Genres: YA | Thriller | Contemporary
Published: July 16th 2013 by Simon Pulse
It's Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations.
As Anna sets out to find her friend's killer; she discovers hard truths about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.
As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone around her thinks she is not just guilty, but dangerous. When the truth comes out, it is more shocking than one could ever imagine...
This is a thriller. And how good a thriller it is shown by the fact that it is the kind of story that will continue to linger in the far corner of my mind for quite a long time. If you plan on reading this, note that you must not underestimate the book. You might not love it, it might disappoint you but nevertheless, it will make a hell of an impression on you.
I was so invested in the whole story, I couldn't stop until I found out who was behind the murder. The book has no solid timeline, and thus, is presented in portions - of the past, and of the present and that was the best possible way for the story to have been told. While the book dwells on the past, you will know how it ends up through the present portions. It drove me mad, but I loved every second of it.
I'm trying to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, which means that I will not be talking about the characters, or diving into specifics about the plot because I fear I might let out something. But I will tell you that the characters are complex and real in the way they are portrayed. You will suspect each and everyone of them, but you can never be too sure.
The ending. I don't want to give away anything. Believe me, even a tiny spoiler could ruin everything. The conclusion had my jaw hanging loose and I think I might have been doing the dying fish thing. I was STILL too, I don't know, scared? nervous? excited? to click the final lock upon it.
When I did come to terms with it, I think my initial reaction was that I just didn't trust words anymore and then I fell into a book coma where I dealt with the trauma for several days. (More like, a few hours but hey). I wanted to slap this book, and murder it and hug it and love it and throw it away and marry it.
All in all, this is a murder mystery where you will feel the intense, chilling aspects of a good thriller. I was completely FREAKING out, but it's the good kind of freaking out that comes with a good book. (Although freaking out is not a good thing, I suppose but it was still GOOD, you know?)
I feel like shoving this into everyone's face, all the while screaming "READ THIS. READ THIS. READ THIS."
Actually, here's me recommending this book to you.
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| Sorry for the swollen eye. |
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