Search This Blog

2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

2024 Challenge Sign-Up Post

January Reviews Link-Up

February Reviews Link-Up

March Reviews Link-Up

April Reviews Link-Up

May Reviews Link-Up

June Reviews Link-Up

July Reviews Link-Up

August Reviews Link-Up

September Reviews Link-Up

October Reviews Link-Up

November Reviews Link-Up

December Reviews Link-Up

My Progress:


9 / 30 books. 30% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (1)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia (1)
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*

International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (5)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Netherlands (1)

My Progress:


12 / 51 states. 24% done!

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


10 / 50 words. 20% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


15 / 50 books. 30% done!

Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


32 / 50 books. 64% done!

2024 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


27 / 52 books. 52% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


21 / 40 books. 53% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


13 / 40 books. 33% done!

2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


5 / 25 books. 20% done!

2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

My Progress


17 / 26.2 miles. 65% done!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


15 / 100 books. 15% done!

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


34 / 104 books. 33% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


31 / 52 books. 60% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

My Progress


32 / 165 books. 19% done!
Wednesday, May 01, 2013

A Little Bit Late, But We (Finally) Have a Winner ...

Sorry I'm a little tardy with this.  Better late than never, right?  So, congratulations, Ivy, you've won a copy of Second Chances by Melanie Jacobson.  If you'll email me (at blogginboutbooksATgmailDOTcom) with your mailing address, I'll pass it along to Melanie, who will be mailing out your prize.  Enjoy!


Reconstructing Amelia: It's That Disturbing and That Compelling

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Kate Baron, a 38-year-old lawyer working for a prestigious firm in Manhattan, receives a call from her daughter's high school, she's stunned.  Amelia's always been a model student.  She can't possibly be guilty of plagiarizing; the administration's obviously made a huge mistake.  When Kate reaches the school, she gets an even worse shock—Amelia's not waiting in the headmaster's office because her dead body is sprawled on the ground outside the school.  The police are quick to rule the 15-year-old's death a suicide.

Kate can't believe her only child is dead, can't fathom why someone as beautiful and smart as Amelia would take her own life.  It just doesn't add up.  Then, Kate gets an ominous text:  She didn't jump.  It's obviously some monster's idea of a sick joke, but what if it's not?  What if someone pushed Amelia?  As horrible as the idea is, it makes more sense than a girl like Amelia killing herself.  Kate can't imagine who would want to hurt Amelia, but she's determined to find her daughter's murderer.  She doesn't care if voicing her concerns makes her sound like a desperate, grief-crazy psycho—she will find out what really happen to Amelia.       

As Kate searches through her daughter's texts, emails and Facebook statuses, she begins to wonder if she knew her daughter at all.  Did Amelia's involvement with a secret campus club twist her into a lying, cheating bad girl?  Or was she the victim of extreme hazing?  Was her death caused by someone she knew or was it a random crime?  The closer Kate gets to the truth, the more disturbing the answers become.  Can she handle knowing what really happened, especially if it shows how largely she failed as a mother?  Kate's no longer sure ...

I've said many times that I love a nice, twisty psychological thriller and Reconstructing Amelia certainly qualifies.  The debut novel by Kimberly McCreight offers a murder (or not?) mystery that takes plenty of surprising, sinister turns.  Although it does get cliché in spots, the plot's tight construction as well as its alternating viewpoints keeps the story tense and edge-of-your-seat interesting.  It's well-crafted, for sure.  Not that there weren't times when it felt a little far-fetched or when Amelia acted a lot older than 15, but overall, the plotting's tight.  That being said, Reconstructing Amelia is a dark, disturbing novel that's deeply unsettling.  Let's just say, it's R-rated for a reason.  There were lots of times throughout the novel when I thought, "Why in the world am I still reading this?"  So yeah, beware.  The story made me that uncomfortable, but it was also that compelling.  Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. 

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult)  

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  R for strong language, sexual content (including homosexual encounters), and depictions of underage drinking/drug usage 

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Reconstructing Amelia from the generous folks at Harper Collins via those at TLC Book Tours.  Thank you!

       
Blog Widget by LinkWithin


Reading

<i>Reading</i>
End of Story by A.J. Finn

Listening

<i>Listening</i>
My Contrary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows



Followin' with Bloglovin'

Follow

Followin' with Feedly

follow us in feedly



Grab my Button!


Blog Design by:


Blog Archive



2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Susan has read 0 books toward her goal of 200 books.
hide

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction