Title: Beware That GirlAuthor: Teresa Toten
Also by this author: The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: May 31, 2016
Rating:
This powerful psychological thriller with multiple mysteries is set against the backdrop of the mega-wealthy 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?
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
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Review: Beware that Girl by Teresa Toten
Beware That Girl by Teresa Toten is an interesting read for fans of the psychological thriller genre. I started this book with really high hopes, which is probably why I ended up a little disappointed. This book is told in alternating perspectives and contains a super smart main character, which is enjoyable. The plot, however, is uneventful in certain parts and is quite boring.
❀ A Psychological Thriller
The book is a psychological thriller that is very unique. This book is also told in alternating perspectives, which I always love. What is really interesting about this story is that Kate’s story is told in first person and Olivia’s is written in third person. I have never seen this before and was very intrigued by it. It definitely added to the overall mystery of the book.
❀ Kate is an Enjoyable Main Character
I really enjoyed Kate as a main character in Beware That Girl. She is smart and careful not to reveal her secrets. I also found Kate to have a really mysterious backstory that is very entertaining to discover. Although I really enjoyed Kate, I found certain other characters, like Mark and Olivia, to be very stereotypical. It was a lot harder to enjoy the book when one of the characters is said to, “exude raw masculinity.”
❀ Writing is Satisfying
The way that Beware That Girl is written is very satisfying. The build-up very well done and super suspenseful. I did find part of the story to be a bit predictable, though, which took away from the effect. Since I was able to predict the events of the story fairly often, the plot fell flat at certain points. When reading a thriller, I like to see a lot action, and this book didn’t really have that.
❀ Lack of Action
Beware That Girl by Teresa Toten is a thriller told in alternating perspectives with a main character who is very intelligent. However, a couple of the other characters were too stereotypical for my liking. As much as I wanted to enjoy this book, the lack of action didn’t live up to my expectations.
About Teresa Toten
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...
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ Canadian YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, & professional bibliophile.
I love a good, tense psychological thriller. But they have to keep me on the edge of my seat. A couple of lulls are okay, but long spans are not! Unfortunately this one sounds like it might have just too many lulls for me. Thank you for the review!
Great review! I love the sound of Kate and the potential in the summary. I think it’s especially disappointing when a thriller disappoints or when the twists are a bit predictable. Thank you for sharing your honest views on this book.
It’s always disappointing to see that a thriller wasn’t , you know, thrilling. This book looked like it had a lot of promise, hopefully you’ll like your next read much more.
The summary interested me. I am a little worried if I would like it though, considering what you said about the lack of action. Thank you for the great review!
I had high hopes for this book too, it may feature a little further down my TBR pile after reading your review. I have just finished Girl on the Train and it really didn’t live up to the hype. Sometimes I wonder whether the hype is real or if the publishers pick a book at random and just focus on pouring money into marketing!
I will be interested in reading your thoughts on this one. I am starting to feel like a black sheep these days, but maybe once the hype dies down a bit, I will feel better. I do have The Girl on The Train on my tbr as well. I am hoping that it lives up to the hype! <3
Thanks for the review! I actually have this on my tbr and I’m excited to read it =)