You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston
Author: Natasha Preston
Published: February 6, 2018
292 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
ROSES ARE RED
VIOLETS ARE BLUE
WATCH YOUR BACK
I’M COMING FOR YOU
Lylah and her friends can’t wait to spend a night out together. Partying is the perfect way to let loose from the stress of life and school, and Lylah hopes that hitting the dance floor with Chace, her best friend, will bring them closer together. She’s been crushing on him since they met. If only he thought of her the same way…
The girls are touching up their makeup and the guys are sliding on their coats when the doorbell rings. No one is there. An envelope sits on the doormat. It’s an anonymous note addressed to their friend Sonny. A secret admirer? Maybe. They all laugh it off.
Except Sonny never comes home. And a new note arrives:
YOUR TURN
Kim’s Review:
Preston does it again!
One major note right at the very beginning: Do not look at the last page unless you want to be spoiled! All I did was look at the page number on the last page; I accidentally saw the illustration and I spoiled it for myself and that brought my reading down! I was pretty pissed with myself . . . for a good while.
But aside from that! This was a good mystery. I was still very surprised by the resolution and Preston kept the tension and suspense going throughout the whole book. My only issue was Lylah and her weird attitude. She seemed incredibly contradictory to me, in a really immature way. Sometimes she would be a typical college student but then she’d switch to the traumatized teenager, but then switched to a needy little girl and there was no consistency. Thankfully, it wasn’t so bad that it distracted from the story. The emotions from most of the characters were palpable and I could feel the strain. Preston manages to create stories that would be welcome on Criminal Minds . . . always creepy and chilling. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good thriller!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Wait Till Helen Comes
Author: Mary Downing Hahn
Published: November 2, 1987
184 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Beware of Helen…
Heather is such a whiny little brat. Always getting Michael and me into trouble. But since our mother married her father, we’re stuck with her…our “poor stepsister” who lost her real mother in a mysterious fire.
But now something terrible has happened. Heather has found a new friend, out in the graveyard behind our home — a girl named Helen who died with her family in a mysterious fire over a hundred years ago. Now her ghost returns to lure children into the pond…to drown! I don’t want to believe in ghosts, but I’ve followed Heather into the graveyard and watch her talk to Helen. And I’m terrified. Not for myself, but for Heather…
Kim’s Review:
This was the first book by Mary Downing Hahn that I read. I was looking for scary, ghost stories and this one was perfect! After I finished this book, I worked my way through most of her other books. I very much enjoyed this story, but I gave it 4 stars because of Heather. Unfortunately, I doubt she could be changed much because her awfulness is what makes Helen believable. I just don’t understand how any parent could allow their child to act the way that she does.
I think we’ve already established that I’m not a very compassionate person. I don’t have much patience for self-pity, or for the excuses people use to shift responsibility for their lives. Yes, Heather saw her mother die in a fire and I get that that would be a traumatic thing for a kid. But, why the heck was she not taken to a therapist?? Spoiling a kid is never the right course, no matter what the situation! Ok, other than that, I love this book! I always go back to it when I’m looking for a creepy read. Hahn did a great job of entwining history and ghosts. Molly is a great protagonist, she’s very believable and I couldn’t help but sympathize with her. It’s also safe for younger readers. I absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a scary, ghost story.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
A Good Idea by Cristina Moracho
Author: Cristina Moracho
Published: February 28, 2017
384 Pages
Reviewed By:Kim
Kim’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
Can the right kind of boy get away with killing the wrong kind of girl?
Fin and Betty’s close friendship survived Fin’s ninth-grade move from their coastal Maine town to Manhattan. Calls, letters, and summer visits continued to bind them together, and in the fall of their senior year, they both applied to NYU, planning to reunite for good as roommates.
Then Betty disappears. Her ex-boyfriend Calder admits to drowning her, but his confession is thrown out, and soon the entire town believes he was coerced and Betty has simply run away. Fin knows the truth, and she returns to Williston for one final summer, determined to get justice for her friend, even if it means putting her loved ones—and herself—at risk.
But Williston is a town full of secrets, where a delicate framework holds everything together, and Fin is not the only one with an agenda. How much is she willing to damage to get her revenge and learn the truth about Betty’s disappearance, which is more complicated than she ever imagined—and infinitely more devastating?
Kim’s Review:
I wanted so badly to love this book . . . c’mon, look at that cover! I wanted a great mystery with a little conspiracy thrown in, but what I got was a predictable story mixed with teenage drama. I understand Fin’s passion and her need to discover the truth, but sadly, adding Serena into the story brings Fin down to a self-righteous teenager who thinks she knows everything and that everyone else knows nothing. The story had so much potential, but then predictability sets in and amateur philosophizing starts. The mystery was solved halfway through the book and the rest was a lot of unnecessary junk. Honestly, had the book followed the town’s drug use as the main storyline, it would have been so much better. I enjoyed reading the book, but I can’t give it any higher than 3 stars. This is not a book for teens, due to some very adult content. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for an easy read with a little intrigue.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
