Easy stuff first: YA psychological thriller (?) Well-written. Shock value of twist--the prologue literally says, there's a twist, POV character constantly refers to "secret" is annoying, but I went along in order. Whatever. Writing wasn't bad.

I read lots of series. Here's the thing. Each part of a series has its own little payoff, right? Like, some way in which it stands alone. Although there's been a big reveal in this, the last page is basically like "But there was an EVEN BIGGER SECRET....FIND OUT MORE IN THE SEQUEL, [DATE]."

It's shameless and it's lazy. Your plot should be sufficiently compelling that it beings people back for more, not a desperate cliffhanger. Mic drop. ( )

Are.You.Kidding.Me?!?!?! It can't just end like that. It can't! This book was amazing. Simply stunning. I will never be able to forget it. ( )

Want to know if the whole series is worth reading? Read my overall review of the whole series at seriesousbookreviews.com! Spoiler Free!

**I received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own and not influenced by my source.**

I really enjoyed Courtney Cole's New Adult book [b: If I Stay|4374400|If I Stay (If I Stay, #1)|Gayle Forman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347462970s/4374400.jpg|4422413]. It's probably one of my favourite New Adult reads because it fits the genre so well. Needless to say, when the opportunity presented itself to read this one, I couldn't say.

WOW, what a ride this book was! I thought I had everything figured out and then all my expectations were blown out of the water. This is one of those books that stays with you for a long time because you simultaneously wonder "how did I miss that?" and "how could I ever see that coming".

This book played with all my emotions--in a totally great way. It's dark yes, but in a refreshing way. It's not meant to shock you just because it can; rather it shocks you in a very realistic way that makes you think.

I can't wait to see what happens next in this series. Definitely hooked!

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Full Review: http://wp.me/p3txrs-19Z
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Okay, so this one was a 3 star read for me. If I was rating the writing it would have been 5 shining stars. It was fast paced and kept me turning the pages. Unfortunately though, the story was overwhelming and well... It had a killer cliffhanger. That's where the 3 comes into play.

At the beginning we get a note from the Author warning us of the dark nature of this book. Was it really that dark? Not for me. I have read dark reads with taboo scenes and off the wall plots... This one was a mind f* with a bit of horror.

The best part of the book was definitely the first chapter. I felt connected to the characters and my heart squeezed at realness of the scene. After that though, My connection started drifting. I became tangled up in the story and I felt stuck. As I read each word I mentally tried to push the ropes away. The twists and turns and secrets eventually took over and held me captive.

I really liked that the story was different. It just felt like there was so much going on that it was hard to follow along. Then at the end... You literally will want to go back and try to figure out where you missed the critical parts. I would have like the answers to be just below the surface, not buried 6 feet under. The digging was mentally frustrating and the cliffhanger killed me.

When it comes to series' I really like each book to have some sort of closure. I think that if a book is good enough you don't need a cliffhanger to suck readers into a book 2 or book 3.

For me this book was entertaining, but just not my reading taste. I definitely recommend that you give it a try though... Many people love it!


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This book has a lot of mystery and secrets, there is a bit of sanity and a lot of lunacy… I was a bit frustrated with the secrets Dare and Finn seemed to have but I must say that it all fits and in the end all was forgiven ;-). I won’t say much more about the plot but this: Calla has a twin brother named Finn. He is her best friend, her half soul. Finn was also diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder since he was a child. Calla has always felt the need to take care of her brother and she is his saving grace. But then, after a sudden tragedy in her family, during one of her brother's therapy sessions, she meets Dare DuBray and she is immediately attracted to him. Calla starts to hang out with Dare and in doing so distances herself from Finn, but she's also torn because Finn’s mind seems to be seriously slipping. We see the POV of Calla and of Finn who is getting more erratic in his writing and is convinced that he has to save Calla and that she can save him. And if you think you know where this will go and you’ve got it all figured out, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Another book that will leave you feeling disoriented, and a promising cliffhanger for the follow-up Verum. ( )