(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life.
After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer.
But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows.
As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks…

So, as you can see, I have given this book 2 stars - doesn't sound great, does it? Two stars indicates "It was okay" - I don't think that says enough. If I could break this rating into two parts, then I could explain it better. So let's do that:

1) The mystery/thriller aspect. This was pretty well handled. It was pretty much a cat-and-mouse game - sure, the story didn't keep the suspense up all the way through, but there was a "secret" that didn't become evident until the climax which made it worth its' while. And speaking of the ending, I think the best resolution was achieved here. I was kinda waiting for it to be left open for a sequel - thankfully (and rightfully) that didn't happen. Overall for this section: 3.5 stars

2) The rest of the book: Uggghhh, I can't express my dislike enough. Where to start? Let's start with possibly the most ungrateful, whiny, selfish brat of a character I have ever come across. I don't know how the family that took Stella in didn't throw her in front of a bus. I sure as hell wanted to. She was happy to risk everything for a boy...or two...
What is it about YA fiction that seems to believe it needs a love triangle to make it interesting? This should have been a really tense and tight mystery novel - instead, it was turned into a "Which totally wrong boy for me will I choose?" kind of story. For about 1/3 of the book, Stella tells all and sundry how much she loves her boyfriend, Reed, and then she meets Chet and she completely forgets about Reed. Even when Reed goes missing, she is more concerned about the new guy...
Total for this section: 1 star.

Would have loved it to be more about the Witness Protection and cat-and-mouse chase, not so much about bulging biceps and piercing stares. And cheating on boyfriends. And being too-stupid-to-live.


Paul
ARH