Very good book for anyone who likes thrillers! As an adult, I'm usually underwhelmed by thrillers having read so many for older readers already, but I really enjoyed the surprise twist with Andrew, which I hadn't anticipated at all.

As an adult reader I know that I am not the target audience for this read. A thriller that grabs you from the start, makes little sense but is highly enjoyable. Dark, more than a little odd...but recommended.

It was a short and quick read, but I didn't really get anything out of it. The ending honestly saved this book from being a full on 2 star read. It definitely wasn't what I thought was going to happen and I liked that it wasn't predictable.

Vic was a good student until she met Z. He’s the new kid, and he gets Vic to cut class and seriously contemplate cheating on her boyfriend, Andrew. Vic and Z continue to be drawn together, but it turns out that Z isn’t just a bad influence on her, but she’s bad for him too. The writing of the book was original and engaging; it’s told as if Vic is talking to Andrew. The whole book is from Vic’s perspective, and it turns out that she’s an unreliable narrator. There is a twist at the end that was surprising, but then the plot unraveled after that. The ending was very unsatisfying.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

I could not seem to get into this book. Couldn’t finish. I only made halfway before I had to put this down. Will try to revisit one day

I'm always fairly skeptical of a book that claims to have a shocking twist (I'm one of those annoying people that picks out the bad guy within moments of introduction), so I have to give praise to Cyn Balog for making my jaw drop with this ending! While I had aspects of the story figured out fairly early on, Vic, Z, and Andrew's story still kept me riveted and compelled to keep turning the pages. I also loved the unique inclusion of newspaper clippings and interviews as part of the storytelling process. Mystery/Thrillers aren't generally my jam (I prefer more light and fluffy fair), but I'm definitely down to read more stories like this! 3.5 out of 5 wine glasses.

I would prefer for books not to rely on disabilities in order to further a “mysterious” plot. Overall disappointed in the treatment of the characters.

After falling in love with the cover and synopsis of the book I just couldn't get into it. I didn't make it halfway before I gave up.

This book was not for me. I understand the characters were put in place in a cerrtain way and Vic was a piece in the whole plot in order to have the huge shocking twist at the end. I just did not like the feel of the whole book. I did not like the two boys and cheating and obsession and over the top to border on silliness of the actions of the teens.. It was beyond unbelievable and I could not buy into the madness!

This book was so creepy and different and great! The beginning set things up to make me/us think that things were one way, and so when the big twist comes, it's a total surprise! That was just so wonderful to read!

I really enjoyed the way this book was set up, with interviews and such from the present, and then having the story move closer and closer to the present, starting around the start of school. We knew that something bad was going to happen, and we kept getting hints and details of what it was, but when it came and we got the full story, wow! Just so great!

Vic was a really interesting character. She had her boyfriend, but she was falling in love with this guy at school, and cheating on her boyfriend. She knew she was doing wrong, but she kept on doing what she was doing.

I just absolutely loved when we learned what had happened, what Victoria's secrets were. That her boyfriend was dead, and killed himself years ago, but she has a version of him inside her head that's still alive, yeah, that was such a surprising twist! And it ended so well! Loved it!

Loved reading this book, it was so fantastic!

Did not finish; didn't feel I needed to. I would recommend this book if you are unbothered by characters you've seen in YA over and over and over, you encourage pyromania and toxic relationships, and girls who obsess over boys to the point of stalking. I found the protag gratingly annoying.

Not for me, Would only recommend to those that I know wouldn't mind the ridiculousness of unoriginality

This is a YA mystery/romance with some twists. Victoria Zell is an 11th grader who as been going to a private Catholic high school for the past year. Her next door neighbor, Andrew, who is home schooled and agoraphobic, is her best friend, only friend, and boyfriend until a new boy, Z begins going to her school. He is outgoing and popular and he likes her. She is obsessively attracted to him, but we learn that he has some mysteries in his life. Later, we learn that Victoria has her own mysteries. There are some pretty bizarre surprise twists in the end of the book.

This book started well for me, I was intrigued by this Victoria (Vic) character telling her boyfriend, Andrew, a story of her developed obsession with a mysterious boy named Z, how she ended up in a ditch, bleeding from the head, wondering if she was alive. From there…it slowed for me, I was having a difficult time getting into the retold classic tale of the semi-nerdy recluse girl, with hidden problems, who spends her weekends hiding out with Netflix and her parents falling for the new handsome, popular, bad-boy that everyone instantly adores around the school. A private religious school, at that. Eventually, this became less of an eye roll for me and the story picked up, Z and Vic had this slightly strange and twisted relationship, Z was manipulative, egotistical and kind of a jerk, but also brought Vic out of her shell, doing things she would never before. Oddly, you couldn't help but like them together. From there I was able to breeze right through to the ending, which I didn’t see coming, holy twisted. There were so many subtle hints looking back now, I should have seen it. Overall, I would recommend this if you’re looking for an easy pool-side type thriller.

Solid teen suspense with well-executed plot twists. Quirky characters add depth and intrigue. An enjoyable read!

I really enjoyed this book!! I read this book sooo fast, it kept me intrigued and wanting to know more until the end. I wanted to know what happened to Victoria and why she was laying in a ditch.

I like how the book was told, because it kept you guessing until the end. Victoria is a loner and outsider at her high school. When Z the new boy starts at her high school, Victoria is shocked that he even talked to her. Z and Victoria end up hanging out and becoming closer, but she has a boyfriend, Adam who she loves very much and wants to be loyal to. Victoria starts falling for Z and starts drifting away from Adam.

I feel like Z had a lot of issues he was dealing with and Victoria was a easy target to confine in. Z was kind of a manipulator to Victoria, and she did whatever he wanted and dropped everything to hang out with him.

This book had the craziest twist ever!!! I totally did not see that coming!! I definitely recommend this book, because that ending wholly crap!!!

I received a copy from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.

Did not finish. The premise for this book was good but I just couldn't get into it. I should have known I wasn't going to like it due to it being YA. There was not much character development and the narrator was just annoying with all the gushing over her crush. It was too much for me. The writing seemed jumbled and could not hold my attention.

This book was a total surprise! I was chugging along, liking the characters and the story, but thought I had it all figured out. I thought it was your typical teen obsession gone terribly wrong, and it was, but the final twist made my jaw drop! I did not see it coming. This is a hard review to write because I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but if you like teen obsession/murder mysteries with a totally unexpected ending, then you must read this book!

I started out liking Victoria, she is someone I could relate to, having had similar experiences in high school as her. I'm sure if someone like Z had paid attention to me I would have gotten a little bit obsessive too, just not to Vic's scale, (I hope). She is our sole narrator, except for police interviews and newspaper articles placed at the end of chapters. She is telling her story to her boyfriend Andrew, and you really can't help but feel sorry for her. Her relationship with Andrew is very sweet, based on the fact that they have lived next door to each other since they were little. It was sad to see that relationship suffer once Z entered the picture.

Ah Z, what a great character. You want to hate him, because you suspect throughout most of the book that he harms Victoria in some way, but he is just so charming and funny. He has had a hard life, and you can't help but feel sorry for him. I think it would have been interesting to see his side of the whole story, but that would have spoiled the ending I think. He really did care for Victoria and wanted to help her, he just went about it wrong. In the end he made some very bad decisions regarding her and her story.

You know from the start that someone has been murdered, you are just never told who until close to the end or who committed the crime. The police interviews are insightful, but I was annoyed by them at first. Eventually I saw how they helped move the story and how they helped the reader get glimpses into how others perceived what was really going on.

The reader Pamela Lorence did an outstanding job. I enjoyed listening to her. She made Victoria into a real and likable person, who was caught up in a drama of her own making. She also did a good job of sounding like a very charming and somewhat manipulative teenage boy.

I highly recommend this book, not just the audiobook. It is a fantastic read and hard to put down. The twist at the end will surely shock you!

What a deliciously written, skillfully paced novel! Readers are blessed with characters that are absolutely beyond compelling and the plot sticks with you even after you're finished. Will be reading again!

Unfortunately I couldn't finish. The story lost me very early on and I wasn't able to get into by page 100.