I received an ARC of Everything You Want Me To Be from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This book is everything you want a psychological thriller to be! It is engrossing, twisty, and suspenseful. I was pretty confident I knew who the killer was but the author had surprised me when the murderer was revealed. The writing in Everything You Want Me To Be is flawless and brilliant. This book was very hard to put down and by far exceeded my expectations. It probably is one of the best in the genre and a must read. Run, don't walk to a bookstore to get your hands on this twisted beauty!

I absolutely love books that keep me guessing - not just who did it, but why, and how and when! This book had me on my toes until the very last page! "Everything You Want Me To Be" is an amazingly twisty page turner, that is insightfully written, and I completely loved it!
First off, I have to say this book is super hard to review without giving spoilers! So, if it seems like there are big ol' holes of information - it is only to be sure that I do not give even the slightest bit of a spoiler away! Pretty much impossible to really dig into the plot, but oh well! Definitely worth not ruining the suprise(s)!

My number one favorite about this book is the way that it is structured. "Everything You Want Me To Be" is told from three different view points - Hattie's POV, before she is murdered, Del's POV as the sheriff investigating Hattie's murder, and Peter's POV, Hattie's English teacher. The shifting view points made the pacing and plotting very fast and engaging. Just as I was tired of one voice, a new voice appeared that provided new information and a new angle on the story. I never wanted to put the book down!

The last line of the review on goodreads is the crux of why I loved this book "Everything You Want Me to Be challenges you to test the lines between innocence and culpability, identity and deception. Does love lead to self-discovery—or destruction?" - I love books where you wrestle with whose side you are on, and what that says about your own character. The thin grey line between black and white is such a challenging and engaging space for storytelling. As a reader, I felt constantly torn between hating and hoping for the characters in "Everything You Want Me To Be". I was completely engaged with the story and just completely sucked in - did I mention I had trouble putting this book down!?

Not only was the story excellent, so was the writing. Frequently in books with such an exciting plot, you don't also expect to find thoughtful quotes and beautiful writing. "Everything You Want Me To Be" has all of it though! One of my favorite quotes from the book is:

"She probably thought there were only a few years between us, but it was a lifetime- dark, undiscovered caverns of disappointment and compromises. She was the adult idealized. I was the adult that really happened"

Killer, right?

You guys, this book was amazing - the plot was on point, the characters were full and complex, and the suspense was genuine and thrilling! I also love that this book is a genre bender- I really think it would appeal to YA readers, new adult readers, and, of course, general fiction lovers like myself!

People in small towns seem to know everything about their neighbor. Hattie Hoffman was no exception. The local darling had set her sights on moving to the big city after graduation which seemed a bit far-fetched to some in her small Minnesota farming community. But nothing could be more shocking than what actually does become of Hattie. Her body is discovered in an abandoned barn a few weeks before graduation leaving the entire town wondering not only about the identity of Hattie's killer, but also how well they really "knew" Hattie.

If you are a huge fan of psychological thrillers like I am, you know that sometimes we struggle with finding "that" book. You know what I'm talking about, the one that keeps you turning the pages so fast you see sparks. It's also the one that keeps you guessing until the very last page. The struggle to find that book is real my friends, but struggle no more - this is "that" book.

Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia is the kind of book I immediately tell all my bibliophile friends about. From the first page this book got my attention and kept it. It is deliciously descriptive and so well-written that I couldn't tear myself away. It is one of those books that you just can't put down.

The story is presented from 3 different points of view. First by Hattie Hoffman, who is our 18 yr old protagonist, then by Del Goodman, who is a good friend of Hattie's father and the town sheriff in charge of Hattie's murder investigation. Last we have Peter Lund, who is a recent transplant to the small town of Pine Valley, and the High School's new English teacher. Through their eyes the story unfolds and thrusts the reader forward with all it's suspenseful twists and turns.

You see, our girl Hattie loves to act. She has big dreams of leaving her small town and becoming a star in New York City. But, she doesn't confine her acting abilities to the stage. Hattie is the girl everybody wants her to be; the good daughter, the model student, the best friend. She plays all her roles to perfection. And when she is found stabbed to death, the whole town is turned upside down that something like this could not only happen in their town, but to their golden girl.

There is so much to this story and the people who tell it. I could excitedly go on for an hour about it and tell you how fabulous it is, but instead I'll just tell you this.....READ IT!!!!! I know about 3 other people who have, and we all agree that it is not to be missed.

Mindy Mejia is a fantastic storyteller. This lady knows her stuff! This book is SO good!! So if you love to be taken on a literary roller coaster ride you need to go out right now and find this book. And then you can thank me later.

I received an arc of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and would like to thank the publisher for allowing me to review this fantastic book. I will definitely be watching to see what Mindy Mejia comes up with next.

I don't know what I expected this book to be, exactly, but it was one of those books that grabs from its first sentence to its last. There is some meandering between timelines and it's told in three POV but it all just worked. I read this one so fast because I was so intrigued and I did not see the ending coming. I thought I had it figured it out but that was turned on its head at the very end and I loved that! This was my second 2017 release and both it and History of Wolves are set in Minnesota. Totally unplanned but it was very interesting to think about both book in that context - one in the north of the state and this one in the south. They were both stoic and stark in their own ways. I would also be remiss if I didn't tell you that this author created one of the best formed, articulated and complex characters I've ever read in Hattie Hoffman - such an effortless read but I am sure that writing it took everything.

Everything You Want Me To Be came out earlier this week on January 3, 2017, and you can purchase HERE. I definitely recommend this one if you like a good mystery!

Out of nowhere I remembered my grandpa's silent, tear-streaked face in that depressing nursing home room. It was probably the last time anyone should be thinking about their dead grandfather, like some final proof of how unnatural I was, but in that moment I understood, finally, how love could be too much for our bodies to hold.

Where to begin.... The summary for the book made me think that it might be a good read, but I kept putting off reading it. Each time I read the summary, I was less drawn to the story. Today, I decided that I was going to read it because I had received it from the publisher for a review.

Wow! I was caught from the beginning. I won't give any spoilers because this is one read that you should go into with no pre-formed ideas (as I did). It was a dramatic story with several twists - and I had the killer pegged a little over half way into the book - but I had to *know* exactly what had happened and how. Imagine my surprise, when everything I thought I knew evaporated! I thought the author did a great job with the story and I was very pleased with the ending...although it was not a "happy" ending. The entire story was tragic - but I couldn't put the book down!

I have to admit, I was once just like Hattie; I became whomever I needed to be for that part of my life (perfect student, perfect daughter, perfect girlfriend, perfect employee), until I wasn't. After reading the book, I am sure that is what really drew me to the story, and fear of what I might discover about myself kept me from reading it sooner. Message - be yourself; don't put on an act for anyone or anything.

**Received from NetGalley for my honest review.**

This is a top-notch suspenseful psychological thriller. Hattie Hoffman is a whipsmart senior in high school who is brutally murdered. This isn’t a spoiler because we find this out in the very beginning. The story goes back and forth between the present day murder investigation (2008 actually) and the events leading up to it through three different POVs: Hattie, the sheriff investigating her murder, and Peter Lund, an English high school teacher. It was all about the characters for me. This book is addicting and you’ll want to do nothing else but just get to the end already once you start reading. A smart thriller that not only makes you question whether you truly can know somebody but how well do you know yourself?

A community is left reeling after a beloved high school senior (Hattie) is found murdered. Who killed Hattie and why?

This book kept me guessing, and I thoroughly enjoyed trying to figure out who killed Hattie and why. The story is told from 3 points of view: (1) Hattie (2) Sheriff Del, who is also a close friend of Hattie's father, and (3) Peter, Hattie's English teacher.

Hattie spent most of her life acting, both on and off the stage. Just like the title, she tried very hard to be "everything you want me to be." She enjoyed figuring out what behavior was expected from each person in her life and acting accordingly. After her death, her fellow drama club members tried to blame it on the Macbeth curse, which added even more intrigue to the story. Last but not least, I found it very sad and upsetting that Hattie had finally discovered her true self right before she was murdered. This one kept me guessing until the very last page, and I will be recommending it to everyone that enjoys a great thriller!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Compulsively addicting! Kept me guessing the whole way through. Loved how the story alternated POVs... really worked great in fully developing the characters.

We know from the beginning what happens, but the unraveling of how and why it happened is what makes this story hard to put down. The story is told from the viewpoint of three different people, a format that I totally enjoy. I would recommend this title highly.

"What could happen to any of us if we pursue our darkest desires? What do we lose of ourselves when we cross that line? What does it cost those around us?"

High school senior Hattie Hoffman seems to have it all. She's confident, popular, whip-smart, ambitious, loved by her friends and family, doted on by her football star boyfriend, and ridiculously talented on the stage. She dreams of escaping the small Minnesota town where she's spent her whole life, to pursue an acting career in New York City.

But what most people, even those who think they know her, don't fully realize is just how much of her seemingly-perfect life is an act. She's a chameleon, shifting her demeanor and attitude to suit her environment and get what she wants - as the devoted best friend, the top student, the twitterpated girlfriend, the loving daughter, the friendly CVS photo clerk.

"You say you're just acting, but you're fracturing yourself into a thousand pieces, and every time I see another piece, you're gone again. You turn into someone else, a crowd of someone elses, and it makes me wonder if there's any such thing as Hattie Hoffman."

When Hattie is found brutally stabbed to death the day after opening night of her high school's production of "Macbeth," in which she plays the female lead of Lady Macbeth, another more dangerous role Hattie has played throughout her senior year comes to light.

The sinister story of how Hattie met her demise unfolds from the alternating perspectives of County Sheriff Del Goodman (who happens to be a close friend of the Hoffman family), Hattie's English teacher and drama director Peter Lund, and Hattie herself.

Although the story jumps around somewhat, as Del's role in the book doesn't factor in until he begins investigating Hattie's death, Mindy Mejia succeeds in weaving together the narratives of all three central characters to lay out what went wrong. She manages this by bringing in Del's take typically whenever a piece of the puzzle is introduced regarding what Hattie has been up to during the school year.

There are so many twists and turns in the story that, just when I thought I knew who killed Hattie, Mejia would deliver another bombshell and my suspicions would shift. This kept up literally until the last few pages and I was in total shock when the real killer was revealed.

The depth of the main characters is just unreal. Mejia could devote entire novels not only to Hattie (who, in a nutshell - ha, she is kinda nuts, actually - is a teenage version of Amy from "Gone Girl") but about Del, about Hattie's parents and active-military brother Greg, about Peter and his emotionally-distant wife Mary, etc. The best part about this is that their personal histories don't detract from the main plot. Instead, they enhance it. Their own experiences outside of knowing Hattie seem to shape how they handle her death and the dramatic investigation that ensues. I found myself grieving with them, even though I knew Hattie had pulled the wool over their eyes. She was still their daughter, their friend, etc.

Throughout the book, there is a pulsing undercurrent of fear and anger as the community demands answers. That really adds a lot to the small-town setting, really makes Pine Valley come alive.

Hats off to Mejia for the way she approached the investigation aspect. If she didn't already have inside knowledge of law enforcement and forensics, she must have done her homework (at least as far as I can tell, given my very limited expertise). The conversations between Del and his chief deputy, the searches for evidence, Del's interactions with suspects and Hattie's friends and family - all of it seems pretty believable for a work of fiction. There are a couple of times when Del says or does things that seem a bit questionable, but they're so minor I can't even recall them.

"Everything You Want Me to Be" is a masterfully-written, captivating and unpredictable tale of how a small town can harbor dark secrets, and how easily we can be fooled by someone we think we know like the back of our hand.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

EverythingYou Want Me To Be
Mindy Mejia Author
Hattie was a wonderful daughter, a great performer who loves acting, is an excellent student and the perfect girl next door. She is full of life and yearned for more.
She learned to not show her true emotions and be who ever everyone else wanted her to be. She was a people pleaser.
Del is the small town Sheriff of Pine Valley a rural farming town where everybody knows everybody else and their life history. He truly cares about everyone.
Peters the new high school english teacher who has been uprooted from the city to the farming community. He moves here temporally so his wife Mary can take care of her ailing mother and take care of the farm.
This is a well written book that keeps you wanting to read more. The characters evolve through out the book as you read the story from three different views.
There are a lot of surprises in the and some of the story is predictable. The ending has a twist you will not expect.
This book does make you wonder why some people always do the right thing for others and accept that freely because that makes them happy, and others do what makes themselves happy whether it be temporarily or long term with no thought of who it effects . Is there a right or wrong? What is right for who?
I recieved a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Wow, wow, wow. This book was much more than I expected. Everything You Want Me to Be is an exceptional debut novel by Mindy Mejia. It’s hard for me to categorize it into a single genre. It has bits of suspense, psychological thriller, police procedural, YA, and family drama, all wrapped up in a big ball of rapid page-turning unputdownability.

This is a story told from 3 points of view and in two rather close time frames. We have Hattie, a very unique and quite brilliant high school senior; her AP English teacher, Peter Lund; and sheriff Del Goodman. In chapter 2, someone is found dead. The rest of the story centers on who committed the murder and why it happened. This is NOT, as mentioned above, a simple police procedural; this is an intricately woven tale of love, deceit, loss of control, remorse, sorrow and issues with self-identity (note the title). I was really wrung out at the end of this, in a good way.

The characters are wonderfully drawn, especially Hattie and Peter, but the more minor members of the cast are also well characterized. There also are not that many people to keep track of, which is always a plus. The setting was especially meaningful to me--southeast Minnesota, where I have lived for the last 36 years. On many occasions I could clearly visualize where the action was occurring—even that “dirt road off the highway just south of Zumbrota.”

The plot mesmerized me. I couldn’t stop turning the pages, not because of unbearable suspense, but because of sheer intrigue. How was this all going to shake out? And even more importantly, what would be the consequences to all involved? Plenty of little bombshells were dropped along the way to blow up my ever-changing theories. And so much to think about as this all played out, including what would I do if I were in the positions some of these people found themselves in.

The only thing I can think of to criticize is that at times I got confused as to when in the timeline a specific event occurred. This is a minor complaint.

Bottom line is I enjoyed the heck out of this book. It left me with a lump in my throat and much to consider. I highly recommend it to all readers who are looking for a good story. I eagerly await the author’s next offering and will be first in line to grab it.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Atria Books, and Ms. Mindy Mejia for providing me with an ARC of this book. The opinions expressed above are mine alone and not biased in any way.

"You turn into someone else, a crowd of someone elses, and it makes me wonder if there's any such thing as Hattie Hoffman."

To her parents, Hattie is the perfect daughter, the spunky Minnesota farm girl who does well in school and never causes trouble. To her friends, Hattie is the perfect listener who is always there for them. To her boyfriend, she's the sweet and loving girl, too pure and hesitant to "go all the way." To Peter Lund, her high school English teacher, she is a predator, an over-sexed sociopath who will stop at nothing to have him. And goodness help him; he wants to let her.

To Sheriff Del Goodman, Hattie Hoffman is a murder victim. Someone stabbed this eighteen-year-old budding actress and threw her into a lake one chilly, Minnesotan night. But who? The key to finding her killer is in discovering the true Hattie Hoffman-- someone not even she knew until it was too late.

This is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time. Hattie is such a complex, fantastic character. I rooted for her. I wanted to strangle her. Del is the perfect hard boiled detective, in that rural mid-west kind of way.

One of the reasons I've soured on psychological thrillers is that the plots have become increasingly sadistic and improbable in order to earn the distinction of the twist you'll never see coming! This book manages to be completely surprising and suspenseful in a manner that's also realistic. The writing quality surpasses most others in the genre. Solid 4 star read.

I enjoyed reading this book. This was one of those books that pulled me into the story pretty quickly. I knew that things would go horribly wrong but I just couldn't look away. I had to know exactly what happened and I wanted Hattie to tell me. The way that the story unfolded really added to the story. This is a book that I am very glad that I decided to pick up.

One of the first things that struck me about this book was the fact that it is told in a nonlinear manner. I am not usually a fan of this method of story telling and I have to say that I was rather disappointed to see that this book was told in such a manner. It worked wonderfully in this story. It wasn't hard to keep track of where the story was in time and having the characters tell their story as it was taking place was really powerful.

This book is told from three points of view. Del is the sheriff of a small town who is working to solve a murder. Hattie is a senior in high school who dreams of leaving the small town she has lived her life in to move to New York. Peter is the school's new English teacher who has just moved to town. All three of these characters play an important part of unraveling what really happened to Hattie.

I liked the characters even though I am not sure why I do with the exception of Del. Del is a likeable guy who is in a bad place. He needs to solve Hattie's murder but is getting a lot of pressure from everyone in town not to mention that Hattie's father is one of his best friends. Hattie is kind of hard to like at first. She is manipulative and seems to think she is better than others in her town. I liked her anyway especially as the book progressed. Peter seemed lost throughout a lot of the book. He is never sure what he wants to do and feels guilty with a lot of his choices. I thought Peter felt really authentic and I liked him even when I wanted to throw things at him.

I would recommend this book to others. It tells a story that kept me guessing up until the very end. This is the first book by Mindy Mejia that I have had a chance to read but I plan to look for her work in the future.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley.

"You can't live your life acting for other people. Other people will just use you up. You have to know yourself and figure out what you want. I can't do that for you. Nobody can."

Holy cow. This one will keep you guessing, right up until the end.

Mindy Mejia weaves a story that will leave you breathless and second guessing... everything. Hattie Hoffman is a high school senior who plays so many parts in life, that she even starts blurring the lines between real and made up. She's a different character to everyone she encounters. Then she turns up dead. The local sheriff tries to piece together Hattie's ever changing life, to figure out who murdered the senior who had a bright future. How do you figure out a puzzle where the pieces don't fit together?

Hattie is young, yet everything she does is so calculated and twisted. Once you start peeling away the layers, you'll find yourself shaking your head in disbelief. In the center of everything is a scandal can will turn her small town upside down. If it comes to light, it'll spoil everything she's worked hard to accomplish.

Once I picked this one up, I was pulled into Hattie's world. I needed to keep reading. It starts off innocent enough, but quickly picks up speed and forces you to jump into the unknown feet first. Even once clues are given, you'll still be in the dark... until the very end.

Well written and starts in such a surprising way and is just written in such an interesting way!

My first 5 star rating this year! This book revolves around 3 main characters: Hattie Hoffman who has big dreams of escaping her small town after graduation is found murdered in an abandoned barn; Del who is the sheriff of the small town of Pine Valley investigating Hattie's murder; and Peter who is a city boy forced to move to Pine Valley due to his mother-in-law's illness and becomes the high school literature teacher. Each chapter is told from one of the 3 main characters points of view. What seems like a simple "who done it" mystery book turns into a deep philosophical book (if you choose to make it so): Who are we really and what parts we do we play? Is something wrong due to what society's standards are or because we are not being honest with ourselves and others in following our desires? Should we be responsible and keep our obligations or do we follow our dreams? And at the heart of it, are we the heroes or the villains in our own lives? There were so many strong female characters in this book, especially Hattie's mom and Peter's wife, who keep on going despite how tired or in pain they are and some deep relationships and conversations that I feel we could all learn from. This was definitely more than a mystery novel and more than a young adult/ coming of age novel. It left me with a lot to think about long after I put this book down.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.

Wow. What a wild and wicked ride. Hatitie Hoffman is just your typical high school student waiting for life after high school. Or was she? On the outside she seemed perfect. Everything seemed perfect. She dreamed of going to New York and becoming a broadway actress. She had plans. Big plans.

Then she is found murdered after her opening night of her last high school play. She was fantastic and ecstatic. But what happened between then and when she is found murdered?

We get the events leading up to her death in three point of views, Hatitie, Peter and Del. All bring us a different side to the story, but each piece just as important and relevant.

To those around her, Hattie was happy, intelligent, and talented. They saw a girl who was a good friend, student, and girlfriend. But who was she really?

The story we get reveals who Hattie was, her last year of high school and what ultimately leads to her death. I was pulled in quickly and kept drawn in by the author. I really enjoyed this story and found it very interesting with the three different point of views.

This was a 4.5 read for me.

Guys, this book is a great thriller. Mindy does a hell of a job & she tricked me, which is what I want in a mystery.

We have Peter, the new teacher in town who is married to Mary, a farm girl returning home to help her ailing mother, Elsa. Peter feels trapped in the small town of Pine Valley & it's hurting his marriage. He didn't sign up for this; I mean, he's a vegetarian living on the homestead.

Hattie is the girl you see around town, but she always leaves you wanting a bit more. After graduation, she is moving to NYC with Broadway dreams & her CVS paycheck- good luck, right? She's smart, cunning & reserved, but she's still a teenager finding her way. Then, she's murdered in an abandoned barn.

Del, the sheriff. He is determined to find Hattie's killer & he happens to be best friends with her parents, Bud & Mona. The pressure is on & time is ticking. There's only so many suspects in this small town, so he's skipping lunch at Dairy Queen & starts knocking on doors.

I love the residents of Pine Valley, MN & this town is the perfect backdrop for Mindy's characters. The farmers are hardworking, the bloodlines are deep & the walls of the houses are thin. Mindy weaves all these details about each character, their histories with one another & their connection to the town, which makes the story all the more relatable. This novel is smart, dark & well written. It's the perfect read for any mystery lover & a book I would want by my side while traveling & I'm Really Into it. It's out today!!!