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amylandranch's review against another edition
3.0
Two girls in an idllyic small town have decided that the numerous volunteer opportunities and good grades they have achieved will not get them into college. So they plan a fake kidnapping of one of them to gain national recognition. As the story evolves you start to feel a little creeped out by one of the girls and her willingness to play the part of victim. The ending has a twist that I didn't see coming and that is always nice to be surprised. There is some language in this book (many creative uses of words I have never combined before)and a scene between the two girls that sheds light on their relationship (I don't want to spoil that part but I found it tastefully done). Another librarian asked me to read it and wanted my opinion on if it was appropriate for a somewhat conservative middle school and I thought it was.
lucillemeeps's review against another edition
4.0
I'm currently in my last year of high school, and in the next month, I will have submitted my applications to University. I know that Canada is nowhere near as competitve as the US when it comes to Univeristy, but it is still a lot of pressure. So i feel like I was at the perfect point to read this book, because I could relate to the girls, and even though their plan was completely insane and selfish, i felt like I could understand where they were coming from.
Chloe and Finn are honour roll students who are concerned that it just isn't enough. They decide that to really stand out to a university, they need to be something extraordinary. They need to be someone that everybody knows. So they decide to fake an abduction. Chloe will 'go missing,' and Finn will be the heroic friend that finds her. At first, it seems simple. They have everything meticulously planned down to a tee.
Then things start to get complicated. Finn is guilt-ridden over the pain that she is causing people and all of the lies that she tells. She second guesses the plan, but Chloe continues to push her. Things get heated when a local boy is pulled in as a suspect, when Finn knows very well that he is innocent, but cannot prove it without incriminating herself.
I love the conflicts that grow in this book, and all that I wish is that we could have seen more of the aftermath. You could almost have a whole second book about what comes after the last page.
This story wasn't what i expected. When the jacket cover said that there would be complications, i thought that Chloe was actually going to be kidnapped or murdered, but it was more about the psychological aspects of what the girls did, and I think that it was very well written. There are some parts that were a bit unbelievable, but overall, it was a very interesting and entertaining read.
Chloe and Finn are honour roll students who are concerned that it just isn't enough. They decide that to really stand out to a university, they need to be something extraordinary. They need to be someone that everybody knows. So they decide to fake an abduction. Chloe will 'go missing,' and Finn will be the heroic friend that finds her. At first, it seems simple. They have everything meticulously planned down to a tee.
Then things start to get complicated. Finn is guilt-ridden over the pain that she is causing people and all of the lies that she tells. She second guesses the plan, but Chloe continues to push her. Things get heated when a local boy is pulled in as a suspect, when Finn knows very well that he is innocent, but cannot prove it without incriminating herself.
I love the conflicts that grow in this book, and all that I wish is that we could have seen more of the aftermath. You could almost have a whole second book about what comes after the last page.
This story wasn't what i expected. When the jacket cover said that there would be complications, i thought that Chloe was actually going to be kidnapped or murdered, but it was more about the psychological aspects of what the girls did, and I think that it was very well written. There are some parts that were a bit unbelievable, but overall, it was a very interesting and entertaining read.
howifeelaboutbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Finn and Chloe need to make their college applications stand out. Everyone has good grades, talents, and extracurricular activities. So they decide to fake a kidnapping. Faking a kidnapping seems like a bad idea, right? Having to lie to everyone, keep the truth under wraps, make sure the "victim" stays hidden, and wasting police resources. Despite going into the book knowing this was a dumb idea, I started to like Finn. She was the girl who had to face the public, the one who had to lie, to act like her best friend was missing. In reality, Chloe was hiding in the basement of an empty house. But things start to spiral out of control, as you might expect, when the lake is searched, and someone has to be taken into custody. The ending was a bit ambiguous, and could go two ways, but if it went the way I'm imagining, it redeemed the whole story. Otherwise, it's all a bit depressing, with no redemption.
bookish_owl's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to like this book. The premise was unique, and I expected this to be an excellent suspense, thriller type of novel. Going into it, I thought that the whole kidnapping plot was going to be a lot more elaborate, and that things would go wrong because Chloe really would go missing, or because they would be found out and get in major trouble, thus leading to lots of suspense and action.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much suspense or action. In fact, the story was kind of just…slow, and the characters were pretty flat. I couldn’t sympathize with either Chloe or Finn, because I didn’t understand Finn’s motivation at all, and because I couldn’t stand Chloe. In the end, I just felt disappointed and felt that the potential kind of fizzled out. :/
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much suspense or action. In fact, the story was kind of just…slow, and the characters were pretty flat. I couldn’t sympathize with either Chloe or Finn, because I didn’t understand Finn’s motivation at all, and because I couldn’t stand Chloe. In the end, I just felt disappointed and felt that the potential kind of fizzled out. :/
tashrow's review
5.0
It was a perfect plan, but then it all went wrong. When their college prep advisor tells them that it takes more than good grades and community service to get into the best schools, Finn and Chloe decide to make themselves and their college essays very special. They stage Chloe’s kidnapping, hiding her in the basement of Finn’s grandmother’s house because she is out of town. It was supposed to be simple, but their carefully staged deception starts to wear on Finn as she is forced to lie to everyone, carefully staging her emotions and reactions to not only keep the lie going but to make sure that they get enough attention from the media. When CNN shows up to cover the kidnapping, Finn and Chloe know that it cannot end the way they had planned and are forced to make dreadful choices. Don’t pick up this page turner without clearing your day first, it is impossible to put down!
With a great premise, the book opens with Finn in the midst of the situation already. There is little time to draw breath as readers are immediately plunged into a faked kidnapping staged by two very smart but very naive girls. The drive to have a bit of fame combined with the pressures of college applications make for a potent combination for a book.
The story is told from Finn’s point of view as she deals with attending school and lying to everyone in her life, including Chloe’s parents and her own. Finn is in denial about a lot of things throughout the book, facing complicated feelings about her best friend. This tension about their relationship and what is at the heart of it makes the book even more compelling as Finn tries to navigate a situation of her own making.
This riveting novel is tightly written. The book builds tension as Finn struggles with her emotions and with the fallout from the kidnapping. It is not breakneck paced, rather it is woven into an intense read.
Ideal for booktalking to teens, this book will have everyone right from the premise. It completely lives up to its promise as a thrilling look at lies and fame. Appropriate for ages 14-17.
With a great premise, the book opens with Finn in the midst of the situation already. There is little time to draw breath as readers are immediately plunged into a faked kidnapping staged by two very smart but very naive girls. The drive to have a bit of fame combined with the pressures of college applications make for a potent combination for a book.
The story is told from Finn’s point of view as she deals with attending school and lying to everyone in her life, including Chloe’s parents and her own. Finn is in denial about a lot of things throughout the book, facing complicated feelings about her best friend. This tension about their relationship and what is at the heart of it makes the book even more compelling as Finn tries to navigate a situation of her own making.
This riveting novel is tightly written. The book builds tension as Finn struggles with her emotions and with the fallout from the kidnapping. It is not breakneck paced, rather it is woven into an intense read.
Ideal for booktalking to teens, this book will have everyone right from the premise. It completely lives up to its promise as a thrilling look at lies and fame. Appropriate for ages 14-17.
kellyhager's review
4.0
Chloe and Finn are in high school and attend one of those getting into college seminars. They've got good grades and plenty of extracurricular activities, but turns out that may not be good enough.
So they develop a plan. They're going to fake Chloe's disappearance (and presumed abduction). After a few days, Finn's going to miraculously "find" her and then they will have the best college essays EVER.
But they didn't think of a couple things. They didn't think about how Chloe's family will implode or how her boyfriend Dean will be suspected of kidnapping and/or killing her. And they didn't think about how hard it will be for Finn to lie to her parents or to Chloe's.
I really enjoyed this book. While reading it, I couldn't wait to find out if they'd "get away with it" or if Finn would crack and tell. I wanted to know what would happen after Chloe was "found" and if the police would buy their story.
Really fun read, but probably not the best way to get into college. :)
So they develop a plan. They're going to fake Chloe's disappearance (and presumed abduction). After a few days, Finn's going to miraculously "find" her and then they will have the best college essays EVER.
But they didn't think of a couple things. They didn't think about how Chloe's family will implode or how her boyfriend Dean will be suspected of kidnapping and/or killing her. And they didn't think about how hard it will be for Finn to lie to her parents or to Chloe's.
I really enjoyed this book. While reading it, I couldn't wait to find out if they'd "get away with it" or if Finn would crack and tell. I wanted to know what would happen after Chloe was "found" and if the police would buy their story.
Really fun read, but probably not the best way to get into college. :)
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