The concept of this book was really interesting (it was why I wanted to read it) but the story itself was just... Not that great. I couldn't really get into the story, or care for the main character. For most of the book, Sabrina is always thinking about writing her story for the newspaper even though she researches about missing girls. I know she's only 14 but a case of missing girls should be more important than the story it can be written about it after.

And the whole thing doesn't really make sense. I mean, how wasn't the police investigating more? Even when Sabrina talked with her uncle, a cop, it just "oh well, thank you for telling me, nothing I can do about it". And when the menace around her gets very real, she doesn't tell anybody?? I didn't understand her. At all.

The end felt rushed and it was kind of disappointing.

But the thing I really liked in this book was Sabrina's relationship with her mom and sister. They're not the closest ever, but they're loving, and it shows.

I really liked the sound of this book when I saw it available for request and I was really glad I got given this book to read. Unfortunately, I found the book quite hard to read in the sense that I wasn't hooked at any point of the story, it was pretty predictable and very anti-climatic. I feel like the whole thing is very rushed, especially towards the end when Sabrina's sister goes missing.

However, I would like to say that even though I would not read this again and I only gave this 2 out of 5 stars, I didn't hate this book and there were a couple of things especially that I liked. I liked the plot itself of the book, I mean it's what made me request an ARC of it in the first place. I also liked how it teaches awareness of strangers on the internet, the girls in the book are pretty stupid when it comes to meeting up with people they've met online and they learn their lesson - I think that's a really good thing for younger readers of this book.

This book is actually classed as Teens & YA, but after reading this I think this would be better categorised as Middle Grade.

Unable to read PDF files, can't leave feedback unless I leave a review. Don't really understand why but it's not my website...anyway. I would love to read it but I'll wait until it comes out. Now I need 100 more characters so I hope this is enough because I didn't read the book or review it. So I have to leave a star review otherwise it wont be listed in complete. Problem is I can't have it just sitting there not read. SO I will rate it but it's not real

Description of the book sounds different than the book. The story around Sabrina, 14 who is working on her story for the internship when she found out about Scream site and uncovered some horrible things behind it.

If I talk about story only story, the concept was good and interesting, the mystery was well kept and the pace was good, but writing style didn't impress me after 50 pages I skim read it, and I am happy I did instead of DNFing it. I lost my counting how many times Sabrina's name was used it was irritating, some other things were so repeated like how little is sabrina she is just a kid...and after her father death, before his father death, I couldn't say why it was so important to clear it again and again...Sabrina's mother is irritating, how a mother can't believe her daughter....Ending was too quick and could be better...Most of the people were silly and heartless.

I don't get when every character is named in the book even if it gets a little part in the story...I am not a fan of naming every character.

This was a fun and easy read – I plowed through it in about a day. It was a fun concept, and the story definitely kept me interested, but it felt very young to me. The main character is supposed to be 14 years old, but I had a very difficult time picturing her as anything more than maybe 12.

I think if you are looking for a quick, lighter read, this is definitely the book. It did have me intrigued, and although I was a little disappointed with the conclusion of the book, I’m not unhappy that I read it.

I was not able to download the file due to device errors. If these are resolved, I will come back and place a full review. I look forward to reading this book if I can get it to download... This author is a keeper.

I came across this title on a list of must-reads of 2018. I read the blurb and was excited to receive an Advanced proof copy from Netgalley.

The story follows 14-year-old Sabrina whose passion is journalism. She is preparing an application for an internship at the local online paper, but to send in a convincing portfolio she is on the search for a compelling story.

Said pursuit leads her to Scream Site, a website set up by a couple of horror directors for aspiring directors to upload their 'scary' videos and compete for a one-in-a-lifetime chance to go to Hollywood. There appears to be some kind of correlation between uploaders and missing girls, so Sabrina decides to investigate. She soon becomes embroiled in an apparent conspiracy that could lead to her sister's life being in danger.

The book blurb sounded exciting and I couldn't wait to get into this. Trouble is, the blurb did not mention our protagonist was only 14. I expected a credible, suspenseful tale, instead, my eyes were assaulted by some of the poorest writing I have come across. The authors tells us everything... and repeats it ad nauseum. We are given the facts of the case as often as we come across a 'previously on' recap in a television show - that is, in every single chapter. The majority of the 266 pages of the book were mostly copy-pasted from earlier chapters.

The central premise, so sensationally drawn out in the blurb, dwindles down to a little girl who no one will believe. Herein lies the biggest problem with the book's conceit - none of the adults believe Sabrina, and instead jump to a far-fetched assumption that suspends belief beyond stretching point. It was incredibly... for lack of a better word, stupid.

There are several narrative problems that aggravate the reader. Spoilers ahead for the book:

The website is about making the scariest video, but all the girls who participate are invariably the actors of said videos. How come? Why haven't they roped in their friends, who may do a better job and importantly, allow these 'aspiring filmmakers' to concentrate on making the film?

The only videos that appear to be uploaded are of girls being chased. Is that a pre-requisite for the competition? In which case the author should have let us know. Also, that would make this competition very sexist, and investigating that angle would have made this book far more interesting.

How is it possible that girls have gone missing for months, yet none of the cops investigate these or are, at the very least, alarmed enough to let people know. There's some page-long spiel about girls running away, but let's be honest, how many runaways can a small town have in the span of four months? It's obvious there haven't been that many runaways before, because none of the four 'runaways' Sabrina investigates are such, they are all part of the website scheme - internal logic suggests her Uncle John is the worst cop ever.

The writer equates a film-maker with an actor, and it irritates the hell out of me. They are not the same thing, and while many people can do both, that doesn't mean everyone can. Also, the author evidently knows nothing about films, because the only videos she mentions are chase videos and... well, she doesn't go into detail about technique so I'm not sure how different they all could possibly be.

The denouement is extremely rushed. The whole point of the entire book is to find out what happened to these girls. And, throughout, we are expecting Sabrina's sister Faith to get kidnapped, but that happens in the last 30 pages. Following which, the 'mystery' unravels. So, there was zero suspense.

Also, the 'mystery' was such a let down. It felt like the author wanted to write one particular book, but then realised the PG rating being slapped on it, so changed tact partway through. This is like the film 'Game Night', except without the self-aware humour.

Well done in maligning mental illness sufferers - in 2018 we certainly needed more of that. #Not. How can we possibly believe that Dan Parks, the villain, became so unhinged in the span of a year to suddenly go PG-rated Casanova from 'Kiss the Girls'. It doesn't take much to tip someone over, but they have to be on the cliff first. This is where characterisation would help, but the author eschews that for repetition. We know nothing about Parks, other than he made a convenient act 3 villain.

Because the writer does not paint a substantial picture of who these people are and what this town is like, we simply do not care about the characters. The villain isn't the only one without characterisation - everyone suffers the same fate. They are all plot points that move the story along.

There are many other niggling errors that make the entire reading experience terrible. Simple things like how a passionate lover of journalism conveniently doesn't know that two famous directors were going to shoot a film in her hometown and have set up an online website that is the talk of the town; or how a place she and her family used to visit all the time has been shut down, but neither Sabrina nor anyone in her vicinity doesn't knows about it; Sabrina knowing what kind of person Felicity (first victim) was like, when she doesn't know her; none of the characters checking Facebook or other social networks for information about the missing girls; why there are only missing girls? Much more, as well.

End spoiler.

Since this was a proof copy, it was rife with typos. I'm going to give it a pass for that, simply because I can't complain any more about the book.

Weak writing combined with tedious repetitions and worse, no story structure, make this a pointless read. This is what happens when you rely on internet recommendations and blurbs - they lie. Can I read the book the blurb talks about, because this one isn't it.

I have learned with this book that, sadly, I am no longer a big fan of this author or her writing style. I found it to be incredibly boring, the twists were predictable and poorly done, and the characters were not likable. I do not think this is a book I will be recommending, nor will I be checking out Justina's future works.

From the synopsis, I was super excited to read this book, it looked promising, exciting and enthralling, and the overall concept struck me as original and just generally interesting. I'm not saying that this book was a total disappointment from what I had originally anticipated, but it sure didn't meet my expectations. Which is not the book's fault, really, that I made my own expectations based from what I'd read in the synopsis. But I just generally didn't care for the execution of the story. I thought the pacing was good, it just took until the very last 30 pages for the mystery to be solved, and the climax was very rushed. At the end, the mystery is solved, yet it all happens in only 30 pages, we don't get any redemption or meaningful conclusion, it's just "yay it's all done now time to go back to normal life and forget all about it." Not to mention that the ending was really anti-climactic, the entire book was building up to this very moment, and it just felt… disappointing. Surprise readers, it's not at all what you thought it was, it's way more boring than what you were led to believe. Also, I would have liked to further examine what happened to Asher and the other guy who had his pictures used, how are they holding up? We don't know, because the story ends on such a rushed note, dialogue happens and then we read a quick montage of Sabrina getting adults saying "I should have listened to you" and that's it. I just really did not like how rushed the ending was, it felt like all this buildup in the story was essentially for absolutely nothing.
There is a point in the story where the narration begins recapping information and events, like what you'd see in an installment of a series, a quick recap from what occurred in the last installment. Except, this is just one book, I've been reading and have been keeping track of what's happened this entire novel, so why the random recap as though there was some sort of break in between the story?
I also thought it was a bit unrealistic that a fourteen-year-old girl was finding evidence of a crime going on within this website, in plain sight if you were invested enough, a few weeks after girls have gone missing. If this mystery really was a conspiracy everyone was talking about, some person on the internet would have already made those connections way sooner if the community really was invested in the conspiracy as the novel states.
This being said, I did really enjoy the pacing of this novel, I think the slow reveal of information and the various dilemmas Sabrina faces on the way were paced well where I wasn't too bored, and the story didn't feel rushed, like it was just good pacing, at least until the end. I just feel as though the pacing of the book was all but thrown off at the end, like everything that happened built up to an ending that didn't have very much payoff in regards to the majority of the book.
But regardless, I think this book was a worthy mystery novel, with some character dynamic development sprinkled in. If you're looking for a quick, compelling mystery novel that isn't about death and isn't very graphic, especially if you're a younger reader, I think this would be the book for you.

I liked the idea but overall, this book failed to hit the mark. It wasn't written well for a suspense - I didn't feel on my toes most of the time. The conclusion was also extremely strange and felt out of place and unsatisfying.

Positives: This title features a female protagonist of color which in no way ties into the plot of the novel, in other words, race is not an “issue.” The mystery is engaging and intriguing - it will keep readers turning the pages.
Drawbacks: The answer to the mystery was a bit of a letdown, although admittedly I did not see it coming. Sabrina’s constant “I’m just a lowly freshman, what can I do?” diatribe is a little much. The way Sabrina’s mother and uncle totally dismiss her fears even after seeing legitimate evidence is difficult to believe.
Other thoughts: This title, while following a genuinely creepy plot line, reads as if written for younger readers, which makes sense since the back pages suggest it for ages 12-15.

Review to be posted on all my sites in July.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Good grief, this was just absolute boring and urghghghhh. I had the hardest time staying awake and getting through this book. I kept hoping and praying that it would get better, but oh no it didn't. If anything it got more hilarious as the ending got closer, and boy it was anti-climatic as hell.

So, let's start with the blurb, aka who the hell wrote this?
Sabrina Sebastian's goal in life is to be an investigative reporter. <b>True</b>
For her first big story, she researches a popular website called Scream Site, where people post scary videos and compete for the most "screams." <b>Semi-true, actually she is doing it for an internship. She has written numerous stories already, and is now looking for something that will entice the boss of that paper for an internship. </b>
While Sabrina's friends and her sister, Faith, talk nonstop about the creepy viral videos, Sabrina just hopes that covering this trend will get her the internship she's wishing for. <b> Wrong. Sabrina has only one friend and she doesn't care that much about the site, she only knows about it from an article (and that article spurred Sabrina to investigate). Her sister did watch the videos, and also later uploads one, but to say she talks about it? No. </b>
But as she digs into the truth behind the website, she begins to suspect that these aren't only aspiring actors and videographers at work. Some clips seem a little too real. <b>Actually she knows this from the start. When she first checks out the videos.</b>
And when Faith goes missing, Sabrina must race against time to save her sister from becoming the next video "star." <b>Hahaahahahahaha, you know this doesn't happen until page 223, aka almost 85%? Yep, SPOILER ALERT. </b>

Now we have that blurb out of the way, the blurb that enticed me to read this book, let's go to the book.

Say hello to Sabrina, a girl dedicated to becoming a great writer. To win an internship she has to write a big article, and she chooses a site called the Scream Site. There are various exciting rumours floating around about the site, ranging from murder to stalkers. As she continues investigating (and sticking her nose where it doesn't belong) she gets further and further entangled. Not to say it was very exciting, as this girl just keeps on going on and on about the same things. She is pretty gung-ho about Asher (such a rookie mistake to just keep one suspect), even though I thought Asher was pretty cute and sweet and he really didn't scream KILLER or KIDNAPPER.
Plus I loved how she didn't care that people warned her that it may be a bad idea to actually do this, and how it took her to page 204 before she realised that maybe this is a bad idea. Then again, she turns around instantly a few pages later and just goes right ahead to investigate.
She also makes various other mistakes that could have gotten her into real danger.. <spoiler>well if there was any danger</spoiler>.

Sure it was admirable that this girl kept on going and was dedicated to find those missing girls, but sometimes you just have to let it go, especially if you are 14 years old.

But you can also see what happens when the police don't take you seriously (then again, that is to be expected, it is something so cliche). But I guess I would also be a bit hesitant to believe a 14-year old girl who just comes with some random evidence. But as I said, we later on see what happens due to this lack of faith.
Oh, and don't worry <spoiler>the police will say sorry, as they always do. :P</spoiler>

Also given that Asher knew Sabrina's name, I was actually hoping for something blooming between them.

The ending was highly anti-climatic. Like really, I wasn't sure if I should be laughing, rolling around laughing, rolling my eyes, or fall asleep. Maybe I could do a mixture of it. Boy, I had expected some tension, some excitement, but instead I guess I could have expected given how sleepy/bland the whole book was.

I had a laugh at Evelyn when she tried to get her friend to stop investigating. First she talks about safety, and the next moment she talks about how Sabrina would get unpopular due to this. This girl needs to set her priorities straight.

There are a few moments of tension, but they quickly die away, and frankly I was done with this book on page 50, and at page 101 I was wondering how the hell I should continue this book.

This could have been so exciting, this had all the potential (based on the blurb) for a terrific, exciting, creepy book. Amusement parks (especially abandoned ones) make for a terrific horror scene. Add to the mix kidnapping and maybe murder and it is perfection. Sad to see those terrific settings and subjects go to waste in this book.

NOT recommended. Not at all. And I am sure I could point out a few more things, but frankly I want to delete this book and get on with another, hopefully better, book.

Scream Site was a pleasant surprise for me to read. I am obsessed with thrillers and anything horror so this book fit the bill without trying too hard to do so. From the first page I was wrapped up in the words. Anyone who is a fan of your classic slasher film with a bit of mystery will absolutely devour this book.

Scream Site is a horror-style Youtube site where users battle it out to get to the top - based on the scare factor of their videos.

Interestingly enough, Sabrina's town has experienced a few missing persons since the site was established. Are the videos posted on the site just for fun or are they actually cries for help?

Sabrina decides to investigate the site and write an article about it for her college application. Note - Sabrina is 14 and I have many qualms about this but it does add to the "I'm a kid, noone will believe me!!" trait. Yeah.

I did enjoy this book but SPOILERS!!! i hated the ending and how everything wrapped up. So disappointing.

But, worth the read.

This book would make for a great B-Grade teenage horror flick.

Justina Ireland's "Scream Site" is a very thrilling read that will surely appeal to the minds of Middle Grade and Young Adult readers. Good introductory novel for youths who would like a light thriller/suspense novel.

Scream Site is a mystery story that revolves around the main character, Sabrina, and her quest to discover the truth behind the creepy website Scream Site and what happened to the girls disappearing after using it. There is some sleuthing done on Sabrina's part to help aid her in her investigation. The character is 14 years old and appears as such, she makes some rather bad decisions that put her in danger. I think the clues throughout the novel helped propel it forward as well as all of the details and new developments in her case. It wasn't cookie cutter and plain as new things kept popping up for her to work on. I wish there was more development on some of the minor characters. Sabrina's best friend had the best descriptions and image out of all of the them but Asher, who ends up as major key to the story, is lacking in his characterization. Overall, the mystery is a good one though the end is a little hard to believe. I think it suits the age range that it was intended for and while be a good mystery.

Rating left off as I am unable to read PDF-only docs. Dread Nation was amazing and you should buy it. I really want to read this so when and if a kindle edition pops up this goes back on my shelf.

There was no option to send this to my Kindle so I had no way to read it.

Take two parts Blair Witch Project, and mix it with one part "nobody believes me, I'm just a kid" trope; mix in a rocks glass, salt the rim, and what we have here is Justina Ireland's Scream Site.

How I'd Describe This Book to a Friend
Our main star of this little mysterious ditty is Sabrina Sebastian, a high school freshman who wants more than anything in the world to become an investigative journalist. Sabrina lost her father almost a year ago, and is coping with that loss. Combined with her overprotective nurse mom who is always working long hours and an older sister named Faith who plays the traditional role of "older sister" and can't stand 95% of what Sabrina does, we have a fairly bog standard recipe for impending doom.

Honorable mention goes to Sabrina's best friend Evelyn, who bucks all gender norms and stereotypes of her Asian upbringing and spends all of her free time when not working at her grandparents' grocery store dying her hair, eating pizza, and trying to figure out how to get the school's requisite hottie - Asher - to notice her. Evelyn is a force to be reckoned with, and I appreciated her a lot.

Trouble begins when Sabrina decides to investigate this website that has recently popped up called Scream Site - a popular YouTube clone run by two famous horror film director brothers. Contestants upload homebrewed scary movies and short films - they are then rated, and presumably at some point the directors will take notice of who actually has a modicum of talent, and invite this person to come work with them. In an attempt to get into a prestigious journalism camp, Sabrina is eager to write an expose more intriguing than one questioning the composition of the taco meat at school - but then she hears a spicy rumor: girls are going missing. Girls that were once number one on the Scream Site board. Well, that beats the hell out of the taco meat paper ...

It takes off from there, Sabrina desperately trying to unravel the truth as it becomes more and more obvious to her that something is really going wrong here - unfortunately for her, she's a young kid and nobody really believes her. She races against time to try to put a stop to these kidnappings, and to bring these girls home.

The Bottom Line
I enjoyed this book. To its credit, I had no idea what the hell the answer was until near the end, and when it came out it was 50% "oh, what?!" and 50% "... seriously?" - it felt a bit hamfisted in its wrapping the story up in a neat little bow. If we didn't find out on the back summary panel that Sabrina's sister Faith was going to be kidnapped, that might have come as quite a shock to us and made it even more enjoyable! I actually did not read the summary panel, so I didn't know Faith was going to be taken from her family - that was a jolt I think that I needed, and if I had read the summary I wouldn't have received said jolt.

Sabrina's family is diverse and loving, if flawed. I enjoyed seeing a young woman of color as a main character in a book that does not focus solely on race - it's merely a backdrop, a conversation piece. Overall, Ireland's ride through Scream Site is an enjoyable one, and if you can suspend disbelief for its near-300 page jaunt, it is one worth taking.