High School can be its own little version of Hell. Anyone on the fringes of its society pay the price in blatant stares, whispers, and humiliation. You’ve never seen torture until you’ve seen the gossip mill of a high-end private school.
Alexis Bardolph never had to worry about the Hell part of High School. She was one of the Queen Bees of Weatherford Preparatory. In line to be Valedictorian, girlfriend of the hottest lacrosse player, and friends with equally beautiful and popular cheerleaders Alexis had it all.
Until her mom got sick…
Until her mom came after her with a gun…
Until Alexis killed her own mother…
Now, self-defense or not, matricide is looked down upon by most societies…High Schools included. Alexis’s senior year finds her haunted by nightmares, sleepwalking in the early hours, and seeing fleeting visions of a woman who is most likely a ghost…or hallucination…or out to kill Alexis as well. Alexis is still standing only because her best friends are holding her up. Did I forget to mention that the boyfriend high-tailed it out after the killing? Yep. And now he’s dating the evil cheerleader.
When life couldn’t get worse in walks the most beautiful boy Alexis has ever seen. And he has eyes only for her. All is not what it seems…And the man who appears to be Alexis’s saving grace could also be the death of her…
Review
I found this book to be so enjoyably written. Snarky comments, witty observations. Alexis is a girl in the mires of a whole lot of, shall we say, shit. Right off the bat Alexis is dealing with the fact that she killed her mother, her sister has turned against her, and her father has abandoned her; choosing to practically live at the office rather than interact with his children. Add to all of this the heinous nightmares Alexis is living with and I don’t know how she’s getting through a day! Bless her best friends. They’re a tad shallow but their loyalty and love for their friend runs deep. I loved how they defended Alexis like warriors…well, warriors wearing Gucci and Louboutins, lol.
I have mixed emotions about the start to this book. As I’ve already mentioned I very much enjoyed the characters and the voice of the protagonist. But as much as I was enjoying it, it took me a little while to get into the story. We’re presented with a huge case of insta-love right from the start. Lucas, the mysterious and hot new neighbor, comes on strong. I’m pretty sure they start making out on their second or third meeting! I’m warning you now. There’s not a lot of rationalization for the insta-love…you won’t really understand the reasons until the end of the book. Which is why, in retrospect, I kinda like that I had to wait for all of the info to be revealed.
The driving force of this plot doesn’t come out until the final scenes of the book. Then, all the pieces of the puzzle slam into place with a bang and lots of action scenes. Honestly I was thinking things like “No Way!” and “How did I not see that coming?!” and “Boy was I wrong about that”. The concept for the book is not new, it’s a conglomeration of the Passion books and the Shiver-type books. But instead of feeling stale, or like a repeat. It’s almost as if having done these other novels first only served to confuse my guesses…I was totally expecting a different ending!
After having the blindfold of the first 2/3rds of the book removed I’m itching for the next book in the series! That last third simultaneously opened up lots of knowledge and lots of questions. If you’re looking for a paranormal (minus vampires) you’ve found a very nice option with this book.
Rating: 3.7/5 Action packed ending has me wanting more from this series!
what a crazy premise.
the insta-love would annoy me too. but you have piqued my curiosity… ahH! what happens at the end!?
LOTS of stuff happened at the end. Like, basically all the stuff happened at the end, lol.
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Hmmm….I don’t mind waiting to the end for the payoff, but I don’t like it ALL to happen at the end like Hush, Hush. I trust you implicitly though that the pay off is worth it.