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Book Review: Tragedy Girl, Christine Hurley Deriso

Tragedy Girl

Title: Tragedy Girl
Author: Christine Hurley Deriso
Published: 08/04/2016, Flux
Pages: 240
Source: Netgalley
Format: Ebook
Rating: 3.5/5
Of course Anne would be drawn to Blake. He's good looking, he's friendly, and they both bring sob stories to the table: her parents died in a car wreck, his girlfriend, Cara, drowned. Of course Blake would understand what she's gone through. And of course they can help each other work through their pain. It's like it was meant to be.
But just as Anne starts to feel she's finally found something good in all the tragedy, she can't ignore signs that something's off. Her friends rarely let her be alone with Blake. Even those closest to Blake seem uneasy around him. And then there are the rumors about the death of Cara, whose body was never recovered. Rumors that suggest Blake's pain is hiding something darker than Anne can even begin to comprehend...

Tragedy Girl is a fast-paced, suspenseful mystery that I'm so glad I had the chance to read. It's a nice quick read that only takes a few hours.

Tragedy Girl is set in a seaside town that has been rocked by the recent drowning of a teenage girl. Giving this premise, the setting not only makes sense but is the obvious choice. It relates very well to the characters.

The story is told from the first-person perspective of Anne, a teenage girl who has recently lost her parents, as she attempts to settle into her new life. Anne is a good character, but there was just something about her that I couldn't quite connect with. I did feel sorry for her. I have no clue what it must be like to lose your parents at such a young age. The pain must be unbearable. However, I did feel that giving her circumstances, she settled into her new school a bit too easily for someone who has been through so much recent emotional turmoil.

I originally thought I would feel quite sorry for Blake. The poor boy has been through so much and he's struggling. But, in reality, I was creeped out by him. There's something really weird about him and he's really not someone you would trust in real life. But this does, of course, add to the whole mysteriousness of the story.

The secondary characters were all very well done too. There's Jamie, Blake's supposed best friend, who acts strangely from the start. Natalie the girl who has had a crush on Blake for years. Garrett, Blake's brother, who doesn't trust Blake at all. And Melanie and Lauren, two girls who are caught up in all the drama and want answers.

The behaviour of all the characters results in Tragedy Girl being pretty unpredictable. There was just no way I could predict what actually happened to Cara. A number of people could have been behind her death. And this all results in quite the dramatic ending with most plot lines tied up fairly nicely.

The one part of the story that I didn't really see the need for were Anne's dreams about her parents. It gives out a supernatural feeling that they are trying to tell her something, but it doesn't really add much to the main story,

Tragedy Girl is a nice, quick and suspenseful read that you can't help but fly through. I would definitely recommend this book to those looking for a short YA mystery.




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