YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

When love leads to death, be careful who you trust…

Eighteen-year-old Emily Heath would love to leave her dead-end town, known locally as "The Sham", with her boyfriend, Jack, but he's very, very sick; his body is failing and his brain is shutting down. He's also in hiding, under suspicion of murder. Six months' ago, strange signs were painted across town in a dialect no one has spoken for decades and one of Emily's classmates washed up in the local floods.

Emily has never trusted her instincts and now they're pulling her towards Jack, who the police think is a sham himself, someone else entirely. As the town wakes to discover new signs plastered across its walls, Emily must decide who and what she trusts, and fast: local vigilantes are hunting Jack; the floods, the police, and her parents are blocking her path; and the town doesn’t need another dead body.

WARNING: THIS BOOK IS UNSUITABLE FOR YOUNGER TEENAGE READERS. IT DEPICTS ADULT SITUATIONS, MURDER SCENES, CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SEX AND PROFANITY.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: The idea for this book came to me in a nightmare... It was so vivid that I imagined I was 17 again, at school, in the same group of 4 friends that I used to hang around with. We were involved in a murder and cover-up. I started writing partly as a way to get it out of my head and then the characters turned into real people... and Emily and Jack were born.

As some of the early reviewers have stated, it is quite extreme in chapter one, and necessarily so. This is the incident that sets up the whole book; something awful happens that sets off a train of events for the characters. This book is a mystery in two ways in that we're: 1) trying to find out who killed Emily's classmate; and 2) trying to work out who Jack is. I hope you enjoy it!

8% this book is absolutely disgusting! (view spoiler)[ i can't believe these girls! they've kidnapped some kid, want him to bite the head off a bird, and now one of them has yanked her tampon out and is wiping it on his face?! are you kidding me?! (hide spoiler)]

13% (view spoiler)[ what the fudge is 'igertay' supposed to mean? this book is so strange! (hide spoiler)]

14% (view spoiler)[ he just cracked a raw egg into his mouth. i feel sick.

and now raw potatoes? (hide spoiler)]

This is such a strange book! It's picked up a bit at the 30% mark, but it's still weird.

39% (view spoiler)[ so Jack is really Matthew? and he was in the hospital because he was sectioned? (hide spoiler)]

Starting now.

7% - (view spoiler)[ These girls are disgusting! (hide spoiler)]

Sarah wrote: "8% this book is absolutely disgusting! [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ They're freaking disgusting! (hide spoiler)]

Sarah wrote: "14% "

Yuck!

Abbie wrote: "Sarah wrote: "8% this book is absolutely disgusting! [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

so gross!

58% (view spoiler)[ her mother buying her a box of condoms was so embarrassing! (hide spoiler)]

the end (view spoiler)[ this whole book was so strange! I can't believe that those girls were crazy enough to kill each other for a hoax!! (hide spoiler)]

Sarah wrote: "58% [spoilers removed]

the end [spoilers removed]"

Freaking weird!

Will start soon

I'm a bit behind, hopefully starting this tomorrow :)

Oay ☺