About the Book:Title: The Girl in the Picture
Author: Alexandra Monir
Pub. Date: Nov. 15, 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press/Random House
Pages: 272
Rating: 3/5 stars
Synopsis:
Nicole Morgan has been labeled many things — the geeky music girl, the shy sidekick to Miss Popularity, and the girl with the scar. Now only one name haunts her through the halls of Oyster Bay Prep.
The Girl in the Picture.
After high school heartthrob Chace Porter is found dead in the woods near the school, the police are in search of the girl whose picture with Chace is the only clue found amongst his personal belongings. A girl who no one knew was even close to Chace–and whose dormmate, Lana Rivera, was Chace's girlfriend.
Nicole is that girl and now she's the primary suspect in his murder.
But what really happened that night? Were Nicole and Chace dating behind Lana’s back; were he and Lana over? Could either of them have killed him?
Told in alternating points of view, that of our suspect, Nicole Morgan, and her former best friend and roommate, Lana Rivera, readers will piece together the story of a starcrossed love, a fractured friendship–and what really happened the night Chace was killed.
The Girl in the Picture.
After high school heartthrob Chace Porter is found dead in the woods near the school, the police are in search of the girl whose picture with Chace is the only clue found amongst his personal belongings. A girl who no one knew was even close to Chace–and whose dormmate, Lana Rivera, was Chace's girlfriend.
Nicole is that girl and now she's the primary suspect in his murder.
But what really happened that night? Were Nicole and Chace dating behind Lana’s back; were he and Lana over? Could either of them have killed him?
Told in alternating points of view, that of our suspect, Nicole Morgan, and her former best friend and roommate, Lana Rivera, readers will piece together the story of a starcrossed love, a fractured friendship–and what really happened the night Chace was killed.
Review:
This is a tough review to write because on one hand I really liked the story, but also it was a bit predictable and cliche which ended up taking away from the entire book. I loved the mystery part of the novel and I thought it was very well done. It kept me interested until the very end, and while the person behind the murder wasn't a big surprise to me (I did figure it out before the person was ultimately revealed), it still was a jaw dropper when everything comes to light. Alexandra Monir has always known how to weave a good mystery and this book is certainly no exception. I love her writing, and her novels are the perfect length. The story is fast-paced and extremely well written (especially since it's dual POV). If you're already a fan of Alexandra, then this book is for definitely for you!
The story is told for 2 perspectives, Nicole, the shy girl who is a brilliant musician, and Lana, the queen-bee who's not so nice and gets everything she wants. I thought that Alexandra wrote the dual POV very well, and the stark contrast in their personalities really drove the story forward. When secrets come out, and Nicole becomes "The Girl in the Picture" everyone turns against her. However, it was nice to see that her mom played a major role in supporting Nicole. It's refreshing when the parent actually plays a role in the story, and helped her avoid making mistakes that could have irrevocably changed her life. Both characters are extremely well-developed, and I felt that we knew both girls very well by the end of the story.
The one thing that I didn't like though was the love triangle. I didn't think it served a purpose at all and wasn't really needed. I thought it was going to play a much bigger role in the murder in the end, but it didn't. I would have been perfectly fine with how much focus was placed on the love triangle if it did actually end up being the answer to everything. Another thing that slightly bothered me was the ending. I thought it was a bit rushed and it was a bit too easy for the truth to be revealed.
Overall, The Girl in the Picture was a solid story that had well-developed characters and an intriguing mystery that keeps the reader interested. There is a paranormal element (just like all of her books) which added a thrill to the story but it didn't distract from the plot in any way. While it wasn't everything I wanted, I would still recommend checking it out especially for fans of psychological thrillers and suspense novels.
The story is told for 2 perspectives, Nicole, the shy girl who is a brilliant musician, and Lana, the queen-bee who's not so nice and gets everything she wants. I thought that Alexandra wrote the dual POV very well, and the stark contrast in their personalities really drove the story forward. When secrets come out, and Nicole becomes "The Girl in the Picture" everyone turns against her. However, it was nice to see that her mom played a major role in supporting Nicole. It's refreshing when the parent actually plays a role in the story, and helped her avoid making mistakes that could have irrevocably changed her life. Both characters are extremely well-developed, and I felt that we knew both girls very well by the end of the story.
The one thing that I didn't like though was the love triangle. I didn't think it served a purpose at all and wasn't really needed. I thought it was going to play a much bigger role in the murder in the end, but it didn't. I would have been perfectly fine with how much focus was placed on the love triangle if it did actually end up being the answer to everything. Another thing that slightly bothered me was the ending. I thought it was a bit rushed and it was a bit too easy for the truth to be revealed.
Overall, The Girl in the Picture was a solid story that had well-developed characters and an intriguing mystery that keeps the reader interested. There is a paranormal element (just like all of her books) which added a thrill to the story but it didn't distract from the plot in any way. While it wasn't everything I wanted, I would still recommend checking it out especially for fans of psychological thrillers and suspense novels.
Happy reading :)
~Cassie
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