The Dead List

Hey everyone!  I'm so happy to be a co-blogger with my awesome best friend Jocelyn :)  Here's my first review.  You'll see that I like to write a long review most times, but I want to make sure you get a good idea whether or not you want to read the book!  So here it goes...

The Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout                                             

There's not much of a description for this book because it's best to go in blind (not taking the easy way out here haha).  I do have a little bit of description later on, but here's what Jen said on her website:

"The Dead List is a full standalone novel, coming in at roughly 93,000 words. It’s a Young Adult Romantic Suspense Yes. Lots of Romance. Sort of like Don’t Look Back, but a throwback to movies like Scream and the sort of campy fun ones. Think I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Scream. But with more romance.

That’s all I’m going to say about the book. I think a blind read is something different. A little fun."

This book was a free book released by Jen on Wattpad as a thank you to her fans for their support and love. She released a couple chapters at a time, so this was unlike any book I had read before. However, I think this was such a fabulous way to release/read this novel. I honestly believe that my love for The Dead List was even more simply because the tension and suspense could build slowly while I was waiting for the chapters to be released. Anyone who knows me knows that when it comes to Jen's books, I basically devour them in one sitting. She just has such a wonderful way of writing that makes me never want to stop. So with this new experience, it made forced me to slow down and savor each chapter.

Our main character is Ella, who was best friends with Gavin, Penn, and Jensen when they were younger. But time has made them grow apart, and all we know is something tragic happened with Penn. Gavin and Ella remained friends, but they tried dating, and it just didn't work. So now, they're growing apart too. Soon, Ella is attacked, but manages to get away when she is saved by none other than Jensen. However, soon scary, terrifying events start occurring, and she doesn't know what to do, except turn to Jensen.

Ella was a great main character, and very original. She was snarky, witty, but still very human. I appreciated that Ella never went all crazy, take-charge, "let's find out who is behind all of this." She was smart and reserved. She went through her days being more careful and learning self-defense. Ella took what was happening, and let it make her stronger. She was never weak or too scared (well not anymore than what a normal person would be with everything that happened in this book). Jensen was absolutely fabulous, and anyone who knows Jen knows that she writes a sexy boy very well. Trust me, you'll easily fall in love with Jensen. The one thing that I loved about his character in general was his strength, both physically (a girl can admire a hot imaginary boy can't she?) and emotionally. He was there for Ella when she needed him, and helped her at every step to get through things. I loved watching Ella and Jensen's relationship bloom and blossom throughout the book. It was a nice build and didn't feel rushed at all.

One of my favorite parts was the suspense. I had my suspicions while reading, and the person (or is it people...I won't spoil it) behind the murders was definitely on my list (see what I did there?), but I was still shocked by the ending. This book had me on the edge of my seat while reading, and I just never wanted to stop. Jen is such a fantastic writer, and takes you on the ultimate thrill ride with this novel. I loved not knowing what to expect, and each chapter offers twists and turns that you will never see coming.

I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of Jen or suspense/romance. Do not miss out on this freebie because you will definitely regret it if you do!

Happy reading :)