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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I’m sure I have mentioned this no less than ten times on the blog, Nearly Gone was one of my most anticipated reads of 2014. It immediately grabbed me by the synopsis and I could not wait to finally get my hands on it.
Nearly was a fantastic main character. She was incredibly smart, and worked very hard to get there. She was very determined to get somewhere after high school and that was a very redeeming quality in her. The determination also helped her push through to try to figure out who was killing her classmates. Reece, the badass classmate was also a character I liked as well. No surprise here, he drives a motorcycle, he’s gritty, and has a dangerous story. I fall for this trope every time, and there was no exception here.
The mystery aspect was really well done. It was unbelievable at parts but it kept me hanging on to the very last page. I actually did not get up until I finished it from beginning to end! I loved that science was woven into every clue, and the killer played into the fact that Nearly was obsessed with reading the personal ads. It’s impossible to trust hardly any of the characters, I had no idea what was going on, who was guilty, who played a part… I was all of the place. I love that in a thriller, because that’s how I want to feel when I’m reading. Nearly is incredibly smart, but despite that, she doesn’t do some silly things however. That’s what made the story unbelievable at times, but it’s so attention grabbing, I didn’t think about it while I was reading it.
One of my favorite things about this story was that although Nearly lived in a trailer park her life didn’t have that stereotypical aspect of that is normally depicted. Often the parents are not around, abusive, drug addicts, etc… but that’s not the case for Nearly. Sure, her mother is a stripper, but it’s to provide the best life she can for Nearly after her father abandons them. She wasn’t the best mother ever, but she did what she could for Nearly, and it was obvious she loved her very much. I enjoyed that because the stereotype is not the way for everyone that has grown up in a trailer park but that’s what is normally portrayed in books.
I was pleasantly, pleasantly surprised with the ending and who the killer actually was. I expected to figure out this mystery long before the ending and I didn’t.. when it was revealed who it was, I definitely had a bit of a WTF moment. I was kept guessing the entire time, and Elle Cosimano does a great job of making you think the killer is EVERY character that Nearly encounters. Wow, I was shocked!
Elle Cosimano’s debut novel is sure to keep you guessing and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a great YA thriller.
Nearly was a fantastic main character. She was incredibly smart, and worked very hard to get there. She was very determined to get somewhere after high school and that was a very redeeming quality in her. The determination also helped her push through to try to figure out who was killing her classmates. Reece, the badass classmate was also a character I liked as well. No surprise here, he drives a motorcycle, he’s gritty, and has a dangerous story. I fall for this trope every time, and there was no exception here.
The mystery aspect was really well done. It was unbelievable at parts but it kept me hanging on to the very last page. I actually did not get up until I finished it from beginning to end! I loved that science was woven into every clue, and the killer played into the fact that Nearly was obsessed with reading the personal ads. It’s impossible to trust hardly any of the characters, I had no idea what was going on, who was guilty, who played a part… I was all of the place. I love that in a thriller, because that’s how I want to feel when I’m reading. Nearly is incredibly smart, but despite that, she doesn’t do some silly things however. That’s what made the story unbelievable at times, but it’s so attention grabbing, I didn’t think about it while I was reading it.
One of my favorite things about this story was that although Nearly lived in a trailer park her life didn’t have that stereotypical aspect of that is normally depicted. Often the parents are not around, abusive, drug addicts, etc… but that’s not the case for Nearly. Sure, her mother is a stripper, but it’s to provide the best life she can for Nearly after her father abandons them. She wasn’t the best mother ever, but she did what she could for Nearly, and it was obvious she loved her very much. I enjoyed that because the stereotype is not the way for everyone that has grown up in a trailer park but that’s what is normally portrayed in books.
I was pleasantly, pleasantly surprised with the ending and who the killer actually was. I expected to figure out this mystery long before the ending and I didn’t.. when it was revealed who it was, I definitely had a bit of a WTF moment. I was kept guessing the entire time, and Elle Cosimano does a great job of making you think the killer is EVERY character that Nearly encounters. Wow, I was shocked!
Elle Cosimano’s debut novel is sure to keep you guessing and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a great YA thriller.
I really, truly tried to like this novel but unfortunately this is one of those that have a great premise but fall utterly short of my expectations. A sciencey murder mystery with a paranormal element? Well, that totally could have been awesome! However, it just didn't work out for me; in other words, the pieces of the puzzle that should have added up to an awesome story didn't link:
Piece #1: The Murder Mystery
If you follow me on Goodreads, you might have noticed that I'm a sucker for riddles and mysteries, always looking for clues, always trying to decipher the plot. Sounds like I should have had fun with a murder mystery, right? Unfortunately, the novel failed to thrill me enough to have me glued to the pages trying to figure out what's going on. The suspense was just missing, probably because there was too much going on and, as a consequence, too many subplots fell short. It does add up to a bigger picture, it's just that it felt as if the pieces weren't thoroughly connected.
Piece #2: The Paranormal Element
I have no idea why this special gift of Nearly's even made it into the novel. It is completely redundant and with a few small alterations, the novel would work just fine without it. I mean, come on! It's pretty annoying to be able to feel another person's emotion just by touching her but it totally comes in handy when having to find a serial killer - well, it would, if you would actually use your powers. Instead, Nearly has this no touching policy, which is so not helpful in her case. Even when she actually - more or less willingly - applies her powers, she just doesn't act on what she finds out.
Piece #3: The Characters
Many of the issues I had with this novel come down to the characters. It's a murder mystery, therefore, the cast is quite large since you need a whole bunch of suspects and victims. Unfortunately, more or less all of the characters were superficial and disposable. The victims were often introduced only a couple of pages before they kicked the bucket and since the pattern is revealed early on, there's not much room for suspense. How am I supposed to care whether they live or die if I have no idea who they are? Even the more prominent secondary characters are flat and I never got invested in them. It's truly a shame because there were a couple that could have been awesome and interesting characters. Anh, for example, or Jeremy, Gena, and Oleksa. However, there was not even a single scene in which Nearly and Anh meet outside of school to do something teenage girls would do - that's how much you get to know some of the more important characters.
Each of the pieces has its flaws; metaphorically speaking, their outies have been cut off. You can still place the parts next to each other to form the bigger picture. However, the result is disjointed and incomplete - and that's exactly how this novel felt to me.
Piece #1: The Murder Mystery
If you follow me on Goodreads, you might have noticed that I'm a sucker for riddles and mysteries, always looking for clues, always trying to decipher the plot. Sounds like I should have had fun with a murder mystery, right? Unfortunately, the novel failed to thrill me enough to have me glued to the pages trying to figure out what's going on. The suspense was just missing, probably because there was too much going on and, as a consequence, too many subplots fell short. It does add up to a bigger picture, it's just that it felt as if the pieces weren't thoroughly connected.
Piece #2: The Paranormal Element
I have no idea why this special gift of Nearly's even made it into the novel. It is completely redundant and with a few small alterations, the novel would work just fine without it. I mean, come on! It's pretty annoying to be able to feel another person's emotion just by touching her but it totally comes in handy when having to find a serial killer - well, it would, if you would actually use your powers. Instead, Nearly has this no touching policy, which is so not helpful in her case. Even when she actually - more or less willingly - applies her powers, she just doesn't act on what she finds out.
Piece #3: The Characters
Many of the issues I had with this novel come down to the characters. It's a murder mystery, therefore, the cast is quite large since you need a whole bunch of suspects and victims. Unfortunately, more or less all of the characters were superficial and disposable. The victims were often introduced only a couple of pages before they kicked the bucket and since the pattern is revealed early on, there's not much room for suspense. How am I supposed to care whether they live or die if I have no idea who they are? Even the more prominent secondary characters are flat and I never got invested in them. It's truly a shame because there were a couple that could have been awesome and interesting characters. Anh, for example, or Jeremy, Gena, and Oleksa. However, there was not even a single scene in which Nearly and Anh meet outside of school to do something teenage girls would do - that's how much you get to know some of the more important characters.
Each of the pieces has its flaws; metaphorically speaking, their outies have been cut off. You can still place the parts next to each other to form the bigger picture. However, the result is disjointed and incomplete - and that's exactly how this novel felt to me.
Not that it was hard to read. I have a busy schedule so unless I am on a train I can't read. This was a wonderful book to read.
I feel like this is the year of the suspense book for me… over the last few months I’ve read a handful, and would put Nearly Gone right at the top with the best of them.
Nearly Boswell hasn’t had the easiest of lives. Her mom’s profession, her life in the trailer park and her obsession with personal ads make her an easy target. She has to focus to keep her eyes on the goal - that being a scholarship that will get her out of this place. But a strange ad in the personals catches her attention and suddenly there is a serial killer targeting students that are all linked to her. Only Nearly can break the code and figure out who is trying to set her up… or so she thinks. Nearly finds herself drawn to Reece Whelen who is the epitome of bad boy. But he’s got a story that she doesn’t fully know and he’s holding all his secrets close.
Let me just tell you what I didn’t care for right off the bat and get it out of the way. I struggled with the paranormal aspect to this story. Nearly has the ability to sense what other people are feeling when she touches their skin. While interesting and an intriguing idea, I don’t think this was fleshed out enough to actually have the correct impact on the story. I guess part of me wonders why it is even a part of this story to begin with. I didn’t understand why she had to have this ability and in my opinion it really didn’t have that big of an impact on the story to even include.
I also struggled a bit with Nearly as a character. She’s intelligent and knows her shit… she’s had to practically raise herself. Yet she repeatedly does some of the stupidest stuff she ever could in this story. Our serial killer baits her and tries to set her up more than once and she practically falls for it each time and she only has Reece there to save her ass. I wanted her book smarts to somewhat match her street smarts, and since she didn’t exactly grow up in a sheltered environment I kind of expected more from her.
On the other hand, what did I like… I really enjoyed the suspense to the story. Cosimano does a good job of never letting on who the big bad is. The end was cleverly done and really well plotted out - it was a surprise when everything was finally revealed.
I liked the secondary characters we’re introduced to… Ahn and Jeremy are nicely done, though If only on a superficial level. There is something of a love triangle/square type thing going on here that is obvious from the get go, and at times it was frustrating to read simply because I felt like Nearly kept giving Jeremy some mixed signals.
Reece, on the other hand, we get to know quite well… eventually. He’s been tasked with the police department to keep an eye on Nearly - she’s become a main suspect and the police department practically owns him so he does just that. If you’re looking for a real bad boy… look no further. Fresh out of juvie and an attitude that doesn’t end… he has the tattoos and the motorcycle but he wants to help Nearly and when he finds she’s in more trouble than he could have imagined, he will do anything to keep her safe even if it lands him in the trouble he's been trying to avoid.
Overall, I completely enjoyed the story. Is it perfect? No… but I found myself intrigued by the story and the mystery and that works for me! Definitely pick this one up if you’re looking for something with some major suspense and thrills as well as some YA romance! I think you’ll enjoy it too!
Nearly Boswell hasn’t had the easiest of lives. Her mom’s profession, her life in the trailer park and her obsession with personal ads make her an easy target. She has to focus to keep her eyes on the goal - that being a scholarship that will get her out of this place. But a strange ad in the personals catches her attention and suddenly there is a serial killer targeting students that are all linked to her. Only Nearly can break the code and figure out who is trying to set her up… or so she thinks. Nearly finds herself drawn to Reece Whelen who is the epitome of bad boy. But he’s got a story that she doesn’t fully know and he’s holding all his secrets close.
Let me just tell you what I didn’t care for right off the bat and get it out of the way. I struggled with the paranormal aspect to this story. Nearly has the ability to sense what other people are feeling when she touches their skin. While interesting and an intriguing idea, I don’t think this was fleshed out enough to actually have the correct impact on the story. I guess part of me wonders why it is even a part of this story to begin with. I didn’t understand why she had to have this ability and in my opinion it really didn’t have that big of an impact on the story to even include.
I also struggled a bit with Nearly as a character. She’s intelligent and knows her shit… she’s had to practically raise herself. Yet she repeatedly does some of the stupidest stuff she ever could in this story. Our serial killer baits her and tries to set her up more than once and she practically falls for it each time and she only has Reece there to save her ass. I wanted her book smarts to somewhat match her street smarts, and since she didn’t exactly grow up in a sheltered environment I kind of expected more from her.
On the other hand, what did I like… I really enjoyed the suspense to the story. Cosimano does a good job of never letting on who the big bad is. The end was cleverly done and really well plotted out - it was a surprise when everything was finally revealed.
I liked the secondary characters we’re introduced to… Ahn and Jeremy are nicely done, though If only on a superficial level. There is something of a love triangle/square type thing going on here that is obvious from the get go, and at times it was frustrating to read simply because I felt like Nearly kept giving Jeremy some mixed signals.
Reece, on the other hand, we get to know quite well… eventually. He’s been tasked with the police department to keep an eye on Nearly - she’s become a main suspect and the police department practically owns him so he does just that. If you’re looking for a real bad boy… look no further. Fresh out of juvie and an attitude that doesn’t end… he has the tattoos and the motorcycle but he wants to help Nearly and when he finds she’s in more trouble than he could have imagined, he will do anything to keep her safe even if it lands him in the trouble he's been trying to avoid.
Overall, I completely enjoyed the story. Is it perfect? No… but I found myself intrigued by the story and the mystery and that works for me! Definitely pick this one up if you’re looking for something with some major suspense and thrills as well as some YA romance! I think you’ll enjoy it too!
I was very impressed with this book. I would not have typically picked out a book like this for myself, but it was recommended to me and I decided to give it a shot. One thing I really look for and love, is when a book surprises me. I have read a lot of books and when one manages to completely throw me a new one and shock me, it always makes my list of "Best Books". "Nearly Gone" repeatedly surprised me, through the twists and turns of the main mystery, as well as the outcome of relationships and connections made throughout the book. The author did a wonderful job with crafting a storyline and pace that keeps readers engaged and interested in what will happen next throughout the book. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading about what the author has in store for Nearly in the sequel :)
Fantastic. The integration of science and math clues with this deeply personal revenge-murder-spree, the mildly sci-fi aspect of Nearly's unique talent, and the gritty realism of the characters' lives are all well-handled. My only complaints: the murderer is hidden in such a profusion of high school boy characters, I had trouble keeping them straight. The story would have been more elegantly constructed if one or two of them were merged or eliminated. Also, the undercover cop posing as a high schooler struck me as unrealistic. I dunno, maybe it could happen, but he was obviously out of place right from the start.
Despite these minor quibbles, I couldn't put the book down and will look for more from Cosimano.
Despite these minor quibbles, I couldn't put the book down and will look for more from Cosimano.
3.5 stars
This week has been different from the norm in that I’ve been really enjoying mysteries. I wasn’t sure about Nearly Gone, because the reviews of it varied so drastically among reviewers I trust. Most were sort of meh about it, but a couple loved it. When the sequel arrived, I knew the time had come to try the ARC of Nearly Gone that Shae (Shae Has Left the Room) sent me after she adored the mystery. To my surprise, Nearly’s voice captured me immediately, and I devoured this thriller.
Though I complain about stupid character names a lot, I’m not bothered by Nearly’s. My rule is that, if it’s a contemporary novel, kids would make fun of an abnormal name, because lbr kids are mean. Nearly has been made fun of for her name to the degree that she prefers to be called Leigh.
In school, Leigh works really hard, determined to land a scholarship to college so that she can get out of the trailer park where she lives. Her mom doesn’t make enough money dancing at the local gentlemen’s club to pay for college, so she sees the scholarship as her one shot. She’s vying with her friend, Anh, for the top spot, but Leigh’s in second place by a slim margin. Leigh is hardworking, skilled at science and math, and incredibly feisty once you get to know her. All Leigh wants is to land that scholarship and to avoid the notice of the bullies.
Ever since her dad left them, Leigh has read the Missed Connections section of the newspaper, because occasionally he would leave hints so she could meet up with him. One day, she notices a strange add, one that seems related to an attack on a student. She also notices the dead cat left on her doorstep with a menacing note, which was completely unnecessary by the way. Bodies pile up, all connected to Nearly, and she has no damn clue why because she’s never done anything bad to anyone.
They mystery’s actually good, I would say. There are so many people who could have done it, pretty much the whole cast actually. The pieces were there, I think, to allow the reader to put it together, though I failed to guess correctly. I’m actually REALLY glad that my theory was not correct, because I would have hated that so much. Nearly Gone was a lot more vicious, dark and creepy than I’d anticipated. Shae, you surprise me.
Though I completely devoured this book and loved the voice, there were a couple things that did bother me about Nearly Gone. I already mentioned the emotionally manipulative cat death. The death ofTeddy, a special ed kid Nearly tutored and was really sweet to also bothered me. Actually, the number of deaths in a short timeframe, so obviously linked, seemed out of place with the reaction in the town. They didn’t cancel prom or put special measures into place, aside from warning parents, even though there was obviously a serial murderer on the loose. Ummm no.
The romance was also not my favorite part of Nearly Gone. For the most part, I actually did like Reece and Nearly together. They do seem to have a real bond, and I could see them working down the road. However, there’s sort of an instatrust/instalove that happens between them that seems even more ridiculous under these circumstances where they know from the beginning that the other is keeping a secret. Plus, Reece forces their first kiss on her. He had reasons, yes, and I do love surprise kisses and subterfuge kisses, but she actually bit him and hit him. This wasn’t a “we have to kiss because fake dating,” but we both agreed to it and love it. She did not want the kiss, and it made me really uncomfortable. They’re not to unship levels, but with a bit more time and a bit less violence at the start, I would have been a much bigger fan of the ship.
Also, that last chapter. I’m actually struggling to put into words how I feel about the way things played out. We get this recap of events after the showdown, because Nearly’s not really there for all of it. What we learn is that Otherwise, the ending was pretty strong, closing off with the impetus for book two.
Nearly Gone was nearly a BIG hit with me, but it fell short on a few elements. Still, I remain hopeful that the sequel will be even better. Cosimano can write a strong voice, so I suspect there are great things to come from her.
This week has been different from the norm in that I’ve been really enjoying mysteries. I wasn’t sure about Nearly Gone, because the reviews of it varied so drastically among reviewers I trust. Most were sort of meh about it, but a couple loved it. When the sequel arrived, I knew the time had come to try the ARC of Nearly Gone that Shae (Shae Has Left the Room) sent me after she adored the mystery. To my surprise, Nearly’s voice captured me immediately, and I devoured this thriller.
Though I complain about stupid character names a lot, I’m not bothered by Nearly’s. My rule is that, if it’s a contemporary novel, kids would make fun of an abnormal name, because lbr kids are mean. Nearly has been made fun of for her name to the degree that she prefers to be called Leigh.
In school, Leigh works really hard, determined to land a scholarship to college so that she can get out of the trailer park where she lives. Her mom doesn’t make enough money dancing at the local gentlemen’s club to pay for college, so she sees the scholarship as her one shot. She’s vying with her friend, Anh, for the top spot, but Leigh’s in second place by a slim margin. Leigh is hardworking, skilled at science and math, and incredibly feisty once you get to know her. All Leigh wants is to land that scholarship and to avoid the notice of the bullies.
Ever since her dad left them, Leigh has read the Missed Connections section of the newspaper, because occasionally he would leave hints so she could meet up with him. One day, she notices a strange add, one that seems related to an attack on a student. She also notices the dead cat left on her doorstep with a menacing note, which was completely unnecessary by the way. Bodies pile up, all connected to Nearly, and she has no damn clue why because she’s never done anything bad to anyone.
They mystery’s actually good, I would say. There are so many people who could have done it, pretty much the whole cast actually. The pieces were there, I think, to allow the reader to put it together, though I failed to guess correctly. I’m actually REALLY glad that my theory was not correct, because I would have hated that so much. Nearly Gone was a lot more vicious, dark and creepy than I’d anticipated. Shae, you surprise me.
Though I completely devoured this book and loved the voice, there were a couple things that did bother me about Nearly Gone. I already mentioned the emotionally manipulative cat death. The death of
The romance was also not my favorite part of Nearly Gone. For the most part, I actually did like Reece and Nearly together. They do seem to have a real bond, and I could see them working down the road. However, there’s sort of an instatrust/instalove that happens between them that seems even more ridiculous under these circumstances where they know from the beginning that the other is keeping a secret. Plus, Reece forces their first kiss on her. He had reasons, yes, and I do love surprise kisses and subterfuge kisses, but she actually bit him and hit him. This wasn’t a “we have to kiss because fake dating,” but we both agreed to it and love it. She did not want the kiss, and it made me really uncomfortable. They’re not to unship levels, but with a bit more time and a bit less violence at the start, I would have been a much bigger fan of the ship.
Also, that last chapter. I’m actually struggling to put into words how I feel about the way things played out. We get this recap of events after the showdown, because Nearly’s not really there for all of it. What we learn is that Otherwise, the ending was pretty strong, closing off with the impetus for book two.
Nearly Gone was nearly a BIG hit with me, but it fell short on a few elements. Still, I remain hopeful that the sequel will be even better. Cosimano can write a strong voice, so I suspect there are great things to come from her.