I'm Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Gretchen McNeil

I'm Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Gretchen McNeil
Release Date - September 13, 2016

Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages - 352 pages
My Rating - 3/5
**received from publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Beatrice Maria Estrella Giovannini has life all figured out. She's starting senior year at the top of her class, she’s a shoo-in for a scholarship to M.I.T., and she’s got a new boyfriend she’s crazy about. The only problem: All through high school Bea and her best friends Spencer and Gabe have been the targets of horrific bullying.

So Bea uses her math skills to come up with The Formula, a 100% mathematically-guaranteed path to social happiness in high school. Now Gabe is on his way to becoming Student Body President, and Spencer is finally getting his art noticed. But when her boyfriend dumps her for Toile, the quirky new girl at school, Bea realizes it's time to use The Formula for herself. She'll be reinvented as the eccentric and lovable Trixie—a quintessential manic pixie dream girl—in order to win her boyfriend back and beat new-girl Toile at her own game.

Unfortunately, being a manic pixie dream girl isn't all it's cracked up to be, and “Trixie” is causing unexpected consequences for her friends. As The Formula begins to break down, can Bea find a way to reclaim her true identity, and fix everything she's messed up? Or will the casualties of her manic pixie experiment go far deeper than she could possibly imagine?

Kate Hudson as Penny Lane, Natalie Portman as Sam, and Kirsten Dunst as Claire Colburn. Odds are if you're a movie buff you've seen a few movies that host the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' trope. Gretchen McNeil's newest novel tackles that trope and does it without one 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' gracing its pages.

Stereotypes are plentiful within the pages of this novel. There is also a lot of deconstruction of those stereotypes. Many of the characters exhibit qualities that have roots in stereotypes only for them to be shown as a act, or something that the character is purposely doing to prove a point. This is the part where the novel excels and shines. The best person to be is yourself, and that is something that is woven into every single part of this novel. It's worthy or a read for that self positive message alone.

The 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' trope is one that makes most people roll their eyes. When this book first came on my radar I was hoping it would explore that trope and dismantle it. What Gretchen McNeil does, however, is showcase why this type of character is a myth. She doesn't exist in real life and Gretchen ensures we are shown this. Toile turns out to be way more complex than she appears at first glance and Beatrice is used to show how easy it is to set into that role without actually believing in it. It was an interesting look at what people show the outside world, and how there is much more to someone underneath.

The latter half of the story is not as strong as the first half, mainly because it quickly becomes very evident what is going to happen. This novel has a classic rom-com formula at its heart and that is where the story veers off course from what I thought it was going to be. It is very different from Gretchen's other books from the outset but I was hoping for a little more depth in dissecting the tropes invoked in this novel, and have that impact the outcome of the story. That is not to say it is not a fun, charming read because it is. It just was not what I was expecting and that took some adjustment.

Gretchen McNeil's humour is once again on display in full force within these pages. Every single 'Jesse's Girl' reference had my giggling with glee and there are plenty of other laugh worthy jokes and moments throughout. It is a testament to the writing talent Gretchen has that she can move easily from writing horror filled stories to light fare that is on offer here and it still retaining her voice. The writing fits with her other novels and that alone should make it a must read for her fans.

A novel that ultimately showcases that it is better to be yourself than try to be someone you are not. It, for me, started out strongly but did not quite deliver on what was an intriguing premise. It's a fun read if you're looking for something light, fluffy and with a feel good message at its core. 

Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil

Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil
Release Date - June 16, 2015
Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages - 384 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

The members of Don’t Get Mad aren’t just mad anymore . . . they’re afraid. And with Margot in a coma and Bree stuck in juvie, it’s up to Olivia and Kitty to try to catch their deadly tormentor. But just as the girls are about to go on the offensive, Ed the Head reveals a shocking secret that turns all their theories upside down. The killer could be anyone, and this time he—or she—is out for more than just revenge.

The girls desperately try to discover the killer’s identity as their personal lives are falling apart: Donté is pulling away from Kitty and seems to be hiding a secret of his own, Bree is under house arrest, and Olivia’s mother is on an emotional downward spiral. The killer is closing in, the threats are becoming more personal, and when the police refuse to listen, the girls have no choice but to confront their anonymous friend . . . or die trying.

Get Even was a bit of a departure from Gretchen McNeil's previous novels. It's didn't have the darker, horror filled atmosphere that the others did. It read as more of a thriller. Get Dirty shows, however, that this series is just as intricately plotted as anything else Gretchen has written, and comes loaded with it's own chills. A novel that is part John Hughes movie, part murder mystery. Which is basically to say that it is completely unputdownable and engrossing.

The humour infuses this story with texture. It's just enough to break the tension and provide much needed laughs without overpowering the story. The addition of Olaf, the bodyguard Bree's mother brings around, is hilarious. Combined with Ed (whom you'll definitely recall from the first book) it creates more than few laughs that are timed with a precision that cuts the tension just when you need it. It adds to the 'John Hughes movie' atmosphere that is done so well.

The novel has a large cast and while Gretchen does a fantastic job in balancing the characters, and keeping all the chess pieces in play, it's at the detriment to the characters. There is a bit of character development but overall, I felt they could have been fleshed out more. It's a minor thing, and one that Gretchen's abilities made less evident and glaring.

There is a surprising amount of layers to this story, and the girls learn that perhaps revenge isn't always the best answer. That perhaps there is more going on underneath and that they should think before they act. Gretchen paints a much more complex picture of not only the girls of DGM but also those they seek revenge upon. Neither side is shown to be innocent, but neither are they fully vilified. It's one of the most well done elements of the novel, and adds some depth to what could have been a one dimensional plot point.

This mystery comes with plenty of potential suspects, and as the truth unravels you'll begin to suspect everyone. This tension is something Gretchen creates in spades, and is much more palpable in this instalment than it was in Get Even. The stakes felt raised in very real ways, and there are plenty of secrets left be revealed. It ends up being a well plotted, engaging thriller that comes with a satisfying ending.

A taunt thriller that will keep you on your toes, and one that is just as fun as it is unpredictable. Gretchen McNeil once again showcases her talent with this sure to please sequel that manages to be even better than the first.

Get Even by Gretchen McNeil

Get Even by Gretchen McNeil

Release Date - September 16, 2014
Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages -  400 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received in exchange for an honest review from the publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars in Gretchen McNeil’s witty and suspenseful novel about four disparate girls who join forces to take revenge on high school bullies and create dangerous enemies for themselves in the process.

Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot have nothing in common—at least that’s what they’d like the students and administrators of their elite private school to think. The girls have different goals, different friends, and different lives, but they share one very big secret: They’re all members of Don’t Get Mad, a secret society that anonymously takes revenge on the school’s bullies, mean girls, and tyrannical teachers.

When their latest target ends up dead with a blood-soaked “DGM” card in his hands, the girls realize that they’re not as anonymous as they thought—and that someone now wants revenge on them. Soon the clues are piling up, the police are closing in . . . and everyone has something to lose.

Get Even has been described as John Hughes with a body count.With it's mix of high school drama, murder, and humour, Get Even does, indeed, bring to mind some classic John Hughes movies. It's strength, and what sets it a part, is in the murder mystery itself

If you're read Gretchen's previous novels you'll know that crafting suspense is something she does incredibly well. This type of story is all about the tension. The added tension of the group dynamic ensured that the outside tension was only magnified by the inside tension. None of the 'DGM' members can fully be sure they trust each other. A shaky alliance built on a shared desire to inflict their brand of justice doesn't exactly instill confidence,and the fact that one of them could be killer is played with throughout.

The moral ambiguity of what 'DGM' does doesn't escape the characters, or the readers. The nature of 'an eye for an eye' is played with here, and all the blurriness that comes with it. Is 'DGM' any better than the bullies they are trying to inflict justice on? That question doesn't have an easy answers. It's hard to deny their usefulness when you see the good they can do, but when it's shown along with the harm it become less fun, and more conflicting. As readers, I think we're meant to feel, at least a little, uncomfortable with what they are doing even as we cheer them on.

This is an ensemble novel. It's got a large cast of characters to keep track of, and each of them have side storylines. It can sometimes be disorienting and dizzying because of the multiple characters we are following. Once you begin to fall into pattern of the novel, and know the characters though, it's a rather enjoyable reading experience. Pacing has always been one of Gretchen McNeil's strongest elements and this is no exception. She keeps everything moving, even with the multiple plotlines and does it without the story feeling weighted down.

The cat and mouse game that the killer (or killers) play with the members of 'DGM' raises the stakes, and made it so that it was personal. It gave them a vested interest that might not have otherwise been there. It all ties back to the pacing and this is the section of the plot where Gretchen's skills as a writer truly come out. The various twists and turns are well plotted, and the number of suspects will certainly keep readers guessing.

The final few pages of this book ensure that the sequel will be nearly impossible to not devour immediately upon release. The unmasking of the killer may have to wait, but there are more than enough clues to keep you hypothesizing until the sequel's release.

A fun murder mystery that offers up plenty of suspects and mixes humour with it's thrills. A few implausible elements, that would however feel at home in a old school teen movie, didn't detract from this enjoyably pleasant read.

Get Even and Get Some Swag!

Gretchen McNeil is starting up a new series that is sure to be filled with suspense, drama and a page turning mystery. 

I've heard that GET EVEN, the first book in the series, ends in such a way that you'll immediately want to get your hands on the sequel. Gretchen is kind enough to help you out, at least a little bit.

I, personally, can't wait to get devour this mystery novel, and (as mentioned) from what I hear those two chapters are going to be desperately needed! This is being called The Breakfast Club with a body count, so obviously I am in!

If you pre-order GET EVEN you'll receive the first two chapters of GET DIRTY as a thank you. Not only that but they'll come in a special edition booklet with some GET EVEN special content and a signed book plate for your newly purchased book! Amazing right?

Plenty of stores in various locations in the USA are going to have the booklets right in store for you to pick up along with your pre-order. However, Gretchen is also mailing them out to people who pre-order but don't live near one of the participating stores.

You can find a list of participating bookstores, and the email address to submit proof of purchase to by visiting Gretchen's website. More details are also available on the same website. 

It is open to people in the USA and Canada only (but many of the participating bookstores will ship internationally if you request). 

If you've already pre-ordered you can email your proof of purchase to Gretchen at gretchenmcneil.giveaways@gmail.com. 

Here are some pre-order links so you can take advantage of this awesome giveaway

Barnes and Noble // Chapters // Amazon //

You can add GET EVEN to your Goodreads account, and while there add GET DIRTY as well.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews). 

Epic mailbox this week thanks to some great publishers, and Kobo Canada.

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil (goodreads)
Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas (goodreads)
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (goodreads)

I won a pre-order from Gretchen as part of her 3:59 promotion. The hardcover is certainly pretty! I love this cover. A huge thank you to Gretchen for the contest, and the prize.

A huge thank you to Random House for both Mother, Mother and Rose Under Fire. Super excited to read both of these later this month.

Kobo sent me a package of awesome. The new Kobo Aura, some popcorn, tea, a travel pillow and comfy socks! I am still in disbelief that anyone considers my blog worthy of reviewing anything, and it's pretty mind blowing. Thank you to Kobo! I can't wait to test out the Aura. Expect a review sometime in Nov/Dec when I've had time to read a few books on it.

Happy Reading, and Happy Weekend!

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil
Release Date - September 17, 2013
Publisher Website -  Harper
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader
Pages - 368 pages
My Rating - 3.5/5
**obtained for review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo.

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

From master of suspense Gretchen McNeil comes a riveting and deliciously eerie story about the lives we wish we had – and how they just might kill you.

The grass is always greener, or so we would like to believe. 3:59 explores the notion of lives we wished we lived, and how they aren't always what they appear to be.

Josie is your typical highschool student. Her life has hit a bit of a rough patch, and she's instantly drawn to the allure of having a 'do over'. I might of over sympathized with the situation with her boyfriend, and so she instantly appealed to me. Something about her life will strike a cord with the reader. They'll either relate directly, or it'll remind them of someone. This creates an instant bond with the character, and I felt it added to the story.

Jo on the other hand wasn't as developed as I would have liked. This is Josie's story, but Jo has a LARGE part in it, and I wanted her version. Everything we learn about Jo is from Josie and her perspective. It's tainted. As we know there are two sides to every story, and I felt that Jo had more to tell.

The science fiction aspect of the story was exactly what I hoped it would be. Gretchen provided enough details to allow the reader to follow along, and yet kept it open enough that your imagination could fill in the blanks. The descriptive nature of the portal that allows the swap to take place made imaging it all too easy. She raised the creepy factor by having the portal close rather rapidly and the descriptions of the portal's 'in between' stage was chill inducing. Comparing it to hardening concrete brings to mind horrors of being buried alive, and it was captured by Josie perfectly.

The romance is going to be hit or miss for some. I can see both sides of this. It does come across as rushed, but there are factors that would lend themselves to a quick attraction. By the end of the story I was invested in it enough to care, and that is what matters to me. I wish we had a little more to go on, because this relationship does have it's sweet (and not so sweet) moments.

The meshing of horror and science fiction is a perfect blend. Some may be surprised by the inclusion of something decidedly not science fiction based, something that is semi paranormal in nature. This inclusion felt warranted to me, and it added an element of danger to a story that needed some higher stakes.

The ending will be debated, and perhaps disliked. It's not the ending one may hope for, or like. It, for me, ends the only way this story could. The build up, and nature of the story dictated that certain events had to happen, and this is the follow through.

Gretchen once again shows she can scare and captivate. I wanted a little more from this book, but still found it's writing and presentation enjoyable. Fans of Gretchen's previous novels will want to grab this one.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews). 

The next New To My Book Closet post won't be until after BEA! This week some fantastic titles made their way into my home. I received my advocate package for The Bone Season! I can't wait to start reading this one. The special edition ARC I received is amazing.

I won The Kissing Booth from a Chapters giveaway (a large retail book store in Canada). It sounds super cute, so a big thank you to them.

A huge thank you to Simon and Schuster for approving my request for Dangerous Girls. Super excited to dive into this one.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (Goodreads)
The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles (Goodreads)  
Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas (Goodreads)

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil (Goodreads)

Lastly, the lovely people at Harper Collins Canada sent me 3:59 to review. I can't wait to read it. A huge thank you to them.

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews). 

No words can describe how happy I was to get the review book in this week's mailbox. There was squealing and much fangirling. 

Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin (Goodreads)
3:59 t-shirt from Gretchen McNeil

I am not going to be able to wait. Dance of the Red Death will be read immediately. I am planning on spending Sunday (today) reading it. Looking forward to seeing how this series ends. Huge thank you to Harper Collins!

Huge thank you to Gretchen McNeil for the t-shirt. I will be wearing it at Book Expo America and to the Teen Author Carnival to help promote 3:59. Super excited to read it.

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday....3:59

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m. Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo.

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

From master of suspense Gretchen McNeil comes a riveting and deliciously eerie story about the lives we wish we had – and how they just might kill you.

This sounds creepy, and AWESOME. I love the cover as well. September can not come fast enough.

Expected release date September 17, 2013

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Here are my obsessions this week:

BOOKS

Cover for 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

I love the simplicity of this cover, and the slightly creepy vibe that matches the synopsis perfectly. I am loving that the title numbers look exactly like ones on an alarm clock (non digital obviously).

Cover of The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

So pretty! I think everyone immediately loved this based on the response on twitter. After reading the synopsis I am equally excited to read this one.

cover of The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Okay so this really has more to do with the name than the cover. I am not partial either way to this cover, but the name...oh the name is PERFECT! The Dream Thieves, for those who have read The Raven Boys, is such a fitting title. I am intrigued and am dying for a synopsis to be released. I can't wait for more Gansey!

Cover of Infinityglass by Myra McEntire

Stunning. I really LOVE this cover. The striking red dress against that pale green wallpaper stands out and each of these covers has such an eye catching pose for the model on the front. I think this is actually my favourite of the three. Add it to Goodreads if haven't already.

Cover of Teardrop by Lauren Kate

The water cascading as her dress is quite pretty. The mystical look to the city behind her piques by interest, especially after reading the synopsis! 'A girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea' leaves me with thoughts of Atlantis.

TV

Once Upon A Time

This Sunday is the episode I have waited a long time for. The one in which we get answers. The one in which   not one but two of my favourite characters are set to return. Also one that will prove my guessing skills correct once again. I am so invested in this show that I literally have a bottle of wine, tissues, and chocolate ready for what is sure to be an emotionally draining episode for me. *Yes, I get too attached to TV/book characters. It's a thing*

So what are you obsessed with this week?

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Here are my obsessions this week:

BOOKS

Gretchen McNeil new series

Gretchen McNeil announced a new series. Being teased as Revenge meets The Breakfast Club it immediately piqued my interest. More details were released and it sounds AMAZING.

The series is titled Don't Get Mad with the novels being titled Get Even and Get Dirty. It follows a group of girls who offer anonymous revenge services for their highschool...until one of their "targets" shows up dead. Can we have this now please?!

You can find out more at Gretchen's blog if you wish. Both Get Even and Get Dirty can be added to Goodreads as well.

Divergent Movie News

I probably should have included this under movie, but meh. Divergent has a release date - March 21, 2014! Let the imaginary Four casting begin. I am very excited to see who will be Tris. This release date leaves me with hope that things will start to move along rather quickly now.

MOVIE

Sam Claflin as Finnick in Catching Fire

Run and look at these pictures of Sam from Lainey Gossip! DO IT!

Um, excuse me while I drool. I am not sure where these pictures originated from, but the one I posted here is from Lainey Gossip. Something about this screams Finnick to me. I know a lot of people do not like his casting, but I am ALL OVER THIS! #SWOON #SugarCubes #PlusHeIsBritish

TV

Once Upon A Time Season 2 trailer

**SPOILERS FOR SEASON 1 IN THE TRAILER**



September 30 needs to hurry up! So very excited to get back to Storybrooke and find out what happens next!

OTHER

Mara Dyer Week #2

Yup again! This week is really coming together with a lot of really awesome things in store. I can't wait to share my love of The Evolution of Mara Dyer with you guys!

So what you are obsessed with this week?

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Ten by Gretchen McNeil
Release Date – September 18, 2012
Publisher Website –  Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader
Pages -  304 pages
My Rating- 4/5
**obtained from publisher via BEA for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

And their doom comes swiftly. 

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?

10 teens, a deserted island, and 1 killer make for a spooky, atmospheric read. Ten is filled with heart pounding chills and a well thought out plot. A fun, and mysterious treat that left me rethinking island vacations.

Gretchen McNeil’s homage to the classic “And Then There Were None” benefits from her ability to create a mood. She sets the tone, and setting for this type of story perfectly. You are immersed in the cut off, isolated feeling of the characters almost immediately. The chills keep coming as the wonderfully paced plot escalates. Everything from the island, to the characters themselves add to the ambience. This is the type of book you want to curl up with close to Halloween and let it scare you.

It’s the little things that sent shivers down my spine. The more subtle scares worked better than the obvious one, and luckily Gretchen goes for this approach more often than not.  Your imagination is quite capable of conjuring up the worst images possible with the right prompting, and this novel uses this to it’s advantage.

The killer and his motivations are well defined. The clues are there but not overtly obvious. The killer’s rational makes them anything but a one dimensional villain. The story will resonate as the topic is timely and one that is a current hot topic issue.

While everything from the mood, the pacing and plotting were well done, I wished the characters had been more developed.  The novel could have been a little longer to add a bit more characterization to make the deaths resonate more. This is common of the usual horror movie narrative and I do believe that was the essence Gretchen was wanting to capture. As a character driven reader, I wanted more.

Fans of the TV show Harper's Island will especially love this one. It's a thrilling, gripping read that has a well thought out killer.It’ll keep you reading late into the night…just be sure to lock the doors.

Waiting on Wednesday...Ten

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

And their doom comes swiftly. 

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 the 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?

This sounds awesomely creepy. I love good mysteries and it seems like a "locked room" scenario where the killer might be some one they know. Intriguing synopsis and creepy cover don't hurt either.

Expected release date - September 18, 2012

Weekly Obsessions....

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Here are my obsessions this week:

BOOK

J.K. Rowling to publish new book

My twitter feed pretty much exploded when the news was released. I may have let out a squeal while at work. I love that we know pretty much nothing other than a few basics and the world pretty much went crazy. I am excited to see how J.K. Rowling tackles an adult novel. I am thrilled it's coming out later THIS year.

the cover of Ten by Gretchen McNeil

How creepy is this cover? How awesome is it at the same time? I love the little tag line as well - Ten teens. Three days. One killer. Chills right?! The Goodreads synopsis sounds excellent as well!

cover of Glass Heart by Amy Garvey 

I really enjoyed Cold Kiss. This is the stunning cover for the sequel. Seriously...LOVE! I bet the hardcover is going to be shiny and quite pretty. No synopsis is released yet, but you can add it on Goodreads.

Ann Aguirre new book trilogy

If you read Enclave (or read my review) perhaps you'll be as excited as I am. This trilogy is described as Doctor Faustus meets Mean Girls in this edgy paranormal revenge trilogy set in a dark world of secret societies, twisted bargains, and forbidden love.

The three books are called Mortal Beauty, Dire Charm and Dead Lovely. Super excited as it sounds amazing. The only downside? Waiting until 2014 when Mortal Beauty is released.

TV

Once Upon A Time

Alice in Wonderland is coming to Storybrooke! We are going to meet the Mad Hatter! They've also teased that we will find out who the Big Bad Wolf is, and that Belle will be back. This show really is amazing, and I am thrilled that we are getting the Alice in Wonderland characters. Still on my wishlist are the Peter Pan characters, and a certain mermaid!

MOVIE

The Hunger Games movie tickets

I have mine! Do you have yours? They are apparently selling out quickly. Super excited to watch this with one of my best friends, and my sister.

What are you obsessed with this week? Let me know in the comments.