By: Ashley Elston
Release Date: May 14. 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.
Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.
But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.
B&N
"Meg" finds herself in Louisiana, another city and another identity. Meg and her family are in the Witness Protection Program and this is not her first identity or location. She's not sure why they're in the program (no one will tell her) and she's not sure why they have to keep moving around. One thing she does know is that it's pointless to get close to anybody. No making friends and joining clubs for Meg this time around.... why bother when it could all be ripped away at any time.
But then she meets Ethan, a boy who's on to her stories. Meg knows she should stay away from Ethan, it's dangerous, but there's just something about him...
Whew!! This book was fun! Fun in a I need to figure out this mystery that's going on kind of way. And the thing is there's a lot of stuff to figure out! It's really hard to describe this book without using spoilers, but what I can tell you is that Meg is dealing with a lot. She's moved 6 times and her parents are seriously messed-up which is making her little sister (Teeny is what she calls her) withdraw. The mother is a complete non-functional alcoholic and the dad just doesn't talk to anybody about anything meaningful. It's pretty heartbreaking to watch Teeny and Meg hit these really low lows because they have a mother who is basically trying to kill herself right in front of them. As a mother myself, I felt for Teeny and just wanted to hug her!
I was expecting the big reveal to be a bit more surprising than it was. That being said, I still liked working my way up to it and needing to turn the pages quickly to get to it. I also liked that we got to see inside of Meg's original life and the social turmoil that she was dealing with right before shit hit the fan. It was nice to get that added dimension.
There's really only 2 things that bugged me in this book. One was that the characters always had to tell us everything they were thinking as soon as they thought it. It's like sometimes you don't really need to state the obvious. Sometimes less is more. The other thing was Ethan was so freaking nebby. Always prying into Meg's life when he didn't even know her at all. He turned out to be a cool guy, but dude you can't stalk a girl and expect her to spill all her info to you... I don't care how cute you are.
Oh and the ending!! Is this a series?? It has a pretty dramatic cliff-hangery ending, so I hope there's a book 2!
I've never read a Witness Protection-type book in YA before and I gotta say I enjoyed this one.
Overall: A really addicting debut for Ashley Elston!! I enjoyed the mystery and the romance element in it... I also thought it moved well and really held my attention, but wished the characters showed more of what they were feeling instead of spelling it out.
This Book Contains:
- The Witness Protection Program
- Swamp Pizza
- People who say y'all a lot
- A pixie haircut
- Hunting
- A cute farm boy
- A roadtrip
My Rating:
3/4
How I got this book: I was provided a free copy in exchange for this honest review
Date Published: 5/14/2013
Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I loved the mystery aspect of this book too! I also heard there's going to be a sequel, so I'm curious to see what it would be about! :) Great review!
ReplyDeleteAlice @ Alice in Readerland
I really want to read this one and soon. I heard that the big reveal is kind of a let down, but I think I can deal with that, especially knowing that the journey is more fun than the reveal itself.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely worth reading, it's just not one of those books that's going to grab you and stick with you forever.
Delete