Publishing Date: October 2nd, 2012
Page Count: 274
Source: Requested ARC from the publicist
Format: Galley
Description from Goodreads.com:
Darynda Jones, author of The New York Times bestselling series that began with First Grave on the Right, brings us Death and the Girl Next Door, a thrilling Young Adult novel garnering high praise and early buzz from major authors.
Ten years ago, Lorelei's parents disappeared without a trace. Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home. For Lorelei, life goes on.
High school is not quite as paintful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be. Until the day the school's designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it, standing outside her house in the dark, night after night. Things get even more complicated when a new guy -- terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach -- comes to school. Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity. What does Jared know about her parents? Why does Cameron tell Jared he can't have Lorelei? And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real? Thrilling, sassy, sexy, and inventive, Darynda Jones's first foray into the world of teens will leave readers eager for the next installment.
Review:
Wow! I knew I was going to love this novel right off the bat when I first heard about it, but still, I didn't know I was going to love it THIS much! Death and the Girl Next Door is an amazingly witty novel. It had me cracking up, swooning, and wanted to jump in and shin kick Jared and Cameron along with Lorelei.
I love how sassy and unafraid Lorelei is. Yes, she is a little shy, but she goes after what she wants and doesn't let anyone stop her. Even the freakishly tall (compared to Lorelei... or anyone for that matter) boys Jared and Cameron cannot stop her and all of her 5 foot glory. I absolutely loved Lorelei's character and wouldn't have changed anything, except I wish she would just question more and try and really get answers. I know she did try plenty of times and failed, because everyone would just close up on her, but she should have tried getting them alone or convincing them she was on their side. It still wouldn't have worked, but who knows.
I also absolutely love the boys in this novel. Cameron and Jared are basically every girls dream, minus their small inhuman flaws (you will know what I am talking about once you read lol), and Glitch is seriously hilarious and the best guy friend a girl could have. Brooklyn and Glitch are seriously the best of friends and I am so happy Lorelei has them. She said over and over in the book that she honestly wouldn't know what to do with herself if they weren't there, because they constantly keep her from going into a depression over her parents. They look out for each other no matter what. Brooklyn is her own style of sass and I love her too. She is tough, but almost motherly. She really makes sure to take care of her friends even though she is super mean and sarcastic to the boys. I love it, though. One quote I love in the book is when Glitch says something like, "If Brooklyn and Lorelei didn't like you, you would be the first to know." I couldn't re-find the quote so it might not be exactly that, but it's definitely along those lines.
*SPOILER*
The only love dilemma I found in this book is about Glitch, Brookly, and Cameron. I actually kind of like love triangles, but I am really glad this one is in the background of the story and not on the main character, Lorelei. Lorelei discovers that Glitch has feeling for Brookly, but then when Cameron comes into their lives it seems that Brookly has always had a crush on Cameron and he acts like he may be reciprocating those feelings. I don't know how I feel about this at all. I love Glitch to death, but at the same time Cameron is just so hot, and I feel like he may be a better match for Brooklyn since they have the same attitude. I guess I will have to wait to see what happens in the rest of the series, because right now I am absolutely torn on these three and am absolutely on no one's team... as of yet lol
*END OF SPOILER*
I will admit that the whole explanation of the what Lorelei, Cameron, and Jared are is confusing and it really takes some though to try and understand it all, but I know there is still a lot of information left out. The whole explanation was told in short pieces of scattered information. You would find out one small part then a bunch of other stuff would happen, then you would find out another part, then more stuff happened. It was never told all as one segment, all pieced together for all to understand. So it takes a bit of thought, but I feel like it will be re-touched on in the second book and better explained. I also feel like Darynda will maybe summarize what we found out in book one in book two so you can re-remember.
Overall:
I absolutely loved Death and the Girl Next Door! It is an amazing novel with swoon worthy guys and fantastic friends and snarky attitudes. I did a fair amount of laughing and then looked at my boyfriend and repeated what just happened in the book only to get stared at like I was nuts, so maybe when you read just keep the jokes to yourself lmao, because they will only get it if they read it. I absolutely loved all the characters and their different attitudes. I think Lorelei was a perfect main character and enjoyed her story very much. The explanation on what is going on and who everyone "really" is is a bit confusing and takes some thought to understand it all, but I feel like it will be better touched on in book two now that everyone trusts each other. I highly recommend this to everyone who loves paranormal YA and I will definitely, absolutely be continuing on with this awesome series!
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 5/5
