Book Review: The Girl I Used To Be by April Henry

Genre: YA Mystery
Publication: May 2016 by Henry Holt and Co.
Acquisition: read a free eARC via NetGalley

Synopsis:

Fourteen years ago, a three-year-old girl was the only survivor at a horrific murder scene. Now she’s determined to search for the truth—and the killer is even more determined to stop her.

When Olivia’s mother was murdered and her father disappeared, everyone suspected her father had done it. Fast-forward fourteen years. New evidence now proves Olivia’s father was actually murdered on the same fateful day her mother died. That means there’s a killer still at large. Can Olivia uncover the truth before the killer tracks her down?

(from Goodreads)

4 / 5 Stars

I love April Henry's YA thrillers. They remind me of the hoards of Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine books I devoured as a teen.

The Girl I Used To Be is no exception.

It's a little neat and clean and this worked for me. Loved how independent Olivia is, even if her circumstances are a bit unrealistic. Loved the subdued romance. Love how I didn't guess who the 'bad guy' was before it was revealed. The mystery was pretty standard but there were a few twists.

I thought the whole 'emancipated teen' route bugged me bit as I see it as an excuse to write young characters who can act 100% like adults because the parents have been taken out of the equation. For Olivia though, it worked.

April Henry has been fast becoming an auto read author for me.

The Girl I Used to Be is a quick, fun mystery with some thrilling parts that make a lasting impression.

The Girl Who Was Supposed To Die by April Henry

The Girl Who Was Supposed To Die

April Henry

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication: June 2013 from Henry Holt
Pages: 224
Format: ARC
Acquisition: I received this book from the publisher for free in exchange for my review

Synopsis:

“Take her out back and finish her off.”

She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.

And that she must run.

In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive.

(from Goodreads)

There was so much about this book that I really loved but unfortunately, the implausibility of it all was just too much.

The premise is great - what would you do if you woke up with no memory with the voice of your potential killer ringing in you ears? I for one, would hope I would be as brave and insightful as Cady was. She might have lost her memory but she never loses herself. She's a strong character and despite what she is going through she doesn't waiver.

Cody's strengths however, for me, turned into her faults. She finds a way through everything - too easily. The good guy who shows up at the perfect moment and who instantly wants to risk his life for her - the bad guy who gives her all the details of everything before messing up and allowing her to escape (this actually happens several times) -- it's all just too much. Cady is strong because its easy to be. Her situations are so over the top, she almost could have done nothing and it felt like everything would still work out for her in the end.

While I initially felt very connected to Cady, as the book wore on, this connection grew weaker and weaker. By the time her story came to a close, I wasn't much interested.

And that ending? Not enjoyable. Will she make it? Oh no, the bad guy found her! Poof! The End with a cherry on top. It made very little sense.

Now, do I think others will enjoy The Girl Who Was Supposed To Die more then I did? Absolutely. I'm a pretty tough critic when it comes to thrillers and I know a lot of what I didn't like about this book are totally my personal 'issues'. So, yes, I do think others would very much connect with Cady more then I did.

A quick YA read with only a slight romantic twinge, this one could be a light thriller I think a lot of different readers would enjoy. I encourage you to not take only my word on this one - go seek it out for yourselves!

Rating

3 / 5 Stars

Book Review: The Night She Disappeared by April Henry

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: March 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt
Pages: 240
Series: no
Acquisition: NetGalley

Summary:

Gabie drives a Mini Cooper. She also works part time as a delivery girl at Pete’s Pizza. One night, Kayla—another delivery girl—goes missing. To her horror, Gabie learns that the supposed kidnapper had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working that night. Gabie can’t move beyond the fact that Kayla’s fate was really meant for her, and she becomes obsessed with finding Kayla. She teams up with Drew, who also works at Pete’s. Together, they set out to prove that Kayla isn’t dead—and to find her before she is. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
I read The Night She Disappeared in one sitting. I just could not put it down. It's very much a stay awake till all hours of the night because you need to know what happens next, type of book. Short chapters from different characters POVs along with one page facts and clues about the mystery drove the story forward in a really compelling way.

A great mystery that kept me on edge. I couldn't help but be reminded of thrillers I've read in the past. Christopher Pike, Lael Littke, Richie Cusick - these were the stories that kept me up at night as a teen. The Night She Disappeared had that same feel. The thrill and the mystery, combined with a tangible threat and a lot of unknowns - love it! I also loved that as a reader I knew more then the characters did .

Final verdict:
A great thriller that will give you the creeps combined with believable characters and believable settings made for a great read.

The Night She Disappeared is my first April Henry book but I'm sure it won't be my last.

Overall Rating:

4 / 5 Stars

Linkage Love:
Author's website
Goodreads
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