Publishing Date: June 7, 2016
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320 pages
Young Adult Contemporary Thriller
The Premise from the Publisher: "Two friends, an exotic foreign location, the potential for revenge and jealousy, and an accident that looks like it might have been murder. It didn't matter what the truth was--what mattered was that it was fun to talk about. A gripping and addictive read that grabs the reader and yanks them into a world where nothing is what it seems and everyone is a suspect. You won't believe how it ends" (HMH).
My overall thoughts and review: When I was first pitched this book, I was told it was thriller-esque (in the same vein of novels like Gone Girl, Girl on the Train and more) and I was instantly intrigued. I don't know why, but I've been in such a thriller kick lately and this one was perfect. I actually finished this book in one sitting. I had a day off and I just spent the morning in bed reading this! I could not put it down (like the premise states, it is definitely addictive). The narrative is really interesting in a sense where the reader was learning the "events" of the vacation as Jill, the protagonist, was learning about it as well. The story begins after the events take place and Jill has no memory of what has happened. The events are then pieced together through interviews, blog posts, news posts, police reports and other interpretations. It was really interesting that Cook demonstrated how things can be twisted in the media. The center of the text is Jill and Simone's friendship and how certain components can be consuming. It reminded me a bit of some friendships I've had the past and how things were when I was younger, and how friendship can sometimes influence you to do things you are not necessarily ok with. It will make you think about "friendships" in general. I enjoyed that there wasn't a perfect picture painted of either girls and I liked not really siding with anyone. I just wanted more of the story to unravel and it was so amazing how it all ended. I find it really hard to write reviews sometimes for thriller books because you don't want to say too much that will give away the plot. Overall, I think me-finishing-it-in-one-sitting says it all. I LOVED this book and I think it is a perfect summer read. It has everything you'd want in a thriller book: a great mystery, well-rounded characters, friendship, family and a dash of love. I think fans of thrillers in general of all age groups (teens and adults), will definitely enjoy this read.
My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮✮ (5/5 stars)
Now available for purchase at:
Chapters/Indigo, Kobo Books, Amazon and Book Depository (Free Worldwide Shipping)
And now it is time for the Author Q&A! For the blog tour, Eileen has taken the time to answer a question for each blogger! Check it out:
Author Question and Answer
1. What do you hope readers take away from the book?
Most of all I hope they turn the final page and then reach out immediately to a friend and say “Have you read this? We have to talk about it.” I wanted to write a book that raised questions about friendship and how you know what you might be capable of doing if you were pushed far enough. I’m lucky to have some friends that have been close to me since elementary school. In that time we’ve changed a lot and our friendship has also changed. This hasn’t always been an easy process. It made me interested in what keeps some people friends and others drift apart. I wanted to explore how we deal with someone that had been closer to us than family—and suddenly the only thing you have in common anymore is that “we used to be friends.” Friendship can be a really powerful positive force—encouraging you to do more and picking you up when you need it, but it can also be dark. There aren’t any easy answers in this book, but there is plenty to talk about!
Thank you so much, Eileen for answering that question. I also want to thank the lovely folks at Raincoast Books for organizing another fun and awesome blog tour. The book comes out tomorrow, so be sure to go out and get your copy! Also, please check out the other stops on the blog tour and show some love to my fellow bloggers! <3
Disclaimer: An advanced reader's copy of the book was provided by Raincoast Books for participation in the book tour. All opinions of the book are my own.
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