You Know What You Have to do by Bonnie Shimko

You Know What You Have to do by Bonnie Shimko
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: March 26, 2013

This quirky, appealing YA novel turns formulaic teen fiction on its head as funny, feisty fifteen year-old Mary-Magdalene Feigenbaum (otherwise known as Maggie) suddenly faces more than the usual typical YA concerns: a voice in her head that is telling her to kill people. Not just anyone—each time the target is someone who has done something terrible to a person Maggie cares for. You know what you have to do, the voice commands. Maggie struggles to resist, but the voice is relentless.

With rising suspense, this story of psychological horror introduces a narrator whose own unique voice and irreverent humor are unforgettable—an unlikely hero fighting a desperate battle against incomprehensible evil.

You Know What You Have to do was a weirdly psychological thriller type book. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started it, and when I finished I was even less sure of my final thoughts. I don't really think that anything was actually resolved, or that there was any real moral to the story. Maggie kills several people throughout the book, and while you'd think that something would come from it, nothing ever really does. I found that to be endlessly psychotic.

Speaking of psychotic, Maggie was really psychotic. I didn't see her as funny or feisty like the description says...I just saw her as psychotic. First impressions really suck. But they stuck, for her. From the very beginning she's hearing the voice in her head that tells her to kill people...and she does it (that voice was way scary). And as we know from YA books, psychiatrists are very easily played. Which makes me feel bad for their profession, but whatevs. It seems like they're always made out to be quacks in YA books. All Maggie does is lie to her psychiatrist, and he never really seems to catch on. You'd think that Maggie would try and get help, but no, she doesn't want anyone to know that she's crazy. Valid reason. But if she hates the voice so much, why doesn't she ever take the help that's offered to her? Not only that, but she crushes on her 35 year old psychiatrist. Imagines what it would be like if they were married. Sometimes, older men are attractive. But fantasizing about curtains for a man that old is so gross that I made up a term for it: ickles.

I mean, a crush is okay, but I can't imagine having such advanced feelings for a guy his age at my age. Does that make sense? And then the guy her age? Well, he's crushing on her and stalking her and blackmailing her and what does she do? She blackmails and threatens him right back. The whole situation was downright freaky deaky.

That's probably an accurate description of the entire book. Maybe I'm being a harsh critic, but You Know What You Have to do just didn't sit right with me. All in all, it's not really a book I would recommend unless I knew that you were into that kind of stuff.

Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne

Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne
Series: N/A
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: July 2, 2013

Sawyer Dodd has it all. She's a star track athlete, choir soloist, and A-student. And her boyfriend is the handsome all-star Kevin Anderson. But behind the medals, prom pictures, and perfect smiles, Sawyer finds herself trapped in a controlling, abusive relationship with Kevin. When he dies in a drunk-driving accident, Sawyer is secretly relieved. She's free. Until she opens her locker and finds a mysterious letter signed by "an admirer" and printed with two simple words: "You're welcome."

For whatever reason (there's none I can come up with right off) Truly, Madly, Deadly is destined to live in my memory as a mediocre book. It's disappointing, sure, but there's not a thing I can do about it.

I just couldn't identify with our main character, Sawyer. She's being stalked and threatened, and when she goes to the police, she's too afraid to tell them. So she comes out of the police office no better protected than when she went in. Speaking of, the actions of the killer didn't really make sense. I can only assume that the killer is supposed to come off as maniacal and crazy, but it could have been better done. I am really proud that it took me so long to figure it out, but once I did, I realized how dense I am...all signs pointed right to 'em.

I also thought that the suspense seemed forced and faked. There was too much going on for me to ever really get immersed into the story. The other problems included just funky stuff, so I'm not even going to mention them. It's just not for me, you know?

All in all, Truly, Madly, Deadly just didn't work out for me. The plotline was intriguing, but the execution was sadly lacking. I wish I could have liked this one a bit more.