Have you ever read a book that grabbed you with its premise, but let you down with its execution? I have. Like a million times. A million and one if you count my experience with Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten.

When I read the book's plot summary - a teenage girl follows clues to find her older sister, who disappeared two years ago - I immediately thought of The Amanda Project: Invisible i by Melissa Kantor. I love that kind of fun, clever mystery. Unfortunately, the alluring premise of Wherever Nina Lies only held me for a couple of chapters - then, the story started to get creepy-weird. It also seemed to be completely contrived, the plot held together by a string of very unconvincing coincidences. By the time I "met" the Jamies, I was ready to fling the book against the wall. I didn't because, in spite of myself, I wanted to know how the mystery ended (it wasn't satisfactorily either).

Basically, the story goes like this: Sixteen-year-old (I think she's 16) Ellie Wrigley can't get over the loss of her sister, who vanished without a trace two years ago. Nina was always a little wild - talking to any stranger who looked interesting, sneaking out at night, coming home smelling like a brewery, etc. - but she always returned home. Always. Then, she ran away or was kidnapped or something. Ellie's friends urge her to put the past behind her, to "get over" her sister's disappearance. Only, she can't.

When Ellie finds a picture sketched by Nina in an old book, she takes it as a sign. Nina's out there somewhere, leaving a trail of clues in her wake. A phone number leads to an old, abandoned mansion, where Ellie meets Sean, who's not just hot and funny, but also sympathetic to her plight. Together, they embark on a crazy road trip that Ellie prays will lead to her sister. As the miles churn by, the pair slowly pieces together the events leading up to Nina's disappearance. The more she investigates, the more Ellie realizes how much - and how little - she really knew about her sister. The realization also begins to dawn on Ellie that she, like Nina, might be in deep, deep trouble.

Sounds intriguing, right? And it is. I just wish the story had been plotted more carefully. I hate coincidence in mystery novels - it never, ever rings true. The heroine can't just happen to open a dusty old book and find a drawing, she can't just happen to use the restroom and spy her sister's handwriting among layers of graffiti, she can't just come across the two people in the world who know everything about an obscure band. Well, you get the idea - the story bugged.

I did finish the novel, but by the end I was only skimming. I wanted to find out what happened to Nina, I just didn't want to invest anymore time on it, you know? When the clues to a mystery are so lazily gathered, it usually means the "Big Reveal" isn't going to be anything amazing either. Bummer, that, because this story had all kinds of potential. Ah, well.

Wherever Nina Lies has been getting all kinds of buzz around the blogosphere - I'm just utterly confused as to why.

(Readalikes: A little like The Amanda Project: Invisible i by Stella Lennon [Melissa Kantor])

Grade: C

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language, underrage drinking/partying, and sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love: I received this book from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thanks!

"You don't know anything, you moronic jerk, I feel like screaming. Because for all his supposed Aura collecting, he has no idea how much Mom truly terrifies me. He has no idea that when I look at her, I'm not staring at a person, but a mirror. I'm seeing me, exactly as I'll be in the future" (135).

Most little girls want to grow up to be just like their mothers. Maybe Aura did, too, back when her mother's manic episodes seemed bright and fun. At 15, she now recognizes the episodes for what they are - scary as hell. Aura used to be able to talk her mom down, but these days, she's so far gone that Aura hasn't the faintest idea how to deal. The only thing she knows for sure is that she never, ever wants to be like her mom.

A gifted artist, Grace Ambrose is the kind of woman who paints fanciful murals on the walls, makes masterpieces out of old pianos, and dangles dozens of carved mermaids from the kitchen ceiling. She's also the lady who smashes into mailboxes she swears are in the middle of the road, runs screaming from buildings she thinks are on fire, and drops lit matches on her bare toes while trying to "fix" trinkets that were never broken in the first place. She's talented, creative, and crazy as a loon.

Aura has promised never to institutionalize her mother, never to insist on medication. Everyone knows Aura's promises are "like locks with no key" (47), but things are getting too complicated too fast. With no one to count on but herself, Aura does everything she can to fix the problem - from hiding to lying to hovering to playing her mother's insane little games. She even sacrifices her own art - the one thing that brings her solace - to keep the insanity at bay. But the crazy just keeps coming. Can Aura save her mother on her own? Or will the darkness that's been passed down for generations in her family swallow Aura whole?

A Blue So Dark, Holly Schindler's debut novel (available May 28, 2010), explores what it means to have mental illness lurking in the thick leaves of your family tree. It shows the terror, the guilt, and the anguish experienced by not just the schizophrenic patient, but also by those who love her. Brutally honest and heartbreakingly real, this is a read that is as painful as it is enlightening. Aura Ambrose is so skillfully drawn you want to pluck her out of the pages and wrap her in your arms. Seriously, I was surprised to see a photograph of Holly Schindler - I fully expected the author to be about 15. That's how authentic her voice is. She writes in vivid, Technicolor prose that thrills over and over with its fresh, visual appeal.

If you prefer happy, bubbly stories, steer clear of A Blue So Dark. It's exactly what it promises to be - dark. It's also an intense, compelling story that will grab you from the very first word. An absolutely stunning debut, this book promises good things to come from an author I will be watching very, very closely.

(Readalikes: Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu; The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley; The Memory of Water by Karen White)

Grade: A-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language

To the FTC, with love: I received this book from the generous folks at Flux. Thank you!

I'm baaaaaack! While flying home from Utah yesterday, I thought about all the things I was returning to - laundry, dishes, diapers, cooking, cleaning, the heat - and I almost turned right back around. I had such a fun weekend visiting with old friends, hobnobbing with writerly folk, and talking about books, books, books. The Conference was excellent - I met lots of great people, learned a ton about writing and just had a ball. I'm exhausted, so I'll post more later, but I wanted to let you all know that I'm alive and well.

I have tons to catch up on, blog-wise and life-wise. Be patient with me! A couple of quick things:

- I take pride in helping out with blog tours, and I try to follow the guidelines the author/publicist asks me to follow. When I wrote my last post, I was at the conference, running on very little sleep and using my friend's teensy tiny computer. Needless to say, I did not have a chance to edit the post, so it was very garbled and typo-filled. Sorry about that! Hopefully, it makes more sense now.

- I wanted to make sure you know that the tour for The Ocean Between Us by Susan Wiggs is still going. I believe the next stop will be tomorrow at The Pink Chandelier. I could be wrong about that, but it's a fun blog, so check it out anyway.

- Big Honcho Media, who is running the tour, has generously offered one of my readers the chance to win a $50 Visa gift card to use toward the purchase of their own copy of The Ocean Between Us. Cool, huh? Click here to enter.

- Speaking of Susan Wiggs' book, I finished it while I was in Utah. Look for a review soon.

Okay, I think that covers it. I've got to get my kiddos off to school. After that, well, my bed is looking awfully inviting!