From my blog: Always With a Book:

My thoughts: This is one of those books that as soon as I heard about it - it's one of the BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge picks - I knew I wanted to read it. It just sounded so intriguing and would you look at the cover - doesn't it just call to you to pick it up!?!

One of the things I really liked about this book is that it really keeps you guessing as to who did it - who killed Lucinda Hayes. I think I thought I had it figured out at least a half-dozen times, only to be completely flabbergasted at the final reveal. It's narrated by three very different, yet complex characters - and as the mystery is ever so slowly revealed, you are given a picture of what was really going on in this small Colorado town.

This really is as much a mystery as it is a character-study into the lives of the people in this town. It is a bit slow at times as it delves into the lives of these characters, but I think this was all necessary as this gives us all the connections and memories needed to link everything together.

The writing it quite lyrical and beautiful - it really keeps you engaged throughout. It's addictive as much as it is haunting and I am quite eager to see what comes next from this author.

I just couldn't get into this book deep enough to offer a true review - I didn't understand the characters nor did I feel any compassion for the victim so I didn't care who killed her.

The small town of Broomsville, Colorado, was horrified when 15 year old Lucinda Hayes’s body was discovered on a playground carousel. Lucinda was a popular student from a good family, and no one could believe that such a terrible thing could have happened to her. Several suspects were investigated, including Ivan, the school’s night janitor, and Cameron, a fellow student with a habit of stalking Lucinda.

Told from the varying perspectives of Cameron, another student named Jade, and Russ, an officer investigating the case, Girl in Snow uncovers an amazing amount of dysfunction and unhappiness that somehow the characters manage to keep mostly hidden.

I’m disappointed. I expected murder mystery and got psychological character studies of Cameron (who sneaks out at night to look through his neighbors’ windows), Jade (whose mother is an alcoholic abuser), and Russ (Cameron’s father’s former partner, married to Ines, who is Ivan the janitor’s sister, and their marriage is a disaster.) Things moved too slowly for me, and I couldn’t get involved in the storyline.

I'm going to round this up to 3 stars. Slow start, but I did finally start caring a little bit about the characters. The murder itself is a backdrop to this, a character study of 3 individuals. As I said, this story moves very slowly, the leads are not very likable but, somehow, I got pulled in. That is due to decent writing. In some ways, I feel this is more of a YA book with strong overtones. I'm not really sure if I would read anything else by the author - mixed feelings on this.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.**

This book was a decent debut and had great writing.I'm a fan of a great thriller and this was not that book. It was more about the characters then the mystery.This I would classify as more of a general fiction book then a mystery /thriller. Not my favorite only because I'm looking for more suspense but if you like to read a good character driven book this book is for you!

Girl in Snow is a deep debut novel by Danya Kukafka about a murder; but concentrates more on those affected by it, whether friend, family or suspect.

Lucinda Hayes has been murdered and her body found in a pile of snow. Suspicion is immediately cast on Cameron Whitely as he is perceived as Lucinda’s stalker. Slowly more suspects enter the picture; Jade, from whom Lucinda stole a job and a boy, and Ivan, the janitor from the school who found her. Or could it possibly be Edouard, Lucinda’s ex, or Mr O, a teacher dating Cameron’s mother? With so much possibility pointing at someone, surely the most obvious person is the killer? Or is there more to this than meets the eye?

The story is told from 3 perspectives, one from Cameron, one from Jade and one from Russ, Cameron’s father’s partner in the police force.
Cameron from the off is a very intriguing character; slightly oddball, slightly scary. After his father was arrested for assault, let off and did a runner, his mother did her best to raise Cameron normally, but let’s just say he has quirks. He sees the world in a very different way and his thoughts tend to become tangled, to a point where he would respond to a situation in a different way to what is perceived as normal. To him the game of Statue Nights, where he stands very still at night outside a person’s house and watches, is not being a stalker. It’s taking in life; it’s learning and absorbing. He has memorised everything about Lucinda, from her appearance to her habits. Lucinda’s dad has seen him and chased him away so his night games are not unknown and clearly make him the prime suspect.
Unbeknownst to Cameron, Jade has seen his statue game too so can verify his strangeness. However Jade is not quite a mainstream teen either as she has her own reasons to hate Lucinda. Jade is the only character’s perspective to be written in the 1st person which is very clever. It allows the reader to come closer to her angst and puts her story on a different level to the others. It’s almost as if her story can be changed by her actions whereas the others are guided by outside forces. Jade has a horrible home life with an abusive mother and has every reason to want to lash out at the world. Was Lucinda’s stealing of her job and guy enough to send her over the edge?
The janitor who discovers the body is Russ’s brother-in-law, a reformed convict who preaches a religious ideal. Russ is struggling with his present and future; so much that looked rosy is turning sour and with what happened to Cameron’s father he is reluctant to see Cameron as a suspect.

As more incidents happen and more memories surface you are torn between characters and whether they are guilty or not. I found myself rooting for someone then changing my mind as I thought it could be them. A book that keeps you guessing until the end is a rare find. Even though the revelation itself it rather quick, I enjoyed that fact that the story didn’t end there. The author takes you to those affected and shows you the ramifications; something a lot of stories don’t do. It breaks down the nitty gritty of people’s feelings and explores sharing and love and emptiness. Along with the excellent editing the interesting storyline and depth of character makes this an intriguing read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

A girl is found murdered on the school playground. It’s a small community and everyone is talking about it and playing armchair sleuth to figure out who murdered Lucinda Hayes. This book isn’t really about her murder or who actually killed her, however. The book follows three unique characters: Cameron, Jade, and Russ.

Cameron is the so-called weird kid at school. He cannot follow social norms. He loved Lucinda in his own way. Jade used to know Lucinda. They used to be friends. But friends grow apart. Russ is a cop in this little town. He is married to Ines who happens to be the sister of the man who found Lucinda. These characters are the real story in this book, and Lucinda’s murder is only an afterthought.

I think many readers will find the writing in this book beautiful. For me? I didn’t enjoy it. Each time the author was close to getting to a point related to what I thought the was the story line we were whisked away to another flowery story that was unrelated to the murder. This wasn’t a wholly unenjoyable book; however, it was not the thriller or mystery that I thought it was going to be. If you’re looking for a character driven book with prose that is a bit fancy then you’ll probably love this book.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advanced readers edition of this book, and to NetGalley for facilitating. And immense amounts of praise to Danya Kukafka for such beautifully written work.

A note from the publishers at the start of this book stated how astonished they were to learn that the author was only 24 years old. I also share that astonishment because truly, this is beautiful and the narrative and structure is perfect. But I did disagree when the publisher said that once you begin reading "you will not be able to stop" - and that is not a criticism. I HAD to stop at various points because the characters were so deep and complex that I wanted to take breaks in order to reflect and fully appreciate who they were. Usually books this length are finished in one sitting for me, but this one took me 3 days to finish. Because I wanted to savour it. I was thinking about it when I was not reading it, trying to dissect the characters and understand them better.

Cameron, the stalker, who you find yourself sympathising with and feeling the beauty in his observations through the windows of his neighbours.

Jade, the angry "emo", who's past and present is splintered with self depreciation and neglect. She is hurtful to others and yet you do not dislike her - she is lashing out through pain.

Russ, emotionally closed off, cold towards his wife, but his love runs deeper than most people would care to acknowledge.

This to me was less about "who murdered the Girl in Snow" and more about what made these characters who they were. Usually I'm trying to figure out who the culprit was, but in this instance I was completely side tracked by the wonderfully diverse mix of characters. I just wanted to learn more about them. And that meant that I didn't figure out the culprit, once it was revealed it felt like I should have figured it out far earlier. But I wasn't trying to - for once.

The title felt strange to me, "Girl in Snow". It felt more like a title of a painting than a book - Which makes perfect sense now, in terms of the storyline within the book. But also because this really is a work of art that would be worthy of the best art museums and galleries in the world.

I was floored by this book. It was not simply beautiful, it was complexly stunning. I wish I could forget all about it so that I could read it for the first time, again.

Book blurb...
“An exciting debut from a talented new voice. Girl in Snow is a propulsive mystery set in a suburban community marked by unsettling voyeurism. Danya Kukafka patiently reveals layers of her characters’ inner lives—their ugliness and vulnerabilities—in prose that sparkles and wounds. I couldn’t put this one down.” —Brit Bennett, New York Times bestselling author of The Mothers

An addictive debut thriller about the mysterious death of a small-town golden girl and the secret lives of three people connected to her: the social misfit who loved her from afar, the rebellious girl who despised her, and the policeman investigating her death.

As morning dawns in a sleepy Colorado suburb, a dusting of snow covers high school freshman Lucinda Hayes’s dead body on a playground carousel. As accusations quickly spread, Lucinda’s tragic death draws three outsiders from the shadows.

Oddball Cameron Whitley loved—still loves—Lucinda. Though they’ve hardly ever spoken, and any sensible onlooker would call him Lucinda’s stalker, Cameron is convinced that he knows her better than anyone. Completely untethered by the news of her death, Cameron’s erratic behavior provides the town ample reason to suspect that he’s the killer.

Jade Dixon-Burns hates Lucinda. Lucinda took everything from Jade: her babysitting job, and her best friend. The worst part was Lucinda’s blissful ignorance to the damage she’d wrought.

Officer Russ Fletcher doesn’t know Lucinda, but he knows the kid everyone is talking about, the boy who may have killed her. Cameron Whitley is his ex-partner’s son. Now Russ must take a painful journey through the past to solve Lucinda’s murder and keep a promise he made long ago.

Girl in Snow investigates the razor-sharp line between love and obsession and will thrill fans of Everything I Never Told You and Luckiest Girl Alive.Intoxicating and intense, this is a novel you will not be able to put down.

My thoughts…

I’ve never read a book like this before. A story full of odd people in an odd town filled with dirty secrets. As no one really talks to each other, the narrative is very ‘telling’, but then there is ‘prose’ that makes for an interesting contrast.

Although uniquely told, Girl In Snow is not my kind of narrative. I prefer stories with more dialogue and a deep POV that, for me, makes the characters more relatable and their character arcs/growth stronger and more emotional. But the reviews in the NY times speak very well of the debut novelist. So, I guess its one of those ‘you cant please everyone’ type review scenarios.

That said, it is a very good book, just different and that can be a good thing in today’s market. I have to wonder what sort of mind comes up with this sort of story, which can appear disjointed at times but does actually all come together in the end.

I chose to read it because it was listed as a ‘thriller’. There is a murder, but it’s not a suspenseful thriller. Worth checking out if you like introspection with prose.

Great mystery told in three voices. Very suitable for teens and YA

Girl in snow is an addictive thriller that is well paced with intriguing characters that kept me turning page after page and staying up late to finish

Ok, so I think it is clear that the writer is very good at writing, but I still feel like this story went so slowly. I had trouble finishing it. Here is the thing, It felt more like I spent all of my time reading about the 3 characters lives than I did reading any story related to the dead girl. This had the potential to be a great story. For me, it just didn't deliver on the subject.

"Girl In Snow" is a character study of three individuals whose lives are torn apart by the death of a young girl (Lucinda Hayes) they all knew. A boy named Cameron, because he loved her from afar; a girl named Jade, because Lucinda coveted the boy she loved; and a man named Russ, because he is a police officer investigating Lucinda’s death and because his brother-in-law, Ivan, is suspected of committing the crime.

At the onset of the novel, Lucinda's body is found on the school playground. There are only a few suspects. Cameron - because he is a social outcast - a freak if you will - and because he was in love with her; her art teacher Mr. O - who also happens to date Cameron's mom; her ex-boyfriend Zap - who used to be Jade's closest friend, as well as the boy she loved; and Ivan – (Russ' brother-in-law), who is the school janitor and who has had some trouble with the law in the past.

Jade, being a misfit herself, befriends Cameron. She has always been invisible. To her parents, to her classmates, and to Zap. No one sees the real Jade. It is because of this that she has pretend conversations with everyone. Things she wishes she said, v. the things she actually says. It’s this play that she is writing - for someone her age, it’s kind of brilliant. And Cameron? He tries to untangle his thoughts of Lucinda from everything else that has happened in his life. And that is not an easy thing. For his life has not been an easy one. His father took off years ago. His dad was accused of this crime, and well everyone knew he was guilty, but he was acquitted. And then he took off. And now everyone just assumes, that Cameron is guilty of killing Lucinda. Because of his dad, and because Cameron is strange.. and because he used to watch Lucinda. Constantly. As for Russ - he works to find out who is responsible for Lucinda's death and ends up opening up wounds of his own. Wounds he thought he had buried a long time ago.

Dayna Kukafka a does an exceptional job of allowing the characters’ to dig deep, and in doing so, gets to the heart of the story, and the heart of the crime.

"Girl in Snow" is an easy to read novel, with strong, well-written characters. Cameron and Jade, made this book. There were however, several extraneous characters that were not needed, and could have been extracted completely. Overall, the novel had more of a YA feel, though it was still quite enjoyable. I will say however, that the ending didn’t quite “do it” – everything leading up to that was really quite good and then the ending was just kind of, well, less than stellar. That said, for a debut novel, I think Ms. Kukafka, did an incredible job and I look forward to seeing what she has in store next.

Girl in Snow by Dayna Kukafka started out with a lot of promise. Told in varying points of view between Cameron, Jade and Russ, I very quickly bonded with the character of Jade, who is almost a reincarnation of me in high school, or at least how I saw myself in high school, minus the witchcraft stuff. I liked the variety of characters and points of view and how each character could add something different to the case of the dead girl, Lucinda.

This is a murder mystery, but solving the mystery seems almost like an afterthought. It’s not a thriller, there’s no suspenseful case, the people in this small town just sort of float around in the aftermath of this death, casting judgement and jumping to conclusions and ultimately stringing together the very different characters Cameron, Jade and Russ until finally the case is solved.

The concept of identity is really strong here and I found this one of the most interesting aspects of this book. The character descriptions were very thorough and relatable, it made the book really real for me, like describing my own sleepy town or my own high school. People spend a lot of time watching other people when they don’t know they’re being watched, which gave Kukafka a chance to let these characters really be their true, unguarded selves.

This is Kukafka’s debut, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by the writing style. There are some absolutely beautiful passages and some wonderfully descriptive scenes that really painted a strong visual for me as I read. It flowed super easily, even though there was a lot of things happening over different time periods. I just really enjoyed how it all fit together.

I did find things started to lose its pace a bit more towards the end, which is odd considering the pieces finally started coming together. But I liked how it all unraveled and I grew quite fond of the characters. Kukafka let her characters show their flaws and bruises, Cameron’s passages about his inner tangles were quite moving and well described. I thought this was a strong look into the depths of people’s truths and their inner struggles and I definitely plan on reading more form Kukafka.

Lucinda Hayes was a beautiful, popular girl.

Blonde and in possession of a perfectly toned and tanned body, she spent her days babysitting little Ollie down the street or stretching her legs into first and fifth position in ballet class downtown. Her little sister looked up to her with the kind of stars in her eyes that you can only have when you’re innocent and young, the idolization pure and complete. Her parents were proud of her, and Lucinda reveled in their adoration. Having bypassed the awkward teenage years and gone straight into beauty queen status, Lucinda traveled in the right circles and had everything at her immaculately manicured fingertips. She was the girl everyone wanted to be or be with.

So, how did she end up in the snow, her neck twisted and broken, her face just as lovely with drops of blood on it as it had been with the rays of sunshine pushing eagerly across its angles and planes? How did she end up so discarded; an angelic doll left frozen in time?

In Danya Kukafka’s debut novel, the layers of three people are thoughtfully peeled away with such a precise action, that it is almost surgical in nature. Each narrative slowly shows readers what lies just underneath the surface and ends up delving all the way into a person’s core, luxuriating in all of the gory and honest glory that lies there. The eerie voice shared between the perspectives is raw and unique, and Kufafka’s talent is one to be watched, as it seems to lie in wait like a viper in a desert pit.

Cameron Whitely is stuck in the space between awkward teenager and reluctant man, and is steadily haunted. His father, a former police detective, skipped town after a scandalous and abusive encounter with a woman, and the event left marks on his son that have fed into Cameron’s very veins and cemented themselves into his bloodstream. He cannot escape his terrors or the things inside of him that leave him tangled and feeling unworthy and unattractive. He has his means of coping, and one of them is slipping out at night to silently observe the surroundings of his small Colorado town. With a backdrop of snowcapped mountains and dreary low-lying clouds, Cameron sees people as they are never meant to be seen. He watches them through their windows like a statue set in stone out in the black midnight, and he knows them better than perhaps they are known by the ones they share a home with. But Lucinda is different. She is as pure as the driven snow, as unique as the individual snowflakes that flutter down and melt in his hands. Her death has changed him, and has set his life upon a different path.

Jade Dixon-Burns used to tolerate Lucinda. There used to be a time when they’d sit on couches in basements and share easy conversations over sweating glasses of sweetened lemonade while their baby sisters pretended to be princesses or cowgirls racing along the plains of a dusty town. There also used to be a time when Zap was her best friend, the one who knew her from the inside out, and the one to whom she could run to when her mother drank too much and came looking for a way to release her tension upon the tender skin of Jade’s arms and legs. Mrs. Dixon-Burns had a way of slapping her face in just the right way that it would sting and leave a mark for the duration of the evening, but all signs of the disgrace would disappear by morning, allowing everyone to believe it was all a figment of their imaginations. But Zap knows the truth. He knows Jade. He knows exactly where every constellation is up in the sky above them and how many stars make up each one. Or rather, Zap used to know these things about her. But the day Lucinda took Zap from her was the day Jade began to hate her beautifully blonde neighbor, and the day she wished and prayed and imagined the very worst things happening to the girl with the too-perfect smile.

Officer Russ Fletcher is shocked but thrilled when the call comes in late at night, requesting him at the scene. “There’s a body,” was all he needed to hear, and his blood began pumping so hard he was sure his heart would explode inside his chest and bleed all the way down his freshly pressed uniform. When the murder investigation and the vengeful town turns it’s eyes upon a new suspect, the son of his ex-partner, Russ doesn’t know what to do. And it doesn’t help that the kid has the same eyes as his partners’, and it doesn’t help that all he can seem to do is live in the past and remember endless nights on the beat when they would sit out on the hills, sharing cups of coffee and playing cards and sharing secrets. He has a case to solve but how can he? How can he betray the only real person he has ever cared for?

Girl in Snow propels readers down three parallel paths in a veritable snowball effect, all leading towards one person – Lucinda Hayes. The secrets people allow out in the open when they think no one can see them or that no one is listening are the very things that Kukafka slices open and allows to bleed freely. I give the novel 5 out of 5 stars, as I was drawn into this drama instantly and stayed enraptured until the final climax. The book was resolved beautifully and cleanly, but not at all as expected. I respected the way the author made the uncomfortable and complex pieces of each character known in such an elegant style, allowing every perspective to be human and real.

Categorized as a young adult book due to the ages of the characters, I am comfortable recommending this novel to readers over the age of 15, as there is a small amount of sexual content. It borders on the darker side of young adult fiction, and the small amount of sexual content does not in any way overshadow the overall story.

I couldn't finish this book. The cover was mysterious enough to draw my attention, but the story itself was a bit of a disappointment. I felt a disconnection with the main characters of the story and wanted more. I made it through almost 20% before feeling like it was a lost cause.

I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was not your traditional mystery. There is not a lot of investigating by the police.
The focus is on understanding the three main characters, Cameron, Jade and Russ. I think the author’s intent with providing so much detail on all the characters and the side stories was to distract you from solving the mystery. The mystery did not seem to be the focus of this story.

What I didn’t like:
Jade’s perspective is told in two ways. One, what she actually says. Two, what she wishes she would say through a play she is writing. This felt redundant to me and distracting.
The story was slow in the beginning.
Some of the side stories seemed unnecessary and distracting. For instance, Jade’s conversations with the homeless man. I could not see what this added to the story.

What I did like:
Towards the end of the book I enjoyed the detail of the characters and the relationship with each other.
I did not guess the ending.

Who would like this book:
If you like relationship drama with a little touch of mystery thrown in, you might like this book. This is NOT an edge of your seat thriller or compelling murder mystery.

The start of Girl in Snow is one I've read before -- a beautiful young girl named Lucinda is dead, and a small town is reeling trying to figure out whodunit. But that's where the similarity to other novels I've read ends. Instead of being focused on the action of the murder mystery, this book is really a character study of three individuals who are all somehow involved: Cameron, the strange boy who loved Lucinda from afar; Jade, the angry girl who hated and envied Lucinda; and Russ, the police officer with a complicated history who's part of the investigation. The book weaves through each character's perspective, teaching us more about them than about the murder. I thought the character development was good, if a bit contrived at times (particularly in Jade's inner monologue), and I was definitely invested.

The ending --while an interesting twist that I didn't see coming -- felt like it wrapped up a bit too quickly/nicely, and I found myself wanting a bit more. But overall it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book gives insight to how teems today deal with their new norm with the he teenagers and their angst, and the secrets that abound. as they deal with a murder in a small town. This book is not a light read, but it is well written and most of all thought provoking. The book gives the reader on how life does truly develop in your teen years. I would say this is a good read but be warned of the heavy topic but worth the time and energy.