A story of siblings who go to some dark places. Thea lies for two reasons: one she likes the thrill of the story and two she wants attention so that she can be in with the girls at school, her sister, her sister's boyfriend, and her sister's friends. Thea used to be the brainiac booknerd, but now that her mom married richy-rich Arthur, she's the rich girl channeling her inner Gia (the alternate personality she gives herself when she wants to be confident and sexy). Her sister Alex on the other hand is a mess. Ever since she did her senior internship at Haute, she doesn't eat and she can barely even leave the house. Alex is definitely hiding something, and Thea and Joshua (the boyfriend) seem powerless to help. With Thea's lying getting more and more out of control and Alex feeling like Xander (the guy who runs the volunteers at her new senior internship) could be someone to lean on.... things are bound to explode.I really got into this book. I love it when I'm reading a book and it feels like my real life is taking away from my reading time... like if I get a free second, I'm diving onto my couch to read because I HAVE to know what's going to happen. This book definitely did that to me. The writing in this book is great! The way the characters talk and think, they just have such an authentic voice. These characters have personalities that I really haven't seen in other books (and I read A LOT). I have never met another Thea. I felt achingly bad for her, and she wasn't even supposed to be the sister with the problems. She wanted to fit in with her sister, to be noticed by her.... and it kind of turned her into a headcase.
Alex on the other hand was harder for me to get. Yes something happened to her that caused her to feel out of control, but what I didn't get was how Xander made that all better for her. This guy that she didn't really pay much attention to, one day... BOOM it's insta-love? Not quite sure I was feeling that. I said earlier this week on my blog that I dislike it when a girl needs a guy to solve her problems... I think it relays a bad message.
One other thing that was different about this book was the chapters were alternating POV's in alternating tense. Thea's chapters were all in first person... Alex's in third. I didn't mind it though, it made it easier to follow actually.
So, I really liked this book and the thing that is putting me off a full 4-Heart rating is the insta-love and the ending! I like when an author gives you some credit and gives you a chance to imagine where the characters might go, but I like some problems cleared up.... these problems were just blowing up! And the ending left me feeling like Alex is a bad sister, and I don't think she really was deep down.
PS- Not a fan of the cover. When I first saw it I thought the book was going to be about a WWII girl. It's fine, but it just doesn't say modern-day at all.
Add it to your To-Read List!
My Rating:
Date Published: 10/9/2012
How I Got This Book: ARC provided by NetGalley :)
I have been wanting to read this book for a while
ReplyDeleteHmm I was deciding weither to read this today or not, but i guess i will! I love when a book sucks you up into its own world! I havent been getting the experience that much lately. (and I also read a LOT) Anyways thanks for the review! It looked like an instalove book (I HATE instalove!!!!!) and that made me want to put aside for later. But now I think Ill just read today. Thanks! :D
ReplyDeleteI love Adele Griffin. I love the strength of her voice, the intense and multi-dimensional characters she creates, and the landscapes she's able to build whether working in a realistic or a magical world.
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