Published December 31, 2013
About the Book:
Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother -- whose name her dad won't even say out loud. That's why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her...and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she's everything Emma is not.
And it may be more than Emma can handle.
Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It's more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop...
This explosive, sexy, and harrowing follow-up to Ann Redisch Stampler's spectacular teen debut, Where It Began, reveals how those who know us best can hurt us most.
My Thoughts:
This one was so good that I was barely able to put it down all day. I read every chance I got while running errands, while eating dinner, while working out, while waiting in the car while my daughters ran into the grocery store, and while staying up past 2 am to finish it. It's that good. Emma is awesome and very real, Siobhan is toxic and evil, and Dylan is uber swoon-worthy. As I read in another review, elements of the book are like Mean Girls on steroids...especially Siobhan. This isn't fluffy YA; it's dark and gritty and messy. The writing is excellent; I really love this author's style. The dialogue between characters is great, as is Emma's internal dialogue with herself. She's immensely likable and realistic. Instead of Emma the Good or Emma the Bad, as she struggles with, she's really just Emma the normal, very real teenage girl. It's easy to relate to her struggle of figuring out who she is, as we all go through in our young adult years. And the whole frenemy dichotomy is something all too common (who hasn't had one!), though, Siobhan takes it to all new levels. This is one you have to add to your must read list.
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