant, expensive London townhouse and adored by her fantastically successful husband, she knows she was right to let down her guard. 

But when Mark does not return from a business trip to the U.S. and when the hours of waiting for him stretch into days, the foundations of Hannah’s certainty begin to crack. Why do Mark’s colleagues believe he has gone to Paris not America? Why is there no record of him at his hotel? And who is the mysterious woman who has been telephoning him over the last few weeks? 

Hannah begins to dig into her husband’s life, uncovering revelations that throw into doubt everything she has ever believed about him. As her investigation leads her away from their fairytale romance into a place of violence and fear she must decide whether the secrets Mark has been keeping are designed to protect him or protect her...

My Thoughts:

In a nutshell: I liked this well enough, but for me personally, this book was great in theory but fell just a little short in terms of execution.

As soon as I saw this on NetGalley, I rushed to request a copy. I loved the concept, and I connected with Hannah right away in spite of having very little in common with her. I was drawn in immediately, and I read the first two thirds of the book in one sitting. 

However.

A large part of the suspense component of this book lies in trying to decide whether or not Mark could be trusted, and for me, that just wasn't really up for debate. I made up my mind about Mark really early on, and I really never wavered in my opinion. I still enjoyed the book quite a bit, and I was very absorbed while reading it. I just felt like the tension could have been racheted up quite a bit if it had been a little harder to get a good read on Mark. I also felt that the ending was a bit abrupt, although I did like certain aspects of it.

I feel like I'm very up and down in this review, but I honestly did enjoy this and I'm sure the average reader of suspense would too.

As someone who has been with my husband for eight years and married for three, I find myself equal parts fascinated and horrified by these twisted tales of people who are suddenly forced to question just how much they really know about the people they've chosen to spend their lives with (says the girl with a serious Investigation Discovery problem). Definitely makes for a chilling story!

In browsing through descriptions of Whitehouse' other books, I'm actually pretty intrigued by the concept for The House at Midnight, so I think I will give that book a try before making up my mind about this author. 

Have you read this one? Did you feel like you had Mark pegged pretty early on?

I'm really into psychological thrillers lately! I think something about this time of year really lends itself to creepy, suspenseful reads.

I'd love some recommendations! 

After: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

Published: October 2012

Source: I purchased this book from Amazon.

GoodReads Summary:

If the melt-down, flood, plague, the third World War, new Ice Age, Rapture, alien invasion, clamp-down, meteor, or something else entirely hit today, what would tomorrow look like? Some of the biggest names in YA and adult literature answer that very question in this short story anthology, each story exploring the lives of teen protagonists raised in catastrophe’s wake—whether set in the days after the change, or decades far in the future. 

New York Times bestselling authors Gregory Maguire, Garth Nix, Susan Beth Pfeffer, Carrie Ryan, Beth Revis, and Jane Yolen are among the many popular and award-winning storytellers lending their talents to this original and spellbinding anthology. 

My Thoughts:

I'm torn on an overall rating for this collection because it's far more polarized than I usually tend to find these anthologies. I'm really into dystopian literature, so naturally I love the theme of the anthology, and there were quite a few stories that I really loved, but there were also several that just didn't do it for me at all. 

As I usually do when reviewing short story collections, I will be skipping story summaries and just offering my brief thoughts on each story.

The Segment by Genevieve Valentine

This story was a great start to this anthology. It is a truly bleak and depressing world the author has envisioned, and I felt for the main character immediately. This one kept me on my toes, in the best way. Great tension. 

After the Cure by Carrie Ryan

Loved this. I was really surprised that this story had nothing to do with The Forest of Hands and Teeth (which I love) but it was so nice to read something really different by Carrie Ryan. This story was beautifully written and perfect for this collection.

Valedictorian by N. K. Jemisin

Fantastic. I connected with the main character immediately, I was completely horrified by the world she found herself in, and I would love to read about whatever comes next for her.

Visiting Nelson by Katherine Langrish

I'm middle of the road on this one... It was mostly good but not great for me, but there were certain aspects that I really enjoyed, as well as one really successful creepy moment. 

All I Know of Freedom by Carol Emshwiller

I enjoyed this story well enough, though I kept worrying about the fate of the dog, and I found that somewhat distracting. Kitten sadness. :( There was some good stuff here but I didn't love it. 

The Other Elder by Beth Revis

This story frustrated me the moment I saw the title, just because I love Beth Revis, and I love Across the Universe, but when am I going to get to read something new and different by her? I skipped this one out of frustration, so I'm not giving it a rating.

 

The Great Game at the End of the World by Matthew Kressel

This story was so freaking bizarre, and I definitely think it's a love it or hate it kind of weirdness, but I loved it. Some nice poignant moments between family members in this one. 

Reunion by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This was a really interesting take on the topic, and I liked that it was so different. I completely despised the mother, but I thought the story was great. 

Blood Drive by Jeffrey Ford

I know the point of this anthology is to examine what happens "after", but I wish this story provided just a bit of backstory. It was so bizarre to think of a high school where students are armed and have such a careless attitude about guns. I enjoyed the story but I kept finding myself distracted from what was happening because I was obsessing over what might have led to this kind of reality.

Reality Girl by Richard Bowes

I liked aspects of this story, but I kept finding myself tempted to skim parts of it. Not one of my favorites.

How Th'irth Wint Rong by Hapless Joey @ Homeskool.guv by Gregory Maguire

This story is so hard to review, because ohhhhhh my goddddd, the dialect made me insane. I physically recoiled a bit when I read the title, and I really had to work hard to get into this one. However. The payoff was great, and I ended up really glad that I had persevered.

Rust with Wings by Steven Gould

I liked this one quite a bit as I read it. The dystopian setting wasn't quite as high stakes or as horrifying as some of the other stories, but it was a good read.

Faint Heart by Sarah Rees Brennan

This *might* be my favorite story in this collection. I will definitely be seeking out more of the author's work. This was like a dystopian fairy tale. Great characters, fantastic premise. I loved everything about this one. 

The Easthound by Nalo Hopkinson

This was chilling and emotional and just really skilled, from start to finish. The writing is incredibly precise; every word is carefully chosen and important to the story. 

Gray by Jane Yolen 

This was a really short poem. It didn't do much for me, and I really didn't feel like it fit in this anthology. It was too short to accomplish much of anything. 

Before by Carolyn Dunn

I wish this was longer, and I liked the beginning the best. It started out deliciously creepy and tense and kind of petered out. Around this point the anthology started going downhill for me.

Fake Plastic Trees by Caitlin R. Kiernan

This one completely lost my interest about a third of the way through, and I let myself skip the rest of it. I couldn't connect with the main character at all and I did not enjoy the random capitalization of IMPORTANT WORDS like THE GOO. It felt jarring and every time it happened I felt very irritated. Since I didn't finish the story, I'm not going to give it a rating.

 

You Won't Feel a Thing by Garth Nix

I liked this one quite a bit - it was dark and sad and really different. I think the author has at least one book set in this world, so I might check that out at some point.

The Marker by Cecil Castellucci

I wasn't sure about this story at first, but I ended up enjoying it. This dystopian world was especially frightening because it felt completely possible. 

I struggled to settle on an overall rating for this collection, because for me there were a lot of highs and a lot of lows. In the end, I'm going 3.5, because the stories that were great were really great. 

Book Review: Surrounded by Sharks by Michael Northrop

Published: May 2014

Source: I purchased an e-copy of this book from Amazon.

GoodReads Summary:

A thrilling survival story from Michael Northrop, the acclaimed author of TRAPPED.

He couldn't sleep. That's how it all started.

When Davey wakes, just as the sun is rising, he can't wait to slip out of the crammed hotel room he's sharing with his family. Leave it to his parents and kid brother to waste an entire day of vacation sleeping in! Davey heads straight for the beach, book and glasses in hand, not bothering to leave a note. As the sparkling ocean entices him, he decides to test the water, never mind that "No Swimming" sign. But as the waves pull him farther from shore, Davey finds himself surrounded by water -- and something else, too. Something circling below the surface, watching, waiting. It's just a matter of time.

My Thoughts:

I have a major shark phobia (I do not swim in the ocean, ever) but perversely, I love books and movies about sharks. I'm always looking for the next Jaws. (I'm also always looking for the next Jurassic Park, but that's a story for another post.) (But hit me up with awesome dinosaur book recommendations!) I'm also a little bit in love with Florida (where this story is set). So as soon as I saw this title while browsing Kindke books, I snatched it up. 

And! I really enjoyed this book. My only "complaint" (and I use that term loosely) is that I keep seeing it shelved on GoodReads as a Young Adult novel, but the main character is 13 and to me it read more Middle Grade. As such, it skewed a bit younger than I was expecting, and that was a little disappointing.

But. Overall, it was honestly a really good read. I very much enjoyed the survival aspects and there was great use of tension throughout the story. I connected with Davey immediately and I was genuinely worried for him. Even though he spends so much of the story floating out in deep water, I was never bored during his parts. Davey's little brother was extremely cute and I shared his frustration when he made some good suggestions that the adults ignored. The shark scenes were well-handled and I enjoyed the small island setting. There were a few moments with Davey's parents and some of the other characters that I found a little overly convenient, but I don't think most readers in the target audience would have that issue. 

Overall a tense and enjoyable read. I always like reading about sharks in the summer so I'm sure I will read it again next year.

Visit Michael Northrop's website and follow him on twitter. He also gave a really great interview here that has some great insights into his writing and offers tips for aspiring writers!

Have you read this one? Others by this author?

Are there any other shark books you'd recommend?

Book Review: Poison Dance by Livia Blackburne

Published: September 2013

Source: I received an e-copy of this novella free from the author in exchange for my honest review

GoodReads Summary:

James is skilled, efficient, and deadly, a hired blade navigating the shifting alliances of a deteriorating Assassin’s Guild. Then he meets Thalia, an alluring but troubled dancing girl who offers him a way out—if he’ll help her kill a powerful nobleman. With the Guild falling apart, it just might be worth the risk. But when you live, breathe, and love in a world that’s forever flirting with death, the slightest misstep can be poison. Poison dance is approximately 14,000 words, or 54 printed pages.

My Thoughts:

As you may know, Midnight Thief was my Waiting on Wednesday pick last week. A book about a female assassin? Put that in my hands right now, please! Alas, there are still several months to go before Midnight Thief is published. Luckily, in the meantime the author has written this novella to introduce readers to the world of Midnight Thief.

I really enjoyed this brief glimpse into the world of the Assassin's Guild. I'm into the idea of main characters who kind of toe the line between good and evil. I love that we have a protagonist who is a career assassin, and James was particularly intriguing to me because in spite of his occupation, he seemed to be a pretty decent guy. He wasn't at all the stereotype that I was expecting. 

One minor criticism I would offer is that I wish that James and Thalia had just a bit more character development - even for a story this short, I wanted them to feel just a little more fleshed out, a little more three dimensional. I would have enjoyed a brief glimpse into their past, maybe. 

I also felt like the big moment near the end of the story was just a little rushed, and a few key scenes took place "off screen", which was a little frustrating for me.

All in all, this was a quick, fun read and definitely left me even more excited for Midnight Thief's release. I suspect that the minor issues I had with Poison Dance are pretty specific to its brief word count. I'm looking forward to reading a full novel that takes place in this world.

Have you picked up Poison Dance yet?

Are you looking forward to Midnight Thief?

Book Review: The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher

Published: October 2013

Source: NetGalley

GoodReads Summary:

Emily’s dad is accused of murdering a teenage girl. Emily is sure he is innocent, but what happened that night in the woods behind their house where she used to play as a child? Determined to find out, she seeks out Damon Hillary, the enigmatic boyfriend of the murdered girl. He also knows these woods. Maybe they could help each other. But he’s got secrets of his own about games that are played in the dark.

A new psychological thriller from the award-winning and bestselling author of STOLEN and FLYAWAY.

My Thoughts:

I will admit, I was worried about this one for a while there. For maybe the first third of the book, I really struggled to connect with Emily or Damon, and because of that, I had a hard time feeling invested in the story. I also didn't feel that Ashlee was a particularly likeable character, so I didn't feel very affected by her death or curious about what happened to her. I think this bothered me more than it otherwise might have because I had such the oppposite experience with Stolen. When I read Stolen, I fell in love with the characters in spite of myself. Here, I went into the book wanting to care about Emily and Damon and I just couldn't. So it's possible that my expectations going into this book skewed my initial perception somewhat. This is a very different book from Stolen.

However! Somewhere just after the first third of the book, the story pulled me in and I found myself connecting to Emily and Damon much more, especially Emily. I really admired how gracefully Emily handled her near total isolation - her mother has pulled away from her and climbed into a bottle, she doesn't have any siblings to lean on, and most of her  former friends at school have ostracized her since Ashlee's murder. Through it all Emily remains clearheaded and focused. She never seems to let her emotions get the best of her. 

By this point in the story, Damon and Ashlee's relationship had also been fleshed out a bit more, and while I still didn't feel much of a connection to Ashlee, I started to care about what had happened to her because of how her death was affecting Damon. I was also desperate to find out more about The Game, which seriously creeped me out from the first time it was mentioned.

The remainder of the book was well-paced and a tense read. Some darker information starts to emerge about just what went on the night Ashlee died, and I found myself desperate to find out exactly what happened to her and why. I will say that I guessed the identity of the killer early on, but it didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story because I was much more concerned with the reason for the murder.

All in all, I would say this is a solid read. It was a slow starter for me, but I'm glad I stuck with it because the payoff was well worth it. I will definitely be reading whatever Lucy Christopher writes next. 

Image taken from GoodReads

Book Review: The Never List by Koethi Zan

Published: April 2013

Source: NetGalley

Image Source

GoodReads Summary:

The most relentless, deeply disturbing thriller writer since Jeffery Deaver and Gillian Flynn

For years, best friends Sarah and Jennifer kept what they called the “Never List”: a list of actions to be avoided, for safety’s sake, at all costs. But one night, against their best instincts, they accept a cab ride with grave, everlasting consequences. For the next three years, they are held captive with two other girls in a dungeon-like cellar by a connoisseur of sadism.

Ten years later, at thirty-one, Sarah is still struggling to resume a normal life, living as a virtual recluse under a new name, unable to come to grips with the fact that Jennifer didn’t make it out of that cellar. Now, her abductor is up for parole and Sarah can no longer ignore the twisted letters he sends from jail.

Finally, Sarah decides to confront her phobias and the other survivors—who hold their own deep grudges against her. When she goes on a cross-country chase that takes her into the perverse world of BDSM, secret cults, and the arcane study of torture, she begins unraveling a mystery more horrifying than even she could have imagined.

A shocking, blazingly fast read, Koethi Zan’s debut is a must for fans of Karin Slaughter, Laura Lippman, and S.J. Watson.

My Thoughts:

Oh, how I struggled to give this book a rating. For me, this is one of those books that I think had the potential to be much better than it actually was. I loved the concept, and for me the first half of the book was great - fast-paced, gripping, impossible to put down. But somewhere around the halfway point, I started feeling like the book would have benefitted from much tighter editing.

Many of the situations the characters found themselves in just felt increasingly implausible and I found myself struggling to suspend my disbelief. Sarah, who has suffered from severe agoraphobia for ten years, suddenly starts flying all over the country with the aid of nothing more than her own sheer strenth of will. She is meeting and questioning strangers, staying at unfamiliar hotels, driving down isolated dirt driveways and generally seeming to forget that she has crippling anxiety. FBI agent Jim (who might as well be a cardboard cutout, for all the characterization he is given) constantly shares classified information with Sarah about her own case and generally does nothing to prevent her from running her own investigation. There were also several things about the girls' case that I couldn't believe no one had investigated ten years ago. I just kept thinking that so much of what happened was so unlikely.  

I liked the beginning of the book so much that it was difficult for me to admit to myself that I was enjoying it less and less as it went on. But the book just became increasingly full of convenient situations. I also felt like while the first half of the book was very well-paced, the second half tried to cram in way too much information and became very choppy. I liked the idea of the big reveal at the end but didn't feel like it had the impact that it could have, if the set up had been better crafted.

All in all this one hovers between a 2.5 and a 3 for me. It was an enjoyable read but I definitely think it could have been a much, much better book if it had undergone some changes before publication.

Also, this is not the author's fault but please, please can we stop comparing every thriller to Gone Girl. It's just setting everyone up for disappointment.

Have you read this one? What did you think? I've noticed that it seems to have very love/hate ratings on GoodReads.

Book Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

I purchased this book on Amazon. The concept sounded interesting and I had heard some good things so I decided to check it out.

Publication Date: February 8, 2005

GoodReads Summary: 

Tally Youngblood is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait for the operation that turns everyone from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to party. But new friend Shay would rather hoverboard to "the Smoke" and be free. Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn't very pretty. The "Special Circumstances" authority Dr Cable offers Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed reading this book. I think it brings up a lot of great questions about how we perceive ourselves and others, and I liked the environmental ethics angle as well. Westerfeld did a nice job with the world building here. The whole concept of creating "pretties" completely freaked me out, and I felt a distinct sense of horror every time the characters spoke so casually of the horrific procedure that leads to becoming pretty.  

I did feel that some of the characters were a little flat throughout most of the book, especially Tally, but I did see growth there by the end of the book. For most of the book, I was more invested in the plot than the main character, which is unusual for me. Tally struck me as selfish, shallow and one dimensional, and I just couldn't make myself care what happened to her. It really bothered me that the most important thing in her world was getting this ridiculous surgery, so much so that she was willing to betray her only friend to get it. I was more invested in Shay, who seemed to have a lot more depth and frankly, a more appealing personality. By the end of the book, however, I noticed that I had started to identify with and care about Tally. She changed so much over the course of the book and I found myself hoping that she would be able to outrun the consequences of some of her bad choices.

At the end of the day I thought this series had an amazing premise, but to me this book was good, not great. It was fun to read, and it was definitely a page-turner, but I didn't feel like it was the kind of book that I would still be thinking about weeks after finishing it. It was really the dramatic ending of the book that compelled me to give Pretties, the next book in the series, a shot. As you'll see when I post that review, I am so, so glad that I stuck with this series! 

Book Review: Ten by Gretchen McNeil

I purchased this book on Amazon. I had seen it mentioned somewhere that this book was kind of a retelling of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, and I remembered loving that novel when I read it years ago, so I was immediately intrigued.

Publication Date: September 18, 2012

 GoodReads Summary: 

 SHHHH!
 Don't spread the word!
 Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on  Henry Island.
 You do NOT want to miss it.

 It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an  exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg  and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

My Thoughts:

This is a tough review for me to write. I can't say I didn't enjoy this book - it was certainly fast-paced and suspenseful, and I can honestly say that although I kept guessing, I was never able to figure out who the killer was. I enjoyed the suspense and I will admit that I checked the locks on my door more than once while reading!

My main problem with this book was the characters. Generally speaking, great (or awful) characters are what make or break a novel for me. To be blunt, the characters in Ten were universally flat, one dimensional and impossible to relate to in any meaningful way. These kids could not have been more stereotyped if they tried. There was the popular athlete, the brawny jerk, the prim know-it-all wearing a cardigan. I just could not connect with any of them, with the unfortunate result that I just did not care - at all - when the teens started dying off. 

Even the novel's main character, Meg, was static and uninteresting. She also struck me as seriously two-faced, considering that in public she was allllll about her bipolar best friend Minnie, but then she was constantly whining to herself (and her love interest TJ!) about all the ways that Minnie is a terrible friend to her. TJ was probably the least offensive character, but in this case that really isn't saying much. Honestly all of the characters bored me too much for me to get excited about any potential love connections.

This book also strongly reminded me of the movie Fear Island, to a point where I kept Googling to see whether one was based upon the other. Unless Google failed me, I don't think there is a connection... which tells me that this storyline has pretty much been done to death. 

My thoughts on this book, in short: if it's meant to be a retelling of Christie's classic tale, it missed the mark, for me at least. The great part about retellings is the new twist they put on an old favorite, and there's nothing new here. Failing that, it's just a slightly different version of a story that we have all heard many times before.

I'm giving it 3 stars because it's a fast, suspenseful read, but it's certainly nothing I will go back and reread in the future.

Have you read this one yet? If so, I'm dying to know what you thought of it!

Book Review: Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

I bought this book on Amazon after reading some great reviews.

Goodreads Summary:

When she is caught in the backseat of a car with her older brother's best friend--Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling role of "school slut," she longs to escape a life defined by her past. With subtle grace, complicated wisdom and striking emotion, Story of a Girl reminds us of our human capacity for resilience, epiphany and redemption.

I had high hopes for this book, but nd I have to admit when I started reading it my first impression was that it was a bit slow. This took me longer to read than most books, because every so often I would get bored with it. I think for me, I like books that are plot-driven, and this really is not. It's very introspective, and it's nice to really get into Deanna's head, but in my opinion it makes for kind of a slow read.

Although I felt like a lot of the relationships depicted in the book were raw and really realistic, I kept feeling like the relationship between Deanna and her father was a little too over the top to be believable. I felt like they should have made more progress in their relationship in three years, especially since Deanna seems not to have put a foot wrong in those three years. Since they were so close before the incident when Deanna was thirteen, it felt a little off to me that their relationship would break down so completely and just stay broken for years.

In contrast, I thought Deanna's relationship with her brother was very authentic, and I loved the book's portrayals of her friendships with Lee and Jason. Zarr does a wonderful job in portraying the ups and downs of friendships - especially the difficulties of trios - and I liked the way the relationships between Deanna, Lee and Jason grow and change throughout the book. Zarr definitely has a great understanding of how teenage relationships work, and it was nice to see such a real depiction of that.

I did like the messages that Story of a Girl communicated, about how stifling life in a small town can be, and the injustice of how one poor choice in your past can completely change how you are perceived by your peers. Story of a Girl makes the reader really think about the importance of reputation, and examines just how misleading a person's reputation can be.

Story of a Girl was, for the most part, an interesting read and an honest, gritty depiction of small town life. It's not a light read and it's not  meant to be. It definitely carries an important message to teens, in a way that might actually reach them. It wasn't a personal favorite of mine, but it's a book that has value and I can see why it has so many good reviews.

3/5

Don't forget to stop over here to enter my giveaway! Enter for a chance to win the free e-book of your choice from Decadent Publishing!

Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I bought this book on Amazon after reading great things about it in reviews.

Goodreads Summary:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

I wanted to love this book. I really, really did. Unfortunately, for me it just didn't live up to the hype. It started out strong and I found the basic premise to be very compelling. I was drawn into the story right away. However, about halfway through the book I started getting bored. The story was starting to get redundant and I just felt like it wasn't going anywhere. Something needed to happen to move the story along more quickly, and it just didn't. Once the story started to lose me, it really never got me back, and I struggled to finish the book, which is rare for me.

One major problem I had with the book is that I had a hard time relating to Hannah. Something about her tone just came across as really vindictive and pouty to me. Some of the things she was upset about I found fairly petty, especially compared to some of the far more serious offenses on the tapes. I also felt like someone so close to the brink wouldn't have the capacity to create this huge scheme involving the tapes... and even if they had the capacity I would think they would be past caring enough to bother. Overall, I did like Clay's character, but I don't really buy his devotion to Hannah, a girl he barely knew. His grief over her passing felt disproportionate. I wish they had dated in the past and then broken up - then his grief and his guilt would feel more believable.

All in all I thought the book was okay. Not terrible, not great. I suppose it's a good read for young adults, to help remind them of the importance of really considering the possible impact of their words and actions... although to me, that message felt a little heavy-handed. I know I'm in the minority here but this just wasn't one of my favorites. I'd give it a 3/5.