Sketchy by Olivia SammsExpected publication: April 30th 2013 by Amazon Childrens Publishing
Review Copy: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon
Description From GoodReads:
A popular cheerleader—raped, beaten, and left for dead. An edgy outsider with a gift. Can they team up to catch a killer?My Review:
Bea’s life has been a mess ever since she got kicked out of private school and sent to rehab. Now clean, Bea is starting over at Packard High School, in a city shaken from two assaults on young women. The latest victim, Willa Pressman—the one who survived—doesn’t remember a thing. But Bea has a disturbing new “skill”: she can see—and then draw—images from other people’s minds. And when she looks at Willa, Bea is shocked by what she sketches. Bea might be the only one who knows Willa’s secrets—and who can take down the killer before he strikes again.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I adored SKETCHY. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that it definitely earned a spot on my 2013 Favorites List (yes, already). It is an engrossing mystery with paranormal elements that will easily keep readers hooked until the very end.
Let’s start with the story first:
SKETCHY is the story of Bea. She has just finished rehab and is now attending a new high school after being expelled from her old private school. Life is hard enough on Bea, trying to adjust to a sober lifestyle, but that is only the beginning of her worries. When Bea sees Willa, a young girl that is trying to recover after surviving a gruesome rape, she finds herself determined to help her.
When Bea goes to talk to Willa about that night, about helping her, Bea literally draws the truth out of her. But Willa doesn’t want her help. She just wants Bea to leave her alone.
But what Willa doesn’t know is that this is much bigger than just helping Willa. The night at the Arb still haunts Bea's mind, and after losing her best friend, she is more determined than ever to catch the guy responsible for hurting Willa.
SKETCHY is definitely a story meant for the upper YA crowd as it does deal with drugs, rape, murder, and it does contain a fair amount of foul language (although, in Samms’ defense, she captures the teen voice quite well). It is a well crafted mystery that kept me glued to my Kindle until the final page, and I would easily recommend this read to readers that enjoy a good mystery.
Now onto the characters:
Bea: I adored Bea. Sure, she isn’t perfect, but she’s a tough heroine. At times, her behavior can be a bit extreme, but given that she is a recovering addict, that is understandable. She’s changing out one addiction (drugs/alcohol) for another (capturing Willa’s rapist), so I understood some of the choices she made. What I adored most about Bea was that she knew her faults, and she did her best to correct them.
Chris: I loved his character. He brings out the lighter side to Bea.
Samms did a fantastic job at developing her characters over the novel. All of them – especially Bea and Willa. If I had to pick a favorite character (other than Bea), I’d pick Sergeant Daniels. You’ll have to read to understand why.
To sum it up:
SKETCHY is a book that you really should add to your “to-read” shelf. I’ve already gone ahead and pre-ordered a hardcover copy for my shelf because I can see myself returning to this book later down the road.
I can’t wait to see what Samms has in store for Bea next!
View all my reviews
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