Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 303pgs

The Story

Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he's pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't bad enough, now he's depending on Hartley to clear his name. Seriously? Not cool.

But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he's innocent, and she's the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school's resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer's next victim.

The Review

Nancy Drew . . . Veronica Mars . . . I honestly love those two and they're both great girls who have written themselves into our history books. They'll always be legends to me. But now, let me introduce to you yet another one into the mix - that being a girl named Hartley Featherstone. I don't know about you guys, but there's just something about a smart, snarky, and a sassy girl detective that always gets to me. While the other famous heroine detectives may live in really complicated lives but for Hartley Grace Featherstone's life couldn't get any worse than it already is. Firstly, she finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her. Sad but true. And secondly, she also finds out that one deadly corpse likes to visit her now soon-to-be ex-boyfriend's bedroom. And that's exactly what happened here folks - there was a dead body in her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend's bedroom. But it wasn't just any body . . . it was the body of the girl whom was suspected of being with her boyfriend before their breakup. And in a moment of mere desperation, even if he doesn't deserve it, Hartley's ex begs for her help to clear his name of the murder and like all sassy girl detectives do . . . they try and solve the mystery!

Before considering reading this book, I heard nothing but great things about it. However, it wasn't until I started reading it when I finally realized what a ball of fun this book was! It might have been predictable. It might have been a tad bit cliche. It might have been cheesy at times . . . but that's the whole entire point of a YA mystery novel and you gotta love them no matter what happens! What I loved most about this book was the fast-paced storyline and the fact that not even once did I find myself bored with it. I mean, there's just something about Gemma Halliday's writing that made Nancy Drew and Veronica Mars both proud and nodding their heads in approval . . . so my hat goes off to the author for having the ability to do that for me.

When it came to the characters, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect of them. Hartley in particular. Some reviews I read in the past didn't have a lot of nice things to say about her character and sure she might have her own faults (after all she's helping out her cheating ex-boyfriend and no one in their right mind would do that) but personally for me, I found her to be freaking hilarious! And she was strong-minded too and didn't take any crap from anybody . . . which I loved about her even more! Along with an entertaining supporting cast, another character to shine in the book's spotlight was Chase - the typical bad boy with a lot of sass in him as well. Now before you go rolling your eyes and having a good old chuckle about the cliche bad boy being in the picture, trust me here you guys . . . Chase was far from that typical bad boy character. He was a helpful one and actually cared about Hartley's wellbeing. While I was totally rooting for him and Hartley to get together and hit it off with those clear sexy sparks flying off them, but considering the way things had ended in the book, I wasn't so surprised by the choice Halliday had chosen for both of the characters. It'll be interesting whether anything develops in the sequel or in future books . . . I really hope there is more development because Hartley and Chase are a perfect match.

Overall, despite the mixed reactions regarding this book, I surprisingly thought DEADLY COOL was a rather fun super mystery and definitely holds its own! With a nice crossover of Nancy Drew meets Veronica Mars, and a nice touch of a spunky heroine and a keep-you-guessing fun-filled mystery murder investigation, I'm sure this book will be loved by any reader! Mystery fan or not . . . you're going to love it!

The Rating

4/5 stars

16 comments:

  1. I loved this book. It was a fun read indeed. Glad you enjoyed this one too. Cant wait for the second book. Great review Erin. x

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  2. "It might have been a tad bit cliche. It might have been cheesy at times . . . but that's the whole entire point of a YA mystery novel and you gotta love them no matter what happens!" <-- This is so true!! x) I loooooove reading YA mysteries -- and I adored this one! -- even though sometimes the originality isn't at its highest. Either way, you definitely have to admit that Chase was a cutie! ;)

    Awesome review, Erin! :)

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    1. Chase was most definitely an uber-cutie. Can't wait for the sequel now!

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  3. You had me at "Veronica Mars" :D I love Hartley already! Even with the predicitability and moments of cliche, I so want to give this a go. Sassy heroine, fast-paced plot and obligatory bad boy... recipe for yummy novel :D Awesome review Erin, thanks for convincing me!

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    1. If you love Mars, you'll love this girl! Brodie . . . it's a must!

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  4. I'm with Brodie here - a Veronica Mars mention is all it takes to convince me! :D This sounds like such a fun read and I definitely can't wait to get started on it. Great review!

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    1. It's a fun read for sure! Once someone recommended it to me with comparing it to Mars herself, I was so THERE!

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  5. Great review Erin.. Sounds like a great read !!

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  6. LOL umm...am I the ONLY person in the world who hasn't ahh..watched? Veronica Mars & ahh...read/watched? Nancy Drew? That aside...this sounds like such an awesome book!!! I'm sooo looking forward to reading this now<3 Awesome review, Erin!

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    1. OH MY GOD NO SHIRLEY! You didn't - you didn't just say that on this blog of mine! *eyes go wide and mouth opens* How can you have NOT watched Veronica Mars and not have read Nancy Drew books . . . there should be a law in place to MAKE you watch/read them. haha.

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  7. I really enjoyed this book. You're right...Hartley was a fantastic main character! And I have to give you kudos for the Veronica Mars and Nancy Drew references, of course! :)

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  8. I hate ambiguous conclusions for the characters' romance, drives me crazy. HOWEVER, I am in for spunky main characters, a hot bad boy sidekick, and a fun murder mystery!

    Asher

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  9. uh... really? People have said they didn't like a character because... she didn't let an INNOCENT guy take the fall for a crime he didn't commit? And a murder at that? I get not liking a character. I get not liking that her asshole ex expects ANYTHING of her after cheating... but er… letting someone take the wrap for murder is revenge of almost Kill Bill proportions… I mean, I don’t want her to be a pushover? But yeah…
    Oh, seriously Erin. You had me at ‘Veronica Mars’. I had NO idea what the book was about, what the deal was, or ANYTHING, but I am SO excited to read it now! I’ll totally be keeping my eye out for it :D

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