Member Reviews
Do you like a little psychic powers mixed in with a good mystery and thrills? Then I can recommend your next read!
This story centers around two girls: Cassie, a girl who gets visions of the future (though they're not set in stone), and Hayden, a girl who can see the past when she touches certain objects. Hayden, who has had a rough upbringing, uses her skills for some less-than-aboveboard purposes. Their worlds collide when Cassie tries to warn Hayden about her schemes--and then Cassie sees a vision of herself being abducted. When it comes true, her friends rope Hayden into helping find her.
This YA debut has a little bit of everything -- teen angst, high school drama, blackmail, psychic powers, kidnapping, and maybe even a little romance! The story was well-paced and everything fit together. There were a few extraneous plot points, but they were resolved and not so out of left field that they didn't work in the story. Hayden, Cassie, Brody, and Audra were all intriguing characters, and the story was a good mix of typical high school drama and more serious stakes.
I really enjoyed this book, and hope others do too! I'd totally read a whole series of this with Hayden and Cassie teaming up to solve mysteries together.
TW: kidnapping, bullying, drug use (off page), threats, guns
I find the most interesting thing about this story is that the heroine is not an instantly likeable person. She doesn’t make great choices, but she does do things to survive. If you like realistic characters (flaws and all) and mystery, This is a great read. I also usually can figure out who dunnit but this one took a little longer for me to realize who the culprit was.
A Fast paced thriller with a supernatural twist, This was a fun and unique read. I loved the premise but I didn’t connect to sone of the characters as much as I hoped to. I loved Hayden, but Cassie’s character felt a little underdeveloped. I found that I favored Hayden’s POV more.
Overall this is an entertaining read I think fans of CW’s Nancy Drew, Veronica Mars and Kate McManus are sure to enjoy.
Thank you to Netgalley and Swoonreads
who provided a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.
A fast-paced YA thriller with suspense, mystery, supernatural powers, and a hint of romance...
Cassie can see the future (which can be both helpful and really inconvenient at the same time) while Hayden can see the past. While Cassie relies on her best friend Audra and (now ex-) boyfriend Brody to help her help others with her "visions", loner Hayden uses her visions to her advantage -- who wouldn't want to make some money, especially when it means taking a few privileged people down a peg or two? Cassie and Hayden don't really know each other that well and seem to be complete opposites in every way, but must depend on each other to survive when Cassie is kidnapped and Hayden is the only one with the gift needed to help find her. With the help of Brody and Audra, Hayden is on a mission to find Cassie before the worst happens. Because Cassie can see a future with her in it... And one without her.
Thoughts: The unique plot line had me hooked, and I liked Hayden's prickly character traits. Readers are treated to Hayden's backstory so we can understand why she's a modern-day Robin Hood with a bad attitude. Brody, while annoying at first, is actually kind of adorable; I love how he tries to take care of Hayden but at the same time can appreciate and respect her independence. I would've liked to get to know Cassie as a character better, though -- she was a bit underdeveloped, in my opinion, as a main character. And I felt like there was a lot of backstory that I was missing despite this not being part of a series. This story could've been "bigger", if that makes sense. I'm hoping it's the first of more to come because I enjoyed the story and would definitely pick up a book where Cassie and Hayden team up together to solve a mystery.
**Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.**
I was granted eARC access to You Should Have Seen This Coming by Shani Michelle as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with XPresso Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
You Should Have Seen This Coming is a YA thriller about a kidnapping in a high school population and the efforts of the kids who took the law and search effort into their own hands when the adults of the town weren't taking the case seriously. Oh, and two of the teens involved happen to have visions. One see the future, the other sees the past.
I'm going to go right ahead and admit that I liked this book a whole lot more than I expected to! I read the synopsis and saw the average rating this book already had and thought I'd be one of the ones deciding between 3 and 4 stars but nope! This is a 5. I loved just about every moment of this book!
The teen angst feels quite real, from what I remember of being their age, and I love how everybody's actions, misbehaviour, and oddities were tied back to very real problems outside of school that countless real kids do and will experience. Take out the psychic abilities of some characters and everything about this rings true for the population of pretty much every high school.
I loved the earned trust and friendships that build up as the plot progresses. It feels like Mean Girls if it turned out the Plastics were just average girls and eventually everyone, even Regina George, learned to understand and respect each other without the life-altering injuries. My only complaint is that at some point there is a stumbling block for some emerging friendships that plays like the fake-real romance trope where the sham is discovered after it stops being a sham and it didn't feel earned. I just ended up being annoyed with that character for a few pages until it got rectified.
If you like teen dramas and a hint of paranormal in your thrillers, read this book!
This was a pretty good read!
It was interesting and kept my attention. I really loved the characters and their dynamics. I thought Hayden and Brody were pretty cute. Even the side characters were great. I do wish that we could have gotten more Cassie POV though.
Some of the chapters seemed a bit rushed at times. It would touch on something that I wanted to know more about, but then rush along to something else.
Overall, solid and quick read! A perfectly good YA thriller!
I was a little iffy about teens having visions because it sounded a little like some Disney channel show (or Nickelodeon, you get it). But this was really a thriller, as promised.
Cassie can see the future and Hayden can see the past. They're not friends. Hayden is new at school but thanks to her abilities she's managed to get money to hide half the school's secrets. Although Cassie is nice to her, she can't trust her. Until Cassie disappears and Hayden finds out they have a lot in common.
I'm not sure how much Cassie's POV added to the story and those chapters happened sporadically, aside from the beginning. I even wonder how much cooler it would have been to find out with Hayden about Cassie's abilities. Having her POV made it less mysterious. But of course, it makes us learn things, especially her conundrum because she sees that Hayden will be her boyfriend's girlfriend in the future and even son she doesn't hate Hayden. I'm not sure how this information would be without her perspective.
Anyway! The book is a nice read, I like the main characters a lot and the visions are very cool—though I wish Hayden could have gotten to use her power more. Because she can't control it, it's not something that happens a lot in the book.
There's also a romance in development, a cute one. It's not predominant, so if you're not a fan of teenager romance, you can still enjoy it. But if you are, it's good, look forward to it.
I also liked the conclusion, I confess I didn't figure out the culprit until the big reveal and kept guessing all along. Still, it made sense. Check on a good conclusion to the mystery.
Though not memorable, I liked the book a lot and would love to read more like this one.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by the publisher for the blog tour through Netgalley. Many thanks for this opportunity.
An interesting mix of YA Fantasy and Mystery/Thriller. Having the twist of the paranormal added to a YA thriller was fun. Having the MC work through difficult circumstances while developing their own power and identity kept me interested.
You Should Have Seen This Coming is a fun, fast-paced paranormal suspense YA about two girls - Hayden and Cassie - who sees visions. Hayden can see past events, which she uses to blackmail classmates. Cassie's visions are of the future. When Cassie disappears, Hayden and Cassie's boyfriend (a pair that Cassie's visions say will fall in love!) band together to find her.
Might read a little young for some adult readers, but I think teen readers looking for something that has the feel of Karen McManus (and older readers nostalgic for 2010's paranormal YA by authors like Kim Derting) will really enjoy this.
Shani Michelle kicks it out of the park with You Should Have Seen This Coming.
I was hooked immediately on the mystery of Cassie and Hayden. Then there are all of the smaller mysteries buried within the story. Hayden is today’s modern day Robin Hood who ends up hated for doing the good things she does, I mean she is making a profit off of other ill-will but a girl’s gotta eat right?! (Chuckle)
Then there is Cassie’s altruism in her decisions for what she sees in the future. Now most people in her situation would react differently as Brody and Audra would. Not Cassie and this actually makes Cassie and Hayden similar in personality though maybe not in execution. Their upbringing by single parents who have to deal with kids with supernatural abilities cannot be easy. Then, Hayden’s economic status is an additional burden on her life.
Audra and Brody make an excellent Scooby-gang no matter how much Hayden may not want to be a part of it. (chuckle) They go to extremes that I don’t know that many adults would extend themselves to.
I did not guess the culprit in this mystery and that is awesome. The mystery is solid. The journey to the answer is fun and complicated. Michelle gives a roundhouse of a kick to this start of what looks like a new series. I cannot wait to see Cassie and Hayden again.
I received a free copy of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
Oh my goodness!! I absolutely love the way this mystery catches you! I always find something new to love about this book! Whether it be the writing or the characters, it takes you for a ride!!
Okay so starting off based on the cover I thought mystery, kidnapping, ransom.
The story starts off with two females Hayden who can see the past based on things she touches and Carolyn who can see the future. Hayden ends up being in trouble for "blackmailing" teachers and students when a student sets her up...Carolyn attempts to warn her but they don't see eye to eye. Next thing you know Carolyn sees the future of her kidnapping and then she's gone. Hayden gathers Carolyn's right hand woman and ex boyfriend and they begin an investigation to find her.
This book grabbed me from the first page. I love the psychic theme of the two women....there are a few triggers especially with the kidnapping of Carolyn. I really enjoyed this book and give it 4 Stars it would have been 5 but I don't like how predictable certain things were. I wish it wasn't so easy to tell "whodunit".
I tried so hard to like this book about a girl who can see the past and one who can see the future. However, I just couldn't get into it. I didn't care about Hayden or Cassie, so naturally the author lost me there. I really prefer books with characters that I can relate to or have serious depth, but I didn't see either of that here. Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me.
overall good book but unfortunately for me i read this at a time where i wasn’t really feeling a thriller. i think for avid thriller readers or new thriller readers this would be a great book :) or if i was in the mood for a thriller when i read it, worst part about being a mood reader!
I was very excited to get this title on my netgalley account, so big thanks to them and the publisher for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review. It didn't disappoint!
Okay so I love all things paranormal, including psychics and psychometry. The idea that two main characters are seeing future events and past events to try to solve a mystery is so <i>fun</i> that I had to give this a shot. I'll admit that I liked Hayden more than Cassie because she was so three dimensional while Cassie just kind of served as a vehicle for driving the plot on, but that didn't really make me like the story any less. I thought it was the right amount of withholding of information and divulging of secrets and it kept me engaged throughout the novel. I've seen others mention the likeness to Nancy Drew and I'll agree with that but stipulate that it reminds me of the new(ish) Nancy Drew show that I absolutely adore. Well worth the read!
Ever wondered what would happen if you crossed Veronica Mars with That’s So Raven? Read Shani Michelle’s You Should Have Seen This Coming — which hits shelves on April 12th — and you’ll get your answer.
This YA mystery has an unexpected supernatural twist, centering on psychic high school heroine Hayden. Her ability to see visions of the past whenever she touches an object, combined with a Robin Hood mentality and an acidic personality, leads her to a lucrative scam exploiting her classmates’ biggest secrets for cash (only the ones who deserve it, to be fair). She’s prickly, equipped with an endless supply of biting one-liners and only the desire to be left alone so she can focus on keeping her family afloat (aka just her and her mom, who also appears to have psychic gifts). That all changes when one of her classmates, Cassie — also a psychic, though she can see the future and doesn’t need to get up close and personal with anything to do it — is kidnapped. In order to save her, Hayden is forced to team up with Cassie’s broken-hearted ex and stuck-up BFF to track her down before it’s too late
If you’re a YA fan and dig a high school-set mystery, I think this is absolutely worth checking out (for fans of Pretty Little Liars, 13 Reasons Why, and Elite especially). Michelle’s writing is solid and the plot is full of fun twists and turns. The low points for me were: 1.) establishing which characters have powers and everything that comes along with that (i.e. the origin of them, how it factors into the town, etc. — that aspect of the novel felt really under-baked to me), and 2.) Hayden herself, whose sassy retorts and clichéd “I’m not like other girls” personality really grated on me. Luckily there’s a good crew of supporting characters who kept me reading despite eye roll after eye roll.
Thanks to Net Galley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!
the vibes are: these deadly games x that’s so raven 🤌🏼
I’m really not kidding on these vibes, people.
I flew through this one due to the quick paced storyline and the way the author flipped back and forth between the dual POV of hayden and cassie so quickly. I loved how easy it was to follow (as most YA novels are), and how stressed I was getting waiting for the main characters to figure this shizz out.
the concept of the entire thing was quite well done, but I wish that the characters were fleshed out a bit more. yes, hayden and cassie were so similar in the way that they had their magical realistic “visions” that I wanted more of their internal connection - I wanted more about hayden’s mom, and cassie’s mom, and all of these people who suddenly have powers in this town?
instead, it felt more like an afterthought or a set up to a sequel that I probably won’t read.
the reasoning behind the thriller aspects of the plot, additionally, weren’t the strongest. I felt like the author decided to pick the most out of left field characters to be the bad guys, and then half-assed the reasoning behind why they did what they did.
to be perfectly honest, I still don’t know why.
thank you to netgalley and macmillan for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. this one is out now!
arc so as always, no spoilers! i thought this book was kind of meh. i think the double pov kind of nerfed it bc one of the povs was from a girl who was kidnapped and then the author went out of her way to… not tell us things about the kidnappers. i did like the twist and it was set up well, but the main character was a little too “gritty, outside, not like other girls” for me. i did like the kidnapped girl though! overall enjoyed reading but definitely not at the top of my list
spoilery note for editors: i wish we had gotten a kind of wink wink nudge nudge in the one month later that cassie’s new love was going to be audra. i think it was so apparent how much they cared for each other and it would be a fantastic way to add some lgbtq rep to a book that didn’t have any (at least not that i noticed).
. Hayden can see the past by touching an object, while Cassie has visions of the future. When Cassie goes missing, Hayden is the only hope who can use her secret power to rescue her schoolmate. Will she be able to save her on time?
Personally , I am not a fan of Sci -fi books, but this book lured me to take my baby steps❤! Although the characters are built with typical high-school stereotype, the idea of the characters having superpowers and the mystery is fresh 😌. The story was fast paced, and a light reading. This book is ideal for readers who loves mystery.
This was such a good book! I really love the premise of one character who sees the past when touching things (sometimes) while another sees the future in visions that come on randomly. I thought this was going to be a simple story of a girl being kidnapped and her friends having to find her, but it ended up being so much more.
This one kept me on the edge of my seat - watching how the characters grew and the story progressed. Sometimes the characters seemed a little tropey but they were still pretty well fleshed out and I could picture them distinctly. The villains' identities didn't come easily, unless I just missed something. One of them I only suspected like two pages before their reveal, which made it more satisfying. This was also one where I at least somewhat suspected a ton of people throughout. There's also a nice twist on how Hayden and her mom ended up in the town of Lightsend that didn't pan out quite how I expected, but it was a solid piece of storytelling. The author definitely leaves room for other stories in this universe, and I hope she decides to tell more. Either way, I'm picking up her next book for sure.
I will say the titular moment behind the book title leaves me wondering why Cassie didn't see it coming, but it doesn't really take away from the thrills.