21 June 2016

Review #464: Beware That Girl by Teresa Toten



My rating: 2 of 5 stars


“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”

----Benjamin Franklin



Teresa Toten, a Canadian author, pens an intriguing young adult thriller about two teenage high school girls in her new book, Beware That Girl that narrates the story of a manipulative high school girl with a painful past who weaves her way through the social ladder just to reach Yale with her good nature, fake poshness and charm, thereby using a pill-survivor, moody rich girl, but their bond of friendship changes once this rich girl falls under the charms of an older man, who can open up past secrets that both the girls are running away from.




Synopsis:

For fans of We Were Liars, The Girl on the Train, and Gone Girl, this powerful psychological thriller with multiple mysteries is set against the backdrop of the megawealthy elite of New York City. Toten delves into the mesmerizing yet dysfunctional world of those who manipulate but seem ever so charming. With its gripping pace and Hitchcockian twists, Beware That Girl will keep readers guessing until the very last line.

The Haves. The Have-Nots. Kate O’Brian appears to be a Have-Not. Her whole life has been a series of setbacks she’s had to snake her way out of—some more sinister than others. But she’s determined to change that. She’s book smart. She’s street-smart. Oh, and she’s also a masterful liar.

As the scholarship student at the Waverly School in NYC, Kate has her work cut out for her: her plan is to climb the social ladder and land a spot at Yale. She’s already found her “people” among the senior class “it” girls—specifically in the cosseted, mega-wealthy yet deeply damaged Olivia Sumner. As for Olivia, she considers Kate the best friend she’s always needed, the sister she never had.

When the handsome and whip-smart Mark Redkin joins the Waverly administration, he immediately charms his way into the faculty’s and students’ lives—becoming especially close to Olivia, a fact she’s intent on keeping to herself. It becomes increasingly obvious that Redkin poses a threat to Kate, too, in a way she can’t reveal—and can’t afford to ignore. How close can Kate and Olivia get to Mark without having to share their dark pasts?



Kate O’Brien has earned her way to a posh private school, Waverly Academy in NYC through a scholarship, and this opportunity is really good for her as she is planning to climb the social ladder by impressing and manipulating the right people to reach Yale and NYC is like a protective umbrella over her head since she is running away from her gruesome past life that still haunts her. Kate has already found her new prey, Olivia Sumner, who is the air-brushed version of a model from those glossy magazines and is constantly flaunting her filthy rich aristocracy, and with the help of Olivia's friendship, no one can stop Kate from mingling with the socialites of the NYC and attending those A-listed parties and rubbing her shoulders with money-hungry super rich folks, until Mark Redkin, who is complete tease for the young teenage girls with chocolate boy looks joins their school and Olivia easily falls for Mark's charms. Little did the girls knew that this man can expose their past shamelessly and ruin their individual goals from reaching the top.

Firstly, I don't understand what is there to market this book by stating that this psycho thriller to similar to those groundbreaking and popular thrillers. As this book is no where closer to those books, moreover, this can't be categorized under the genre of psychological thriller. Anyhow, the darkness is the only consistent thing in the book that won't disappoint the readers. So there is nothing to get allured by that edgy and scary book cover image, as the story is completely boring, predictable and cliched.

The author's writing is strong yet it lacks the emotional depth or rather say, fails to make the readers comprehend with the theme of the story. The main theme is centered around brutal abuse, be it parental or sexual, the whole story revolves around the aftermath of such abuses. The narrative is dull and could have been much more articulate or expressive. The pacing lacks speed and drags a lot near the end, even though there are some bone-chilling action scenes which holds a little power to engage the readers into the story line.

OMG! What can I say about the characters, they are even more disappointing than the story line, they steal away whatever charm the story could have with their depressing demeanor. The main character, Kate, lacks depth even though she is supported by her backstory and let's leave Olivia out of the review, her superficial demeanor without any emotional attachment give her a terrible outlook. The rest of the supporting characters are also very cliched and judgmental, and fails to interest the readers.

In a nutshell, I suggest, skip this book and look for other enthralling YA thrillers, which are actually a "thriller" in nature.

Verdict: Not so much of a promising story, only surrounded with mean teenage drama.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Teresa Toten's publicist for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
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Author Info:
My earliest and most fervent ambition was to grow up and take my rightful place among the other mermaids. When cruel and insensitive adults crushed that dream by insisting that mermaids did not exist, I settled on the more mature aspiration of becoming an intergalactic astronaut. Then I realized that math would likely be involved. So, in the end, I went to Trinity College at the University of Toronto where I got a BA and then an MA in Political Economy taking great care not to take a single English or Creative Writing class. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was never ever going to be a writer. That would be silly, fanciful and well, unrealistic. And then I started to write.
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